Michelle Obama was in her element as she targeted Donald Trump on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Tuesday (Aug 20). The former first lady called out Trump for his controversial statement about undocumented migrants taking "Black jobs".&nbsp;

“Who’s going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might be one of those Black jobs?” Michelle said, referencing Trump's remarks.&nbsp;

Michelle also criticised the Republican leader for his 'narrow' outlook that made him feel 'threatened' by the success of Black folks.&nbsp;

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” Michelle continued. “His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.”

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/MichelleObama?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MichelleObama</a>: Who's going to tell Donald Trump that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs'? <a href="https://t.co/i1S4RWF7TS">pic.twitter.com/i1S4RWF7TS</a>
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Michelle closed her salvo by revisiting the popular 2016 catchphrase,&nbsp;“When they go low, we go high.”

“We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came here before us. Let us work like our lives depend on it," she added.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-elections-2024-donald-trump-says-entitled-to-make-personal-attacks-750776" target="_blank">Watch |&nbsp;US Elections 2024: Donald Trump says 'entitled to make personal attacks'</a>

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<h2>What did Trump say?</h2>

During the first presidential debate against Joe Biden in June,&nbsp;Trump courted controversy by stating that immigrants were taking the jobs that usually employed&nbsp;'Blacks'.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"They're taking Black jobs now and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people," said Trump.&nbsp;

"His [Biden] big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They're taking Black jobs, and they're taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven't seen it yet, but you're going to see something that's going to be the worst in our history," he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-latest-gaffe-calls-kamala-harris-the-president-at-michigan-rally-751816">Also read |&nbsp;Donald Trump's latest gaffe: Calls Kamala Harris 'the president' at Michigan rally</a>

While Trump claimed that migrants were usurping the jobs, data showed that the Black unemployment rate remains near a historic low in the US. The share of Black Americans with jobs stands at 59.1 per cent which is near the peak of 60.4 per cent set last year.&nbsp;

Between 2019 and 2023, the wages for Black workers rose 1.4 per cent, after adjusting for inflation, compared to a 0.9 per cent increase for Hispanics and a 0.5 per cent hike for White workers, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Michelle Obama was in her element as she targeted Donald Trump on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Tuesday (Aug 20). The former first lady called out Trump for his controversial statement about undocumented migrants taking "Black jobs".

Michelle Obama was in her element as she targeted Donald Trump on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Tuesday (Aug 20). The former first lady called out Trump for his controversial statement about undocumented migrants taking "Black jobs". “Who’s going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might be one of those Black jobs?” Michelle said, referencing Trump's remarks. Michelle also criticised the Republican leader for his 'narrow' outlook that made him feel 'threatened' by the success of Black folks. “For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” Michelle continued. “His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.” .@MichelleObama: Who's going to tell Donald Trump that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs'? pic.twitter.com/i1S4RWF7TS — Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 21, 2024 × Michelle closed her salvo by revisiting the popular 2016 catchphrase, “When they go low, we go high.” “We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came here before us. Let us work like our lives depend on it," she added. Watch | US Elections 2024: Donald Trump says 'entitled to make personal attacks' What did Trump say? During the first presidential debate against Joe Biden in June, Trump courted controversy by stating that immigrants were taking the jobs that usually employed 'Blacks'. "They're taking Black jobs now and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people," said Trump. "His [Biden] big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They're taking Black jobs, and they're taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven't seen it yet, but you're going to see something that's going to be the worst in our history," he added. Also read | Donald Trump's latest gaffe: Calls Kamala Harris 'the president' at Michigan rally While Trump claimed that migrants were usurping the jobs, data showed that the Black unemployment rate remains near a historic low in the US. The share of Black Americans with jobs stands at 59.1 per cent which is near the peak of 60.4 per cent set last year. Between 2019 and 2023, the wages for Black workers rose 1.4 per cent, after adjusting for inflation, compared to a 0.9 per cent increase for Hispanics and a 0.5 per cent hike for White workers, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. (With inputs from agencies)

'Who’s going to tell him....': Michelle Obama targets Trump at DNC speech over 'Black jobs' remark

People from minority ethnic backgrounds in one area were up to eight times more likely to be fined for breaking Covid rules in England and Wales, a study commissioned for Britain’s police chiefs found, reported The Guardian, on Wednesday (May 31). The media report citing the findings also said that racial disparity was found for every single force.&nbsp;

<h2>What else did the study find?</h2>

Citing the report commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the data for which was collected by academics at the University of Edinburgh, the Guardian reported that black people were three times more likely to be fined for breaking COVID-19-related restrictions when compared to white people.

Reportedly, the fines were also seven times more likely to be issued in the poorest areas in England and Wales than in the richest neighbourhoods. The study was conducted between March 27, 2020, and May 31, 2021, when the police issued a total of 122,506 fines.&nbsp;

The study is said to be one of the most detailed analyses of who was fined and how fair the police were while invoking emergency powers to enforce lockdown rules which in the UK changed several times.&nbsp;

In England, the report found that the rate of fixed-penalty notice (FPN) per 10,000 people was 19.9 for white individuals as opposed to 46.1 for those belonging to an ethnic minority background. However, the ethnic disparity rate was highest for black people who were a little more than three times more likely to be issued with an FPN.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, in Wales, the ethnic disparity rate was 2.8 times for people from ethnic minorities while the number remained close to the same for black people. “There was not a single force area that did not have a higher disparity rate for ethnic minority groups,” said the report’s co-author, Professor Susan McVie, as quoted by the Guardian.&nbsp;

However, the media report citing the study also noted that the highest rate of disparity was found for those above the age of 45 and not the youth belonging to the ethnic minority group who were stopped and searched by the police. Additionally, in England, men were twice as likely to be fined.&nbsp;

It is also worth noting that this study was not published despite the NPCC commissioning it. “I was surprised they did not publish it having commissioned and paid for it,” said McVie, as per the Guardian.

Earlier this year, a separate report by the London Metropolitan Police which reviewed the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the service unravelled some very disturbing assessments including key findings of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia.&nbsp;

As per the report, there are people in the Met with racist attitudes. It underscores that Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers and staff are more likely to experience racism, discrimination and bullying at their hands.&nbsp;

<h2>What did the police say about the report?</h2>

The UK-based media report quoted NPCC lead for enforcing Covid rules, the assistant chief constable Owen Weatherill, who said it is “clearly a concern” to see these disparities in the number of FPNs issued to white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people.&nbsp;

However, the data does not indicate why these disparities exist, said Weatherill, adding that each force will study the data to “assess and mitigate any risks of bias – conscious or unconscious – and to minimise disproportionate impact in the future, wherever possible.” 
 
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People from minority ethnic backgrounds in one area were up to eight times more likely to be fined for breaking Covid rules in England and Wales, a study commissioned for Britain’s police chiefs found, reported The Guardian, on Wednesday (May 31).

People from minority ethnic backgrounds in one area were up to eight times more likely to be fined for breaking Covid rules in England and Wales, a study commissioned for Britain’s police chiefs found, reported The Guardian, on Wednesday (May 31). The media report citing the findings also said that racial disparity was found for every single force. What else did the study find? Citing the report commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the data for which was collected by academics at the University of Edinburgh, the Guardian reported that black people were three times more likely to be fined for breaking COVID-19-related restrictions when compared to white people. Reportedly, the fines were also seven times more likely to be issued in the poorest areas in England and Wales than in the richest neighbourhoods. The study was conducted between March 27, 2020, and May 31, 2021, when the police issued a total of 122,506 fines. The study is said to be one of the most detailed analyses of who was fined and how fair the police were while invoking emergency powers to enforce lockdown rules which in the UK changed several times. In England, the report found that the rate of fixed-penalty notice (FPN) per 10,000 people was 19.9 for white individuals as opposed to 46.1 for those belonging to an ethnic minority background. However, the ethnic disparity rate was highest for black people who were a little more than three times more likely to be issued with an FPN. Meanwhile, in Wales, the ethnic disparity rate was 2.8 times for people from ethnic minorities while the number remained close to the same for black people. “There was not a single force area that did not have a higher disparity rate for ethnic minority groups,” said the report’s co-author, Professor Susan McVie, as quoted by the Guardian. However, the media report citing the study also noted that the highest rate of disparity was found for those above the age of 45 and not the youth belonging to the ethnic minority group who were stopped and searched by the police. Additionally, in England, men were twice as likely to be fined. It is also worth noting that this study was not published despite the NPCC commissioning it. “I was surprised they did not publish it having commissioned and paid for it,” said McVie, as per the Guardian. Earlier this year, a separate report by the London Metropolitan Police which reviewed the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the service unravelled some very disturbing assessments including key findings of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia. As per the report, there are people in the Met with racist attitudes. It underscores that Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers and staff are more likely to experience racism, discrimination and bullying at their hands. What did the police say about the report? The UK-based media report quoted NPCC lead for enforcing Covid rules, the assistant chief constable Owen Weatherill, who said it is “clearly a concern” to see these disparities in the number of FPNs issued to white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people. However, the data does not indicate why these disparities exist, said Weatherill, adding that each force will study the data to “assess and mitigate any risks of bias – conscious or unconscious – and to minimise disproportionate impact in the future, wherever possible.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Black people, ethnic minorities more likely to be fined for violating Covid curbs in England, Wales: Report

Nearly 700 children have been strip-searched by London’s Metropolitan Police over a period of two years, most of them black boys, a new report has revealed.

