Hamilton said governments around the world should “implement the peaceful removal of these racist symbols”.

He has made a series of statements amid global anti-racism protests.

These have occurred in a number of countries following the death of George Floyd in the US last month.

Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died in police custody in Minneapolis after an officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

Hamilton said last week that he was “completely overcome with rage” at events following Floyd’s death.

And on Monday he said the Colston statue should not be recovered after demonstrators threw it into a river.

“If those people hadn’t taken down that statue, honouring a racist slave trader, it would never have been removed,” he said on Instagram.

“There’s talks of it going into a museum. That man’s statue should stay in the river just like the 20,000 African souls who died on the journey here and thrown into the sea, with no burial or memorial. He stole them from their families, country and he must not be celebrated!”

In a post on Twitter shortly afterwards, Hamilton made a pointed reference to US President Donald Trump’s response to the protests that have swept America.

The 35-year-old posted a picture of the slogan “Black Lives Matter” painted on the road leading to the White House and wrote: “And don’t you forget it.” – bbc.com

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Brazilian star Marta is a six-time Fifa Player of the Year

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said the government did not consider it wise to offer financial guarantees in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Brazil will now support Colombia’s proposal, which is up against Japan and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand to host the 32-team tournament.

Fifa will vote to select the hosts on 25 June.

“Because of the fiscal and economic austerity brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, [the government] thought it would not be recommended to right now sign the guarantees asked for by Fifa,” said a CBF statement.

Brazil has hosted a number of major international sporting competitions in recent years, including the men’s World Cup in 2014, the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Copa America in 2019. But the CBF felt it was an outsider to host yet another big event.

The country has been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 35,000 deaths and in excess of 640,000 confirmed infections, but the latter number is believed to be much higher because of insufficient testing. – bbc.com

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That has proved only the initial challenge since the PGA Tour outlined plans to resume play for the first time since the Players Championship was abandoned after one round on 12 March.

Golf has been at the forefront of the sporting return from lockdown. For most of us it has been at recreational level but in the United States – with the encouragement of the country’s president – it is at the vanguard for restarting professional sport.

But it returns not only at a time when public and economic health have been savaged by Covid-19 but amid widespread civil unrest following the death in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May.

Golf has often been guilty of living in isolation from the woes of the world. It has been a means of escape from troubled times for those fortunate enough to access courses to play or watch the game.

This week, though, it steps into a spotlight made more intense by the absence of international sport over the past three months. It returns in Fort Worth, Texas, only a four-hour drive from where Mr Floyd is being laid to rest in Houston.

With the world watching, the tournament will be played in an isolating bubble hopefully protecting all involved from coronavirus.

But it cannot exist in isolation from, or in ignorance of, the circumstances that have prompted so many global protests and support for black communities.

There has already been a response. In recent days Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas, among other leading professionals, have posted messages highlighting the need to tackle racism.

Harold Varner III, a black PGA Tour player, wrote: “Sometimes life is not simple and things don’t make sense. How can we call ourselves the greatest country on earth when our standards fall to senseless killing?”

These words come from a player of a game not renowned for “taking the knee”. They reflect a social consciousness currently permeating traditionally one of the most conservative of sports.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has taken a lead. “We might not know exactly what to do right now but we shouldn’t be deterred,” he said.

“We should communicate and learn. We should talk to our family, friends and colleagues in an open and compassionate way.

“We should grow as individuals and as an organisation. And, most importantly, we should demand better.”

They are strong words setting a responsible tone ahead of what was always going to be a hugely significant week for the sport. Staging tournament golf again was already a massive test given current public health concerns.

Leading players have responded to the opportunity to compete again. Each of the top five players in the world; Rory McIlroy, Rahm, Koepka, Thomas and Dustin Johnson headline the field for the Charles Schwab Challenge starting on Thursday.

Fifteen of the world’s top 20 are playing despite the absence of spectators at Colonial. It is the first of four events to be played behind closed doors and July’s Memorial tournament plans to be the first back with galleries.

This week television coverage will be improvised and the atmosphere will be inevitably eerie when so many of the world’s best players compete in the absence of cheers and applause.

Armchair fans, though, are likely to relish the return of competitive action in what represents a huge opportunity for the sport and its players. But success will not necessarily be measured by birdies and bogeys.

