Police arrest ‘many’ at Israel-Hamas war protest at UC Santa Cruz, school says

Police arrest ‘many’ at Israel-Hamas war protest at UC Santa Cruz, school says
The academic workers are striking over the law enforcement response at various University of California pro-Palestinian campus protests. (AFP)
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Updated 31 May 2024
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Police arrest ‘many’ at Israel-Hamas war protest at UC Santa Cruz, school says

Police arrest ‘many’ at Israel-Hamas war protest at UC Santa Cruz, school says
  • Campus, local and state police swarmed the protesters, and video from local news stations showed officers telling people to leave
  • There appeared to be some pushing and shoving between police and protesters

CALIFORNIA: Police in riot gear surrounded arm-in-arm protesters Friday at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to remove an encampment and barricades where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have blocked the main entrance to the campus this week.
Many people were arrested, the university said.
Campus, local and state police swarmed the protesters, and video from local news stations showed officers telling people to leave, then taking away signs and part of a barricade. There appeared to be some pushing and shoving between police and protesters. Officers carried zip ties and appeared to detain a few people.
“For weeks, encampment participants were given repeated, clear direction to remove the encampment and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself,” Scott Hernandez-Jason, a spokesperson for the university, said in a statement Friday.
“They were notified that their actions were unlawful and unsafe. And this morning they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disperse to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and many individuals are being arrested,” Hernandez-Jason said.
The university did not have the exact number of arrests by Friday afternoon. Chancellor Cynthia Larive said in a letter to the community Friday that some demonstraters remained at the entrance.
She said that the road blockades, “with fortified and chained barricades made of pallets and other materials, and other unlawful actions, disrupted campus operations and threatened safety, including delaying access of emergency vehicles.”
It wasn’t known if anyone was injured. The university was holding classes remotely Friday.
Graduate student workers at UC Santa Cruz continued a strike that began last week over the university system’s treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. The strike will expand to three more campuses next week, their union said Friday.
The strikes began May 20 at UC Santa Cruz, and then extended to UCLA and UC Davis. Members at UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego will walk out on June 3 and at UC Irvine on June 5, UAW Local 4811 said. Union members include graduate teaching assistants, researchers and other academic employees.
Protest camps sprang up across the US and in Europe this spring as students demanded their universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that they say support its war in Gaza. Organizers seek to amplify calls to end Israel’s war with Hamas, which they describe as a genocide against the Palestinians.
The Associated Press has recorded at least 83 incidents since April 18 in which arrests were made at campus protests across the US More than 3,025 people have been arrested at 62 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
The confrontation in California came a day after arrests at a pro-Palestinian encampment at a Detroit campus and a student walkout during commencement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
On Thursday, police in riot gear removed fencing and broke down tents erected last week on green space near the undergraduate library at Wayne State University in Detroit. At least 12 people were arrested.
President Kimberly Andrews Espy cited health and safety concerns and disruptions to campus operations. Staff were encouraged to work remotely this week, and in-person summer classes were suspended.
The camp, she said, “created an environment of exclusion — one in which some members of our campus community felt unwelcome and unable to fully participate in campus life.”
An outdoor commencement ceremony went uninterrupted Friday at MIT in Cambridge, near Boston. On Thursday, some graduates walked out of another ceremony, disrupting it for 10 to 15 minutes. They wore keffiyehs, the checkered scarves that represent Palestinian solidarity, over their caps and gowns, chanted “free, free Palestine,” and held signs that said, “All eyes on Rafah.”
“There is going to be no business as usual as long as MIT holds research projects with the Israeli Ministry of Defense,” said David Berkinsky, 27, who earned a doctorate degree in chemistry and walked out. “There are no graduates in Gaza. There are no universities left in Gaza left because Israeli has bombed every single one.”
Some people at the event swore at the protesters and yelled, “Good riddance to Hamas terror fans.” A pro-Palestinian encampment at MIT was cleared in early May.


Saudi Arabia offers fully funded scholarships to Filipino students

Saudi Arabia offers fully funded scholarships to Filipino students
Updated 15 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia offers fully funded scholarships to Filipino students

Saudi Arabia offers fully funded scholarships to Filipino students
  • ‘Study in Saudi’ scholarship open to all Filipinos, regardless of location
  • Courses at 25 institutions include King Abdulaziz, King Saud universities

MANILA: Saudi Arabia has opened 265 fully funded scholarships for Filipino students for the upcoming academic year, its ambassador to the Philippines announced on Wednesday, as a part of efforts to strengthen educational ties under Vision 2030.

