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What is a pro-Palestine protest? Here’s why U.S. college students are protesting
After about 45 minutes of the crowd marching south on the mall from the Gregory Gym area, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and campus police ordered the protesters to disperse or “be arrested as per the penal code.”
Here’s why UT-Austin students are protesting:
What is a pro-Palestine protest?
Pro-Palestinian protests are demonstrations in support of Palestinian rights, typically calling for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Protests began in the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s assault on Israeli communities Oct. 7, killing almost 1,200 people.
Israel’s subsequent bombardment and invasion of Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians — militants and civilians; men, women and children — and has fueled a dire humanitarian crisis.
Where is Palestine located?
Palestine is recognized as an independent state by the United Nations and more than 135 of its members, but it is not recognized by the U.S., according to History. The UN considers it a single occupied entity, but the official borders are undetermined, BBC News reported.
Though its borders have shifted over the years, Palestinian territories used to be what is now Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
When searching for “Palestine” on Google Maps, the map zooms in on the Israel-Palestine region, and both the Gaza Strip and West Bank territories are labeled and separated by dotted lines. But there is no label for Palestine.
In an email statement, Google said it doesn’t label the borders because there isn’t international consensus on where the Palestinian boundaries are located.
Why are college students protesting?
The Palestine Solidarity Committee, a registered UT student group and a chapter of the national Students for Justice in Palestine, planned a protest Wednesday at the UT campus in solidarity with students across the U.S., including at Columbia University, Yale University and New York University, who are calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
Across the country, pro-Palestinian student protesters have occupied campuses in tent encampments this week in a campaign to urge their universities to divest, an action students over the decades have demanded from their schools’ administrators.
What is ‘divest’?
The word “divest” refers to diverting money from a university’s endowment — the pool of money a college has and tries to grow through investments. Some of the biggest university endowments in the country total nearly $50 billion and comprise thousands of funds.
The protesters opposed to Israel’s military attacks in Gaza say they want their schools to stop funneling endowment money to Israeli companies and other businesses, like weapons manufacturers, that profit from the war in Gaza.
“The university would rather enforce and put money into policing our communities and policing their own students then they would to supporting them,” said Anachí Ponce, a UT student who attended the protest. “These are students who are protesting a genocide and the lack of action from UT administration for the way that they haven’t been super helpful against hate crimes against Muslim students on campus.”
“It’s like, why is our money being used to fund bombs overseas?,” said Layla Saliba, a student protester researching endowment investments with the group Columbia University Apartheid Divestment. “Let’s reinvest this money in our community instead,” she said.
In addition to divestment, protesters across the U.S. are calling for a cease-fire and student governments at some colleges have also passed resolutions in recent weeks calling for an end to academic partnerships with Israel.
Are universities investing in Israel?
Protesters have called for a halt to investments in Israel, but experts say that might be too simplified a take on what colleges have done with their funds. To begin with, it’s difficult to define what an “investment” in Israel entails, said economist Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who studies college finances.
She said bigger investments are more obvious than smaller ones tucked away in mutual funds — an investment tool that pools money and spreads it out over many assets, and a type of financial tool on which many colleges rely.
Universities hire private companies to manage their endowments to preserve their funds over the long run, Baum said.
Debates about the investments of college endowments are complicated, Baum said, because some university stakeholders argue the money needs to produce the biggest return on investment possible to fund teaching and necessary programming and services.
“The purpose of the endowment is to have money that will allow the university to permanently provide educational opportunities so that they don’t have to go out and raise new money every year to continue operating,” she said.
The bigger a university’s endowment, the more is at stake. That’s one reason why pro-Palestinian student protesters at wealthy universities are fighting so hard this week, she said. There’s a lot of money involved.
“There are always going to be differencesof opinion about what you don’t want to invest in,” Baum said.
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Trump’s Approval Craters Among American Jews Despite Hardline Antisemitism Push. Orthodox Jews remain a key base of support.
Donald Trump may champion himself as the strongest defender of Jewish interests in U.S. politics, but American Jews aren’t buying it. A damning new survey reveals that a whopping 72% of Jewish voters disapprove of his presidency, including 67% who strongly disapprove. And while Trump has made headlines cracking down on antisemitism, 56% of Jewish voters say his policies miss the mark.
The Jewish Electorate Institute’s poll, conducted by the Mellman Group, lays bare a deeper reality: American Jews — except for a vocal Orthodox minority — overwhelmingly distrust Trump’s motives and methods. The Orthodox community, representing about 10% of respondents, offered a stark contrast: over 70% support Trump, seeing his actions as pro-Israel and tough on antisemitism.
