CHICAGO: At least 55 protesters were arrested following violent clashes with police in Chicago on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, a situation the police chief called “a danger to our city.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli Consulate, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the United Center where Democrats were meeting, “showed up with the intention of committing acts of violence, vandalism.”
“As the Chicago Police Department, we did everything that we could to de-escalate that situation,” Snelling said during a news conference. “But there’s only so much de-escalation that you can attempt before it becomes excessive repetition.”
The intense confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and officers began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters — many dressed in black, their faces covered — charged at a line of police who had blocked their march. They eventually moved past the officers but were penned in several times throughout the night by police in riot gear who did not allow protesters to disperse.
Snelling said protesters showed up to “fight with the police.”
“We were not the initiators of violence, but we responded to it,” Snelling said.
Snelling said that between 55 and 60 people were arrested. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, one for knee pain and one with a finger injury, Snelling said. Two officers were injured but they refused medical attention because they did not want to leave fellow officers, Snelling said. He said three journalists were among those arrested, but he did not have details on charges.
“Last night was a danger to our city and a danger to our citizens in this city, our residents’ property. And CPD has to protect that,” Snelling said.
The Israeli Consulate has been the site of numerous demonstrations since the war in Gaza began in October, and protests during the DNC have largely focused on opposing the Israel-Hamas war..
The group behind the protest Tuesday night is not affiliated with a coalition of more than 200 groups that has organized permitted rallies and marches — one that took place Monday and two more expected Wednesday and Thursday. Another rally, organized by the US Palestinian Community Network, a Palestinian and Arab community-based organization, is planned for Wednesday afternoon near the United Center.
On Tuesday night, organizers rallied demonstrators under the slogan “Make it great like ‘68,” invoking the anti-Vietnam War protests that seized the city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
“That was what they brought here to Chicago,” Snelling said. “It’s 2024. And the Chicago Police Department proved that. So let’s get off of 1968. Let’s stop talking about 1968. This is 2024.”
A large portion of the arrests happened at the end of the night, as police pinned demonstrators in a plaza and blocked them from leaving. Snelling denied that police had “kettled” protesters, a tactic that involves corralling people in a confined area, which is banned under a federal consent decree.
Snelling, who has been present at all major demonstrations so far during the convention, praised his officers. He said some female police officers were subjected to “vicious, nasty, sexually explicit” comments but that they “stood their ground and they did what they had to do.”
“I could not be more proud of the work that the men and women of this department are doing right now to keep this city safe,” he said.
Snelling rejected criticism that the police response was overwhelming.
“We wanted to overwhelm them,” Snelling said. “We wanted to overwhelm those people who decided to come to our city and destroy it. Now, overwhelming doesn’t mean that we were excessive. The response was proportionate.”
The largest protest so far, which attracted about 3,500 people on Monday, was largely peaceful and resulted in 13 arrests, most related to a breach of security fencing. Two were arrested Sunday night during another mostly peaceful march.
Also on Wednesday, a man who escaped from a Mississippi courthouse and is wanted on murder and armed robbery charges was taken into custody following a standoff with police at a restaurant about half a mile from the United Center. There was no indication that he had any connection to the convention.
At least 55 arrested after clashes with police outside Israeli Consulate in Chicago during DNC
https://arab.news/ywrfv
At least 55 arrested after clashes with police outside Israeli Consulate in Chicago during DNC
- The intense confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and officers began minutes into the demonstration
Tourist magnet Barcelona to cut cruise ship capacity
Cruise passenger numbers grew by 20 percent between 2018 and 2024
BARCELONA: Barcelona unveiled on Thursday a plan to reduce the number of cruise passengers arriving at its port, part of a wider trend to combat overtourism in Europe’s most popular destinations.
The city of Barcelona and the port authority signed an agreement to reduce the number of cruise ship terminals from seven to five by 2030, cutting traveler capacity from 37,000 to 31,000.
Spain’s second-largest city hosts one of the world’s busiest ports for cruise traffic, having received 3.65 million such passengers in 2024, according to Barcelona’s Tourism Observatory.
Cruise passenger numbers grew by 20 percent between 2018 and 2024, Barcelona’s Socialist mayor Jaume Collboni said in a statement.
“For the first time in history, limits are being set on the growth of cruise ships in the city,” Collboni added.
The demolition of three existing cruise terminals and the construction of a new one will cost 185 million euros ($215 million), adding to previous investments since a first protocol was signed in 2018.
Tourism has helped drive the dynamic Spanish economy, making it the world’s second most-visited country with a record 94 million foreign visitors last year.
But the boom has fueled anger about unaffordable housing and concern that mass visitor numbers are changing the fabric of neighborhoods, sparking protests in tourism hotspots.
