Russia, Philippines hand down controversial convictions

Twitter has purged and archived more than 32,000 accounts linked to state-backed disinformation operations. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today 'Sham trials': Russia, Philippines hand down controversial convictions [Former US Marine Paul Whelan holds a sign as he stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020.]( Credit: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters Ex-US marine Paul Whelan has been found [guilty by the Moscow City Court of spying charges](, in what he called a "sham trial." Whelan, 50, was sentenced to 16 years of hard labor by the Russian court Monday. In 2018, he was arrested in a Moscow hotel room with a flash drive that authorities say held state secrets. Whelan says he was set up with a USB stick, which he believed to contain family photos. The case has [strained US-Russia relations, though the White House]( has not been vocal about Whelan's situation. US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan [condemned the verdict](, calling the trial an "egregious violation of human rights," and criticized the embassy's lack of access to Whelan. Whelan's lawyers may lodge an appeal, and his family has called on the US to take steps to bring him home. In the Philippines, journalist Maria Ressa, [founder of the investigative Rappler Media](, and her former colleague, Reynaldo Santos, have become the first journalists to be convicted of cyber libel under a highly scrutinized law that opponents warned would be used to [silence critics of controversial President Rodrigo Duterte's government](. The Committee to Protect Journalists called Monday's conviction an “[outrageous crime against press freedom](.” Ressa and Santos will appeal, but could face up to six years in prison. [The World spoke with Maria Ressa last April](: "Democracies can turn overnight. You can lose rights very quickly and I'm shocked at what's happened to the Philippines. So — hold the line. I always say, 'Hold the line.' I think we need to demand accountability. We need to stop impunity. Those are the two main things." What The World is following Less than a month after the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis galvanized a movement against systemic racism and police brutality around the world, [Rayshard Brooks](, also a black man, was killed by a white police officer in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, [reigniting protests in the city](. Some areas of Beijing are reentering lockdowns after China's capital city reported [36 new cases of the novel coronavirus]( in a single day, likely linked to an outbreak at the Xinfadi wholesale market. In US states with support for Donald Trump, [Republican skepticism about the threat of the pandemic]( could be shifting as the number of cases of COVID-19 [increases by the hundreds or more]( per day. Research suggests that racial attitudes could have reinforced an "empathy gap" for virus victims, which have [disproportionately been people of color](. In [New Zealand, 20,000 fans]( became some of the first in the world to regather in person for a sporting event — a rugby match on Saturday. The country has been declared essentially virus-free after strict lockdown measures beginning in March effectively quashed the virus there. --------------------------------------------------------------- Help inform The World's global security coverage Can you take a moment to answer a short (we promise!) survey for The World? [Tell us what you think about our global security stories.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Racism against African Americans in China escalates amid coronavirus]( [Women wearing protective face masks are seen in a bus, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, June 9, 2020.]( Credit: Aly Song/Reuters Four years ago, JC, a teacher and poet from Mississippi, moved to China with her husband and two children on a grand adventure. Now, she teaches literature to high schoolers in Guangzhou. But she says life has changed amid the coronavirus pandemic. In mid-April, reports of “imported cases” of COVID-19 from abroad [triggered a wave of anti-foreigner sentiment across China](, especially toward black people. ['Travel bubbles': Who’s in and who’s out of the plan to save global tourism]( [Passengers wait for a regional train at the main train station in Berlin during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Berlin, Germany, June 10, 2020.]( Credit: Gabriela Baczynska/Reuters The coronavirus pandemic has brought leisure travel to a standstill. International tourism could decline by up to 80% this year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Now, just as the Northern Hemisphere enters the summer season, governments around the world are [trying to revitalize their tourism economies](. And: [Sweden’s handling of coronavirus drives some people to relocate]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme Watching Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's moptop emerge is one way to [keep track of the calendar](, says The New York Times (and this GIF 👇). [Justin Trudeau's hair grows]( [Credit: Screengrab from Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Rosalia and Travis Scott’s new music for a time of social distancing]( - [Sweden’s neighbors are wary of its handling of the coronavirus]( - [A black Iranian on talking about racism with his family]( - [A conversation with UK and US Black Lives Matter activists]( - [Race and police violence in Colombia and Brazil]( - [US Navy carriers converge in western Pacific amid tensions with China]( - [Trump sanctions members of International Criminal Court]( - [Uptick in violence threatens food supply in Burkina Faso and beyond]( - [‘Travel bubbles’ are forming around the world — but not with the US]( 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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