With student protests over the Israel-Hamas war disrupting campuses nationwide, several major universities are intent on ensuring that commencement ceremonies joyous milestones for graduates, their families and friends go off without a hitch this weekend. It won't be easy. Colleges are hiring extra security, screening attendees at venues and emphasising that significant disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters won't be tolerated. At the same time, they're pledging to honour free-speech rights by designating protest zones. Milestone is a perfect word, said Ken Burdick of Tampa, Florida, describing his daughter's graduation Saturday at the University of Michigan. He hopes the big day goes untarnished. People can exercise their First Amendment rights without disrupting or creating fear, Burdick said of protesters. Here's how some schools are planning to balance things: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN More than 8,000 graduates and 63,000 spectators are expected for Saturday's festivities
The demonstrations have posed a threat to Biden's reelection bid, and the president faced mounting pressure to personally address them before his unscheduled remarks on Thursday
President Joe Biden is staying mum about student protests and police crackdowns as Republicans try to turn campus unrest over the war in Gaza into a campaign cudgel against Democrats. Tension at colleges and universities has been building for days as some demonstrators refuse to remove encampments and administrators turn to law enforcement to clear them by force, leading to clashes that have seized attention from politicians and the media. But Biden's last public comment came more than a week ago, when he condemned antisemitic protests and those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians. The White House, which has been peppered with questions by reporters, has gone only slightly further than the president. On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is monitoring the situation closely", and she said some demonstrations had stepped over a line that separated free speech from unlawful behaviour. Forcibly taking over a building," such as what happened
Trump comments addressed the spread of student protests against the war in Gaza across the US in recent days, seeking to capitalise on concern over campus unrest
The protests at Columbia University began on April 18 as part of a broader wave of demonstrations on college campuses across the US against Israel's war on Gaza
Officers took protesters into custody late Tuesday after Columbia University called in police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the New York campus. The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university's entrance. Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that's been there for nearly two weeks. Shortly before officers entered the campus, the New York Police Department received a notice from Columbia authorising officers to take action, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss details of the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The NYPD's move came hours after the department's brass said officers wouldn't enter Columbia's ..
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday described domestic violence as a national crisis after thousands rallied around the country against violence toward women. Thousands protested in cities around Australia on Sunday to draw attention to the deaths of 27 women so far this year allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence in a population of 27 million. Albanese said on Monday the rallies were a call to action for all levels of Australian government to do more to prevent gender-based violence. "Quite clearly, we need to do more. It's not enough to just have empathy, Albanese told Nine Network television. "The fact that... a woman dies every four days on average at the hand of a partner is just a national crisis, he added. There were 17 rallies held across Australia over the weekend, with an estimated 15,000 people demonstrating in the city of Melbourne. Albanese said he will host a meeting or Australian state and territory leaders on Wednesday to discuss a ...
Achinthya Sivalingan, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was arrested after demonstrators erected tents in the Princeton University courtyard early Thursday morning
Pro-Israel groups allege Jewish students faced anti-Semitism, prompting Palestine supporters to deny claim
Delhi BJP leaders and workers on Sunday staged a protest at Connaught Place in central Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. The protesters used a purported replica model of the Delhi chief minister's newly renovated official bungalow calling it 'Sheeshmahal' and alleging irregularities in its construction. A selfie point with the name 'SharabSeSheeshmahal' was also set up at the protest venue with liquor bottle-shaped cutouts of AAP leaders accused in the alleged excise policy scam. Senior Delhi BJP leaders, including state president Virendra Sachdeva, and the party's Lok Sabha election candidates, MLAs and councillors participated in the protest. They raised slogans against Kejriwal and demanded his resignation over his arrest due to alleged corruption and scams in the AAP-led Delhi government. The Delhi chief minister was arrested by the ED on March 21 in a case linked to the Delhi excise policy-linked
Top leaders of Aam Aadmi Party gathered at Jantar Mantar here on Sunday for a day-long fast to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and the party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal. Similar protests were being held in other states as well as by Indians abroad, including at Harvard Square in Boston, the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, in New York Times Square and Toronto, London and Melbourne among others, party leaders said. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in AAP-ruled Punjab joined a collective fast at freedom fighter Bhagat Singh's village Khatkar Kalan, they said. Many senior AAP leaders, including Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Deputy Speaker Rakhi Bila, ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai and Imran Hussain attended the day-long 'Samuhik Upwas' at Jantar Mantar in the national capital from 11 am. The AAP's Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai appealed to people to join the fast to protest against Kejriwal's arrest. He alleged tha
Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered outside the parliament building in Jerusalem on Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the country went to war in October. They urged the government to reach a deal to free dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and to hold early elections. Nearly six months of war have renewed divisions in Israeli society. The Hamas militant group killed some 1,200 people during its cross-border attack on October 7, and took 250 others hostage. Roughly half the hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November, but repeated attempts by international mediators to broker another cease-fire deal have failed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages home. But those goals have been elusive. While Hamas has suffered heavy losses, it remains intact, and hostages' families believe time is running out. After six months, it seems like the government understands that Bibi Netanyahu is an ..