According to the figures released by the Children’s Commissioner, kids aged from 10 to 17 underwent the ‘intrusive and traumatising’ strip searches between 2018 and 2020, in which almost three out of five (58 per cent) were black, and more than 95 per cent were boys.

The revelation comes close to the heels of the Child Q scandal in which a teenage black girl on her period was told to strip naked for a drug search by police without another adult present. No drugs were found.

Expressing concern over the ethnic imbalance, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, who published the report on Monday, said the Child Q incident was not isolated and represented a ‘systemic problem’ within the Met.

“I am not reassured that what happened to Child Q was an isolated issue, but instead believe it may be a particularly concerning example of a more systemic problem around child protection within the Metropolitan Police,” she was quoted as saying.

“I remain unconvinced that the Metropolitan Police is consistently considering children’s welfare and wellbeing,’ she added.

De Souza questioned the necessity of this “intrusive and traumatising” practice after data revealed that in 53 per cent of cases no further action was taken.

“This low level of successful searches arguably indicates that this intrusive practice may well not be justified or necessary in all cases,” she was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

She also raised concerns about “a lack of appropriate oversight” on police practising strip searches after the data revealed that in one in five cases there was no way of knowing where it even took place.

Meanwhile, four Metropolitan Police officers are being questioned for gross misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in connection with the Child Q incident.

They have apologised and said it “should never have happened”.

This is not the first time Met has been accused of exhibiting racial bias. According to a 1999 report, the Met was found to be “institutionally racist”.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Nearly 700 children have been strip-searched by London’s Metropolitan Police over a period of two years, most of them black boys, a new report has revealed. According to the figures released by the Children’s Commissioner, kids aged from 10 to 17 underwent the ‘intrusive and traumatising’ strip searches between 2018 and 2020, in which almost three out of five (58 per cent) were black, and more than 95 per cent were boys.

Nearly 700 children have been strip-searched by London’s Metropolitan Police over a period of two years, most of them black boys, a new report has revealed. According to the figures released by the Children’s Commissioner, kids aged from 10 to 17 underwent the ‘intrusive and traumatising’ strip searches between 2018 and 2020, in which almost three out of five (58 per cent) were black, and more than 95 per cent were boys. The revelation comes close to the heels of the Child Q scandal in which a teenage black girl on her period was told to strip naked for a drug search by police without another adult present. No drugs were found. Expressing concern over the ethnic imbalance, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, who published the report on Monday, said the Child Q incident was not isolated and represented a ‘systemic problem’ within the Met. “I am not reassured that what happened to Child Q was an isolated issue, but instead believe it may be a particularly concerning example of a more systemic problem around child protection within the Metropolitan Police,” she was quoted as saying. “I remain unconvinced that the Metropolitan Police is consistently considering children’s welfare and wellbeing,’ she added. De Souza questioned the necessity of this “intrusive and traumatising” practice after data revealed that in 53 per cent of cases no further action was taken. “This low level of successful searches arguably indicates that this intrusive practice may well not be justified or necessary in all cases,” she was quoted as saying by The Guardian. She also raised concerns about “a lack of appropriate oversight” on police practising strip searches after the data revealed that in one in five cases there was no way of knowing where it even took place. Meanwhile, four Metropolitan Police officers are being questioned for gross misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in connection with the Child Q incident. They have apologised and said it “should never have happened”. This is not the first time Met has been accused of exhibiting racial bias. According to a 1999 report, the Met was found to be “institutionally racist”. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

UK’s Met Police strip-searched 700 kids for two years, mostly black: Report

MacKenzie Scott stepped out of the long shadow of her former husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, by handing out billions of dollars in grants over the past two years to charities, community colleges, food banks and progressive nonprofits led by people of colour.

Advising her was a team of consultants at a firm that is hardly known outside philanthropic circles but highly influential within them: The Bridgespan Group.

Spun out of the consulting firm Bain &amp; Company as a nonprofit, Bridgespan is one of a host of groups that arose in the early 2000s as a new wave of giving led by tech billionaires was beginning to crest. Two decades later, the consultants working behind the scenes are more important than ever.

Scott pulled back the curtain a bit in June — when among the 286 groups receiving more than $2.7 billion in donations were a host of organizations that are basically the plumbing and wiring of the nonprofit world. Among them were the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Charity Navigator and Bridgespan itself, which said it would use its gift mainly to pursue research meant to benefit the sector as a whole.

“We work with the nonprofits on classic kinds of strategic issues, getting clarity on what they’re trying to do, putting their resources to work,” said Imtiyaz Hussein, who goes by Taz and is a Bridgespan partner who leads the group’s nonprofit advising practice. “I frame the heart of what we try to do as providing decision-making support for organizations.”

Proponents say the advisers make the field more effective. Critics question whether consultants, even at nonprofits with good intentions, are the right solution for the charitable sector.

“The tool kit of the consulting business is based on crunching massive amounts of quantitative data and analyzing it. What it’s bad at understanding is human life,” said Anand Giridharadas, author of “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World” and who early in his career worked for the consultant McKinsey &amp; Company. “I think these folks, whether they’re well-meaning or not, find it hard to leave their vocation and worldview and basic frameworks at some kind of coat check.”

Bridgespan may not be a household name, but its reach in philanthropic circles is significant. The group advises the biggest names in the field: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation on the philanthropy side, and the YMCA of the USA, the Salvation Army and even the Sesame Workshop on the nonprofit side.

And for donors looking to outsource overhead while still giving responsibly, consultants fill the gap between Jack Dorsey’s spreadsheet of gifts and a full-blown foundation with offices on Fifth Avenue.

“Bridgespan occupies a unique perch in the landscape of professional-services organizations serving foundations and high-net-worth families,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. Walker, who has worked with Bridgespan since he was with the Abyssinian Development Corporation two decades ago, said no firm had been more influential in the past 20 years.

When a group of billionaires and scholars gathered last year to brainstorm reforms for the charitable sector, they met at Bridgespan’s offices in New York. When the Open Society Foundations, by most measures the second-biggest foundation in the United States after Gates, recently began a significant restructuring, it brought in Bridgespan.

And, of course, there is Scott, who shook up the world of philanthropy with donations of more than $8 billion in 11 months.

But some philanthropy experts say relying on consultants can skew which groups get the most funding. “Consultants at places like Bridgespan are setting the menu of what philanthropists can and should do,” said Megan Tompkins-Stange, an assistant professor of public policy and scholar of philanthropy at the University of Michigan. “The organizations that are stamped with the managerial brand are more likely to get funding.”

Bridgespan was started in 2000 by three men with ties to the for-profit management consultant Bain &amp; Company, including Bain’s then-worldwide managing partner Thomas Tierney. The founders received $1.3 million from the consulting firm and $5.5 million from a group of foundations to see if a dedicated nonprofit could do a better job than for-profit consultants dabbling in pro bono work.

Bridgespan got its start during an era of “venture philanthropy” and “philanthrocapitalism.” In essence, the billionaires knew best and they were going to bring their vaunted analytic practices to the world of nonprofits. A whole crop of groups came up at around the same time, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the consultants FSG among them. (All received funding from Scott in her last round of giving.)

Bridgespan itself received a gift from Scott. Bridgespan’s latest tax filing for the year 2020 showed contributions and grants leaping to $74.7 million from $12.5 million the year before, nearly doubling the group’s total assets as of the end of last year. Bridgespan said the increase reflected a five-year capital campaign with multiple donors and not just Scott’s grant.

Giving away money used to be approached as a distinct enterprise from making money. The strategies, language and reams of analytics do not always translate to the nonprofit world, where “return on investment” could be harder to quantify.

“We were getting into bidding wars. ‘I can serve 500 kids for a million dollars.’ ‘I can serve 500 kids for $400,000,’ ” said Geoffrey Canada, president of Harlem Children’s Zone and one of Bridgespan’s first clients. He said he found his initial encounter with the group “predictably demeaning — they come in, lay out charts, don’t give you the chance to answer back.”

