LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

Saturday, May 30, 2020

Mass Protests Erupted Friday Night In Minneapolis, New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Oakland, Los Angeles, And More

George Floyd died on Monday after police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground in a neck chokehold until he died. On Friday, Chauvin was arrested and charged with murder. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home by police on March 13.

ByAmber Jamieson,

There Were Massive Protests Around The Country For A Second Night In Response To The Killings Of George Floyd And Breonna Taylor

Thousands took to the streets in Minneapolis, New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Oakland, Los Angeles, and more.

Last updated on May 30, 2020

Josh Edelson / Getty Images Oakland on Friday night

Mass protests erupted across the nation for a second night on Friday, with thousands taking to the streets to protest police brutality in response to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Floyd, 46, died on Monday, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground in a neck chokehold until he died. On Friday, Chauvin was arrested and charged with murder.

In Louisville, Kentucky, demonstrators gathered to protest the death of Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman who was fatally shot in her home by police officers on March 13.

For days, heated protests have taken place in Minneapolis, but they have since expanded nationwide — even amid a lethal pandemic. The protests reflect the nation's outrage that, at the very least, even years after the start of the Black Lives Matter movement, after social media gave rise to widely-recorded police brutality, after repeated calls to reform how law enforcement treat people of different socioeconomic backgrounds, unarmed and innocent black people are still being killed by the people who are supposed to protect society.

“I’m tired,” Salamah Patrick, 27, told BuzzFeed at a protest in Brooklyn. “I’m tired of cops killing us and nothing being done.”

“Mass shootings have gone down" during the pandemic," she said, "but police brutality hasn’t.”

By Saturday morning, the most heated protests were in Minneapolis.

Gov. Tim Walz said that despite bringing in 500 National Guard troops, “We do not have the numbers."

“We cannot arrest people when we are trying to hold ground,” he added.

Walz authorized the full mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard for the first time since WWII, with 2,500 soldiers and airmen scheduled to be mobilized by noon Saturday.

The Pentagon has also put active units of military police on alert so that they might deploy to Minneapolis, the Associated Press reported.

City and state officials condemned the actions of some of the Minneapolis protesters in a press conference Saturday morning.

“This is no longer about protesting, this is no longer about verbal expression, this is about violence, and we need to make sure that it stops," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

Officials criticized protesters for vandalism and throwing improvised explosive devices at law enforcement, and said protesters could expect to see the National Guard "in lockstep" with state, county, and local law enforcement Saturday.

Walz and other officials initially claimed that all protesters arrested in Minneapolis Friday night were from out of state. Walz backtracked slightly when pressed by reporters, saying 20% of those arrested were Minnesotans and 80% were from out of state.

There were about 20 arrests made Friday night by St. Paul police, about half of which were for burglary, and about 20 arrests were made by Minneapolis police, mostly for curfew violations and destruction of property, law enforcement said.

He also said that they would be releasing the identities of those arrested.

"If you know someone was down there protesting, help us, call them in. They're not from Minneapolis," Walz said.

Scott Olson / Getty Images Minneapolis on Friday night.

In Washington DC, the White House was briefly placed on lockdown as protesters and police clashed outside.

And there were sprawling protests across Brooklyn. Thousands of people began in Manhattan, then marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to join a Black Lives Matter protest outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

"Take your anger out on those who hold the power, wherever it may reside," New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a press conference earlier in the day as he called for peaceful demonstrations. Later in the evening, after hundreds of NYPD officers were deployed and they repeatedly clashed with protesters, he went to Brooklyn to speak to the police commissioner.

Jon Campbell @j0ncampbell

A lot just popped off at the protest for George Floyd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Pepper spray, batons, and several arrests.11:38 PM - 29 May 2020
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As the night wore, police started arresting protesters who did not disperse or follow orders, using city buses to hold them — even as some drivers refused to transport them.

Amber Jamieson @ambiej

More arrests, police piling them into city buses. A female protester was just wheeled away on a guerney by paramedics, unclear what happened to her.01:00 AM - 30 May 2020
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Outside the Barclays Center arena, protesters chanted, “Say his name, George Floyd” and “I can’t breathe.”

Protesters took aim at the 88th Precinct in Brooklyn, as the NYPD sent reinforcements. A few blocks away, a police van was set ablaze.

