Ex-Republican Powell backs Democrat Biden for US president

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Ex-Republican Powell backs Democrat Biden for US president

Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell has endorsed Democratic former United States Vice President Joe Biden, becoming the first important Republican to publicly back President Donald Trump’s rival ahead of November’s election.

Powell, who led the US military during the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq under then-Republican President George HW Bush and later led the Department of State under President George W Bush, said Trump has “drifted away” from the US Constitution and posed a danger to the country and its democracy. 

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“I cannot in any way support President Trump this year,” Powell, who did not vote for the Republican president in 2016, told CNN. Asked if he would vote for Biden, he added: “I will be voting for him.”

In a tweet, Trump called Powell “a real stiff”.

Powell is the latest former top military officer to rebuke Trump in the wake of sweeping mass protests aimed at fighting racial injustice spurred by the May 25 death of an unarmed Black man, Geroge Floyd, in Minnesota. 

“We are in a turning point,” Powell said, blasting Republican senators for not standing up to Trump.

“He lies about things. And he gets away with it because people will not hold him accountable.”

Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and other retired officers have condemned Trump in recent days.

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people, does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis said. 

A few Republican members of Parliament have also spoken out against Trump’s handling of the outcry and have raised questions about their support for his re-election bid, though most have remained quiet or continued to voice support for the president. 

Last week, Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters she was struggling over whether she would back Trump in the November 3 election and praised Mattis’s strong words as did fellow Republican Mitt Romney.

Powell, who is Black, was one of the few prominent Republicans to denounce Trump during the former reality television star’s 2016 presidential run and publicly endorse Trump’s then-rival Hillary Clinton.

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Global COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 400,000

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Global COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 400,000

More than 6.9 million people worldwide have been infected since the first reported case of the coronavirus late last year.

Felipe Dana/AP


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Felipe Dana/AP

More than 6.9 million people worldwide have been infected since the first reported case of the coronavirus late last year.

Felipe Dana/AP

The COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed more than 400,000 lives worldwide, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

The university’s Coronavirus Resource Center noted the grim milestone on Sunday. The United States — at more than 109,000 — accounts for more than a quarter of those deaths.

Worldwide, more than 6.9 million people have been infected with the coronavirus since the first known cases began to emerge in the Chinese province of Hubei late last year. Experts at Johns Hopkins say infections are expected to surpass 7 million by mid-week.

The U.S. has seen more than 1.9 million cases, but in cities across the country, demonstrators have set aside fears over the coronavirus in recent days to rally by the thousands against police brutality in mass protests ignited by the death of George Floyd. Public health experts have cautioned that a spike of new cases could follow the demonstrations.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, , the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a Washington, D.C. radio station on Friday that the protests are a “perfect set-up for further spread of the virus.”

“I get very concerned, as do my colleagues in public health, when they see these kinds of crowds,” Fauci told WTOP. “There certainly is a risk. I can say that with confidence.”

As demonstrations continue, many states are moving forward with enacting re-opening plans to revitalize their economies, easing restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus and allowing more businesses to open their doors or expand operations.

Revelers in Las Vegas were able to return to the city’s iconic casinos on Thursday as they re-opened for the first weekend since Nevada shut them down in March. Though casino staff donned masks, patrons weren’t required to wear them, and according to an Associated Press report, many did not.

New York City, which has registered more cases than any other city in the nation, is scheduled to enter the first phase of its re-opening on Monday. Other portions of New York state had already been allowed to ease restrictions weeks ago and some regions are even entering the second phase.

Though considered one of the more comprehensive tallies of coronavirus infections and deaths, the Johns Hopkins tracker is often acknowledged to come up short.

Obstacles to testing, especially early on in the pandemic, have been cited as one reason why coronavirus figures may fail to paint a truly accurate picture. Public officials and governments have also been accused of impeding the release of accurate statistics or even acknowledging the crisis.

In Brazil — second only to the U.S. in number of cases — accusations of a cover-up followed the removal of death and infection totals from the health ministry’s website on Saturday. Jair Bolsonaro, the country’s president, called the figures misleading and the ministry is now releasing only a daily count.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly clashed with public health experts during the pandemic, including his own health ministers, with one minister resigning about a month after his predecessor was fired. According to Johns Hopkins, Brazil has seen more than 672,000 cases and nearly 36,000 deaths.

