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National Geographic
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
These real-world destinations inspired the most popular video games
At least 35 percent of U.S. travelers are inspired to book a trip overseas based on a video game they've played, according to Skyscanner's recent survey As technology becomes more accessible and sophisticated, video games continue to gain points other traditional media can't quite reach. May Naidoo is not surprised. He's a filmmaker and Pokémon Partner who travels for video game content, and he sees the clear benefits. 'Movies are influential because they take you back to a specific scene, but video games are more interactive. They place you in the moment with the character and story. You're engaging far more with the sensory experience,' he says. Gamer Didier South agrees, 'Games are reaching new levels of realism, with both graphics and storytelling. It raises the excitement of seeing it in real life, but it also raises the expectations of authenticity.' (Related: For travelers with disabilities, video games are windows to the world.) South is one of a growing number of travelers diving into video game tourism. His current game of choice is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, a 2025 role-playing game set in 15th-century Bohemia. He has more than 100 hours of gameplay, but he's not just playing a video game; he's also taking notes on locations and cultural sites within the game and planning to see them in Czechia later this year. Now, you can join this growing trend by exploring the real places that inspired game developers, and you can immerse yourself in video games brought to life as tourist attractions like Super Nintendo World™. Here are seven next-level, real world experiences for gamers. (Related: The real history behind the legend of Sun Wukong, China's Monkey King.) 1. Ultimate game day in Orlando The recent opening of Super Nintendo World™ at Universal Epic Universe Orlando will certainly attract gamers who are fans of video game franchises, such as Super Mario and Donkey Kong. Photograph by Sipa USA, Alamy Stock Photo Take the family to the recently opened Super Nintendo World™, one of five new immersive worlds in Universal Epic Universe Orlando. Ride Yoshi's Adventure repeatedly while searching for glowing eggs or careen through the jungle in Donkey Kong's Mine-Cart Madness. Let the grown-ups show the kids how it's done with Orlando's retro arcades, like Arcade Monsters. One entry price allows gamers to play more than 200 pinball machines and arcade games. Discover the science behind video games at the Orlando Science Center, meanwhile, the 'DC Super Heroes' exhibit, on-site through September 7, 2025, will test your superhero skills and allow you to step into the iconic worlds of legendary superheroes, including Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. (Related: The ultimate guide to visiting Orlando.) 2. Tokyo's electric town Pokemon's Pikachu is on display in front of a store in the Akihabara District of Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by Sipa USA, Alamy Stock Photo The first stop for any gamer is the famous Akihabara District (also known as Akiba) in Tokyo. This is the heart of gaming with high-end tech stores, fan-favorite collectibles, and arcades. Grab a bite at nearby Monster Hunters Bar, which features a menu straight from the game, including Kirin's Lightning Strike Parfait G. Walk it off with a visit to Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, and watch out for rare Pokémon along the way. For a bonus level of culture, visit the Tokyo National Museum for pottery from the Jōmon period. It's the real-life inspiration for key scenes in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. (Related: Don't leave Tokyo without these must-do experiences.) 3. Valhalla and the Northern Lights Gamers who enjoy playing God of War: Ragnarök can visit Jotunheimen National Park in Norway to walk along Besseggen Ridge, which is featured in the popular video game. Photograph by Steve Taylor ARPS, Alamy Stock Photo Prepare for Valhalla with immersive high-tech displays at The Viking Planet, Oslo's first digital museum dedicated to the Viking Age. The interactive exhibits include a digital walkthrough of the historic Viking ships (the Oseberg and the Gokstad) as well as virtual reality (VR) experiences of a Viking Raid. Then test your survival skills at Jernaldergarden, a living museum set during the Iron Age in the Stavanger region—inspiration for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Explore the landscape of the Besseggen Ridge (including glaciers) within Jotunheimen National Park, which gamers may recall as part of the video game God of War: Ragnarök. And if you travel as far as Tromsø for the Aurora Borealis, refuel at Burgr with a gaming-inspired meal before heading out to chase the Northern Lights. (Related: Was the Oseberg Ship a tomb for a Viking Queen?) 