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The Minneapolis police department could soon undergo a radical change following the death two weeks ago of George Floyd, an African American man, while in the custody of four city officers.Nine of 12 members of the city council announced at a rally in a city park that they support dismantling the police department and replacing it with what is being described as a community-based public safety model.Details on exactly what this new model would look like are unclear.The 12-member council still has to approve the plan and, under council rules, the decision would be veto-proof.A group of demonstrators rallied outside the home of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Saturday to demand the police department be defunded, accusing it of long-standing racism and rough treatment of black suspects.“It shouldn’t have taken so much death to get us here,” said Kandace Montgomery, the director of Black Vision which organized the gathering outside the mayor’s house. “We’re safer without armed, unaccountable patrols supported by the state hunting black people.”Frey told the crowd that he does not support getting rid of the police department as it looks now.”I told them the truth about where I stand. I’ll work relentlessly toward deep structural reforms to change policing, rethink our system, and directly address systemic racism. However, I do not support abolishing the department,” Frey said.Many of the demonstrators who have been protesting across the country have demanded that big city police departments be defunded. Supporters say that doesn’t mean literally getting rid of law enforcement but say much of the money used to run police departments can be reinvested into social services, arguing that creating better lives for citizens means little need for a gun-toting officer.Opponents say they want people to ask themselves what happens when someone calls 911 to report a rape in progress or a murder or armed robbery and few officers are available.Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will be in Houston Monday to meet with George Floyd’s family before a funeral service.A Biden aide says a video message from Biden will be played at the service, but Biden himself will not attend.Floyd was born near Fayetteville, North Carolina, but grew up in Houston, where he will be buried Tuesday.Biden got a huge endorsement Sunday when former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he would be voting for the Democrat in November.”I cannot in any way support President Trump this year,” Powell told CNN Sunday.He added that he is “very close to Joe Biden on a social matter and on a political matter. I think what we’re seeing now, this massive protest movement I have ever seen in my life, I think it suggests the country is getting wise to this and we’re not going to put up with it anymore,” Powell told Tapper.Trump shot back, calling Powell a “stiff” and “overrated.”Powell is another major voice from the U.S. military critical of the way the Trump administration has been calling for force to deal with protest marches against the harsh police treatment of black men.The National Guard will start pulling out of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and other California cities as the violence by Floyd protesters has eased.Sunday’s marches in California were peaceful, but Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says a “small number of units” will be stationed nearby for at least two more days in case of emergency.A group of primarily African Americans calling themselves The Compton Cowboys held a peaceful protest on horseback in some southern L.A. suburbs Sunday while a group of classic car fans held their own march in East Los Angeles.The situation in Oakland was a bit more tense when demonstrators tried to close down an interstate highway but backed down after a brief standoff with police. Another gathering painted the words Black Lives Matter in a downtown Oakland street, just like the one painted on a Washington street.Several hundred families, many pushing baby strollers, marched peacefully around a lake in Oakland. A similar march was held in San Francisco and thousands also gathered peacefully along that city’s waterfront. 
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U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has met with leaders of the Taliban in Qatar to review the implementation of a peace deal with the Islamist insurgency aimed at ending nearly two decades of Afghan conflict.
 
A Taliban spokesman, while releasing details of Sunday’s meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, said Khalilzad was accompanied by Gen. Scott Miller, the U.S. commander of international troops in Afghanistan.
 
“Both sides talked about speedy release of the prisoners and commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations, in addition to other relevant matters,” tweeted Suhail Shaheen, who speaks for the Taliban’s political office in Doha.
 
Shaheen said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the political deputy to the Taliban chief, led the insurgent delegation at Sunday’s talks. He noted that Qatar’s foreign ministry’s special envoy, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, also attended the meeting.
 
In a pre-visit announcement last week, the U.S. State Department had said the “primary focus” of Khalilzad’s trip will be to “obtain agreement between the Afghan parties on the practical next steps necessary for a smooth start to intra-Afghan negotiations.”
 
The long-awaited intra-Afghan dialogue, however, is tied to a prisoner swap between the Afghan government and the insurgent group, stipulated in the U.S.-Taliban agreement.  
 FILE – Newly freed Taliban prisoners are seen gathered at Pul-i-Charkhi prison, in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 26, 2020.Kabul is required to set free 5,000 Taliban inmates in exchange for 1,000 Afghan personnel being held by insurgents. So far, the Taliban says it has released close to 460 detainees while the government says it has freed around 2,700 insurgents.
Battlefield hostilities, meanwhile, have spiked in recent weeks, with the Taliban launching major raids against Afghan security forces, killing dozens of them. The government has responded by stepping up counterinsurgency operations.  
 
