Thousands of demonstrators in Belarus have retaken to the streets to demand that the nation’s authoritarian leader resigns after a presidential vote they claimed was rigged. In response, President Alexander Lukashenko declared that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to provide security assistance to restore order if Belarus requested.
At least 28 bush fires were started in the south of Israel Sunday, with authorities blaming incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip following exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas over the weekend.
The primary political opponent of the longtime president of Belarus has reportedly fled the nation amid a massive police crackdown on protests. Lithuania says it provides shelter to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who earlier brought her young children outside the country. Tuesday’s announcement came after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner in Sunday’s presidential poll despite mounting opposition against his rule.
Thousands attended California evangelist Sean Feucht’s “Riot to Revival” worship concerts this weekend in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, two cities that have been gripped by riots and protests in recent weeks.
Amid ongoing violence and looting in Chicago, over 100 people were arrested Monday after 13 police officers were injured during a night of unrest, the Washington Examiner reports. In a statement, Police Superintendent David Brown said the unrest “was not an organized protest” but “an incident of pure criminality” that reportedly began after officers shot and wounded a 20-year-old man who had opened fire on them.
Election officials in Belarus say the county’s longtime President Alexander Lukashenko has won his sixth consecutive term, taking over 80 percent of the vote. Monday’s announcement followed a night of riots in which dozens of people were injured, and possibly one person was killed amid mounting anger over his perceived autocratic style.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who for weeks had blamed President Trump for fueling riots in his Oregon city, on Thursday acknowledged that the violence has continued even after the federal presence was curtailed, and told peaceful protesters to stay home.
A majority in a Minneapolis commission is expected to support a City Council proposal Wednesday to dismantle the city’s Police Department and replace it with a new “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention,” the Washington Times reports. If the amendment proceeds to a ballot in November, voters will be given the last word. The proposal follows the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
Attorney General William Barr defended the federal government’s response to violent riots that have broken out across the country, pushing back against the narrative that the demonstrations have been peaceful.
A German court has convicted a 93-year-old former Nazi SS concentration camp guard for complicity in the murder of thousands of prisoners. Bruno Dey was among the last World War Two-era Nazi suspects to face trial in Germany.
President Trump has denied a request from Minnesota’s governor for money to rebuild parts of Minneapolis that were destroyed during the riots following the death of George Floyd.
Turkey has announced it will buy a second batch of the S-400 air defense missiles system made by Russia, UPI reported Wednesday. In an interview on Turkish TV this week, head of Turkey’s Defense Industries Administration Ismail Demir said the basic purchase agreement for a second batch was in place, while technical transportation issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were being resolved.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern Wednesday about ongoing beheadings and other abuses of Christians and other faith groups in several nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump has condemned alleged plans by Democrats to dismantle and defund the police at a time when the nation faces riots following the death of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died in police custody.
American Christians prepare to worship amid concerns about damaged churches after U.S. President Donald Trump urged more prayers for America.
Amid nationwide waves of extreme violence and looting that erupted following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, 77-year-old retired African American Police Captain David Dorn was fatally shot while checking on Lee’s Pawn Shop and Jewelry, a business that belonged to a friend of his, CBN reported. No arrests have been made.
There have been numerous reports of journalists suffering attacks from both protestors and police while covering US riots sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. According to Reuters, there have been some two dozen attacks on members of the press by police. Documenting some 60 cases of attacks, arrests, or harassment of journalists, Radio Television Digital News Association reported many of the recorded incidents were by protestors as well.
U.S. President Donald Trump has visited the 200-year-old church near the White House that was set on fire by protestors over the weekend after warning he may deploy the military to end days of rioting and looting across the nation.
Protestors in Europe and other countries have joined demonstrators in the United States to express outrage over the death of George Floyd. The unarmed black man died in the U.S. city of Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck until he stopped breathing.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called state governors “weak” amid ongoing riots rocking American cities, prompting thousands of arrests.