US President Trump announces plans for modest policing changes and Microsoft joins Amazon and IBM in banning face-recognition software sales to police

*)Anti-racism protests force US states to consider reforms

Opposed to major reforms, US President Donald Trump has announced modest plans for an executive order on policing.

The move follows nationwide protests against racism and police brutality, triggered by the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd.

Trump has said the order will advise police departments to adopt national standards for the use of force.

*)Syria's Assad sacks PM over worsening economy

Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad has removed Prime Minister Imad Khamis amid an economic crisis and renewed protests in the country.

The pound has plunged to record lows, adding to the hardship Syrians face as war continues to devastate the country.

The economic crisis has triggered a rare outbreak of anti-Assad protests in regime-held areas.

*)Libya government captures Haftar's main supply line

Libya's UN-backed government says it has gained control of a 350-km-long main supply line used by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s militia.

Meanwhile, the UN has expressed horror over the reported discovery of mass graves in Tarhuna city after it was seized from Haftar’s forces.

Libya’s government recaptured Tarhuna last Friday as part of an ongoing operation against the warlord.

*)ICC says US sanctions ‘unprecedented attack’

The International Criminal Court has slammed US sanctions on its staff investigating possible war crimes by American forces in Afghanistan.

An executive order by President Trump authorised the blocking of assets of the ICC employees in the US and their entry into the country.

The ICC said Trump’s move amounted to threats and coercion and were "an unacceptable attempt to interfere with rule of law".

And finally…

*)Microsoft bans face-recognition sales to police

Microsoft joins Amazon and IBM to become the third big tech company this week to ban sales of facial recognition software to police.

The tech giants are stepping back from law-enforcement using their systems that faced criticism for misidentifying people with darker skin.

Ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd have focused attention on racial injustice and how police use technology to track people.