But Reform, Conservative, and unaffiliated Jews — the vast majority — are unimpressed. From freezing university funds to deporting foreign student activists, Trump’s “war on antisemitism” is seen by many as a political weapon rather than a genuine stand against hate.
His authoritarian leanings haven’t helped. More than 70% of American Jews oppose his controversial executive orders allowing deportations without court hearings, and most reject his sweeping tariffs and attacks on government institutions. The numbers suggest a Jewish electorate deeply alarmed not only by Trump’s rhetoric but by his policies across the board.
Notably absent from the poll were questions about Trump’s Middle East maneuverings — including his aggressive stance on Iran and radical proposals for Gaza. That silence may have spared him even lower marks, especially among younger Jews who disapprove of his handling of antisemitism by more than 50%.
In 2025, Trump faces a sobering reality: while Orthodox Jews remain his loyal base, he has alienated most of the broader Jewish community. His strategy may win applause in right-wing circles, but the numbers make clear — it’s not winning Jewish hearts.
Ankara secures 90% of Somalia’s oil and gas profits in landmark deal, sparking fears of energy colonialism under the guise of partnership.
Turkey’s new hydrocarbons deal with Somalia grants it 90% of all oil and gas output with zero upfront costs, raising questions about sovereignty, exploitation, and geopolitical consequences in the Horn of Africa.
Turkey didn’t just strike oil in Somalia — it struck gold. In a sweeping hydrocarbons agreement now before the Turkish Parliament, Ankara has secured 90% of Somalia’s oil and gas output, full export rights, zero upfront costs, and even the legal turf of arbitration on its own soil. Welcome to the 21st-century blueprint of “soft conquest” — wrapped in partnership, sealed with military escorts.
Somalia, teetering between internal fragility and global neglect, has offered up its vast offshore reserves to Turkey on terms that defy global industry norms. No signature bonuses. No surface fees. Only 5% royalties capped for Somalia, and Turkish corporations get to walk away with the lion’s share — free to export, sell, and profit without local interference.
This isn’t partnership. It’s a power grab masquerading as cooperation.
Text of the hydrocarbon agreement between Turkey and Somalia.
Worse still, Turkey can assign its rights to any foreign third party without even opening a local office — a clause that opens the door for opaque subcontracts and external interference in Somalia’s maritime zones. Turkish warships, under the pretext of anti-piracy missions, will escort deep-sea drill ships come September. But what they’re really guarding is Ankara’s geopolitical gamble — a stranglehold on East Africa’s most lucrative energy basin.
The optics are troubling. Somalia’s government, seeking legitimacy and allies, is locking itself into a long-term dependency that gives away critical sovereignty in exchange for vague promises of training and defense aid. If oil is supposed to be Somalia’s path to self-reliance, this deal builds a highway — but Turkey is behind the wheel.
As the global energy chessboard tilts eastward, Somalia risks being reduced to a pawn — or worse, a client state. The message to Mogadishu’s elites is clear: either rewrite this deal, or history will.
How Turkey’s Strategy in Africa Capitalizes on Anti-Western and Anti-China Sentiments
Turkey’s High-Tech Aid to Somalia: Akinci Drones Set to Transform Anti-Terror Strategy
Erdogan’s Ottoman Hustle: How Turkey Is Playing Trump to Crush American Business in Africa
Erdogan’s Horn of Africa Power Grab: Is the Turkish Military Winning Somalia’s Capital?
A Somali refugee is gunned down in broad daylight—and Australia’s justice system may never answer why. The fatal police shooting of a Somali refugee in Melbourne has ignited protests and exposed deep failures in Australia’s treatment of refugees, race, and mental health.
Footscray protesters held signs with Mr Ahmed’s face on them that read ‘Abdifatah needed support, not bullets’ after police shot dead 35-year-old Abdifatah Ahmed. Picture: Jake Nowakowski / NewsWire
Abdifatah Ahmed did not need a bullet. He needed help. He needed a system that could see his pain and respond with dignity. Instead, he was killed—shot dead by police on the streets of Melbourne in what is quickly becoming a symbol of everything broken in Australia’s treatment of African refugees and people suffering mental health crises.
Victoria Police claim their officers had “seconds to act” when Ahmed, reportedly armed with a knife, failed to comply. But witnesses and community leaders are asking a different question: Why was lethal force the only option? Why, in one of Australia’s most policed cities, was this man met with guns and not compassion?
