Lokiru Paul : June 2020

Tuesday 30 June 2020

YouTube bans David Duke and other US far-right users

Six channels with supremacist content ‘repeatedly violated’ the site’s policy on hate speech YouTube has banned some of the video site’s most notorious far-right users, including former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, “alt-right” figurehead Richard Spencer and libertarian “race realist” Stefan Molyneux, joining a wave of social media sites taking action against hate speech. The company says the bans were handed down due to the creators’ repeated violation of YouTube’s policies against claiming that protected groups are “inferior”. Continue reading...
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Progress on gender equality at risk from Covid-19 jobs crisis, says ILO

UN body says pandemic a bigger blow to employment than it previously feared Modest progress in workplace gender equality risks being reversed by the disproportionate impact of the deepening global jobs crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Labour Organisation has said. The Geneva-based ILO said its latest update showed restrictions on activity during the second quarter had led to an even bigger blow to employment than it previously feared, and that women had been hit harder than men. Continue reading...
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One graphic explains why Americans are facing an EU travel ban - CNN

* This article was originally published here

Former England boxer Kelvin Bilal Fawaz wins 16-year battle to stay in UK

Exclusive: Fawaz, who was trafficked to the UK from Nigeria as a child, won his Home Office appeal last week The former England boxer Kelvin Bilal Fawaz has won his 16-year legal battle to live and work in the UK after the Home Office granted him leave to remain for 30 months. Fawaz, who has represented England six times and was once an amateur champion, has been struggling to establish his adult nationality and immigration status after being trafficked from Nigeria to the UK as a child and kept in domestic servitude. Continue reading...
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Monday 29 June 2020

Iran issues arrest warrant for Donald Trump over Qassem Suleimani killing

The leader of the Quds Force was killed in a drone strike in Iraq on 3 January Iran has issued an arrest warrant for Donald Trump and 35 others over the killing of top general Qassem Suleimani and has asked Interpol for help, Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said on Monday, according to the Fars news agency. The United States killed Suleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, with a drone strike in Iraq on 3 January. Washington accused Suleimani of masterminding attacks by Iranian-aligned militias on US forces in the region. Continue reading...
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Scott Morrison targets cybercrime with $748m in new initiatives and expanded security workforce

Resources reallocated from defence portfolio are planned to rise to $1.35bn over a decade with 500 new jobs created Scott Morrison will unveil $748m in new cyber security initiatives, with the planned reallocation of resources from within the defence portfolio rising to $1.35bn over a decade once the government unveils a new cyber security strategy in coming months. Continuing the government’s more assertive public posture against malicious interference, Morrison will commit on Tuesday to spending $470m to expand Australia’s cyber security workforce, creating more than 500 new jobs within the Australian Signals Directorate. Continue reading...
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Trump retweets video of white St Louis couple pointing guns at protesters - The Guardian

* This article was originally published here

Pakistan stock exchange attacked by armed men

Two security guards and police officer killed in Karachi attack, and four attackers killed Gunmen have attacked the Pakistan stock exchange in Karachi, killing two security guards and a police officer. Police said the four assailants were also killed. The attackers arrived in a car at the stock exchange gates at around 10am on Monday armed with rifles, explosives and hand grenades, and began firing shots and hurling explosives at the security guards at the entrance. Continue reading...
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Sunday 28 June 2020

Coronavirus Live Updates: Latest News and Analysis - The New York Times

Coronavirus Live Updates: Latest News and Analysis The New York Times

* This article was originally published here

Six arrests in France over theft of Banksy artwork from Bataclan

Mural to victims of 2015 Paris attacks was found in Italy after its removal from outside theatre Police have arrested six people in France over the theft of a work by the British street artist Banksy that commemorated the victims of the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. Thieves used an angle grinder to remove the mural of a mourning girl from a steel security door at the Bataclan concert hall, where 90 people died during a wave of shootings and bombings across the city that left 130 dead. Continue reading...
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Jenny Eclair: 'Menopause gave me incandescent rage. It was like a superpower'

