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Beware, arson show! - Loincloth-clad Japanese firefighters show off hose skills at water-spraying display in Kanazawa

Beware, arson show! - Loincloth-clad Japanese firefighters show off hose skills at water-spraying display in Kanazawa

"Kanazawa City's New Year's Fire Department Ceremony took place at Kanazawa Castle Park on Sunday, where around 50 fire engines performed a water-spraying display. Around 1,300 people participated, including members of the city's fire department and fire brigade. Footage shows firefighters clad in twisted headbands and loincloths braving the strong winds, blasting jets of water into the cloudy skies. Some can be seen holding the 'matoi', a symbol of the firefighting district, shouting encouragement. The annual ladder climbing performance, using the traditional technique of 'Kaga Tobi' firefighters from the Edo period, was cancelled this year due to the strong winds, the first time it has not been held since the Second World War. On the eve of the event, the brigades had been dispatched around the city, amid reports that the powerful winds were threatening to blow tin roofs from buildings."

'Blood is boiling' - Police intervene as rival Iran protesters clash outside Islamic Centre in London

'Blood is boiling' - Police intervene as rival Iran protesters clash outside Islamic Centre in London

"Tensions flared outside the Islamic Centre of England in Kilburn on Sunday as pro-Tehran demonstrators gathered to defend the mosque after they alleged they felt threatened by anti-Tehran activists they said were targeting the facility. The pro-Tehran demonstrators, some with their faces covered, staged a rowdy protest outside the centre, prompting a police intervention and multiple arrests, as footage shows. The picket was organised following messages posted online warning of attempts by groups opposed to the Iranian regime at the mosque. Footage shows pro-Tehran demonstrators waving Iranian and Palestinian flags outside the mosque, while opposing protesters can be seen shouting abuse as they drove past. “Today, we are here to protect the mosque from recurring people who come here claiming they are protesting, but what they have actually been doing is rioting,” claimed activist Rambo. “Yesterday, a group of individual had their children inside, studying and praying,” he added. “They jumped the fence knowing women and children were inside.” Another demonstrator, Hasan, said he saw a group arrive in '10 to 20' cars and rush toward the building. “They jumped out screaming and started running toward the centre,” he explained. As tensions escalated, police moved in to quell the unrest. Footage shows officers forming a line in front of the mosque, dispersing demonstrators and carrying out arrests as chanting continued nearby. This comes as Iranian cities have been hit by days of protests, after Tehran's police chief said on Tuesday that security forces had responded 'with power and force', noting the arrest of 'a large number' of people. The wave of protests began in late December in Tehran, before spreading to other cities, triggered by a deteriorating economic situation and the falling value of the national currency. Iranian officials have conceded that the protesters' demands are 'justified’, however they claim that 'the enemy' is exploiting the country’s economic hardship to stir unrest. This comes as US President Donald Trump warned the authorities in Tehran that they had “better not start shooting, because we'll start shooting too.” The Tehran authorities reportedly cut off internet access nationwide on Thursday, amid reports from rights groups that hundreds of protesters had been killed in the unrest."

'Blood is boiling' - Police intervene as rival Iran protesters clash outside Islamic Centre in London

'Blood is boiling' - Police intervene as rival Iran protesters clash outside Islamic Centre in London

"Tensions flared outside the Islamic Centre of England in Kilburn on Sunday as pro-Tehran demonstrators gathered to defend the mosque after they alleged they felt threatened by anti-Tehran activists they said were targeting the facility. The pro-Tehran demonstrators, some with their faces covered, staged a rowdy protest outside the centre, prompting a police intervention and multiple arrests, as footage shows. The picket was organised following messages posted online warning of attempts by groups opposed to the Iranian regime at the mosque. Footage shows pro-Tehran demonstrators waving Iranian and Palestinian flags outside the mosque, while opposing protesters can be seen shouting abuse as they drove past. “Today, we are here to protect the mosque from recurring people who come here claiming they are protesting, but what they have actually been doing is rioting,” claimed activist Rambo. “Yesterday, a group of individual had their children inside, studying and praying,” he added. “They jumped the fence knowing women and children were inside.” Another demonstrator, Hasan, said he saw a group arrive in '10 to 20' cars and rush toward the building. “They jumped out screaming and started running toward the centre,” he explained. As tensions escalated, police moved in to quell the unrest. Footage shows officers forming a line in front of the mosque, dispersing demonstrators and carrying out arrests as chanting continued nearby. This comes as Iranian cities have been hit by days of protests, after Tehran's police chief said on Tuesday that security forces had responded 'with power and force', noting the arrest of 'a large number' of people. The wave of protests began in late December in Tehran, before spreading to other cities, triggered by a deteriorating economic situation and the falling value of the national currency. Iranian officials have conceded that the protesters' demands are 'justified’, however they claim that 'the enemy' is exploiting the country’s economic hardship to stir unrest. This comes as US President Donald Trump warned the authorities in Tehran that they had “better not start shooting, because we'll start shooting too.” The Tehran authorities reportedly cut off internet access nationwide on Thursday, amid reports from rights groups that hundreds of protesters had been killed in the unrest."