NEW YORK (AP) — New York City lifted the curfew spurred by protests against police brutality ahead of schedule Sunday after a peaceful night, free of the clashes or ransacking of stores that rocked the city days earlier.
“I want to thank everybody who has expressed their views peacefully,†Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday morning. “I made the decision to end the curfew. And honestly, I hope it’s the last time we will ever need a curfew in New York City.â€
The 8 p.m. citywide curfew, New York’s first in decades, had been set to remain in effect through at least Sunday, with officials planning to lift it at the same time the city enters the first phase of reopening after nearly three months of shutdowns because of the coronavirus.
The mayor said police had arrested four people and issued 24 court summonses in the whole day.
More than two hours after the curfew had passed Saturday night, groups of demonstrators continued to march in Manhattan and Brooklyn, while police monitored them but took a hands-off approach.
Local politicians and civil liberties advocates had called for an end to the 8 p.m. curfew, complaining that it causes needless friction when officers try to enforce it. But de Blasio had initially insisted the curfew would remain in place throughout the weekend.
The end of the curfew comes as New York City prepares to begin reopening some businesses Monday, including manufacturing and construction companies, wholesalers and retailers. Retailers won’t be allowed to have customers inside for another couple of weeks, but can let people pick up merchandise on the sidewalk or have it delivered.
Between 200,000 and 400,000 people are expected to head back to the workplace Monday in the city, many taking a subway system that most New Yorkers have avoided since March because of the difficulty of staying 6feet away from other, potentially infected passengers.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged people who have attended the protest marches to get tested for the coronavirus, saying they have a “civic duty†to do so. “Be responsible, get a test,†he said Thursday.
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As the number of COVID-19 deaths in Peru rapidly mounts, the Virgen de Lourdes cemetery has become a monument to the pandemic’s devastating toll among the poor.
The cemetery is among the biggest in the world – with more than a million tombs – and it is located in one of Lima’s most impoverished neighbourhoods.
Now, with COVID-19’s escalating death toll, the cemetery is becoming even more gargantuan.
Those dying from the virus are being buried at a distance, in one of the sprawling cemetery’s most remote hills. Relatives and cemetery workers carry caskets up the steep terrain and place them in freshly dug graves.
Before one tomb, a man thumbs the strings of a worn wooden harp. Family members cry, collapse, and sometimes, let out a sorrowful laugh. Some throw beer into the pit, an ancient ritual honouring the newly departed.
Stray dogs linger, sitting alongside graves when relatives have left.
Known among locals as Nueva Esperanza Cemetery – or New Hope Cemetery – the graveyard was built in the 1960s and later filled with the remains of Peruvians who died after migrating to Lima in escape of a brutal war against Shining Path fighters.
There are children and teens mourning parents. One woman burying two brothers. Many of the victims are no older than 55.
Peru now has more than 170,000 confirmed cases with more than 4,600 reported deaths.
Teri laadki mai: Radhika Madan’s emotional message for Irrfan Khan
Actress Radhika Madan went back to her “Angrezi Medium” days and posted an emotional message for actor Irrfan Khan, who played her father in the movie. While the audience enjoyed watching the film on the small screen on Sunday, Radhika took to social media to post a still from the 2020 movie. The photo shows Irrfan giving Radhika a hug and kiss on her head. She captioned it: “Teri laadki mai (I am your girl).”
In the movie, Irrfan plays Radhika’s father who does everything to ensure her dream of studying in the UK comes true.
Earlier in April when Irrfan died, she said: “He was one the strongest people I knew, a fighter.”
“I am just grateful that our paths crossed in this lifetime. He is and will always be an inspiration to many. A legend. The man who changed the wave of the Indian film industry. May his soul rest in peace,” she added in her statement.
Irrfan had been admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection and was in the intensive care unit (ICU).
The actor had been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a while back, and had been under medical attention for the same.
The pandemic spread from a market in Wuhan, where animals were sold from cages and slaughtered on the spot, in less than ideal sanitary conditions, because of a premium placed on freshness.
