Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first public appearance in weeks of coronavirus lockdown to celebrate the country’s national day. He used the Russia Day holiday to promote a controversial reform of the constitution which could keep him in office until 2036. Mr Putin, 67, has dominated Russia for the past 20 years whether as president or prime minister. Moscow lifted lockdown curbs this week despite a huge number of infections. 

But there was confusion as the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, urged people to stay at home during Friday’s holiday and another on 24 June, which marks victory in World War Two. About 510,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Russia, the third-highest number of cases in the world after the US and Brazil. Russia has recorded 6,705 deaths amid accusations of under-reporting by the authorities.(BBC)…[+]

One of Uganda’s best known mountain gorillas, Rafiki, has been killed. Four men have been arrested, and they face a life sentence or a fine of $5.4m (£4.3m) if found guilty of killing an endangered species. Investigations showed that Rafiki was killed by a sharp object that penetrated his internal organs. There are just over 1,000 mountain gorillas in existence and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) described Rafiki’s death as a “very big blow”. The silverback, believed to be around 25-years-old when he died in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, was the leader of a group of 17 mountain gorillas. 

This group was described as habituated, meaning that its members were used to human contact. “The death of Rafiki leaves the group unstable and there is the possibility that it could disintegrate,” Bashir Hangi from the UWA told the BBC. “It has no leadership at this time and it could be taken over by a wild silverback.” If that happened, the group would not want to come into contact with humans, which ultimately could affect tourism.(BBC)…[+]

British Airways is selling some of its multi-million-pound art collection to raise cash to help it through the coronavirus pandemic. The collection includes art by Damien Hirst, Bridget Riley and Peter Doig, with one work believed to have been valued at more than £1m. It is understood at least 10 pieces have been identified for sale, although exactly which ones is unclear.

BA has seen a collapse in air travel and is set to cut thousands of jobs. Last week, BA boss Alex Cruz warned that the cash-strapped airline’s survival was at stake unless there was a drastic restructuring of the business. London’s Evening Standard newspaper, which first reported news of the art sell-off, said auction house Sotheby’s had been brought in to arrange sales as soon as possible. Other works in BA’s collection are pieces by Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Chris Ofili. The airline would not comment on the sale, nor identify which works would go under the hammer. However, the most valuable piece is believed to be by Bridget Riley and worth, according to one source, “at least seven figures”. It has been in BA’s possession for more than 30 years, with the value increasing significantly since purchase.(BBC)…[+]

Statues of Confederate leaders and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove monuments connected to slavery and colonialism. A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday night. Statues of Columbus in Boston, Miami and Virginia have been vandalised. The movement has been sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd. His death in Minneapolis has led to protests in the US and internationally against police brutality and racial inequality.

Memorials to the Confederacy, a group of southern states that fought to keep black people as slaves in the American Civil War of 1861-65, have been among those targeted. A number of Confederate statues on Monument Avenue in Richmond have been marked with graffiti during the protests. Richmond also saw a statue of Italian explorer Columbus pulled down, set alight and thrown into a lake earlier this week,. A three-metre tall (10ft) bronze statue of Columbus was toppled in Saint Paul,  Minnesota, on Wednesday. The Columbus statue in Boston, which stands on a plinth at the heart of town, was beheaded.(BBC)…[+]

US President Donald Trump is to hold his first re-election campaign rally for several months in Tulsa, Oklahoma on the date that African Americans celebrate the end of slavery. The rally will take place on 19 June, known as “Juneteenth”. The Trump campaign said his Republican Party was proud of its role in winning the Civil War and ending slavery.

The news follows weeks of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody.

In 1921 the city of Tulsa was the site of one of the worst massacres of black people in US history. Mr Trump’s rallies, seen as vital for energising his base, were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak in March. He faces re-election in November but is lagging behind his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in the polls. Correspondents say that while the virus remains a threat, Mr Trump’s campaign considers that large crowds at the recent protests will make it harder for his opponents to criticise his rallies.(BBC)…[+]