Udupi: The Udupi District Road Safety Authority has made it mandatory for heavy vehicles including buses and trucks transporting stones and sand to get speed governors to prevent accidents, Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar has said.

With several accidents due to overspeeding of transport vehicles and negligence of drivers being reported from the district, the Authority has restricted the speed limit of the heavy vehicles to 60 kmph. The rule will be applicable to all six-wheelers and larger vehicles carrying sand, stone and soil in the district, the senior officer said.

The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the Authority. Truck drivers and owners are given 10 days’ time to install the speed governors in their vehicles. Pamphlets will be distributed to spread awareness among the owners regarding the rules, Shankar added.

In addition, bus owners are instructed to install doors on their vehicles by January 20. Buses found without doors will be confiscated and the owners will have to pay fine, the SP warned.

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Tehran: Iran experienced a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday due to protests over a deepening economic crisis, according to online monitoring group NetBlocks. The group said the disruption followed a series of escalating digital restrictions intented to curb protests and limited public communication at a critical moment.

Demonstrations have spread across several Iranian cities since late December, driven by anger over rising living costs and devaluation of the national currency. The unrest resulted in at least 21 people reported killed since the protests began, according to figures compiled by AFP based on local media and official statements.

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Reporting from Tehran early on Friday, Al Jazeera correspondent Tohid Asadi said thousands of people gathered across multiple neighbourhoods of the capital from around 8 pm local time on Thursday. He said several streets were blocked and clashes erupted between protesters and police, with chants and slogans directed against the political establishment echoing through parts of the city. Asadi noted that economic pressure had eroded public confidence, particularly among working and lower middle-class families struggling to meet daily expenses.

Iranian authorities have issued mixed signals in response to the unrest. President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged restraint in handling the protests, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this week said rioters must be “put in their place”. Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei accused demonstrators of acting in coordination with the United States and Israel and warned that there would be no leniency for those accused of creating insecurity.

International concern has also mounted. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for steps to prevent further loss of life and urged Iranian authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. His spokesperson said individuals must be allowed to protest peacefully and voice their grievances.

Human rights group Amnesty International said on Tuesday that security forces raided Imam Khomeini Hospital in the western city of Ilam, firing tear gas, damaging property and assaulting people inside, while attempting to detain injured protesters. The organisation called on Iranian authorities to halt the unlawful use of force, stop arbitrary arrests in hospitals, ensure medical care for the injured and respect the neutrality of healthcare facilities.