(2020-06-14). Economic revival, border openings & no tax hikes, Macron unveils his plans for post-Covid-19 France. rt.com 
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the next stage of easing coronavirus restrictions in a televised address, two weeks ahead of delayed local elections which do not look promising for his party. The president attempted to lighten the mood of his fellow citizens by telling them France enters the "Green Zone" — a lower state of alert over the epidemic — starting Monday. That means that Paris restaurants in particular can now operate as normal, he said. | "The fight against the epidemic is not finished but I am happy about this first victory against the virus," Macron stated. He also promise…
(2020-06-14). UN chief in 'support migrants' plea, as remittances drop by 20 per cent predicted. news.un.org Marking International Day of Family Remittances, The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has released a message appealing for "people everywhere" to support migrants, at a time when remittances — the money migrants send home to support their families — have fallen by more than $100 billion, causing hunger, lost schooling and deteriorating health, for tens of millions of families.
(2020-06-14). DoD Announces $250 Million To Ukraine. popularresistance.org The Department of Defense announced today its plans for $250 million in Fiscal Year 2020 Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds for additional training, equipment, and advisory efforts to strengthen Ukraine's capacity to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression. | This reaffirms the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine — a critical partner on the front line of strategic competition with Russia. The United States remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
(2020-06-13). If Farmworkers Are "Essential," Why Are They Treated So Badly? zcomm.org Over the course of U.S. history, farmworkers, although essential, have been terribly mistreated…
(2020-06-13). FROM THE FIELD: COVID-19 restrictions leave migrant workers stranded. news.un.org In countries across the world, tens of thousands of migrant workers are finding themselves stranded through travel restrictions, in the hope of curbing the spread of COVID-19.
(2020-06-13). Racial Justice Teach-in at Abolish ICE Camp in Aurora CO. unicornriot.ninja AURORA, CO — The encampment at the GEO Group's ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado, is hosting a teach-in about reparations and racial justice. The Black Hammer will be leading the event. Yesterday was the end of week three for the encampment which is demanding the…
(2020-06-13). Presence of PKK elements in Iran false claim: cmdr. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 13 (MNA) — IRGC Ground Forces Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour rejected the claim of a Turkish official regarding the presence of PKK elements in Iran and noted that the IRGC has ensured security on the borders.
(2020-06-13). UK backtracks — soft Brexit border controls with EU. truepublica.org.uk The United Kingdom will delay the introduction of border checks on imports from the European Union by as much as six months in a bid to avoid piling on the pain for British business and choking off vital food supplies. The UK government on Friday backtracked on plans to impose full border checks on EU imports on January …
(2020-06-12). Martin Gugino — The "Buffalo Protestor" And Our Friend. popularresistance.org Martin Gugino worked together in Witness Against Torture for years, a close-knit group dedicated to closing the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo and opposing torture. Our community is beside itself. | None of us is surprised that it was Martin meeting the police line in a posture of non-violence. Martin is gentle, principled, and undaunted. Allied with the Catholic Worker tradition, he is also deeply committed to a tapestry of causes, from fair housing to immigrant rights. Guiding his activism is belief in the sacred power of non-violent resistance to injustice. If that makes him an "agitator," as Buffalo's police…
(2020-06-12). EU warns COVID-19 health crisis not over yet, urges vigilance. yenisafak.com The public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in Europe is not over yet, the European Union's top health official warned on Friday, urging governments to remain vigilant and plough ahead with testing and tracing the population."This is not behind us yet. We need to be vigilant," EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EU health ministers in a videoconference, amid fears of a new surge in infections as EU states gradually reopen business and borders and after mass protests in recent days across the continent [ nL8N2DO589].
(2020-06-12). UNHCR urges Greece to investigate refugee pushbacks. yenisafak.com The UN Refugee Agency on Friday urged Greece to investigate multiple reports of pushbacks by Greek authorities at the country's sea and land borders, possibly returning migrants and asylum seekers to Turkey.UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said at a twice-weekly UN press briefing that allegations of people being turned back had increased since March.He said reports indicate that several groups of people may have been summarily returned after reaching Greek territory."UNHCR has continuously addressed its concerns with the Greek government and has called for urgent inquiries into a series of alleged incidents reported…
(2020-06-12). UK to introduce EU border controls in stages from 2021. yenisafak.com Britain said on Friday it would introduce border controls in stages on European Union goods after the end of the Brexit transition period, to try to soften the blow for companies already battling the coronavirus pandemic.Reversing an original plan to impose full border controls on imports coming into Britain from the EU from next year, the government said it would introduce the changes in stages up until July 1, 2021, giving firms more time to deal with paperwork.Companies have long called on the government to give them more clarity about what new border checks will be in force at the end of this year, when the s…
(2020-06-12). France Will Start Gradually Reopening Its Non-Schengen Borders on 1 July. sputniknews.com At the same time, travel restrictions will continue to be in place on a reciprocal basis at the borders with Spain and the United Kingdom – countries that have registered the highest numbers of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Europe.
(2020-06-12). 'This Is Cruel': DeVos Bars Certain Students, Including DACA Recipients, From Covid-19 Relief Funds. commondreams.org Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sparked outrage Thursday by doubling down on an April guidance that bars U.S. higher education institutions from giving any federal coronavirus relief funds to foreign, undocumented, and certain other students. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/devos-cpac_1.jpg …
(2020-06-11). Trump Proposes Changes to Asylum Rules That Stand to 'Practically Write the Refugee Definition Out of Existence'. commondreams.org "The Trump administration is doubling down on a xenophobic, anti-immigrant agenda while the president is fueling violence against Black and Brown people in our country with his racist, white supremacist rhetoric." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/asylum-changes-toughest.jpg …
(2020-06-11). Pandemic reveals worker exploitation in Texas meatpacking industry. liberationnews.org 
Across Texas, workers, many of them Black or immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America, have been forced back to work at job sites that are unsafe and even deadly…
(2020-06-11). Thousands march for Black lives in Dallas. fightbacknews.org Dallas, TX – On Saturday, June 6, about 5000 people rallied in 100-degree weather at Belo Garden Park across the street from the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas, to demand justice for victims of police violence, community control of the police, and the resignation of Renee Hall, the chief of the Dallas Police Department. | The protest was called by the Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DAARPR), Progressive Student Union at the University of Texas at Arlington American Muslims for Palestine Dallas, Migrante Texas, and Black Youth Project 100-Dallas. First the crowd heard spe…
(2020-06-11). Young maquiladora factory workers dying in droves in US/Mexico border towns. wsws.org Defying the myth that COVID-19 primarily kills the elderly, young people who work in US-owned maquiladora factories in border towns such as Tijuana and Juarez are dying at alarming rates.
(2020-06-11). Cherry season ensues in Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com Syrian civilians have started harvesting cherries in the Idlib de-escalation zone in the northwest of the country amid relatively secure environment since cease-fire agreement inked between Turkey and Russia on March 5.Idlib is home to hundreds of thousands of cherry trees.However, farmers returning to their homes after the cease-fire have been badly affected by skyrocketing fertilization, tree pruning, transportation and fuel prices."We suffered a lot during the migration period. We returned to our land after the cease-fire. We look forward to this month every year," Syrian farmer Haci Ahmet Muhammad told Anadol…
(2020-06-11). Iran, Iraq reach deal on building 354km highway: Minister. iranian.com Iran's minister of transportation says an initial deal has been reached with neighboring Iraq to build a long highway that would ease traffic across the border and would help boost trade between the two neighboring countries. Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday that the 354-kilometer highway would connect the city of Mehran on the western Iranian …