What was different from other firms his nonprofit worked with, he said, was that Bridgespan took his “brutally honest” feedback to heart. In turn, they persuaded him to abandon the bidding wars and ask for more money, trusting the donors to respect his candour.

Attitudes toward billionaire philanthropy shifted after the Great Recession, with populists on the left and right more suspicious of the ultrawealthy. Yet, management consulting for philanthropists and nonprofits continued to thrive. That is partly because the pie keeps growing.

From 2000 to 2018, assets held by private foundations more than doubled, according to the research group Candid, to $950 billion from $421 billion. Total giving tripled over the same period, the most recent for which complete data is available, rising to $72 billion from $23 billion, according to Candid, which also received a grant from Scott.

Instead of establishing big foundations, many of the richest Americans now want to use limited-liability companies, such as Laurene Powell-Jobs, and donor-advised funds, which Scott has used for some of her gifts.

“Bridgespan seems exceptionally able and well-disposed to take advantage of the shift from big family foundations to LLCs that don’t want staff but are still giving away a huge sum of money,” said Rob Reich, co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University.

Groups such as Bridgespan can also step into the gap and serve as outsourced staff for new foundations finding their footing.

In March, the recently formed Asian American Foundation had just five full-time employees. After the killing of eight people at Atlanta-area spas, six of Asian descent, the group was inundated with pledges and commitments, including millions more from prominent board members including Joseph Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets, and a further $1 billion committed to their cause by foundations, corporations and individuals in an eight-week period.

Bridgespan's Hussein served as an informal adviser, joining calls with board members.

The foundation brought on a team from Bridgespan full time over the summer. “My ask of them was understanding what is happening in the field and what are things we should be paying attention to. Where were the gaps?” said foundation president Sonal Shah. The Bridgespan team provided a thorough analysis of Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations in the United States.

“I think it was over a four-week period, which is not a small thing to do in a month,” Shah said.

Shah said she appreciated the fact that the team from Bridgespan was staffed fully with people of Asian descent. Hussein said that was intentional. He drew from Bridgespan’s internal affinity group, people with “firsthand experience of what it means to be othered, what it means to have the model minority myth,” Hussein said.

That was not the case in the group’s early days, said Walker, of the Ford Foundation.

“When I first met Bridgespan, it was primarily white men at the top, and that’s not a surprise given their origin,” Walker said. “I had a Zoom call with the Bridgespan team on a matter last spring, and a majority of the people on the little Hollywood Squares on the Zoom were people of colour and women.”

Bridgespan’s self-reported diversity figures show two-thirds of the group’s staff are women. White people make up less than half of the overall staff, as well as less than half of those in leadership positions.

Both Walker and Jeff Bradach, one of Bridgespan’s founders, used the word “journey” to describe the group’s embrace of diversity and inclusion as central tenets of the work. Bradach, who was managing partner until October, when he stepped down from the top post, stressed in an interview that this was still a work in progress and that Bridgespan had made mistakes in the past.

For instance, one of Bridgespan’s big pushes was for donors to make “big bets” rather than spreading the money around. But that standard tends to favour big institutions. “If in your criteria, you say, ‘We only fund people that do random control trials,’ if you have these barriers to capital on general operating support, then a whole bunch of organizations led by people of colour have actually never been given the money to do that,” Bradach said.

Scott has made it a priority to give to such previously underfunded groups. But she has no website or headquarters or way to apply for grants, leaving groups scrambling for a way to get on her radar. People in the field noticed, for instance, that Bridgespan has advised the YMCA and Scott gave grants to YMCA’s across the country last year.

While avoiding directly discussing Scott’s giving per company policy, Bradach rejected the notion that nonprofits could work with Bridgespan as a way of getting the attention of the big donors they advise. Bradach said that just 5% of the nonprofits that Bridgespan’s philanthropic clients gave to were also Bridgespan clients.

In that 5% of cases, Bridgespan policy is to tell the donor that it also represents the nonprofit. The notion among nonprofits that they could cosy up to Bridgespan and then receive huge sums from Scott is wrong, Bradach said, and also betrays a misunderstanding of how much sway Bridgespan has over the donors it helps. “It’s not,” he said, “a black box that they’re kind of scratching their head going, ‘I can’t wait to see what comes.’”

MacKenzie Scott stepped out of the long shadow of her former husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, by handing out billions of dollars in grants over the past two years to charities, community colleges, food banks and progressive nonprofits led by people of colour.

MacKenzie Scott stepped out of the long shadow of her former husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, by handing out billions of dollars in grants over the past two years to charities, community colleges, food banks and progressive nonprofits led by people of colour. Advising her was a team of consultants at a firm that is hardly known outside philanthropic circles but highly influential within them: The Bridgespan Group. Spun out of the consulting firm Bain & Company as a nonprofit, Bridgespan is one of a host of groups that arose in the early 2000s as a new wave of giving led by tech billionaires was beginning to crest. Two decades later, the consultants working behind the scenes are more important than ever. Scott pulled back the curtain a bit in June — when among the 286 groups receiving more than $2.7 billion in donations were a host of organizations that are basically the plumbing and wiring of the nonprofit world. Among them were the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Charity Navigator and Bridgespan itself, which said it would use its gift mainly to pursue research meant to benefit the sector as a whole. “We work with the nonprofits on classic kinds of strategic issues, getting clarity on what they’re trying to do, putting their resources to work,” said Imtiyaz Hussein, who goes by Taz and is a Bridgespan partner who leads the group’s nonprofit advising practice. “I frame the heart of what we try to do as providing decision-making support for organizations.” Proponents say the advisers make the field more effective. Critics question whether consultants, even at nonprofits with good intentions, are the right solution for the charitable sector. “The tool kit of the consulting business is based on crunching massive amounts of quantitative data and analyzing it. What it’s bad at understanding is human life,” said Anand Giridharadas, author of “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World” and who early in his career worked for the consultant McKinsey & Company. “I think these folks, whether they’re well-meaning or not, find it hard to leave their vocation and worldview and basic frameworks at some kind of coat check.” Bridgespan may not be a household name, but its reach in philanthropic circles is significant. The group advises the biggest names in the field: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation on the philanthropy side, and the YMCA of the USA, the Salvation Army and even the Sesame Workshop on the nonprofit side. And for donors looking to outsource overhead while still giving responsibly, consultants fill the gap between Jack Dorsey’s spreadsheet of gifts and a full-blown foundation with offices on Fifth Avenue. “Bridgespan occupies a unique perch in the landscape of professional-services organizations serving foundations and high-net-worth families,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. Walker, who has worked with Bridgespan since he was with the Abyssinian Development Corporation two decades ago, said no firm had been more influential in the past 20 years. When a group of billionaires and scholars gathered last year to brainstorm reforms for the charitable sector, they met at Bridgespan’s offices in New York. When the Open Society Foundations, by most measures the second-biggest foundation in the United States after Gates, recently began a significant restructuring, it brought in Bridgespan. And, of course, there is Scott, who shook up the world of philanthropy with donations of more than $8 billion in 11 months. But some philanthropy experts say relying on consultants can skew which groups get the most funding. “Consultants at places like Bridgespan are setting the menu of what philanthropists can and should do,” said Megan Tompkins-Stange, an assistant professor of public policy and scholar of philanthropy at the University of Michigan. “The organizations that are stamped with the managerial brand are more likely to get funding.” Bridgespan was started in 2000 by three men with ties to the for-profit management consultant Bain & Company, including Bain’s then-worldwide managing partner Thomas Tierney. The founders received $1.3 million from the consulting firm and $5.5 million from a group of foundations to see if a dedicated nonprofit could do a better job than for-profit consultants dabbling in pro bono work. Bridgespan got its start during an era of “venture philanthropy” and “philanthrocapitalism.” In essence, the billionaires knew best and they were going to bring their vaunted analytic practices to the world of nonprofits. A whole crop of groups came up at around the same time, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the consultants FSG among them. (All received funding from Scott in her last round of giving.) Bridgespan itself received a gift from Scott. Bridgespan’s latest tax filing for the year 2020 showed contributions and grants leaping to $74.7 million from $12.5 million the year before, nearly doubling the group’s total assets as of the end of last year. Bridgespan said the increase reflected a five-year capital campaign with multiple donors and not just Scott’s grant. Giving away money used to be approached as a distinct enterprise from making money. The strategies, language and reams of analytics do not always translate to the nonprofit world, where “return on investment” could be harder to quantify. “We were getting into bidding wars. ‘I can serve 500 kids for a million dollars.’ ‘I can serve 500 kids for $400,000,’ ” said Geoffrey Canada, president of Harlem Children’s Zone and one of Bridgespan’s first clients. He said he found his initial encounter with the group “predictably demeaning — they come in, lay out charts, don’t give you the chance to answer back.” What was different from other firms his nonprofit worked with, he said, was that Bridgespan took his “brutally honest” feedback to heart. In turn, they persuaded him to abandon the bidding wars and ask for more money, trusting the donors to respect his candour. Attitudes toward billionaire philanthropy shifted after the Great Recession, with populists on the left and right more suspicious of the ultrawealthy. Yet, management consulting for philanthropists and nonprofits continued to thrive. That is partly because the pie keeps growing. From 2000 to 2018, assets held by private foundations more than doubled, according to the research group Candid, to $950 billion from $421 billion. Total giving tripled over the same period, the most recent for which complete data is available, rising to $72 billion from $23 billion, according to Candid, which also received a grant from Scott. Instead of establishing big foundations, many of the richest Americans now want to use limited-liability companies, such as Laurene Powell-Jobs, and donor-advised funds, which Scott has used for some of her gifts. “Bridgespan seems exceptionally able and well-disposed to take advantage of the shift from big family foundations to LLCs that don’t want staff but are still giving away a huge sum of money,” said Rob Reich, co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University. Groups such as Bridgespan can also step into the gap and serve as outsourced staff for new foundations finding their footing. In March, the recently formed Asian American Foundation had just five full-time employees. After the killing of eight people at Atlanta-area spas, six of Asian descent, the group was inundated with pledges and commitments, including millions more from prominent board members including Joseph Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets, and a further $1 billion committed to their cause by foundations, corporations and individuals in an eight-week period. Bridgespan's Hussein served as an informal adviser, joining calls with board members. The foundation brought on a team from Bridgespan full time over the summer. “My ask of them was understanding what is happening in the field and what are things we should be paying attention to. Where were the gaps?” said foundation president Sonal Shah. The Bridgespan team provided a thorough analysis of Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations in the United States. “I think it was over a four-week period, which is not a small thing to do in a month,” Shah said. Shah said she appreciated the fact that the team from Bridgespan was staffed fully with people of Asian descent. Hussein said that was intentional. He drew from Bridgespan’s internal affinity group, people with “firsthand experience of what it means to be othered, what it means to have the model minority myth,” Hussein said. That was not the case in the group’s early days, said Walker, of the Ford Foundation. “When I first met Bridgespan, it was primarily white men at the top, and that’s not a surprise given their origin,” Walker said. “I had a Zoom call with the Bridgespan team on a matter last spring, and a majority of the people on the little Hollywood Squares on the Zoom were people of colour and women.” Bridgespan’s self-reported diversity figures show two-thirds of the group’s staff are women. White people make up less than half of the overall staff, as well as less than half of those in leadership positions. Both Walker and Jeff Bradach, one of Bridgespan’s founders, used the word “journey” to describe the group’s embrace of diversity and inclusion as central tenets of the work. Bradach, who was managing partner until October, when he stepped down from the top post, stressed in an interview that this was still a work in progress and that Bridgespan had made mistakes in the past. For instance, one of Bridgespan’s big pushes was for donors to make “big bets” rather than spreading the money around. But that standard tends to favour big institutions. “If in your criteria, you say, ‘We only fund people that do random control trials,’ if you have these barriers to capital on general operating support, then a whole bunch of organizations led by people of colour have actually never been given the money to do that,” Bradach said. Scott has made it a priority to give to such previously underfunded groups. But she has no website or headquarters or way to apply for grants, leaving groups scrambling for a way to get on her radar. People in the field noticed, for instance, that Bridgespan has advised the YMCA and Scott gave grants to YMCA’s across the country last year. While avoiding directly discussing Scott’s giving per company policy, Bradach rejected the notion that nonprofits could work with Bridgespan as a way of getting the attention of the big donors they advise. Bradach said that just 5% of the nonprofits that Bridgespan’s philanthropic clients gave to were also Bridgespan clients. In that 5% of cases, Bridgespan policy is to tell the donor that it also represents the nonprofit. The notion among nonprofits that they could cosy up to Bridgespan and then receive huge sums from Scott is wrong, Bradach said, and also betrays a misunderstanding of how much sway Bridgespan has over the donors it helps. “It’s not,” he said, “a black box that they’re kind of scratching their head going, ‘I can’t wait to see what comes.’”

