July 2, 2020 – THE OVAL CIRCLE

World

Battle for the Gold: Venezuelan Rivals President Maduro and Western-Backed Guaido Tussle for Power

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

Venezuela’s Central Bank filed a claim in a commercial court in London earlier in June to force the Bank of England to transfer some $1.13 billion-worth of its gold, stored there for safekeeping, to enable President Nicolas Maduro to fund Caracas’s COVID-19 pandemic response. … Read More >Battle for the Gold: Venezuelan Rivals President Maduro and Western-Backed Guaido Tussle for Power

USA

‘It’s activism, not journalism’: CNN publishes shame list of companies that DIDN’T join Facebook boycott

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

CNN has named and shamed a list of brands that haven’t joined a movement to boycott Facebook for all manner of alleged social justice offenses, drawing criticism online for its “bizarre” activism campaign. … Read More >‘It’s activism, not journalism’: CNN publishes shame list of companies that DIDN’T join Facebook boycott

USA

‘How will people learn?’ Statue of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein briefly installed in New Mexico

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

At a time when activists across America are tearing down statues, pranksters have put a new one up. A monument to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein popped up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then vanished just as mysteriously. … Read More >‘How will people learn?’ Statue of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein briefly installed in New Mexico

UK

Fears dozens of local lockdowns are ‘days away’ prompts dismay among Britons, as UK battles to contain coronavirus flare-ups

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

As many as 36 regions in England which are seeing a rise in newly confirmed cases of coronavirus could be “just days” away from being forced into local lockdowns, according to reports, leading many Britons to voice their alarm. … Read More >Fears dozens of local lockdowns are ‘days away’ prompts dismay among Britons, as UK battles to contain coronavirus flare-ups

Russia

55% of Russians voted on constitutional amendments prior to main polling day – Election Commission

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

Over half of eligible Russian voters cast their ballots early or online before the main polling day, according to Ella Pamfilova, head of the country’s Central Election Commission. … Read More >55% of Russians voted on constitutional amendments prior to main polling day – Election Commission

World

Cornered at UNSC, US faces historic rebuke from world powers over Iran

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

Speaking at a videoconference meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the 15-nation UN body to block the planned lifting of the UN arms embargo on Iran in October. … Read More >Cornered at UNSC, US faces historic rebuke from world powers over Iran

Russia

Overwhelming support for Putin’s constitution changes a wake-up call for Westerners who claim Russian system is bound to collapse

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

The main takeaway from Russia’s ‘national vote’ on a series of amendments to the constitution is one a lot of people won’t want to hear: Most Russians want the country to plow its own furrow, regardless of what outsiders think. … Read More >Overwhelming support for Putin’s constitution changes a wake-up call for Westerners who claim Russian system is bound to collapse

EU

Video: Italian Police Seize Record 15 Tons of Daesh-Linked ‘Jihad Drugs’ From Ship

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

Around 15 tons (14 tonnes) of the amphetamine captagon were recently seized from a ship that Italian authorities believe was en route to supply the black market for synthetic drugs in Europe – which has been suffering amid the COVID-19 novel coronavirus lockdowns. … Read More >Video: Italian Police Seize Record 15 Tons of Daesh-Linked ‘Jihad Drugs’ From Ship

‘I urge you not to annex’: UK PM Johnson warns Netanyahu annexation of West Bank parts would violate international law

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

Boris Johnson has urged Israel not to plough ahead with plans to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, warning PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK wouldn’t “recognize any changes to the 1967 lines.” … Read More >‘I urge you not to annex’: UK PM Johnson warns Netanyahu annexation of West Bank parts would violate international law

Jordanian Diplomat Warns Israeli Rejection of Two-State Solution Makes One-State Solution Inevitable

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020By Editor

Despite international resistance and pressure from within his own cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to go ahead with Tel Aviv’s plans to ‘apply sovereignty’ to large swathes of territory in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, with the process expected to begin as soon as later Wednesday. … Read More >Jordanian Diplomat Warns Israeli Rejection of Two-State Solution Makes One-State Solution Inevitable