4. Escape to Montana The Logan Pass Visitor Center and St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park inspired the scenery in Far Cry 5 and Far Cry: New Dawn. Photograph by Danita Delimont, Alamy Stock Photo In addition to Far Cry, Ghost of Tsushima has used Glacier National Park's landscape and nature as inspiration for elements in the games. Photograph by Michael Wheatley, Alamy Stock Photo Head to Big Sky Country in Montana to visit Glacier National Park, where key points of interest like Logan Pass Visitor Center and St. Mary Lake, inspired the scenery in the video games, Far Cry 5 and Far Cry: New Dawn. When you're ready to return to civilization, head to Bozeman for the American Computer & Robotics Museum, which covers 4,000 years of human history from original cuneiform tablets to the first personal computers. Parents can take their kids along the Montana Dinosaur Trail to follow Dr. Alan Grant and his dinosaur digs featured in the video game LEGO Jurassic World. Make this fictional game a real-life, family-friendly adventure. (Related: Everything you need to know about Glacier National Park.) 5. Luxor's path to the pharaohs In Luxor, Egypt, travelers can visit the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which pays homage to Ancient Egypt's only female pharaoh, who was also a gamer. Photograph by Reinhard Dirscherl, Alamy Stock Photo While we don't recommend leaping from rooftop to rooftop as seen in Assassin's Creed: Origins, the video game offers showstopping graphics for Egypt's temples. Travel to Luxor to see the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, in honor of Ancient Egypt's only female pharaoh and 'Gaming Queen,' with her own Senet board game. Across the River Nile, Karnak Temple is instantly identified by its towering walls. Then head to nearby Luxor Souk in the Haba Raba district, where street vendors serve ful medames, an Egyptian stew recipe seen in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. In the video game, Indy also recommends the hamam mahshi (stuffed pigeon). Travelers with adventurous palates can taste it at Sofra Restaurant & Cafe, one street from the East Bank. Cooking classes are also offered to round out your authentic Egyptian experience. (Related: The last missing tomb from this wealthy Egyptian dynasty has been found.) 6. Melbourne's playable city A photo of the interior of ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in Melbourne, Australia. Photograph by Brian Smith, Alamy Stock Photo A mother and son watch Gentoo Penguins swimming at SEA LIFE Aquarium. While visiting, guests should also see the Animal Crossing: New Horizons exhibits. Photograph by Jason Edwards, Nat Geo Image Collection Local indie games like Eastern Market Murder are the best way to explore Melbourne's famous laneways, using the true crime murder of Frank Stevens in 1899 to unlock the history of Melbourne's CBD (Central Business District). Gamers can dive into the development of other video games like Hollow Knight: Silksong on display at ACMI (formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Grab a tavern lunch at Fortress, where patrons will find gaming consoles at their table. Chill with penguins at Sea Life Aquarium and the Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons exhibits. Secret bonus level: Catch Tram 96 from the Aquarium to St. Kilda Pier for the city's Little Penguin Colony. Although the viewing boardwalk is currently closed, you may spot penguins from the end of the pier. Remember to give them their space and no flash photography. (Related: March of the penguins: meeting the feathered locals of Phillip Island, Australia.) 7. Paris: Space Invaders tour and Pokémon events Gamers should plan a tour of the Catacombs of Paris when visiting the City of Light. The bone-chilling tomb was the inspiration for the final scene in the video game Assassin's Creed: Unity. Photograph by Konstantin Kalishko, Alamy Stock Photo Grab your comfy shoes for a walking tour in Paris to discover its street art and modern history. The tour's route is marked with hidden graphics and icons from the retro-video game, Space Invaders. It's just like exploring Parisian-inspired Lumiose City in Pokémon Legends: Z-A! Paris also plays host to real-life Pokémon events such as Pokémon GO Fest as well as special in-game features like Furfrou's La Reine Trim costume design. Furfrou's La Reine Trim. Gamers have an opportunity to catch rare in-game Pokémon in the gardens of Parc de Sceaux, too. Finish your journey with a tour of the Catacombs of Paris, the inspiration for the final scene in Assassin's Creed: Unity. The massive crypt holds the remains of six million people and just as many untold stories. (Related: Want to see the real Paris? Walk this way.) 8. Peruvian clues for treasure A stela, a stone column or slab, is seen on display as a collection in one of the gallaries at the National Museum of Archaeology and History in Lima, Peru. Photograph by Suzuki Kaku, Alamy Stock Photo Gamers can live out their dream as an adventurous archaeologist like fictional character Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legend by discovering historic gems like this gold pin of Chimu culture found at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History. Photograph by Suzuki Kaku, Alamy Stock Photo Before you live out your Uncharted dreams, take survival notes at the Botanical Gardens in the Parque de las Leyendas in Lima. Look for the Kantuta bush (Flor de la Cantuta), Peru's national flower and star of Inca myths and legends. Learn more about these stories at the Casona of the National University of San Marcos, home to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Its extensive collection of pottery and artwork provides clues to treasures found in the Gold Museum of Peru and Weapons of the World Museum—like Lara Croft in the video game Tomb Raider: Legend. It all comes together with a visit to the ancient Chachapoyas citadel Kuelap; the carved stone walls and buildings hidden in the Amazon Forest directly inspire the opening scene in the PlayStation game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. (Related: Go on a luxury rail journey through