Myanmar protesters take to streets, vowing continued demonstrations against military takeover. Myanmar has had its largest anti-coup protests yet, with young demonstrators taking to the streets to denounce the country's new military regime, despite a nationwide internet blackout aimed at stifling a growing chorus of popular dissent.
Key points: India’s Modi breaks silence on months-long farm law protests. 'She was deep into it': Ashli Babbitt, killed in Capitol riot, was devoted conspiracy theorist. In late December, the incoming vice-president, Kamala Harris, tweeted about her plans for the first hundred days of the Biden administration.
She promised “to ensure Americans mask up, distribute 100M shots, and get students safely back to school”. Among the thousands of responses was an angry tweet from a 35-year-old air force veteran in San Diego. “No the fuck you will not!” Ashli Babbitt replied to Harris. “No masks, no you, no Biden the kid raper, no vaccines...sit your fraudulent ass down…we the ppl bitch!” Babbitt wasn’t just tweeting. Babbitt was shot to death during Trump supporters’ chaotic invasion of the Capitol, officials said, while four other people, including a Capitol police officer, also died.
In the days since Babbitt and other Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on 6 January, forcing lawmakers to flee or hide, her social media has been scoured for insights into her radicalization. Her social media also showed posts skeptical of masks and public health measures. Trump Twitter: Republicans and Democrats split over freedom of speech. Twitter’s decision to permanently suspend Donald Trump’s account in the wake of the storming of Capitol Hill on Wednesday continues to stoke fierce debate, supporters and critics split on partisan lines as they contest what the suspension means for a cherished American tradition: freedom of speech.
Republicans – many using Twitter – decried Trump’s removal and claimed conservative beliefs and opinions are being censored. “Big Tech censoring [Trump] and the free speech of American citizens is on par with communist countries like China and North Korea,” tweeted Steve Daines, a senator from Montana. The president’s son Donald Trump Jr said: “Free speech is dead and controlled by leftist overlords.” Trump accepts US presidency transition to Biden must begin. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has dreams for a $700 billion megacity. This woman wants to stop him - ABC News. Alya Alhwaiti was Saudi Arabia's first female professional equestrian.
For seven years she competed at a professional level. But the determination she showed on horseback has seen her become an enemy to some powerful people in her beloved nation. Now she's living in London and risking her life to speak out against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi Government. US Women's March organisers urge women to vote for change at rallies across the country - ABC News. Thousands of mostly young women in masks have rallied in cities across the United States against President Donald Trump and his Supreme Court pick, Amy Coney Barrett.
Dozens of rallies were planned across the country from New York to San Francisco The marches were in opposition to Donald Trump and his policies, especially the push to fill the seat of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before election dayMore than 26 million Americans have already cast their ballots Protesters also urged voters to oppose Mr Trump and his fellow Republican candidates in the November 3 elections. Climate activists to argue they can break the law in order to save the planet. When 23-year-old Emma Dorge appears in court, she will be relying on a unique defence.
Key points: Four climate activists will plead not guilty, arguing that climate change poses an "extraordinary emergency"The defence has been used by activists successfully in other countries, but never in Australia The four were arrested during protests last month in Brisbane Charged with traffic offences for blocking Brisbane streets during a protest, she will argue she should be allowed to break the law because she is saving the planet.
"I'm pleading not guilty on the basis of the extraordinary emergency defence, which basically allows for people breaking the law in an extraordinary emergency," she told The Signal. "We're in the midst of a crisis and that's the climate crisis, we believe we've essentially been forced to break the law to avert a far more catastrophic outcome. " They'll be relying on the defence and hoping to set a new legal precedent. What did Emma do? The opposition in Belarus has faced a campaign of violence and threats from President Alexander Lukashenko. How did it get here? - ABC News. March on Washington: George Floyd family urge protesters to 'be his legacy' Media playback is unsupported on your device The sister of George Floyd, whose death in police custody sparked months of racial turmoil across the US, has urged civil rights protesters to "be his legacy" as thousands gathered for a rally in Washington DC.