Myles N. Miller @MylesMill

Fully involved here.02:02 AM - 30 May 2020
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Assemblywoman Diana Richardson told WNYC she was pepper sprayed by the NYPD, while other videos showed officers calling another protester a "stupid fucking bitch" and shoving her to the ground.

In Detroit, a 19-year-old man was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting during a protest against police brutality, the Free Press reported.

In Minneapolis, protesters defied the attempted curfew and police, at least early on, took a largely hands-off approach. Many walked through downtown and on expressways.

Danny Spewak @DannySpewak

Demonstrations have moved to the highway. Here’s a look at I-35W South just outside of downtown Minneapolis: @kare1102:18 AM - 30 May 2020
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Walz had set an 8 p.m. curfew earlier in the day, saying "unlawful and dangerous actions of others, under the cover of darkness, has caused irreversible pain and damage to our community."

But roughly two hours past the curfew, police officers and the National Guard had yet to move in as protesters marched on the streets and freeway ramps.

John Minchillo / AP
People attempt to extinguish cars on fire on May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis.

In Louisville, hundreds had gathered outside City Hall demanding justice for Taylor's death in what was initially a peaceful demonstration. But as the night wore on, there were clashes with police trying to disperse the crowds. Police in riot gear reportedly set off gas and fired pepper balls, prompting demonstrators to flee.

Will Clark @WClark840WHAS

Tear gas and flash bangs at 5th and Jefferson. @KYNewsNet @840WHAS @TalkRadio1080 #Louisville02:07 AM - 30 May 2020
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At one point, police appeared to fire projectiles at a reporter for local news station Wave 3, Kaitlin Rust. The confrontation unfolded during a live news segment, with Rust yelling "I'm getting shot, I'm getting..." A few moments later she the tells the news anchors they appeared to be pepper bullets aimed "directly at us."

Timothy Burke @bubbaprog

Police literally opening fire on the free press.02:09 AM - 30 May 2020
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A Louisville Metro Police spokesperson told the station officers do not use rubber bullets, and that they were likely pepper balls.

Another confrontation between police and journalists occurred earlier Friday when a black CNN reporter and two members of his team were arrested live on air in Minneapolis. Walz later apologized to CNN president Jeff Zucker, saying he "accepts full responsibility" and later had the team released.

In Atlanta, protesters focused on the CNN building, breaking glass as they hurled items from the street. Police also threatened to arrest protesters if they didn't leave the street as they threw bottles and other items at officers.

Fernando Alfonso III @fernalfonso

Glass getting broken outside the main entrance to CNN's Atlanta headquarters; protesters cheer11:32 PM - 29 May 2020
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The violence and vandalism prompted a strong rebuke from the city's mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, who told protesters were "disgracing our city.”

“You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country," she said. "We are better than this. We are better than this as a city."

CNN Tonight @CNNTonight

"If you care about this city then go home." Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was visibly angry at a news conference during the Atlanta protests on Friday https://t.co/RyApQwICJx02:33 AM - 30 May 2020
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced late Friday night that at the request of Bottoms, he was issuing a state of emergency for Fulton County to activate as many as 500 National Guard troops to assist local law enforcement.

Noah Berger / AP
Demonstrators march in Oakland, on May 29, 2020.

Clashes with police also erupted in Oakland, California, after protesters were told to disperse. Flash bangs and tear gas were eventually deployed, prompting demonstrators to flee.

Caroline O'Donovan @ceodonovan

Huge crowd of people just ran from what is definitely tear gas in downtown oakland after half a dozen flash bangs went off in a crowd04:35 AM - 30 May 2020
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Vandalism also broke out, with some protesters smashing out windows of businesses. A Walgreens was also briefly set ablaze as looters pillaged the store.

Earlier in the evening when protesters were peacefully marching through city streets, Raje Lee told BuzzFeed News she had just heard that Floyd and the ex-officer who put him in a knee chokehold had previously worked together providing security at a local bar for years.

"Saying it was accidental is total bullshit," she said. "You sat there with your knee on someone's trachea and you didn't think they're gonna die?"