This opening event and those that follow must show they can exist in a safe, healthy bubble, but one that is not impervious to everything else happening in a troubled world.

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According to officials, the Miss Rural Africa modelling pageant, is also meant to encourage rural women to get involved in the production of the engineered castor bean.

The finals will be held on June 30 on online and digital platforms because of the Covid 19 lockdown regulations.

The voting process will be done digitally starting Wednesday on www.OilCastor.com.

“We respect the lockdown regulations and will hold the finals end of June on selected digital platforms.

“This pageant is to empower the girl child in communities that we operate in.

“We also encourage them to take castor bean production,“ said an official.

Faith Ropafadzo Chikandiwa on of the contestants from Hurungwe said she has a rural background but appreciates beauty with brains.

“I might have a strong rural background but the inner beauty in me stays and I thank the organisers for giving us a platform to build our confidence and showcase the untapped  talent in rural communities.

“I also believe my natural beauty will make people believe in me and want to work with me because I have high affinity for rural development and uplifting of the girl child,” she said.

Adding: “I would like to uplift rural girls and have campaigns If  I become the next Miss Rural Africa.

“I will play a role of awareness campaigns to the marginalized rural areas on development+ issues to do with girl child protection.”

Vimbai Mufukuri from Gutu alluded to the fact that it is health to maintain the God given natural beauty that came since birth.

“It came natural to me; in the same fashion you received life at birth and preserve the true African culture that is based in the rural areas,” said Mufukuri.

My gift of empathy is to uplift others around me that has pushed me this far to enrich people’s lives, and make them feel glad to be alive, in rural areas, “she said.

She said she believes our rural people need someone to represent them because in most cases and activities, rural areas are left out yet there are the areas which gives us all a sense of belonging.

“I have decided to stand up for the rural areas in Zimbabwe and represent them to show the world that rural is just a title, anyone can do it,” she said.

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England and Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has backed protests taking place across the UK, saying “the only disease right now is the racism that we are fighting”.

Raheem Sterling: “The only disease right now is the racism that we’re fighting”

Thousands of people have taken part in Black Lives Matter marches in the UK, despite government warnings to avoid mass gatherings because of the threat of coronavirus.

“This is the most important thing at this moment in time because this is something that is happening for years and years,” Sterling, 25, said.

Large protests have been held in London, Bristol, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh following the death of American George Floyd.

Floyd, 46, died while being arrested on 25 May in Minneapolis. The four officers involved have since been charged over the death, which sparked days of protest in the US and demonstrations across the world.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight programme, Sterling said: “Just like the pandemic, we want to find a solution to stop it.

“At the same time, this is what all these protesters are doing. They are trying to find a solution and a way to stop the injustice they are seeing and they are fighting for their cause.

“As long as they are doing it peacefully and safely and not hurting anybody and not breaking into any stores, they continue to protest in this peaceful way.”

Many sports people have spoken out in protest over Floyd’s death, with Sterling’s England team-mate Jadon Sancho making on-pitch statements in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Sterling, whose City side return to Premier League action on 17 June, has previously spoken of racist abuse he has suffered and the media’s portrayal of black players.

Asked whether speaking out makes his job as a footballer harder, he said: “First and foremost, I don’t really think about my job when things like this happen. I think about what is right.

“And at this moment in time, there’s only so much people can take. There’s only so much communities and other backgrounds can take – especially black people.

“It’s been going on for hundreds of years and people are tired and people are ready for change.

“I keep saying this word. I see a lot of people on social [media], supporting the cause. But this is something that needs more than just talking.

“We need to actually implement change and highlight the places that do need changes.

“But this is something that I myself will continue to do, and spark these debates and get people in my industry looking at themselves and thinking what they can do to give people an equal chance in this country.

“Hopefully other industries can do that, and everyday society and the system as well.” – bbc.com

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Hydroxychloroquine received global attention after being taken by Donald Trump

Hydroxychloroquine received global attention after being promoted by Donald Trump, and then controversy after studies on it were retracted.

The drug has now been pulled from the UK’s Recovery trial, which is run by the University of Oxford.

The findings have been passed on to the World Health Organization.

Back at the start of the pandemic, laboratory studies had suggested the malaria drug could affect the virus. Small-scale studies in China and France then hinted it might help patients.

There was a huge amount of hope, as the medicine is cheap and has been safely used to treat malaria and conditions such as lupus and arthritis.

