Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is attempting to allay any suspicions about his health after a high-ranking member of his administration he’d recently been in contact with was infected with the coronavirus.  Lopez Obrador told reporters Monday, that he is fine and that he will not get tested because he doesn’t have symptoms.  He said, Zoé Robledo, director of Mexico’s social security system, is now in quarantine after testing positive following an appearance at an event in the Tabasco state capital of Villahermosa, with the president’s security cabinet. In response to critics López Obrador had been traveling too much recently, promoting the reopening of the country, he is considering a video conference rather than a White House visit when the new free trade agreement with the United States and Canada takes effect July 1. The president said, he is following the recommendations of the doctors, which everyone should follow regardless of their position. Mexico is among the leaders in Latin America, with more than 120,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 14,000 deaths. 
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Construction workers in Paris dangled from ropes and used saws to cut through the charred tangled remains of metal scaffolding as they resumed restoration work on Notre Dame cathedral. Fire nearly destroyed the centuries-old structure in April 2019. The coronavirus outbreak suspended work rebuilding the church in March.Huge towers of metal scaffolding erected before the fire — as part of a renovation — melted into a maze of tubes and pipes and must be cut away before any more work on the building can continue — 40,000 pieces of metal weighing as much as 200 tons must be carefully lifted out, which is expected to take three months.  Workers prepare to remove damaged scaffolding elements from the remains of the damaged roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, June 8, 2020“It’s a bit like open-heart surgery because we are in the middle of the cathedral between the transept and its heart, precisely where the spire crashed,” Christophe Rousselot said. He heads a charity collecting funds to help pay for the restoration.  The fire burned through the roof and destroyed the spire, but the main bell towers, walls, and most of the ceiling survived as well as many of the relics inside the church. Engineers cannot enter the cathedral to inspect its vaults until the fused scaffolding is removed. Once the scaffolding is gone, a temporary roof will be put up and the restoration work will begin. French President Emmanuel Macron has said he hopes the cathedral will be restored and ready for visitors again by 2024, when Paris hosts the Summer Olympics.  
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Black Lives Matter protests erupted for a second weekend in cities across Europe, fuelled by deep-rooted anger over a perceived lack of understanding of colonial history. The demonstrations originally broke out in solidarity with protests in the United States over the death of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, while in Minneapolis police custody. In recent days, protesters in Britain and other European states have increasingly focused on racial inequality in their own countries. In the city of Bristol, in western England, protesters tore down a statue of 17th-century slave trader, Edward Colston, on Sunday, amid cheers from thousands of demonstrators.  The bronze statue was rolled through the city streets and dumped into the harbor, where Colston’s slave ships used to dock after returning from Africa and the Americas. The monument had long been a divisive symbol: a tribute to a man who built schools and hospitals in the city, but who enslaved tens of thousands of black Africans, shipping them across the Atlantic. A banner is taped over the inscription on the pedestal of the toppled statue of Edward Colston in Bristol, England, June 8, 2020.The Bristol City Council estimates that up to 20,000 enslaved men, women and children died on board Colston’s ships. In recent decades, there have been several petitions among Bristol residents to have the statue removed, but the council could not agree on a course of action.  “We have to walk these streets and see that statue of Colston every day, that’s what it means,” said Jasmine, a black woman from Bristol who joined the protest Sunday. “That statue is a kick in the face to all black people, it’s a disgrace. Now look at it, now look at it. Gone, gone, him gone.’’ The toppling of the statue mirrors similar debates in the United States, where activists have demanded the removal of statues honoring Confederate-era figures. Last week, the governor of the U.S. state of Virginia announced that a The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, speaks to the press in Bristol, England, June 8, 2020.Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees — the first directly elected black mayor in Britain — told VOA that the protesters had legitimate concerns.“We have a city to run and we need to have order,” Rees said. “But if you fail to understand these kind of events, then you create the conditions for more and bigger types of events like these in the future. It’s a very significant, symbolic act, but it doesn’t deliver the affordable homes, the job opportunities, the educational opportunities, the access to the professions, political power, economic power, that actually underpins race inequality.”The British government takes a very different view. Home Secretary Priti Patel labeled the statue’s destruction as “sheer vandalism.” “It’s right actually the police follow up on that and make sure justice is taken,” Patel told reporters Monday. Protests erupted in several other cities across Britain over the weekend. Tens of thousands of people marched on the U.S. Embassy in London.Fiona Collins echoed the views of many in the crowd: “I’m sick of having to explain to my children that because they’re black, they have to act a certain way, they have to behave this way, they have to work 10 times harder to get anywhere in life and I’ve had enough of it.” There were violent clashes between some demonstrators and police in the capital. Twenty-two officers were injured, including a policewoman who fell from her horse after it bolted, striking a traffic signal. The riderless horse trampled a protester.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter that the demonstrations had been “subverted by thuggery.”People have a right to protest peacefully & while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police. These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery – and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account.
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 7, 2020 In Glasgow, Scotland, activists changed the names of streets linked to slave traders. In Belgium, protesters defaced a statue of King Leopold II, who oversaw the killing of millions of Congolese during colonial rule. The targeting of such monuments has rekindled calls for government action to remove symbols that glorify those involved in colonial repression and slavery. However, many British lawmakers have criticized the destruction of the Colston statue in Bristol and claim the monuments are an important reminder of a dark and complicated history.  Ben Bradley MP of the ruling Conservatives wrote on Twitter: ‘If we start to judge historical figures by 21st century standards, we’ll find that quite a few folks weren’t that nice… almost as if they didn’t know any better.’ If we start to judge historical figures by 21st century standards, we’ll find that quiet a few folks weren’t that nice… Almost as if they didn’t know any better 🤔
— Ben Bradley MP (@BBradley_Mans) June 7, 2020Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer criticized the toppling of the statue but said that it should have been taken down by authorities many years ago.  Many others say that statue’s razing has done far more to educate Britons about black oppression, a history that for many resonates deeply today.  