The first woman to win the UK’s biggest comedy prize has written a guide to the menopause. She discusses HRT, getting sacked and how much she liked her female comedy peers – until their fame eclipsed hers Jenny Eclair has written Older and Wider, “a survivor’s guide to the menopause”, one part helpful, sisterly advice, four parts jokes and memoir. The thing is, often when she writes about the menopause, and always when she talks about it, she makes it sound quite fun. There’s just something zinging in her delivery. “I’ve done the most terrible thing,” she says as she picks up the phone, a mid-sentence immediacy, as if we’ve already been talking for half an hour. “I sprayed weedkiller on my roses; I feel like killing myself.” The self-deprecation is mainly shtick, a comic through-line of “Oh God I’m so useless” that connects her early incarnation as a punk poet in the 80s to her recent, resurgent persona as a Grumpy Old Woman (first on the BBC Two show, later writing Grumpy Old Women Live, which has been a stage success all over the world). Continue reading...
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Glamour, glitz and artificially light skin: Bollywood stars in their own racism row

India’s film-makers accused of hypocrisy for supporting Black Lives Matter while keeping silent on bias for fair complexions The Bollywood film industry is a global phenomenon built on glitz and glamour. But it has also faced accusations of being among the biggest purveyors of racism for glorifying fair complexions in its hyperbolic love stories and catchy songs. Now, amid anger over what some consider Bollywood’s hypocritical stance on Black Lives Matter, the industry has finally been forced to confront one of its most enduring taboos. Bollywood has witnessed considerable liberalisation in recent years. But while taboos such as same-sex relationships have been relegated to a past in which stars hid behind a rose bush to steal a kiss, the industry’s determination to cling to colourism – prejudice against people of your own race on the basis of skin colour – has become a cause of anger and dismay. Continue reading...
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Saturday 27 June 2020

Washington state stops counties from moving to full reopening as coronavirus cases rise - CNBC

Washington state stops counties from moving to full reopening as coronavirus cases rise CNBCView Full Coverage on Google News

* This article was originally published here

Milton Glaser, groundbreaking I ❤️ NY designer, dies aged 91

Glaser’s bold logo, created for free in 1977, helped boost New York’s image and he was also part of the team that founded New York magazine Milton Glaser, the groundbreaking graphic designer who adorned Bob Dylan’s silhouette with psychedelic hair and summed up the feelings for his native New York with “I (HEART) NY,” died Friday, on his 91st birthday. The cause was a stroke and Glaser had also had renal failure, his wife, Shirley Glaser, told The New York Times. Continue reading...
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Toxic mix of violence and virus sweeps poorest countries, warns war reporter

The BBC’s Lyse Doucet says Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and others face a nightmare scenario from the global pandemic * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage This summer will usher in some of the worst catastrophes the world has ever seen if the pandemic is allowed to spread rapidly across countries already convulsed by growing violence, deepening poverty and the spectre of famine, the BBC war reporter Lyse Doucet has warned. Speaking exclusively to the Observer, she says she fears “a terrifying mix of violence and the virus” will soon overwhelm countries such as Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia, where Covid-19 has yet to reach its peak. Already, in southern Yemen, gravediggers can’t keep up with the dead and dying, she says. “Conflict will also be magnified and multiplied by impoverishment, starvation and despair … Expect a hot summer.” Continue reading...
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Combining diplomacy and development will make UK aid's work even better | Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Concerns have been raised about the plan to merge the Foreign Office and DfID. Here’s why I am confident it will help us lead the way on aid * Anne-Marie Trevelyan is the UK’s international development secretary I have seen the enormous difference made by UK aid during my time as international development secretary. The UK is rightly respected and admired around the world for this work, which saves and changes lives in developing countries every day. The power of our commitment to spend 0.7% of our gross national income on aid – and our expertise in this field – will not diminish when the Department for International Development (DfID) merges with the Foreign Office in September. The prime minister has made it crystal clear that UK aid’s mission to reduce poverty will be central to the new department’s mission. Continue reading...
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Friday 26 June 2020