The insurgents, however, have stopped attacks against U.S.-led international forces in line with the pact, which requires all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan by mid-2021 in return for the Taliban’s counterterrorism assurances. The U.S. military also has halted direct attacks on insurgents
 
The Taliban and the Afghan government observed a temporary cease-fire during three-day annual Eid festivities, which ended on May 26. But violence has since increased again, prompting the U.S. military last week to launch airstrikes to disrupt Taliban attacks on Afghan forces.  
 Khalilzad visits Pakistan  
 
After his meeting in Doha with Taliban leaders, Khalilzad traveled to Pakistan, where he met with the country’s military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. A military statement said that the Afghan political reconciliation process, Pakistan’s efforts to boost security at its long border with Afghanistan, and the presence of nearly 3 million Afghan refugees on Pakistani soil came under discussion.U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad and his delegation meet with Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa at GHQ in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Jun 7, 2020. (Courtesy – ISPR)“Both (Bajwa and Khalilzad) shared steps taken in this regard and agreed to continue working towards mutually agreed goals,” the statement said.  
 
Pakistan is believed to have maintained close ties to Taliban leaders and fighters whose families live among Afghan refugees. Islamabad takes credit for bringing the insurgents to the table for talks with the United States that produced the landmark Feb. 29 agreement between the two.  
 
Khalilzad is scheduled to visit Afghanistan on the last leg of his latest three-nation trip.
 