Russia has also bedeviled public health experts with a comparatively low tally of COVID-19-related deaths despite having the third highest number of cases in the world. Critics have accused the country of manipulating its figure. Officials counter those claims by touting the government’s response and the rigor in which Russian doctors certify a cause of death.

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Global COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 400,000

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Global COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 400,000

More than 6.9 million people worldwide have been infected since the first reported case of the coronavirus late last year.

Felipe Dana/AP


hide caption

toggle caption

Felipe Dana/AP

More than 6.9 million people worldwide have been infected since the first reported case of the coronavirus late last year.

Felipe Dana/AP

The COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed more than 400,000 lives worldwide, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

The university’s Coronavirus Resource Center noted the grim milestone on Sunday. The United States — at more than 109,000 — accounts for more than a quarter of those deaths.

Worldwide, more than 6.9 million people have been infected with the coronavirus since the first known cases began to emerge in the Chinese province of Hubei late last year. Experts at Johns Hopkins say infections are expected to surpass 7 million by mid-week.

The U.S. has seen more than 1.9 million cases, but in cities across the country, demonstrators have set aside fears over the coronavirus in recent days to rally by the thousands against police brutality in mass protests ignited by the death of George Floyd. Public health experts have cautioned that a spike of new cases could follow the demonstrations.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, , the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a Washington, D.C. radio station on Friday that the protests are a “perfect set-up for further spread of the virus.”

“I get very concerned, as do my colleagues in public health, when they see these kinds of crowds,” Fauci told WTOP. “There certainly is a risk. I can say that with confidence.”

As demonstrations continue, many states are moving forward with enacting re-opening plans to revitalize their economies, easing restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus and allowing more businesses to open their doors or expand operations.

Revelers in Las Vegas were able to return to the city’s iconic casinos on Thursday as they re-opened for the first weekend since Nevada shut them down in March. Though casino staff donned masks, patrons weren’t required to wear them, and according to an Associated Press report, many did not.

New York City, which has registered more cases than any other city in the nation, is scheduled to enter the first phase of its re-opening on Monday. Other portions of New York state had already been allowed to ease restrictions weeks ago and some regions are even entering the second phase.

Though considered one of the more comprehensive tallies of coronavirus infections and deaths, the Johns Hopkins tracker is often acknowledged to come up short.

Obstacles to testing, especially early on in the pandemic, have been cited as one reason why coronavirus figures may fail to paint a truly accurate picture. Public officials and governments have also been accused of impeding the release of accurate statistics or even acknowledging the crisis.

In Brazil — second only to the U.S. in number of cases — accusations of a cover-up followed the removal of death and infection totals from the health ministry’s website on Saturday. Jair Bolsonaro, the country’s president, called the figures misleading and the ministry is now releasing only a daily count.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly clashed with public health experts during the pandemic, including his own health ministers, with one minister resigning about a month after his predecessor was fired. According to Johns Hopkins, Brazil has seen more than 672,000 cases and nearly 36,000 deaths.

Russia has also bedeviled public health experts with a comparatively low tally of COVID-19-related deaths despite having the third highest number of cases in the world. Critics have accused the country of manipulating its figure. Officials counter those claims by touting the government’s response and the rigor in which Russian doctors certify a cause of death.

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Thousands protest racism in Brussels as US movement sweeps Europe

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Thousands protest racism in Brussels as US movement sweeps Europe

Thousands gathered in Brussels for a largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protest Sunday — the latest in a string of demonstrations across Europe inspired by the U.S. movement against racism and police violence.

According to the Brussels police, up to 10,000 people were present at Brussels’ Place Poelaert, outside the city’s Palace of Justice court. The demonstration was not officially permitted, but was “tolerated” by the city of Brussels, a spokesperson for the mayor said beforehand. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès last week expressed concerns about the demonstration because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The vast majority of participants were wearing masks covering their mouths, but because of the massive turnout, social distancing was nearly impossible. Organizers had predicted beforehand that the turnout would be half as much as it was.

But protesters, most dressed in black, said the pandemic would not stop them from coming out in support of George Floyd, a black man, whose death under the knee of a white police officer in the U.S. state of Minnesota has sparked demonstrations worldwide.

“People are respecting the rules to stay safe, which is important,” said Anne, 33, who declined to give her last name so as not to be identified by her employer.