While directives from the Communist Party leadership are rarely challenged openly, a permanent ban has powerful constituencies and interests arrayed against it. There are already signs of internal debates.
Some cities have moved ahead with bans on hunting and selling wild game, including Beijing last week. Wuhan also announced a five-year ban. In rural regions like Mr. Mao’s, though, officials have been lobbying for exemptions, in part to meet the target set by China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to eradicate extreme poverty by this year.
The Ministry of Agriculture last week removed dogs from its “white list†of approved domesticated livestock — a victory for those who have campaigned against the tradition of eating dog meat. But it also added two new species previously considered wild, emus and Muscovy duck, allowing for them to still be sold.
It did not add bamboo rats, despite appeals from farmers in Mr. Mao’s region, Guangxi. The rats are covered by a separate government list of 54 wild animals approved for capture, sale and consumption, reflecting the myriad and overlapping laws governing the trade.
“It is disappointing that China has lost this rare opportunity to take the lead and set a great example for the world by passing progressive legislation for preventing future pandemics,†Pei Su, who leads ACTAsia, an international animal-rights organization, said in a statement.
The government has already made exceptions for the use of wild animals for fur and traditional Chinese medicine, which the Communist Party authorities have actively promoted, including the use of bear bile as a treatment for Covid-19.
“You wouldn’t think electric rays that can give you quite a strong electric shock – or stingray barbs – would be a particularly appealing meal but sharks don’t seem to mind them.”
Speaking to the Herald prior to a fatal attack on a surfer by a 3m great white off Kingscliff on the North Coast of NSW, Mr Grainger said understanding what sharks were likely to eat and where could help the public minimise the small chance of an interaction with humans.
People should also avoid dawn, dusk and other times when the water may be murky, such as after rain.
Juvenile great whites – usually less than three-metres – are more likely to be off northern NSW or southern Queensland in winter, nearer Port Stephens for breeding in summer, and as far south as Victoria and northern Tasmania come autumn.
White sharks spend more time feeding on rays and other bottom-dwelling species than previously thought.Credit:Discovery Channel
The researchers, including from NSW Department of Primary Industries, found evidence of three dolphins and one hammerhead shark among the stomachs but no seals. The largest of the sharks was a 4.65m mature female.
“From about 2.5 metres [in length], they start to include marine mammals” in their diet, Mr Grainger said. “It’s definitely not the case of sharks targeting humans [as] what it might have been portrayed – it’s usually a case of mistaken identity.”
Video and other evidence suggest sharks prey on fattier fish when they were preparing for migration. Some would even regurgitate whale blubber and return to eat fattier parts of dead whales, he said.
Vanessa Pirotta, a marine ecologist at Macquarie University, said analyses of stomachs in necropsies offered important knowledge about animal behaviour.
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As so-called apex predators, “sharks play an important part of the ecological environment”, Dr Pirotta said.
She noted whales migrated into shark territory as they headed northwards in winter to breed off the Queensland coast before migrating back to the Southern Ocean for summer rather than have the sharks pursue them.
Sharks appear to feed on dead whales by moving their heads from side to side to create a sawing rather than chomping motion to get through the tough blubber. Such a feeding motion would much harder if the whale were alive, Dr Pirotta said.
Peter Hannam writes on environment issues for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Amid protests in The United States Of America and many parts of the world, celebrities are standing in solidarity with the Black community and speaking up against police brutality and violence against the community. With many celebrities making donations to several fundraisers and raising awareness, South Korean superstars BTS have not only spoken up but have made a massive donation of $1 million to Black Lives Matter fund along with their parent company Big Hit Entertainment, as reported by Variety.
Black Lives Matter fund’s goal is to end state-sanctioned violence, liberate Black people, and end white supremacy forever. While BTS and Big Hit Entertainment did not comment on their donation, Variety spoke to Kailee Scales, managing director for Black Lives Matter and she said, “Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression. We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black lives.â€
After BTS’ donation, their fandom – known as ARMY, an acronym for Adorable Representative MC For Youth, kick-started their own initiative to take the donations further in order to match the group’s donation. In just a day, the fandom has close to raising $600,000 and counting. The fandom has been known to be involved in activism and philanthropic work just like BTS.