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Social distancing in the age of COVID-19 bars crowds from dense gatherings like movies or rock concerts.  This ‘new normal’ changes the business model of venues relying on turnout for profit.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi cues up this story of a nightclub selling tickets and embracing the new normal.
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Hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered near the White House on a sunny Sunday in Washington, the start of a 10th day of demonstrations against racism and police brutality that were spawned by the death of a black man in police custody.Many in the crowd walked along the newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza a short distance from the White House.  Early in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter that as a result of peaceful protests on Saturday he had ordered the National Guard to start withdrawing 5,000 troops from Washington that had been called to the city to quell violent demonstrations that had erupted a week ago.  More than 10,000 people had protested peacefully in Washington on Saturday and there were no signs of unrest Sunday in a scene resembling a community street fair. Amidst protest chants, many in the racially diverse crowd Sunday stopped to pose for photos in front of a big cloth sign reading “Black Lives Matter.”Demonstrators protest near the White House in Washington, June 7, 2020, over the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers.Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said no protesters were arrested Saturday. But she attacked Trump and his administration for flooding the city with federal police and National Guard troops in the last week to quell protests that at times became violent.  “What we saw last week was basically an invasion of our city,” Bowser told the “Fox News Sunday” show. “Active-duty Army troops moved from all points around the country to threaten our autonomy.”There now have been nearly two weeks of protests in dozens of American cities, with some of them turning into angry clashes between demonstrators and police and other law enforcement authorities. With tens of thousands taking to the streets coast to coast, they have been perhaps the most widespread protests since the extended demonstrations against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960s.The demonstrations demanding racial justice and systemic policing reforms erupted across America and have continued daily after George Floyd, 46, died May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for nearly 9 minutes as Floyd gasped that he could not breathe. It was the latest of many deaths among black Americans while in police custody.The White House is seen behind a vehicle barrier, in Washington, June 7, 2020, the morning after massive protests over the death of George Floyd were held in the U.S. capital.Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder in the case, while three other officers who did not intervene have been charged with aiding and abetting the killing.Trump, facing a national re-election contest Nov. 3 against former Vice President Joe Biden, has at times voiced support for peaceful protests, but also demanded tough police action against rowdy protesters and told the country’s 50 state governors they were weak if they did not arrest more demonstrators.Floyd is being buried Tuesday in Houston, Texas, where he lived for years. Trump made a brief call to his relatives in the days after his death to express his sympathy, while Biden is meeting with Floyd’s family on Monday.In protests in cities around the globe, people of all ages and races have chanted in solidarity, “I can’t breathe,” which were among Floyd’s last words.In the U.S. capital, peaceful protesters marched in many neighborhoods Saturday on a hot and humid afternoon, as well as at the U.S. Capitol and along the National Mall.The Washington Monument and the White House are visible as protesters gather in Washington,June 6, 2020, over the death of George Floyd.Bowser spoke in the late afternoon to a large crowd at the newly designated Black Lives Matter Plaza, just north of Lafayette Park and the White House. Bowser had local artists paint “Black Lives Matter” in large yellow letters over several blocks of 16th Street Northwest.Bowser, who is African American, urged the crowd to be loud in demanding “more justice and more peace.”“I have a 2-year-old girl,” she said. “I want her to grow up in a country where she’s not scared to go to the grocery store, not scared to go to work.”Large protests were also held in Minneapolis, Miami, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia and Denver. And for most cities, many of which had seen violence and some looting earlier in the week, Saturday’s events were peaceful.But protests in London turned violent Saturday after protesters clashed with mounted police.The protest had started peacefully, but near the 10 Downing Street home of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a small number of protesters allegedly threw bottles at police, which led the mounted officers to push back protesters. One mounted officer was injured when she fell off her horse, the French news agency Agence France-Presse reported.More than 2,000 people gathered in Marseilles, France, for a peaceful protest, but it turned into skirmishes between the demonstrators and police, who fired tear gas and pepper spray.VOA’s Carolyn Presutti contributed to this report.
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the 5,000 National Guard troops brought to Washington last week to quell protests against the death of a black man in police custody to begin to withdraw, saying the national capital was “under perfect control.” “They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed,” the U.S. leader said on Twitter. “Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!”  Demonstrators talk to National Guard soldiers as they protest Saturday, June 6, 2020, near the White House in Washington, over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis.Even as he withdrew the National Guard troops, however, key former U.S. military leaders continued to voice their opposition to Trump’s reported threat a week ago to use as many as 10,000 active duty military troops to augment local police in Washington  against demonstrators protesting the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The death of the 46-year-old Floyd, who was held down on a city street for nearly nine minutes by a white policeman who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck, has spawned nearly two weeks of protests in the U.S., some of them angry, violent clashes with authorities.  But tens of thousands of Americans protested peacefully in dozens of U.S. cities on Saturday against police abuse of authority against minorities, with few reports of clashes with authorities. In the end, 1,600 members of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were dispatched to Washington but not activated to calm the protests.  Defense Secretary Mark Esper broke with Trump last week, saying that active duty troops should only be used as a last resort to quell insurrection in the U.S., a stance Attorney General William Barr told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” show he also supported.  