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The U.S. Department of Justice issued a formal request to question Britain’s Prince Andrew as part of the government’s ongoing investigation into possible co-conspirators of convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, according to a law enforcement official.The formal action comes after federal prosecutors alleged that Andrew, known as the Duke of York, failed to respond to earlier Justice Department inquiries about his friendship with Epstein, who was found dead of an apparent suicide while in jail last August awaiting charges of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.In November, Queen Elizabeth’s second son stepped down from public duties due to the scandal over his friendship with Epstein and allegations that he had sexual encounters with a 17-year-old girl about 20 years ago.Investigators have not accused Andrew of any wrongdoing, and he has said that he would help “any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required.”FILE – This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry, shows Jeffrey Epstein.Andrew has denied having sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre. She alleges Epstein forced her to have sex with the prince and that the encounters happened in London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Despite the pledge to cooperate, in March, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said the prince had provided “zero cooperation” to the FBI and “shut the door on voluntary cooperation.” Berman said his office is “considering its options.”Andrew’s lawyers hit back at these claims Monday, suggesting that U.S. prosecutors were seeking publicity rather than the royal’s cooperation.”The Duke of York has on at least three occasions this year offered his assistance as a witness to the DOJ,” said Blackfords, the London-based law firm representing Andrew, in a statement.”Unfortunately, the DOJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming that the Duke has offered zero cooperation. In doing so, they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered,” the statement said.The request, initiated by federal prosecutors in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, is part of a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) request, an agreement to gather and exchange information in criminal investigations between two counties, submitted to Britain’s Home Office, according to the source.If the MLAT request is approved, U.S. prosecutors could potentially force Andrew to go to court to provide evidence under oath.Prosecutors have vowed to continue the investigation, bringing renewed attention to several prominent people in Epstein’s orbit, including Andrew and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.Maxwell faces several lawsuits and has denied all allegations against her.  
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France’s interior minister announced Monday police will no longer conduct chokeholds that have been blamed for multiple cases of asphyxiation and prompted new criticism after George Floyd’s death in the U.S.At a news conference in Paris, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said “the method of seizing the neck via strangling will be abandoned and will no longer be taught in police schools.”Immobilization techniques where officers apply pressure with their knees on prone suspects, as officers did in Floyd’s case, are used in policing around the world and have long drawn criticism. French lawmakers have called for such practices to be banned.FILE – People protest against the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, next to the U.S. embassy in Paris, France, June 1, 2020.Castaner spoke out as the country’s government comes under increasing pressure to address brutality and racism within the police force. France has seen several protests over the past week sparked by Floyd’s death last month, which has stirred anger against racism and police brutality around the world.The interior minister said the move is not just a reaction to recent events but comes after months of work by the commission on police procedures.He added that stricter punishments would be implemented on cases of racism inside the police forces, whereby disciplinary processes such as suspensions would be followed by criminal proceedings. Castaner called racism an “abject evil” that has no place in French society.Three days after Floyd died in the custody of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, another black man writhed on the tarmac of a street in Paris as a police officer pressed a knee to his neck during an arrest. 
 
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Germany’s Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Monday she has received no official confirmation on the reported U.S. decision to withdraw more than a quarter of American troops stationed in Germany. The Wall Street Journal reported last Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered the Pentagon to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany by 9,500 to 25,000. The New York Times reported Saturday that U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper had approved the move. During the news conference in Berlin, Kramp-Karrenbauer said the German government had only seen the news reports and could not speculate further on what might happen. She did add the “the presence of United States soldiers in Germany serves the overall security of the NATO alliance.”. A US military aircraft takes off from the US Airbase Ramstein, Germany, June 7, 2020. According to various media outlets, the US wants to reduce the number of soldiers stationed in Germany by up to 9500.Currently there are 34,500 American service members permanently assigned in Germany as part of a long-standing arrangement with America’s NATO ally. Kramp-Karrenbauer said American soldiers have integrated well and have become a real component of German society. The reported troop withdrawal would be in keeping with Trump’s “America First” overall foreign policy and his often-stated belief that U.S. allies must shoulder more of the burden for their own defense. 
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says he and his family have recovered from the coronavirus.Pashinian said on Facebook that he and his family members tested negative Monday for a second time in as many days.Pashinian announced that he was infected a week ago, adding that he probably contracted the virus from a waiter who brought him a glass a water at a meeting without wearing gloves and later tested positive for the virus.Armenia has so far reported over 13,000 infections, including 211 deaths, among its population of nearly 3 million.  
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Thousands of people took to the streets of European cities Sunday to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with protesters in the English port of Bristol venting their anger at the country’s colonial history by toppling a statue of a 17th-century slave trader. Demonstrators attached ropes to the statue of Edward Colston before pulling it down to cheers and roars of approval from the crowd. Images on social media show protesters appearing to kneel on the statue’s neck, recalling the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25 that has sparked worldwide protests against racism and police violence. Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after he pleaded for air while lying handcuffed on the ground. The statue met with a watery end as it was eventually rolled into the city’s harbor. It wasn’t the only statute targeted on Sunday. In Brussels, protesters clambered onto the statue of former King Leopold II and chanted “reparations,” according to video posted on social media. The word “shame” was also graffitied on the monument, reference perhaps to the fact that Leopold is said to have reigned over the mass death of 10 million Congolese. Protesters also defaced the statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in central London, crossing out his last name and spray painting “was a racist” underneath. They also taped a Black Lives Matter sign around its mid-section. The day’s demonstration in London had begun around the U.S. Embassy, where thousands congregated — most it seemed wearing masks against the coronavirus — to protest Floyd’s brutal death and to shine a light on racial inequalities at home. “Everyone knows that this represents more than just George Floyd, more than just America, but racism all around the world,” said Darcy Bourne, a London-based student. The protests were mainly peaceful but for the second day running there were some scuffles near the offices of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Objects were thrown at police. Police have sent reinforcements and calm appears to have been restored. Protesters also threw objects at police down the road outside the gates of Parliament, where officers without riot gear formed a line. They were reinforced by riot police who quickly ran toward the scene. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said violence was “simply not acceptable” and urged those protesting to do so lawfully while also maintaining social distancing by remaining two meters (6.5 feet) apart. But most demonstrators didn’t heed that call, particularly in front of the U.S. Embassy. A protest against racial inequality in Bristol, Englan, June, 7, 2020.Police said 14 officers were injured Saturday during clashes with protesters in central London that followed a largely peaceful demonstration that had been attended by tens of thousands. Hundreds of people also formed a densely packed crowd Sunday in a square in central Manchester, kneeling in silence as a mark of respect for George Floyd. In Hong Kong, about 20 people staged a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Sunday outside the U.S. Consulate in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. “It’s a global issue,” said Quinland Anderson, a 28-year-old British citizen living in Hong Kong. “We have to remind ourselves despite all we see going on in the U.S. and in the other parts of the world, black lives do indeed matter.” Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in downtown Rio de Janeiro to protest against racism and police killings of black people on Sunday. The protesters weren’t just joining protests against Floyd’s death in the U.S., but also denouncing the killing of black people in Rio’s favelas. The most recent case was João Pedro Pinto, 14, who was inside his house on May 18 in Sao Gonçalo, a city in Rio’s metropolitan area, when police chasing alleged drug traffickers shot into the house. The protesters on Sunday carried banners reading “Black mothers can’t stand crying anymore.” In Sao Paulo, another demonstration ended with clashes between a small group of protesters and the police. Several dozen demonstrators took part in a Black Lives Matter protest held in Tel Aviv’s central Rabin Square. Many wore blue surgical masks but did not observe social distance guidelines. A rally in Rome’s sprawling People’s Square was noisy but peaceful, with the majority of protesters wearing masks. Among those present was 26-year-old Ghanaian Abdul Nassir, who is studying for a master’s in business management at one of the Italian capital’s public universities. “It’s quite unfortunate, you know, in this current 21st century that people of color are being treated as if they are lepers,” Nassir said. He said he occasionally has felt racist attitudes, most notably when riding the subway. “Maybe you’re finding a place to stand, and people just keep moving (away) and you’ll be, like, ‘What?’” Nassir said: “We’re strong people but sometimes everyone has a limit.” At one point, the protesters, most of them young and some with children or siblings, took the knee and raised a fist in solidarity with those fighting racism and police brutality. In Italy’s financial capital, Milan, a few thousand protesters gathered in a square outside the central train station Sunday afternoon. Many in the crowd were migrants or children of migrants of African origin. In Spain, several thousand protesters gathered on the streets of Barcelona and at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. Many in Madrid carried homemade signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” “Human rights for all” and “Silence is pro-racist.” “We are not only doing this for our brother George Floyd,” said Thimbo Samb, a spokesman for the group that organized the events in Spain mainly through social media. “Here in Europe, in Spain, where we live, we work, we sleep and pay taxes, we also suffer racism.” 
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The killing of another black teenager by Rio de Janeiro police last month was, based on the numbers, unremarkable – one of hundreds gunned down every year by some of the world’s deadliest cops. But the fallout has surprised many. Brazil’s Supreme Court last week banned raids by Rio police during the COVID-19 pandemic and Sunday saw nationwide marches against right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, as U.S. demonstrations and a global debate over racial violence by police has spurred a reckoning in Brazil. A studious 14-year-old who talked of becoming a lawyer, João Pedro Matos Pinto spent the afternoon of May 18 playing with friends around his uncle’s backyard pool in São Gonçalo, a gritty suburb of the Rio state capital. When police helicopters began circling close overhead, the frightened boys rushed inside, João Pedro’s mother and uncle told Reuters. Heavily armed police stormed the home, throwing a grenade inside and spraying the structure with gunfire. One of the bullets hit João Pedro in the torso, killing him. “When you enter a community shooting, it’s as if everyone in the community is a criminal. It’s as if nobody good lives here,” said Rafaela Coutinho Matos, mother of the slain boy, in an interview. Authorities told her family the death was an accident, she said. They said helicopters spotted a man they thought was the target of a police raid hopping over a fence near the pool. In a statement, Rio state police said detectives had opened an investigation into the incident and three officers had been suspended. Brazil’s federal police, which also participated in the operation, did not respond to a request for comment.A homeless man makes a victory sign during a protest against racism and hate crimes during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 7, 2020.Such tragedies are commonplace in Rio, where a notoriously violent police force killed 1,814 people last year, according to official statistics. They killed 606 more in the first four months of 2020. Many killings of unarmed black men, or children, come and go with relatively little protest or media attention. Yet anger at João Pedro’s death and other recent complaints of police brutality are boiling over in Brazil against a backdrop of widespread U.S. demonstrations after the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody. Supreme Court OrderOn Friday, hundreds gathered outside the São Gonçalo city hall, chanting “No justice, no peace!” in Portuguese. Many focused their ire on Bolsonaro and Rio Governor Wilson Witzel, both far-right politicians that have encouraged police to kill more criminals. Witzel, a former judge, said a surge in police killings under his watch “isn’t difficult to justify.” Also on Friday, Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin issued an order prohibiting police raids in Rio’s cinderblock slums, known as favelas, until the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak subsides. The order, which made reference to João Pedro’s death, allows raids only under “exceptional circumstances” with prior approval by state prosecutors. On Sunday, anti-racism marches in major Brazilian cities brought out the largest crowds of anti-Bolsonaro protesters since the pandemic arrived in March. In the capital Brasilia, demonstrators in masks carried “Black Lives Matter” banners emblazoned with João Pedro’s name. Public safety expert Ignacio Cano said that such fallout from a police killing was unprecedented, suggesting that news from the United States had heightened sensitivities in Brazil. “It’s sad in a way that part of Brazilian society has to look at the U.S. to realize that the problem exists at home,” said Cano, a professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. “And the media is giving a lot more coverage now after the George Floyd case than they would otherwise give to the recurrent cases of executions in favelas.” At Friday’s protest in São Gonçalo, black college student Mykaella Moreira echoed demands for human rights that have taken center stage in the United States as well. “We can’t accept this genocidal state, which thinks we can die for nothing,” Moreira said. “We are also people. We also have a right to live.” São Gonçalo is patrolled by Rio’s 7th military police battalion, the state’s most deadly police force, public records show. In October, Reuters published an investigation into the death of Brayan Mattos dos Santos, a 19-year-old who was also the unintended victim of a raid here. This year, police in the area are set to break their own grim record, having killed 103 people in the district in the first four months of 2020. In March, police here set a monthly record, killing 33 people, according to public data. Although whites make up half the population in Rio, they account for only 12% of police killings, according to data obtained by Reuters last year under a freedom of information request. João Pedro was studious, devout and went nowhere without family, said his mother Rafaela. On the day he was killed, Rafaela said the boy was visiting his cousin about a kilometer away to play by the pool. She learned that João Pedro had been injured when her husband entered the family home in a panic, saying their son had been shot and taken to a hospital by helicopter. It was nearly a full day until she learned his fate. “He was a loving boy,” said Rafaela. “A boy who had dreams.” 