This isn’t an isolated tragedy—it’s a pattern. Ahmed was a Somali refugee, known to be homeless, struggling with mental illness, and failed by every system meant to protect him. When the call came in, two officers arrived without Tasers. They responded with bullets.
Victoria Police has been forced to defend two officers against allegations of racial profiling as hundreds of protesters gather at the scene of a fatal police shooting in Footscray, protesting the death of Somali refugee Abdifatah Ahmed. Picture: Jake Nowakowski / NewsWire
To the Somali and African communities of Melbourne, this wasn’t just another incident—it was the final, unbearable insult. Hundreds took to the streets chanting “Mental Health Needs Care, Not Bullets.” Some clashed with police. Others lit candles. All of them demanded accountability.
Ahmed’s death has shredded what little trust remained. It has exposed a policing culture where racialized trauma meets a trigger finger—and where leadership too often doubles down rather than listens. The official response? “We reject any claims that this was racially motivated.” That’s it.
Meanwhile, the City of Maribyrnong says it supports an “independent review.” Too little, too late.
This shooting happened days after police rolled out “increased patrols” in the area to “tackle antisocial behaviour.” For many, that announcement felt like a threat, not protection. And now a young man is dead.
Australia says it’s a country of fairness and opportunity. Abdifatah Ahmed came seeking exactly that. He died as yet another victim of a system that saw his skin color before his humanity.
When the state is the aggressor, justice cannot wait. Demand answers. Demand change.
Somalia’s own soldiers are assassinating their commanders, selling Somalia’s energy blocks to the highest bidder. Somalia now faces its most dangerous turning point since 1991. Al-Shabaab is raising flags in major towns while the Somali government sinks deeper into chaos, selling off resources and scapegoating enemies.
Is the capital next?
Somalia isn’t slipping. It’s spiraling. The once fragile federal experiment is now visibly shattering—under the weight of incompetence, corruption, and political betrayal.
Mogadishu’s leadership, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is flailing at the helm. Al-Shabaab grows bolder by the day, releasing prisoners, raising flags, and walking through military bases unchallenged. In a horrifying echo of Afghanistan, Somalia’s own soldiers are assassinating their commanders, and U.S. diplomats are being evacuated. Even the president himself narrowly escaped an ambush. This is no longer counterinsurgency. This is collapse management.
Desperate for Western attention, Hassan Sheikh has chosen a tactic that reeks of neo-colonial pandering: selling Somalia’s energy blocks to the highest bidder, offering the country’s last resources to Trump-linked interests in the hope of buying security. His ambassador’s bizarre social media auction of Somalia’s oil was less diplomacy than a digital clearance sale of a broken state. The response? Silence in Washington. Chaos in the capital.
Meanwhile, Turkish boots are on Somali soil, drones fly overhead, and the African Union’s peacekeepers are now smeared as al-Shabaab sympathizers by Somali officials trying to dodge accountability. Puntland and Jubaland have already walked out of Hassan’s electoral circus. The remaining federal structure is now a skeleton of legitimacy—held together by the optics of registration drives and donor meetings.
And as al-Shabaab captures Aadan Yabaal—the president’s own hometown—Somalis wake up asking a question they hoped they’d never need to again: Can Mogadishu fall?
Somalia has failed at the elite level. Hassan’s government blames everyone—Egypt, Ethiopia, the AU, even UN diplomats—except itself. It ignores the internal rot, the patronage system, the militarized nepotism, and the utter lack of coherent national strategy.
The result? Al-Shabaab no longer hides. It governs. And the state no longer fights back. It tweets.
Quo vadis, Somalia?
Downward. Fast. Unless something radical, honest, and painfully overdue changes now.
Captured arms spark international uproar as Somalia accused of turning donor aid into tools of regional destabilization.
Somaliland accuses Somalia of sponsoring militia attacks after seizing weapons marked “Federal Government of Somalia.” Regional tensions flare as calls grow for international investigation.
Somaliland’s armed forces have intercepted a cache of military-grade weapons explicitly marked as belonging to the Somali Ministry of Defense. The discovery, made after a firefight in the Dhuurmadare area of eastern Sanaag on April 18, not only proves Somalia’s military fingerprints in the region—it redefines the nature of the conflict.