Attorney General William Barr, center, stands in Lafayette Park across from the White House as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, June 1, 2020, in Washington.Barr, the nation’s top law enforcement official, disputed news accounts that Trump wanted 10,000 active duty military personnel ready to take on protesters. Barr said he met with Trump last Monday at the White House after violent clashes in Washington on the night of May 31. “I was called over and asked if I would coordinate federal civil agencies and that the Defense Department would provide whatever support I needed or we needed to protect federal property at the White House, federal personnel” Barr said. “The decision was made to have at the ready and on hand in the vicinity some regular troops,” he said. “But everyone agreed that the use of regular troops was a last resort and that as long as matters can be controlled with other resources, they should be. I felt, and the secretary of Defense felt, we had adequate resources and wouldn’t need to use federal troops. But in case we did, we wanted them nearby.” He said Trump “never asked or suggested that we needed to deploy regular troops at that point. It’s been done from time to time in our history. We try to avoid it. And I’m happy that we were able to avoid it on this occasion.” Acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf rejected the suggestion that bringing active duty military personnel to Washington amounted to “overkill.” Wolf told the “Fox News Sunday” show that U.S. law enforcement authorities need to “make sure we keep all our tools in the toolbox.” But former Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, once the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, voiced his opposition to use of active duty military personnel to control demonstrations in the U.S. as Trump wanted. “We have a military to fight our enemies, not our own people,” Mullen told Fox News. He said the U.S. military could lose its bond with the American public with use of troops against protesters. “We could lose that trust when you don’t really need that force,” Mullen said. Retired Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, another former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Mullen’s thoughts, telling ABC News’ “This Week” show, “America is not a battleground. We have to be very careful in how we use our military.” He said the U.S. military lost standing with the American public five decades ago during contentious, often violent protests against the Vietnam War. “It took us a while to improve the relationship with the American public,” he said. “The relationship has to be one of trust.”  
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Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed the Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, on Sunday. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union”, Powell, who served under Republican presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, said he would be voting for Biden. “I cannot in any way support President Trump this year,” Powell, who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War in 1991, said Sunday. Powell said he is “very close to Joe Biden on a social matter and on a political matter.” FILE – In this Sunday, March 15, 2020, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden participates in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios in Washington.”I worked with him for 35, 40 years, and he is now the candidate and I will be voting for him,” Powell said, noting that he had not been asked to campaign for former vice president Biden and did not expect to be. Trump was quick to quip back on Twitter, calling Powell a “real stiff” and “highly overrated”. Few prominent Republicans have publicly rebuked Trump, though former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis denounced his handling of widespread protests in the U.S. last week.    
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New York City is lifting its curfew spurred by protests against police brutality ahead of schedule, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday morning.   The 8 p.m. citywide curfew, New York’s first in decades, had been set to remain in effect through at least Sunday, with the city planning to lift it at the same time it enters the first phase of reopning after more than two months of shutdowns because of the coronavirus.   “Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” de Blasio tweeted in his announcement of the curfew’s end “effective immediately.” “Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart.”   The move followed New York City police pulling back on enforcing the curfew Saturday as thousands took to the streets and parks to protest police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.   More than two hours after the curfew had passed Saturday night, groups of several hundred demonstrators continued to march in Manhattan and Brooklyn, while police monitored them but took a hands-off approach.   At protests in Manhattan earlier Saturday, volunteers handed out snacks, first aid kits and plenty of water bottles on a muggy afternoon. One person carried a sign listing nearby open buildings for those seeking to escape the heat — which some soon did when a rain storm arrived.   Thousands of people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into lower Manhattan, where other groups numbering in the hundreds to thousands marched or gathered in places like Foley Square, home to state and federal court buildings, and Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.   Further uptown, police had erected barriers to all but close off Times Square to vehicle and foot traffic.   As the curfew passed, a large group of protesters walked onto the FDR Drive, the main north-south artery along Manhattan’s east side, closely monitored by police, forcing police to temporarily shut down one side of the roadway.   Earlier, Julian Arriola-Hennings said he didn’t expect the movement to slow down anytime soon.   “I’m never surprised by people taking action because inaction, it really hurts the soul,” he said as he told protesters at Washington Square Park that they would soon march from there to City Hall.   “People’s feet get tired, their souls get re-energized for the right purpose.”   One of Saturday’s marches was enlivened by a band led by Jon Batiste, bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.   Local politicians and civil liberties advocates have called for an end to the 8 p.m. curfew, complaining that it causes needless friction when officers try to enforce it.   But Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted the curfew will remain in place throughout the weekend.   Images on social media on Friday night about an hour after a Brooklyn protest ended showed officers surrounding a group of protesters and chasing down some with batons. And officers on Manhattan’s East Side also used force to break up remnants of a march that started near the mayor’s official residence.   There were about 40 arrests citywide Friday — far fewer than previous nights — and no obvious signs of the smash-and-grab stealing that marred protests earlier in the week.   On Saturday, Antoinette Henry wasn’t surprised people were still marching after more than a week, even though she said she had seen violence from police earlier in the week.   “Our first couple of protests ended a bit violently but we’re back out here. We’re not going to stop fighting,” Henry said.   She added she thinks protests could continue next week, even as some will go back to work when New York City begins its reopening.   “I think as long as we stay organized, that’s exactly what can and will and should happen,” Henry said.  
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After a day of anti-racism protests across Europe, Berlin police said 93 people were detained in connection with a demonstration in the German capital — most of them after the main rally had ended.    More anti-racism demonstrations were planned for Sunday across the U.K., including one outside the U.S. Embassy, just south of the River Thames.    At least 15,000 people had rallied peacefully in Berlin on Saturday in response to the May 25 death of American George Floyd, which has triggered global protests against racism and police brutality.    Police said several officers and one press photographer were injured in Berlin when bottles and rocks were thrown from a crowd that had gathered despite police orders to clear the city’s Alexander Square an hour after the demonstration was over. Berlin police said 28 officers suffered minor injuries in the scuffles.    Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after he pleaded for air while handcuffed.    In Britain, the country’s most senior police chief said 14 officers were injured Saturday during clashes with protesters in central London following a largely peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration attended by tens of thousands.    Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said the assaults on officers were “shocking and completely unacceptable.” She said a number of arrests have been made and “justice will follow.”    The clashes broke out in the early evening near the Downing Street offices of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.    Video footage online showed one police officer colliding with a traffic light when her horse appeared to have bolted. The Met Police said the officer was taken to the hospital and her injuries are not life-threatening.    In the French port city of Marseille, police fired tear gas and pepper spray in skirmishes with protesters who hurled bottles and rocks at what had otherwise been an emotional but peaceful demonstration Saturday.    The rally drew more than 2,000 people. Protesters took a knee in front of riot officers, gave speeches and chanted before setting off on a march through the city from its famous Old Port on the Mediterranean. But the tail end of the march finished in chaos with clashes between police and protesters.    The protest was one of several Saturday in France, where Floyd’s death has shone a spotlight on similar French police abuses and given voice to complaints from minorities that they are frequent targets of harassment and worse from French officers.    An anti-racism march was also held Saturday in Paris despite a police ban but it came off peacefully.  e report 