The consulting firm that billionaires turn to when they give away money

Opening statements begin in Derek Chauvin trial for George Floyd's death

Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin squeezed the life out of George Floyd when he arrested him in last May, a prosecutor told jurors in his opening statement at Chauvin's trial on murder charges on Monday.&nbsp;

Jerry Blackwell, a prosecutor with the Minnesota attorney general's office, told jurors that officers who wear the Minneapolis police badge pledge to never use 'unnecessary force or violence'.&nbsp;

"You will learn that on May 25, Derek Chauvin betrayed this badge when he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of George Floyd," Blackwell said.&nbsp;

He displayed a still image from a bystander's cellphone video of Chauvin, who his white, with his knee on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in handcuffs, saying it showed Chauvin 'grinding and crushing him until the very breath — no, ladies and gentlemen — the very life was squeezed out of him'.&nbsp;

Floyd's death ignited a global protest movement and over the preceding two weeks of jury selection, many jurors told Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill and the lawyers on each side that they recognised the scrutiny their deliberations would come under, not least by those who view the trial as a reckoning for how Black people are policed in the United States.&nbsp;

"It's been a long time coming," a gospel choir sang on Sunday evening at a prayer service attended by Floyd's relatives. "But I know a change is gonna come."&nbsp;

The service was held in a church a few blocks east of the deadly arrest.&nbsp;

Philonise Floyd, a brother of George Floyd, said before the service began that he had faith that prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general's office would see Chauvin convicted.&nbsp;

"The video is the proof," he said.&nbsp;

Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, with his lawyers arguing that he followed his training and that the main cause of Floyd's death, which the county examiner ruled a homicide, was a drug overdose. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin squeezed the life out of George Floyd when he arrested him in last May, a prosecutor told jurors in his opening statement at Chauvin's trial on murder charges on Monday.

Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin squeezed the life out of George Floyd when he arrested him in last May, a prosecutor told jurors in his opening statement at Chauvin's trial on murder charges on Monday. Jerry Blackwell, a prosecutor with the Minnesota attorney general's office, told jurors that officers who wear the Minneapolis police badge pledge to never use 'unnecessary force or violence'. "You will learn that on May 25, Derek Chauvin betrayed this badge when he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of George Floyd," Blackwell said. He displayed a still image from a bystander's cellphone video of Chauvin, who his white, with his knee on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in handcuffs, saying it showed Chauvin 'grinding and crushing him until the very breath — no, ladies and gentlemen — the very life was squeezed out of him'. Floyd's death ignited a global protest movement and over the preceding two weeks of jury selection, many jurors told Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill and the lawyers on each side that they recognised the scrutiny their deliberations would come under, not least by those who view the trial as a reckoning for how Black people are policed in the United States. "It's been a long time coming," a gospel choir sang on Sunday evening at a prayer service attended by Floyd's relatives. "But I know a change is gonna come." The service was held in a church a few blocks east of the deadly arrest. Philonise Floyd, a brother of George Floyd, said before the service began that he had faith that prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general's office would see Chauvin convicted. "The video is the proof," he said. Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, with his lawyers arguing that he followed his training and that the main cause of Floyd's death, which the county examiner ruled a homicide, was a drug overdose. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge. (With inputs from agencies)

A 'grinding and crushing' knee on Floyd: Opening statements begin in trial 

Georgetown University Law Center said on Thursday that it had fired an adjunct professor who made “abhorrent” remarks about Black students on a video call and had placed another adjunct who was on the call with her on administrative leave.

The two adjunct professors, Sandra A. Sellers and David C. Batson, seemed to be unaware they were being recorded, according to a roughly 40-second clip of their conversation that generated widespread outrage after it was shared online.

In the clip, Sellers, a mediator with experience in intellectual property and high-tech disputes, discussed the evaluation of Black students with Batson after their virtual class had ended, according to the university.

“You know what? I hate to say this,” Sellers said on the video. “I end up having this angst every semester that a lot of my lower ones are Blacks — happens almost every semester. And it’s like, ‘Oh, come on.’ You know? You get some really good ones. But there are also usually some that are just plain at the bottom. It drives me crazy.”

As she spoke, Batson murmured, “Mm-hmm,” but did not challenge her remarks.

After the video prompted condemnation from students and alumni, the dean of the law school, William M. Treanor, said he had referred the matter to the university’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity &amp; Affirmative Action, which had begun an investigation. He called the contents of the video, which the university learned about this week, “abhorrent” and said it “included reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students.”

“It includes conduct that has no place in our educational community,” Treanor wrote to the law school on Wednesday. “We must ensure that all students are treated fairly and evaluated on their merits.”