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For someone who died nearly three centuries ago, Edward Colston has become a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement in Britain. The toppling of his statue in Bristol, a city in the southwest of England, on Sunday by anti-racism protesters was greeted with joyous scenes, recognition of the fact that he was a notorious slave trader — a badge of shame in what is one of Britain’s most liberal cities.  Demonstrators attached ropes to the statue before pulling it down. Footage of the moments after the statue crashed to the ground saw hundreds, if not thousands, of local Bristolians, in ecstasy.  Images on social media showed protesters then appearing to kneel on the neck of the statue for eight minutes, recalling how George Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25. The statue was then rolled into the nearby Bristol Harbor — again to rapturous scenes.  Police said officers have launched an investigation and are looking for those who “committed an act of criminal damage.”  Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the removal of the statue would “divide” opinion, but added that it was “important to listen to those who found the statue to represent an affront to humanity and make the legacy of today about the future of our city, tackling racism and inequality.” The symbolism of the statue’s demise can’t be overstated not least because the bridge overlooking its new resting place is named Pero’s Bridge, after Pero Jones — an enslaved man who lived and died in the city in the latter part of the 18th century.  Colston, who was born in 1636 to a wealthy merchant family, became prominently involved in England’s sole official slaving company at the time, the Royal African Company, and Bristol was at the heart of it. The company transported tens of thousands of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean, mainly to work the sugar plantations in the Caribbean and cultivate the tobacco fields that were burgeoning in the new North American colony of Virginia. Each enslaved person had the company’s initials branded onto their chest.A protest against racial inequality in Bristol, Englan, June, 7, 2020.Bristol, as an international port, was at the center of the slave trade and benefited hugely financially — not just shipbuilders and slavers, but also investors like Colston, who would buy a stake in the triangular slave voyage between England, West Africa and the Caribbean. The bronze memorial, which had been in place since 1895, had been the subject of an 11,000-strong petition to have it removed. Residents, including the city’s big community that hails from the Caribbean, are ashamed of what Colston represents. Colston has been a figure of huge controversy in Bristol with attempts made to rename Colston Hall, the biggest music venue in the city among many efforts to “decolonize” the city.  Colston gave a lot of money to local charities and that helps explain why his name dons so many public buildings in the city, including educational and economic institutions. Britain formally abolished the slave trade in 1807 by an Act of Parliament but slavery itself was only formally outlawed in British territories in 1834. Overall, more than 12 million Africans are estimated to have been exported to the New World, of whom around 2 million are believed to have perished en route. The watery end of the Colston statue wasn’t the only historic sculpture to have been targeted by protesters. In London, protesters defaced the base of the statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill outside Parliament, crossing out his last name and spray painting “was a racist” underneath. They also taped a Black Lives Matter sign around its mid-section. Thousands joined a Black Lives Matter rally in Brussels, where protesters clambered Sunday onto the statue of former King Leopold II and chanted “reparations,” according to video posted on social media. The word “shame” was also graffitied on the monument, reference perhaps to the fact that Leopold is said to have reigned over the mass death of 10 million Congolese. A bust of Leopold’s in the city of Ghent has also been defaced, daubed in red paint and covered with a cloth scrawled: “I can’t breathe.” Leopold’s ruthless early rule over Congo from 1885 to 1908 is notorious for its brutality when the Congo Free State was practically his personal fiefdom. After Leopold handed over Congo to the Belgian state, the tiny nation continued to hold sway over an area 80 times its size half a world away, until independence in 1960.  And in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam has pledged to remove the Gen. Robert E. Lee statue, and city leaders have committed to taking down the other four Confederate memorials along Richmond’s prestigious Monument Avenue. 
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Thousands of protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Sunday to condemn police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, some wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 bearing the slogan “racism is a virus.”On Saturday, thousands of protesters had gathered in central London in a demonstration that was peaceful but that ended with small numbers of people clashing with mounted police near Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street residence.London Police chief Cressida Dick said 27 officers had been injured in “shocking and completely unacceptable” assaults during anti-racism protests in central London this week, including 14 on Saturday.Both Dick and health minister Matt Hancock urged protesters not to gather in London again on Sunday due to the risk of the spread of the coronavirus. But thousands ignored this to pack the road outside the embassy on the south bank of the River Thames.”It just needs to stop now,” said 17-year-old student Chaniya La Rose who was at the protest with her family. “It shouldn’t have to be this hard to be equal.”There have been demonstrations around the world over police treatment of ethnic minorities, sparked by the death of Floyd, a black American, on May 25 in Minneapolis. A white police officer detaining him knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The London protest was peaceful, with people clapping, taking to one knee, waving placards and chanting “George Floyd” and “the UK is not innocent.”Pauline Nandoo, 60, said she had been protesting about the issue of racism since the 1970s and the images of violence at the end of Saturday’s protest had not deterred her.”There’s children of all ages and older adults here,” said Nandoo, who was with her brother and 13-year-old daughter. “They are going to experience what we have experienced and we have to try to make that not happen.” 
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A Russian journalist whose jailing prompted protests in which police detained demonstrators has been released. The detentions brought criticism that authorities were using coronavirus restrictions to suppress opposition. Ilya Azar was sentenced to 15 days in jail on May 28, but was released Sunday after a court reduced his sentence. Azar was arrested after holding a one-man picket outside police headquarters in Moscow against the jailing on extortion charges of an activist who monitors police corruption. He was jailed for violating a ban on public gatherings during the coronavirus lockdown. Other pickets protesting his jailing took place in Moscow and St. Petersburg and at least 35 people were detained, many of them charged with violating the gatherings ban. Amnesty International, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Russia’s Presidential Human Rights Council have all condemned the Russian crackdown.   