With its Mediterranean beaches and world-famous cultural landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia basilica, Barcelona is on the front line of mass tourism, receiving millions of visitors every year.
It announced last year a plan to scrap around 10,000 tourist rental apartments by 2028 in an attempt to ease local discontent.
Elsewhere in Europe, the popular Italian city of Venice introduced a charge for day visitors last year, while Greece is implementing a tax on cruise ships docking at its islands.
Russia says Trump’s new weapons pledge a signal for Ukraine to abandon peace efforts
- Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, condemned the move
- “It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such decisions by the collective West as a signal to continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process“
MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump’s decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the “blackmail” of Washington’s new sanctions ultimatum.
Trump announced a toughened stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine on Monday, setting a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions. The US also promised more missiles and other weaponry for Kyiv.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, condemned the move.
“It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such decisions by the collective West as a signal to continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process,” Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow.
Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine in February, 2022, has led to Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two, with the United States estimating that 1.2 million people have been injured or killed.
Moscow says it was forced to launch the war to protect itself from an expanding NATO. Ukraine and most Western governments call Russia’s war a colonial-style land grab.
Russian forces now control around one fifth of Ukrainian territory and are slowly but steadily advancing across a vast frontline, sustaining what the US believes are heavy losses along the way.
Trump, who has made ending the conflict a priority of his administration, is threatening “100 percent tariffs on Russia” and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire deal by his 50-day deadline.
“An unprecedented number of sanctions and restrictions have been imposed on our country and our international partners. There are so many of them that we view the threat of new sanctions as mundane,” Zakharova said.
“The language of ultimatums, blackmail, and threats is unacceptable to us. We will take all necessary steps to ensure the security and protect the interests of our country.”
’PROXY WAR’
Both Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Trump have repeatedly cautioned over the escalatory risks of the conflict, which they cast as a proxy war between the world’s two biggest nuclear powers.
US efforts to broker peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, however, have faced repeated setbacks.
Russia says it is ready to hold further talks, but has made it clear it wants all of the territory of four Ukrainian regions it has claimed as its own — terms which Ukraine say are unacceptable and would amount to a capitulation.
Moscow is also keen to revive its battered bilateral relationship with the United States if possible, though Trump’s latest moves on Ukraine have soured the atmosphere.
Trump said on Monday that he was “very unhappy” and “disappointed” with Putin and cast his decision to send more arms to Ukraine as intended to jolt Russia toward peace.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Putin intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, unfazed by threats of tougher sanctions, and that his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance.
Earlier on Thursday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia had no plans to attack NATO or Europe. But he said it should respond and, if necessary, launch preemptive strikes if it believed the West was escalating what he cast as its full-scale war against Russia.
“We need to act accordingly. To respond in full. And if necessary, launch preemptive strikes,” Medvedev was quoted as saying.
The remarks by Medvedev, reported in full by the TASS state news agency, indicate that Moscow sees the confrontation with the West over Ukraine escalating after Trump’s latest decisions.
“What is happening today is a proxy war, but in essence it is a full-scale war (launches of Western missiles, satellite intelligence, etc.), sanctions packages, loud statements about the militarization of Europe,” Medvedev said, according to TASS.
Slovenia bars two far-right Israeli ministers
- Slovenian government accused the ministers of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements”
LJUBLJANA: Slovenia announced on Thursday that it would ban two far-right Israeli ministers from entering in what authorities said was a first in the European Union.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be declared “persona non grata,” the Slovenian government said in a statement, accusing them of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements.”
In June, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand and Norway imposed similar sanctions on Smotrich and Ben Gvir, key coalition partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Ben Gvir and Smotrich have drawn international criticism for their hard-line stance on the Gaza war and comments about settlements in the occupied West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.
Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement, has supported the expansion of settlements and has called for the territory’s annexation.
“This is the first measure of this nature in the EU,” Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said of the ban.
On May 21, President Natasa Pirc Musar in an address to the European parliament urged the EU to take stronger action, condemning “the genocide” in Gaza.
Slovenia was in May among six European countries to say that they “firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza” after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive in the Palestinian territory.
Last year, Slovenia announced it was recognizing a Palestinian state after Ireland, Norway and Spain, in moves partly fueled by condemnation of Israel’s bombing of Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Nearly 150 countries recognize a Palestinian state.
Russia jails major general for six years over fraud at military theme park
- Major General Vladimir Shesterov was detained last August for his role in the scheme at the Patriot Park
- The scandal at Patriot Park is one in a slew of criminal cases against former top officials
MOSCOW: A senior Russian Defense Ministry official was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of fraud and forgery in relation to an embezzlement scheme at a military theme park, the RIA state news agency reported.