Caroline O'Donovan @ceodonovan

In Oakland, just asked this man, Gerraci, how he decided to come out tn: “How could you not want to support something like this? We have the ‘rona in here but we out here dying. We dying both ways, and we can do something about one more than the other one.”03:37 AM - 30 May 2020
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Later in the evening, flash bangs were set off, prompting some demonstrators to leave the area.

In Houston, violence broke out between pockets of protesters who got into heated arguments.

Jay R. Jordan @JayRJordan

Violence erupts during a Black Lives Matter protest over #GeorgeFloyd's death as BLM Houston founder @AshtonPWoods appears to punch a man yelling at him. Now, protestors are attempting to rush I-45 near downtown #Houston https://t.co/Da51yUbigQ09:36 PM - 29 May 2020
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Violence also broke out in San Jose, California, as demonstrators blocked Highway 101, with one protester bashing a driver's window while crossing.

Kristofer Noceda @krisnoceda

Some protesters seen smashing vehicle windows. The protest over George Floyd's death has shut down a portion SB Hwy. 101 in San Jose. https://t.co/GssAT2zqJ611:01 PM - 29 May 2020
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And in Los Angeles, dozens of protesters were arrested after police ordered the downtown area locked down and they refused dispersal orders.

Jae C. Hong / AP
Police officers arrest a man during a protest in Los Angeles.

One LAPD officer was reportedly hurt during clashes with protesters, who smashed windows and vandalized several police vehicles. At one point, demonstrators temporarily blocked traffic on a portion of the 110 Freeway.

As in other cities where large demonstrations took place, businesses were also looted and vandalized.

Police eventually surrounded protesters who remained late Friday for mass arrests in front of City Hall.

Ruben Vives @LATvives

Police asking people to sit down so they can be peacefully arrested. “Don’t resist”. This is in front of city hall. #DowntownLA05:14 AM - 30 May 2020
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Amber Jamieson reported from New York City, and Caroline O'Donovan reported from Oakland.

MORE ON THIS
We're Keeping A Running List Of Hoaxes And Misleading Posts About The Minneapolis ProtestsJane Lytvynenko · May 29, 2020

The Minneapolis Police Officer Who Used A Knee Chokehold On George Floyd Has Been Charged With MurderSalvador Hernandez · May 29, 2020

Amber Jamieson is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Amber Jamieson

Caroline O'Donovan is a senior technology reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in San Francisco.
Contact Caroline O'Donovan

Singapore otters' lockdown antics spark backlash

AFP / Roslan RAHMAN

There are estimated to be about 90 otters in Singapore, making up 10 families, and appearances at popular tourist sites around the city-state's downtown waterfront had transformed them into local celebrities

Singapore's otters, long adored by the city-state's nature lovers, are popping up in unexpected places during the coronavirus lockdown but their antics have angered some and even sparked calls for a cull.

With the streets empty, the creatures have been spotted hanging out by a shopping centre, scampering through the lobby of a hospital and even feasting on pricey fish stolen from a pond.

While many think of tiny Singapore as a densely populated concrete jungle, it is also relatively green for a busy Asian city, and has patches of rainforest, fairly clean waterways and abundant wildlife.

There are estimated to be about 90 otters in Singapore, making up 10 families, and appearances at popular tourist sites around the city-state's downtown waterfront have transformed them into local celebrities.

AFP / Roslan RAHMAN

While many think of Singapore as a densely populated concrete jungle, it is also relatively green and has patches of rainforest, fairly clean waterways and abundant wildlife
They featured in a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, are tracked avidly by the local media -- and have been spotted more frequently since people were asked to stay home and workplaces closed in April to fight the virus.

"When there's restriction of movement, there's less vehicles and there's less people, so the urban space opens up," said N. Sivasothi, a biologist at the National University of Singapore known as "Otterman" due to his work on the animals.

But their newfound freedoms appear to have emboldened the otters, and they are now facing a backlash.

- 'More daring' -

The most high-profile incident was a raid on a pond at a spa shuttered due to the pandemic. The creatures gobbled several fish including an arowana, a prized species that can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Actress-turned-entrepreneur Jazreel Low, who owns the spa, posted pictures on Facebook of fish parts scattered around the pond and lamented a "massacre".

"They probably realised that there was nobody there and became more daring," Low told entertainment news website 8 DAYS.

