Political riots

Greek police were called to break up a protest at a migrant hotspot on the island of Chios in the eastern Aegean on Tuesday.
Migrants at the Vial facility were protesting the slow pace with which Greece has been processing asylum claims.
Some protesters lit a garbage container on fire and then threw stones at firemen who tried to douse the blaze.

The government's decision to introduce measures that will prevent small groups of protesters from causing traffic jams and disrupting public transport in downtown Athens is a step in the right direction as far as improving life in the Greek capital is concerned.

French police used tear gas to disperse protesters in front of President Emmanuel Macron's party headquarters, DPA and BTA reported. The protest was held against the background of the ongoing strike against the pension reform.

Dozens of protesters fled after being covered by thick clouds of tear gas in the narrow streets near the Paris Opera House. 

Police in Hong Kong have arrested 336 people during the Christmas holidays, the Associated Press reported.

A police spokesman told reporters that there were 92 women, and minors, the youngest 12 years old.

Amnesty International said on Dec. 16 that at least 304 people were killed in last month's anti-government protests in Iran, a significantly higher number than what the rights group had reported previously.

Protesters and police were injured as a result of clashes in Lebanon's capital Beirut as demonstrators continue to demand a change in government.

Police on Monday continued with raids on apartment blocks in downtown Exarchia following an unusually quiet night on Sunday, the anniversary of a 1973 student rising against Greece's junta which usually ends in violent street clashes between anarchists and riot police officers. 

Police have arrested two men after swooping on two flats in a building the central Athens district of Exarchia in the wake of clashes between police and protesters in the area.
During the raid on Monday, police confiscated materials typically used in violent demonstrations, including eight gas masks, three firecrackers, a smoke grenade and several rocks.

Police will be out in force over the next three days as events get under way to mark the 46th anniversary of a student uprising against Greece's military dictatorship amid concern about upheaval following tense clashes between police and far-left demonstrators over the past week.

As a result, parts of public transport, schools and many businesses will be closed following the escalation of expected violence.