(2020-04-14). The Arab-Israeli Alliance Is Fueling Conflicts in the Middle East. globalresearch.ca There are 2 camps in the Middle East: those countries which work with 'Israel', and those who do not. The countries which have established relationships with 'Israel' are Turkey; United Arab Emirates (UAE); Saudi Arabia; Qatar; Bahrain; Oman; Jordan; Egypt. …
(2020-04-14). Tunisian political activists condemn US sanctions on Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 14 (MNA) — Tunisian activists deplored the arbitrary sanctions imposed by the United States on the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite international condemnation and calls to stop the unjust blockade, especially under the escalating risks of the Corona epidemic around the world.
(2020-04-14). UAE drones kill 8 in Libya's Tripoli. yenisafak.com United Arab Emirates (UAE)-affiliated drones, fighting with Khalifa Haftar militias in Libya, bombed the capital Tripoli on Tuesday killing eight people. An official of the Government of National Accord (GNA) told Anadolu Agency that the bombing targeted a security position in Tripoli without giving further details.The escalation came a day after the GNA, the internationally-recognized government, regained control of around 2,000 square miles of land west of Tripoli from militias loyal to warlord Haftar.The GNA has been under attack by Haftar's forces since last April, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.
(2020-04-14). Chinese Arms to Help Nigeria Combat Terrorists. sputniknews.com China and Nigeria are strengthening their military-technical cooperation: 17 Chinese armoured vehicles have been unloaded at the port of Lagos under a new contract signed in 2019. The contract, worth $152 million, was signed following a tender that was won by the China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation, known as Norinco.
(2020-04-14). Rituals and Daily Life of the Hamer Tribe. sputniknews.com As nations have been put on lockdown amid the spread of the coronavirus, people are finding different ways to pass the time during self-isolation. This was the case with Belgian photographer Jolan Deschepper from Ostend, who decided to process photos of his Ethiopian trip because the night club where he normally works has been closed.
(2020-04-13). Indigenous celebrate victory against Dakota Access Pipeline, but remain wary of Judge Boasberg. peoplesworld.org 
On March 25, tribal nations won a notable victory in their long-standing war with the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) when U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg for the District of Columbia ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must develop a full environmental review of the much-maligned project. This was a historic triumph for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which with the support …
(2020-04-13). China Rejects US Accusation of 'Xenophobia' Against Africans. telesurenglish.net China's government refuted Monday the United States accusation that authorities in the southeastern province of Guangdong discriminated against African migrants in the process of coronavirus prevention and control. | RELATED: | "During our fight against coronavirus, the Chinese government has been attaching great importance to the lives and health of foreign nationals in China. All foreigners are treated equally, a…
(2020-04-13). Dozens of Migrants Feared Dead in the Mediterranean Sea. telesurenglish.net A rubber boat packed with 85 migrants and refugees appears to have capsized after sailing from Lybia while three others carrying 173 people in all are in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, German rescue organizations Sea-Watch and United4Rescue said Sunday. | RELATED: | "No state wants to rescue them," Sea-Watch said, referring to those in distress after Libya, Italy, and Malta shut their borders due to the coronavirus…
(2020-04-13). 'Say no to hate speech and xenophobia', urges Guterres, marking 26 years since genocide in Rwanda. news.un.org Remembering the more than one million people who over the course of just 100 days, were systematically killed in Rwanda, 26 years ago, the UN chief underscored on Tuesday that "we must never again let such an atrocity occur".
(2020-04-13). We Need a Riot of Empathy. truthout.org Kelly Hayes talks with Tanuja Jagernauth about collective grief and resisting the normalization of mass death. | Note: This a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity. | Copy may not be in its final form. | Kelly Hayes: In a peak moment of tragedy in the COVID-19 crisis, our collective losses are mounting, and with each week, more and more of us know someone who's been lost to this illness, including people we love. Today, we're going to talk about how we can help each other survive these times while not becoming desensitized to t…
(2020-04-13). Libya: Tripoli Govt Retakes 2 Cities From Rival Haftar's Forces. telesurenglish.net Libya's U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord said Monday its troops have seized control of two western coastal cities located between the capital Tripoli and the Tunisian border from the Libyan National Army of eastern-based military General Khalifa Haftar. | RELATED: | "Our forces took control of Surman and Sabratha and are pursuing [Haftar's forces]," a spokesperson of the GNA Mohammed Gnunu, said in a statement. | The offic…
(2020-04-13). Wash Your Hands? Despite Pandemic, Thousands Still Have No Water in Detroit, a Coronavirus Hot Spot. democracynow.org 
Water shutoffs continue amid the coronavirus pandemic in Detroit, despite a moratorium and a program to help thousands of residents restore service last month. The lack of water access comes as nearly 1,500 people in Michigan have died from COVID-19, and 40% of those who have died are African-American, despite making up just 14% of the state's population. We speak with community pastor and activist Rev. Roslyn Bouier, who has been working with residents to restore their water.