The wooden boxes didn’t lie: emblazoned with “MINISTRY OF DEFENSE ARMED FORCES – THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF SOMALIA”, and a formal contract number, they obliterate the fiction that Somalia’s arms are strictly used for counterterrorism. Instead, they now appear weaponized for political warfare—against Somaliland.
Somaliland’s Ministry of Defense wasted no time issuing a blistering rebuke, blaming Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre directly for orchestrating the attack, just days after his controversial visit to Las Anod. “This is not a rogue operation—it’s a state-sponsored proxy war,” the statement warned. For a government that boasts over 30 years of democratic stability, the incursion represents a red line.
And it raises uncomfortable questions for international donors.
The U.S., U.K., EU, and other Western allies have long funneled military aid to Somalia under the guise of fighting al-Shabaab—a group that now reportedly operates within striking distance of Mogadishu. But with donor-funded weapons showing up in anti-Somaliland insurgent hands, the credibility of that narrative is cracking.
Experts warn this could trigger a donor reckoning. “This is what happens when there’s no oversight,” one analyst told WARYATV. “Western taxpayers may be unknowingly funding attacks on a peaceful, democratic neighbor.”
Somaliland has called for an urgent international inquiry—and this time, the evidence speaks louder than diplomacy.
After years of entrenchment, ISIS-Somalia’s last major bastion crumbles under Puntland’s offensive.
Puntland’s latest offensive in the Calmiskaad Mountains isn’t just a military success—it’s a symbolic decapitation of ISIS-Somalia’s regional ambitions. By seizing Togga Miraale, the crown jewel of ISIS’s mountain redoubts, Puntland security forces have dismantled what analysts long described as the terror group’s last command node in the region. The caliphate fantasy is over, at least in Puntland.
This wasn’t a victory won overnight. The month-long campaign through treacherous terrain and entrenched positions was a surgical war of attrition. ISIS fighters, once emboldened by their remote stronghold and a steady supply of weapons, were ground down. With captured stockpiles and dislodged militants, Puntland has dealt ISIS a blow from which it may never recover in northeastern Somalia.
This is more than just a win for Puntland. It’s a pivotal shift in the asymmetric war against jihadist movements in the Horn. While Al-Shabaab remains a dominant threat further south, ISIS-Somalia’s collapse exposes the vulnerability of jihadist splinter factions when faced with sustained, locally-led counterterrorism backed by strategic intelligence.
Moreover, this win couldn’t come at a more geopolitically significant time. As Somalia reels from recent setbacks—including the fall of Aadan Yabaal to Al-Shabaab—Puntland’s success highlights a stark contrast in governance, security, and military capability. It sends a potent message: decentralized Somali regions like Puntland can, and will, defend their territory where the federal government has failed.
Regional players like the UAE and the U.S., both of whom quietly supported this operation with air surveillance and intel, are taking note. So should Mogadishu. As the Somali government continues to lose ground to terrorists in the south, Puntland’s battlefield dominance is not just a local triumph—it’s a rebuke of Somalia’s fragile security architecture.
The caliphate in Somalia didn’t fall with fanfare—it collapsed under the pressure of a region that refused to yield. Puntland now owns the victory. And ISIS-Somalia? It’s a name soon to be remembered only in past tense.
Somalia’s Jihadist Boom: The Islamic State Is Stronger, Richer, and More Deadly
U.S. and UAE Joint Operation Kills 16 ISIS Militants in Puntland Stronghold
Puntland Airstrikes Devastate ISIS Strongholds, Killing Over 30 Fighters
Puntland Claims it Uncovered ISIS Treatment Sites, Business Links in Somaliland
Telegram Shuts Down Key ISIS Propaganda Channel Amid Puntland Conflict
Puntland Forces Close in on ISIS Stronghold, Final Battle Nears
Puntland Forces Crush ISIS Strongholds in Togga Jaceel Offensive
Puntland Clerics Rally Support for Military Offensive Against ISIS in Al-Miskaat Mountains
Puntland Would be Happy to Host Gazan Refugees: Puntland Deputy Minister
In Puntland’s rugged mountains, ISIS builds a dangerous foothold
Senior ISIS Commander Captured in Puntland as U.S. Airstrikes Cripple Somalia’s Jihadist Network
Puntland Cracks Down on Illegal Foreign Nationals Amid Extremism Concerns
Landmine Explosion Kills 13 Puntland Soldiers in Counter-Terrorism Mission
Puntland Forces Strike Major Daesh Strongholds in Bari Region
Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Puntland Military Base Attack in Somalia
Puntland Deputy Speaker Survives ISIS Attack Amid Rising Threat
Puntland Forces Uncover Major Weapons Cache, Arrest Al-Shabaab and ISIS Suspects in Bosaso
Trump rejects Netanyahu’s war plan, pushes for nuclear talks with Tehran — as Israeli frustration boils.
