Barred for Gaza speech, MIT grad becomes symbol of courage for Indian students

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Updated 04 June 2025
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Barred for Gaza speech, MIT grad becomes symbol of courage for Indian students

Barred for Gaza speech, MIT grad becomes symbol of courage for Indian students
  • Indian-American 2025 class president calls out MIT for ‘aiding and abetting genocide’
  • Her speech and MIT’s reaction gained global attention and media spotlight in India

NEW DELHI: When Megha Vemuri denounced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for ties to Israel’s military, she was barred from the university’s graduation — an incident that resonated in her ancestral India, where students say she inspires them to stand up for Palestinian liberation.

The Indian-American class president of 2025, Vemuri addressed an MIT commencement ceremony last week.

“Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza. We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth. And it is a shame that MIT is a part of it,” she said, wearing a keffiyeh over her gown.

Without naming Vemuri, the MIT said in a statement right after the event that the “graduating senior” would not be permitted at the degree ceremony the next day.

While the speech got her barred from campus, it soon gained global media attention.

In India, Vemuri’s ancestry put her in the media spotlight, at the same time drawing attention to Israel’s ongoing deadly onslaught on Gaza — where, over the past year and a half, tens of thousands of people have been killed, critically wounded, and starved by Israel’s daily attacks and aid blockades.

“A lot more of the Indian media covered it, and people get to know and hear what’s happening … more and more people are realizing that this is not something you can be silent about,” Sreeja Dontireddy, a student at the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad, told Arab News.

“I think what Megha Vemuri did was commendable and necessary at the same time … If you are given such a platform … and if you do not speak about Palestine, it would be a grave injustice.”

Vemuri said in a statement to the media that she was not disappointed that she did not get to walk the stage with her classmates.

“For two entire graduation seasons, over two years now, thousands of bright Gazan students should have been able to walk across a stage and receive their diplomas. These students did not get to walk because Israel murdered them, displaced them from their homes, and destroyed their schools,” she said.

“I am, however, disappointed that MIT’s officials massively overstepped their roles to punish me without merit or due process, with no indication of any specific policy broken. These repressive measures are proof that the university is guilty of aiding and abetting genocide … They want to distract from what is happening in Palestine and their role in it.”

For Akriti Chaudhary and Himanshu Thakur, recent history graduates from Delhi University, their MIT peer’s protest was something that inspired them to raise their voices more.

“Being a politically aware person, I feel really, really proud and really happy about people speaking up for the Palestinian cause,” Chaudhary said.

“It was difficult to digest the fact that she was barred from her own graduation ceremony … They want to curb all kinds of protest and all kinds of dissent. But it never works that way. It only inspires people to step in and talk about the situation.”

It also inspires them to call things what they really are, “to speak about (the Israeli) occupation, and to call a spade a spade, to call occupation an occupation,” Thakur added. “We need more such voices to come forward, not only in the US but also in India … We need more Meghas in our campuses.”

The opportunity created by Vemuri’s MIT speech is also one for renewed momentum in activism in India.

Priyambada, a physics student and coordinator of BDS India — a group advancing the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign in the country — believes their efforts will be strengthened.

“How can you punish someone for speaking against genocide?” she said.

“This is giving strength to students across the world and giving us the opportunity to stand by Megha and Palestinian liberation … All colleges and universities, students from everywhere and people who believe in justice should come forward.”


Hotels and homes evacuated on Greek island of Crete as wildfire burns out of control

Hotels and homes evacuated on Greek island of Crete as wildfire burns out of control
Updated 8 sec ago
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Hotels and homes evacuated on Greek island of Crete as wildfire burns out of control

Hotels and homes evacuated on Greek island of Crete as wildfire burns out of control
ATHENS, Greece: A fast-moving wildfire whipped by gale-force winds burned through the night and into Thursday on Greece’s southern island of Crete, prompting the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from hotels and homes.
The fire department said 230 firefighters backed up by 10 water-dropping aircraft were battling the flames, which have burned through forest and farmland in Crete’s Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast. Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.
Homes were reported damaged as flames swept through hillside forests, fanned by strong winds.
“It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told The Associated Press overnight.
“The tourists who were moved out are all okay. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island,” he said.
The Fire Service and a civil protection agency issued mobile phone alerts for the evacuations and appealed to residents not to return to try to save their property.
As fires crested ridgelines and edged toward residential areas, the blaze sent clouds of ash into the night sky, illuminated by the headlights of emergency vehicles and water trucks that lined the coastal road near the resorts of Ferma and Achlia on the southeast of Crete.
Several residents were treated for breathing difficulties, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
Crete is one of Greece’s most popular destinations for both foreign and domestic tourists.
The risk of wildfires remained very high across Crete and parts of southern Greece Thursday, according to a daily bulletin issued by the Fire Service.
Wildfires are frequent in the country during its hot, dry summers, and the fire department has already tackled dozens across Greece so far this year.
In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 died, including some who drowned while trying to swim away from the flames.

