Thousands of protesters braved the freezing cold temperatures in Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota, on Friday to oppose the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the U.S. state.
The protest, organized under the title, "ICE out of Minnesota - a day of truth and freedom," took place amid temperatures as low as minus 29 degrees Celsius.
More than 700 businesses across the state closed their doors in what organizers called an economic blackout, urging residents not to work, shop, or attend school.
One business, Insight Brewing was among those to cease operations. But instead of selling beer, it served as a donation hub, collecting items to distribute to people in need.
"We are a space for our community. And our community is hurting right now and the best way we can help out is just direct to family donations. We have a bunch of volunteers who are absolutely stellar. Outside of that, we are just making some signs, we're providing snacks, hand warmers, just being a temporary third space while we are not open for official business," said Joey Steinbach, marketing manager of Insight Brewing. Tensions have escalated after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen, on Jan 7 during an immigration enforcement operation, according to local media reports. The shooting triggered daily protests across the Minneapolis area.
Thousands brave cold to protest against ICE in Minneapolis
Thousands brave cold to protest against ICE in Minneapolis
Thousands brave cold to protest against ICE in Minneapolis
World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende has described dialogue as both an "aspiration" and a "necessity" for fostering global cooperation in an increasingly polarized world in an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Geneva, Switzerland.
He emphasized the need for a "win-win" mindset and adapting to an era of "bespoke" and "plurilateral" cooperation,facing geopolitical fragmentation and a shifting paradigm of international relations,
His interview took place some days before the WEF Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, a five-day gathering held from January 19 to 23 under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue". The meeting focused on five pressing global challenges: how to cooperate in a more contested world, unlock new sources of growth, invest more effectively in people, deploy innovation at scale and responsibly, and build prosperity within planetary boundaries.
"So 'A Spirit of Dialogue' is an aspiration. We want more dialogue because we think talking to each other can bring the world more together and unfortunately we do see a bit of a fragmented and polarized world and we want to see leaders coming together and thinking that win-win, kind of dimension, what is good for your neighbor is also good for me and vice versa, so that's our aspiration," he said.
"We have a long tradition in bringing governmental leaders and business leaders together and we know that we can also at our best, based on dialogue, we can see that they can also reach agreements and and better understandings. And this is very important for us and we are hopeful that this year will be a year where we will see better global cooperation," he said.
Brende acknowledged that the context for international engagement has fundamentally changed, requiring new approaches.
"In the past, it was easier to bring people and leaders together because there was this approach of not beggar than neighbor but prosper than neighbor. Today we are seeing that globalization, that was what was the modus operandi for decades, is we're changing into a kind of a new paradigm where there's more competition between nations and cooperation will also change. It's more bespoke cooperation. It's more also this plurilateral, meaning that nations are coming together, those that do agree and they can move things forward," he said.
"In this new context, we also have to change and be realistic. We also, at the World Economic Forum, of course, we also very much, we're thriving under the former thinking where also the multilateral organizations played a more important role. But we also have to take into account the realities, the real politics of the world," he said.
WEF president stresses dialogue as global "necessity" amid fragmentation
