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<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York Police Department officers in riot gear entered Columbia University's Hamilton Hall.</li><li>Dozens of protesters were taken by police into busses in zip ties, The New York Times reported.</li></ul>New York Police Department officers in riot gear entered Columbia University's Hamilton Hall Tuesday evening, which had been occupied by protesters for roughly 20 hours, according to multiple news reports.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/30/nyregion/columbia-protests-college">The New York Times</a>, the NYPD entered the building using a makeshift bridge that allowed them to climb into the second-story window. CNN reported that the NYPD said it had used "distraction devices" to disperse students but denied reports that tear gas was deployed.Dozens of protesters were taken by police into busses in zip ties, and as they were being bussed away, many chanted, "Free Palestine," the Times reported. The university announced later in the evening that the building had been cleared of protesters and that "heightened activity" had concluded, per the Times.Videos from student groups on the scene show protesters being <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/NationalSJP/status/1785482293542301804">pushed off campus by police</a>. The Washington Post reported that some police entered the hall with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/30/columbia-university-protests-palestine-news/#link-VTS5AUCISFFCRIX7EM65MIQUOU">guns drawn</a>.The university requested that students shelter in place before police entered the campus building.Student groups had been demonstrating on campus for days, setting up tents and camping out at the Ivy League University to protest Israel's war on Gaza. Demands for the protest included that the university cut financial ties to Israel.The university's $13.6 billion endowment includes investments in several weapons manufacturers and tech companies that do business with the Israeli government, which the student coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest described as profiting "from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/27/business/columbia-history-divestment-student-protests/index.html">CNN</a> reported. On Tuesday, protesters entered Hamilton Hall, a humanities building on the university's Morningside Heights campus, and barricaded themselves indoors.Columbia announced in a statement that students who occupied Hamilton Hall will face expulsion, while students who participated in encampments and refused to leave at the university's direction will face suspension.Columbia University, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and the NYPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.Columbia released a statement Tuesday evening saying it gave the NYPD the green light to enter the campus and disperse student protesters."We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions," adding, "We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter, and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response." The school also said the protesters had been "led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University." In a live broadcast, reporters at Columbia student news station WKCR noted that only Columbia ID holders could be on campus and questioned the university's security.Columbia's President Minouche Shafik requested <a target="_blank" href="https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/news/letter-nypd-apr-30">in a letter</a> to the NYPD that the police maintain a presence on campus until May 17 to shut down any future encampments. At least two New York representatives spoke out against Columbia's decision to let NYPD forcibly remove students from Hamilton Hall.Rep. Jamaal Bowman said he was "outraged by the level of police presence called upon nonviolent student protestors" at Columbia and The City College of New York — another New York institution with students staging a similar encampment."As an educator who has first hand experience with the over-policing of our schools, this is personal to me," Bowman posted on X. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that if students were hurt by the NYPD, the responsibility would fall on the university president and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who expressed support for ending the encampments at Columbia University."Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making," Ocasio-Cortez <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/AOC/status/1785476041089188198">wrote on X.</a> Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<h2>Mass detentions spark comparisons to previous protests</h2>History is repeating itself, users on X are saying after journalists pointed out that 56 years ago on this exact date, Columbia University deployed police onto the campus to disperse peaceful student protesters in Hamilton Hall.Per an archival issue of the <a target="_blank" href="https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/bust">Columbia Daily Spectator</a> on the university's website, on Tuesday, April 30, 1968, NYPD police officers arrested over 700 people on Columbia's campus who protested against anti-Black racism and the Vietnam War.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Massive NYPD presence clears pro-Palestine student protesters at Columbia