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A reenergized Tropical Storm Cristobal advanced toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Saturday, spawning a tornado in Florida and bringing the heavy rains that already caused flooding and mudslides in Mexico and Central America. After weakening to a tropical depression while moving over land in Mexico’s Gulf coast, Cristobal headed back into the southern Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday and powered back up into a tropical storm. Forecasters said it would arrive on U.S. soil late Sunday but was not expected to grow into a hurricane.The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was expected to slowly strengthen until making landfall Sunday night along the U.S. Gulf Coast.But the storm already made its presence felt Saturday evening, spawning a tornado that touched down near downtown Orlando, the National Weather Service said. The twister just missed a group of protesters at Lake Eola at around 7:30 p.m. local time. There appeared to be no injuries, but tree limbs were knocked down, and there were reports of power outages.”Yes, it is related to the tropical storm that is well to our west,” said Scott Kelly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida. “But the tropical storm provided a lot of low-level shear and that has allowed for some tornadoes to form over Central Florida.”The threat for tornadoes would continue overnight, he said.Also, outer rain bands from the storm were moving across parts of the Gulf Coast on Saturday evening.Cristobal’s maximum sustained winds had strengthened to 85 kph by early Saturday and it was moving north at 19 kph. As of Saturday evening, the storm was centered about 340 kilometers south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.The Hurricane Center said the storm could cause heavy rains from East Texas to Florida this weekend and into early next week. A tropical storm watch was posted for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border.In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency to prepare for the storm’s possible arrival.Rescuers are seen during the recovery of the bodies of seven victims of a landslide caused by heavy rains amid tropical storm Cristobal in Santo Tomas, El Salvador, on June 5, 2020.”Now is the time to make your plans, which should include the traditional emergency items along with masks and hand sanitizer as we continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic,” Edward said in a statement released Thursday.On Friday, he asked President Donald Trump to declare a pre-landfall emergency for the state due to the storm’s threat.”We are confident that there will be widespread, heavy rainfall and coastal flooding,” Edwards said in a letter to the White House. “I anticipate the need for emergency protective measures, evacuations, and sheltering for the high-risk areas. The length of possible inundation is unknown and will likely require post-flood activities.”Jefferson Parish, a suburb of New Orleans, called for voluntary evacuations Saturday of Jean Lafitte, Lower Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria because of the threat of storm surge, high tides and heavy rain. Residents were urged to move vehicles, boats and campers to higher ground.”We want to make sure residents are safe as this storm approaches, so we are taking all the necessary precautions to be fully prepared,” Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner Jr. told The Advocate.A similar order was issued Saturday for several Plaquemines Parish communities, including Happy Jack, Grand Bayou, Myrtle Grove, Lake Hertiage, Harlem and Monsecour. President Kirk Lepine said the order was issued as a precaution.”We need to ensure residents are protected as this storm draws near, so we are taking all the necessary precautions to be completely prepared,” he said.The hurricane center’s forecast path puts Alabama on Cristobal’s east side, far from where the center comes ashore. Still, the southwest part of the state is expected to get gusty winds, heavy rain, storm surge and possibly tornadoes as the storm moves closer to the coast.”Sunday will be very wet and windy as Cristobal passes west of the area, placing the central Gulf Coast on the ‘dirty’ eastern side of the storm,” the weather service said.Cristobal formed this week in the Bay of Campeche from the remnants of Tropical Storm Amanda, which had sprung up last weekend in the eastern Pacific and hit Central America. The two storms combined to soak the region with as much as 89 centimeters of rain in some areas over the past week. At least 30 deaths have been attributed to the two storms and the flooding and landslides they unleashed.In Bacalar, in the south of Mexico’s Quintana Roo state, 230 families were isolated by the rains and had to be airlifted out, David Leon, Mexico’s national civil defense coordinator, said Friday. Leon added there had been light damage in 75 municipalities in seven states. 
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OPEC and other key oil producers agreed Saturday to extend production cuts of nearly 10 million barrels of oil a day through July to boost oil prices severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.”All participating countries… agreed the option of extending the first phase of the production adjustments pertaining in May and June by one further month,” OPEC said in a statement.In April OPEC and other oil-rich countries, led by Russia, agreed to cut output by 9.7 million barrels per day from May 1 until the end of June.The current OPEC president, Algerian Oil Minister Mohamed Arkab, warned his counterparts that the global oil inventory would increase to 1.5 billion barrels after July.“Despite the progress to date, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels,” Arkab said. “The challenges we face remain daunting.”Saudi Oil Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, whose countries are the main producers in and outside OPEC, respectively, echoed that message, saying that April was the worst month for the global oil market historically, and drastic measures were necessary.U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette took to Twitter to welcome the extension of oil production cuts.”I applaud OPEC-plus for reaching an important agreement today which comes at a pivotal time as oil demand continues to recover and economies reopen around the world,” Brouillette wrote.Oil ministers from key producers agreed to meet monthly to assess the April agreement.   