People in Brussels turned out, despite the coronavirus pandemic, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement | Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images

“But we want our voices to be heard. I have been living in Brussels my whole life and experienced firsthand that discrimination and police violence for people of color is not just a problem in the United States. Whether it’s discrimination to find a house or a job or a house, extra police searches or a different tone when lawmakers talk to you — this is a problem in Belgium as well.”

“As a black person, the killing of Floyd touched me because it could have been someone of my family,” said 22-year-old student Rachel Buyse. “We also face inequalities here in Belgium.” Her friends, who all come from different backgrounds, said they were there to support her.

“For our generation, it makes sense that all people are equal,” said 23-year-old Lisa Hitter.

The protest also comes in response to similar complaints about police violence in Belgium, such as the death of 19-year-old Adil of Moroccan descent, who was killed during a police chase in Brussels in April while allegedly fleeing from a police check.

At the end of the demonstration, some protesters started to get more more aggressive and started small fires. The police used a water cannon to disperse them. Protest organizers distanced themselves from the violence. “If we have to fight for our civil rights, we’ll do so in the court,” they said in a video message on Twitter.

Scrutiny of Belgium’s colonial past has also resurfaced amid the protests. Over the past week across the country, various colonial-era icons have been vandalized in protest, especially statues of former King Leopold II, known for his reign of terror in the Congo in the 19th century, when the territory belonged to him personally before it became a Belgian colony. While some statues of him were defaced, others were set on fire or covered in paint and marked with messages saying “I can’t breathe,” the final words of George Floyd.

Similarly, a statue of English slave trader Edward Colston was torn down during an anti-racism protest in Bristol in the South West of England on Sunday. The statue was rolled down to the street before being pushed into the river. The statue has long been a point of contention given the role of Colston’s company in the slave trade from West Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas in the 17th century.

Tens of thousands of Europeans also protested in cities including Madrid and London over the weekend, with a massive crowd gathering outside the U.K. parliament and the U.S. embassy, despite official warnings to stay away. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the protests risks spreading the virus. “I will support you in making that argument — but don’t spread this virus which has already done so much damage and which we are starting to get under control,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show Sunday.

Police estimate that there were around 15,000 protesters in Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, home to the city’s iconic TV Tower, many of them dressed in black. And while the Paris police implemented a ban on protests after demonstrations early last week, demonstrators still tried to gather in front of the U.S. embassy.



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Tropical Storm Cristobal path moving closer to Gulf Coast; landfall expected today

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Tropical Storm Cristobal path moving closer to Gulf Coast; landfall expected today

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As Cristobal starts to move in, folks in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, prepared for the worst on the weekend of June 6.

Accuweather

NEW ORLEANS – Tropical Storm Cristobal swirled closer to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Sunday and was expected to make landfall later in the day with flooding downpours, dangerous storm surge and blustery winds. 

As the storm remained offshore, thousands were already without power Sunday in parts of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. Some roads had already flooded. The National Weather Service reported one tornado Saturday night in Florida, near downtown Orlando.

The third named storm of an already-busy Atlantic hurricane season was not expected to intensify into a hurricane, but will definitely leave its mark as it moves inland along the southeast coast of Louisiana, forecasters said. 

Squalls with tropical-force winds reached the mouth of the Mississippi River on Sunday morning. Cristobal’s maximum sustained winds were 50 mph, and the storm was moving north at 12 mph, though the National Hurricane Center expected “a gradual turn toward the north-northwest late” Sunday. The storm was centered around 90 miles south of New Orleans.

“Conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate today,” the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned. “The center of Cristobal will approach the northern Gulf of Mexico coast this afternoon, then move inland across Louisiana late today through Monday morning, and northward across Arkansas and Missouri Monday afternoon into Tuesday.”

Hurricanes and a pandemic: A busy hurricane season and the coronavirus pandemic ‘is a cataclysmic scenario’

Track Cristobal:Follow the storm’s projected path across the Gulf Coast

In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency. “Continue to stay weather aware this weekend as Tropical Storm Cristobal makes its way to Louisiana,” Edwards warned residents in a tweet.

Windows were boarded up in New Orleans and cars were parked on the neutral ground hours before Cristobal’s expected landfall.

While the streets were mostly empty, those still running errands were not too concerned with the impending storm.