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Thousands protested against overtourism in Spain earlier this year, telling tourists to "go home."</li><li>Spain's tourism is still booming, with record numbers of international visitors.</li></ul>Protesters in Spain staged massive demonstrations against <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/overtourism-measures-limit-tourism-going-to-increase-venice-amsterdam-rome-2023-10">overtourism</a> this year that made headlines worldwide — especially after spraying tourists in Barcelona with water guns.But don't expect American visitors to the country to have heard about them, let alone to have altered their travel plans as a result.Spain recorded a record number of international tourists this summer, despite the mass demonstrations in places such as Barcelona, Mallorca, and Malaga throughout the year, according to data compiled by the Spanish government.The country recorded 10.9 million international visitors in July and August, a 7.3% increase from the same months in 2023, according to government <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/FRONTUR0824.htm">data</a>. Spain's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/CTH0824.htm">National Statistics Institute</a> also said overnight hotel bookings were up 2.6% in August compared to 2023. In the first eight months of the year, overnight hotel stays were up a total of 5.6% from the year prior.A survey conducted by Mallorca's tourism board and released last month found 89% of US tourists were not even aware the protests occurred, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://skift.com/2024/09/26/mallorca-had-record-hotel-stays-despite-overtourism-protests/?utm_campaign=Newsletter%20%7C%20The%20Daily&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8fEz_JeOu4dKzkHPM3xPKv0uMPpuEp7GZSIuIFgPUYTxwg-jIPAR0YcLpnRkkdCC0zzoP6Kuh6qy4Z3N2e883I8qy9eQ&amp;_hsmi=326524474&amp;utm_content=326523580&amp;utm_source=hs_email">Skift</a>, a travel industry news site. The survey, which included 1,000 American respondents, found that nearly 70% of those who were aware of the protests said they did not impact their plans to visit the Spanish island. The board did not respond to a request for the survey from Business Insider.Spain is among the global destinations dealing with the impacts of overtourism, such as overcrowding, expensive housing, and high costs of living. The tourism protests intensified in April when an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 people in the Canary Islands demanded tourism limits be enacted. In July, thousands took to the streets of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-protesters-rallying-against-overtourism-in-barcelona-2024-7">Barcelona to protest overtourism</a>, which many blamed for the high costs of living in the city. Demonstrators shot tourists with water guns and shouted at them to "go home."But that message alone is unlikely to be enough to significantly curb tourism numbers, according to Amir Eylon, president and CEO of Longwoods International, a market research consultancy that specializes in the travel tourism industry."When you are looking at where to go, where not to go, it's really the perception of safety that will drive that," Eylon told Business Insider of how tourists decide where to travel.Though the Spain protests made headlines, tourists were not physically harmed in a way that created a negative safety perception, which he said historically can have a significant impact on the number of tourists choosing to visit a destination.Spain, in particular, is a destination that many tourists plan and save for, he said, adding that tourists are unlikely to be deterred by these demonstrations, even if they do hear about them.The protests, however, could impact government policy in a way that may help curb or better manage tourism in the future, Eylon said.Officials in the Canary Islands said earlier this year that they planned to add additional limits and regulations to short-term rentals. Barcelona, which enacted a partial ban on short-term rentals in 2021, said in June it would <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barcelona-airbnb-ban-florence-amsterdam-lisbon-are-regulations-working-2024-8">ban all short-term rentals</a> in the city by 2028.Eylon said every country and local jurisdiction typically requires a unique approach to managing the impacts of tourism, while still getting the economic benefits. In addition to short-term rental bans or limits, those measures could include visitor caps, increased tourism taxes, or initiatives to build more permanent housing.

Tourism in Spain is booming, despite protests that included spraying visitors with water guns 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine's military invaded the Kursk region in Russia on Tuesday.</li><li>The Kremlin initially downplayed the attack.</li></ul>When Ukraine launched its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-attack-kursk-russia-shows-surprise-possible-despite-drones-isw-2024-8">audacious cross-border attack in Russia's Kursk region</a> on Tuesday, the Kremlin initially downplayed the incursion, attributing it to a "sabotage and reconnaissance group." But as the scale of the attack became clearer, with thousands of <keyword id="20506587" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ukrainian-troops" source="keywords">Ukrainian troops</keyword> advancing up to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-took-out-18m-russian-helicopter-using-cheap-drone-reports-2024-8">six miles into Russia</a>, President <keyword id="19900702" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vladimir-Putin" source="keywords">Vladimir Putin</keyword> hurried to contain the fallout. In a televised meeting with Kursk Oblast Acting Head Alexey Smirnov Thursday, Putin urged the governor to show "courage and composure," and assured civilians fleeing the fighting that help was on its way. The meeting, said US think tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), was aimed at reassuring Russians that the situation was under control to avoid "significant domestic discontent." Raids such as that launched by Ukraine this week have the potential to undercut Putin's prestige and power — and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-kursk-war-russia-six-miles-kremlin-large-scale-provocation-2024-8">Kremlin's muddled response</a> is a sign it's worried. "Substantial Ukrainian advances within Russia would be a strategic blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decades-long effort to cement a legacy of Russian stability, security, and geopolitical resurgence," the ISW said. <h2>Ukraine's attack catches Russia off guard</h2> <div type="image" title="Kursk attack" height="567" width="1024" msid="112406701" hostid="261"></div>Ukraine's motive for the attack, which apparently took Russian forces by surprise, remains unclear, with Kyiv not publicly commenting on the operation. It's led to fierce criticism of the Kremlin from ultranationalist bloggers, who've questioned why the Russian military was so unprepared and criticized chaotic attempts