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Dozens of scientists doing research funded by Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook should not be letting President Donald Trump use the social media platform to “spread both misinformation and incendiary statements.”The researchers, including 60 professors at leading U.S. research institutions, wrote the Facebook CEO on Saturday asking Zuckerberg to “consider stricter policies on misinformation and incendiary language that harms people,” especially during the current turmoil over racial injustice.The letter calls the spread of “deliberate misinformation and divisive language” contrary to the researchers’ goals of using technology to prevent and eradicate disease, improve childhood education and reform the criminal justice system.Their mission “is antithetical to some of the stances that Facebook has been taking, so we’re encouraging them to be more on the side of truth and on the right side of history as we’ve said in the letter,” said Debora Marks of Harvard Medical School, one of three professors who organized it.The others are Martin Kampmann of the University of California-San Francisco and Jason Shepherd of the University of Utah. All have grants from a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative program working to prevent, cure and treat neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.They said the letter had more than 160 signatories. Shepherd said about 10 percent are employees of foundations run by Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.The letter objects specifically to Zuckerberg’s decision not to at least flag as a violation of Facebook’s community standards Trump’s post that stated “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” in response to unrest in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, a black man, while in police custody. The letter’s authors called the post “a clear statement of inciting violence.”Twitter had both flagged and demoted a Trump tweet using the same language.In a statement, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative noted that the philanthropic organization is separate from Facebook and said “we are grateful for our staff, partners and grantees” and “respect their right to voice their opinions, including on Facebook policies.”Some Facebook employees have publicly objected to Zuckerberg’s refusal to take down or label misleading or incendiary posts by Trump and other politicians. But Zuckerberg — who controls a majority of voting shares in the company — has so far refused.On Friday, Zuckerberg said in a post that he would review “potential options for handling violating or partially-violating content aside from the binary leave-it-up or take-it-down decisions”“I know many of you think we should have labeled the President’s posts in some way last week,” he wrote. “Our current policy is that if content is actually inciting violence, then the right mitigation is to take that content down — not let people continue seeing it behind a flag. There is no exception to this policy for politicians or newsworthiness.” 
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Dutch youth hit the club on Saturday, sort of, in one of the country’s first attempts to resume nightlife after the coronavirus outbreak, with social distancing rules still in place.Clubbers at Doornroosje in the eastern city of Nijmegen booked ahead of time to enjoy short sets of electronic dance music in the afternoon, rather than around midnight, as they used to. During the show, they were restricted to chairs.But when the lights went down and the sound came up, almost everything fell into place.”I expect amazing social dis-dancing!” said Nadie, a young woman who had come to see local favorite DJ Odin play.”I think it’s your perfect daily dose of music, like, 20 minutes is enough, yeah, sure,” said Nuray Boga, 19. “It made me happy.”People attend a sit-down “corona-proof” dance event amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Nijmegen, Netherlands, June 6, 2020.Promoter Jonatan Brand said the original plan had been to have the guests dance while standing in place 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart. But local authorities said they had to sit in chairs, at least for now.”It’s still very cool,” Brand said. “People are still dancing, although they are on the chair, they’re fist-pumping, they’re moving their bodies, so — it’s great.”A maximum of 30 guests were allowed in the building at a time. The club plans to expand to 100 in July. The cover charge was 10 euros, including a drink.Shows did not sell out, and the event was also streamed online.”It’s nice to play actually on a loud volume again, to see some familiar faces,” said DJ Davy Brandts.”I think everyone had been looking forward to it, because it had been a while since you could drink a cold beer at a big venue like this.”
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Tropical Storm Cristobal moved through the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Saturday carrying strong winds and heavy rains that prompted the evacuation of a coastal Louisiana community and dozens of offshore oil platforms.Cristobal, packing winds of 50 mph (85 kph), was expected to strengthen somewhat before making landfall late Sunday along the Louisiana coast, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).Grand Isle, a barrier island on the Louisiana coast, was under a mandatory evacuation, ahead of a storm surge expected to be as much as 2 to 4 feet (.6 to 1.2 meters) in an area between Morgan City, Louisiana, and the mouth of the Mississippi River.The early-season storm is not expected to become a hurricane, but its heavy rains could cause flash flooding in the central Gulf Coast. It could drop between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain along the Louisiana coast, NHC forecasters said.Oil companies on Saturday evacuated 177 Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities, shutting down 616,000 barrels per day of oil and 853 million cubic feet per day of natural gas output, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said.Traders pushed spot gasoline prices higher Friday, fearing storm-related production losses.Refineries to keep operatingThe nine Louisiana oil refineries in the path of Cristobal plan to keep operating through the rains and high winds expected to sweep over an area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, according to people familiar with the matter.Combined capacity of the nine refineries is about 12% of the U.S. national total of 18.8 million barrels per day (bpd). U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms account for about 1.93 million bpd, or about 15% of the U.S. total daily oil production.Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and PBF Energy prepared their Louisiana refineries to keep operating, the people said.The storm on Saturday afternoon was about 310 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River and traveling north at about 12 mph, according to the NHC.
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Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi says authorities in Mogadishu pose the biggest challenge for the autonomous region’s fight for recognition as an independent state, 29 years after the region broke away from Somalia after the overthrow of military ruler Siad Barre.In an exclusive interview with VOA’s Somalia service that aired Saturday, Bihi called on the international community to recognize Somaliland’s independence, saying the only solution for Somaliland is for Somalia’s leadership and the international community to accept “the reality of two independent nations.”“Since Somaliland announced its independence from Somalia, we have done everything that we could to earn a recognition. We rule in democracy, we have peaceful and functioning institutions, and economically we are not a burden to the world, yet we have no recognition and did not see anyone saying we do not deserve it,” Bihi said.Broke away in 1991Somaliland, a former British protectorate, broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has continued its effort to be a separate country ever since, but it has not been internationally recognized.  The government in Mogadishu, however, wants the country’s northern territory to be part of a single Somali state.“We face the biggest fight from the government in Mogadishu, which uses its international recognition and support to fight Somaliland, whether it is economic pressure, instigating violence within Somaliland or spreading a propaganda war,” Bihi said.Unlike the southern part of Somalia, Somaliland has had relative peace for 29 years, but it is often accused by rights organizations of making arbitrary arrests and being tough against journalists.“We do not arrest anyone without court trials or due process. We rule in democracy where the rights of our people are respected.” If the incidents alleged by rights groups happen, “it is a mistake and we are ready to correct it,” Bihi said.Female singers and journalists are among people still in Somaliland jails.After VOA Somali aired Bihi’s interview, detained journalist Abdimalik Muse Oldon, who was arrested in April 2019, was released in Hargeisa. The journalist told VOA he was let go with a presidential pardon.Somaliland Celebrates Independence Despite Lack of International Recognition