Hi ARMY! We will be tracking donations for #MatchAMillion as requested????
If you are unsure where to donate to, we have compiled a carrd with orgs here (please read rest of thread for more details ⬇️)https://t.co/6Ms3CdCZnA@BTS_twt
— âŸâŸ¬ One in an ARMYⷠ⟬⟠Charity Project ???? (@OneInAnARMY) June 7, 2020
Here’s how Indian Fans can donate:
Indian ARMYs if you do not have PayPal account, there is an option to pay via visa/MasterCard as well. Make sure international transactions is enabled to be able to donate using your card.#MatchAMillion@BTS_twt
— suekiⷠ????Still with You (@LifeWithBTS_) June 7, 2020
On June 4, BTS stood in solidarity with the community and wrote, “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter.”
We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.#BlackLivesMatter
As he celebrates his 80th birthday, Sir Tom Jones has said he will keep singing “as long as there’s breath in my body”. Sir Tom, who grew up in Pontypridd, enjoyed huge commercial success with hits including It’s Not Unusual, What’s New Pussycat? and Kiss.
He became one of the world’s biggest stars, with his live Las Vegas performances earning the admiration of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
The Welsh legend, who was born on 7 June 1940, said he did not mind growing old because “the memories are tremendous” – writes Henry St George.
video courtesy of coto.pops music
Another man also with tremendous memories of Sir Tom’s career is the owner and publisher of EU Reporter, Colin Stevens
In 1979 Stevens was a senior entertainment producer with HTV Wales in Cardiff and produced all the company’s Tom Jones Specials for ITV network.
Tom Jones had been a tax exile for 10 years in the USA, living in Beverly Hills and regularly appearing at Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas.
Stevens had a feeling that once the ten-year tax exile was ended Tom would want to perform again in the UK. So, he made an approach to Tom’s manager, the legendary Gordon Mills who also managed Englebert Humperdinck and Gilbert O’Sullivan.
“I was incredibly cheeky†said Stevens. “I found out that Gordon would flying in from Beverly Hills to set things up for Tom’s first UK tour for 10 years and managed to get a 5-minute meeting with him.
It was over lunch at the 5-star Connaught Hotel, opposite the offices of MAM, Gordon’s record company.
There was around 20 people around the lunch table, the top of the entertainment industry and a former Miss World, but somehow, I found myself sat next to Gordon.
When the waiter brought the menus Gordon Mills sent him away, saying that everyone was to have sausage and mash, something he could not get in LA!
We all had to wait thirty minutes whilst the hotel sent a taxi to find and buy sausages!â€
The story becomes more surreal, says Stevens. “I knew I had beaten all the major companies to get to talk to Tom’s manager first, but I also knew there was no way HTV could afford to pay the same as the major networks. In fact, I had no idea what I could offer, I was thinking on my feet!â€
It was only at the end of lunch that Tom’s manager turned to Stevens and asked what he could offer.
“I just said “I cannot afford whatever fee Tom will want, but if after 10 years exile, if he decides to first perform in Wales rather than in London, then just think of the publicity!â€
There was a silence, nothing more was said until the end of the lunch. Then just as Tom’s manager was leaving, he turned to Stevens and said “I am flying back to LA tomorrow on Concorde. If you can provide me with a tin of Welsh cakes to give to Tom, we have a deal.â€
“I telephoned my wife in Cardiff and persuaded her to start baking.†said Stevens.
“They were couriered to me in London the next day and I managed to deliver the tin of Welsh cakes to Tom’s manager before he left on Concorde.â€
“As Concorde took off, I received a message left by Tom’s manager to look at that days Daily Mail newspaper. I opened it to read the headline “Giant Killer HTV steals Tom Jones from under Network’s nose for a tin of Welsh Cakesâ€. At than moment Gordon Mills taught me the value of PR†says Stevens.
