2020-06-28: News Headlines

_____ (2020-06-28). The Stonewall Riots Didn't Start The Gay Rights Movement. popularresistance.org Despite what you may hear during this year's fiftieth anniversary commemorations, Stonewall was not the spark that ignited the gay rights movement. The story is well known: A routine police raid of a mafia-owned gay bar in New York City sparked three nights of riots and, with them, the global gay rights movement. In fact it is conventional to date LGBTQ history into "before Stonewall" and "after Stonewall" periods—not just in the United States, but in Europe as well. British activists can join Stonewall UK, for example, while pride parades in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are called "Christopher Street…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Turkey criticizes US human trafficking report. yenisafak.com The Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) 2020 affirmed Turkey's efforts against human trafficking but expressed disappointment that the country had not moved a level up yet, according to a statement."Turkey is home to more than 4 million displaced people, and takes on more and more migrants each year, due to the instabilities and conflicts in our region. Despite that, Turkey is fighting human trafficking quite decisively," the Foreign Ministry said.It went on to say that Turkey has implemented related deals and laws, created awareness in the society on the matter, sought and protected victims, and brought criminal…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Armed gangs kill 12 in northwest Nigeria. yenisafak.com At least 12 people died Saturday in an armed attack in western Nigeria, according to local media.The deaths occurred when armed gangs attacked the Unguwar Yabo village in Zamfara state.The country's northwest sees occasional clashes between the herder Fulani people, one of the largest ethnic groups widely dispersed across West Africa, and neighboring sedentary tribes.The Fulani, who migrated to the south to graze animals, claim farmers have tried to steal their animals and attack their people.Armed groups sometimes take advantage of the conflicts and organize attacks.Nearly 2,000 people have lost their lives in t…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Thousands in western Myanmar flee as army plans operations, monitors say. yenisafak.com Thousands of villagers have fled their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine state after a local administrator warned dozens of village leaders that the army planned "clearance operations" against insurgents, a lawmaker and a humanitarian group said.But a government spokesman said late on Saturday an evacuation order issued by border-affairs officials had been revoked. Border affairs acknowledged issuing the order through the local administrator but said it affected fewer villages.The warning to the village leaders came in a letter written on Wednesday, which was seen by Reuters and verified by a state government minister,…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Turkey key player in humanitarian aid to Syria: UN. yenisafak.com The humanitarian situation in Syria remains alarming as it enters the 10th year of civil war, said a UN spokesman."There has been a reduction in fighting (in Syria), but that has not solved the problem for about 2.8 million people that are there who need our support. To help them, Turkey is a key player," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.Last month, 1,800 truckloads of aid crossed the border from Turkey to Idlib, northwestern Syria, Laerke noted.He said the country also helps the UN deliver aid in Syria.Laerk…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Turkish soldier martyred by terrorists in N.Iraq. yenisafak.com A Turkish soldier was martyred in a clash with terrorists in Operation Claw-Tiger zone in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish National Defense Ministry on Sunday.The ministry offered condolences to the family of the soldier and the Turkish nation.Turkey's operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were launched last week to ensure the safety of the Turkish people and borders by neutralizing the threat of the PKK and other terrorist groups, who often use northern Iraq to plan cross-border attacks.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, th…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-06-27). Trump Using Pandemic to Wage War on Immigrants and Separate Families. zcomm.org It looks like the president's goal is to make America white…

Donna Luca (2020-06-27). Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces (Book). nationofchange.org "This book explains what policies led to the militarization of America's police…it provokes genuine outrage at the misuse of state power in its most brutal and unaccountable form: heavily armed police raiding the homes of unarmed, non-violent suspects on the flimsiest of pretexts, and behaving more like an occupying army in hostile territory than guardians …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-27). Rights groups condemn harassment of journalists in Sri Lanka. peoplesdispatch.org Several international human rights groups released a statement on June 24, Wednesday, calling on the Sri Lankan government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stop the harassment and targeting of journalists in the country. The joint statement by Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, Reporters Without Border, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch demanded that the government ensure the safety of senior journalist