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Brazil’s government has stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections in an extraordinary move that critics call an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease in Latin America’s largest nation.Saturday’s move came after months of criticism from experts that Brazil’s statistics are woefully deficient, and in some cases manipulated, so it may never be possible to understand the depth of the pandemic in the country.Brazil’s last official numbers showed it had recorded over 34,000 deaths related to the coronavirus, the third-highest number in the world, just ahead of Italy. It reported nearly 615,000 infections, putting it second, behind the United States. Brazil, with about 210 million people, is the globe’s seventh most populous nation.On Friday, the federal Health Ministry took down a website that had showed daily, weekly and monthly figures on infections and deaths in Brazilian states. On Saturday, the site returned but the cumulative numbers of infections for states and the nation were no longer there. The site now shows only the numbers for the previous 24 hours.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted Saturday that disease totals are “not representative” of the country’s current situation.A Bolsonaro ally contended to the newspaper O Globo that at least some states had sent falsified data to the Health Ministry, implying that they were exaggerating the toll. Carlos Wizard, a businessman expected to assume a high-level post in the Health Ministry, said the federal government would conduct a review to determine a “more accurate”‘ toll.“The number we have today is fanciful or manipulated,” Wizard said.A council of state health secretaries said it would fight the changes by Bolsonaro, who has dismissed the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic and tried to thwart attempts to impose quarantines, curfews and social distancing, arguing those steps are causing more damage to the economy than the illness.A patient with symptoms related to COVID-19 is brought to a field hospital by workers in full protective gear in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 4, 2020.”The authoritarian, insensitive, inhumane and unethical attempt to make the COVID-19 deaths invisible will not prosper,” the health secretaries council said Saturday.While precise counts of cases and deaths are difficult for governments worldwide, health researchers have been saying for weeks that irregularities with Brazilian statistics were making it impossible to get a handle on an exploding situation.Around the world, coronavirus deaths are being undercounted to varying degrees due to lack of universal testing. Academic groups in dozens of nations have tried to figure out the magnitude of the undercount by studying the total number of deaths in a set period compared to the average of prior years in a nation, state, province or city. Where they find unexplained surges in deaths, it is likely due in large part to undiagnosed cases of the coronavirus.In Brazil, such efforts have been handicapped by problems with the government statistics that serve as a baseline.“It is very difficult to make predictions that you think are reliable,’’ said Fabio Mendes, an adjunct professor in software engineering at the federal University of Brasilia, who studies coronavirus statistics. “We know the numbers are bad.”At the end of April, 42-year-old Leivane Bibiano da Silva became feverish and developed an incessant cough and diarrhea — all symptoms of the new coronavirus that was devastating Manaus, the Brazilian Amazon’s most populous city.Bibiano, who had HIV and tuberculosis, was scared of checking herself into Manaus’ overwhelmed hospitals, relatives said. She died in her home about two weeks later, and was buried in a mass grave at the public cemetery. She was never tested.“I’m upset, not just about my mother, but about all of those who didn’t enter into the statistics,” said Leonardo Bibiano, her eldest son. “To be honest, I don’t believe in the numbers.”Brazil’s Health Ministry did not respond to queries about allegations of problems with the data.The gravity of the problems with Brazil’s data became clear last month when academics reviewing death certificates compiled by the federal Civil Registration office — which compiles data from all Brazilian states — found drastic, unexplained fluctuations in monthly deaths in recent years, and puzzling discrepancies between states.In Rio de Janeiro state, the number of average monthly deaths fell sharply starting in January 2019, a change the Civil Registration office said stemmed from the state court providing duplicate data for previous years. The number of average monthly deaths in Manaus, the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, more than doubled when the shift occurred, which the office chalked up to delay in data submission.Emergency workers carry Jose Rocha on a hammock to a field hospital treating suspected COVID-19 patients in Manacapuru, Amazonas state, Brazil, June 1, 2020.On May 14, as independent investigators were questioning the inconsistencies, the Civil Registration office pulled more than 500,000 death certificates from its website, saying most were from Rio and it needed to review how the figures were tallied nationwide in order to make sure statistics were consistent year over year.That made it virtually impossible to produce statistically significant analyses of excess death in Rio or Amazonas, two of the Brazilian states hit hardest by the coronavirus.“Wow,” said Jesús Gómes-Gardeñes, an associate professor in physics and computational epidemiology at the University of Zaragoza, who has studied coronavirus statistics in his native Spain. “Half a million is a hell of a lot.”Another way to detect uncounted deaths from the virus is by looking at deaths attributed to other conditions, like pneumonia and respiratory insufficiency. In the absence of widespread testing, deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are often attributed to one or more of these conditions.Brazil”s second most populous state, Minas Gerais, has recorded just 368 coronavirus deaths and has been praised for its handling of the pandemic. But data from Fiocruz, a respected, state-run biology foundation, show deaths from severe acute respiratory infections in the state rose eightfold from 2019 to 2020, to 1,796.Health workers from Doctors Without Borders visit a squatters camp to conduct medical examinations for the COVID-19 in Sao Bernardo do Campo, greater Sao Paulo area, Brazil, June 3, 2020.In Rio, the total number of deaths from pneumonia and respiratory insufficiency in the nine weeks through May 18 were 6,909 higher than in the same period last year. But the federal Health Ministry’s COVID-19 death toll for the same period was 2,852 — less than half the suspected number.On May 22, as media and independent researchers debated the discrepancy, the Civil Registration office’s number of pneumonia and respiratory insufficiency deaths in the state fell from 6,909 to 3,599. The office said it was due to reclassification of death certificates that list several related causes of death.Beyond the shifting and incomplete information, critics say, the Brazilian federal government has further eroded trust in its count-keeping with cosmetic changes to official sites that appear designed to de-emphasize the gravity of the epidemic.One bulletin published by the president’s press office refers to patients in hospitals and intensive care units as “recovering,” even though a significant number eventually die of COVID-19.“We are becoming an international joke in terms of public health,” said Domingos Alves, an associate professor of social medicine at the University of Sao Paulo. “Deaths cannot be hidden by decree.” 