the Peruvian mountains.) Fortunately, most developers take creating virtual worlds seriously—some often based on real destinations—because they respect the culture and their fans. Creative Director at MachineGames , Axel Torvenius is part of the team behind the new game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person adventure game set in the 1930s across numerous destinations: the Vatican, Egypt, Thailand, Iraq, and China. Part of the design process included team members traveling to places like the Vatican Necropolis, consulting with local specialists, and referencing historic black-and-white photos for time-specific details. It's more than just visual cues; it is an immersive experience with culture-specific puzzles, references to real artifacts, taking photos to find clues to solve puzzles, and more. At some companies, it's important to encourage gamers to be good travel stewards and responsible travelers, too. 'We have been working with external consultants to make sure that the time and period were right for certain assets, and we also treated each culture and nation with respect. We do, for example, never harm any temples in the game,' says Torvenius. Local tourism bureaus and operators are catching up. For example, Visit Czechia worked with media outlets and local tour operators to promote how the country's famous attractions and locations are featured in the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Some researchers even argue that this can encourage cultural heritage preservation, conservation and restoration . It's a win-win situation: fans get an authentic video game connection, and cultural heritage unlocks a new level of awareness and support. ( Related: The real history of Yasuke, Japan's first Black samurai .) Ann-Marie Cahill is a travel writer who loves to connect contemporary pop-culture with historic travel adventures—follow her on Instagram.
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
We Are Living Through a Creative Inflection Point
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. We are at a historic inflection point in creativity and innovation. For the first time, the bottleneck to building groundbreaking products isn't capital, connections or technical skills—it's imagination. With the rise of generative AI, anyone with an idea can now create. You no longer need coding skills, venture funding or elite credentials. You simply need the courage to start and the right tools. But our systems have yet to catch up. They still prioritize credentials over curiosity, pedigree over potential. As a result, millions of brilliant ideas remain trapped in notebooks, never reaching the world—not because they lack merit, but because their creators never had permission to build. I know this reality intimately because I lived it. Growing up, I devoured books on everything from ancient Egypt to Henry Kissinger, maxing out library cards with an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Although we spoke Mandarin at home, I understood early that fluency in English was a gateway to opportunity, prompting me to painstakingly teach myself pronunciation using early internet dictionaries. Generative AI at the World Artificial Intelligence Cannes Festival, an exhibition dedicated to artificial intelligence, on August 2, 2024, in Cannes, France. Generative AI at the World Artificial Intelligence Cannes Festival, an exhibition dedicated to artificial intelligence, on August 2, 2024, in Cannes, France. Sipa via AP Images My father never attended university. He started as a security guard at a stock brokerage firm, relentlessly studied from within, and eventually became a broker himself. He instilled in me a profound belief: your potential isn't defined by paperwork. Still, I initially took the conventional route. A prestigious scholarship sent me to the National University of Singapore—a golden ticket with strings attached. Post-graduation, I was bound by years of government service. Yet my entrepreneurial urgency was too intense to ignore. To reclaim my freedom, I made the pivotal choice to repay the entire $50,000 scholarship myself, emptying my savings and leaning on family support. It was a steep price, but it bought me something invaluable: permission to build immediately. From Big Tech To Bigger Dreams That decision led me into Big Tech, scaling Twitter across international markets after its IPO, launching regional offices for Brandwatch, and negotiating strategic global partnerships at Samsung. Working among exceptional minds, I saw clearly that brilliance alone didn't guarantee success. All too often, the freshest ideas—especially from Southeast Asia and younger, unconventional voices—were overlooked in favor of ideas polished by established credentials. Then generative AI emerged, dissolving barriers I'd spent years climbing. Suddenly, you didn't need extensive engineering experience or a Silicon Valley pedigree to build something impactful. Like many entrepreneurs, I was technical enough to prototype but still dependent on others to ship. AI changed that friction overnight. It meant an idea could become reality in minutes. This profound shift inspired me to launch ChatAndBuild—an AI-powered platform enabling anyone to transform ideas into fully functioning apps without code, capital or gatekeepers. I didn't have a safety net, but I had conviction. I've always believed failing is an option, but fear is not. The real risk was never trying, it was missing the moment. When building ChatAndBuild, I thought about my younger self, my father's self-made success, and countless