to evacuate civilians. Military analysts believe that Ukraine is seeking to land an embarrassing blow on Putin by bringing the war home to ordinary Russians. Ukraine may also be seeking to divert Russian troops from the front line in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, which has been the site of ferocious combat in recent months. It also seems intent on showing its Western backers it can "flip the script" and pull off audacious operations after recent setbacks, said Bryden Spurling, an analyst with the Rand Corporation. Callum Fraser, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said Putin's strongman image is based on his capacity to keep Russians safe. "Putin needs to demonstrate that Russia's borders are secure and that ultimately, the people within Russia aren't going to be affected too much by the conflict that's taking place in Ukraine," he told Business Insider. "As soon as it starts to affect the people that's [when they] become galvanized to actually do something about it, to secure their own livelihoods and their property, and that may then lead to them questioning whether Putin is the right man for the job." Putin has so far been able to avoid major domestic unrest from the two-year war— despite the vast casualties it's inflicted on the Russian military. The economic impact on ordinary Russians has not been as severe as some economists had projected. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has tightly controlled media coverage of the war and Putin has avoided having to impose unpopular military drafts by boosting conscription. But the 2023 rebellion by Russian mercenary group Wagner exposed Putin's vulnerability to blowback from events in Ukraine. The Russian government lost control of the city of Rostov to rebels protesting what they saw as Russia's botched campaign, and mercenaries advanced on Moscow before the mutiny was called off. Fraser said the Wagner rebellion is likely weighing on Putin's mind as he considers the potential fallout from the Kursk incursion. He said the incursion is partly about "demonstrating to the people within Russia and the border regions that they're not as safe as they want to be, which could potentially cause some domestic discontent." Putin's failures to protect Russia, said Spurling, are "dangerous to his image and for those around him, and that in turn can chip away at the cohesion and unity of his inner circle." <div type="image" title="Wagner mutiny" height="683" width="1024" msid="112406699" hostid="261"></div><h2>A play for leverage in negotiations</h2>There are doubts about whether Ukraine's already overstretched military can sustain the momentum of its Kursk incursion. Ukraine is already struggling to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-military-troops-new-recruits-ukraine-bonus-high-death-rate-2024-7">recruit enough troops</a> to hold its defensive positions on the front lines, and the high-risk attack on Russia has been met with an, at best, lukewarm response from Kyiv's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-bradley-fighting-vehicles-unorthodox-ways-russia-war-putin-2024-6">most important international ally, the US.</a> It's unclear, said Maxim Alyukov, a political sociologist at King's College London, how long Ukraine would be able to hold the territory it's seized in Russia if the Kremlin launches a major operation to drive them out. But with reports indicating that both sides in the war may be willing to consider peace negotiations, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-wont-be-able-launch-new-offensive-year-nato-official-2024-7">Ukraine</a> may be gambling that by landing a humiliating blow on Putin, it'll be able to negotiate a deal from a position of strength. The operation, Alyukov said, is a "bold move" aimed at sending a message that Ukraine retains the capacity to hurt Russia in new and unexpected ways. But Ukraine will have to sustain the momentum to seriously dent Putin's power. Correction: August 8, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the picture showing Wagner fighters in Rostov-on-Don. The image was taken in June, 2023, not June, 2024.

Ukraine's audacious invasion of Russian territory is a massive blow to Putin's power

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Massive protests have erupted in Israel over the government's failure to secure a hostage deal.</li><li>Public outrage followed the discovery of six hostages' bodies in Gaza over the weekend.</li></ul>Nearly 11 months have passed since the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-gaza-tour-guides-pivot-october-7-tours-make-money-2024-6">October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks</a> on Israel that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-goal-october-7-attack-israel-gaza-war-2023-11">killed over 1,000 people</a> and resulted in 251 hostages being seized, triggering a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-aid-to-israel-since-october-7-gaza-bombs-2024-6">brutal retaliation against Gaza</a> that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.Now, public sentiment in Israel appears to have reached a breaking point, with strikes across the country."It's a mix of grief and anger," Niv Keidar, who helped to block a major intercity highway in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, told Business Insider.He said the mood had resulted in hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets all over Israel and making the demand: "There must be a deal that will bring back alive those people that are still possible to rescue."Sunday night saw the largest protests in Israel since the Hamas terror attacks, with many Israelis expressing anger at Prime Minister <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-netanyahu-israel-hamas-war-ceasefire-plan-2024-6">Benjamin Netanyahu's government for failing to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal.