Israel's main international airport remains closed amid tensions with Iran
Israel's main international airport remained closed for departures and arrivals as its military and Iran are trading strikes. (AP Video: Moshe Edri)
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Associated Press
5 minutes ago
- Associated Press
How the humble water gun became the symbol of Barcelona's anti-tourism movement
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A group of tourists were sitting at an outdoor table in the Spanish city of Barcelona, trying to enjoy their drinks, when a woman raised a cheap plastic water gun and shot an arc of water at them. Her weapon of choice — the cheap, squirt-squirt variety — is an increasingly common fixture at anti-tourism protests in the southern European country, where many locals fear that an overload of visitors is driving them from their cherished neighborhoods. How did the humble water gun become a symbol of discontent? From refreshing to revolutionary The phenomenon started last July, when a fringe, left-wing activist group based in Barcelona that promotes the 'degrowth' of the city's successful tourism sector held its first successful rally. Some brought water guns to shoot one another and stay cool in the summer heat. 'What happened later went viral, but in reality it was just kind of a joke by a group of people who brought water guns because it was hot,' Adriana Coten, one of the organizers of Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, told The Associated Press. Then, some turned their water guns from each other to tourists. The images went around the world, becoming a publicity coup for the anti-tourism cause. The guns reappeared in April when the same group stopped a tour bus in Barcelona, the Catalan capital. Guns drawn On Sunday, around a thousand people marched from a luxury shopping boulevard popular with affluent foreigners before police stopped them from getting closer to Barcelona's top sight-seeing destination: La Sagrada Familia church. The marchers spritzed unsuspecting tourists along the way, chanting slogans and carrying protest signs. One read: 'One more tourist, one less resident!' They left a trail of stickers on hotel doors, lampposts and outdoor café tables showing a squirting water gun encircled by a message in English: 'Tourist Go Home!' Still, the number of Barcelona protesters carrying water guns was a minority — and in the gun-toting group, many were only shoot in the air or at each other. One dad was toting his baby in a front-pack, water gun in hand. 'A symbol' Can the water gun really change the minds of tourists, authorities or the businesses that drive the industry? Depends on who you ask. Protester Lourdes Sánchez and her teenage daughter, each holding a water gun, said the gun 'really isn't to hurt anyone.' 'This is a symbol to say that we are fed up of how tourism industry is transforming our country into a theme park,' Sánchez said. Another demonstrator, Andreu Martínez, acknowledged it was 'to bother the tourists a bit.' Laurens Schocher, a 46-year-old architect, said he didn't shoot any suspected tourists but hoped that carrying a water gun would bring more attention to their cause. 'I don't think the tourists will get it,' he said. 'I think this is to send a message to authorities.' A squirt can hurt your feelings The marchers had no monster, pump-action water cannons most kids use for backyard battles in the summer. Theirs were the old-school, cheap-o water guns that send a slim jet of water not that far away. Some tourists who were sprayed took it in stride, even claiming it was refreshing on a day with temperatures pushing up to around 30 degrees Celsius (87 Fahrenheit). But there were moments of tension. When several marchers squirted workers at a large hostel, tempers flared and one worker spat at his attackers as the slammed the hostel door shut. Nora Tsai, who had just arrived from Taiwan on a short visit, was among those doused on Sunday. She said she was a bit frightened and saddened. The 'Tourist go home!' chants didn't help either. 'I still like Barcelona,' she said. 'I have met a lot of people who were kind.'
5 minutes ago
India and Cyprus to step up defense, maritime and cybersecurity cooperation, Indian PM says
NICOSIA, Cyprus -- India will step up its defense ties with Cyprus through collaboration between the two countries' respective defense industries, the Indian prime minister said Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn't offer details, but he said talks would begin on boosting bilateral maritime and cybersecurity cooperation. He said after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides that the two countries would also set up an information exchange mechanism geared toward combatting the threat of terrorism. Modi's two-day visit to Cyprus, ahead of his trip to Canada for the G7 summit, is the first by an Indian prime minister in more than two decades. In a joint declaration, the two countries also pledged to expand maritime cooperation through more frequent Indian navy calls to Cypriot ports and looking at enhancing joint maritime training and search and rescue operations. Modi underscored the role of the envisioned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) as a means to usher peace and prosperity in the Middle East. Cyprus figures to act as the linchpin between India, the Middle East and Europe in the trade, energy and digital connectivity corridor, given the island nation's geographical location as the nearest European Union country to the Middle East and India. Christodoulides said Cyprus was India's 'gateway into Europe' as a base for Indian businesses. He pledged to help implement initiatives such as IMEC that will connect India through specific infrastructure works with the Gulf, the Mediterranean and the European continent. The Cypriot president said India-EU ties and an upgraded free trade agreement would be among his country's top priorities when Cyprus assumes the 27-member bloc's rotating presidency in the first half of 2026. The Indian prime minister hailed the visit as a harbinger of a new era of India-Cyprus relations built on shared values and deep historic ties that 'have been tested time and again.' Former British colonies Cyprus and India were among members of the Non-Aligned Movement, a collection of nations which opted out of the Cold War choice of allegiance to either the West or the Communist bloc.
