AMSTERDAM: Student protests to demand that universities sever ties with Israel over the Gaza war spread in Europe on Tuesday, sparking clashes and arrests as fresh protests broke out in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria.
Students at various European universities, inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses, have been occupying halls and facilities, demanding an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions because of Israel’s punishing assault on Gaza.
Several hundred protesters resumed a demonstration on Tuesday evening around the University of Amsterdam campus, where police the previous night were filmed baton-charging them and smashing up their tents after they refused to leave the campus.
As protests resumed on Tuesday night, demonstrators erected barriers to access routes watched over by a heavy police deployment.
Police said in a statement that a total of 169 people had been arrested when officers broke up Monday night’s protests.
All had been released apart from two who remain in custody on suspicion of public disorder offenses.
Violence had briefly erupted on Monday evening when a small group of counter-protesters wielding flares stormed the main protest.
Around 50 demonstrators were also protesting on Tuesday outside the library in Utrecht University and a few dozen at the Technical University of Delft, according to local news agency ANP.
In the eastern German city of Leipzig, the university said in a statement that 50 to 60 people occupied a lecture hall on Tuesday afternoon, waving banners that read: “University occupation against genocide.”
Protesters barricaded the lecture hall doors from the inside and erected tents in the courtyard, according to the university.
The university called in the police in the afternoon, and filed a criminal complaint.
A pro-Israeli counter-protest also took place in the area, involving about 40 people, police said.
Criminal proceedings have been initiated against 13 people who were in the lecture hall on suspicion of trespassing. No arrests have been made so far.
Earlier, at Berlin’s Free University, police cleared a demonstration after up to 80 people erected a protest camp in a courtyard of the campus.
The protesters, some of whom wore the keffiyeh scarf that has long been a symbol of the Palestinian cause, sat in front of tents and waved banners.
They later tried to enter rooms and lecture halls and occupy them, according to the university, which said it then called in the police to clear the protest.
The university said property was damaged while classes in some buildings were suspended for the day.
Berlin police said they made some arrests for incitement to hatred and trespassing.
In Paris, police on Tuesday twice intervened at Paris’s prestigious Sciences Po university to disperse about 20 students who had barricaded themselves in the university’s main hall.
Police moved in to allow other students to take their exams and made two arrests, according to Paris prosecutors. The university said the exams were able to proceed without incident.
Police have intervened several times over the past week at Sciences Po, where protesters are demanding the university reveal its partnerships with Israeli institutions. Some 13 students are on a hunger strike, according to the university.
At the nearby Sorbonne university building, police moved on Tuesday evening to eject about a hundred students who had occupied an amphitheater for two hours to protest about Gaza, police sources said.
In Switzerland, protests on Tuesday spread to three universities in Lausanne Geneva and Zurich.
The University of Lausanne said in a statement that it “considers that there is no reason to cease these relations” with Israeli universities as protesters demand.
In Austria, dozens of protesters have been camped on the campus of Vienna University, putting up tents and stringing up banners since late on Thursday.
The war in the Gaza Strip was sparked by an unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory offensive that has killed at least 34,789 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Europe student Gaza protests spread, sparking clashes, arrests
https://arab.news/mhasn
Europe student Gaza protests spread, sparking clashes, arrests
SAB named ‘best bank’ in Saudi Arabia by Global Finance
Saudi Awwal Bank has been awarded the “Best Bank Award 2024 in Saudi Arabia” by Global Finance for the fifth time in a row. The award is a recognition of SAB’s innovative banking services and its efforts in serving its customers and enhancing their banking experiences.
The recognition came following a referendum in which a select panel of financial experts participated, considering a range of criteria that included asset growth, profitability, quality of customer service, strategic relationships, product innovation, and other relevant factors.
Tony Cripps, managing director and CEO at SAB, said: “Being honored with this prestigious award serves as a testament to our bank’s strategic vision and excellence across various departments and reinforces our commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the Financial Sector Development Program. It highlights our position as a leading financial institution in contributing to economic development.”
He added: “Through our deep understanding of market needs, we develop products and services to exceed our customers’ expectations, enabling us to provide distinctive and innovative banking solutions, contributing to achieving their desires and helping them reach their ambitious goals.”
This year, SAB continues to strengthen its leading position in the banking sector through several achievements, including the “Accreditation in Innovation” award from the Global Innovation Institute, which makes it the first bank in the Kingdom to receive such recognition. SAB was also honored with the “Best Bank for Private Banking in the Kingdom” award by Euromoney magazine. These awards serve as a testament to the bank’s exceptional services, highlighting its strength and diversity in catering to the needs of its customers with efficiency and innovative solutions.
Reactions to the crash of the Iranian president’s helicopter
- Iraqi government said it instructed relevant bodies to offer help to neighboring Iran in the search mission
LONDON: Following are reactions from foreign governments and officials to the news that a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed as it flew over mountain terrain in heavy fog on Sunday.
US STATE DEPARTMENT
“We are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
A spokesperson for President Biden, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters aboard Air Force One that the president had been briefed on the situation. She did not elaborate.
AZERI PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV (Raisi was returning from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan when his helicopter crashed).
“Today, after bidding a friendly farewell to the (visiting) President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran.”
“Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation. As a neighbor, friend, and brotherly country, the Republic of Azerbaijan stands ready to offer any assistance needed.”
IRAQI GOVERNMENT
The Iraqi government said in a statement it had instructed its interior ministry, the Red Crescent and other relevant bodies to offer help to neighboring Iran in the search mission.
Saudi fintech barq and TerraPay forge strategic partnership
Saudi fintech application barq and TerraPay, a global money movement company, have signed a strategic partnership agreement. The collaboration, formalized during Seamless 2024 in Dubai, will provide fast and secure international money transfer services.
Ahmed Alenazi, CEO of barq, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with TerraPay to enhance our international money transfer services. This alliance reflects our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction.”
Ani Sane, co-founder and chief business officer — TerraPay, said: “This partnership is not just another agreement; it is a testament to our commitment to supporting promising projects in Saudi Arabia like barq. Through this collaboration, we aim to deliver fast, efficient, and secure international money transfer services that adhere to global standards.”
Supported by TerraPay’s extensive global payments network, this agreement aligns with barq’s efforts to expand its service offerings, catering to customer needs and keeping pace with the growth of the fintech sector, both within and beyond the Kingdom.
barq received a license from the Saudi Central Bank in January this year. Developed in Riyadh by Saudi talents, barq aims to revolutionize the Kingdom’s fintech sector with its unique services, secure payment methods, and the expertise of its team.
Core42 launches Bilingual Chatbot catering to 400 million Arabic-speaking users worldwide
Core42 launches Bilingual Chatbot catering to 400 million Arabic-speaking users worldwide
RIYADH: Core42, a G42 company and provider of sovereign cloud, cybersecurity, AI infrastructure and services, has launched a bilingual chatbot , JAIS Chat, catering to 400 million Arabic speaking users worldwide.
Developed in the UAE, JAIS chat is the advanced Arabic large language model (LLM) ismeeting the growing demand and popularity of Generative AI capabilities regionally.
As a bilingual English and Arabic chatbot, JAIS features "Cultural and Linguistic Sensitivity, engineered with Arabic-centric model for effcient processing of Arabic text, understanding multiple Arabic dialects and cultural nuances.
Andrew Jackson, EVP, Chief AI Officer at Core42, stated in a press release: “Since the inception of JAIS in August 2023, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, and with the recent launch of JAIS 30B, we've witnessed a significant enhancement in its performance metrics compared to its predecessor, JAIS 13B. With its Arabic-first approach, JAIS reshapes how bilingual individuals interact with technology, and with JAIS Chat for mobile, we are delivering the next advancement in our mission to democratize AI access for the world”.
JAIS Chat is based on JAIS 30B, the world’s most performant Arabic Large Language Model (LLM), which has been trained on an extensive dataset comprising 126 billion Arabic tokens, 251 billion English tokens, and 50 billion code tokens.
As a result, JAIS Chat delivers unparalleled results in Arabic language processing and accuracy while delivering uncompromising English language processing, rivaling top-performing English language models of a similar size.
Upcoming functionalities for JAIS Chat include document processing, customizable user settings, voice conversation capabilities, and an enterprise support and subscription model for businesses seeking bespoke advanced functionalities.
JAIS Chat is available for download on iOS.
Prayers from top Pakistani leaders as Iranian president’s helicopter crashes
- Iranian media says the helicopter landed roughly while crossing a mountainous area on way back from Azerbaijan
- In April, President Raisi visited Pakistan as the two neighbors sought to mend ties after tit-for-tat strikes this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday expressed concerns about the crash landing of a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi in Iran’s northwest and extended their wishes and prayers for his well-being.
The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian landed roughly when it was crossing a mountainous area in heavy fog on the way back from a visit to Azerbaijan, according to Iranian media.
The bad weather was complicating rescue efforts, the IRNA state news agency reported. Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told state TV that one of the helicopters in a group of three had “come down hard,” and that authorities were awaiting further details.
“Heard the distressing news from Iran regarding Hon. President Seyed Ibrahim Raisi’s helicopter. Waiting with great anxiety for good news that all is well,” PM Sharif said on Twitter.
“Our prayers and best wishes are with Hon. President Raisi and the entire Iranian nation.”
President Asif Ali Zardari said he was “deeply concerned” after hearing news about the helicopter incident.
“My heartfelt prayers & good wishes for the well-being & safety of President Raisi so that he may continue to serve the Iranian nation,” he said on X.
Reacting to the development, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said their thoughts were with President Raisi, FM Amirabdollahian and the brotherly people of Iran during this critical time.
“We earnestly pray for their safety and swift recovery,” he said in a post on X.
Raisi, 63, was elected president at the second attempt in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.
In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies.
But many see Raisi as a strong contender to succeed his mentor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has strongly endorsed Raisi’s main policies.
In April, Raisi arrived in Islamabad on a three-day official visit to Pakistan as the two Muslim neighbors sought to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes earlier this year.
The Iranian president had held delegation-level meetings in the Pakistani capital as well as one-on-one discussions with Pakistan’s prime minister, president, army chief, Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker.
During the visit, Raisi had also overseen the signing of eight agreements between the two countries that covered different fields, including trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters.