</a>According to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/masses-protest-across-israel-in-flood-of-grief-anger-after-hamas-executes-6-hostages/">The Times of Israel</a>, some 280,000 gathered in Tel Aviv overnight. Large protests also took place in Jerusalem and Ra'anana.On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces found <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/idf-recovers-bodies-6-hostages-gaza-us-citizen-2024-9">the bodies of six hostages</a> in an underground tunnel in Gaza.Israel said an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/autopsy-finds-6-hostages-shot-multiple-times-at-close-range-in-last-48-72-hours/">autopsy showed that the hostages had been shot</a> at close range.A group representing the hostages' families criticized Netanyahu's government, claiming the hostages could still be alive if a deal had been reached.In <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/BringThemHome23/status/1830101720564658246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1830101720564658246%7Ctwgr%5E91de83589ee8427249492a812119138820872494%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesofisrael.com%2Fliveblog_entry%2Fhostage-families-say-hostages-would-still-be-alive-if-it-werent-for-the-saboteurs-the-excuses-and-the-spin%2F">a post on X </a>on Sunday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Netanyahu's government has failed to do what a government is expected to do — "return its sons and daughters home.""Netanyahu: Enough the excuses," it continued. "Enough with the spin. Enough of the procrastination! It is time to return our abductees home."The group called for a nationwide protest to demand the release of the remaining hostages — around 100 are believed to still be in Gaza, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/09/01/nx-s1-5097272/the-family-of-an-american-hostage-still-being-held-captive-by-hamas-speaks-out#:~:text=Around%20100%20hostages%20are%20still,now%20by%20Jonathan%20Dekel%2DChen.">according to Israeli authorities</a>, although it is unclear how many are alive.On Sunday, Israeli protesters blocked major roads and highways, while the country's largest labor union, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://img.mako.co.il/2024/09/01/histadrut040902.pdf?Partner=interlink">Histadrut</a>, called for a general strike.Arnon Bar-David, the head of Histadrut, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/histadrut-labor-union-announces-nationwide-strike-over-failure-to-release-hostages/">said</a>: "We are getting body bags instead of a deal."The strike caused disruption to banks, schools, and transportation, and temporarily closed Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on Monday.Hospitals were also functioning at a reduced capacity.Gili Roman, whose sister was kidnapped on October 7 but later released, and whose relative <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://img.mako.co.il/2024/09/01/histadrut040902.pdf?Partner=interlink">Carmel Gat</a> was found among the six bodies recovered by the IDF, participated in the protests.He told Business Insider he feels angry and concerned."We always need to remember that this anger is toward <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/open-criticism-hamas-building-gaza-israeli-offensive-continues-2024-7">Hamas</a> and their brutal tactics," he said.But he added: "Hamas is not our government, they're not accountable to us, and the people who are accountable to us should not be so disattached from the Israeli people, public opinion, and the world opinion that calls for a long time to prioritize human lives and the hostages."He said that Netanyahu and his cabinet were "prioritizing themselves and different military tactics and sacrificing civilians for this."

Israelis are fed up. After a night of protests, the country is going on strike, demanding a Gaza deal.

Photos show massive pro-Palestinian protests around the world following Israel's ground invasion into Gaza

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Protests have rocked Columbia University's campus.</li><li>Demonstrators opposing the war in Gaza want the school to divest from Israel.</li></ul>The unrest at Columbia University isn't showing signs of slowing down.Student protests are escalating there and other college campuses over the Israel-Gaza war and schools' investments in Israeli entities, with demonstrators on Tuesday breaking into a Columbia campus building and occupying it.It's a shockingly familiar scene.In the 1980s, student protesters at Columbia took over the same building and called for divestment of the Ivy League school's investments over a different cause: South African apartheid.But while that movement was a success, protesters today may find it harder to push the school into divesting.<h2>Protests over Israel's war in Gaza rage</h2>Student demonstrators are calling for the Ivy League institution to divest from Israel and accuse the Jewish nation of killing civilians in Gaza.The protesters are specifically demanding the school sell off investments not just from Israeli companies but from those that have ties to Israel, including engineering firms Lockheed Martin and Boeing and tech giants like Alphabet and Amazon, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wuwm.com/economy-business/2024-04-30/university-protesters-want-divestments-from-israel-heres-what-that-means">according to NPR</a>.Students have also called on the school to boycott Israeli universities and institutions, protect pro-Palestinian students and faculty, and make a statement condemning the war in Gaza.The protesters swarmed the campus and set up tents. Meanwhile, Jewish leaders on campus say some students were targeted with offensive rhetoric as the demonstrations escalated.The protests, which have lasted nearly two weeks, took another turn on Monday when the school announced it wouldn't cut its investments from Israel and warned protesting students to leave or face suspension.The deadline came and went, and hours later, demonstrators broke into Hamilton Hall on the campus and barricaded themselves inside early Tuesday morning.<div type="image" title="A demonstrator used a hammer to break through a window in Hamilton Hall early Tuesday." height="5464" width="8192" msid="109738801" hostid="261" sizebytes="4816300"></div>A coalition group of dozens of organizations called Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which has helped organize the protests, said in a statement that students had renamed the building "Hind's Hall" after a Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza.The controversial protest movement has drawn criticism and support from top political and financial figures. The White House said President Joe Biden supported the right to protest peacefully but condemned the takeover of Hamilton Hall."Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful — it is wrong," a White House spokesperson said.Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-johnson-calls-for-columbia-university-presidents-resignation-2024-4">called for the school's president to resign</a>, alleging she's failed to protect Jewish students on campus.<div type="image" title="Student protesters at the 1985 demonstrations at Columbia University" height="3485" width="5240" msid="109738802" hostid="261" sizebytes="711778"></div><h2>The 1985 protests</h2>The demonstrations are reminiscent of those in 1985, when protesters and civil rights leaders were outraged over the apartheid regime in South Africa.In 1978, the school's governing body had recommended selectively selling stocks of companies that had holdings in South Africa, <a target="_blank" href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/05/07/110943821.pdf">according to a New York Times article</a> at the time. Three hundred students had protested outside the meeting, calling for all the stocks to be divested, the Times reported.The school's 1978 recommendation didn't shut down the protests. In April 1985, the Coalition for a Free South Africa at the school organized a protest at Hamilton Hall, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/eye/2016/04/12/mandela-hall/">according to the Columbia Spectator</a>.The small demonstration quickly grew to thousands of supporters, the Spectator reported. Protesters there locked and chained the doors to Hamilton Hall — the same building now occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — and demanded the school completely divest from South Africa.The protests lasted on campus for 21 days before the students called the demonstrations off; the announcement came just minutes before a judge ordered the students to allow people access to Hamilton Hall, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/23/nyregion/columbia-students-to-end-anti-apartheid-protest.html">The New York Times reported</a>.Months later, Columbia's trustees voted to divest from South Africa completely.<h2>A more fraught situation</h2>On its website, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group likened itself to the protests from nearly 40 years ago."We are a continuation of the Vietnam anti-war movement and the movement to divest from apartheid South Africa," the group wrote.But despite the similarities between the movements' tactics, the situation in 2024 may make it harder for demonstrators to achieve their goals.In the 70s and 80s, Columbia's leadership was sympathetic to the divestment cause; students were arguing that the school didn't go far enough.The pro-Palestinian demonstrators also face a more hostile geopolitical environment.In the 1980s, apartheid was broadly condemned by the US, and in the months after the protest, President Ronald Reagan <a target="_blank" href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12532.html">signed an executive order</a> preventing loans and technology from being sent to South Africa.The US relationship with Israel now is far more complicated. The conflict in Gaza was sparked by Hamas' terror attacks in October 2023 that killed hundreds. Israeli authorities said Hamas fighters captured 253 people after the assault across the border.As of now, 112 of the hostages were returned alive, but dozens are still suspected to be in captivity, Israeli officials say. The Israeli government responded to the attack with an assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.Israel is an important ally of the US in the Middle East, and President Joe Biden has emphasized he's a strong supporter of the Jewish state.But Biden is facing pressure from progressive and young voters, who blame him for sending weaponry to Israel as the civilian death toll rises by the thousands in Gaza. Biden's administration, in recent months, has pushed the Israeli government to allow more humanitarian aid into the region and take steps to avoid civilian casualties.Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has so far largely brushed off Biden's criticism and promised to launch an offensive into Rafah, a city in Gaza where over 1 million Palestinians are taking refuge. Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas completely.Meanwhile, cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled.So, too, has the prospect of divesting. Columbia president Nemat "Minouche" Shafik said school leaders and students weren't able to negotiate an end to the protest and flatly shot down the immediate divestment demands."While the University will not divest from Israel, the University offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters," Shafik <a target="_blank" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29">wrote on Monday</a>.Even then, it's unclear how effective divestment would be in changing the school's finances. The Ivy's massive $13.6 billion endowment would be challenging to sort through."The economy is so global now that even if a university decided that they were going to instruct their dominant management groups to divest from Israel, it would be almost impossible to disentangle," Nicholas Dirks, former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/30/business/what-is-divestment-college-protests-israel/index.html">told CNN</a>.Divesting also means another investor would need to purchase those stocks, ultimately reallocating who supports the organizations in question.But Christopher Marsicano, an assistant professor at North Carolina's Davidson College, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/30/divest-from-israel-breaking-down-the-us-student-protesters-demands">told Al Jazeera</a> that divestment drives may be more effective in incentivizing political — not economic — change."Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has already mentioned student protests at American universities publicly," Marsicano told the outlet. "It is clear that these protests have captured the attention of the Israeli government and are putting some pressure on stakeholders to support a cease-fire."

Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the <keyword id="11893011" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword> after it overturned Roe v. Wade ruling.</li><li>Some protesters say they fear whats to come next in light of the ruling.</li></ul>Several hundred people gathered outside the Supreme Court Friday to protest — for and against — its ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that had stood for nearly 50 years that legalized <keyword id="11901426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="abortion" source="Orion">abortion</keyword> across the US.Waving green and black signs, abortion-rights advocates gathered in front of the historic white marble building wearing green bandanas while shouting "my body, my choice.""Were not going to give up, were going to come back stronger than ever," Julianne, an abortion-rights activist from Texas who declined to provide her last name, told Insider.As she began crying, she added: "With the massive disruptions across millions of people doing the same thing as us, we will shut this country down and show them that we are not going to stand for it."Protesters who signaled their support for abortion rights were seen crying and hugging each other at the protests.Among them was 21-year-old Aisha Irshad, who told Insider that she came to the protest because she worried about the future for women in the United States."I think it's all up in the air right now, we've come a long way from 1920 and the suffrage movement, but now with what is happening, I feel like I'm starting to question everything going on around me," said Aisha Irshad, 21, a resident of New York, that was at the protest.<div type="image" title="abortion opponents in front of the Supreme Court" height="2274" width="3024" msid="92443799" hostid="261"></div>Across from the abortion-rights protesters stood a massive group of abortion opponents wearing red shirts with white letters that read: "The pro-life generation votes."Some abortion opponents said they were excited and ecstatic when the Supreme Court released its opinion. Ellisha Olson,19, who waved a sign that red, "the future is anti-abortion,"said that overturning Roe v. Wade was a "victory for women.""It's our job as a pro-life generation to make sure we create a culture of life and a culture where women feel supported and empowered to choose life," she said. The Supreme Court's decision went 6-3 to uphold a Mississippi abortion ban being challenged in the case. And the justices voted 5-4 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that has been on the books since 1973. It was widely speculated that the justices were going to reach Friday's opinion after Politico published <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-confirms-authenticity-draft-opinion-gutting-roe-v-wade-2022-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an initial leaked draft </a> of it.Following the Supreme Court's ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/justice-thomas-said-the-court-should-reconsider-rulings-on-same-sex-marriage-2022-6">said</a> the court should "reconsider" its past opinions that protect the rights on contraception access, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage.

Massive Supreme Court protests erupt after Roe v. Wade ruling

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11916313" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sri-lanka" source="Orion">Sri Lanka</keyword> has become a "bankrupt country" after running out of money, its prime minister said.</li><li>Protests have erupted after food prices soared and fuel supplies were rationed due to shortages.</li></ul>The president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, resigned on Thursday after fleeing to Singapore in the wake of widespread protests across the island nation sparked by dire shortages of fuel, medicines and huge rises in the cost of basic foodstuffs in recent weeks.The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is now acting president until a new head of state is elected.So what has gone wrong with Sri Lanka's <keyword id="11893570" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy" source="Orion">economy</keyword> – and how might its problems be solved?<h2>What triggered the protests in Sri Lanka?</h2>Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year sent the cost of oil, natural gas and commodities such as grain soaring globally. Sri Lanka's economy was already poorly managed, according to many experts, and the price rises have proven to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Rajapaksa's older brother Mahinda has also served as president and their family has governed Sri Lanka for much of the past 20 years. Their decision to borrow huge sums from China in particular, partly for infrastructure projects of questionable value, and what the Financial Times has described as failed economic policies, caused Sri Lanka to default on its debt in May.<h2>What is a default?</h2>A default occurs when a government stops making interest payments to its creditors. In Sri Lanka's case it owes $51 billion, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c2d1267a-064c-477e-85d4-b7cf1ce751c2">the FT reported</a>, and has become the first country to default since the Ukraine war began. Other less wealthy countries where a greater proportion of spending goes on food could also follow suit, economists fear.<h2>What are the consequences?</h2>Earlier this month Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka was now a "bankrupt country," <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/05/asia/sri-lanka-bankrupt-fuel-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html">CNN reported</a>.Because it has run out of foreign currencies such as US dollars, Sri Lanka can no longer pay for imports of fuel and food. People have been told to work from home in a bid to save energy, schools have closed and electricity supplies have become unreliable. Sales of petrol have been restricted, creating huge queues of rickshaw taxis trying to fill up in cities like the capital Colombo.