Protests raise concerns of COVID-19 spread

Some governments have urged would-be protesters to move their activism out of the streets over fear of the novel coronavirus pandemic. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Governments urge protesters against gathering, citing coronavirus [People protest in solidarity with those in the United States protesting police brutality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Sydney, Australia, June 2, 2020.]( Credit: Loren Elliott/Reuters As protests reverberate around the world over the police killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, some governments have urged would-be protesters to move their activism out of the streets over fears of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, while underscoring her solidarity with protesters, asked them to [find an alternative to gathering physically](: "Right now, it is the case, unfortunately and regrettably, that large gatherings of people could pose a risk to health and indeed to life." Scotland is currently under strict coronavirus lockdown rules which prohibit gatherings of more than eight people and require social distancing of at least six feet. An Australian court [banned a Black Lives Matter protest]( planned in Sydney, citing COVID-19 concerns. While the curve has flattened in New South Wales, authorities warned, "It's not a time to throw out our caution." But organizers say they plan to go ahead with the protest, which has also brought attention to deaths in police custody of [black and Indigenous people in Australia](. What The World is following Researchers [retracted a study]( in the Lancet medical journal that found risks in using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, saying they can “no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.” [The retraction]( raises concerns about the rush to publish during the pandemic. US President Donald Trump tweeted a letter calling demonstrators in Washington, DC's Lafayette Square ["terrorists" and citing other falsehoods]( after former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis heavily criticized the president. The peaceful protesters were violently cleared from the square Monday for the president's photo opportunity, prompting a [lawsuit from the ACLU](. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Yemen faces spread of COVID-19 'with no health care system at all']( Yemen, made vulnerable by more than five years of war, is ill-equipped to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health problem is exacerbated by warring factions, who downplay the threat of the pandemic even as Yemeni hospitals — and graveyards — [are crowded with victims](. [Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya]( [A man sits under a graffiti depicting African American man George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, June 4, 2020. The writing reads ''Justice'' in Swahili.]( Credit: Baz Ratner/Reuters George Floyd's killing by a police offer in the US has struck a chord with Kenyans who have also spoken out against police brutality. When Kenya enacted restrictive policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus, activists sounded the alarm about deadly policing. According to Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), more than 15 people were killed by police during the coronavirus curfew — including children. [Community organizers say that number could be much higher.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Things That Go Boom [Was the US sleeping through China's rise?]( If the US can’t take care of itself in times of major crisis, how exactly is it supposed to “beat” China in global competition? Things That Go Boom is a co-production of PRX and Inkstick Media, and is a partner of The World. This season: What kinds of security risks are building out there? [Subscribe to the podcast](. [China's millennials reexamine spending habits as economy recovers]( [Visitors hold face masks at the Shanghai Disneyland theme park as it reopens following a shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, at Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China, May 11, 2020.] Credit: Aly Song/Reuters Millennials in China have been known to be big spenders. But as the Chinese economy recovers from a coronavirus-induced slowdown, many young people are [reexamining their lives and their spending habits](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning focus Blowing bubbles looks fun across the universe. Watch this black hole send blobs of [400 million billion pounds of matter]( into space. [An image of a black hole in space]( Credit: M. Espinasse et al./Université de Paris/CXC/NASA --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Rival leaders in Venezuela reach agreement on coronavirus]( - [Oil spill leads to state of emergency in Russia]( - [England's contact tracers]( - [Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary]( - [Michael White released]( - [Milan's plan to transform the streets for cyclists and pedestrians]( - [Report on COVID-19 disparities released in UK]( - [A teenage victim of Brazil's police has the country outraged and focused on police violence against Afro-Brazilians]( - [Yemen and conference fail]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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