(2020-04-13). Thousands Still Have No Water in Detroit, a COVID-19 Hot Spot. truthout.org Water shutoffs continue amid the coronavirus pandemic in Detroit, despite a moratorium and a program to help thousands of residents restore service last month. The lack of water access comes as nearly 1,500 people in Michigan have died from COVID-19, and 40% of those who have died are African-American, despite making up just 14% of the state's population. We speak with community pastor and activist Rev. Roslyn Bouier, who has been working with residents to restore their water. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMA…
(2020-04-13). US: African-Americans Are More Vulnerable to COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The U.S.' African-American population is more vulnerable to COVID-19, according to social and demographic studies on the virus. | RELATED: | The reason for this exposure of the African-American population is not its genetics or physical conditions, but the systemic discrimination it suffers. Many of the non-white citizens of the United States are lacking health insurance, so they may also have underlying health problems tha…
(2020-04-13). "Capitalism is incapable of responding to a crisis of this kind" mronline.org 
The lockdown in South Africa has been extended till the end of April. However, the government's execution of the lockdown, along with decades of under-investment in health, has left the country unprepared.
(2020-04-12). Libya: Haftar's Forces Target Tripoli Hospital Again. telesurenglish.net Forces loyal to eastern-based Libyan General Khalifa Haftar attacked Sunday medical warehouses belonging to the Al-Khadra Hospital in the capital Tripoli for the third time in less than a week, according to the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). | RELATED: | A barrage of Grad rockets hit medical depots from the Al-Khadra General hospital, where over 300 patients were being treated, including two f…
(2020-04-10). The Racial Politics of 'Return'. thenation.com The Racial Politics of 'Return'
(2020-04-10). Saudi Arabia Violates its Own Ceasefire As Yemen Announces First Cases of Coronavirus. mintpressnews.com The Saudi regime has engaged in a number of questionable activities since the global outbreak of COVID-19, including moving masses of African refugees deported from areas with coronavirus to the Yemeni border.
(2020-04-09). Fight against desert locust swarms goes on in East Africa despite coronavirus crisis measures. news.un.org Sustained efforts to contain East Africa's worst invasion of desert locusts in decades are forging ahead, despite limits on the flow of personnel and equipment stemming from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the UN food agency said Friday.
(2020-04-08). Albert Woodfox: COVID-19 Offers Public a "Small Window" into What Prisoners Face in Solitary Confinement. democracynow.org 
As millions shelter in place around the world, we speak with Albert Woodfox, who served the longest time in solitary confinement of any prisoner in the United States. Known as one of the Angola Three, along with Robert King and Herman Wallace, Woodfox was held in isolation for nearly 44 years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. He was convicted of killing a guard in jail, but always maintained his innocence. He says he was targeted for co-founding the first Black Panther chapter in Angola. He was released in 2016 and is now 73 years old. His memoir is "Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solit…
(2020-04-08). "A Systematic Issue of Disparity": Black People in Louisiana Account for 70% of COVID-19 Deaths. democracynow.org 
Louisiana faces one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus in the United States. New data shows black people account for 70% of all the state's coronavirus deaths, though they comprise just 32% of the state's population. Louisiana also has the highest incarceration rate in the country, and more than 65% of the people in its jails and prisons are black. At least 28 people are infected, and 22 corrections staff have tested positive. State corrections officials are sending infected prisoners to the Louisiana State Penitentiary — known as Angola, the largest maximum-security prison in the United States [mdas…
(2020-04-08). Headlines for April 8, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Daily Death Toll Nears 2,000 as Hundreds of COVID-19 Deaths Go Uncounted, Trump Threatens to Withhold U.S. Funding for World Health Organization, New WH Press Secretary Said Recently, "We Will Not See Diseases Like the Coronavirus Come Here", Trump Fires Inspector General Tasked with Overseeing $2 Trillion Stimulus, China Lifts Lockdown in Wuhan, Where Coronavirus Pandemic Began, EU Coronavirus Stimulus Talks Fail as Deaths Surge in Spain and France, Libyan Rebels Attack Hospital for COVID-19 Patients; Chadian Ex-Dictator Released from Prison, International Labour Organization: Pandemic Could Wipe Out 195 Mi…
(2020-04-08). Over 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa; Zimbabwe and South Sudan among most vulnerable. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa has now risen to more than 10,000, claiming more than 500 lives.