yenisafak (2020-06-27). EU holds off decision on borders, Americans set to be excluded. yenisafak.com European Union countries failed to settle on Friday on a final "safe list" of countries whose residents could travel to the bloc from July, with the United States, Brazil and Russia set to be excluded.Ambassadors from the 27 EU members convened from Friday afternoon to establish criteria for granting quarantine-free access from next Wednesday.A redrawn text of 10-20 countries was put to them, but many said they needed to consult first with their governments, diplomats said. The list did not include the United States, Brazil or Russia, one diplomat said.Discussions were continuing overnight, with the EU countries…

yenisafak (2020-06-27). 'Existing tensions surfacing in new China-India row'. yenisafak.com The recent clashes between China and India are a manifestation of long-standing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, according to an expert on South Asian geopolitics."The Himalayan border problem between Pakistan, India, and China is not a new issue — it goes back at least 70 years," Umit Alperen, a researcher and professor, said in an online discussion with Cemal Demir, head of the Istanbul-based South Asia Strategic Research Center (GASAM).China and India's military clash can be seen as the surfacing of a tension that has been there for some time, and an escalation accelerated by domestic, r…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-27). Iran accounts for 90% of global opium confiscation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 28 (MNA) — Commander of the Border Guard of the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran (NAJA) Second Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi said on Sat. that Iran accounts for 90% of global opium confiscation.

Pepe Eggers (2020-06-27). End of a Career. Obituary The "Swabian housewife" indybay.org The "Swabian housewife" dominated politics. Now she is buried by her inventors, of all people. | The state is not a business or a housewife but can borrow and become indebted to help present and future generations. | Systemic change, not climate change! Fight ignorance, not immigrants!

United We Dream & others (2020-06-27). Thursday 7/2: Tackling Anti-Blackness in Immigrant Communities Discussion w/ United We Dream. indybay.org Online…

RT (2020-06-26). Facebook bends the knee, agrees to censor Trump ads after mass advertiser boycott. rt.com Facebook will change its policies to ban "hate speech" in advertisements on the platform, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced, after activists brigaded a number of major corporations to pull their ads from the platform. | "I am committed to making sure Facebook remains a place where people can use their voice to discuss important issues," Zuckerberg said on Friday. "But I also stand against hate or anything that incites violences or suppresses voting, and we're committed to removing that content too, no matter where it comes from." | This will include ads critical of "immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seeker…

B. Prasant (2020-06-26). COVID-19 death march: India's migrant workers head home, heralding virus surge. peoplesworld.org DELHI—The thin emaciated woman lay on her back by the side of the highway that leads away from Delhi towards Kolkata. Her arms akimbo, her knees folded together and drawn up, her body barely covered in a torn-to-strips cloth that had once been a red saree. Her eyes drew attention because they were wide open—death …

RT (2020-06-26). 8,000km from home: WATCH Russian Su-30 intercept US spy planes over Black Sea. rt.com The Russian military has published video footage showing the moment a Su-30 fighter jet intercepted a group of US spy planes over the Black Sea on Friday. | The Aerospace Force scrambled a Su-30 to escort three American planes away from the nation's southern border, Russia's Ministry of Defence said in a statement to the media, adding that the incident unfolded over neutral waters. | The American planes were identified as a R-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, an RC-135 strategic reconnaissance jet, and a KC-135 refueling plane. The group immediately changed the direction of its flight away from the Russian borde…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-06-26). 'No One Is Above the Law': Federal Court Rules Trump Effort to Seize Pentagon Funds for Border Wall Is Illegal. commondreams.org "This ruling is a win for the rule of law, the environment, and border communities." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/border.wall__2.jpg

RT (2020-06-25). Bitcoin bolivars? Venezuela reportedly accepting crypto as payment for passport applications. rt.com Venezuela's passport service is accepting Bitcoin as payment for some applications, according to people using the online system. The move suggests an increased shift to alternative payment systems in the South American state. | A screenshot of a Bitcoin (BTC) payment prompt on Venezuela's Administrative Service for Identification, Migration and Foreigners (SAIME) was posted to

Anand Naidoo (2020-06-25). The Heat: U.S. immigration and DACA ruling. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Trump temporarily suspends new work visas, barring foreigners from seeking employment in the United States.