CR Holloway, an 83-year-old French Quarter resident, was wearing a face mask and shopping for sesame seeds for a dinner party he is hosting Monday evening. When asked about the potential for flooding in the city, he said his thoughts are more occupied with the COVID-19 pandemic and recent calls for police changes than they are with Cristobal.

“The storm seems like the lesser of all evils, very insignificant compared to what’s going on in our culture,” Holloway said.

Similarly, art gallery owner Vina Nguyen couldn’t help but frame the storm in the larger context of events that have rocked her city.

Like many shop owners in downtown New Orleans, Nguyen boarded up her art gallery last week to protect from the protests against police brutality as much as the storm. Prior to last week’s rallies, the gallery was closed because of the pandemic.

“It’s crazy what we’re going through with the pandemic, the protests and now a tropical storm. It’s an eerie time,” Nguyen said. “I’m kind of in disbelief.”

The storm could spawn heavy rains from East Texas to Florida this weekend and into early next week, the hurricane center said. Cristobal is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches across portions of the central Gulf Coast into the Lower Mississippi Valley, and 12 inches of rain is possible in isolated areas.

A few tornadoes were also possible Sunday afternoon and night across eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and northern Florida.

2020 hurricane forecast: Busy hurricane season expected, NOAA says, with up to 19 named storms possible

A tropical storm warning was posted for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border.

Storm surge warnings and watches were in effect in Louisiana and Mississippi, and flooding up to 5 feet was expected in some places.

The storm’s large wind field will drive high surf to the beaches of the entire Gulf Coast, the Weather Channel said, whipping up dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding, particularly along and to the east of the track from Louisiana to western Florida. 

A dangerous combination of storm surge and high tides will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland, the Weather Channel said.

Global warming’s impact: Global warming is making hurricanes stronger, study says

In some parts of Louisiana, construction crews worked to increase levee heights in some areas in anticipation of the storm surge.

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last month predicted as many as 19 named storms would form this year, of which as many as 10 will be hurricanes. It’s just one of many forecasts that predict an unusually busy Atlantic hurricane season, which started Monday. 

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The storm already had an impact Saturday evening with a tornado that touched down near downtown Orlando, the National Weather Service said. The twister just missed a group of George Floyd protesters at Lake Eola at around 7:30 p.m. There appeared to be no injuries, but tree limbs were knocked down, and there were reports of power outages.

“Yes, it is related to the tropical storm that is well to our west,” said Scott Kelly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida. “But the tropical storm provided a lot of low level shear and that has allowed for some tornadoes to form over Central Florida.”

Miller from Arlington, Va.; Reyes from New York. Contributing: Grace Pateras, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser; The Associated Press

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/07/tropical-storm-cristobal-path-landfall-expected-along-gulf-coast/3169859001/



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Joe Biden to Meet With George Floyd’s Family Ahead of Funeral

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Joe Biden to Meet With George Floyd’s Family Ahead of Funeral

Joseph R. Biden Jr. will travel on Monday to Houston to meet with the family of George Floyd, a black man whose death at the hands of the police touched off a nationwide outcry over racism and police brutality.

Mr. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, will offer his condolences to members of the Floyd family and will also record a video message for Mr. Floyd’s funeral service on Tuesday, according to a Biden aide. Mr. Biden is not expected to attend the service — given his Secret Service protection, there were concerns about creating a disruption — but he wanted to offer in-person condolences, according to people familiar with the matter.

His trip to Texas — his first major trip outside his home state of Delaware and nearby Philadelphia in close to three months — follows a succession of speeches, round tables, online gatherings and a visit to the site of demonstrations by Mr. Biden to discuss police violence and systemic racism. The former vice president has spoken out passionately about the need to heal racial divisions in the country, and he has advocated a number of new police reforms.

Mr. Biden has also been sharply critical of President Trump, seeking to highlight stark contrasts with his opponent in the November election over issues of race, leadership and character at a moment of extraordinary national unrest.

Mr. Trump, who is using increasingly harsh language as he describes himself as a “law and order” president, has portrayed demonstrators as “thugs” and “terrorists,” and last week threatened to deploy the military nationwide to overpower protesters. And on Friday, as Mr. Trump discussed a stronger-than-expected jobs report, he also invoked Mr. Floyd, saying, “Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying this is a great thing that’s happening for our country.”

In a speech, Mr. Biden called those remarks “despicable.”