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Latin America, specifically Brazil and Mexico, are seeing increases in the number of coronavirus-related cases and deaths, as the global death toll nears 400,000.Globally, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is more than 6.8 million, while the death toll stood at 398,321 Saturday night, Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Research Center reported.The United States is the world’s hardest-hit nation, with more than 109,000 deaths and nearly 1.9 million confirmed cases. On Saturday, it reported 746 coronavirus-related deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins.While the U.S. has suffered the largest number of COVID-19-related deaths and confirmed cases, on a per capita basis, several European countries, such as Italy, France and Spain, have a higher death toll.But Latin America has seen an increase in the number of cases and deaths, with the region tallying nearly 1.2 million confirmed cases and more than 60,000 deaths, according to CNN. Tolls are also rising sharply in Mexico, Peru and Ecuador, the French news agency reported, adding in Chile, deaths have risen by more than 50 percent in the past week.On Wednesday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus People wearing face masks walk past a sign advertising a restaurant in Mexico City, June 5, 2020.On Saturday, Brazil’s Health Ministry removed months of coronavirus data from public view. The ministry also stopped giving a total count of confirmed cases and the death toll.Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro defended the move, saying on Twitter: “The cumulative data … does not reflect the moment the country is in. Other actions are underway to improve the reporting of cases and confirmation of diagnoses.”Bolsonaro has downplayed the dangers of the pandemic and argued against lockdown measures to prevent the virus’ spread.Neither Bolsonaro nor the ministry gave a reason for erasing most of the data on the covid.saude.gov.br website, Reuters news agency reported. The site had been a key public resource for tracking the pandemic. The page was taken down Friday and reloaded Saturday with a fraction of the data, reflecting only deaths, cases and recoveries within the past 24 hours, Reuters reported.Late Saturday, the ministry reported 27,075 new confirmed infections and 904 coronavirus-related deaths since its Friday update, according to the news agency.On Friday, Bolsonaro threatened to pull out of the WHO over “ideological bias,” arguing the lockdowns caused by the coronavirus are worse than the disease itself.A week ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was ending funding and membership in the WHO, after criticizing the agency and accusing it of helping China in a coverup of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.In Europe, which suffered great losses earlier in the pandemic, countries are slowly reopening. Some countries in the European Union have opened borders to other European visitors. But on Saturday, the European Union said it hopes to open all borders to travelers by early July, at the start of the summer travel season.Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the United States and in several cities across the globe Saturday, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of an African American man in police custody.Demonstrators, ignoring warnings that mass protests could trigger spikes in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, rallied over racial injustice and police brutality in cities, including London, New York, Sydney and Minneapolis, where George Floyd died on May 25 after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. 
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Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday in cities far from the United States to express their anger over the death of George Floyd, a sign that the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality is resonating with wider calls over addressing racism in Asia, Australia and Europe.In Berlin, where police said 15,000 people rallied peacefully on the German capital’s Alexander Square, protesters chanted Floyd’s name and held up placards with slogans such as “Stop police brutality” and “I can’t breathe.”Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after Floyd pleaded for air while handcuffed and stopped moving. International protests started last weekend and were scheduled for this weekend from Sydney to Seoul and London to Naples.  Several thousand demonstrators in Paris defied a protest ban — issued because of the coronavirus pandemic — and assembled within sight of the U.S. Embassy, kept back by imposing barriers and riot police.Among the crowd in the French capital was Marie Djedje, 14, a Parisian born on July 14, the French national day.”I was born French, on the day when we celebrate our country. But on a daily basis, I don’t feel that this country accepts me,” she said, holding up a sign that read “Being black is not a crime.”The teenager said that emerging from France’s virus lockdown and seeing officers on patrol again drove home how scared she is of the police and how she has steeled herself for a life of overcoming obstacles.”I know that because of my skin color I’m starting out with a handicap, for example, if I want to get a flat or go to a top school,” she said. “I know I’m going to have to fight twice as hard as the others. But I’m prepared.”In central London, tens of thousands staged a rally outside Parliament Square, invoking Floyd’s memory as well as people who died during police encounters or indifference in Britain. Some protesters ignored thickening rain clouds and later headed toward the U.K. Home Office, which oversees law enforcement and immigration, and to the U.S. Embassy.Many dropped to one knee and raised their fists in the air outside the gleaming embassy building south of the River Thames. There were chants of “Silence is violence” and “Color is not a crime.”The majority of those marching wore masks and other face coverings, and appeared to make an effort to adhere to social distancing guidelines by walking in small groups.A young woman wears a face mark as people gather at the Alexander Platz in Berlin, Germany, June 6, 2020, to protest against the recent killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.An estimated 15,000 people also gathered in the heart of Manchester, England, and another 2,000 people joined in a demonstration in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.Andrew Francis, 37, a black man from London, said there’s “a lot of frustration due to racial discrimination, and we want change for our children and our children’s children’s to be able to have equality within the U.K., the U.S., all around the world.”Francis, who wore a face covering, said he wasn’t worried about the coronavirus and said the fight for racial equality was “more important” to him.Floyd’s death has sparked significant protests across the United States, but it has also struck a chord with minorities protesting discrimination elsewhere, including demonstrators in Sydney who highlighted indigenous Australians who died in custody.Peaceful rallyA rally there appeared orderly as police handed out masks to protesters and other officials provided hand sanitizer, though officers removed an apparent counterprotester carrying a sign reading, “White Lives, Black Lives, All Lives Matter.”  In Brisbane, the Queensland state capital, organizers said about 30,000 people gathered, forcing police to shut down some major downtown streets. The protesters demanded to have Australia’s Indigenous flag raised at the police station.Indigenous Australians make up 2% of the the country’s adult population, but 27% of the prison population. They are also the most disadvantaged ethnic minority in Australia and have higher-than-average rates of infant mortality and poor health, as well as shorter life expectancies and lower levels of education and employment than other Australians.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 7 MB480p | 10 MB540p | 15 MB720p | 33 MB1080p | 61 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioIn South Korea’s capital, Seoul, protesters gathered for a second straight day to denounce Floyd’s death.Wearing masks and black shirts, dozens of demonstrators marched through a commercial district amid a police escort, carrying signs such as “George Floyd Rest in Peace” and “Koreans for Black Lives Matter.””I urge the U.S. government to stop the violent suppression of [U.S.] protesters and listen to their voices,” said Jihoon Shim, one of the rally’s organizers. “I also want to urge the South Korean government to show its support for their fight [against racism].”Chris Trabot, who works for Paris City Hall, said Floyd’s death last week triggered his decision to demonstrate Saturday for the first time in his life.Born in the French territory of Martinique, Trabot said he first experienced racism as a child when he moved with his family to mainland France and got into frequent fights with white kids who mocked his skin color.  As an adult, he says, he’s been targeted with racial abuse during ID checks. Recently, his 9-year-old daughter has told him of being a target of racism, too, with schoolmates mocking her hair.  Concern for childrenJessica Corandi, a Paris Metro driver, said she cried when she saw the video of Floyd’s treatment by Minneapolis police. The 37-year-old said her three young girls have started to notice people looking at them strangely on the streets of Paris, which she believes is because they are black.Protesters outside the U.S. Consulate in Naples chanted “Freedom!” and “No justice, no peace, [expletive] the police,” in English and Italian, as they clapped and carried handmade signs and a big banner printed with “Black Lives Matter” and a clenched black fist.In Italy, racist incidents have been on the rise in recent years with an influx of migrants from Africa and the growth of anti-migrant sentiment.Police said 20,000 people rallied against racism in Munich, while thousands more took part in protests in Frankfurt and Cologne.In Berlin, Lloyd Lawson, who was born in Britain but raised in Germany, said he had faced racism his entire life.  “The killing and these violent physical things that have happened is only just the top of it,” said Lawson, 54. “That’s why you’ve got to start right from the bottom, just like an iceberg.”