How 'white fragility' reinforces racism – video explainer

Robin DiAngelo’s bestselling book White Fragility has provoked an uncomfortable but vital conversation about what it means to be white. As protests organised by the Black Lives Matter movement continue around the world, she explains why white people should stop avoiding conversations about race because of their own discomfort, and how 'white fragility' plays a key role in upholding systemic racism * For a few weeks, black lives mattered. Now what? Continue reading...
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‘It looks like a gameshow’: Russia's pseudo-vote on Putin’s term limits

Get-out-the-vote effort includes prize giveaways while campaign avoids focus on president The people of Moscow received text messages this week telling them they had been registered to win “millions of prizes”. The catch? They have to vote on constitutional amendments that include allowing Vladimir Putin to remain in the Kremlin potentially until 2036. Continue reading...
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Protest updates: Minneapolis council to vote on abolishing police; Elijah McClain's death investigation reopened - USA TODAY

Protest updates: Minneapolis council to vote on abolishing police; Elijah McClain's death investigation reopened USA TODAY
Man shot at Seattle CHOP says he’s ‘hate crime’ victim New York Daily News
Trump slams Seattle over CHOP protest zone, rips Biden's gaffes New York Post
Seattle Protesters: We Are Here to Dismantle Systemic Racism The New York Times
Tent cities, renamed streets and an armed man in Seattle's CHOP zone Daily Mail
View Full Coverage on Google News

* This article was originally published here

Florida governor under fire over claims state is 'cooking the books' on Covid-19

Ron DeSantis angrily dismisses allegation from fired scientist that officials are massaging figures to hide true impact of coronavirus Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s faltering response to soaring new coronavirus numbers in his state is descending into acrimony, after an accusation his administration is “cooking the books” in an effort to hide the true impact of the devastating pandemic. Related: More than 20m Americans could have contracted Covid-19, experts say Continue reading...
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Thursday 25 June 2020

Elton John's ex-wife Renate Blauel launches legal action against singer

Ex-partner who has avoided limelight since divorce is seeking high court injunction Sir Elton John’s ex-wife, Renate Blauel, has launched legal proceedings against the singer at the high court, in a rare intervention by a woman who has been avoiding publicity for decades. Blauel filed the legal paperwork last week and is seeking an injunction against her former partner, according to filings seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...
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Woody Allen's new film to open San Sebastián film festival

Rifkin’s Festival, which was shot in the Spanish city last year, chosen to headline annual film festival Rifkin’s Festival, the new film by Woody Allen, has been selected to open the San Sebastián film festival in Spain. Starring Elena Anaya, Louis Garrel and Gina Gershon, Rifkin’s Festival was shot in and around the city in 2019, and according to the plot synopsis takes place during the festival itself. “It tells the story of a married American couple who go to the San Sebastián festival and get caught up in the magic of the event, the beauty and charm of the city and the fantasy of movies. She has an affair with a brilliant French movie director, and he falls in love with a beautiful Spanish woman who lives there.” Continue reading...
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North Korea's Kim testing limits of diplomacy as sanctions bite - Al Jazeera English

North Korea's Kim testing limits of diplomacy as sanctions bite Al Jazeera English
Human rights group files $28M suit against North Korea over Korean War abductions New York Post
SKorea, US urge North to implement denuclearization pledges Washington Post
Harry Kazianis: Korean War began exactly 70 years ago – can Trump get a peace treaty to officially end it? Fox News
Divided Koreas Mark 70 Years Since War Began, but No Treaty in Sight The New York Times
View Full Coverage on Google News

* This article was originally published here

Revealed: countries facing coronavirus rise as lockdown relaxed

Of the 45 countries to have recorded more than 25,000 coronavirus cases to date, 21 currently have relaxed responses to the pandemic. Of these, 10 are reporting a rising number of cases * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage Ten countries currently facing serious increases in coronavirus infections are among those nations with less stringent approaches to managing their outbreaks. Guardian analysis of coronavirus data, in combination with the University of Oxford’s coronavirus government response tracker, has identified that 10 of the 45 most badly-affected countries are also among those rated as having a “relaxed response” to the pandemic, underlining the mitigating impact of effective government public health policies. Continue reading...
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Wednesday 24 June 2020