However, the evidence supporting its use for coronavirus has been weak.

‘Not a treatment for Covid’

That is why the data from the Recovery trial is crucial. It is the first to test the drug in large numbers of people in a thorough clinical trial.

More than 11,000 patients with Covid-19 are taking part, with 1,542 patients given hydroxychloroquine.

Due to mounting controversy about the drug, the UK’s drugs regulator last night asked the Oxford researchers to review their data.

The results showed 25.7% of people taking hydroxychloroquine had died after 28 days. This compared with 23.5% who were given standard hospital treatment.

“This is not a treatment for Covid,” said Prof Martin Landray, part of the Recovery trial. The trial immediately stopped using the drug.

The findings come in the wake of deep concern in academic publishing that led to an article being retracted in the Lancet – one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals.

It had published a study involving nearly 15,000 patients, from hundreds of hospitals, given hydroxycholoroquine or the similar drug chloroquine.

It concluded the drug was not beneficial and increased the risk of irregular heart rhythms and death. That publication led to the WHO suspending its trials of the anti-malaria drug.

The data had been collected from hospitals by the little-known healthcare firm Surgisphere.

‘Disappointing’

Concerns were raised about the data and then some of the study’s authors said they could no longer stand by their publication as Surgisphere would not allow an independent review.

Then the New England Journal of Medicine retracted another paper that had data based on Surgisphere.

Prof Peter Horby, from the University of Oxford which runs the Recovery trial, said: “Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have received a lot of attention and have been used very widely to treat Covid patients despite the absence of any good evidence.

“Although it is disappointing that this treatment has been shown to be ineffective, it does allow us to focus care and research on more promising drugs.” – bbc.com

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BBC News had highlighted some suspicious groups had switched their focus to call for justice for the black man killed in police custody.

Some, run by accounts seemingly based in Vietnam or Bangladesh, had posted misleading images.

And others had previously focused on coronavirus, 5G conspiracies and support for US President Donald Trump.

A Facebook spokesman said it had “removed the vast majority of them, for violating our policies”.

Stoking tensions

There has been a surge in membership for Facebook groups supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, following the protests sparked by Mr Floyd’s death, on 25 May.

But for some it is unclear what the motives of their administrators are.

In some cases, they could be exploiting the movement to gain followers and/or stoke tensions.

Some of the profiles based outside the US had frequently posted inflammatory images and videos before Facebook intervened.

One group, Justice for George Floyd, had almost 2,000 members.

Set up in March, it originally focused on the coronavirus but later that month switched to “US breaking news”, featuring stories sympathetic to the US president, before turning to Black Lives Matter.

In its final incarnation, two administrators – identified as in Vietnam – had repeatedly shared posts critical of the protesters, including images of battered police cars that predate the current protests.

Another group, Justice For George Floyd & Latest Updates, was run by a profile claiming to be based in Bangladesh.

The administrator’s profile photos had all been copied from other websites and included images of celebrities and animals.

And it used highly emotive language in contradictory posts that supported both the police and the protesters.

Others included:

• a group that changed its name from Join Donald Trump’s 2020 Winning Team to Justice For George Floyd & Stopping The Riots
• a group first called Paranormal activity rebranded The Death Of George Floyd – Minneapolis

This would not be the first time Black Lives Matter groups have been hijacked.

Investigations into foreign interference during the 2016 US presidential election accused Russia of being behind a misinformation campaign that had taken advantage of the movement.

However, no evidence has been presented to indicate Moscow is involved this time. – bbc.com

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McGregor defeated Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone within just 40 seconds in January

Ireland’s former two-weight UFC champion, 31, has a record of 22 wins and four defeats.

His last fight, in January 2020, saw him beat American fan favourite Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in just 40 seconds in Las Vegas.

He has previously announced his retirement in 2016 and 2019 before twice returning to the octagon.

McGregor also tried boxing, losing to former five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather in August 2017.

“Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting,” he said on Twitter on Sunday.

“Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!”

McGregor signed for the UFC in 2013 as a two-division Cage Warriors champion, and went on to capture the UFC titles at featherweight and lightweight, becoming the first man to simultaneously hold UFC titles in two weight classes.

Those titles were subsequently stripped by the UFC after he failed to defend his belts.