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Netflix is removing an episode of the History 101 program that says AIDS originated in Haiti.“We have seen the concerns raised and, together with the series creators, have decided to remove the episode while we review the issues involved,” a spokesperson for the online streaming service told VOA via email Saturday. Netflix offers users television shows, movies and documentaries.History 101 is a British TV show produced by ITN productions. It is described on Netflix as “infographics and archival footage [that] deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.”The episode sparked outrage among Haitian Americans, who posted their criticism and started a petition on Instagram and Twitter.“The framing of the whole doc lacks in world view,” renowned Haitian American DJ Michael Brun posted on Instagram. “For a disease that has affected Africa the hardest, they had 0 scientists or representation from the continent (or Haiti).”    View this post on Instagram         As the @Netflix History 101 doc has been removed and is currently being revised by their team, I wanted to share what my issues were with their HIV / AIDS episode. The biggest issue is irresponsible framing in regards to black communities worldwide and the inclusion of misinformation. I hope more companies can take note and lead their research with a more balanced world view that doesn’t unfairly stigmatize certain groups of people. If anyone wants sources for anything I mention just let me know and I will be happy to share. The reason this is being reviewed by their team is because of fact based research, not because of anger. Let’s lead with truth.A post shared by Michaël Brun (@michaelbrun) on Jun 6, 2020 at 10:41am PDTAccording to The AIDS Institute, a U.S. nonprofit organization that promotes social change, scientists attribute the HIV infection in humans to a type of chimpanzee found in West Africa.The Haitianroom, a popular Haitian American Instagram account, circulated a petition against the Netflix program that aimed to get 16,000 signatures.  By 4:30 p.m. EDT they had obtained 12,488 signatures.“The lies are part of the reason why many of us had a hard time growing up Haitian!!!” the post said.    View this post on Instagram         Update: they have taken down episode 9 which this was featured in!! We did it guys!!! ✊🏽 The lies are part of the reason why many of us had a hard time growing up Haitian!!!I just signed and donated! Link in my bio if you want to sign the petition (you don’t HAVE to donate but it helps if you do ❤️✊🏽🇭🇹) Also call them and request to remove the documentary… Info down below @netflix @strongblacklead . . We are calling Netflix to act responsibly in this matter and remove the episode immediately. In the first quarter of 2020, Netflix had over 182 million paying streaming subscribers worldwide. Of these subscribers, 69.9 million were from the United States. Misinformation is dangerous. We call ITN Production, the producers and researchers of this episode to step forward and support the immediate removal of this episode from Netflix and any other platform that it may have been published. This content should not be share or presented as fact on any media outlets again. Going forward we ask that this stigma against Haiti and Haitian people be put to rest. It is rooted in racism and should no longer be referenced as factual data by anyone researching HIV/AIDS and is origin. In fact, given all of the funding and research that has gone to support HIV/AIDS research over the past 30 years; is important that major corporations and media giants like Netflix help END THE STIGMA not perpetuate it. 1. Cancel your Netflix subscription. 2. Repost the video shared by @XEAUX on Instagram, Twitter and other social media outlets. 3. Use the hashtag #AIDSdidNOTcomefromHaiti, tag @Netflix and @strongblacklead and post the hashtag in their comment section. 4. Contact Netflix to request removal of the video. Main:(888)638-3549 | Customer Service: (866) 579-7172 | Headquarters: (888) 638-3549. 5. Sign the petition. . . . . . . #thehaitianroom #haitianwomen #haitianmen #haitianpeople #haitian #haitians #haiti #ayiti #netflixA post shared by The Haitian Room 🇭🇹 (@thehaitianroom) on Jun 6, 2020 at 10:58am PDTLunionsuite, another popular Haitian American Instagram account that has 150,000 followers, also posted criticism about the episode. On Saturday afternoon it posted a thank-you to followers for putting pressure on the streaming company.  
 
“Netflix History 101 Episode 9 “AIDS” [has] officially been removed by @netflix on their platform!! Thank you to everyone who came together to make this happen in less than 24 hours!! We Did It!!” the post read.    View this post on Instagram         Netflix History 101 Episode 9 “AIDS” has officially been removed by @netflix!!! Thank you to everyone at @netflix for understanding the importance of removing this episode! We’re waiting on an update on whether they will publicly address it, and our community. — We Did It!!! ❤️🇭🇹⚫️✊🏾 @xeaux @orlandooo7 @michaelbrun @leovolcy — #lunionsuite #wematter #ourstorymatters #haitian #haiti #blacklivesmatterA post shared by #1 Haitian-American Platform (@lunionsuite) on Jun 6, 2020 at 12:25pm PDTThe move comes as thousands worldwide take to the streets to protest racism and to demand justice for George Floyd, an African American man who died in the custody of four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Netflix is one of several technology, banking, apparel and entertainment firms that have issued messages of support for those demonstrating against police treatment of black people.“To be silent is to be complicit. Black Lives Matter. We have a platform and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up,” the May 30 Netflix post said.    View this post on Instagram           A post shared by Netflix US (@netflix) on May 30, 2020 at 1:36pm PD
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As forces loyal to the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tripoli gain more ground near the capital from forces under eastern military commander General Khalifa Haftar, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sissi called for a cease-fire. Sissi urged both sides to resume dialogue. Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj also met Friday with his main backer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Amateur video broadcast by Arab media showed forces loyal to the Tripoli government capturing Bani Walid Airport, outside Tripoli, after defenders loyal to General Khalifa Haftar withdrew to positions farther to the east of the capital. Other video showed fighters loyal to the Tripoli government consolidating control of the nearby town of Tarhuna, which they captured a day earlier.Arab media reported that several Turkish drones bombed a convoy of vehicles that had left Tarhuna as they were approaching the coastal town of Sirte, which is still under the control of forces loyal to Gen. Haftar. Qatari-owned al Jazeera TV (Arabic) claimed that supporters of the government in Tripoli were preparing to attack Sirte, which is still under Haftar’s control. VOA could not independently confirm the claim.Meanwhile, in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi met with General Haftar and the head of the Libyan house of representatives, Aquela Salah, and called for a cease-fire beginning Monday, June 8.He says that Egypt’s initiative is based on the respect of all international resolutions and calls for a cease-fire beginning Monday at 6 a.m., in addition to the withdrawal of all foreign mercenaries from the entire country, and the dismantling of all militias to allow the Libyan Army and the security forces to exert control. 