'The Computer Got It Wrong': How Facial Recognition Led To False Arrest Of Black Man - NPR

'The Computer Got It Wrong': How Facial Recognition Led To False Arrest Of Black Man NPR
Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm The New York Times
Detroit police challenged over face recognition flaws, bias AOL
I was wrongfully arrested because of facial recognition. Why are police allowed to use it? The Washington Post
U.S. activists fault face recognition in wrongful arrest for first time Reuters
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* This article was originally published here

Global economy will take $12tn hit from coronavirus, says IMF

World Economic Outlook says UK economy is on course to shrink by 10.2% in 2020 * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage The International Monetary Fund has said the global economy will take a $12tn (£9.6tn) hit from the Covid-19 pandemic after slashing its already gloomy growth projections for the UK and other developed countries in 2020. The IMF said it would take two years for world output to return to levels at the end of 2019 and warned that governments should be cautious about removing financial support to their fragile economies. Continue reading...
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Ben & Jerry's joins Facebook advertising boycott over racism

Ice-cream maker will suspend paid ads on Facebook and Instagram in US over inaction on hate speech Ben & Jerry’s has become the latest business to join a growing number pulling advertising from Facebook over the platform’s failure to do more to remove hate speech. The ice-cream maker, which is owned by the Anglo-Dutch group Unilever, will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the US. Continue reading...
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Anthony Albanese vows to set new medium-term emissions reduction target

ALP leader also makes overture to Scott Morrison to reach bipartisan consensus on energy policy mechanism Anthony Albanese has committed Labor to setting a new medium-term emissions reduction target consistent with scientific advice before the next federal election. The Labor leader made the commitment after a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday which included an overture to Scott Morrison to reach a bipartisan consensus on an energy policy mechanism. Continue reading...
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Tuesday 23 June 2020

Only 23% of Australians trust China to act responsibly in the world, Lowy Institute poll finds

While 51% of Australians trust the US, just 30% trust Donald Trump to act responsibly on the world stage Only a quarter of Australians trust China to act responsibly in the world – with such faith crashing nearly 30 percentage points in the past two years – according to the Lowy Institute’s latest annual poll of sentiment towards global issues. And while the poll shows a large majority of Australians value the alliance with the United States, and a slim majority trust the US to act responsibly on the world stage, that is not matched by faith in Donald Trump. Continue reading...
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US urged to prepare for 'tremendous burden' of Covid-19 and flu at same time

Experts say coronavirus outbreak will probably last ‘for some time’ as cases continue to rise in about half of US states The US government’s top infectious disease experts will warn Congress on Tuesday about the “tremendous burden” which could face hospitals in the fall and winter, as coronavirus cases continue to rise in about half the states and political polarization competes for attention with public health recommendations. Dr Anthony Fauci returns to Capitol Hill at a fraught moment in the nation’s pandemic response, and will testify before a House committee, along with the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services. Continue reading...
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Coronavirus Live News and Updates - The New York Times

* This article was originally published here

‘Black and Asian people not seen as readers’: Bernardine Evaristo condemns books industry

In foreword to report into diversity in publishing, Booker prize-winning author rails against ‘ridiculous’ beliefs Bernardine Evaristo, the first black woman to win the Booker prize, has hit out at “ridiculous” and “misguided” beliefs in the publishing industry, where “black and Asian people are not considered to be a substantial readership, or to even be readers”. Evaristo, writing the foreword for the UK’s first academic study into diversity in trade fiction and publishing, released on Tuesday, said the report showed that the UK books industry “hasn’t changed fast enough to become more inclusive”. A key finding of the study was that writers of colour and their books are “either whitewashed or exoticised” to appeal to what UK publishing sees as its core audience of white, middle-class readers. Continue reading...
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Monday 22 June 2020

What black America means to Europe – podcast

Many have attempted to claim that ‘things are better here’ for black people than in the US. This ignores both Europe’s colonial past and its own racist present. By Gary Younge • Read the text version here Continue reading...
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New Zealand tightens Covid-19 border measures in 'dangerous new phase'