Samantha Ortega (2020-06-25). The U.S. Has always exploited immigrants during pandemics. nationofchange.org As our country continues to grapple with the coronavirus, we must ensure that the health of everyone, including migrants, is prioritized and protected.

yenisafak (2020-06-25). EU covering up Greek human rights violations, says Turkish spox. yenisafak.com Turkey on Thursday slammed remarks by Greek and EU officials critical of Ankara's handling of the migrant issue along its borders, calling them an attempt to whitewash Athens' human rights violations.The remarks this Wednesday by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell at the Turkish-Greek border show Greece's effort to cover up its crimes against asylum seekers under the EU umbrella, said Hami Aksoy, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman."The fact that the EU Commission is a partner to this is exemplary," Aksoy said.Aksoy cited the words of Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Euro…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). Global drug use soars 30% in 10 years: UN. yenisafak.com Around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, 30% more than in 2009, while over 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders, a UN report said on Thursday.The report released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna also analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the drugs markets.While the pandemic effects are not yet fully known, the report said that border and other restrictions linked to the pandemic have already caused shortages of drugs on the street, leading to increased prices and reduced purity.The report noted that rising unemployment and reduced opportunities caused by the pandemic a…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). At least 250 Indians stranded in Pakistan return home. yenisafak.com At least 250 Indian nationals stranded in Pakistan due to coronavirus restrictions were repatriated on Thursday.A total of 748 Indian nationals will return home over three days until June 27, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said in a statement.It said 250 more Indians will cross over from the Wagah-Attari land border near the northeastern city of Lahore on Friday, and the remaining 248 will go back on Saturday.The Indian citizens, some of them Kashmiri students studying in Pakistan, were stranded in different cities, including Lahore and the capital Islamabad, due to coronavirus-related lockdown.From March to May, P…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). India says China amassed troops along border in violation of agreements. yenisafak.com China has deployed large numbers of troops and weapons along a disputed Himalayan border in violation of bilateral agreements, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing Beijing of escalating tensions and triggering a deadly clash last week."At the heart of the matter is that since early May the Chinese side had been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC," ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a briefing in New Delhi, referring to the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border."This is not in accordance with the provisions of our various bilateral agreements," he said,…

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India, Pakistan Engage in Mortar Shelling, Firefight at Border. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India and Pakistan, at odds over Jammu and Kashmir since independence, have been accusing each other of constant ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC). While India claimed that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire over 2,000 times in 2020, Islamabad accused New Delhi of breaking the pact over 957 times.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). Two Terrorists Killed, 5 Members of Pakistan-Based Terror Group Lashkar-e-Taiba Arrested in Kashmir. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian security forces have been engaged in major counter-terror operations in the Kashmir Valley since April of this year. Security forces have eliminated more than 110 terrorists so far, with intelligence services claiming that infiltration attempts from the Pakistani border may witness a sharp increase this summer.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India Urges Russia to Deliver Igla-S Missile System ASAP Amid Border Tensions, Media Claims. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Media outlets earlier reported that Indian authorities have decided to "pressure" Russia into expediting the delivery of its S-400 air defence missile system to New Delhi amid the latter's ongoing border face-off with China.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India, China Swear Upon Past Agreements, New Confidence-Building Measures to Break Stand-off. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India and China have been in a border stand-off along the 4,057km long Line of Actual Control since the last week of April. The tensions between the neighbours escalated last week when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent face-off between the Indian Army and PLA.

Tony Cartalucci (2020-06-24). China vs India: Who Benefits? US Meddling. globalresearch.ca A recent border dispute between China and India have resulted in multiple casualties including deaths. It is the first time in decades that this scale of violence has been seen between the two nations. Western headlines have immediately tried to …

sputniknews (2020-06-24). India to Use Naval Helicopter to Kill Second Wave of Locusts Entering From Pakistan. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India has been witnessing the worst locust attack in decades this year. Farmers in border states have suffered heavy losses due to the damage inflicted by the migratory pests.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-24). Rouhani calls for expansion of border security cooperation with Pakistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 25 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed hope that Iran and Pakistan would expand cooperation in ensuring the security of common border areas.