<div type="image" title="Rickshaw drivers queue for fuel in Colombo on Wednesday." height="3515" width="4687" msid="92918861" hostid="261"></div>A state of emergency is now in force, raising fears about the military's actions in a country where a long-running conflict between government forces and the Tamil Tigers only ended a little more than a decade ago.Hannah Ellis-Petersen, the Guardian's <keyword id="11893424" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-asia" source="Orion">south Asia</keyword> correspondent, who is reporting from Colombo, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/15/friday-briefing-how-one-familys-disastrous-reign-dragged-sri-lanka-to-the-brink">told its First Edition newsletter</a> that Sri Lanka's problems were "not just Covid-19 or the war in Ukraine, or global inflation" but largely the consequence of what the newspaper called "reckless spending and endemic corruption."<h2>What happens now?</h2>The president's resignation does not signal the end of the economic crisis given that inflation is running at more than 50% and the central bank has been printing money to pay for additional borrowing, which is not sustainable. "The government doesn't have enough money to meet expenditure, and doesn't have the dollar reserves to fund imports," Nishan de Mel of Verité Research, a Colombo-based think-tank, told the FT.The economy has also been deprived of tourism income after but the government kept its borders closed until late 2021 with a "zero-Covid" policy that echoed China - long after neighboring nations reopened.<h2>What is being done to help Sri Lanka?</h2>The International Monetary Fund had been finalizing a bailout for Sri Lanka before the president's and prime minister's residences were stormed last weekend by protesters who partied and took a dip in their swimming pools.The <keyword id="12030574" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="imf" source="Orion">IMF</keyword> wants the situation to stabilize before talks resume, but the political vacuum complicates that process and means imports of fuel and food are unlikely to resume immediately.

Fuel shortages, massive debts, and protesters partying in the presidential palace: Here is what's going on in 'bankrupt' Sri Lanka

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Families of Ukrainian POWs have held protests urging Kyiv to remain committed to their release.</li><li>A Ukrainian official said they believe Russia is purposefully using POWs to sow unrest.</li></ul>Families of Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia have staged protests in several cities urging the government to work on their release. According to a new report, Russia may be purposefully using the POWs to foment distrust of Kyiv.Since <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2024-ukraine-could-fight-irregular-guerrilla-warfare-against-russia-2023-12">Russia invaded Ukraine</a> in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been taken as prisoners of war. Some 4,000 are still being held months after they were taken, with nearly half of them being captured last year while trying to defend Mariupol in southern Ukraine, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/21/thousands-of-ukrainian-pows-are-still-missing-months-after-capture.html">CNBC</a> reported.<div type="image" title="Protesters hold signs and flags in Kyiv" height="683" width="1024" msid="106333552" hostid="261"></div>A Ukrainian official told Politico that some families have received calls from their loved ones held in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-pushing-occupied-ukrainians-fight-against-own-country-hrw-2023-12">Russia</a> that appear to be aimed at sowing unrest back home."A person has not heard from a relative for more than a year, and here he calls and says that he is alive. Russians are ready to exchange him, but Ukraine does nothing," Petro Yatsenko, spokesperson for Ukraine staff dealing with prisoners of war, told the outlet. "Recently these calls became massive. So, we understood that this is a campaign to cause distrust in the government."<div type="image" title="Protesters hold photos of POWs" height="3333" width="5000" msid="106333553" hostid="261"></div>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pow-wife-families-are-pawns-in-russia-ukraine-political-game-2023-12">wife of a Ukrainian POW held in Russia</a> told Politico she recently heard from her husband, who was captured on February 24, 2022, the first day of the invasion. Despite barely hearing word of her husband, she received a video call from him in November."It was Serhii. We talked only for three minutes. I was not allowed to ask him questions. As soon as I tried, he shook his head and just said no," Valentyna Tkachenko told Politico. "Instead, he kept saying: 'Valya, go make things hard for Kyiv. Kyiv does not want to take us back,'" Tkachenko recalled. "Then he said he was sorry and ended the call, promising to call me back if he ever has a chance."<div type="image" title="ZAPORIZHZHIA, UKRAINE - 2023/12/24: Protesters hold placards during the motor rally in support of Ukrainian prisoners of war under the slogan &quot;Don't be silent! Captivity kills!&quot; in Zaporizhzhia." height="3333" width="5000" msid="106333554" hostid="261"></div>Tkachenko did not join protests, but other family members and friends of Ukrainian POWs have recently held demonstrations as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-hasnt-done-prisoner-of-war-exchange-since-august-reports-2023-11">prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine</a> have slowed, CNBC reported.