Quarantined returnees must test negative to coronavirus before release and may be asked to pay for their isolation accomodation * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage New Zealand is introducing stricter measures to strengthen its border as more citizens access increased flights to come home. “While the world enters this dangerous new phase, we remain in a phase of border containment,” the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said. Continue reading...
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Dutch football captains lead boycott of TV show over racist remarks

Virgil van Dijk and Sari van Veenendaal hit out at pundit and say ‘enough is enough’ The captains of the Dutch men’s, women’s and youth national football teams are boycotting a leading sports TV programme over the racist comments of a longstanding pundit, warning: “Enough is enough.” The Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, and the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal have led the way after years of the behaviour of Johan Derksen on the Veronica Inside show being explained away as straight-talking humour. Continue reading...
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Trump's Campaign Faces Reckoning After Falling Short in Tulsa - Bloomberg

* This article was originally published here

Sunday 21 June 2020

Trump AG Barr will escape impeachment thanks to 'corrupt' Republicans – Nadler - The Guardian

Trump AG Barr will escape impeachment thanks to 'corrupt' Republicans – Nadler The Guardian
Warner calls firing of Manhattan U.S. attorney "totally inappropriate" Face the Nation
Judiciary chairman says he expects Berman will testify before Congress and is 'not interested' in Bolton appearing CNN
How can anyone trust Bill Barr’s Justice Department now? The Washington Post
Trump and Barr Discard Law, Morality and Honor Bloomberg
View Full Coverage on Google News

* This article was originally published here

Visitors return to Spain as coronavirus state of emergency ends

The Spanish government has launched a publicity campaign to boost vital tourism industry * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage Overseas visitors have begun arriving in Spain once more as the country reopens its borders and the three-month state of emergency declared in response to the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end. As the second most-visited country in the world, Spain is desperate to reactivate its vital tourism sector as soon as possible. The government has launched a publicity campaign called Spain for Sure in an effort to reassure visitors and fire up the industry, which makes up about 12% of the country’s GDP. Continue reading...
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The future of the arts: ‘Online theatre is a skeleton of the thing itself’

With real life now the biggest show in town, our theatre critic reflects on the catastrophic effects of lockdown, and talks to industry insiders about navigating a way back * Kitty Empire: ‘No one has anything positive to say about physically distanced gigs. At all’ Not ill, bereaved or penniless. Although dependent for my living on the performing arts – a sector so savaged by lockdown that it is at risk of permanent mutilation – I have so far been fortunate. I am as yet physically unscathed. Merely topsy-turvy. Lockdown made me see the point of Salvador Dalí’s melted clocks. I am in the same room as I was before the theatres went dark. Yet without the night job, boundaries quickly went woozy, with a disconcerting mixture of torpor and intensity. No theatre means no weekly deadlines and no limit to each day. No changing into critic’s clothes at 5pm, no setting off to work as my neighbours return home. It means not seeing those critical versions of office and colleagues: foyers and theatre bars and the well-known backs of reviewing necks. It means no automatic shift of gear in the evening: no being snatched away into a playwright’s mind; no being taken into a different space by a designer. It is as if part of the dreamscape had been stolen. Continue reading...
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US-Russia nuclear disarmament talks to begin, but no sign of China joining in

Uncertainty surrounds talks slated to begin in Vienna on Monday, with US desperate to get China to the table The US and Russia will restart talks about their nuclear arsenals on Monday after a break of more than a year and uncertainty over whether Donald Trump is interested in salvaging arms control in the last four months before elections. Trump’s new US arms control envoy, Marshall Billingslea will lead a delegation to meet the Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov in Vienna, and has also asked for Beijing to send a representative. Continue reading...
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Saturday 20 June 2020

UK seeking to scale back plans for independent satnav, report says

Ministers reportedly exploring alternatives to plan announced in 2018 to build rival to EU’s Galileo project British ministers are seeking to scale back plans for a £5bn satellite navigation system that was introduced in 2018 as an alternative to the EU’s Galileo project, it has been reported. The ministers are exploring other options, which include using OneWeb, the UK satellite operator that went bankrupt in March, the Financial Times reported, citing sources. Continue reading...
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Britain beyond lockdown: could the country be healthier?