Colin Stevens (centre) with Tom Jones (right)
Stevens went on to be invited to meet Tom at his home in Beverly Hills, travel in Tom’s private plane to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe,  produce two documentaries and two ITV Christmas Specials with Tom Jones before moving into news production and becoming editor of news related programmes, run his own PR company, and eventually set up a European news network which owns London Globe, EU Reporter and a host of other titles.
Throughout his career, Tom Jones has constantly reinvented himself, moving from pop, rock and country to gospel, soul, and blues and then on to electronic and dance music.
In parallel, Stevens has also reinvented himself, moving from TV producer, PR executive to owner and publisher of Globe News and EU Reporter.
It must be something in the Brains beer that they both like to drink in Wales!
Charities providing emergency food supplies to people with a limited immigration status known as “no recourse to public funds†have expressed concern at the prime minister’s refusal to offer support to a group pushed into destitution by the lockdown.
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the UK have an immigration status that allows them to work here but prevents them from accessing most benefits should they become unemployed. Many have lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic and are struggling to feed their families and pay rent; many face losing their homes once restrictions on evictions are lifted.
In east London, volunteers have been feeding hundreds of families unable to buy food because work has dried up. Lakmini Shah, a Labour councillor in East Ham, where about 57% of the population were born outside the UK, has been distributing boxes of food and essential items donated by businesses to about local 40 families every week since the end of March.
“There’s a perception that immigrants come here to get benefits from the government and that’s not true. These are people who have always worked but who lost their employment as soon as lockdown began, and that’s when their difficulties began,†Shah said, sorting boxes of pasta and rice in her front yard.
“Most people feel too embarrassed to talk about this and they don’t know where to go for help. Everyone is worried about how they are going to pay the rent.â€
MPs have attempted to push this issue on to the political agenda in the past fortnight. During questions from the liaison committee 10 days ago, the prime minister appeared to be uncertain about the details of this status and promised to review the policy, saying: “People who’ve worked hard for this country who live and work here should have support of one kind or another.â€
Informed about a Children’s Society estimate that there are more than 100,000 children in this situation, with no safety net, he said: “We will see what we can do to help.â€
However, asked again at prime minister’s questions last week about the growing numbers of migrants who are living and working here lawfully, who have been pushed into extreme poverty because of having no recourse to public funds, Johnson appeared to have been briefed on the immigration category.
He declared that “everybody knows†that no recourse to public funds is a policy that applies to people who have temporary immigration status, adding: “But it is a term of art; it does not mean that they are necessarily excluded from all public funds.â€
Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham who raised the issue with the prime minister last week, rejected this explanation. “For very many of those affected that’s exactly what it means,†he said, calling on the government to suspend the condition for the duration of the crisis, at least for families with children.
He said: “Many hard-working families in East Ham have leave to remain, but no recourse to public funds. They are suffering severe hardship as a result. I agree with the prime minister’s point at the liaison committee, that people in this position “should have support of one kind or anotherâ€.
Ali and Noreen moved to the UK 15 years ago. Ali said: ‘We came here legally. I had a respectable job and paid taxes. It feels unfair.’ Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian
Ali and Noreen (who asked for their full names not to be printed, because they were nervous about complicating their immigration applications) moved to the UK from Pakistan 15 years ago, and were among those collecting emergency food supplies from Shah’s yard to help feed their family.
Ali has worked here and paid taxes since arriving, and until lockdown was running his own business assisting international students hoping to study in the UK. His work has dried up as international travel has come to a virtual halt, and he and his wife have been unable to pay rent and have found it difficult to buy food for their three teenage children.
Visa renewals for a family of five cost about £12,000, which must be paid every two-and-a-half years, until they are eligible to apply for British citizenship, after a process that lasts 10 years.
Putting aside money for visa costs has meant that they have no savings and are struggling to pay rent on their one-bedroom flat. They will need to renew their visas again this October, and are wondering who they can borrow money from and which belongings they can sell to help meet the cost.