individuals worldwide with untapped potential. I also reflected on insights from my recent postgraduate studies in AI at Oxford, where classmates from Nairobi to New York debated the intersection of AI and human agency—not as theoretical abstractions but as personal realities. These experiences affirmed a fundamental truth: talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Beyond Apps To Intelligent Agents As generative AI advanced, a deeper insight emerged. People don't just want to create static products, they desire dynamic companions—digital entities that remember, evolve and collaborate. Responding to this, we expanded our vision to include Non-Fungible Agents (NFAs): intelligent, blockchain-based agents with persistent identities and memory. NFAs go beyond traditional digital assets. They're companions that evolve with you—writing poetry, managing your communications, coaching you or simply providing entertainment. Unlike standard bots, NFAs retain context, preferences and goals across interactions. The best part? Creating an NFA requires no coding, only vision and curiosity. ChatAndBuild makes it possible to turn imagination directly into living, digital experiences. We stand at the threshold of extraordinary potential. AI is more than a tool, it's infrastructure for human creativity. To fully harness this moment, we must rethink educational, social and economic systems to nurture everyone's creative potential. We must celebrate experimentation and reward imagination as the most valuable currency. Execution is no longer the moat. Imagination is. Let's not allow brilliant ideas to perish simply because they emerge from unconventional places or lack elite validation. Let's build a world where curiosity doesn't just speak, it ships. Christel Buchanan is the founder and CEO of Pivotal, the company behind ChatandBuild, an AI-powered platform that transforms ideas into fully functional apps in minutes.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
2025 NHL Draft prospects: Corey Pronman updates his ranking ahead of the lottery
Today is a quick update of my 2025 NHL Draft big board ahead of the draft lottery and with the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championships concluded. There are some mild changes to the order, and some movement within tiers, although the top of the draft remains mostly unchanged. Despite this draft being led by a defenseman at No. 1, this class is known for its forward depth (and lack thereof on defense), especially at center with several premium center prospects in this class. Advertisement Ranked players are placed into tiers and given tool grades. Tool grades are based on a scale with six separate levels, with an eye toward how this attribute would grade in the NHL (poor, below-average, average, above-average, high-end and elite). 'Average' on this scale means the tool projects as NHL average, which is meant as a positive, not a criticism. Skating, puck skills, hockey sense and compete for every projected NHL player are graded. Shot grades are only included if a shot is notably good or poor. Player comparables are my best attempt at giving readers an idea of what I think these prospects could realistically become in the NHL. (Photos of Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa: Mathias Bergeld / Sipa via AP Images and Dennis Pajot / Getty Images)
The Intercept
12-04-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
What Comes Next in Mahmoud Khalil's Fight Against Deportation
Support Us © THE INTERCEPT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Jewish students chain themselves to the gates of Columbia University on April 2, 2025, demanding accountability from the university's trustees following the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. (Photo by Michael Nigro/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images) From a small courtroom in a remote immigration jail in Jena, La., Judge Jamee Comans ruled on Friday that the government can deport Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil based solely on his advocacy for Palestine. Comans made her decision after weighing a single piece of evidence from the government, submitted in court two days earlier: a 1 ½-page letter written by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which he stated that Khalil's presence in the U.S. would have 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.' Friday's decision represents a major blow to Khalil and other protesters targeted by the Trump administration. But Khalil's attorneys promised the fight would continue in the courts. Two major paths remain open to Khalil: one within the immigration court system and the other in federal district court. Despite Friday's immigration court decision, Khalil's attorneys continue to argue in federal district court in New Jersey for his release on free speech grounds. A resolution in the federal case could arrive in a matter of days or weeks. In immigration court, Khalil could apply for asylum, and appeal the ruling before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and could pursue further appeals within the U.S. circuit court – processes that could stretch for months, or even years. Khalil and his attorneys seem committed to such a lengthy fight, in part because they know because the outcome of his case carries major implications for other cases in which the Trump administration is targeting immigrants with arrest and deportation. 'There's no stopping at Mahmoud Khalil, there's no stopping at just pro-Palestinian protesters,' said Baher Azmy, a lead attorney in Khalil's legal team on Friday. 