AFP / Roslan RAHMAN

With the streets empty, the creatures have been spotted hanging out by a shopping centre, scampering through the lobby of a hospital and even feasting on pricey fish stolen from a pond

The case sparked a debate about whether more should be done to stop otters rampaging through the city, with a widely discussed letter in a local newspaper calling for air horns and rubber bullets to be used as deterrents.

"Wild boars have never been encouraged to enter urban areas, neither should otters be just because they look cute," wrote Ong Junkai in the correspondence to the Straits Times, which triggered calls from some for a cull.

In other incidents, a video showed a group charging into the lobby of a children's hospital before being shooed away, and the creatures were also filmed frolicking in the empty streets outside a popular shopping centre.

The otters' more frequent forays onto the streets of Singapore are part of a global trend triggered by virus lockdowns, with animals increasingly slipping cover to explore the streets of some of the world's biggest cities.

- 'Coexist and thrive' -

Still, otter experts believe the anger is an overreaction and that the creatures are likely just enjoying the extra freedom to venture to new places.

NUS's Sivasothi criticised calls for a cull as "quite an uneducated response", and said such a move would be ineffective.

AFP / Roslan RAHMAN

Fans say people should celebrate the return of an animal that was driven out of Singapore by coastal development and water pollution around the 1970s, and only started reappearing in the 1990s as waterways were cleaned

He also said many recent sightings were likely of the same family of smooth-coated otters, which have been searching for a new home along the city's rivers. Most of Singapore's otters are the smooth-coated variety, classified as "vulnerable".

Fans believe people should be celebrating the return of an animal that was driven out of Singapore by coastal development and water pollution around the 1970s, and only started reappearing in the 1990s as waterways were cleaned.

"I simply don't understand anyone who could not like them. They are really cute," said Pam Wong, a 35-year-old Singaporean.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong weighed in on the debate Friday, posting a photo he took of otters before the lockdown on his Facebook account.

"Rather than being focused on protecting 'territory', we must find ways to coexist and thrive with our local flora and fauna," he wrote.

Violence divides protesters, as 'chaos' grips Minneapolis

AFP / Chandan KHANNAUn manifestant devant un bâtiment incendie dans la ville américaine de Minneapolis dans la nuit du 29 au 30 mai 2020

Flames light up the skyline and the smell of acrid smoke fills the streets in a Minneapolis neighborhood rocked by protest, a few hundred meters from a besieged police station.

"The real reason we're here is because the police keep killing black folk all around the United States," says a young African American man who declined to be named.

His face covered by a mask -- whether because of the coronavirus or to protect against tear gas it's not clear -- he says he came to protest peacefully on Friday with friends, despite a curfew imposed after three nights of rioting.

And as flames from a bank lick upwards nearby, the young man explains the anger seething across the country since the death of George Floyd on Monday at the hands of an officer who pinned him to the ground handcuffed and knelt on his neck for more than five minutes.

"We're in 2020 and we're dealing with the same problem that we were dealing with in the 60s... it looks like Minneapolis finally reached that breaking point"

"George Floyd isn't the first," adds Jerry, 29, who is white. "What are you supposed to do, just sit back and take it?"

More than a thousand people died after being shot by police last year in the US, according to The Washington Post. Black people are overrepresented in police shootings and condemnation is rare.

In Floyd's case, the officer shown kneeling on his neck in footage of the incident was charged Friday with third degree murder -- unintentionally causing a death -- and negligent manslaughter.

Floyd's family wants the other three officers at the scene to be charged as well.

- 'Making it worse' -

In Minneapolis Friday night, helicopters flew overhead as protesters faced off against police and explosions echoed through the streets.

"It's scary but necessary at the same time," says one young student, "sometimes things need to get bad before getting better."

Others, however, are not so sure: "They are making it worse, they give them (the police) a reason to shoot us", says thirty-four-year-old Phae, a black woman who lives nearby and is clearly exhausted.

"I sympathized completely but I don't want to lose all my stuff," says a young woman who lives above a barricaded shop and is scared it could be set on fire.

The local authorities were conciliatory in the first days of the protests, but have since called in the National Guard and stiffened their tone.

"There is no honor in burning down your city," said the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, at an improvised news conference held shortly after midnight. "It needs to stop."

Some of the shops gutted by fire are owned by black families, added Minnesota Governor Tim Walz: "This is not about George's death. This is not about inequities that were real. This is about chaos."