        The breakaway state of Somaliland is preparing to celebrate 28 years since it declared independence from Somalia. No country recognizes Somaliland as a sovereign nation, but in the capital, preparations for the celebration are under way.  

Inside a boardroom in the Somaliland parliament, legislator Abdurahman Atan explained his country’s struggle for international recognition.
 
“There’s a legitimate case for Somaliland to be recognized, a legitimate case to look at what has been done, legitimate…
Somalia-Somaliland talksStrong positions on both sides — separation versus unity, enshrined in each of their constitutions — and the lack of compromise have made negotiating Somaliland’s independence an insurmountable task.In June 2012, however, delegates from the two sides held their first formal talks in London, which ended with no progress. Then, Turkey mediated another round of talks, which stalled.The European Union has been pushing for the resumption of the talks, but most recently, in February 2020, Bihi and Somali President  Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed met in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for the first major face-to-face talks between the leaders.“In our recent meeting in Addis Ababa, we have agreed to continue talks and end our issues through talks, but we still need impartial international mediation,” Bihi said in the VOA interview.In Mogadishu, delivering a speech that was briefly interrupted by loud whistling, boos and hisses, Abdullahi also said Mogadishu was ready for talks.   “President Bihi of Somaliland had accepted our talks to be resumed and I hope we will solve everything through peaceful and consensus means,” Somalia’s president said.ProtestsMembers of parliament who interrupted the president’s speech were protesting the government’s failure to address promises made, including security, and proper preparations for the upcoming elections.The president reaffirmed in his speech that Somalia’s elections would not be delayed.Somaliland, has not been part of Somali elections since its independence declaration and has its own electoral system.
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The Inter-Parliamentary Union condemns the imprisonment of 43 Members of Parliament around the world, saying they lack legal recourse to attain justice. The IPU is focusing especially on MPs detained in overcrowded, cramped cells in Venezuela, Ivory Coast and Turkey. The IPU says they are at particular risk of infection from COVID-19 and should be released immediately. An IPU human rights committee is monitoring the cases of 139 Members of Parliament in Venezuela. It says they have been subjected to intimidation, harassment, detention and attacks by government security forces because of their opposition to the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In the last few months, the committee reports at least 17 MPs have gone into exile, others have sought protection of foreign embassies in the capital Caracas, and many others have gone into hiding.  Manager of the IPU Human Rights Program, Rogier Huizenga, says five MPs in detention are of particular concern. He says they have been imprisoned without regard for parliamentary immunity and due process. He says their conditions of confinement expose them to the deadly coronavirus.  He tells VOA information gathered from complainants, as well as international and regional bodies, indicate the MPs have been arrested on trumped up charges.“We have asked time and time again the Venezuelan authorities to provide us with details on the facts that would support the charges that have been brought against these MPs,”  Huizenga said. “And, these details are still sorely lacking. So, there is nothing right now that can dispel our concerns that these MPs are, in fact, being prosecuted hereto for having exercised their political mandates.”  In Turkey, the IPU is examining alleged human rights violations against 57 current or former parliamentarians, 27 of whom are women. They all belong to the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party or HDP. Over 600 criminal and terrorism charges have been brought against them since 2015. Seven MPs currently are still in prison.Huizenga says the IPU is in regular contact with Turkish authorities about these cases.  However, he adds they do not always see eye-to-eye on some of the underlying issues.“The Turkish authorities are quick to respond that the HDP opposition MPs are working in tandem with the PKK [the Kurdistan Workers’ Party] in what they see as the terrorist organization; whereas, the information that we have clearly shows that these MPs are in fact being prosecuted for having exercised their freedom of expression,”  Huizenga said.The IPU currently is scrutinizing the cases of 10 opposition MPs in the Ivory Coast.  They allegedly have had their fundamental rights violated since 2018, including arbitrary arrest and detention.   The IPU committee is particularly worried about the situation of five parliamentarians in detention, one of whom is in ill health and reportedly being denied a visit by his personal physician.
 