After his first ‘retirement’ in 2016, he returned in October 2018 to unsuccessfully challenge for the UFC lightweight title against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

Earlier this year, he displayed one of the most spectacular performances of his career to defeat Cerrone – his first win inside the octagon since taking his second world title in 2016.

In May, McGregor declared himself as the second greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time behind Anderson Silva, adding he would “easily” surpass the Brazilian before retiring.

However, McGregor’s time in mixed martial arts has also been marred by controversy.

In 2018, he was ordered to have anger management training and perform five days of community service by a court in return for criminal charges being dropped after he had attacked a bus containing rival UFC fighters.

Video footage appeared to show McGregor throwing a railing at a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and a number of other UFC fighters.

In March 2019, McGregor was arrested in Miami for allegedly smashing a fan’s phone as they tried to take pictures of him. The charges were later dropped, although McGregor settled a civil lawsuit with the victim out of court. – bbc.com

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“The virus has been declared a pandemic,” Joshua said.

“This is out of control. And I’m not talking about Covid-19. The virus I’m talking about is called racism.”

The IBF, WBA and WBO world champion added: “We stand united against a virus which has been instrumental in taking lives, taking lives of the young, old, rich, poor; a virus which is unapologetic and spreads across all sectors.”

At the march Joshua walked with crutches and also used a scooter after he felt a “twinge” in his left knee during training this week.

“It will be further checked by his doctors but there is no immediate concern,” his spokesman said.

“The brace is a precautionary measure on the advice of physios.”

The protest was one of several across the country on Saturday following the death of American George Floyd.

Floyd, 46, died while being arrested on 25 May in Minneapolis. The four officers involved have since been charged over the death, which sparked days of protest in the US and Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the world.

Joshua hoped to fight twice in 2020 but has accepted he will have no more than one bout this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Talks are ongoing over when and where his mandatory world title defence against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev can take place given the challenge faced in creating a viable event without fans present.

Ideas have been floated by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn on the prospect of a bout at Royal Albert Hall where only a small number of high-priced seats are sold. Pulev’s team have raised the prospect of fighting outdoors at a Roman amphitheatre in Croatia.

Those close to Joshua expect his injury to have no impact on plans to face Pulev and insist he will be able to return to normal training in the short term. – bbc.com

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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“We were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

The NFL had previously banned players from dropping to one knee, a practice started by Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

Meanwhile, a large protest is expected in Washington DC on Saturday.

The demonstration is the latest in a series against police brutality and racism that have been held across the US following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May.

Mr Floyd, an unarmed black man in handcuffs, died after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The officer has been charged with murder while three colleagues stand accused of aiding and abetting.

On Friday, Minneapolis officials said police would be banned from using neck restraints and California pledged to follow suit.

What did the NFL commissioner say?

In a video, Mr Goodell denounced racism in the US in comments that came shortly after a number of players urged the NFL to take a stronger stance on racism and police brutality in the country.

“We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter. Protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff,” he said.

“I will be reaching out to players who have raised their voices and others on how we can improve.”

President Donald Trump has stridently opposed kneeling during the national anthem, and on Friday again voiced his opposition to such protests, saying on Twitter: “We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!”

He criticised New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for dropping his opposition to NFL kneeling protests.

Brees responded on Saturday by saying: “We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform.”

What’s the story behind Kaepernick’s kneeling?

The practice of kneeling during the customary pre-game playing of the national anthem was started by black player Colin Kaepernick in 2016 in protest against racial injustice.

A number of other players soon joined Kaepernick, who was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers at the time.

He became a free agent after the 2016 season and remains unsigned. Kaepernick filed a grievance against NFL owners in October 2017, believing they were conspiring not to hire him because of his kneeling protests.

The two sides resolved the grievance in February under a confidentiality agreement.

What else is happening in the US?

On Friday, the Minneapolis City Council and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights agreed to ban police neck restraints and chokeholds.

The new policy, which will be enforceable in court, requires any officer regardless of rank to verbally and physically intervene if they witness a colleague using such unauthorised force.

Meanwhile, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said he would move to end state police training in the use of the “carotid restraint”.

San Diego police banned the technique this week. Officials in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles have all previously taken steps to ban or limit the use of chokeholds by members of their police departments.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Denver has ordered police to stop the use of tear gas, plastic bullets and other non-lethal force on peaceful protesters. The order came after four protesters filed a lawsuit against aggressive police action. – bbc.com

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