Afghan reporter killed as govt says ready for Taliban dialogue

AFP / STRA member of the Afghan security forces investigates a damaged vehicle that had been carrying employees of Khurshid TV when it was targeted by a bomb in Kabul on May 30,2020 A roadside bomb killed a television journalist in Kabul on May 30, soon after a top Afghan official appointed to lead peace talks with the Taliban said his team was ready for the long-delayed dialogue.

A roadside bomb killed a television journalist in Kabul on Saturday, soon after a top Afghan official appointed to lead peace talks with the Taliban said his team was ready for the long-delayed dialogue.

The insurgents denied responsibility for the blast, which targeted a minibus carrying 15 employees of private television channel Khurshid TV.

The explosion, which claimed the lives of a reporter and a driver, punctuated an overall reduction in violence that has followed on from a three-day ceasefire the Taliban instigated May 24.

Just hours before the blast, Afghanistan's former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, who has been appointed to head talks with the Taliban, said his team was positioned to start dialogue.

Abdullah credited the general lull in violence for setting the tone for discussions.

"The ceasefire, a reduction in violence and the exchange of prisoners have all paved the way for a good beginning," Abdullah said at his first press conference since taking on the role.

AFP / HOSHANG HASHIMIJust hours before the bomb blast killed a TV journalist in central Kabul, Afghanistan's former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said his team was positioned to start dialogue with the Taliban

"The negotiating team is ready to begin the talks at any moment," he said.

However, he insisted on a fresh ceasefire during the talks.

No group claimed responsibility for Saturday's bombing in central Kabul.

Khurshid TV's news director Jawed Farhad confirmed the attack, which left the station's white minibus with extensive damage to its front end.

"The target of the blast was the vehicle of Khurshid private TV," the interior ministry said in a statement.

It was the second such attack targeting Khurshid employees in less than a year.

In August 2019, two passers-by were killed when a "sticky bomb" -- a type of homemade explosive attached to vehicles with magnets -- struck a similar Khurshid TV van in an unclaimed attack.

Afghanistan is one of the world's deadliest places for journalists, who face many risks covering the country's long conflict and who have sometimes been targeted for doing their job.

In a statement, the government said it condemned Saturday's "heinous" attack.

- 'All on the same page' -

AFP/File / WAKIL KOHSARTaliban prisoners during their release from Bagram prison, next to the US military base in Bagram, north of Kabul, in a photo published May 27, 2020. Prisoner releases on both sides have contributed towards goodwill ahead of hoped-for peace talks

Afghanistan's truce ended Tuesday night but violence since then has stayed relatively low, though government security forces have suffered some attacks that authorities blamed on the Taliban.

The ceasefire and general drop in violence has injected hope into Afghanistan's peace process, which had earlier this month looked to be on the verge of collapse because of soaring Taliban violence after they signed a deal with the US in February.

Peace talks were initially scheduled to begin on March 10.

Momentum has also built thanks to the government's release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners in recent weeks, as part of a swap that has also seen the militants free government security force captives.

Late Saturday, Afghanistan's National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said the government had freed another 710 Talban prisoners since Friday in an ongoing process that would fulfil its promise to release 2,000 insurgents in response to the Taliban ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump's administration has made it a priority to end America's longest war and withdraw all troops by next May. US officials have pushed the Taliban and government leaders to hold peace talks.

Abdullah was appointed to lead the process after he ended his bitter political feud with President Ashraf Ghani earlier this month.

He had announced himself as a rival president after rejecting the result of the September election, which incumbent Ghani eventually won amid fraud claims.

With the end of the dispute, the Afghan government appeared unified in terms of the peace process, a member of Abdullah's negotiating team said.

"Now we all are united, all on the same page on the question of peace," Matin Bek, a senior government official, told AFP.

Backlash against Trump exiting WHO as virus grips Latin America

TRUMP IS SOCIOPATHIC ANTI-UN

FOLLOWER OF JOHN BIRCH***

AFP / MANDEL NGANUS President Donald Trump has sparked a backlash by cutting ties with the World Health Organization during a pandemic

US President Donald Trump faced a broad backlash on Saturday over severing ties with the UN's health agency during a pandemic, as the coronavirus surged in Latin America while Europe further reopened from lockdown.

