North America

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in northwest Iowa ousted Rep. Steve King in Tuesday’s primary, deciding they’ve had enough of the conservative lightning rod known for making incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy throughout his nearly two decades in Congress.

(AP) --- Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination after winning hundreds more delegates in primary contests Tuesday that tested the nation’s ability to run elections while balancing a pandemic and sweeping social unrest.

Biden could lock down the nomination within the next week as West Virginia and Georgia hold primaries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Undeterred by curfews, protesters streamed back into the nation’s streets Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump pressed governors to put down the violence set off by George Floyd’s death and demanded that New York call up the National Guard to stop the “lowlifes and losers.”

But most protests passed peacefully, and while there were scattered reports of looting in New York City, the country appeared calmer by late Tuesday than it did a day earlier, when violence swept through multiple cities.

Washington, Jun 2 (PTI) There is no place for hate and racism in the society, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said, asserting that empathy and shared understanding are a start, but more needs to be done.

Nadella's remarks come in the wake of the custodial death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man who was pinned to the ground in Minneapolis on May 25 by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath.

NEW YORK, June 02 (APP): At least 200 serious attacks on individual journalists have taken place during six years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule resulting in the killing of 40 of them, according to a recent study cited in a Washington Post article, which portrays India as “one of the world’s deadliest places to practice journalism.”

“And,” the Post’s Global Opinions writer, Jason Rezaian, warned that “it’s only getting worse”.

The coronavirus pandemic, he said, had provided a “new pretext for Modi to infringe on journalists and their work.”

2 June 2020; AFP: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday rejected Russia's participation in a coming summit of the G7 nations, despite host US President Donald Trump wanting to invite Moscow.

"Russia was excluded from the G7 after it invaded Crimea a number of years ago," Trudeau told reporters.

"Its continued disrespect and flaunting of international rules and norms is why it remains outside of the G7 and will continue to remain out," he added.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eight states and the District of Columbia hold primary elections on Tuesday, the biggest test yet of officials’ readiness to manage a surge of mail ballots and the safety risks of in-person voting during the coronavirus outbreak.

The largest day of balloting since the pandemic began will serve as a dry run for the Nov. 3 general election, offering a glimpse of the challenges ahead on a national scale if that vote is conducted under a lingering threat from COVID-19.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Governments worldwide have been urged to quickly implement the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO’s) global guidelines for restoring air connectivity;

Making this call, International Air Transport Association (IATA) director-general and chief executive officer Alexandre de Juniac said the ICAO Council had on Tuesday approved the Takeoff: Guidance for Air Travel through the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis (Takeoff).

CHICAGO, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two people have been killed during unrest in the Chicago suburb of Cicero as protests continued over the death of George Floyd, says a town official.

Spokesman Ray Hanania said 60 people were arrested but did not provide additional information about those killed or the circumstances of their deaths.

The Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff’s Office were called in to help local police as businesses were broken into and items stolen.

The Cicero Police Department has urged residents to stay at home.

NEW YORK, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — New York was placed under a night curfew, officials said, after looters raided stores in central Manhattan, targeting some of the city’s top retailers.

Upmarket fashion store Michael Kors on Fifth Avenue was among the luxury outlets hit, along with Nike, Lego and electronics shops across Midtown, before the 11 pm to 5 am curfew came into effect.

Groups of young people moved from block to block around the district, usually bustling with tourists but deserted due to the coronavirus, with entire streets blocked by police.