'Next, it could be LGBTQI activists under some pretext that that interferes with our foreign relations with Russia, racial justice activists, anyone.' Separate from Khalil's fight in the immigration court system is his petition for release, which is playing out in New Jersey's federal district court. There, Khalil's attorneys are arguing that his free speech rights are being violated and that he must be released. That decision will come down to Judge Michael Farbiarz, who inherited the case from New York federal district court, where the petition was originally filed after Khalil's attorneys successfully fought the government's push to send the case to Louisiana. Standing in the way of Farbiarz releasing Khalil is a separate jurisdictional battle. The Trump administration's attorneys are making the argument that the case belongs only in the immigration courts. Khalil's attorneys contend that his case is not just about his immigration status, but about his First Amendment rights since the government is targeting his protest activities. Comans made clear during this week's hearings in immigration court that she cannot weigh in on issues that have to do with the First Amendment or the constitution in Khalil's deportation proceedings. Khalil's attorneys said this admission should help bolster their argument that the case belongs in district court. Khalil's team continues to move with added urgency since his wife, Noor Abdalla, is pregnant with their first child and is due by the end of April. A supporter read a prepared statement by Abdalla at the Louisiana court on Friday, calling the ruling 'a devastating blow to our family.' She also said the ruling was 'an indictment of our country's immigration system and does not reflect truth, justice or the will of the American people.' Regardless of whether Farbiarz orders Khalil's release, Khalil's fight against his deportation would continue separately in immigration court. If Khalil is released, however, it would dramatically change the timeline of his immigration court fight. Immigration cases move much faster for individuals who are detained compared to those who are not in custody, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Counsel who has been watching Khalil's case closely. Reichlin-Melnick said that if Khalil remains jailed, his fight against deportation in the immigration system could end late this year or next. But if he were freed, the case could take up to three years before it reaches a conclusion, he said. 'This could theoretically, if he is released, not even make it to the circuit courts before Trump finishes out his term,' Reichlin-Melnick said. As a part of Friday's ruling, Comans said Khalil has until April 26 to file for relief from deportation. His attorneys said they are considering filing for an asylum claim under the Convention Against Torture law. Marc Van Der Hout, an attorney leading Khalil's immigration case, said the government's targeting of Khalil based on his protesting may end up bolstering his claim for asylum. Such a process would require further hearings. If Khalil is released, he would be able to file for asylum in immigration court in New York, where he lives. New York immigration courts have a backlog of 100,000 asylum claims despite having only a few hundred judges, said Reichlin-Melnick. Getting to an asylum hearing, a process which he described as 'a mini trial' with expert witnesses, could take several years. If the immigration court rejects Khalil's asylum claim, his attorneys said they plan to appeal the deportation ruling before the Board of Immigration Appeals, which is made up of immigration judges overseen by the Department of Justice. The appeal process before the board may play out over several months or several years, depending on whether Khalil is still detained or free, Reichlin-Melnick said. Before the board, Khalil and his attorneys would likely face stark opposition – case law would not be on his side. The last time the Board of Immigration Appeals saw a case related to the 'adverse foreign policy' provision used in Khalil's case was in 1999. In that case, the board ruled that the Secretary of State had the authority to deport someone under the same provision. But the circumstances were dramatically different. The board was ruling on the deportation of former Mexican attorney general Mario Ruiz Massieu, who had fled Mexico and entered the U.S. on a temporary visa to avoid a slew of criminal charges, including money laundering, embezzlement and torture. Reichlin-Melnick also pointed out that Khalil, a legal permanent resident, would be able to hold on to his green card throughout the immigration court proceedings. It would only be revoked if the board rules against Khalil and upholds his deportability. Van Der Hout and Khalil's legal team said they have little confidence in finding relief in the immigration court system. Comans denied separate motions asking to extend the hearing into next week and a request for more evidence from the Department of Homeland Security. In her ruling, she said she does not have the authority to override Rubio's letter. After Friday's hearing, attorneys for Khalil called the judge's ruling a 'rubber stamp' of the government's argument. Van Der Hout accused the judge of rushing the matter, giving Khalil's legal team less than two days to examine evidence from the government before the hearing. He referred to the process as a 'kangaroo court.' Khalil himself said after the ruling that the proceedings had lacked 'due process rights and fundamental fairness.' 