The “Study in Saudi” scholarship is open to all Filipinos, including those residing in the Kingdom, the Philippines, or elsewhere.

The program offers opportunities to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, arts and math fields. In addition courses are offered in social sciences, business administration, economics, agriculture, Arabic, political science, Islamic law, and media.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia places great emphasis on international education as a foundation of its Vision 2030,” Faisal Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi, the Kingdom’s ambassador-designate to the Philippines, said during a press conference in Manila.

“The scholarships we are announcing today align with this strategic direction, which reflect the Kingdom’s continued commitment to supporting higher education for Filipino students.

“A total of 265 fully funded scholarships are being offered, covering both undergraduate and graduate degrees.”

The courses are offered at 25 Saudi universities, including the nation’s top academic institutions.

These include King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, King Saud University in Riyadh, Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, King Faisal University in Al-Ahsa, as well Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University — the world’s largest women’s university, which is prominent in the fields of education and health.

“These opportunities will enable Filipino students to join prestigious Saudi universities, where they will study alongside peers from around the world in academic environments that seamlessly blend tradition and innovation — offering an enriching educational experience unlike any other,” Al-Ghamdi said.

“These scholarships go beyond tuition fees. They include financial stipends, accommodation, medical insurance, annual round-trip air tickets, and many other benefits that ensure students can focus entirely on their academic goals.”

Nearly 1 million Filipinos are living and working in Saudi Arabia, making up the sixth-largest expatriate community in the Kingdom.

Currently, more than 800 of them are enrolled in Saudi universities.

This ongoing partnership is exemplified by the presence of more than 806 Filipino students currently enrolled in Saudi universities across diverse programs.

“These students are benefiting from advanced learning opportunities and comprehensive care — a testament to the Kingdom’s unwavering dedication to international students,” Al-Ghamdi said.

He added that the scholarship, which aims to connect young people from both countries, helps in “strengthening cultural and intellectual ties and reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting education in friendly countries.”


Zelensky visits Berlin as he seeks more support for Ukraine in the war against Russia

Zelensky visits Berlin as he seeks more support for Ukraine in the war against Russia
Updated 14 min 52 sec ago
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Zelensky visits Berlin as he seeks more support for Ukraine in the war against Russia

Zelensky visits Berlin as he seeks more support for Ukraine in the war against Russia
  • Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States
  • Friedrich Merz has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to secure a ceasefire and keep Western support for Ukraine intact

BERLIN: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday as Ukraine seeks further military support amid a recent escalation in Russia’s bombing campaign, despite US-led efforts to end the war.

Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States. Merz has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to secure a ceasefire and keep Western support for Ukraine intact since becoming Germany’s leader three weeks ago. European leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in US-led peace talks.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was set to meet in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks at the highest level, including a trilateral meeting with himself, Putin and US President Donald Trump.

“We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this,” he said. Zelensky said he would accept any configuration of talks, whether that includes one trilateral meeting or separate meetings with Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is grateful to Trump for his mediation efforts.

“At the same time, there is a big number of nuances to be discussed that can’t be neglected and which neither party is going to sacrifice, because of its national interests,” Peskov told reporters. “Just like the United States, Russia has its national interests that are of primary importance to us.”

He said that Moscow will “soon” deliver its promised memorandum on a framework for a peace settlement.

Taurus cruise missiles may be discussed

Merz said on Monday that Germany and other major allies are no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine as it fights to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.

Merz’s government hasn’t said whether it will supply its Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, something his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, refused to do and which Merz advocated for as opposition leader. The government has said it would no longer provide full details of the weapons it’s supplying to Ukraine, unlike Scholz’s administration, citing the need for “strategic ambiguity.”

Taurus missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles). The German- and Swedish-made missiles, which are equipped with stealth technology, would be able to reach targets deep in Russia from Ukrainian soil, including the Black Sea. Ukraine wants the missiles to complement the long-range Storm Shadow missiles sent by Britain and France’s nearly identical Scalp cruise missiles.

Zelensky said that he plans to discuss the supply and use of long-range weapons in his talks with Merz. The Ukrainian leader said Tuesday that he hasn’t received any indications from Germany that their policy of limiting the use of Western weapons against Russian targets has changed.

Ukraine needs $30 billion in additional financing to help it compete with Russia in the production of drones and missiles, Zelensky said. Russia is aiming to produce 300-350 drones per day, he said.