On Thursday morning, the university’s Black Law Students Association posted a letter to the administration calling for Sellers to be terminated and urging the law school to audit the grades and student evaluations in her past classes.

The video revealed not only Sellers’ “true beliefs about Black students,” the association wrote, “it is also illustrative of the conscious and unconscious bias systematically present in law school grading at Georgetown Law and in law school classrooms nationwide.”

In a second message to the law school on Thursday, Treanor said he had spoken to Sellers and Batson, “giving each the opportunity to provide any additional context.”

“I informed Professor Sellers that I was terminating her relationship with Georgetown Law effective immediately,” Treanor wrote. “During our conversation, she told me that she had intended to resign. As a result of my decision, Professor Sellers is no longer affiliated with Georgetown Law.”

Batson has been placed on administrative leave and “will have no further involvement with the course in which the incident arose,” Treanor added.

“We are taking significant steps to ensure that all students in this class are fairly graded without the input of Professor Sellers or Professor Batson,” he wrote. “This is by no means the end of our work to address the many structural issues of racism reflected in this painful incident, including explicit and implicit bias, bystander responsibility, and the need for more comprehensive anti-bias training.”

Batson, a mediator and former senior counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement, did not immediately respond to emails on Thursday.

Sellers shared a copy of her resignation letter with The New York Times, in which she said she was “deeply sorry for my hurtful and misdirected remarks.”

“I would never do anything to intentionally hurt my students or Georgetown Law and wish I could take back my words,” Sellers wrote. “Regardless of my intent, I have done irreparable harm and I am truly sorry for this.”

Sellers said she had taught at Georgetown for almost 20 years and had wanted all her students to excel.

“When this does not occur, it reflects shortcomings on my part, not just on the part of any single student,” she wrote. “It is my responsibility to do all I can to correct this. My comments were the inarticulate reflection of long soul searching. I must do better to understand and address these issues.”

Hassan Ahmad, a Georgetown law student who shared the video on Twitter, said the discussion between the adjunct professors took place last month. Although the students in the class had logged off, the video system continued to record, he said, and uploaded the video to a class website.

It began to circulate in group chats, he said, and a student reported it to the administration on Monday. On Wednesday, Ahmad shared the video online, where it has been viewed more than 750,000 times.

“I was upset that it had not gotten a response from the school at that point,” Ahmad said.

Georgetown University Law Center said on Thursday that it had fired an adjunct professor who made “abhorrent” remarks about Black students on a video call and had placed another adjunct who was on the call with her on administrative leave.

Georgetown University Law Center said on Thursday that it had fired an adjunct professor who made “abhorrent” remarks about Black students on a video call and had placed another adjunct who was on the call with her on administrative leave. The two adjunct professors, Sandra A. Sellers and David C. Batson, seemed to be unaware they were being recorded, according to a roughly 40-second clip of their conversation that generated widespread outrage after it was shared online. In the clip, Sellers, a mediator with experience in intellectual property and high-tech disputes, discussed the evaluation of Black students with Batson after their virtual class had ended, according to the university. “You know what? I hate to say this,” Sellers said on the video. “I end up having this angst every semester that a lot of my lower ones are Blacks — happens almost every semester. And it’s like, ‘Oh, come on.’ You know? You get some really good ones. But there are also usually some that are just plain at the bottom. It drives me crazy.” As she spoke, Batson murmured, “Mm-hmm,” but did not challenge her remarks. After the video prompted condemnation from students and alumni, the dean of the law school, William M. Treanor, said he had referred the matter to the university’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action, which had begun an investigation. He called the contents of the video, which the university learned about this week, “abhorrent” and said it “included reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students.” “It includes conduct that has no place in our educational community,” Treanor wrote to the law school on Wednesday. “We must ensure that all students are treated fairly and evaluated on their merits.” On Thursday morning, the university’s Black Law Students Association posted a letter to the administration calling for Sellers to be terminated and urging the law school to audit the grades and student evaluations in her past classes. The video revealed not only Sellers’ “true beliefs about Black students,” the association wrote, “it is also illustrative of the conscious and unconscious bias systematically present in law school grading at Georgetown Law and in law school classrooms nationwide.” In a second message to the law school on Thursday, Treanor said he had spoken to Sellers and Batson, “giving each the opportunity to provide any additional context.” “I informed Professor Sellers that I was terminating her relationship with Georgetown Law effective immediately,” Treanor wrote. “During our conversation, she told me that she had intended to resign. As a result of my decision, Professor Sellers is no longer affiliated with Georgetown Law.” Batson has been placed on administrative leave and “will have no further involvement with the course in which the incident arose,” Treanor added. “We are taking significant steps to ensure that all students in this class are fairly graded without the input of Professor Sellers or Professor Batson,” he wrote. “This is by no means the end of our work to address the many structural issues of racism reflected in this painful incident, including explicit and implicit bias, bystander responsibility, and the need for more comprehensive anti-bias training.” Batson, a mediator and former senior counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement, did not immediately respond to emails on Thursday. Sellers shared a copy of her resignation letter with The New York Times, in which she said she was “deeply sorry for my hurtful and misdirected remarks.” “I would never do anything to intentionally hurt my students or Georgetown Law and wish I could take back my words,” Sellers wrote. “Regardless of my intent, I have done irreparable harm and I am truly sorry for this.” Sellers said she had taught at Georgetown for almost 20 years and had wanted all her students to excel. “When this does not occur, it reflects shortcomings on my part, not just on the part of any single student,” she wrote. “It is my responsibility to do all I can to correct this. My comments were the inarticulate reflection of long soul searching. I must do better to understand and address these issues.” Hassan Ahmad, a Georgetown law student who shared the video on Twitter, said the discussion between the adjunct professors took place last month. Although the students in the class had logged off, the video system continued to record, he said, and uploaded the video to a class website. It began to circulate in group chats, he said, and a student reported it to the administration on Monday. On Wednesday, Ahmad shared the video online, where it has been viewed more than 750,000 times. “I was upset that it had not gotten a response from the school at that point,” Ahmad said.

Georgetown law fires professor for ‘abhorrent’ remarks about Black students

People from ethnic minority groups suffered disproportionately because of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">novel coronavirus</a>, with Blacks and Asians being at increased risk of infection compared to white individuals, an analysis by medical journal Lancet found.&nbsp;

"Asians may be at higher risk of ITU (intensive therapy unit) admission and death," it said, as quoted by news agency Reuters.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-serum-institute-worlds-largest-vaccine-maker-says-40-million-doses-of-astrazeneca-drug-produced-342582">India's Serum Institute, world's largest vaccine maker says 40 million doses of AstraZeneca drug produced</a>

"These findings are of critical public health importance in informing interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality amongst ethnic minority groups."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/gene-within-gene-scientists-make-worrying-discovery-about-coronavirus-nucleotides-342539">'Gene within gene': Scientists make worrying discovery about coronavirus nucleotides</a>

About 18.7 people infected with Covid-19 from 50 studies were included in the analysis, and among these 42 studies were from the US and eight from the UK.&nbsp;

It said people belonging to these minority groups are more probable to be working for essential services and therefore are less likely to work from home, thereby increasing the chances to contract the virus.&nbsp;

Such people also are likely from lower socio-economic status, which suggest that they are most likely to be staying in overcrowding accommodations or one with shared facilities, the analysis said.&nbsp;

Compared to white people, blacks are twice as likely to contract coronavirus and Asians are one a half time more likely, it found.&nbsp;

People from ethnic minority groups suffered disproportionately because of the novel coronavirus, with Blacks and Asians being at increased risk of infection compared to white individuals, an analysis by medical journal Lancet found.

People from ethnic minority groups suffered disproportionately because of the novel coronavirus, with Blacks and Asians being at increased risk of infection compared to white individuals, an analysis by medical journal Lancet found. "Asians may be at higher risk of ITU (intensive therapy unit) admission and death," it said, as quoted by news agency Reuters. Also read | India's Serum Institute, world's largest vaccine maker says 40 million doses of AstraZeneca drug produced "These findings are of critical public health importance in informing interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality amongst ethnic minority groups." Also read | 'Gene within gene': Scientists make worrying discovery about coronavirus nucleotides About 18.7 people infected with Covid-19 from 50 studies were included in the analysis, and among these 42 studies were from the US and eight from the UK. It said people belonging to these minority groups are more probable to be working for essential services and therefore are less likely to work from home, thereby increasing the chances to contract the virus. Such people also are likely from lower socio-economic status, which suggest that they are most likely to be staying in overcrowding accommodations or one with shared facilities, the analysis said. Compared to white people, blacks are twice as likely to contract coronavirus and Asians are one a half time more likely, it found.

