June 13, 2020 – THE OVAL CIRCLE

USA

Facebook pitched language suppression tool in workplace chat product to employers – report

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

New ‘benefits’ of Facebook Workplace reportedly include a feature that helps employers prevent workers from unionizing. The social media giant seems to be joining other Big Tech companies with anti-union bias. … Read More >Facebook pitched language suppression tool in workplace chat product to employers – report

EU

‘No police, no peace’: French cops reject government chokehold ban (VIDEOS)

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

French police have marched in protest through central Paris, saying the government is denying them life-saving tools with its new ban on chokehold and chest-pinning, imposed in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the US. … Read More >‘No police, no peace’: French cops reject government chokehold ban (VIDEOS)

‘Optimism faded into dark nightmare’, Pyongyang says 2 years after Trump-Kim summit

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

Pyongyang has received no substantive concessions from the US in the two years since the Singapore peace summit, so Donald Trump will not be given anymore free diplomatic wins, the North Korean foreign minister says. … Read More >‘Optimism faded into dark nightmare’, Pyongyang says 2 years after Trump-Kim summit

World

ICC denounces US sanctions on war crimes investigators as ‘unacceptable interference in rule of law’

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned a new round of American sanctions on officials probing potential US war crimes, saying Washington’s “threats and coercive actions” cannot be allowed to hinder the rule of law. … Read More >ICC denounces US sanctions on war crimes investigators as ‘unacceptable interference in rule of law’

Russia

‘We’re Russia, we’re together’: WATCH aerobatic team paint the skies on Russia Day

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

In celebration of Russia Day, a group of daredevils took to the skies over the Moscow Region, sending a patriotic message to all Russians to stay strong and united in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. … Read More >‘We’re Russia, we’re together’: WATCH aerobatic team paint the skies on Russia Day

Daewoo to build two LNG tankers for Russian energy giant Novatek

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

South Korea’s shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has received an order from Russian gas producer Novatek for the construction of two LNG tankers to operate in Kamchatka and Murmansk. … Read More >Daewoo to build two LNG tankers for Russian energy giant Novatek

Russia’s diamond producer sees recovery this year for pandemic-hit sales

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

The global leader in diamond mining, Russia’s ALROSA, expects sales of its gems to reach 25 million carats in 2020, according to the company’s Deputy General Director, Alexey Filippovsky. … Read More >Russia’s diamond producer sees recovery this year for pandemic-hit sales

UK

‘Absurd and shameful’ Churchill monument at risk: British PM Johnson says UK anti-racism protests ‘hijacked by extremists’

Posted on June 13, 2020By Editor

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decried threats to the national monument honoring former UK leader Winston Churchill by “violent protestors,” in a barrage of tweets published on Friday. … Read More >‘Absurd and shameful’ Churchill monument at risk: British PM Johnson says UK anti-racism protests ‘hijacked by extremists’

UK

Extinction Rebellion spray graffiti on Cambridge Uni building, demand removal of memorial to ‘racist’ academic (PHOTOS)

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

Climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) has targeted Cambridge University, spray-painting the wall and door of one college, in protest at the memorial window of “racist” statistician Ronald Fisher. … Read More >Extinction Rebellion spray graffiti on Cambridge Uni building, demand removal of memorial to ‘racist’ academic (PHOTOS)

Op-ed

NATO’s call on ‘like-minded nations’ to stand up to rise of China is just a desperate bid for global relevance

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020By Editor

As the influence of the US and Europe wanes in the face of a new geopolitical reality, their Cold War progeny, NATO, seeks to redefine itself as a global player. The problem is NATO is not capable of even stepping onto the field. … Read More >NATO’s call on ‘like-minded nations’ to stand up to rise of China is just a desperate bid for global relevance