Major General Vladimir Shesterov was detained last August for his role in the scheme at the Patriot Park, a war-themed tourist attraction outside Moscow. Two other men, including Pavel Popov, a former deputy defense minister, are also facing prosecution.
RIA, citing the investigation materials, said Shesterov and the ex-director of the park, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, who is also in custody, forged documents related to completed construction work at the park in the amount of some 26 million roubles ($332,000).
The scandal at Patriot Park is one in a slew of criminal cases against former top officials that have engulfed the Russian army in recent months.
Shesterov fully admitted guilt, but insisted he had not received any material benefit from the scheme.
“I am to blame, I don’t whitewash myself, I sincerely repent,” he said in court, according to RIA.
Akhmedov has also entered a guilty plea in his trial.
The case against Popov, the former deputy defense minister, is ongoing. RIA reported that Popov had instructed Shesterov and Akhmedov to build him a two-story house, a guest house with a sauna, and a two-story garage on land Popov owned in the Moscow region — with the Defense Ministry footing the bill.
Popov has previously denied wrongdoing. Reuters was unable to contact his lawyer on Thursday.
Patriot Park displays a vast collection of Russian and Soviet weaponry, and offers visitors the chance to clamber on tanks and take part in combat simulations. On its website, it also features a photo gallery of “heroes of the special military operation” — Russia’s official term for its war in Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia’s NCNP drives non-profit growth, global ties at World Expo
- NCNP hosted the panel session — The Future of Non-Profits — at the Saudi Pavilion
- The panel demonstrated the NCNP’s goal of activating the Kingdom’s SDGs through innovation, collaboration, and strategic partnerships
OSAKA: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Non-Profit Sector (NCNP) is expanding at a rapid pace with the number of registered NPOs surpassing 5,700 last year.
In a bid to capitalize on the situation and position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in the sector, the NCNP brought together leading voices from the Kingdom’s non-profit organizations (NPOs) for a high-profile panel discussion and for a separate U-Table meeting at the World Expo in Osaka.
NCNP hosted the panel session — The Future of Non-Profits — at the Saudi Pavilion to highlight how the Kingdom has advanced the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through non-profit entities.
The panel demonstrated the NCNP’s goal of activating the Kingdom’s SDGs through innovation, collaboration, and strategic partnerships.
The panel featured HRH Princess Luluah Bint Nawaf Al Saud, President of the Board at Mawaddah Association for Family Stability (MAFS), Reem Abukhayal, Media and PR Manager of Alwaleed Philanthropies, and Dr. Abdullah AlMuhanna, Vice President of Sector Empowerment at National Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan).
NCNP’s International Communication lead, Alaa Alghamdi addressed the successful models and initiatives led by Saudi NPOs and the challenges and opportunities in scaling impact through innovation, partnerships, and sustainability.
“We were very excited to highlight how NCNP is building a sustainable future through non-profit innovation during our informative panel discussion,” Mishari Alturaif, GM of Government Outsourcing at NCNP, said.
“The Future of Non-Profits discussion underscores the ambitious efforts that NCNP is putting into supporting innovation across the local and global non-profit sector through constructive dialogue and engagement.”
NCNP also hosted a U-Table meeting with leading Saudi and international NPO’s that introduced NCNP and its international collaboration goals.
Participants from the Saudi nonprofit sector included Bunyan Charity, the National Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan), Saudi Food Bank, and Alwdad Orphanage Care.
The participants exchanged best practices in non-profit governance and public-civil partnerships and identified areas for future collaboration aligned with national priorities and SDGS.
They also discussed the importance of shifting the mindset in the non-profit sector from one that focuses on charity to one of development, allowing for social innovation and entrepreneurship to support economic growth.
“At the U-Table, we had the opportunity to learn about how NCNP is partnering globally to advance non-profit solutions for a better world, solutions that support economic growth and innovation,” Sadakazu Ikawa, co-founder and Executive Director at the Trust Based Philanthropy Japan and Manager at the AVPN.
“We look forward to working with NCNP to activate solutions that help achieve sustainable development worldwide.”
In Osaka, the NCNP team also met with the Japan Foundation to explore opportunities for collaboration with Japanese entities and to exchange international expertise and best practices in the non-profit sector.
Under NCNP’s leadership, Saudi Arabia’s non-profit ecosystem has expanded rapidly. The number of registered NPOs surpassed 5,700 last year, with over 6,000 fundraising licenses issued and more than 2,000 active civil associations. Volunteerism has surged from just under 23,000 in 2015 to 1.2 million in 2024.
Thirty government entities now contribute to non-profit development, showing their rising national importance. Thus, NCNP continues to serve as the Kingdom’s catalyst for non-profit growth, linking local action with global collaboration to unlock sustainable impact.