Ryanair cancels 170 flights due to French air traffic controllers strikes

Ryanair cancels 170 flights due to French air traffic controllers strikes
Updated 29 min 4 sec ago
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Ryanair cancels 170 flights due to French air traffic controllers strikes

Ryanair cancels 170 flights due to French air traffic controllers strikes
Ryanair said it was forced to cancel 170 flights affecting over 30,000 passengers due to a national strike by air traffic controllers in France, planned on Thursday and Friday.
“In addition to flights to/from France being canceled, this strike will also affect all French overflights,” the Irish airline said in a statement.

Thailand set for another acting PM after cabinet reshuffle

Thailand set for another acting PM after cabinet reshuffle
Updated 03 July 2025
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Thailand set for another acting PM after cabinet reshuffle

Thailand set for another acting PM after cabinet reshuffle
  • Power passed to transport minister and deputy prime minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit who took office for only one full day
  • The revolving door of leadership comes as the kingdom is battling to revive a spluttering economy and secure a US trade deal averting President Donald Trump’s looming threat of a 36 percent tariff

Bangkok: Thailand’s king is scheduled Thursday to swear in a new cabinet in a reshuffle that will see a third person in a week take on the role as the country’s prime minister.

The Southeast Asian nation’s top office was plunged into turmoil on Tuesday when the Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pending an ethics probe which could take months.

Power passed to transport minister and deputy prime minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit who took office for only one full day, as the bombshell was dropped in an awkward interim ahead of the reshuffle.

When former defense minister Phumtham Wechayachai is sworn into his new position as interior minister he will also take on a deputy prime minister role outranking Suriya’s — thus becoming the acting premier.

Before Paetongtarn was ousted she assigned herself the role of culture minister in the new cabinet, meaning she is set to keep a perch in the upper echelons of power.

She arrived at the Government House on Thursday morning for a group portrait before heading to the Grand Palace to meet King Maha Vajiralongkorn for the closed-door oath-taking.

The newly-appointed cabinet is set to hold its first meeting Thursday afternoon, with a royal statement expected in the evening.

The revolving door of leadership comes as the kingdom is battling to revive a spluttering economy and secure a US trade deal averting President Donald Trump’s looming threat of a 36 percent tariff.

Phumtham is considered a loyal lieutenant to the suspended Paetongtarn and her father Thaksin Shinawatra, the powerful patriarch of a dynasty which has dominated Thai 21st-century politics.

Thaksin-linked parties have been jousting with the pro-military, pro-conservative establishment since the early 2000s, but analysts say the family’s political brand has now entered decline.

The 71-year-old Phumtham earned the nickname “Big Comrade” for his association with a left-wing youth movement of the 1970s, but transitioned to politics through a role in Thaksin’s telecoms empire.

In previous cabinets he held the defense and commerce portfolios, and spent a spell as acting prime minister after a crisis engulfed the top office last year.

Paetongtarn has been hobbled over a longstanding territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which boiled over into cross-border clashes in May, killing one Cambodian soldier.

When she made a diplomatic call to Cambodian ex-leader Hun Sen, she called him “uncle” and referred to a Thai military commander as her “opponent,” according to a leaked recording causing widespread backlash.

A conservative party abandoned her ruling coalition — sparking the cabinet reshuffle — accusing her of kowtowing to Cambodia and undermining the military.

The Constitutional Court said there was “sufficient cause to suspect” Paetongtarn breached ministerial ethics in the diplomatic spat.
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South Korea’s leader says trade deal with US remains unclear ahead of Trump’s deadline

South Korea’s leader says trade deal with US remains unclear ahead of Trump’s deadline
Updated 03 July 2025
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South Korea’s leader says trade deal with US remains unclear ahead of Trump’s deadline

South Korea’s leader says trade deal with US remains unclear ahead of Trump’s deadline
  • Lee said the tariff negotiations with the US have been “clearly not easy”
  • Trump’s 90-day pause in global reciprocal tariffs is set to expire on July 9, potentially exposing South Korean products to 25 percent tax rates

SEOUL, South Korea: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that it remained unclear whether Seoul and Washington could conclude their tariff negotiations by the deadline set by President Donald Trump for next week, noting Thursday that both nations were still working to clarify their positions and identify areas of agreement.