Although landlords are prevented from evicting tenants during lockdown, the family have been told that they will face eviction later this summer if they are unable to make up their arrears. “We came here legally. I had a respectable job and paid taxes. It feels unfair – there is no safety net,†Ali said.
Noreen has taken on a part-time job as a care worker in a care home to bring in alternative income, but is on a precarious minimum-wage, zero-hours contract and is not earning enough to pay the rent. They have tried to keep the details of their immigration status from their children, but the oldest is aware that she will struggle to receive funding to study at university here, despite having lived her all her life.
Charities in nearby Newham have also begun feeding hundreds of students, mostly from India, who have lost the part-time jobs in local shops and restaurants which subsidised their studies. International student visas also have a no recourse to public funds status attached to their visas.
Kumar Arumugam, the secretary of the Tamil Sangam local community centre, was preparing to distribute food packages to around 130 students on Sunday evening. “We’ve seen real desperation. People have been queuing in the streets in their hundreds and we have had to turn people away,†he said.
A government spokesperson said: “We have been clear that no one should find themselves destitute during this crisis due to circumstances beyond their control.
“We have taken extensive action to support those with no recourse to public funds, including protections from eviction for renters and mortgage holidays, helping the employed, self-employed and those on zero-hour contracts. Individuals on the 10-year route can apply at any time to have conditions lifted or for access to benefits if their financial circumstances change.â€
Officials were unable to say how many people have been issued visas with this status or how many people have applied for this exemption, and were unable to reveal the number of people who have been granted an exemption.
Charities supporting people with this immigration status say getting an exemption is extremely difficult because it requires individuals to prove that they are destitute.
Zoe Gardner, a policy adviser with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said she felt the prime minister had not understood the gravity of the situation facing many with this immigration status. “His response suggested that he believes NRPF is some kind of minor technicality, but we see the real world consequences it has every day.
“Contrary to what the PM said, NRPF bars most migrants from accessing a vast proportion of the social security net we all rely on in times of crisis. They are barred from universal credit, disability allowances, local authority homelessness support, free school meals and access to mainstream refuges for victims of domestic violence, among others.
“The reality is this leaves many thousands in extreme poverty and unable to escape debt or access decent housing or provide for their families’ most basic needs.â€
Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol have torn down the controversial statue of a slave trader and rolled it into the River Avon, as thousands of people marched through the city in protest against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
The memorial to Edward Colston, who made his fortune in the slave trade in the 1600s, has stood in the city since 1895 but in recent years has been the subject of a 1,000-strong petition to have it removed.
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On Sunday demonstrators took matter into their own hands, tying a rope around the head of the statue and pulling it to the ground.
It was then rolled from the city centre and dumped unceremoniously in the River Avon.
Colston’s legacy has proved hugely divisive as while his money was derived largely from the slave trade, who used much of it to set up charitable foundations some of which survive to this day.
Lynda Morris Photography via Getty Images
The statue of Edward Colston before today.
Earlier, protestor John McAllister, 71, tore down black bin bags used to hide the statue to denounce it in front of fellow protesters.
He told the PA news agency: “It says ‘erected by the citizens of Bristol, as a memorial to one of the most virtuous and wise sons of this city’.
“The man was a slave trader. He was generous to Bristol but it was off the back of slavery and it’s absolutely despicable. It’s an insult to the people of Bristol.â€
In Bristol, thousands marched through the city centre after a crowd of at least 5,000 packed into the College Green area to hear from speakers and hold an eight-minute silence.
Many protesters wore masks and gloves, but the majority were unable to adhere to the two-metre social distancing guidance and were pressed against one another in the city’s narrow streets.
Speaking from the plinth upon which Colston’s statues used to stand, one protester told the crowd: “It’s all well and good every two or three years shouting ‘Black Lives Matter’ but how are you actually going to change what’s going on on this earthâ€
“We have to start by educating ourselves and our children, education is power. Violence will never change anything. We need to teach our little children for the future.â€
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