"My brother cannot be a voice today," said Bridgett Floyd. "We have to be that voice, we have to be the change". Lebanon parliament approves sweeping powers for the army. Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanon's parliament has approved a state of emergency that grants sweeping powers to the army, citing the exceptional circumstances in the country following a massive explosion in Beirut last week.
The cabinet had declared a two-week state of emergency on August 5, the day after the Beirut blast that left at least 200 dead and some 6,000 injured. Parliament on Thursday voted for the emergency declaration eight days in, as is legally required, though it could have also voted it down. The state of emergency allows the army to curb free speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press, as well as to enter homes and arrest anyone deemed a security threat. Judicial proceedings are to take place in the country's military courts, which Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have shown do not conform to standards on due process. What is the Boogaloo movement? The internet group itching for another civil war. This week, federal prosecutors announced that they had charged Steven Carrillo with murder and attempted murder for the killing of Security Officer David Patrick Underwood outside a courthouse in Oakland, California, on May 29.
While the FBI claims Carrillo, a 32-year-old staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, is the gunman who "allegedly fired multiple rounds from a firearm toward the guard post" out the passenger side of a moving van, their allegations against Carrillo hint at an even darker layer of the drive-by shooting, involving the nebulous, ill-defined Boogaloo movement. Black Lives Matter statue removed just 24 hours after replacing slave trader monument. A statue of a Black Lives Matter protester that was erected in Bristol in place of a monument to 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston has been removed just 24 hours after it was put up.
The new statue, titled A Surge of Power, depicted protester Jen Reid raising her fist on the empty plinth after the monument to Colston, which had stood in the city since 1895, was toppled during a rally last month. Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid. The statue of slave trader Edward Colston was replaced in Bristol on Wednesday morning – with a sculpture of one of the protesters whose anger brought him down. The figure of Jen Reid, who was photographed standing on the plinth with her fist raised after the 17th-century merchant was toppled by Black Lives Matter demonstrators last month, was erected at dawn by a team directed by the artist Marc Quinn.
The ambush sculpture is likely to reignite the debate over public statuary in the UK that began with the toppling of the Colston figure five weeks ago. On Wednesday morning police said they had had no complaints and it was “a matter for Bristol city council”. 15-year-old girls are now being arrested in Hong Kong for waving pro-independence flags. On Tuesday, China imposed a controversial security law that critics say gives it sweeping new powers to suppress free speech in Hong Kong. Less than 24 hours later, the new legislation had led to its first arrests, including a 15-year-old girl waving a Hong Kong independence flag, police say. She was one of 10 people arrested by police under the new law during a rally on Wednesday marking the 23rd anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China.
Earlier in the day, the Hong Kong Police Force wasted no time in announcing the first arrest made under the new law: a man at the rally who unfurled a flag bearing the phrase “Hong Kong independence". But as Twitter users pointed out, a closer look at the banner shows there were also characters that translate to “no to” in small print in front of the slogan. It was not clear if authorities were aware of this. Police accuse those who were detained of possessing independence flags, stickers and flyers. Share. I’m a Direct Descendant of Thomas Jefferson. Take Down His Memorial. When my brother Frank and I were boys visiting our grandparents at their home in Virginia, just outside of Washington, we used to heckle our grandmother until she would drive us into town so we could visit the Smithsonian museum on the Mall. As we crossed the Potomac River on the 14th Street Bridge, the Jefferson Memorial stood off to the left, overlooking the Tidal Basin.
I don’t remember ever visiting the memorial, even though it was just a short walk from the museums. Fourth of July: Trump vows to defeat 'radical left' in Independence Day speech. Media playback is unsupported on your device US President Donald Trump has used an Independence Day address to vow to defeat the "radical left" as civil rights protests sweep the country. Striking a combative tone, Mr Trump said he would "fight... to preserve American way of life" while railing at "mobs" targeting historical monuments. Ahead of his speech, Black Lives Matter protesters gathered nearby. In contrast, Mr Trump's election rival Joe Biden said everyone deserved "a full share of the American dream".