Speaking at his first news conference since taking office last month, Lee also reiterated his intentions to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, though he acknowledged that mutual distrust between the Koreas is too deep to heal anytime soon.

Trump’s tariff hikes and other “America First” policies are major challenges for Lee’s month-old government, as are North Korea’s expanding nuclear program and domestic economic woes. Lee, a liberal, came to power after winning a snap presidential election caused by the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December.

Lee said the tariff negotiations with the US have been “clearly not easy” and stressed that the countries must reach mutually beneficial outcomes.

“It’s difficult to say with certainty whether we will be able to reach a conclusion by July 8. We are now doing our best,” Lee said. ”What we need is a truly reciprocal outcome that benefits both sides and works for everyone, but so far, both sides are still trying to define exactly what they want.”

Trump’s 90-day pause in global reciprocal tariffs is set to expire on July 9, potentially exposing South Korean products to 25 percent tax rates.

Washington has separately been seeking higher duties on specific products such as automobiles and semiconductors, which are key exports for South Korea’s trade-dependent economy. There are growing concerns in Seoul that Trump may also demand a broader deal requiring South Korea to pay significantly more for the 28,000 US troops stationed on the peninsula to deter North Korean threats.

Lee has consistently urged patience on tariffs, arguing that rushing to secure an early deal would not serve the national interest. His trade minister, Yeo Han-koo, was reportedly arranging a visit to Washington for possible meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

On North Korea, Lee said he would seek to restore long-dormant talks with North Korea, whose expanding military cooperation with Russia pose major security concerns to their neighbors.

“I think we should improve relations with North Korea based on a reliable coordination and consultation between South Korea and the US,” Lee said. “But I expect that won’t be easy as mutual antagonism and distrust are too serious.”

Lee previously faced criticism that he was tilting toward North Korea and China and away from the US and Japan. But since the election, Lee has repeatedly vowed pragmatic diplomacy, saying he would bolster the alliance with the US while also seeking to repair ties with North Korea, China and Russia. Some critics say it’s too difficult to satisfy all parties.

Lee’s government has made proactive efforts to build trust with North Korea, halting frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts and taking steps to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border.

North Korea hasn’t publicly responded to the conciliatory gestures by Trump and Lee, but officials said North Korean propaganda broadcasts have since been unheard in South Korean border towns.

Lee said he’s been talking with his presidential security and intelligence officials about how to revive talks with North Korea but didn’t elaborate.

Trump has also expressed intent to resume diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Lee has said he would support Trump’s push.

North Korea has refused talks with the US and South Korea since earlier Trump-Kim nuclear talks collapsed in 2019. North Korea is now pursuing relations with Russia, supplying troops and weapons to support its war against Ukraine in return for economic and military assistance.


Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Russia’s Lipetsk, regional governor says

Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Russia’s Lipetsk, regional governor says
Updated 03 July 2025
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Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Russia’s Lipetsk, regional governor says

Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Russia’s Lipetsk, regional governor says
  • The debris fell on a residential building in the district surrounding the regional capital

A woman in her 70s was killed, and two other people injured, by falling debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone in Russia’s southwestern region of Lipetsk, regional governor Igor Artamonov said early on Thursday.

The debris fell on a residential building in the district surrounding the regional capital, killing the woman and injuring two more, Artamonov said on the Telegram messaging app.

“Signals about falling debris are coming from various areas,” Artamonov added. “Rescue services and emergency agencies are working in an enhanced mode.”

The Russian defense ministry said that it destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Lipetsk region and 69 in total over Russian territory and the Crimean Peninsula. The ministry reports only how many drones its forces destroy, not how many Ukraine launches.

Artamonov said in another post that an apartment building under construction in the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region was damaged as result of an attack and that a small fire broke out at a nearby parking lot.

The full damage were not immediately known. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the attack.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes during the war that Russia launched against Ukraine more than three years ago. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

Ukraine has launched multiple air strikes into Lipetsk, a strategically important region with an air base that is the chief training center for the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Kyiv has been attacking Russian air bases to reduce Moscow’s ability to use its warplanes to strike targets in Ukraine and hammer front lines with guided bombs and missiles. In August, the Ukrainian military said it had hit the Lipetsk airfield, damaging stockpiles of guided bombs and causing a series of explosions.