'This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, 1,000 miles away from my family,' he said. Van Der Hout further accused the Trump administration of 'court shopping,' sending the case into a jurisdiction more favorable to the government. 'They're putting in their hand-picked people who will rule the way they want them to rule.' Amid the Trump administration's mass layoffs across the federal government, the administration fired 20 immigration judges in February, including nine judges from the Board of Immigration Appeals. All of the nine judges fired from the board were appointed by the Biden administration. Recently-fired immigration judges called the moves by Attorney General Pam Bondi politically motivated. The Bush administration carried out a similar tactic in the early 2000s to achieve rulings favorable to the government in immigration court, which officials at the time had denied. Khalil's attorneys said Friday that such moves may also play a factor in his case. 'They're putting in their hand-picked people who will rule the way they want them to rule,' alleged Van Der Hout. 'There's basically going to be no justice in the immigration court system based on what we're seeing now.' Although his attorneys have yet to discuss legal strategy beyond an appeal to the immigration board, if the board rules against Khalil and upholds his deportation, his attorneys could continue their fight in the U.S. circuit court of appeals, Reichlin-Melnick said. There, they would be able to pursue their argument that the government is violating Khalil's constitutional rights. 'This is by no means over yet – there's a lot that has still yet to happen in this case,' Reichlin-Melnick said. 'The decision that he can be deported is not a decision that he will be deported.' Join The Conversation
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Columbia alumni rip up diplomas to protest activist Mahmoud Khalil's arrest
A handful of alumni from Columbia University's school of international and public affairs (Sipa) ripped their diplomas in a show of protest against the federal government's jailing of graduate student Mahmoud Khalil's over his activism for Palestinians. On Saturday, instead of participating in the university's annual Sipa alumni day, a few dozen alumni and students gathered outside campus as part of a protest organized by Sipa's and Barnard Alumni for Palestine groups. The groups wrote on Instagram: 'Join us March 29th at 1pm to PROTEST SIPA Alumni Day and demand justice for our community. Mahmoud Khalil – our colleague, our classmate, our friend – was unjustly arrested with the active complicity of Sipa's administration, which has chosen surveillance and collaboration with federal agencies and law enforcement over protecting its students.' Outside of campus Saturday, several alumni held their diplomas while others held signs that read 'Shame on SIPA'. Speaking at the protest, Amali Tower, a 2009 Sipa alum, ripped her diploma and said: 'It's not easy to do this, with none of us doing this lightly. There's no joy in this.' Tower went on to add: 'I'm not a proud alumni at all, and instead I want to stand with the students, and I want to stand with Palestinians, and I want to stand with immigrants who are being rounded up and harassed, oppressed and deported as we speak.' Another student, Hannah, who only provided her first name to media outlets due to concerns for her safety, also ripped her diploma and said: 'I'm here today because I'm Jewish, and my Jewish beliefs tell me to show up for communities that are being oppressed, that are being targeted.' She criticized the university's former president Minouche Shafik who oversaw the police crackdowns on student protesters in the spring of 2024, as well as Shafik's successors Katrina Armstrong and incoming president, Claire Shipman. 'I think Minouche Shafik did an awful job. I think the interim president Armstrong did an awful job,' Hannah said. 'I think Shipman is going to do an awful job because they're not listening to their students. They're listening to the board of trustees.' Jasmine Sarryeh, a current student at Sipa and a friend of Khalil's, said: 'Students are terrified to set foot on campus. I'm one of them, so just the fact that I'm here is scary because [of] the way that our colleagues have disappeared.' She added: 'Mahmoud is a very loved community member, and the fact that he was taken away from his eight months' pregnant wife and from all of us here at Sipa is devastating. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'It's hard to go to class, it's hard to come here and not think of him.' Saturday's protest from Sipa alumni and students came amid a slew of detentions of students across the US by federal immigration authorities over their Palestinian activism. Among them are Khalil, who held permanent residency and was arrested in front of his pregnant wife, Noor, a US citizen, earlier in March. Other students detained by immigration officials include Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, after the department of homeland security (DHS) accused him of having ties to Hamas. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents and federal prosecutors revoked the permanent residency – or green card – of Yunseo Chung, another student at Columbia University, earlier in March after her participation in anti-war demonstrations. A federal judge blocked immigration officials from detaining Chung as she filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump's administration, accusing it of using 'immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike'.