The EU called on Washington to reconsider its decision to permanently cut funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the pandemic, which has devastated the global economy, infected nearly six million people and killed more than 364,000.

"Now is the time for enhanced cooperation and common solutions," the European Union said in a statement, adding: "Actions that weaken international results must be avoided."

AFP / BERTRAND GUAYPeople enjoy the sun in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris after the French capital reopened parks for the first in months

Trump initially suspended funding to the WHO last month, accusing it of not doing enough to curb the early spread of the virus and being too lenient with China, where COVID-19 emerged late last year.

On Friday he made that decision permanent in a major blow for the agency's finances, as the US is by far its biggest contributor, supplying $400 million last year.

Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn said the "disappointing" decision was a setback for global health, while Chancellor Angela Merkel declined to attend an in-person G7 summit that Trump had suggested he would host.

Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet medical journal, said it was "madness and terrifying both at the same time".

AFP / Simon MALFATTOA world map showing the official number of coronavirus deaths per country

"The US government has gone rogue at a time of humanitarian emergency."

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University and WHO collaborator, questioned Trump's ability to withdraw from the agency without the approval of US Congress, saying the threat was "unlawful, reckless and dangerous".

- 'People going hungry' -

Trump's announcement comes at a delicate time in the fight against the virus, which is progressing at different speeds across the globe.

There has been pressure in many countries -- including protests attended by hundreds in Rome and Milan on Saturday -- to lift crippling lockdowns, despite a vaccine remaining elusive and experts warning of a possible second wave of infections.

AFP / PATRICK HERTZOGA waiter measures the distance between tables at a Strasbourg restaurant, as France eases its virus measures

India said Saturday it would begin relaxing the world's biggest lockdown in stages from early June, even as it marked another record daily rise in infections.

Iran meanwhile announced that collective prayers would resume in mosques, despite infections ticking back upwards in the Middle East's hardest-hit country.

Infection numbers have been falling in many of Europe's most affected countries, which are pushing to restart their economies.

Italy's iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened on Saturday, while parks and the famed Galeries Lafayette department store flung open their doors in Paris.

But countries in Latin America are bracing for difficult weeks ahead, especially Brazil, where the death toll shot up by 1,124 on Friday and there was a record number of new infections.

AFP / CARL DE SOUZACemetery workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the the epicenter of the South American coronavirus outbreak

The poor have been hit particularly hard in Brazil, which now has the second highest number of cases in the world after the US.

"In 26 years, I've never seen so many people living in fear, so many people going hungry," said Alcione Albanesi, founder of charity Amigos do Bem, which distributes supplies to communities in the impoverished Sertao region of Brazil's northeast.

Chile also logged another record daily number of deaths, while Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou entered quarantine after attending a meeting with an official who tested positive.

- Culture, sport start to resume -

A world away, the Chenonceau chateau opened in central France ahead of Parisians being allowed to travel beyond a 100-kilometres (60 miles) from home on Tuesday, when the country will further ease measures.

"It's her first chateau," grinned Lucile Daron Van Gennep, whose eight-month-old daughter was strapped to her front.

AFP / Vincenzo PINTOPolice in Rome face down protesters demonstrating against lockdown measures imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus

In Austria, hotels and cinemas were allowed to take in customers, provided masks were worn.

"It is very important that things return to normal, because I am a person who lives alone and is very interested in culture," film buff Rotraud Turanitz said at Vienna's Admiral Kino cinema.

Hotels and shopping centres in Ukraine's capital Kiev also reopened.

Across the Atlantic, the US capital Washington DC resumed outdoor dining, while Los Angeles restaurants and hair salons also reopened.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state was on track to begin reopening in the week of June 8, even as the death toll in the US spiked by 1,225 on Friday.

AFP/File / JORGE GUERRERONo monkeying around: Tourists in Gibraltar have been banned from touching the enclave's famous Barbary macaques

Global sport has also started to rev back into action, with Austria announcing it will host the Formula One's delayed season-opener on July 5, while the NBA said it was eyeing a July 31 return.

Britain approved the return of domestic competitive sport and South Africa gave a provisional green light for training to resume.

- Economies shattered -

AFP / Roslan RAHMANThis is my park: Singapore's adored otters have been reclaiming unexpected places during the city-state's lockdown

The economic damage from weeks of lockdowns continues to pile up, with Chile and Peru securing credit lines worth billions from the IMF.

