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Eurovision Song Contest faces pro-Palestinian protests ahead of final

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By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

MALMO, Sweden (Reuters) -Thousands of people protested in Malmo on Saturday against Israel’s participation in Eurovision Song Contest, with the Israeli military campaign in Gaza casting a shadow over the final of the glitzy contest.

Eurovision organisers, who always bill the annual event as non-political, have resisted calls to exclude Israel, but requested that the lyrics of its entry be changed to remove what organisers called references to the deadly Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the war.

A large crowd of protesters gathered on the central square of the Swedish host city before marching towards the contest venue, waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Eurovision united by genocide” – a twist on the contest’s official slogan “United by music”.

“It’s important to show, like, we are going to stand on the right side for everyone. This could be any other country and we would still be standing here because this is about children, men and women who have been occupied for so many years,” said one protester on Saturday, Maryam, who gave only her first name.

Police estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 people joined the demonstration.

The final, the culmination of the festival of catchy songs, gaudy costumes and tongue-in-cheek kitsch, kicks off at 1900 GMT.

There have been increasingly vocal protests abroad against Israel’s war in Gaza, including on U.S. college campuses in recent weeks.

In Malmo, French singer Slimane halted his rehearsal act on Saturday to say it had been a childhood dream of his to sing for peace.

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“We need to be united by music,” Slimane said, referring to the official Eurovision slogan, followed by cheering from the crowd in the auditorium.

More than 10,000 pro-Palestinian campaigners, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, staged a non-violent protest ahead of the semi-final on Thursday.

A smaller group of pro-Israeli supporters, including members of Malmo’s Jewish community, also staged a peaceful demonstration on Thursday, defending Israeli solo artist Eden Golan, 20, and her right to take part in the contest.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have complained of double standards as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that organises the contest banned Russia from Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

Some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 people taken hostage in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country will not stop the war until Hamas is eliminated.

Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed close to 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, in a bombardment that has laid waste to the coastal enclave.

DUTCH FANS DISAPPOINTED

In another Eurovision controversy this year, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was expelled on Saturday from the competition final after a complaint by a member of the production crew, the EBU said.

“While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him (Joost) to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said in a statement.

A representative for Klein did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Klein was filmed despite clearly made agreements, just after getting off stage after his performance at Thursday’s semi final.

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“This wasn’t respected,” AVROTROS said in a post on social media platform X, adding “This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera.”

Klein did not touch the camerawoman, according to AVROTROS, who said it found the artist’s penalty “very heavy and disproportionate.”

A Dutch fan, Frank Zwarthoed, said: “We are very, very, very disappointed…And it’s not good for the for the joy, we have in all the Dutch fans here that are present.”

Dutch viewers will still be allowed to vote for other contestants and the Dutch jury result will still be included in the final, the EBU has said.

Bookmakers have Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purišić, 28, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, as front-runner to win the contest, followed by Israel’s Golan, with her song “Hurricane”.

Some booing was heard from the crowd before, during and after Golan’s performance in the semi-finals on Thursday, but there was also applause and Israeli flags being waved, according to a Reuters journalist in the auditorium.

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ROSEN, TOP RANKED GLOBAL COUNSEL, Encourages Five9, Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important February 3 Deadline in Securities Class Action – FIVN

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New York, New York–(Newsfile Corp. – January 26, 2025) – WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities, including call options, of Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:) between June 4, 2024 and August 8, 2024, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the important February 3, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Five9 securities or call options during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Five9 class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32046 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action (WA:) Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Five9’s net new business was not “strong irrespective of the macro” and was, in fact, hampered by macroeconomic issues such as constrained and scrutinized customer budgets; (2) Five9 was in the midst of a challenging bookings quarter due, in part, to sales execution and efficiency issues, and Five9 was not “seeing very strong bookings momentum”; and (3) defendants did not have “enough information in terms of [their] existing customers that are going live” such that the statements that Five9 would see a positive inflection in its dollar-based retention rate lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Five9 class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32046 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook (NASDAQ:): https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

——————————-

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/238378

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Head of disaster relief agency FEMA reassures staff after Trump criticism

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(Reuters) – The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency wrote to staff reassuring them that the agency’s continued existence was vital to the country’s disaster response efforts, after President Donald Trump said he wanted to overhaul or scrap it.

“FEMA is a critical agency which performs an essential mission in support of our national security,” said Cam Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, who was appointed by Trump to temporarily lead the agency after the Republican president took office last week.

Hamilton sent the email to all staff on Friday night after earlier in the day Trump, during a visit to disaster areas in North Carolina and California, vowed to sign an executive order to overhaul or eliminate the main federal agency that responds to natural disasters.

“FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,” Trump said during a tour of a North Carolina neighborhood destroyed by September’s Hurricane Helene. “I think we recommend that FEMA go away.”

Trump accused FEMA of bungling emergency relief efforts there and said he preferred that states be given federal money to handle disasters themselves.

“President Trump has laid out his intent to reform FEMA, and we stand firmly at the ready to implement real and lasting reform,” Hamilton wrote in the email seen by Reuters. “We have some work to do at FEMA and restoring public confidence in this agency is essential.”

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Hamilton’s email.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Swannanoa resident Lucy Bickers, who received assistance from FEMA after Hurricane Helene damaged her property, holds a sign in support of the government agency as she waits on the route of visiting U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade in Swannanoa, North Carolina, U.S., January 24, 2025/File Photo

FEMA brings in emergency personnel, supplies and equipment to help areas begin to recover from natural disasters. Funding for the agency has soared in recent years as extreme weather events have increased the demand for its services.

The agency has 10 regional offices and employs more than 20,000 people across the country.

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Colombia turns away two US military flights with deported migrants, official says

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By Phil Stewart and Oliver Griffin

WASHINGTON/BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia on Sunday turned away two U.S. military aircraft with migrants being deported as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, a U.S. official said, in at least the second case of a Latin American nation refusing U.S. military deportation flights.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the practice, suggesting it treated migrants like criminals. In a post on social media platform X, Petro said Colombia would welcome home deported migrants on civilian planes, saying they should be treated with dignity and respect.

Colombia’s decision follows one by Mexico, which also refused a request last week to let a U.S. military aircraft land with migrants.

“The U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals,” Petro wrote, noting that there were 15,660 Americans without proper immigration status in Colombia.

Petro’s comments add to the growing chorus of discontent in Latin America as Trump’s week-old administration starts mobilizing for mass deportations.

Brazil’s foreign ministry late on Saturday condemned “degrading treatment” of Brazilians after migrants were handcuffed on a commercial deportation flight. Upon arrival, some of the passengers also reported mistreatment during the flight, according to local news reports.

The plane, which was carrying 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 U.S. security agents, and eight crew members, had been originally scheduled to arrive in Belo Horizonte in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

There, Brazilian officials ordered the removal of the handcuffs, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva designated a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) flight to complete their journey, the government said in a statement Saturday.

The commercial charter flight was the second this year from the U.S. carrying undocumented migrants deported back to Brazil and the first since Trump’s inauguration, according to Brazil’s federal police.

Officials from the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The use of U.S. military aircraft to carry out deportation flights is part of the Pentagon’s response to Trump’s national emergency declaration on immigration on Monday.

In the past, U.S. military aircraft have been used to relocate individuals from one country to another, like during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

© Reuters. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

This has been the first time in recent memory that U.S. military aircraft were used to fly migrants out of the country, one U.S. official said.

U.S. military aircraft carried out two similar flights, each with about 80 migrants, to Guatemala on Friday.

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