People in several European countries staged pro-Palestine protests on Saturday, condemning Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip while expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
In Britain, protesters rallied at Trafalgar Square in central London, holding banners, placards and flags of Palestine declaring support for the Palestinians.
"I am here to protest the genocide in Gaza. I am here to protest the annihilation of 66,000 Palestinians and the complicity of this government in doing absolutely nothing to fight for them. I am here to support the people who have died and continue to be killed in a ruthless manner," said a protester.
According to London's Metropolitan Police, at least 442 people were arrested during Saturday's protest.
Large-scale demonstrations also erupted in Italy and France on Saturday. Protesters took to the street to show solidarity with Palestine, demanding that their governments cease cooperation with Israel.
"In order to recognize the sacrosanct right of the Palestinian people to live in their own land, I am here to demonstrate for a stop to the genocide of the Palestinian people and for the blockade of Israel, which is committing the worst crimes in history," said a protester in Roma.
The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 67,074, with 169,430 others injured since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on October 7, 2023, Gaza's health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.
Multiple European countries stage mass pro-Palestine protests
Multiple European countries stage mass pro-Palestine protests
Multiple European countries stage mass pro-Palestine protests
U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday following the market's steepest declines in a month.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 309.74 points, or 0.65 percent, to 47,147.48, marking its second straight drop but still notching a weekly gain. The S and P 500 slipped 3.38 points, or 0.05 percent, to 6,734.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 30.23 points, or 0.13 percent, to 22,900.59, snapping a three-day losing streak.
Seven of the 11 primary S and P 500 sectors finished lower, with materials and financials leading the laggards, down 1.18 percent and 0.97 percent, respectively. Energy and technology outperformed, advancing 1.37 percent and 0.74 percent, respectively.
The tech trade regained some footing after several days of pressure. AI leaders Nvidia and Oracle rebounded from their losses in the prior session, as did Palantir Technologies and Tesla, both of which had dropped more than 6 percent on Thursday.
Those sharp declines had briefly put the Nasdaq on course to break its seven-week winning streak, but Friday's recovery lifted the index back into positive territory for the week. Concerns about the sustainability of the AI rally have intensified, with the recent rout in cloud-computing giant Oracle heightening worries over stretched valuations, heavy reliance on debt financing, and soaring capital expenditure plans across the sector.
"AI is truly testing the limits of Wall Street spreadsheets right now," David Krakauer, vice president of portfolio management at Mercer Advisors, told CNBC, adding that investors pricing in "so much of this future growth that they really can't measure yet" just spurs an "environment of swings."
Adding to the market unease, traders continued to assess the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy decision. Market pricing now puts the odds of a quarter-point rate cut in December at below 50 percent, which is sharply lower than the roughly 95 percent probability seen a month ago, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.
U.S. stocks close mixed following steep declines
U.S. stocks close mixed following steep declines