As the economy grinds back into life, Jonathan Watts goes on the road to find out if there is a lasting appetite for change In a near-deserted plaza near Birmingham’s Bull Ring shopping centre, local artist Diane Wiltshire considers the imminent return of traffic and pollution after lockdown with a feeling close to dread. Wiltshire suffers chemical sensitivity – severe intolerance to pollutants, which give her breathing problems, affect her eyesight and disrupt her digestion. Doctors and immunologists are divided about the causes of her condition, but that makes little difference to the trauma felt by the 42-year-old as the old economy starts to rev up again. Continue reading...
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Thousands celebrate Juneteenth with anti-racism marches across US - The Guardian

Thousands celebrate Juneteenth with anti-racism marches across US The GuardianView Full Coverage on Google News

* This article was originally published here

There weren't enough stories about people who looked like me. So I wrote my own | Coco Khan

My contribution to The Good Immigrant prompted a stream of apology emails: forgive me, ethnic friend, for I have sinned Four years ago, I wrote an essay that appeared in a collection called The Good Immigrant. The story, based on an episode from my life, opens with a South Asian girl waking up in the bed of a (white) stranger after a one-night stand in the dark. Dawn is breaking, and as the light fills the room she notices something: he has flags. Union jack flags hanging all around the room. I won’t spoil the story, but if you’re beginning to panic, don’t. No hate crime occurs (well, not there anyway), and the piece is a comedy. My reason for writing it was relatively simple. At the time, Britain was in the midst of a campaign to leave the EU. For us – the writers, the children of immigrants – it was urgent to counter the xenophobic rhetoric that reduced people who love, hurt, bleed and dream to £-signs. Continue reading...
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Friday 19 June 2020

Black Tulsans, With a Defiant Juneteenth Celebration, Send a Message to Trump - The New York Times

Black Tulsans, With a Defiant Juneteenth Celebration, Send a Message to Trump The New York Times
He’s 100, a renowned jazz musician and a survivor of Tulsa’s 1921 race massacre The Washington Post
Descendant of Greenwood race massacre: "We lost the opportunity to have generational wealth" CBS This Morning
George Floyd Protests on Race and Policing: Latest Updates Wall Street Journal
As Trump Comes to Tulsa, Teachers Grapple With How to Talk to Students About the City's 1921 Race Massacre TIME
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* This article was originally published here

Malala Yousafzai full of 'joy and gratitude' after graduating from Oxford

Educational campaigner tweets about completing philosophy, politics and economics degree The Nobel prize-winning campaigner Malala Yousafzai has expressed her “joy and gratitude” after completing her degree at University of Oxford. The 22-year-old shared two pictures of herself covered in confetti on Twitter with the caption: “Hard to express my joy and gratitude right now as I completed my Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree at Oxford. Continue reading...
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‘I'm very aware I’m mixed race here’: organising a rural UK Black Lives Matter protest – video

Small towns, as well as big cities, across the UK have been holding Black Lives Matter protests and continue to do so. Flora, 23, meets fellow activists Hannah, Annabel and Alex for the first time at the demo they are organising together in their home town of Yeovil, in Somerset. Flora, who is mixed race, moved to the area from south London when she was 10. She talks about the difficulties of living somewhere rural but also about how her parents don’t have any regrets * Cover Image by Sue Nitti Continue reading...
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Victoria police distances itself from controversial facial recognition firm Clearview AI

The force says it has discontinued using the service and the technology was deemed unsuitable Victoria police is distancing itself from the controversial facial recognition firm Clearview AI, after documents released under freedom of information exposed the force’s use of the technology. Clearview AI is a facial recognition service that claims to have built up enormous databases – reportedly containing more than 3bn labelled faces – through the controversial practice of scraping Facebook and other social media sites, despite a number of those companies sending cease and desist letters to Clearview. Continue reading...
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Thursday 18 June 2020