Jeyaraj and Beniks: Indian deaths in custody spark national debate about police brutality - ABC News. Australia had its own George Floyd moment, only it passed without international outrage - ABC News. Statue of US slavery advocate taken down in South Carolina. Several hundred people gathered in Marion Square, in the historic South Carolina city of Charleston, early Wednesday to watch the removal of a statue of former United States vice president and slavery advocate John C Calhoun.
Officials voted unanimously on Tuesday to remove the statue from the downtown square, the latest in a wave of actions arising from protests against racism and police brutality against African Americans. It's sunrise in Charleston, where work continues on removing this statue of John C. Calhoun, a former vice president & South Carolina native who strongly advocated for slavery. We’ve been out here all night, since crews began moving equipment into the square at around midnight. pic.twitter.com/asmPLwczcR — Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) June 24, 2020.
Juneteenth: A call for progress and national recognition. Oxford college backs removal of Cecil Rhodes statue. For my Meme Posting Friend. To my friend who posted All Lives Matter-type memes. I spent this morning making you something that I hope helps you. I didn’t feel like engaging in a Facebook tit for tat – I didn’t feel like the tension it brings, I didn’t want to drag this out into the open for everyone to scrutinise and generate an arena for nasty judgmental commentary. I want to encourage you to think differently. Will the death of George Floyd at the hands of white police officer Derek Chauvin mark a turning point in the US? - ABC News. Australia had its own George Floyd moment, only it passed without international outrage - ABC News. Black Lives Matter rallies held across Australia to protest against mistreatment and deaths of Indigenous people - ABC News. Actor Meyne Wyatt supports Black Lives Matter with powerful monologue on racism on Q+A - ABC News.
Buffalo police riot squad quit to back officers who shoved man. Media playback is unsupported on your device An entire tactical unit of a US police department has quit after two officers accused of brutality were sent on unpaid leave, reports local media. People who attend protests over the weekend are ‘certifiably insane’, says NSW Police Minister. The NSW police minister has condemned anyone planning to attend Australian Black Lives Matter protests this weekend in solidarity with those taking place in the United States, describing them as “nuts” and not “of sound mind”. Protests against police brutality and Indigenous deaths in custody are planned in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Melbourne on Saturday, and Canberra on Friday, with 10,000 people marked as attending on the NSW Facebook event and another 18,000 in Victoria.
US protesters stand their ground on seventh day of unrest as Donald Trump vows to deploy military. Donald Trump's Bible photo opportunity during the George Floyd protests could cost him - ABC News. How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change. In Pictures: Confederate symbols torn down amid US race protests. Mapping US police killings of Black Americans. Between 2013 and 2019, police in the United States killed 7,666 people, according to data compiled by Mapping Police Violence, a research and advocacy group.
On May 25, 2020 at 9:25pm (02:25 GMT, May 26), George Floyd, a 46-year-old resident of Minnesota, became yet another victim of police brutality as he was killed in police custody while unarmed. Floyd's death has prompted thousands of protesters to march in cities around the country demanding justice and an end to police violence. George Floyd protest updates: Arrests across America approaching 10,000. The death of George Floyd, a black man who died on Memorial Day after he was pinned down by a white Minnesota police officer, has sparked outrage and protests in Minneapolis and across the United States. Manslaughter and third-degree murder charges have been filed against Derek Chauvin, the officer who prosecutors say held his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
George Floyd's death and Minneapolis protests highlight systemic racism in the US - ABC News. Coronavirus anti-lockdown movement surges in the US after Donald Trump's 'Liberate' tweet - ABC News. Donald Trump threatens Twitter after fact-checks on claims about mail-in ballots - ABC News. Police fire tear gas in Hong Kong as hundreds protest against proposed national security laws - ABC News. Pauline Hanson's 'all lives matter' motion overwhelmingly defeated in the Senate. Trump says chokeholds sound 'innocent and perfect' and compares himself to Lincoln. Boris Johnson says removing statues is 'to lie about our history' Boris Johnson condemns 'racist thuggery' of rightwing protesters in London.
Riot police fire teargas on anti-racism protesters in Paris. Man urinates next to PC Keith Palmer memorial during far right protest.