Thai demonstrators march in thousands as protests for government reform escalate

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Protesters have grown ever bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailand’s palace and military-dominated establishment, breaking a long-standing taboo on criticising the monarchy — which is illegal under lese majeste laws.

Judge halts Trump WeChat ban from Apple, Google app stores

Source: Judge halts Trump WeChat ban from Apple, Google app stores

U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said in an order that WeChat users who filed a lawsuit “have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor.“

Beeler’s preliminary injunction also blocked the Commerce order that would have barred other transactions with WeChat in the United States that could have degraded the site’s usability for current U.S. users.

Al-Rahi Criticizes Shiite Duo, Says No Sect Can Monopolize Portfolio

The time for sects to divide and conquer is over! Look for younger and capable people to make things run well in Lebanon for all citizens. W140

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday hit out at Hizbullah and Amal Movement without naming them, in connection with the ongoing row over the finance ministerial portfolio.

“What entitles a sect to demand a certain ministry as if it owns it, what entitles it to suspend the government’s formation until it gets what it wants, causing political paralysis and economic, financial and social damages?” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon.

Trump’s praise of Robert E. Lee gets pushback from Minnesotans proud of state’s role at Gettysburg – StarTribune.com

Source: Trump’s praise of Robert E. Lee gets pushback from Minnesotans proud of state’s role at Gettysburg – StarTribune.com

Standing in the heart of a state that has long felt pride in its role in helping save the Union at the pivotal Civil War battle of Gettysburg, President Donald Trump extolled at length Friday the battle prowess of a seemingly odd hero — Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Some Minnesota veterans and Civil War historians were surprised to hear the commander-in-chief lavish praise on a man who led the Confederacy’s fight against Americans defending the Union.

“Had he won, we would be two countries,” state Sen. Jerry Newton, a veteran who served in the Vietnam War and the Middle East, said Saturday. “That’s just unconscionable for me, for him to make those statements.”

Newton, a Coon Rapids DFLer, said the president praising Lee “hurt for those of us who have served and who have lost friends in the service.”

Trump mocks MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi getting shot with rubber bullet – CNN

Source: Trump mocks MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi getting shot with rubber bullet – CNN

Velshi responded to Trump in a tweet, noting he was actually hit by a rubber bullet, not a tear gas canister, and asking, “What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful (yes, entirely peaceful) march?”
In a statement, an MSNBC spokesperson said, “Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy. When the President mocks a journalist for the injury he sustained while putting himself in harm’s way to inform the public, he endangers thousands of other journalists and undermines our freedoms.”

‘The Time Has Come.’ Barbados Casts Off the Queen as Head of State, and Others May Follow — Repeating Islands

The Black Lives Matter movement has revived a simmering debate about the legacy of colonialism, potentially inspiring change in other Caribbean countries. A report by Mark Landler and Azam Ahmed for The New York Times. The last time a string of distant dominions cast off Queen Elizabeth was in the 1970s when the Black power […]

‘The Time Has Come.’ Barbados Casts Off the Queen as Head of State, and Others May Follow — Repeating Islands