Earlier in the week, Mr. Biden laced into Mr. Trump in a separate address for fanning the “flames of hate”and turning “this country into a battlefield riven by old resentments and fresh fears” as he called for a national reckoning over systemic racism.

While the protests have been largely peaceful, Mr. Biden also nodded to violent clashes between the police and some people in the crowds, as well as looters, urging a “nation enraged” that “we cannot let our rage consume us..”

Previously, both he and Mr. Trump spoke by phone with Mr. Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd. Philonise Floyd told CNN that the conversation with the president was “very brief.”

Mr. Biden will meet with the Floyd family amid ongoing protests against police violence and racism that are unfolding across the country, including huge marches on Saturday, and as Mr. Biden is still navigating how to travel safely during the coronavirus outbreak, which kept him confined to campaigning from home for months.

To many of Mr. Biden’s allies, perhaps his greatest strength is his ability to empathize. His first wife and daughter died in a car accident soon after he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, and his son Beau Biden died of brain cancer five years ago. He has eulogized dozens of prominent figures but has also often used his personal experiences with overcoming grief to connect with voters on the campaign trail who were in mourning.

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Queen’s Daughter-in-Law on Welcoming Meghan Markle: ‘We All Try to Help Any New Member of the Family’

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Queen’s Daughter-in-Law on Welcoming Meghan Markle: ‘We All Try to Help Any New Member of the Family’


Sophie, Countess of Wessex Talks Meghan Markle | PEOPLE.com

























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TikTok lookalike Zynn brings Chinese video app rivalry to US

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TikTok lookalike Zynn brings Chinese video app rivalry to US

Zynn, a product of China’s No 2 video app maker Kuaishou, launched in May and became the most popular free app in the US Apple App Store just a month later.

With Zynn, Kuaishou is trying to dethrone TikTok, the app by its Beijing-based competitor Bytedance that has become a worldwide sensation.

Zynn’s interface is a near-clone of TikTok, allowing users to view a continuous feed of short videos featuring other users dancing or performing stunts to upbeat music.

Zynn: More than just entertainment

But unlike TikTok, Zynn promises more than just entertainment.

Zynn, which is not available in China, rewards users in the US and Canada with cash when they invite friends to download the app — up to $20 per invite, depending on how active the friend is on the app.

Users also earn points for simply watching videos, which can then be converted into cash.

Zynn’s model is familiar to users in China, where startups have thrown millions of yuan in gifts and cash at users in order to grab a larger share of the market than competitors offering nearly identical services.

Nasdaq-listed news aggregator Qutoutiao was among the first apps to offer users cash rewards in what it calls “loyalty programmes” that “cost-effectively acquire new users”. 

“It requires people who are sensitive to small financial incentives of which there are plenty in China’s vast inland rural areas,” Shanghai-based mobile technology expert Matthew Brennan told AFP.

Kuaishou is taking a gamble in exporting its model to North America, where few apps have managed to build long-term audiences by paying people to use them.

Success will depend on whether the main attraction of the app is the money up for grabs, or whether payment is “merely a secondary ‘side benefit’ to using Zynn”, Rui Ma, a tech advisor and host of the Tech Buzz China podcast, told AFP.

Most online reviews of Zynn are focused on the cash reward system, with reviewers either complaining about being unable to withdraw their winnings or grateful for the amounts they’ve made off the app.

‘Money-making app’

Kuaishou has chosen a “smart” time for Zynn’s debut, with many young people stuck at home because of COVID-19, and with the summer holidays approaching, said Man-Chung Cheung, an analyst at Insider Intelligence.

But in the long run, retaining users will depend on Zynn’s “ability to attract top content creators, talent and brands to share videos”, Cheung told AFP.

Kuaishou will also have to contend with rising China-US tensions, which have already put rival TikTok and other Chinese tech companies under increased scrutiny from the US government.

US officials have warned that TikTok, which has denied any ties with the Chinese government, could become another tool exploited by Chinese intelligence services.

Zynn has sought to downplay its Chinese origins, with its website offering little information about its background and giving an address in Palo Alto, California.

Zynn spokesman Rocky Zhang confirmed that Kuaishou is behind the upstart app.

“Zynn is a product only for the US, and we launched Zynn for the US,” he told AFP.

Zhang said Zynn plans to continue paying users in the long term, but will shift towards rewarding “content creators” in the future, while generating revenue through advertising.

Old rivals

A years-long rivalry between massive Chinese tech companies lies behind Kuaishou’s new foray across the Pacific and into North America.