Front-line fighting, deep strikes continue

Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukraine’s army is shorthanded against its bigger adversary. Zelensky claimed Tuesday that Russia is mobilizing up to 45,000 men every month, while Ukraine mobilizes between 25,000-27,000.

Both sides are continuing to conduct deep strikes. Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war against Ukraine on Sunday.

Russian air defenses downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 Russian regions late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest Ukrainian drone assaults of the war.

Ukraine is increasing its domestic production of drones and missiles, according to Zelensky. He said late Tuesday that Ukraine wants European countries to help it invest in the manufacturing of attack drones, air defense interceptors, cruise missiles and ballistic systems.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that air defenses shot down Ukrainian 33 drones heading toward the capital.

Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said that 42 drones were downed. He said that drone fragments damaged three residential buildings in the village of Troitskoye, but no one was hurt.

Moscow airports delayed or diverted hundreds of flights.

Overnight, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones, Ukraine’s Air Force said Wednesday. Air defense units shot down 34 drones, and 37 drones were jammed.

Ukraine’s railway infrastructure and equipment in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Sumy regions also came under fire overnight and Wednesday morning, Ukraine’s state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said. No casualties were reported.

In Kharkiv region, railway traffic was temporarily suspended so that police and emergency workers could clear debris from a downed drone that landed on the tracks. In Sloviansk in the Donetsk region, the attack shattered windows at the station building, and drone debris slightly damaged a train car.


Activists turn Paris fountain red to denounce Gaza ‘bloodbath’

Activists turn Paris fountain red to denounce Gaza ‘bloodbath’
Updated 28 May 2025
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Activists turn Paris fountain red to denounce Gaza ‘bloodbath’

Activists turn Paris fountain red to denounce Gaza ‘bloodbath’
  • Activists from Oxfam and Amnesty International poured dye into the Fontaine des Innocents in the heart of the French capital

PARIS: French activists dyed a Paris fountain red Wednesday to symbolize what they called the “bloodbath” of Palestinians in Gaza.

Activists from Oxfam and Amnesty International poured dye into the Fontaine des Innocents in the heart of the French capital, while others held placards saying “Cease fire” and “Gaza: stop the bloodbath.”

“This operation aims to denounce France’s slow response to an absolute humanitarian emergency facing the people of Gaza today,” the activists, which included the French branch of Greenpeace, said in a joint statement.

“France cannot limit itself to mere verbal condemnations,” said former minister Cecile Duflot, executive director of Oxfam France.

Clemence Lagouardat, who helped coordinate Oxfam’s humanitarian response in Gaza, denounced the Israeli blockade of the besieged territory.

“The people in Gaza need everything, it’s a matter of survival,” she told AFP.

The October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Militants also abducted 251 people, of whom 57 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army.

The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation has killed at least 53,977 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry, which is considered reliable by the UN.

Israel has now stepped up a renewed campaign to destroy Hamas, drawing international condemnation as aid trickles in following a blockade since early March that has sparked severe food and medical shortages.

“There is a genocide going on and political inaction is becoming a kind of complicity in this genocide,” said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France.

“We call on (President) Emmanuel Macron to act with courage, clarity and determination to put an end to this bloodshed.”

The activists urged states “with influence over Israel” to press for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, an arms embargo on Israel, the revision of a cooperation agreement between the EU and Israel and other measures.

Macron has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “unacceptable” and “shameful” behavior in blocking aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.

In response Netanyahu has accused Macron of siding with a “murderous Islamist terrorist organization.”


Sweden charges militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria

Sweden charges militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria
Updated 28 May 2025
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Sweden charges militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria

Sweden charges militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria
  • The pilot is then locked in a cage that is set on fire, leading to his death, Henrik Olin, the other prosecutor in charge of the case, told reporters
  • The defendant's lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP that her client admitted to being present at the scene but disputed the prosecution's version