India's economy grew at its slowest pace in two decades in the first quarter, while Canada, Brazil, France and Italy also saw their GDP figures shrink ahead of an expected worldwide recession.

Even the animal world has not been left untouched -- though that's exactly what authorities in Gibraltar want, banning tourists from touching the tiny British enclave's famous Barbary macaques over fears they could spread coronavirus.

Singapore's much-loved otters meanwhile have been popping up in unexpected places during the city-state's lockdown, but their increasingly daring antics have angered some and even sparked calls for a cull.

"I simply don't understand anyone who could not like them. They are really cute," said 35-year-old Singaporean Pam Wong.

burs-dl/har

***Get US Out! of the UN – The John Birch Society

https://www.jbs.org › get-us-out-of-the-united-nations

The two patriots who voted against ratifying the Charter and UN membership were Senators Henrik Shipstead (R-Minn.) and William Langer (R-N.D.).

Minnesota mobilizes more troops as governor warns of harsh crackdown after riots

AFP / CHANDAN KHANNACars were set on fire in Minneapolis during demonstrations against the death in police custody of unarmed African American George Floyd

Minnesota's governor called up more national guard troops Saturday and warned they would "decimate" rioters after a fresh night of violence in Minneapolis overwhelmed law enforcement and protests against police brutality spread across America.

Officials in more than a dozen cities braced for more unrest as the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police hands this week sparked outrage over police mistreatment of African Americans.

It was one of the worst nights of civil unrest in the United States in decades.

AFP / Kerem YucelProtestors sit in front of a row of police officers during a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota over the police killing of African American George Floyd

Police cars and other property were set alight and destroyed in New York, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere, and protestors shouted and chanted for hours outside the White House in Washington, as President Donald Trump sat inside.

- Federal troops could be called -

Governor Tim Walz said he was mobilizing the entire 13,000-strong Minnesota National Guard to deal with the rioters who have looted shops and set fires in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a move not taken since World War II.

He also said he had spoken with the Pentagon on drawing on US military resources for peacekeeping, and The New York Times reported that, at Trump's bidding, military police were being put on notice for possible mobilization, a step not taken in decades.

Walz said he would continue to support peaceful protests during the day as members of the African American community memorialized Floyd, whose death on Monday was seen on a horrifying cellphone video around the world.

But Walz alleged that protestors staying out past the 8 pm curfew and wreaking "wanton destruction" of the city had nothing to do with Floyd.

"Our expectation is to have the curfew in place. Our expectation is to restore order," Walz said.

"It will be a dangerous situation on the streets tonight," he warned.

Saying the rioters were members of anarchist and white supremacist groups, he said: "Our goal is to decimate that force as quickly as possible."

- 'I can't breathe' -

AFP / Eric BARADATProtesters clashed with Secret Service agents in heated midnight scenes in front of the White House

The protests were expected to continue throughout the weekend even after the now-fired Minneapolis police officer accused of Floyd's death was arrested and charged with third degree murder on Friday.

With a video showing the officer, Derek Chauvin, pressing his knee on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes until well after he went motionless, while three other officers assisted, Floyd's family and many protestors demanded more arrests and tougher murder charges.

Chanting Floyd's repeated words to the police, "I can't breathe," protesters across the country said it was the latest example of systemic police brutality against African Americans.

- Outnumbered -

AFP / kerem yucelNational Guard soldiers deployed on the streets of Minneapolis as violent protests swept the city over police mistreatment of African Americans

The violence in Minneapolis Friday came despite an 8 pm-6 am curfew.

Despite calling up hundreds of national guard troops to support local and state police, the city found itself outnumbered by those in the streets in defiance of the curfew.

But the televised violence overnight Friday led leaders to accuse rioters of acting on other motives than sympathy for Floyd.

Black community leaders pleaded for the local public to stay home Saturday night, as the curfew was expanded to multiple cities in the state.

"Last night is a mockery of pretending this is about George Floyd's death or inequities or historical traumas to our communities of color," Walz said.

Trump, who on Friday branded the protestors "thugs," said the mostly peaceful protests outside the White House late Friday were "professionally managed" and members of the "radical left."