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

Friday, June 19th, 2020

The total cases in Canada surpasses 100,000, with 8,266 deaths recorded. (Reuters)

The U.S. Supreme Court rules in a 5–4 decision that the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and reversed the order rescinding it. Chief Justice John Roberts casts the deciding vote, along with the four liberal Justices. (NPR)

Local sporting events, such as equestrianism, resume in the Gaza Strip today. With soccer, competitions will be played to empty audiences starting tomorrow. (Reuters)

Another 1.5 million Americans filed unemployment claims last week  The Labor Department on Thursday said 1.508 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, down from the 1.566 million jobless claims reported last week, and the 11th week of declines. Still, it was more claims than forecasted; a Dow Jones survey found economists were expecting 1.3 million claims. This is the 13th consecutive week with unemployment claims above one million; before the pandemic, the record for most claims in a week was 695,000. Thursday’s report also showed continuing claims declined to 20.5 million.”The continued influx of claims … is raising doubt among some economists that the U.S. will experience a rapid recovery,” Politico writes. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said even amid reopenings, “a full recovery is unlikely to occur until people are confident that it is safe to re-engage in a broad range of activities.” Source: The Associated Press

 

Thursday,  June 18th, 2020

The Oriel College governing body votes to remove a 109-year-old statue of Cecil Rhodes from the college grounds amid anti-racism protests. Campaigners say the statue is a symbol of racism and British imperialism. (BBC)

Paulinho Paiakan, leader of the indigenous Kayapo tribe, dies after being hospitalized with COVID-19 in Redenção, Brazil. (France 24)

Norway and Ireland win seats in the United Nations Security Council, joining new members India and Mexico. Canada, which was considered a favorite, and had strongly campaigned for a seat for four years on the council, fails to get enough votes. Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne says he is proud of the campaign but declines to comment on the reasons for their loss. (AP)

Former Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe is charged with murder and 10 other crimes in the death of Rayshard Brooks, who he shot twice in the back after he fled from an attempted DUI arrest after stealing his partner’s taser and firing it. His partner officer, Devin Brosnan, has been charged with aggravated assault and two other crimes in the case. (NPR)

 

The End

1429 – French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.

1684 – The charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is revoked via a scire facias writ issued by an English court.

1757 – Battle of Kolín between Prussian forces under Frederick the Great and an Austrian army under the command of Field Marshal Count Leopold Joseph von Daun in the Seven Years’ War.

1778 – American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia.

1812 – The United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.

1815 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.

1858 – Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.

1873 – Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

1940 – The “Finest Hour” speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.