STOCKHOLM: Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a Swedish militant over the 2014 capture and subsequent killing of a Jordanian pilot, who was burned to death in a cage in Syria by the Islamic State (IS) group.
Osama Krayem, 32, was charged with "participating in the brutal execution of a pilot" near the city of Raqqa, prosecutor Reena Devgun told a press conference.
Krayem, who is already serving a 30-year sentence for involvement in the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, was charged with "serious war crimes and terrorist crimes".
According to prosecutors, who had announced they intended to charge Krayem last week, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria on December 24, 2014.
The pilot was captured by IS fighters the same day near the central city of Raqqa, and killed sometime before February 3, 2015.
The execution was filmed and a 22-minute video accompanied by a specially composed religious chant was published.
In the video, the victim is seen walking past several masked IS fighters, including Krayem, according to prosecutors.
The pilot is then locked in a cage that is set on fire, leading to his death, Henrik Olin, the other prosecutor in charge of the case, told reporters.
"This bestial murder, in which a prisoner was burned alive in a cage, was staged in a carefully produced video that was broadcast around the world. Its publication marked an unprecedented escalation in the Islamic State group's violent propaganda," Olin said.
Prosecutors have been unable to determine the exact day of the murder, but the investigation has identified the location where it took place.
The defendant's lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP that her client admitted to being present at the scene but disputed the prosecution's version.
"He denies the acts for which he is prosecuted," she said.
"He acknowledges having been present at that place during the event but claims not to have acted in the manner described by the prosecutors in the account of the facts."
Krayem, who is from Malmo in southern Sweden, joined the IS group in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe.
In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for helping plan the November 2015 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed.
The following year, he was given a life sentence in Belgium for participating in the bombings on March 22, 2016, at Brussels' main airport and on the metro system, which killed 32 people.
"Even though this is a person that's already sentenced and is serving very long prison sentences in other countries, we will still charge him and we have an international obligation to do so," Devgun told AFP.
Krayem has been "temporarily handed over to Sweden to participate in the trial", which is scheduled to begin June 4, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority.
"It is painful for my parents to be confronted with this event again, but we are grateful that the Swedish authorities want to give us justice," Jawdat al-Kasasbeh, the pilot's brother, told broadcaster Sveriges Radio.


Zelensky proposes three-way meeting with Trump, Putin

Zelensky proposes three-way meeting with Trump, Putin
Updated 28 May 2025
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Zelensky proposes three-way meeting with Trump, Putin

Zelensky proposes three-way meeting with Trump, Putin
  • Donald Trump has expressed frustration at both Putin and Zelensky for not yet striking a deal to end the war
  • The Ukrainian leader had previously appeared to express frustration at Washington for not having announced fresh sanctions on Moscow

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as he seeks to force Moscow to halt its three-year-long invasion.

Russian President Putin rejected calls to meet Zelensky in Turkiye earlier this month and the Kremlin has said a meeting between the two leaders would only happen after some kind of “agreement” is reached.

The US president has expressed frustration at both Putin and Zelensky for not yet striking a deal to end the war.

The two sides have traded waves of massive aerial attacks in recent weeks, with Ukraine firing almost 300 drones at Russia overnight, the defense ministry in Moscow said.

“If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don’t mind. I am ready for any format,” Zelensky said in comments to journalists on Tuesday that were published on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian leader said he was “ready” for a “Trump-Putin-me” meeting, and also urged Washington to hit Moscow with a package of hard-hitting sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.

“We are waiting for sanctions from the United States of America,” Zelensky said.

“Trump confirmed that if Russia does not stop, sanctions will be imposed. We discussed two main aspects with him — energy and the banking system. Will the US be able to impose sanctions on these two sectors? I would very much like that.”

The Ukrainian leader had previously appeared to express frustration at Washington for not having announced fresh sanctions on Moscow after Russia rejected a coordinated Western appeal for an immediate ceasefire.

Trump over the weekend called Putin “crazy” after a massive Russian barrage killed at least 13 people across Ukraine.

And on Tuesday, he went on blasting at the Russian leader.

“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

Despite months of US-led diplomacy, the two sides appear no closer to striking a deal to end the three-year-long war, triggered by Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

Tens of thousands have been killed, much of east and southern Ukraine has been destroyed, and Moscow’s army now controls around a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Hours after Zelensky spoke, Ukraine unleashed one of its largest ever drone barrages on Russia, where officials reported only minimal damage from the attacks.

Moscow’s three major international airports were forced to suspend flights for hours overnight amid the barrage, aviation authorities said.

Ukraine said that Russia launched more than 900 drones in the three days up to Monday. Thirteen civilians were killed in attacks on Sunday, including three children.

On the battlefield, Zelensky said Russia was “amassing” more than 50,000 troops on the front line around the northeastern Sumy border region, where Moscow’s army has captured a number of settlements as it seeks to establish what Putin has called a “buffer zone” inside Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky also said that Ukraine is yet to receive a promised “memorandum” from Russia on its demands for a peace deal.

Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out the peace process following the first direct talks in more than three years between negotiators from the two sides earlier this month in Istanbul.

Zelensky is due to visit Germany on Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged muscular backing for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that details on a second round of negotiations would be announced soon.