North Korea, Afghanistan, Border Violence

Trump’s Withdrawal From Iran Nuclear Agreement Casts Shadow Over U.S.-North Korea Talks
Interview with Jamal Abdi, vice president of policy, National Iranian American Council, conducted by Scott Harris
After exacerbating tensions with and launching personal attacks against some of America’s closest allies over trade issues at the G7 gathering of western leaders in Quebec, Canada, President Trump arrived in Singapore for his much anticipated summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While there was hope that the groundbreaking talks between Washington and Pyongyang could pave the way for peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, many observers noted that Trump has demonstrated that he’s much more adept at smashing international agreements than building consensus to negotiate new accords. The U.S.-North Korean summit meeting concluded with positive optics, but very short on substance. Story continues

Afghan Government Declares Ceasefire with Taliban as Insurgents Surround Nation’s Cities
Interview with Kathy Kelly, Creative Nonviolence co-coordinator, conducted by Scott Harris
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani announced on June 7 that the Afghan army will observe a temporary ceasefire with Taliban insurgents from June 12 through 19, coinciding with the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. Ghani said military operations against other armed groups, such as Islamic State will continue. Two days later, the Taliban announced that they too would also observe a 3-day ceasefire during the holiday. The ceasefire is the first such declared truce since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. Story continues

Mirka Dominguez Salinas and Megan Fountain: Nationwide Protests Demand Trump Administration End Border Violence, Family Separation
Excerpts of speeches by Mirka Dominguez Salinas, Make the Road Connecticut organizer, and Unidad Latina en Accion activist Megan Fountain, recorded and produced by Melinda Tuhus

The immigrant rights community has been outraged and energized by the recent murder of two immigrant women on the U.S.-Mexico border and by the new Trump administration policy of separating parents seeking asylum in the U.S. from their children. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, often sends children of detained immigrants thousands of miles away and many parents are not told where they are http://btlonline.org/2018/seg/180622cf-btl-fountain.html

This week’s summary of under-reported news
Compiled by Bob Nixon

During this spring’s massive “Great Return” march protests along the Gaza-Israeli border, local Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who spent 22 years in an Israeli prison, fully supported the grassroots resistance to Israel’s Gaza blockade. The 56-year-old Hamas leader, calls the protests, which faced intense Israeli repression resulting in 120 dead and 2,7000 injured, “a new phase” in the Palestinian national struggle on the road to liberation.” (“The Riddle of Hamas’ New Gaza Leader: Extremist or Pragmatist,” Christian Science Monitor,June 7, 2018)
The European Union is rewriting its laws governing digital data privacy. The EU is now enforcing its new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR,) which allows Internet users to opt out of having their web activity collected by website companies. The act imposes stiff penalties for non-compliance. (“EU Leads the Way to Internet Privacy Over Profits,” American Prospect, May 25, 2018)
In the shadow of prosperous cities in the Pacific Northwest, scores of highly organized homeless villages have been established to provide a safe, secure environment for homeless people. Contrary to the perception that homelessness generates street crime, organized villages help to reduce crime in surrounding neighborhoods. (“No Link between Homeless Villages and Crime Rates,” The Guardian, May 23, 2018

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