Ethnic minorities disproportionately contracted coronavirus: Study

Minorities are being hit harder by COVID-19. In United States 58% deaths in counties with more black residents. Watch report.

US: 58% deaths in counties with more black residents

By: Anila Chowdhry

The notion that coronavirus does not discriminate is being debunked by new evidence that Asian, Black and minority ethnic&nbsp;groups are in fact being disproportionally affected.

In the United Kingdom, more than a third of people who tested positive for coronavirus when they died were from Asian, black and minority ethnic groups, according to new data by National Health Service (NHS) of England.

As per the figures, 13,918 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 at time of death by April 17, 16.2 per cent were from Asian, black and minority ethnic groups. The statistics also showed that people of Indian heritage were the most affected.

Although it is unclear why these communities are so highly affected, but various reasons have been suggested by the experts including that people from these ethnic minorities are more likely to be in frontline jobs like NHS, care workers or bus drivers which puts them at a greater risk of getting the infection.

According to a report, over 40% of doctors and 20% of nurses are from Asian, black and ethnic backgrounds in the UK. The first ten doctors to die in the UK from COVID-19 were all from these communities.

Among the various other reason, "a socio-economical factor also plays a role in putting these communities at high risk of coronavirus infection," Doctor Hina Shahid told WION.

"Data shows ethnic communities experience a high level of unemployment and are more likely to be in jobs that have a higher risk. They also suffer from long working hours, and other issues like poor income and overcrowded housing; all these factors make it difficult for people to actually observe self-distancing and self-isolation," Dr Hina said.&nbsp;

"There are households in ethnic minority communities, they tend to be more multi-generational. So you will have people who are older and more at risk of getting sicker living with younger people who may be bringing home the infection".

Discrimination is also among the important factors which make these ethnic minority communities more prone to getting infected.

She also said that issues like ethnic minorities facing difficulties in access to healthcare also put them at higher risk of infection.

"Before coronavirus, we know that people with ethnic background face barriers to accessing healthcare due to which when they actually visit a hospital they are already sicker."&nbsp;

To combat some of those socio-economic and cultural barriers, some British-Asian celebrities have joined forces to create a video appeal aimed at promoting safety measures within the minority communities during the pandemic.

The three-minute video features stars of music, TV and media like Sanjeev Bhaskar, comedian Meera Syal, naughty boy, Adil Ray OBE, Saira Khan, Shivani Ghai and one of the organisers of the video, Adil.

Meanwhile, the British government has launched a review to look into why people from Asian, black and ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected the coronavirus.

By: Anila Chowdhry The notion that coronavirus does not discriminate is being debunked by new evidence that Asian, Black and minority ethnic groups are in fact being disproportionally affected.

By: Anila Chowdhry The notion that coronavirus does not discriminate is being debunked by new evidence that Asian, Black and minority ethnic groups are in fact being disproportionally affected. In the United Kingdom, more than a third of people who tested positive for coronavirus when they died were from Asian, black and minority ethnic groups, according to new data by National Health Service (NHS) of England. As per the figures, 13,918 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 at time of death by April 17, 16.2 per cent were from Asian, black and minority ethnic groups. The statistics also showed that people of Indian heritage were the most affected. Although it is unclear why these communities are so highly affected, but various reasons have been suggested by the experts including that people from these ethnic minorities are more likely to be in frontline jobs like NHS, care workers or bus drivers which puts them at a greater risk of getting the infection. According to a report, over 40% of doctors and 20% of nurses are from Asian, black and ethnic backgrounds in the UK. The first ten doctors to die in the UK from COVID-19 were all from these communities. Among the various other reason, "a socio-economical factor also plays a role in putting these communities at high risk of coronavirus infection," Doctor Hina Shahid told WION. "Data shows ethnic communities experience a high level of unemployment and are more likely to be in jobs that have a higher risk. They also suffer from long working hours, and other issues like poor income and overcrowded housing; all these factors make it difficult for people to actually observe self-distancing and self-isolation," Dr Hina said. "There are households in ethnic minority communities, they tend to be more multi-generational. So you will have people who are older and more at risk of getting sicker living with younger people who may be bringing home the infection". Discrimination is also among the important factors which make these ethnic minority communities more prone to getting infected. She also said that issues like ethnic minorities facing difficulties in access to healthcare also put them at higher risk of infection. "Before coronavirus, we know that people with ethnic background face barriers to accessing healthcare due to which when they actually visit a hospital they are already sicker." To combat some of those socio-economic and cultural barriers, some British-Asian celebrities have joined forces to create a video appeal aimed at promoting safety measures within the minority communities during the pandemic. The three-minute video features stars of music, TV and media like Sanjeev Bhaskar, comedian Meera Syal, naughty boy, Adil Ray OBE, Saira Khan, Shivani Ghai and one of the organisers of the video, Adil. Meanwhile, the British government has launched a review to look into why people from Asian, black and ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected the coronavirus.

Why people from ethnic communities are worst affected by coronavirus in UK

US President Donald Trump was hit with new accusations of racism Saturday after he attacked a prominent African-American lawmaker and branded the majority-black city of Baltimore an "infested mess."

Trump's outburst came in a series of sharply worded tweets aimed at Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings -- a high-profile critic of Trump's administration whose district covers much of Baltimore.

"Cumming (sic) District is a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess," the president wrote, calling it "the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States."

"No human being would want to live there," he said -&nbsp;in an attack ostensibly provoked by Cummings' criticism of the harsh conditions facing would-be asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border.

The morning diatribe ignited a storm of criticism, less than two weeks after the House of Representatives condemned Trump for "racist" comments targeting four first-term Democratic congresswomen who are ethnic minorities.

The top Democrat in Congress, Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of a "racist" attack on a "champion... of civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague."&nbsp;

"We all reject racist attacks against him," wrote Pelosi -- who was born in Baltimore and whose father served as mayor of the city.&nbsp;

Former vice president Joe Biden -- the Democratic frontrunner to challenge Trump in 2020 -- called out the president directly on Twitter.

"It is despicable for you to attack him and the people of Baltimore this way," Biden wrote. "Once again you have proved yourself unfit to hold the office. A President is supposed to lift this nation up. Not tear it down."

There was similar condemnation from half a dozen White House candidates including Cory Booker, who tweeted footage of a black CNN anchor and Baltimore native who broke down on air while reacting to the attack on his hometown.

"This is painful. This is a moral, defining moment in America," wrote Booker. "Silence is toxic complicity."

Democratic 2020 contender Kamala Harris, who like Booker is black, said she was "proud" to have her campaign headquarters in Cummings' district and called Trump's attack "disgraceful."

The city's Democratic Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young&nbsp; -- also black -- rejected Trump's rhetoric, calling it "hurtful and dangerous."

"It was a total insult," he told reporters. "We're not going to ignore anyone degrading Baltimore city and its effective leadership, no one."

The editorial board of the city's newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, took a direct swipe at Trump in a scathing column which concluded that it is "better to have a few rats than to be one."

A historic port city of 600,000 people, Baltimore presents a mixed picture, with both handsome and affluent neighbourhoods and poverty-stricken districts. It has one of the country's highest murder rates.&nbsp;

Cummings' district is more than 50 per cent black -- and the city of Baltimore as a whole, more than 60 per cent.

Cummings himself tweeted: "Mr President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbours. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents."

As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings -- one of the most prominent African Americans in Congress -- has launched investigations into Trump administration policies, including reports of poor treatment at migrant detention centres.

"Rep. Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men &amp; women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous," Trump charged.

He attacked Cummings again Saturday evening after spending the day at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington.

"Elijah Cummings spends all of his time trying to hurt innocent people through 'Oversight.' He does NOTHING for his very poor, very dangerous and very badly run district!," the president tweeted, adding the hashtag #BlacksForTrump2020.

The broadside was reminiscent of Trump's recent, racially charged onslaught against four young Democratic women lawmakers, who he said should "go back" to the "crime infested" places they came from. In fact, three were born in the US and all are American citizens.

Trump denies accusations of racism -- and has made a point of pushing for the release of US rapper A$AP Rocky, held in Sweden on assault charges, in an apparent effort to curb his unpopularity with black voters.

But his calculated targeting of the "Squad" -- as the four are known -- was widely seen as a bid to galvanize his mostly white electoral base as he gears up for next year's re-election battle.

US President Donald Trump was hit with new accusations of racism Saturday after he attacked a prominent African-American lawmaker and branded the majority-black city of Baltimore an "infested mess.