Kuaishou is backed by Tencent, the Chinese tech giant behind payment and social media app WeChat, which has long sought to expand its share of the short-video market.

The Chinese short-video industry is expected to generate nearly 100 billion yuan ($14 billion) in advertising revenue by 2021, according to Daxue Consulting.

Tencent has launched a number of short-video apps of its own, but none have reached the level of popularity enjoyed by Kuaishou and TikTok’s Chinese version, Douyin.

Kuaishou in February said it had reached 300 million daily active users, just behind Douyin, which said it hit 400 million users in January.

In May, Kuaishou sued Douyin for redirecting searches for “Kuaishou” on a third-party Chinese app store to adds for the Bytedance app, a court in Beijing said.

When asked about the similarity between TikTok and Zynn, Zhang said the app was not “targeting any brands existing on the market”.

— By © Agence France-Presse



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Protests against police brutality continue across Europe: Live

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Protests against police brutality continue across Europe: Live

  • Protesters have taken to the streets across the world – in Hong Kong, Spain, Italy and the UK – as demonstrations against police brutality and racism entered their 13th day following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. 

  • Saturday marked one of the largest mobilisations since the death of Floyd, with massive protests in Australia, Asia, Europe and across the US. While some clashes were reported, they remained mostly peaceful. 

  • Hundreds of mourners gathered in North Carolina on Saturday for a memorial service for Floyd, the second of three currently planned.

Sunday, June 7:

17:15 GMT – Officials urge Floyd protesters to get coronavirus tests

 As New York City prepared to reopen after a more than two-month coronavirus shutdown, officials lifted a curfew that was put in place amid protests of police brutality and racial injustice – and urged demonstrators get tested for COVID-19.

“Get a test. Get a test,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged.

He said the state planned to open 15 testing sites dedicated to protesters so they can get results quickly.

“I would act as if you were exposed, and I would tell people you are interacting with, assume I am positive for the virus,” Cuomo added.

16:40 GMT – English Protesters throw slave trader statue into harbor

Anti-racism protesters in the southwestern England port city of Bristol have toppled the statue of a prominent slave trader and dumped it into the harbor.

Footage from local broadcaster ITV News West Country shows demonstrators attach ropes to the statue of Edward Colston before pulling it down on Sunday and eventually dumping it into the harbor. Images on social media show protesters appearing to kneel on the statue’s neck, recalling how a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin down George Floyd’s neck before his death. 

Colston, who was born in 1636, has been a controversial figure in Bristol. Among efforts to “decolonise” the city have been calls to remove his name from its biggest music venue, Colston Hall.

16:10 GMT – Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden to meet Floyd family

Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden will travel to Houston and meet with the family of George Floyd, two weeks after Floyd’s death in police custody triggered nationwide protests over racial injustice, two senior aides said.

Biden is expected to offer his sympathies to Floyd’s relatives and record a video message for Floyd’s funeral service, which is taking place later in the day in Houston, the aides said. He is not expected to attend the service to avoid any disruption to mourners that could be caused by his Secret Service protective detail.

Floyd’s body arrived in Houston on Sunday, officials said. 

15:40 GMT – Protesters in Virginia toppled Confederate statue

US demonstrators toppled a statue of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham from its pedestal after a day of mostly peaceful demonstrations across Virginia on Saturday.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that most of the demonstrators had already dispersed when a rope was tied around the Confederate statue, which has stood since 1891 in Richmond’s Monroe Park. In 2017, some of Wickham’s descendants urged the city to remove the statue. 

Confederate monuments are a major flashpoint in Virginia and across the US.

A Moral Debt: The Legacy of Slavery in the USA – Al Jazeera Correspondent

15:15 GMT – Trump orders National Guard’s withdrawal from Washington

US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from the streets of Washington after days of protests over the police killing of George Floyd.

“I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control,” he tweeted.     

“They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!”     

US peaceful protest opinion

A demonstrator stares at a National Guard soldier as protests continued over the death of George Floyd near the White House [Alex Brandon/The Associated Press]

14:30 GMT – Trump has drifted from constitution, former military chief warns     

Colin Powell, who served as America’s top military officer and top diplomat under Republican presidents, has said he will vote for Democrat Joe Biden, accusing Donald Trump of drifting from the US constitution.     