In a dramatic Oval Office split, Trump shut down a joint Israeli-US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, triggering outrage in Jerusalem. Is diplomacy a delay tactic—or disaster in the making?
President Donald Trump may have just triggered the biggest rift in US-Israel defense cooperation since the Obama years. According to a bombshell NYT report, Trump personally blocked a fully coordinated Israeli strike package on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—just weeks before it was set to launch. Israel was prepped. US CENTCOM was involved. Commando units were shelved in favor of all-out bombing runs. But in the final hour, Trump torpedoed the plan and launched direct talks with Tehran instead.
Sources say Netanyahu was blindsided. The visit to Washington, publicly framed around tariffs, quickly turned sour when Trump dropped the bombshell: no military support while diplomacy is on the table. Inside the Oval Office, the tension was visible. Outside, it was electric. Israeli officials saw betrayal. Netanyahu wanted a Libya-style disarmament. Trump? He’s chasing a legacy—an Iran deal to rival Obama’s failed JCPOA.
Back home, Israeli defense analysts are livid. “This was the moment,” one senior IDF figure told WARYATV. “We had operational superiority, regional support, and Iranian air defense already degraded. Now we’re talking again?” Meanwhile, Iran is stalling with a smile. The next round of nuclear talks resumes Saturday in Oman. Tehran already knows the game: negotiate, delay, enrich. By the time diplomacy fails, the uranium is already spinning.
Trump’s team is divided. Vance and Witkoff want to avoid war. Rubio and Waltz say it’s now or never. Meanwhile, Israel may be forced to go solo—and they’re watching those B-2s parked in Diego Garcia very closely.
What’s clear? This isn’t just another missed opportunity. It’s a high-stakes gamble that could reshape the Middle East—for better or for catastrophe.
Chinese state media blasts Trump’s tariff war, accuses U.S. of freeloading on globalization while Xi strengthens Asian alliances.
China lashes out at Trump’s economic nationalism, accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy as global trade realigns. Rare earths, aircraft, and semiconductors are next in this economic war.
Beijing just turned up the heat—and made it personal.
China Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, has delivered a scathing editorial aimed squarely at Donald Trump, telling him to “stop whining” and stop pretending the U.S. is a victim of global trade. “The U.S. is not getting ripped off by anybody,” it declared. “It has been taking a free ride on globalization for decades.”
The insult isn’t just rhetorical—it’s strategic. Trump’s aggressive tariff campaign, which now includes up to 145% duties on Chinese imports, has sparked the fiercest economic duel in decades. But China isn’t retreating. Instead, it’s choking U.S. exporters and fueling regional alliances that sideline Washington altogether.
Xi Jinping’s surprise regional tour, now overlapping with this tariff escalation, is no coincidence. Xi is quietly building what he calls a “strategic alliance of destiny” with Malaysia and ASEAN countries. Translation: Beijing is done playing by Trump’s rules. While the U.S. ratchets up tariffs and threatens new probes into semiconductors, pharma, and rare earths, China is reinforcing control of critical global supply chains.
The stakes? Massive. The Hong Kong postal service just banned packages to the U.S., Boeing deals are stalling, and Chinese firms are moving supply lines away from American manufacturers. Rare earth export bans are already shaking markets, and Beijing’s shadow diplomacy is redrawing global trade corridors.
Trump says, “The ball is in China’s court.” But Beijing just spiked it—with force.
Bottom line: This is not just a trade war. It’s a global economic realignment. And China’s message to the world? America’s time as the global economic sheriff is over—and it has only itself to blame.
Kenya Falls Deeper Into China’s Orbit – Signing 20 Deals
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Saudi Arabia’s Billion-Dollar Bid for Eritrea’s Assab Port
Operation Geel Exposes the Truth: International Community’s Reluctance to Embrace Somaliland as a Strategic Ally
Somaliland and UAE Elevate Ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
Police Bullet, System Failure: The Killing of Abdifatah Ahmed in Melbourne
President Irro Declares New Era: Somalia Has Waged War. We Are Responding Like a Nation
US Weapons Fuel Somali Proxy War to Block Somaliland, Trigger the Great Horn Conflict
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