7 minutes ago
Juneteenth celebrations adapt after corporate sponsors pull support
AUSTIN, Texas -- AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Juneteenth celebrations have been scaled back this year due to funding shortfalls as companies and municipalities across the country reconsider their support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Canceled federal grants and businesses moving away from so-called brand activism have hit the bottom line of parades and other events heading into Thursday's federal holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. The shrinking financial support coincides with many companies severing ties with LGBTQ celebrations for Pride this year and President Donald Trump's efforts to squash DEI programs throughout the federal government. In Denver, for example, more than a dozen companies backed out of supporting the Juneteenth Music Festival, which is one of the city's biggest celebrations of the holiday, according to Norman Harris, executive director of JMF Corporation, which puts on the event. 'There were quite a few sponsors who pulled back their investments or let us know they couldn't or wouldn't be in a position to support this year," said Harris, who has overseen the event for more than a decade. The festival, which takes place in the historically Black Five Points neighborhood, has been scaled back to one day instead of two because of the budget shortfall. It has only been able to stay afloat thanks to donations from individuals and foundations. 'Thankfully, there was a wide range of support that came when we made the announcement that the celebration is in jeopardy,' Harris said. Juneteenth celebrates the day the last enslaved people in Texas were told they were free on June 19, 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The day has been celebrated by Black Americans for generations, including in Harris' family, but became more widely celebrated after becoming a federal holiday in 2021. After the 2020 murder of George Floyd, many companies pursued efforts to make their branding more inclusive, but it has slowed down over the past few years after some received blowback from conservatives and because many companies didn't see it as an important part of their revenue stream, said Dionne Nickerson, a professor in marketing at Emory University. Some companies can no longer afford to support Juneteenth celebrations because they just don't have the money given the economic uncertainty, according to Sonya Grier, a marketing professor at American University. 'It's a whole confluence of issues,' Grier said. Many state and local governments hold or help fund celebrations, but some decided not to this year. The governor's office in West Virginia stated that the state won't be hosting any Juneteenth events this year for the first time since 2017 due to a budget deficit. Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey last month signed a bill to end all diversity programs. 'Due to the continued fiscal challenges facing West Virginia, state government will not be sponsoring any formal activities,' deputy press secretary Drew Galang said in an email. City Council members in Scottsdale, Arizona, dissolved their DEI office in February, which led to the cancellation of the city's annual Juneteenth festival. Event organizers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, had to move locations due to fewer sponsors and cuts in city funding, said Jennifer Smith, a planner for the Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival. Around five companies sponsored the event this year, compared to dozens in years prior, Smith said. 'They have said their budgets have been cut because of DEI,' and that they can no longer afford it, she said. Some groups have also mentioned safety concerns. Planners in Bend, Oregon, cited 'an increasingly volatile political climate' in a statement about why they canceled this year's celebration. Many local organizations have also had their budgets slashed after the National Endowment for the Arts pulled funding for numerous grants in May. The Cooper Family Foundation throws one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in San Diego each year. It was one of dozens of groups told by the NEA in May that its $25,000 grant was being rescinded. The email said the event no longer aligned with the agency's priorities, said Maliya Jones, who works for the foundation. The grant money went toward paying for arts and dance performers. The event will still take place this year, but members of the Cooper family will have to divide up covering the costs, said Marla Cooper, who leads the foundation. 'That's $25,000 we have to figure out how we're going to pay for," Cooper said. 'We will always have Juneteenth. And we will work it out,' she said.