Brazilian police arrest Bolsonaro ally in corruption inquiry

Arrest of Fabrício Queiroz is connected to investigation involving president’s son Police have arrested a longstanding friend of Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, in connection with a corruption inquiry involving Bolsonaro’s son. Reports in the Brazilian media said civil police investigators arrested Fabrício Queiroz, a former police officer who has known Bolsonaro since the 1980s, on Thursday morning in Atibaia, a town 40 miles north of São Paulo. Continue reading...
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Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving sibling of JFK, dies aged 92

Smith played a key role in Northern Ireland’s peace process in the 1990s as US envoy Jean Kennedy Smith, the youngest sister and last surviving sibling of John F Kennedy, who as US envoy played key role in Northern Ireland’s peace process in the 1990s, has died aged 92, her daughter confirmed to the New York Times. Smith died on Wednesday at her Manhattan home in New York City, her daughter Kym told the newspaper. Continue reading...
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As States Reopen, Do They Have Enough Staff To Do Contact Tracing? : Shots - Health News - NPR

As States Reopen, Do They Have Enough Staff To Do Contact Tracing? : Shots - Health News NPR
How to Fight Coronavirus and Protect Civil Liberties National Review
States fail to get ready as coronavirus outbreaks rise Washington Examiner
Contact tracing, essential to fight against coronavirus, hits roadblocks | TheHill The Hill
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* This article was originally published here

'Worst outbreak ever': Nearly a million pigs culled in Nigeria due to swine fever

Farmers report devastating losses as poor control measures are blamed for spread of infection across the country Hundreds of thousands of pigs have been culled by Nigerian farmers in response to an explosion of African swine fever (ASF). The outbreak began around Lagos and parts of neighbouring Ogun state earlier this year, pig farmers say, but has now spread to many other parts of the country. In the absence of official data, farmers who spoke to the Guardian estimated that nearly a million pigs had been put down so far. Mrs Bello, a farmer at Lagos-based Oke-Aro, the largest pig co-operative in west Africa, who preferred not to give her first name, said the co-operative alone had culled around 500,000 pigs. So far the virus has spread to more than a quarter of Nigeria’s 36 states. Continue reading...
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Wednesday 17 June 2020

Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, Wife of Kentucky Congressman, Dies at 39 - The New York Times

Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, Wife of Kentucky Congressman, Dies at 39 The New York Times
Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, wife of Kentucky Republican, dead at 39 Fox News
Wife of Rep. Andy Barr passes away suddenly at age 39 AOL
Kentucky Congressman's Wife & Mom of 2 Dies at Their Home: 'Stunned and Heartbroken' PEOPLE.com
Carol Barr, wife of Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, dies 'suddenly' at home New York Post
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* This article was originally published here

Trump envoy brokers White House meeting for Kosovo and Serbia presidents

Fears of hasty deal to bolster US president’s re-election prospects as EU sidelined The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia will meet at the White House later this month, as Donald Trump aims to make a breakthrough in the long-running dispute between the two nations. The meeting, announced this week by Trump’s controversial Balkan envoy, Richard Grenell, came as a surprise to European capitals and raised concerns in some quarters that a hasty deal between Belgrade and Pristina could involve a land-swap that could have unpredictable knock-on effects. Continue reading...
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Suites, shoots and leaves: Spanish opera house reopens with concert for plants

String quartet will play Puccini for potted audience at grand venue in Barcelona Attendees of the first post-lockdown concert at Barcelona’s Liceu opera house next week will not need masks or gloves, nor will they be required to observe physical distancing. But they might like to take along a nice comfy pot and a little water to prevent their roots from drying out as a string quartet serenades them, fittingly, with Puccini’s Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums). Continue reading...
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Tourists return to Venice as lockdown eases in Italy – in pictures

After three months of empty squares and alleys, and stranded gondoliers, Venice is welcoming tourists back * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage Continue reading...
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Tuesday 16 June 2020

