New York City Curfew Lifted A Day Earlier Than Planned

The final night of the New York City curfew arrived a day earlier than planned, as Mayor Bill de Blasio unexpectedly lifted the ban Sunday morning.

“New York City: We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately,” de Blasio tweeted, “Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city. Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart.”

The restart refers to Phase 1 of the four-part plan to move towards a business reopening in the city.

The 8 AM to 5 AM curfew was instituted last Monday after looting broke out in the wake of street demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Its institution was controversial, and drew lawsuits claiming city residents were being deprived of their civil rights.

Many ignored the curfew orders, and some major retailers suffered enormous damage. Most prominently, the Macy’s flagship store was looted.

‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Draws Fire For Controversial Transgender Tweets

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has once again drawn ire from transgender advocates. This time, the British writer commented on the phrase “people who menstruate” in an op-ed about healthcare inequality.

“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling tweeted.

Last year, she was embroiled in a similar controversy for showing support for Maya Forstater, a researcher who stated that people cannot change their biological sex.

This time, Rowling fanned the flames by tweeting, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people. But erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.

The author’s tweets on Saturday inspired the hashtag #IStandWithJKRowling on Sunday morning. Rowling’s messages were then swarmed by opponents and K-pop fans, the latter who lately have joined forces to suppress unpopular online messages.

Elon Musk Tells SpaceX Workers Starship Rocket Is Top Priority: CNBC

Elon Musk has told SpaceX employees to focus on the mission to send people to the moon and Mars as their top priority following the company’s success in sending astronauts into orbit last month.

Musk called on employees to accelerate the pace of progress for the company’s Starship rocket program “dramatically and immediately,” CNBC reported, citing a company-wide email it had seen.

“Please consider the top SpaceX priority (apart from anything that could reduce Dragon return risk) to be Starship,” Musk wrote.

Starship is aimed to be fully reusable and function more like a commercial airplane, with the goal of carrying as many as 100 people at a time.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully sent two astronauts into space to board the International Space Station, marking the first time humans have been sent into orbit in a commercially developed craft.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Musk’s email.

UK: Shakespeare's birthplace hit hard by lockdown

Stratford-upon-Avon’s loss of tourism has angered many whose livelihood depends on it.

As countries across Europe start to emerge from lockdown, the United Kingdom is about to enter its next stage – 14 days quarantine for most international arrivals.

Critics question how useful the measure will be, as there is little evidence new cases are being imported.

It has also angered the tourism industry, which accounts for about 10 percent of the economy.

Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull reports from one of the most popular tourist spots, Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Anti-racism protests held across Europe

London among cities where solidarity protests call for an end to systemic racism and police brutality.

Solidarity protests against racism have been held across Europe – including London.

For the second day in a row, thousands of people gathered outside the US embassy.

They are demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality.

Al Jazeera’s Nadim Baba reports.

Mexico Sought $1 Billion Loan from the World Bank: El Economista

Mexico asked the World Bank for a $1 billion loan, according to El Economista newspaper, which cited a loan agreement it viewed.

Mexico Deputy Finance Minister Gabriel Yorio said the financing was a development policy loan and would not be used for its Covid-19 response program. Yorio did not say in his tweets how large the loan was.

The organization’s board approved it May 31, according to the newspaper. Yorio said in the tweets that the loan was part of general financing and not on top of the debt already authorized by congress.

China's exports and imports fall amid coronavirus woes

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China's exports and imports both fell in May as the coronavirus and trade tensions with the U.S. weighed on demand at home and abroad.

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Exports fell 3.3 percent compared to a year earlier to $206.8 billion and imports dropped 16.7 percent to $143.9 billion, the Chinese customs agency said Sunday.

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The plunge in imports drove the country's trade surplus up sharply to $62.9 billion. The surplus with the United States reached $27.9 billion and climbed $18.2 billion with the European Union.

The fall in exports came after a surprise 3.5 percent rise the previous month. Analysts were expecting the decline, attributing April's rise to orders placed before virus restrictions hit overseas economies and predicting that American and European customers would also cancel other orders.

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Chinese exports to the U.S. totaled $37.2 billion, about the same as the $35.5 billion in exports to the EU. However, its imports from the EU were $17.3 billion, nearly twice the $9.3 billion from the U.S.