Sunday,  June 21st, 2020

The City of Phoenix and Maricopa County officials pass a mandate requiring all residents to wear masks in “places of public accommodation”. The mandate makes exemptions for children under two years old and people with certain health conditions. (AZCentral)

Following a new spike in coronavirus infections, Victoria delays its easing of restrictions and imposes new limits on the size of gatherings. (News.com.au)

India reports its highest toll of cases to date, recording 14,516 cases, reaching a total of 395,047 and 12,948 deaths. The government in the capital New Delhi ordered hospitals to cancel any leave and have workers return to duty immediately. (Reuters)

Coronavirus cases climb in 20 states, Brazil tops 1 million infections At least 10 states reported new single-day records for coronavirus cases since last Friday, a trend that experts warn is due to the rapid spread of the virus, not merely increased testing. Oklahoma, Nevada, Florida, California, South Carolina, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona all experienced record-highs in the past week. Ventilated COVID-19 patients in Arizona have reportedly quadrupled since stay-at-home orders ended on May 15, and the state is reportedly dangerously close to running out of hospital beds. Coronavirus cases are climbing in 20 states, and decreasing in 20 states plus Washington, D.C. Elsewhere, Brazil topped 1 million confirmed infections Friday following a single-day increase of more than 50,000. China recorded a drop in cases in Beijing after a recent outbreak. The World Health Organization said Friday the pandemic is “accelerating.” Source: The Associated Press

Details of China’s Hong Kong security legislation unveiled Chinese lawmakers signaled they’re likely to soon vote on — and pass — a new national security law for Hong Kong, details of which were unveiled Saturday. The legislation has caused concern among Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, as well as foreign powers like the United States, who believe it could effectively lead to Beijing’s domination of the autonomous city. Chinese state media reported the legislation includes a national security office for Hong Kong to collect intelligence and investigate crimes against national security and gives Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam the ability to appoint specific judges to hear national security cases. China says the draft aims to curb separatist activity, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, and will continue to protect freedom of speech and assembly. But skeptics believe it will be used to broadly suppress dissent. Source: Reuters

Judge rules Bolton can publish book U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on Saturday ruled that former National Security Adviser John Bolton can publish his forthcoming book The Room Where It Happened despite the Trump administration’s attempts to halt its release over concerns about exposing classified information. “For reasons that hardly need to be stated, the Court will not order a nationwide seizure and destruction of a political memoir,” Lamberth wrote. That said, Lamberth said Bolton “gambled with the national security of the United States” and exposed himself to civil and, potentially, criminal liability, indicating that he should have procured final approval from national intelligence authorities. Source: CNN

 

 

 

 

Saturday,  June 20th, 2020

Brazil’s Ministry of Health reports 54,771 new cases and that there are now 1,032,913 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, becoming the second country in the world, after the United States, to surpass one million cases. (BBC)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passes a resolution, the first since 2012, calling on Iran to open two of its nuclear sites to international inspectors. Iran strongly opposes the IAEA resolution, which it says was “based on false allegations” from Israel. (Middle East Eye)

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) says “sorry is not enough” from British financial institutions that benefited from the Atlantic slave trade, and demands repatriations from the United Kingdom. This comes after the Bank of England apologized for the “inexcusable connections” of some of its past governors and directors to slavery. (Reuters)

Health Minister Obadiah Moyo is arrested and accused of corruption in government procurement of around $60 million worth of medical equipment. (Reuters)

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announces the immediate termination of LMPD Officer Brett Hankison over violating departmental policy on the use of force against Breonna Taylor. Hankison is one of three officers involved in the shooting, and prior to the incident had previously been investigated and disciplined for alleged misconduct. (The Courier-Journal)

Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Tennessee pass the country’s toughest anti-abortion laws, banning the procedure from the moment of fetal heartbeat at around six weeks of pregnancy. Governor Bill Lee hails the law while several organizations say they plan to go to the courts over the issue. (Reuters)

Facebook removes a post condemning antifa by U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, stating the post’s symbol for the group was similar to the one used by the Nazis to identify political prisoners. (BBC)

The End