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As INDIA bloc leaders gathered for a show of unity at the Ramlila ground here, the Congress on Sunday accused the Modi government of violating the Constitution by resorting to "confrontational federalism". The Congress also accused the prime minister of resorting to fiscal centralisation, obstruction of state programs, destabilising state governments, misusing governors and subverting the rights of States. In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said as the INDIA Janbandhan's rally at Ramlila Maidan gets underway, it is necessary to recall how the PM is "violating", in letter and spirit, Article 1 of the Constitution of India that states "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." He said the prime minister started off his innings in May 2014 talking big about cooperative federalism. "Instead, what he has delivered is confrontational federalism. Cooperative federalism is based on consensus, for which the PM has demonstrated a singular unwillingness and ...
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita will attend the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday and read out a message from her husband who is in the Enforcement Directorate custody in connection with an excise policy-linked case, AAP sources said. Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav are set to attend the rally being held in the backdrop of Arvind Kejriwal's arrest just before the Lok Sabha polls. "Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita will participate in the INDIA bloc's maha rally at Ramlila Maidan. She will read out her husband's message from ED custody. It will be his message for the country," a party source said. The 'Save Democracy' rally -- will also be attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.
Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength in central Delhi ahead of a rally by INDIA bloc leaders at the Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday, officials said. The Delhi Police has allowed the rally with certain conditions, including no march, no tractor trollies, and no weapons. Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, are expected to attend the rally. It is being held in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and allegations of misuse of agencies against the opposition by the BJP-led central government. Although the rally has been allowed, prohibitory orders will remain imposed at the DDU Marg, where the offices of political parties are located, an officer said. No march will be allowed from the Ramlila Maidan, he said, adding that strict action will be taken if any violation take place. "We have made elaborate security arrangements so that t
AAP MLAs and office bearers plan to march to the Prime Minister's residence on Tuesday, continuing their protest against the CM's arrest
The protest planned by the Aam Aadmi Party to protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by ED last week will affect Delhi traffic, the police informed
Sixteen years ago, mass protests in Nepal forced then-King Gyanendra Shah to give up the throne and clear the way for a republic. Now, a new wave of protest is trying to bring him back. The capital of the Himalayan country is again teeming with demonstrators, this time demanding that Shah be reinstated as king and Hinduism brought back as a state religion. Royalist groups accuse the country's major political parties of corruption and failed governance and say people are frustrated with politicians. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want a monarchy, the crowd chanted at a rally last month in Kathmandu. Growing frustration with the present system has led to calls for radical change. Pro-monarchy rallies have been growing larger, and an increasing number of homes and businesses are displaying portraits of the ex-king and his ancestors. Gyanendra was a constitutional head of state without executive or political powers until 2005, when he seized absolute .
Protests erupted on the Jamia Millia Islamia campus here on Monday hours after the Centre notified the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), leading to heavy police deployment at the university. A group of students led by the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) raised slogans against the Modi government and the Delhi Police. The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) also opposed the implementation of the Act. A senior police officer said the security around the Jamia campus has been beefed up to prevent any further gathering outside the campus. Speaking to PTI, Jamia Acting Vice-Chancellor Eqbal Hussain said, "We have tightened security arrangements to avoid any kind of agitation on the campus. No protest against the CAA will be allowed by students or outsiders near the campus." A video surfaced that shows a group of students holding posters and banners gathered on the Jamia campus raising slogans against the CAA and the NRC (National Register of ...