(2020-04-07). Deaths of Inequality: AOC on Black and Latinx Communities at Epicenter of Epicenter of the Pandemic. democracynow.org 
As COVID-19 deaths spike in African-American and immigrant communities, almost a third of New York City's infections are in Queens, one of the most diverse places in the world, and many in the hardest-hit neighborhoods are undocumented and working-class. We speak with Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the neighborhoods at the epicenter of the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, about how the Trump administration's response to the pandemic is causing "deaths of incompetence," "deaths of science denial" and "deaths of inequality."
(2020-04-06). Headlines for April 6, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Cases Surge in U.S., Surgeon General Warns of "Pearl Harbor Moment" | , Gov. Cuomo Slashes Medicaid as New York Struggles to Get Handle on COVID-19 Cases | , Black Communities Hit Disproportionately Hard by Coronavirus , Coronavirus Cases Appear to Level Off in Parts of Europe, But Death Tolls Remain High | , Boris Johnson Hospitalized for Acute Coronavirus Symptoms | , Japan's Shinzo Abe to Declare Emergency; Filipino Police Kills Man Who Flouted Coronavirus Rules, Low-Paid Garment Workers in Bangladesh Face Mass Unemployment , Former Prime Ministers of Somalia and Libya Die from COVID-19, Complaint…
(2020-04-03). Protect Immigrant Communities: Fear Mounts of Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak in U.S. Border Camps, ICE Jails. democracynow.org 
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has joined thousands of medical professionals and immigration rights groups to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement release all prisoners from immigration jails as the coronavirus continues to spread. Meanwhile, immigration advocates are working to prepare crowded encampments of asylum seekers across the U.S.-Mexico border for a potentially catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19. Since the implementation of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy, tens of thousands of asylum seekers from regions like Central America and Africa have been stranded in Mexican bord…
(2020-03-26). [Correspondence] COVID-19 gives the lie to global health expertise. thelancet.com As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak began spreading in Europe and the USA, a chart started circulating online showing ratings from the 2019 Global Health Security Index, an assessment of 195 countries' capacity to face infectious disease outbreaks, compiled by the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's Center for Health Security. The USA was ranked first, and the UK second; South Korea was ranked ninth, and China 51st; most African countries were at the bottom of the ranking.
(2020-03-18). [Research Paper] A phase 1b randomized study of the safety and immunological responses to vaccination with H4:IC31, H56:IC31, and BCG revaccination in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-uninfected adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. thelancet.com BCG revaccination administered as a single dose ID and both H4: IC31 and H56: IC31 administered as 2 doses IM had acceptable safety profiles in healthy, QFT-negative, previously BCG-vaccinated adolescents. Characterization of the assays and the immunogenicity of these vaccines may help to identify valuable markers of protection for upcoming immune correlates analyses of C-040-404 and future TB vaccine efficacy trials.
(2020-03-11). [Correspondence] Adoption of COVID-19 triage strategies for low-income settings. thelancet.com Despite major advances in epidemic preparedness, Africa remains uniquely susceptible to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index,1 22 of the 25 countries most susceptible to an infectious disease outbreak are in Africa. The high prevalence of HIV, tuberculosis, and other pathogens might potentiate the severity of COVID-19 and contribute to diagnostic uncertainty. Health-care systems and human resources are already spread thin. And although the young age of the population (with more than half aged younger than 20 years) might prove protective, it also means…
(2020-03-05). [Comment] Time to address disparities in the standard of care for Kaposi sarcoma. thelancet.com Despite clinical trial evidence and guideline recommendations to use pegylated liposomal doxorubicin or paclitaxel for AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma, most patients in sub-Saharan Africa continue to receive bleomycin and vincristine.1—3 Before antiretroviral therapy (ART), clinical trials for AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma in resource-abundant settings had shown a superior response for pegylated liposomal doxorubicin compared with bleomycin and vincristine.4 A trial in 2010 showed similar progression-free survival for pegylated liposomal doxorubicin plus ART and for paclitaxel plus ART for advanced AIDS-ass…
(2020-01-07). [Comment] Relaunching human bornavirus research from encephalitis cases with unclear cause. thelancet.com Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), the first bornavirus to be discovered, was identified as a causative agent of Borna disease, a fatal encephalitis occurring in horses and sheep. BoDV-1 is highly neurotropic and can cause both fatal immune-mediated encephalitis and behavioural disturbances in a broad range of infected animals.1 These observations prompted researchers to investigate the presence of BoDV-1 in patients with psychiatric disorders on the basis of the hypothesis that BoDV-1 might also cause behavioural abnormalities in humans.