US President Donald Trump was hit with new accusations of racism Saturday after he attacked a prominent African-American lawmaker and branded the majority-black city of Baltimore an "infested mess." Trump's outburst came in a series of sharply worded tweets aimed at Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings -- a high-profile critic of Trump's administration whose district covers much of Baltimore. "Cumming (sic) District is a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess," the president wrote, calling it "the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States." "No human being would want to live there," he said - in an attack ostensibly provoked by Cummings' criticism of the harsh conditions facing would-be asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border. The morning diatribe ignited a storm of criticism, less than two weeks after the House of Representatives condemned Trump for "racist" comments targeting four first-term Democratic congresswomen who are ethnic minorities. The top Democrat in Congress, Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of a "racist" attack on a "champion... of civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague." "We all reject racist attacks against him," wrote Pelosi -- who was born in Baltimore and whose father served as mayor of the city. Former vice president Joe Biden -- the Democratic frontrunner to challenge Trump in 2020 -- called out the president directly on Twitter. "It is despicable for you to attack him and the people of Baltimore this way," Biden wrote. "Once again you have proved yourself unfit to hold the office. A President is supposed to lift this nation up. Not tear it down." There was similar condemnation from half a dozen White House candidates including Cory Booker, who tweeted footage of a black CNN anchor and Baltimore native who broke down on air while reacting to the attack on his hometown. "This is painful. This is a moral, defining moment in America," wrote Booker. "Silence is toxic complicity." Democratic 2020 contender Kamala Harris, who like Booker is black, said she was "proud" to have her campaign headquarters in Cummings' district and called Trump's attack "disgraceful." The city's Democratic Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young -- also black -- rejected Trump's rhetoric, calling it "hurtful and dangerous." "It was a total insult," he told reporters. "We're not going to ignore anyone degrading Baltimore city and its effective leadership, no one." The editorial board of the city's newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, took a direct swipe at Trump in a scathing column which concluded that it is "better to have a few rats than to be one." A historic port city of 600,000 people, Baltimore presents a mixed picture, with both handsome and affluent neighbourhoods and poverty-stricken districts. It has one of the country's highest murder rates. Cummings' district is more than 50 per cent black -- and the city of Baltimore as a whole, more than 60 per cent. Cummings himself tweeted: "Mr President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbours. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents." As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings -- one of the most prominent African Americans in Congress -- has launched investigations into Trump administration policies, including reports of poor treatment at migrant detention centres. "Rep. Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous," Trump charged. He attacked Cummings again Saturday evening after spending the day at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington. "Elijah Cummings spends all of his time trying to hurt innocent people through 'Oversight.' He does NOTHING for his very poor, very dangerous and very badly run district!," the president tweeted, adding the hashtag #BlacksForTrump2020. The broadside was reminiscent of Trump's recent, racially charged onslaught against four young Democratic women lawmakers, who he said should "go back" to the "crime infested" places they came from. In fact, three were born in the US and all are American citizens. Trump denies accusations of racism -- and has made a point of pushing for the release of US rapper A$AP Rocky, held in Sweden on assault charges, in an apparent effort to curb his unpopularity with black voters. But his calculated targeting of the "Squad" -- as the four are known -- was widely seen as a bid to galvanize his mostly white electoral base as he gears up for next year's re-election battle.

Outrage as Trump brands mostly-black Baltimore 'infested mess'

A white supremacist convicted of killing James Byrd Jr. in 1998 by dragging the 49-year-old black man behind a truck in one of the most notorious hate crimes in modern times is scheduled to be executed in Texas on Wednesday.

John William "Bill" King, 44, is scheduled to die at 6 pm&nbsp;(2300 GMT) by lethal injection at the state’s death chamber in Huntsville.&nbsp;

King along with Shawn Berry and Lawrence Brewer were accused of kidnapping Byrd while he hitchhiked in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998.&nbsp;

Prosecutors said the men dragged him behind their 1982 gray Ford pickup truck for 3 miles (5 km) before dumping his body in front of an African-American church. A "KKK" engraved lighter was among the evidence police found at the scene, court documents showed.&nbsp;

The gruesome killing spurred the passing of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, strengthening punishments for hate crimes in Texas. The murder, along with the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten and left to die tied to a fence, was also the genesis of the federal hate crimes prevention act passed in 2009.&nbsp;

King was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1999. He was a member of a white supremacist gang and spoke of starting a race war while in prison for a previous crime. He also talked about initiating new members by having them kidnap and murder black people, court documents showed.&nbsp;

"WE HAVE MADE HISTORY"&nbsp;

"Regardless of the outcome of this, we have made history," King wrote in a letter to Brewer obtained by jail officials after they were convicted of killing Byrd, CNN reported.&nbsp;

"Death before dishonor. Sieg Heil!" the letter continued, using a Nazi salute.

King has always maintained his innocence, saying that he left the two other men before Byrd was killed. His lawyers filed an appeal to the US&nbsp;Supreme Court after a Texas appeals court denied a request to halt the execution on Monday.&nbsp;

Berry and Brewer were also convicted of murder. Berry was sentenced to life in prison while Brewer, also a white supremacist, was sentenced to death.

&nbsp;Some of Byrd`s family members have said they would have rather seen the men spend the rest of their lives in prison.

“You can’t fight murder with murder,” his son Ross Byrd told Reuters the night before Brewer`s execution in 2011.&nbsp;

King would be the third inmate in Texas and the United States to be executed in 2019, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.&nbsp;

A white supremacist convicted of killing James Byrd Jr. in 1998 by dragging the 49-year-old black man behind a truck in one of the most notorious hate crimes in modern times is scheduled to be executed in Texas on Wednesday.

A white supremacist convicted of killing James Byrd Jr. in 1998 by dragging the 49-year-old black man behind a truck in one of the most notorious hate crimes in modern times is scheduled to be executed in Texas on Wednesday. John William "Bill" King, 44, is scheduled to die at 6 pm (2300 GMT) by lethal injection at the state’s death chamber in Huntsville. King along with Shawn Berry and Lawrence Brewer were accused of kidnapping Byrd while he hitchhiked in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Prosecutors said the men dragged him behind their 1982 gray Ford pickup truck for 3 miles (5 km) before dumping his body in front of an African-American church. A "KKK" engraved lighter was among the evidence police found at the scene, court documents showed. The gruesome killing spurred the passing of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, strengthening punishments for hate crimes in Texas. The murder, along with the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten and left to die tied to a fence, was also the genesis of the federal hate crimes prevention act passed in 2009. King was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1999. He was a member of a white supremacist gang and spoke of starting a race war while in prison for a previous crime. He also talked about initiating new members by having them kidnap and murder black people, court documents showed. "WE HAVE MADE HISTORY" "Regardless of the outcome of this, we have made history," King wrote in a letter to Brewer obtained by jail officials after they were convicted of killing Byrd, CNN reported. "Death before dishonor. Sieg Heil!" the letter continued, using a Nazi salute. King has always maintained his innocence, saying that he left the two other men before Byrd was killed. His lawyers filed an appeal to the US Supreme Court after a Texas appeals court denied a request to halt the execution on Monday. Berry and Brewer were also convicted of murder. Berry was sentenced to life in prison while Brewer, also a white supremacist, was sentenced to death. Some of Byrd`s family members have said they would have rather seen the men spend the rest of their lives in prison. “You can’t fight murder with murder,” his son Ross Byrd told Reuters the night before Brewer`s execution in 2011. King would be the third inmate in Texas and the United States to be executed in 2019, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

White supremacist to be executed in Texas for dragging death of black man

Veteran actor Liam Neeson revealed on Monday that he once walked the streets hunting for a "black b*****d" to kill in retaliation for the rape of a friend.

The 66-year-old Northern Irish star of 'Schindler's List'&nbsp;and 'Taken'&nbsp;is promoting his appearance in the Hollywood action thriller 'Cold Pursuit'.

But his interview with Britain's The Independent took an unexpected turn when he admitted to once wanting to find a black man -- any black man willing to pick a fight -- to murder on the spot.

Neeson refused to reveal the name of the raped woman or when the incident occurred.

But he detailed a week of rage during which he walked the streets with a type of baton called a cosh in search of his innocent victim.

"I'll tell you a story. This is true," he said in an interview whose audio was uploaded to the online newspaper's site.

He said his "immediate reaction" after being told of the rape was to ask: "Did she know who he was? No. What colour were they? She said, it was a black person."

Neeson said he then "went up and down the areas with a cosh hoping I'd be approached by somebody. I'm ashamed to say that.

"And I did it for maybe a week hoping some... black b*****d would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know, so I could... kill him."

He said the entire episode lasted for "a week, maybe a week and a half".

"It was horrible, horrible when I think back, that I did that. And I've never admitted that."

"Holy shit," his co-star Tom Bateman said in a shocked voice in the tape.

"It's awful. But I did learn a lesson from it. When I eventually thought, 'What the fuck are you doing?', you know?"

