Protests over George Floyd's death expose raw race relations worldwide
Images of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of African-American George Floyd who then died have sparked angry protests from Amsterdam to Nairobi, but they also expose deeper grievances among demonstrators over strained race relations in their own countries.
With violent clashes between protesters and authorities raging in the United States, anti-police-brutality activists gathered by the thousands in support of the "Black Lives Matter" movement in the Netherlands, Britain, Germany and in African cities.
Peaceful protesters highlighted allegations of abuse of black prisoners by their jailers, social and economic inequality, and institutional racism lingering from the colonial pasts of the Netherlands, Britain and France.
"If you want to believe that we in the Netherlands do not have a problem with race, you should go ahead and go home," Jennifer Tosch, founder of Black Heritage Amsterdam Tours, told a crowd in Amsterdam, from where the Dutch West India Company operated ships estimated to have traded 500,000 slaves in the 1600s and 1700s.
Trump, US race violence leave Canada PM Justin Trudeau at a loss for words
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared at a loss for words on Tuesday, pausing for 20 seconds when pressed for this thoughts on US President Donald Trump's threat of military mobilisation against violent US protests.
"We all watch in horror and consternation what's going on in the United States," he said finally.
Now "is a time to listen, it is a time to pull people together and a time to learn what injustices continue despite progress over years and decades," he added.
Instagram flooded with black squares to support protesters
Facebook's Instagram was flooded with images of black squares on Tuesday, when users, influencers and celebrities took to the platform to express support for the protests raging across the country to oppose police brutality.
The images - accompanied with hashtags including #blacktuesday, #blackouttuesday and #theshowmustbepaused - originated with a music industry display of support for the protesters, with calls for a pause in operations and blacking out stations on Tuesday, according to the Guardian.
As of just after noon on Tuesday in New York, the hashtag #blackouttuesday had been included in more than 16 million Instagram posts.
China using Huawei to drive a wedge between US and Britain, says senator
China is using telecoms giant Huawei to try to drive a wedge between Britain and the United States, Republican senator Tom Cotton told British lawmakers on Tuesday.
Cotton is one of several members of the US Congress who have sought to put pressure on Britain to reverse its January decision to give China's Huawei Technologies a limited role in building Britian's next-generation 5G networks.
"It is my hope that the special relationship remains strong although I fear China is attempting to drive a hi-tech wedge between us using Huawei," Cotton told the British parliament's defence committee.
US tennis chiefs mull US Open-Cincinnati double-header
The United States Tennis Association has proposed moving August's ATP/WTA Cincinnati Masters to New York for a doubleheader with the US Open, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The Times reported that the proposal, which is designed to ward off threats to both tournaments from the coronavirus pandemic, was being considered by both the ATP and WTA.
If approved, the move would allow foreign players to remain in one venue during competition in the United States, alleviating concerns about travelling during the pandemic.