 
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The United States says there is no doubt that the long-time leader of a key al-Qaida terror group affiliate in North Africa is dead. Officials with U.S. Africa Command Saturday confirmed the death of Abdelmalek Droukdel, the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), citing an independent assessment of a June 3 operation led by France. “This mission is a collective win,” U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesman Colonel Chris Karns told VOA. “This was a great example of cooperation and partnership to get after a common threat,” he said, praising France’s commitment to fighting both al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked terror groups in Africa. French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly first announced Droukdel’s death in a series of tweets late Friday. “On June 3, French army forces, with the support of their local partners, killed the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, and several of his closest collaborators, during an operation in northern Mali,” she said.  France Says It Killed Al-Qaida North Africa Chief With US HelpFrance also had help of local partners in killing Abdelmalek Droukdel, the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic MaghrebFrench forces had been hunting Droukdel, a key figure within North African jihadist circles, for years. Various reports had placed him in Tunisia or the mountains of northern Algeria, although he also had been active in Mali. The French, along with partner forces, finally caught up to Droukdel this past week with help from the U.S., which provided intelligence and surveillance support to “fix the target,” according to AFRICOM. The long-time AQIM emir rose to power after starting out as an explosives expert for the Algerian-based Armed Islamic Group (GIA) before assuming control of the group that was to become AQIM in 2004. U.S. officials designated Droukdel in 2007, blaming him and AQIM for a series of deadly attacks and bombings, including one on a bus belonging to a U.S. company in Algiers and a bombing at the Algerian prime minister’s office and at police facilities that killed 33 people.Starting in 2011, Droukdel proved support to Ansar Dine, a Malian terror group, and helped it engineer a take-over of parts of Mali until French forces intervened two years later. U.S. officials said, more recently, Droukdel, had been seeking to expand the amount of territory under his control and increase recruiting while plotting to ramp up attacks across the region. “This definitely is a blow to AQIM and certainly degrades their ability to plan and carry out operations,” Africa Command’s Chris Karns said. Even with Droukdel’s death, however, French, U.S. and African officials remain concerned that AQIM and other jihadist terror groups are growing, taking advantage of economic and political turmoil across parts of West Africa and the Sahel. As part of an effort to counter that, France, along with Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad, created a combined force this past January. Public sentiment has soured, though, and some critics blame French forces for failing to do more to restore stability. West African Leaders, France Vow New Fight on TerrorismLeaders invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to G5 summit agree to pursue their engagements with France – and put aside their differences with former colonial power – to fight against jihadismFrance has about 5,100 troops in the region and has been urging other Western countries to do more. Already, French officials say European allies have pledged to send 100 special forces to aid in the counterterrorism efforts. And Parly, the French defense minister, promised there will be no let-up. A separate French operation, on May 19, led to the capture of Mohamed el Mrabat, a veteran jihadist with Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. And more operations are to come.  “Our forces, in cooperation with their local partners … will continue to track these (terrorists) down without respite,” Parly said. French calls for greater assistance in the fight against terrorism in Africa have been joined by the U.S., though officials in Washington have said they are looking to drawdown the U.S. military in presence in Africa in order to focus more on countering threats posed by powers like Russia and China.  US Noncommittal on Keeping Troops in AfricaDespite pleas from France, which is spearheading counterterror efforts in the Sahel, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says Washington’s focus is on China, RussiaEarlier this year, the U.S. began by withdrawing combat troops stationed in Africa, replacing them with military trainers. In Africa, US Sees Trainers as ‘Better Fit’ Than Combat TroopsDefense Secretary Mark Esper says the change will improve US relations with African partners while freeing up combat troops for great power competition with China and RussiaFrench officials, however, have urged the U.S. to keep some forces in Africa, stressing that some U.S. assets cannot be replaced, including the intelligence and surveillance capabilities that help lead to the death of AQIM’s Droukdel. Members of the global coalition to defeat IS also have expressed a desire to focus additional efforts in Africa, but planning has been delayed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. In a communique issued following a virtual meeting Thursday, coalition members promised to move ahead with those efforts, with a focus on “capacity building … upon the request and prior consent of the countries concerned, and be coordinated with existing efforts and initiatives.”
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Thousands of people are expected to converge on Washington for a large protest, following demonstrations that erupted in major cities across the nation over the death of an African American man while in police custody.Local police in the U.S. capital city said they anticipate crowds Saturday that are larger than previous demonstrations.On Friday, the U.S. city of Minneapolis agreed to ban police use of chokeholds after George Floyd, 46, died in police custody.Minneapolis leaders agreed with the state of Minnesota to ban chokeholds and require officers to intervene and report unauthorized use of force by another officer.The Minneapolis City Council approved the agreement unanimously after the Minnesota Department of Human Rights began a civil rights investigation in response to Floyd’s death.Floyd died on May 25 after a white policeman pressed his knee into his neck for more than eight minutes as Floyd was pleading with the officer, saying he could not breath. It is among many deaths of black Americans during or after encounters with white police officers.Demonstrators protest Friday, June 5, 2020, near the White House in Washington, over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers.Nationwide demonstrations have been calling for justice and systemic reforms for almost two weeks. Thousands of protesters have also taken to the streets in large cities throughout the world, including London, Paris and Sydney.Demonstrators across the United States gathered Friday for an 11th day of protests as the demonstrations have largely shifted to peaceful calls for change after initially being marred by arson and looting.Also Friday, the Pentagon said it was ordering active duty troops who had been brought to the Washington area to return to their home bases.A small active duty group of the “Old Guard” based in Arlington, Virginia, remain on standby for assistance.Mayor Muriel Bowser looks out over a Black Lives Matter sign that was painted on a street, during nationwide protests against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, D.C., June 5, 2020, in this handout photo.Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday asking him to “withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from Washington, D.C.”On Friday, Bowser formally renamed a street leading to the White House “Black Lives Matter Plaza” after authorizing the painting of the slogan in large yellow letters on the pavement.The local chapter of the activist group Black Lives Matter criticized the mayor’s action as a “distraction from real policy changes.” Black Lives Matter DC said on Twitter “Bowser has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history” and called for city officials to defund the police.On Thursday, Floyd was remembered as a devoted father and family man in Minneapolis, in the first of several memorial services organized to honor his life.Carla Babb contributed to this report.
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