In a scathing indictment of Trump on CNN, Powell denounced the US president as a danger to democracy whose lies and insults have diminished America in the eyes of the world.     

“We have a constitution. We have to follow that constitution. And the president’s drifted away from it,” Powell said.

A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell was the latest in a series of retired top military officers to publicly criticise Trump’s handling of the protests.

13:45 GMT – Protests continue across Europe

Thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona, Madrid and Rome in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has drawn large protests against racism and police brutality around the world.

The rally in Rome’s sprawling People’s Square was noisy but peaceful, with the majority of protesters wearing masks to protect against coronavirus.

More demonstrations were being held Sunday across the United Kingdom, including one outside the US Embassy in London.

madrid protest

Protesters raise their fists at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, during a demonstration against racism and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement [Gabriel Bouys/AFP]

13:15 GMT – Thailand holds Zoom protest 

Some 300 Thais and foreigners in Thailand and elsewhere joined an online protest against racism on Sunday, adding their voices to global calls for justice for Floyd.

With coronavirus restrictions, protesters with “I Can’t Breathe” messages on their arms and placards gathered on the video-meeting platform Zoom to emphasize the call in Thailand as they watched the video clip of Floyd’s last moments.

12:50 GMT – Dozens attend protest at US embassy in Hong Kong

A Black Lives Matter protest was cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions in Hong Kong, yet a group of demonstrators showed up in front of US embassy on Sunday.

“It’s a global issue,” Quinland Anderson, a 28-year-old UK citizen living in Hong Kong who was at the protest told The Associated Press news agency.

Hong Kong resident and protester Max Percy, 24, said no human should have “suffered” as Floyd did.

Protesters gathered in a group of eight, which is in accordance with the limit of people who are allowed to meet under current coronavirus restrictions, and took turns to give speeches outside of the embassy.

12:25 GMT – New York: Curfew lifted early after peace protests

New York City is lifting its curfew spurred by protests against police brutality ahead of schedule, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday morning.

The 8pm citywide curfew, New York’s first in decades, had been set to remain in effect through to at least Sunday, with the city planning to lift it at the same time it enters the first phase of reopening after more than two months of shutdowns because of the coronavirus.

“Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” de Blasio tweeted in his announcement of the curfew’s end “effective immediately”. “Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart.”

The move followed New York City police pulling back on enforcing the curfew on Saturday as thousands took to the streets and parks to protest police brutality, sparked by Floyd’s death.

See the updates from Saturday here.



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Justin Bieber vows to speak out against racial injustice: ‘I have benefited off of black culture’

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Justin Bieber vows to speak out against racial injustice: ‘I have benefited off of black culture’

Justin Bieber took to Instagram to speak out against racism, acknowledging that he is greatly inspired by black culture and wants to serve as an advocate for racial tolerance. (Photo: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Justin Bieber wants to use his celebrity to speak up about racism.

In a passionate Instagram post, the singer acknowledged that he has used black culture as an inspiration for his work, and succeeded because of it. That’s why he now wants to become an advocate for racial tolerance, using his privileged role to speak up about the cause.

“I am inspired by black culture. I have benefited off of black culture,” the “Yummy” singer wrote on Saturday. “My style, how I sing, dance, perform and my fashion have all been influenced and inspired by black culture.”

He continued by sharing that since he has such a massive following, he hopes to use his fame to help be an asset to the anti-racism movement.

“I am committed to using my platform from this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be part of a much-needed change,” Bieber wrote.

Bieber’s social media feeds have frequently mentioned several well-known cases that have prompted calls for justice in recent weeks. On Saturday, he dedicated a post to Breonna Taylor, the Kentucky woman who was shot and killed while she slept in her home back in March during a failed attempt by police to serve a “no-knock warrant.”

“Swipe right to see how we can help celebrate her #breonnataylor,” Bieber wrote, along with a photo of Taylor in her EMT uniform, and instructions on how to sign a petition and contact elected officials on her behalf.

After participating in the Blackout Tuesday initiative on his Instagram page on June 2, Bieber posted a series of messages to his page in solidarity with the anti-racism movement.

“All lives to do not matter until black lives matter,” he wrote earlier this week.

Bieber also encouraged people to vote in the primaries, sharing that while he can’t vote in the United States, he wants to motivate others to do so.

“I’m Canadian so I can’t vote, you can vote for me,” he captioned his post, which featured all the states where voting was open.

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