Haftar, speaking at a press conference alongside Sissi, backed Egypt’s cease-fire call and urged the Egyptian president to use his influence to oblige Turkey to withdraw mercenaries it has sent to Libya.He says that Turkey’s military intervention in Libya has increased polarization both among Libyans and among countries which are involved in the conflict and have opposing interests. He urges Sissi to increase efforts to oblige Turkey to stop sending mercenaries and weapons to Libya.
 
Responding to the cease-fire call, Khaled al Meshri, head of the Tripoli government’s “presidential council,” told al Jazeera TV that “Libya doesn’t need another peace initiative,” and he claimed that Haftar’s forces now have “suffered defeat and should not be trying to dictate the terms of an agreement.”
 
Fayez al Sarraj, who heads the Tripoli-based “National Unity Government” met Friday with the Turkish prime minister in Ankara. Some Arab media report that Turkey has sent close to 10,000 Syrian mercenaries to fight in Libya. VOA could not independently confirm the figure.
 
Both the UAE and Jordan, which support General Haftar, indicated Saturday that they would support Egypt’s call for a cease-fire.  
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The Inter-Parliamentary Union condemns the imprisonment of 43 Members of Parliament around the world, saying they lack legal recourse to attain justice. The IPU is focusing especially on MPs detained in overcrowded, cramped cells in Venezuela, Ivory Coast and Turkey. The IPU says they are at particular risk of infection from COVID-19 and should be released immediately. An IPU human rights committee is monitoring the cases of 139 Members of Parliament in Venezuela. It says they have been subjected to intimidation, harassment, detention and attacks by government security forces because of their opposition to the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In the last few months, the committee reports at least 17 MPs have gone into exile, others have sought protection of foreign embassies in the capital Caracas, and many others have gone into hiding.  Manager of the IPU Human Rights Program, Rogier Huizenga, says five MPs in detention are of particular concern. He says they have been imprisoned without regard for parliamentary immunity and due process. He says their conditions of confinement expose them to the deadly coronavirus.  He tells VOA information gathered from complainants, as well as international and regional bodies, indicate the MPs have been arrested on trumped up charges.“We have asked time and time again the Venezuelan authorities to provide us with details on the facts that would support the charges that have been brought against these MPs,”  Huizenga said. “And, these details are still sorely lacking. So, there is nothing right now that can dispel our concerns that these MPs are, in fact, being prosecuted hereto for having exercised their political mandates.”  In Turkey, the IPU is examining alleged human rights violations against 57 current or former parliamentarians, 27 of whom are women. They all belong to the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party or HDP. Over 600 criminal and terrorism charges have been brought against them since 2015. Seven MPs currently are still in prison.Huizenga says the IPU is in regular contact with Turkish authorities about these cases.  However, he adds they do not always see eye-to-eye on some of the underlying issues.“The Turkish authorities are quick to respond that the HDP opposition MPs are working in tandem with the PKK [the Kurdistan Workers’ Party] in what they see as the terrorist organization; whereas, the information that we have clearly shows that these MPs are in fact being prosecuted for having exercised their freedom of expression,”  Huizenga said.The IPU currently is scrutinizing the cases of 10 opposition MPs in the Ivory Coast.  They allegedly have had their fundamental rights violated since 2018, including arbitrary arrest and detention.   The IPU committee is particularly worried about the situation of five parliamentarians in detention, one of whom is in ill health and reportedly being denied a visit by his personal physician.
 
 
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Greece is preparing to reopen to international tourism in the coming days, a move expected to bring in as many as 10 million travelers from several countries. The re-start is vital for the weak Greek economy that relies heavily on tourism. However, health officials fear tourism could fan a flare-up in COVID-19 and have grave repercussions for Greece, after a decade of financial recession.Health concerns have surged after a flight from Doha this week brought in 19 cases of the coronavirus.The number may seem small but, matched up against the near-zero infections that Greece has been showing for weeks now, infectious disease experts such as Haralambos Gogos are worried.We are on alert, he says, monitoring the situation and holding one meeting after another to best tackle this matter without having to shut down flights and tourism before they actually kick off.Health concerns have also arisen from a recent report by Greece’s National Public Health Organization showing a startling 36% rise in imported COVID-19 cases in the last 10 days. That’s almost twice as many as the country recorded in total from the start of the pandemic here five months ago.However alarming, officials in Athens say, Greece’s tourism re-launch will proceed as planned on June 15, when the first wave of travelers is due to fly in from 29 countries.Those countries are currently showing low rates of COVID-19 infection. Beginning July 1, though, Athens hopes to include several more countries, opening its doors to between 6 million and 10 million foreign travelers.Emmanouil Dermitzakis, a professor of genetics at the medical school at the University of Geneva , says that means thousands of COVID-19 cases hitting Greece.A rough estimate, he says, shows that about 10% of those incoming travelers will be carriers, and of them, as many as 700 will show symptoms and require treatment.For a nation counting less than 3,000 infections and 180 deaths from the pandemic, the predicted figures look daunting.Dermitzakis says Greece’s random testing capabilities have significantly increased in recent months.The situation, he says, is manageable. But the spread of the virus during the summer will ultimately come down to how Greeks themselves comply with social distancing rules — or not. Since lockdown measures eased here in May, thousands of Greeks have taken to public places, defying social distancing rules in ways that have experts like Demitzakis concerned.It’s understandable that after months of lockdown, Greeks are out and about, but this does not justify and warrant the defiance we are currently seeing, he says.Ultimately, DermitzakIs says, Greek will have to make a stark choice between altering those behaviors to suit the demands of this different summer or suffer unemployment and a financial crisis if the pandemic roils out of control, forcing Greece to shut down again.
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