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/27/world/europe/ukraine-missing-soldiers-war.html">The New York Times</a> reported in October that Ukrainian families were staging protests "in a rare show of public criticism in wartime" in which they called on the government to release more information on the status of POWs.Protesters in Lyiv on December 26 held a "Second Christmas In Captivity" demonstration to support the defenders of Mariupol, who have been prisoners of Russia since the first year of the war.<div type="image" title="Relatives and activists are holding a rally in Sofiiska Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 23, 2023, in support of Ukrainian POWs who are being held in Russian captivity." height="683" width="1024" msid="106333555" hostid="261"></div>In Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on December 24 a demonstration for prisoners of war took place with the slogan "Don't be silent! Captivity kills!""Our guys are being tortured. We need exchanges. Our enemy is not noble: They do not observe any conventions," Olha Plechunshe, organizer of the event, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-shelling-kherson-ukraine/32745316.html">Radio Free Europe</a>.And in Kyiv on December 23, protesters placed photographs of 80 Mariupol defenders who are still being held in Russian captivity.<div type="image" title="Protesters in Odessa, Ukraine, on December 23, 2023, hold a banner reading &quot;Freedom for the defenders of Mariupol.&quot;" height="3333" width="5000" msid="106333591" hostid="261"></div>According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-hopes-for-speedier-prisoner-exchanges-with-russia-/7404722.html">Ukrainian military</a>, 2,598 POWs have been returned, but the last known prisoner swap was in August.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-hopes-speedier-prisoner-exchanges-with-russia-2023-12-19/">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a> said last week the lack of swaps was due to unspecified "reasons" by the Russians, but that he hopes they will resume soon.Russia has also been reported to be using <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-says-ukrainian-prisoners-of-war-fight-against-their-country-2023-11">Ukrainian POWs to fight against their own homeland</a>. Drone footage released by Ukraine this month also appeared to show <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-russia-soldiers-using-ukraine-pows-as-human-shields-report-2023-12">Russian soldiers using Ukrainian POWs as human shields</a>.

Photos show protests in Ukraine as prisoners of war held in Russia are being used to sow distrust of Kyiv, official says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Massive protests erupted in Russian President Vladimir <keyword id="11909347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="putin" source="Orion">Putin</keyword>'s hometown of St. Petersburg.</li><li>Anti-war demonstrations came after Putin announced a Russian invasion of <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> on Thursday.</li></ul>Massive protests erupted on Thursday in Russian President Vladimir Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg, as people voiced their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.Videos posted to Twitter show a sea of people gathered in a section of St. Petersburg, <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword>'s second-largest city, chanting and holding signs to object to Russia's offensive in Ukraine.<a href="https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1496905396178534409?s=20&amp;t=MzeKJU0JFtSRXdasSF2c9g">NEXTA, a Belarusian media channel on the social network Telegram, </a>posted a video showing an enormous bloc of people outside what appeared to be a Russian government building with busses lining the street adjacent to the protest.A photo posted to <a href="https://twitter.com/EilishHart/status/1496896683401224197?s=20&amp;t=i2_0ivhkbr2iA3uJoVPY2A">Twitter</a> by Eilish Hart, a news editor at Russian outlet Meduza, showed a line of police in riot gear in the city's Palace Square. Russian government forces have threatened to arrest anti-war protesters, who took to the streets after Putin announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-attacks-ukraine-launching-new-war-in-europe-2022-2">military action against Ukraine</a> on Thursday.Russia's Investigative Committee <a href="https://en.sledcom.ru/news/item/1659238/">warned citizens in a statement</a> not to take part in the "unauthorized" protests "associated with the tense foreign political situation."As of 10 p.m. local time in St. Petersburg, <a href="https://ovd.news/news/2022/02/24/spiski-zaderzhannyh-v-svyazi-s-akciey-v-protiv-voyny-s-ukrainoy-24-fevralya-2022">protest-monitoring media group OVD-Info</a> reported that over 1,400 people were detained in 51 cities — including the capital city of Moscow.At least 378 of those individuals were detained in St. Petersburg, according to <a href="https://ovd.news/news/2022/02/24/spiski-zaderzhannyh-v-svyazi-s-akciey-v-protiv-voyny-s-ukrainoy-24-fevralya-2022">OVD-Info</a>.Another video posted to <a href="https://twitter.com/aletweetsnews/status/1496893638550462474?s=20&amp;t=-PEE9LeEfhcM0FjH9ptpKQ">Twitter</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1496905396178534409?s=20&amp;t=MzeKJU0JFtSRXdasSF2c9g">NEXTA</a> shows police detaining several protesters. Putin was born in St. Petersburg — formerly called Leningrad — in 1952. This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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