Nebraska Democrats renounce their Senate pick over comments - POLITICO

* This article was originally published here

Belgian police release photo in bid to crack 'Brabant Killers' case

Photo of suspect issued to media in attempt to find gang that killed 28 people in 1980s Belgian detectives have appealed for information about the identity of a gun-wielding man in a fresh attempt to crack the case of the “Crazy Brabant Killers”, a gang that murdered 28 people, including children, in a series of raids and robberies in the 1980s. A photograph of an unknown male, sent anonymously in 1986 to officers investigating the notorious group, has been reissued to the media on the order of a judge in a renewed attempt to secure justice for the killers’ victims. Continue reading...
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Steroid found to help prevent deaths of sickest coronavirus patients

Trial shows dexamethasone responsible for survival of one in eight patients on ventilators * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage A cheap steroid has become the first life-saving treatment in the Covid-19 pandemic, described by scientists as a major breakthrough and raising hopes for the survival of thousands of the most seriously ill. Dexamethasone is cheap, available from any pharmacy, and easily obtainable anywhere in the world. Investigators said the drug was responsible for the survival of one in eight of the sickest patients – those who were on ventilators – in the Recovery trial, the biggest randomised, controlled trial of coronavirus treatments in the world. Continue reading...
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Man shot as New Mexico protesters try to remove Spanish conquistador statue

Man in hospital after clash between protesters and armed men near statue of Juan de Oñate A man was shot on Monday night as protesters in New Mexico’s largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum, prompting the city to announce that the statue would be removed until officials determine the next steps. The man was in a critical but stable condition, police said. Continue reading...
http://dlvr.it/RYkmM2

Monday 15 June 2020

Video appears to show Nassau County police officers shoving black protester to ground and arresting him - CNN

Video appears to show Nassau County police officers shoving black protester to ground and arresting him CNN
Videos Of Long Island Protest Incidents Go Viral Rutherford Daily Voice
Nassau County Police Defend Arrests Of Protesters CBS New York
Long Island cop appears to deliberately block protester before arrest: video New York Post
NY Cop Purposefully Bumps Into Protester, Triggers Violent Arrest TMZ
View Full Coverage on Google News

* This article was originally published here

Scientists say most likely number of contactable alien civilisations is 36

New calculations come up with estimate for worlds capable of communicating with others They may not be little green men. They may not arrive in a vast spaceship. But according to new calculations there could be more than 30 intelligent civilisations in our galaxy today capable of communicating with others. Experts say the work not only offers insights into the chances of life beyond Earth but could shed light on our own future and place in the cosmos. Continue reading...
http://dlvr.it/RYghr0

Boris Johnson's racism inquiry: have previous ones changed anything?

The PM’s commission will be the latest in a line of initiatives examining race inequalities Boris Johnson has announced a “cross-governmental commission” into racial disparities in education, health and criminal justice. It is the latest of a series of reports into ethnic injustices over recent years. Continue reading...
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Color is not a crime: New York's Black Lives Matter street art

Across the US, artists have responded to the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests with impactful and urgent work. In New York, artworks have appeared supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, and remembering the deaths of, among others, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and Eric Garner Continue reading...
http://dlvr.it/RYg23t

Sunday 14 June 2020

Trial of journalists to deliver 'existential moment' in Philippines

Editor of news website Rappler could face prison if convicted under ‘cyber libel’ law A verdict will be issued on Monday following the controversial trial of one of the Philippines’ most prominent journalists, in a case widely condemned as an attack on press freedom under Rodrigo Duterte. A court in Manila will issue a verdict on Rappler, one of the country’s most influential news websites, its editor, Maria Ressa, and former researcher and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr on Monday. Ressa, who was arrested last year on charges of “cyber libel” for a story published by Rappler in 2012, has described the allegations as baseless. Continue reading...
http://dlvr.it/RYcThs

Virginia Republican who officiated gay wedding loses nomination for Congress

* Denver Riggleman beaten in convention in state’s fifth district * Hardliner Bob Good could face strong Democratic challenge A Virginia Republican congressman who angered social conservatives in his district when he officiated a gay wedding has lost his party’s nomination. Related: The Skywalker window: what Democrats must do to destroy Trump's Death Star Continue reading...
http://dlvr.it/RYcTg4