'Need for revenge'&nbsp;

Neeson said he learned the "need for revenge" while growing up in Northern Ireland during years of sectarian violence in the British province known as 'The Troubles'.

"That primal need, I understand," he said.

The son of Neeson's character in his new film is killed by a drug gang.

The plot revolves around the father's subsequent pursuit of the culprits -- a subject that apparently prompted Neeson to reveal his secret.

The disclosure created a furore on social media. Neeson's name was the second-ranked item on Twitter's London trends list.

Neeson's acting career has spanned four decades and included two voice roles in 'The Chronicles of Narnia'&nbsp;series.

The Independent said Neeson told his story during a 17-minute interview conducted in a New York City hotel.

The paper later reached out to the actor's publicist to get further comment.

The Independent said the publicist declined.

Veteran actor Liam Neeson revealed on Monday that he once walked the streets hunting for a "black b*****d" to kill in retaliation for the rape of a friend. The 66-year-old Northern Irish star of 'Schindler's List' and 'Taken' is promoting his appearance in the Hollywood action thriller 'Cold Pursuit'.

Veteran actor Liam Neeson revealed on Monday that he once walked the streets hunting for a "black b*****d" to kill in retaliation for the rape of a friend. The 66-year-old Northern Irish star of 'Schindler's List' and 'Taken' is promoting his appearance in the Hollywood action thriller 'Cold Pursuit'. But his interview with Britain's The Independent took an unexpected turn when he admitted to once wanting to find a black man -- any black man willing to pick a fight -- to murder on the spot. Neeson refused to reveal the name of the raped woman or when the incident occurred. But he detailed a week of rage during which he walked the streets with a type of baton called a cosh in search of his innocent victim. "I'll tell you a story. This is true," he said in an interview whose audio was uploaded to the online newspaper's site. He said his "immediate reaction" after being told of the rape was to ask: "Did she know who he was? No. What colour were they? She said, it was a black person." Neeson said he then "went up and down the areas with a cosh hoping I'd be approached by somebody. I'm ashamed to say that. "And I did it for maybe a week hoping some... black b*****d would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know, so I could... kill him." He said the entire episode lasted for "a week, maybe a week and a half". "It was horrible, horrible when I think back, that I did that. And I've never admitted that." "Holy shit," his co-star Tom Bateman said in a shocked voice in the tape. "It's awful. But I did learn a lesson from it. When I eventually thought, 'What the fuck are you doing?', you know?" 'Need for revenge' Neeson said he learned the "need for revenge" while growing up in Northern Ireland during years of sectarian violence in the British province known as 'The Troubles'. "That primal need, I understand," he said. The son of Neeson's character in his new film is killed by a drug gang. The plot revolves around the father's subsequent pursuit of the culprits -- a subject that apparently prompted Neeson to reveal his secret. The disclosure created a furore on social media. Neeson's name was the second-ranked item on Twitter's London trends list. Neeson's acting career has spanned four decades and included two voice roles in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' series. The Independent said Neeson told his story during a 17-minute interview conducted in a New York City hotel. The paper later reached out to the actor's publicist to get further comment. The Independent said the publicist declined.

Liam Neeson reveals how he had once hunted for a 'black b*****d' to kill

Chicago Police superintendent Eddie Johnson said on Saturday that videos of the police shooting of a black man in the city last month indicate three officers may have violated the department&#39;s policies. 
 
Johnson told a news conference it was against departmental policy to fire at or into a moving car when the vehicle was the only potential use of force by a suspect, and police were taking a hard look at training and tactics following the shooting. 
 
Authorities on Friday released videos that captured the moments before and after police shot Paul O&#39;Neal, 18, on July 28, but not the shooting itself because a police officer&#39;s body camera was not recording. No firearms were found on O&#39;Neal who was shot in the back, according to police. 
 
Johnson was named in March to lead the department, which is facing accusations of racism and a federal investigation into its practices after the city waited more than a year to release video of a separate 2014 fatal shooting by officers. 
 
On Saturday, he said the ongoing investigation prevented him from discussing details about the O&#39;Neal shooting. 
 
&quot;I was concerned by some of the things that I saw on the videos and that is why we took such a swift action that we did last week to relieve the three officers of their police powers,&quot; Johnson said. 
 
The video footage released on Friday shows two officers firing at a stolen car driven by O&#39;Neal after it sped past them, the car crashing into a police car, and O&#39;Neal running into a backyard where he was shot. It does not show the shooting. 
 
Johnson said the lack of a body-camera video of the O&#39;Neal shooting is under investigation, though he noted that the officers in that police district had the cameras for only about a week before the shooting. 
 
Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson said the lack of a complete video accounting of O&#39;Neal&#39;s shooting showed a cover-up and a lawyer for O&#39;Neal&#39;s family called for a special prosecutor to investigate the killing. 
 
The union representing Chicago police officers urged the public not to rush to judgment. 
 
Dozens of protesters demanding swift action against the officers involved in O&#39;Neal&#39;s shooting demonstrated outside Chicago police headquarters on Friday night. 
 
A string of high-profile killings of black men by police in various US cities in the past two years has renewed a national debate about racial discrimination in the criminal justice system and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. 
 
(Reuters)

He said it was against policy to fire at or into a moving car if the vehicle was the only potential use of force

Chicago Police superintendent Eddie Johnson said on Saturday that videos of the police shooting of a black man in the city last month indicate three officers may have violated the department's policies. Johnson told a news conference it was against departmental policy to fire at or into a moving car when the vehicle was the only potential use of force by a suspect, and police were taking a hard look at training and tactics following the shooting. Authorities on Friday released videos that captured the moments before and after police shot Paul O'Neal, 18, on July 28, but not the shooting itself because a police officer's body camera was not recording. No firearms were found on O'Neal who was shot in the back, according to police. Johnson was named in March to lead the department, which is facing accusations of racism and a federal investigation into its practices after the city waited more than a year to release video of a separate 2014 fatal shooting by officers. On Saturday, he said the ongoing investigation prevented him from discussing details about the O'Neal shooting. "I was concerned by some of the things that I saw on the videos and that is why we took such a swift action that we did last week to relieve the three officers of their police powers," Johnson said. The video footage released on Friday shows two officers firing at a stolen car driven by O'Neal after it sped past them, the car crashing into a police car, and O'Neal running into a backyard where he was shot. It does not show the shooting. Johnson said the lack of a body-camera video of the O'Neal shooting is under investigation, though he noted that the officers in that police district had the cameras for only about a week before the shooting. Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson said the lack of a complete video accounting of O'Neal's shooting showed a cover-up and a lawyer for O'Neal's family called for a special prosecutor to investigate the killing. The union representing Chicago police officers urged the public not to rush to judgment. Dozens of protesters demanding swift action against the officers involved in O'Neal's shooting demonstrated outside Chicago police headquarters on Friday night. A string of high-profile killings of black men by police in various US cities in the past two years has renewed a national debate about racial discrimination in the criminal justice system and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. (Reuters)

Chicago police may have violated policy in shooting of African American man: Top cop

Ten police officers were shot in Texas on Thursday during a protest against police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana, KDFW TV in Dallas reported.&nbsp;Three have died. 
 
Broadcaster KABC reported that shots were fired during demonstrations at Belo Garden Park in Dallas. Footage showed a heavy police presence with officers taking cover behind vehicles on the street. 
 
Photos posted on Twitter by the Dallas Police Department showed, what appeared to be, several hundred people assembled on the steps of a downtown museum with many holding signs as they listened to speakers address the crowd. 
 
In other photos and footage posted on Twitter, a crowd could be seen marching through downtown streets. Police said the crowd, at one point, chanted &#39;Black Lives Matter&#39;. 
 
The protests in Dallas came as demonstrations were being held in several US cities over the most recent fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. 
 
The police department did not respond to requests for comment and did not update their Twitter account since media reports of gunfire. 
 
(Reuters)

The Dallas demonstration started as a protest against the recent fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota & Louisiana

Ten police officers were shot in Texas on Thursday during a protest against police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana, KDFW TV in Dallas reported. Three have died. Broadcaster KABC reported that shots were fired during demonstrations at Belo Garden Park in Dallas. Footage showed a heavy police presence with officers taking cover behind vehicles on the street. Photos posted on Twitter by the Dallas Police Department showed, what appeared to be, several hundred people assembled on the steps of a downtown museum with many holding signs as they listened to speakers address the crowd. In other photos and footage posted on Twitter, a crowd could be seen marching through downtown streets. Police said the crowd, at one point, chanted 'Black Lives Matter'. The protests in Dallas came as demonstrations were being held in several US cities over the most recent fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. The police department did not respond to requests for comment and did not update their Twitter account since media reports of gunfire. (Reuters)

Texas protest: Eleven police officers shot, five dead

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