2020-07-06: News Headlines

Staff (2020-07-06). Egyptian Activist Laila Soueif on the Jailing of Her Children & the Fight Against Authoritarianism. democracynow.org Egyptian authorities have arrested scores of people, including doctors, medical workers, journalists, lawyers and activists, as the country grapples with the coronavirus outbreak. "Unlike nearly every other country in the Middle East, Egypt has not released thousands of prisoners as a precaution against the coronavirus. Instead, it's arrested more people and cut off communication," says Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous. One of the most high-profile arrests is that of Sanaa Seif, a film editor and the youngest member of one of Egypt's most prominent activist families. Sanaa's brother, Alaa Abd El…

Wayne Nealis (2020-07-06). Minnesota protesters demand justice for Isak Aden, Somali-American man killed by police. peoplesworld.org EAGAN, Minnesota—The protest on the one-year anniversary of the murder of Isak Aden, 23, at the hands of police officers here was both a somber remembrance of his life and a militant event demanding the reopening of his case. Family members, former schoolmates, teachers, and a thousand supporters gathered July 1 at the site where …

The Canary (2020-07-06). Asylum seekers in Glasgow 'malnourished with food not fit for human consumption'. thecanary.co Dozens of asylum seekers in Glasgow are "malnourished with food not fit for human consumption", according to a charity supporting them.Positive Action In Housing (PAIH) has rallied around refugees in the city after Badreddin Abadlla Adam's attack at the Park Inn Hotel on West George Street.Officers shot the 28-year-old from Sudan after six people were injured in the incident on 26 June.The hotel was housing asylum seekers at the time. But campaign groups criticised the Mears Group, which the Home Office has subcontracted to carry out this process during the coronavirus pandemic.Badreddin Abadlla Adam died after b…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-06). Is Taiwan Creating a "Coalition of Unrecognized States" by Recognizing Somaliland? globalresearch.ca The Taiwanese government intends to compensate for its diplomatic problems in Africa by developing a relationship with the unrecognized Somaliland. The two sides announced just days ago that they are establishing official representative agencies in their respective territories. In recent …

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-07-06). US Senate poised to pass National Juneteenth Holiday Bill S.4019. indybay.org Since that final summer military campaign in Texas beginning June 18, 1865, people of Pan African Ancestry throughout the Diaspora have always celebrated Juneteenth in a big way.

Abdo Shanan, The Nation, Magnum Foundation (2020-07-06). Covid-19 Has Put Algeria's Peaceful Revolution on Hold. thenation.com Abdo Shanan, The Nation, Magnum Foundation Covid-19 Has Put Algeria's Peaceful Revolution on Hold…

yenisafak (2020-07-06). Libya arrests Daesh/ISIS cell west of Tripoli. yenisafak.com Libyan forces have dismantled a Daesh/ISIS cell in Az-Zawiyah city, west of the capital Tripoli, according to the Interior Ministry on Monday. | A ministry statement said the cell was planning "to carry out terrorist attacks and plots to harm security and stability and spread chaos in the country". | The statement, however, did not specify how many cell members were arrested. | On Sunday, the Joint Security Operations Room in Misrata city, 200 km east of Tripoli, announced the arrest of a Daesh/ISIS militant, who arrived in the country from Syria in 2016. | Earlier Monday, local Syrian sources said 300 mercenarie…

RT (2020-07-05). Japan bets big on Mozambique liquefied natural gas. rt.com In partnership with the business sector, the Japanese government will invest some $14.4 billion (1.5 trillion yen) in liquefied natural gas development in Mozambique, the Nikkei Asian Review reported. | According to the report, the money will fund the development of a gas field in the African country to produce some 12 million tons of LNG annually, beginning in 2024. As part of the deal, trading major Mitsui & Co. and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. will together buy a 20-percent stake in the field. | Three Japanese private banks will provide most of the debt funding for the project, and the state-own…

yenisafak (2020-07-05). Coronavirus claims more lives in Oman, Sudan. yenisafak.com Health authorities in Oman and Sudan confirmed additional fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Sunday.In a statement, the Omani Health Ministry said ten people had died from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 213.A further 1,072 people tested positive for the virus, pushing the figure to 46,178, while 949 patients recovered, taking the overall recoveries to 27,917.In Sudan, the Health Ministry confirmed four fatalities due to the illness, while 117 new cases were recorded.Sudan's tally now stands at 9,767 cases, including 608 deaths, and 4,673 recoveries.Since originating…

_____ (2020-07-05). VIDEO: Is There Really Such a Thing as White Privilege? strategic-culture.org From the restricted perspective of Segregation America or Apartheid South Africa — Yes. But from a greater historical perspective this idea is madness. Watch the video and read more

Ed Ciaccio (2020-07-05). We Need a New National Anthem. dissidentvoice.org As we celebrate the 244th anniversary of our nation's Declaration of Independence, in the midst of demonstrations and protests against systemic racism and police brutality of African-Americans, it is time to consider replacing our national anthem with one more suitable to the values and priorities of the United States in 2020. There are many important …

Marie Okwo (2020-07-05). Igbo Women Seek Biafra, Voice Nigeria's Bleak Future. globalresearch.ca Nigeria is one of the largest by territory with population (estimated currently at 206 million) and huge economy in Africa. Situated on the southern coast on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, this country most often referred to …

en.mehrnews (2020-07-05). Jahangiri felicitates Independence Day of Algeria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 05 (MNA) — In a message on Sunday, Iranian First Vice President Es'hagh Jahangiri felicitated Algerian government and nation on the country's Independence Day.

Ali Salam (2020-07-05). Israeli Forces Injure Six Palestinians in Nablus. imemc.org Six Palestinians were injured, on Friday, when Israeli forces attacked a peaceful protest, in the village of Asira ash-Shamaliya, north of Nablus, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. Dozens of protesters gathered for the Friday prayer, near the northern West Bank village, to protest the Israeli threat of confiscation. Israeli …

en.mehrnews (2020-07-05). ISIL terrorists kill 2, including a child, in Nigeria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 05 (MNA) — Takrifi terrorists affiliated to ISIL have launched an attack against civilians in northeast Nigeria, killing two people, including a five-year-old child, according to a UN report.

yenisafak (2020-07-05). Jets hit Libya's al-Watiya airbase where Turkey may build base, sources say. yenisafak.com Warplanes struck overnight at an airbase that was recently recaptured by Libya's internationally recognised government from eastern forces with help from Turkey, a military source with the eastern forces and a resident nearby said.The strikes were carried out by "unknown aircraft", the military source with the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said.A resident at the nearby town of Zintan said explosions were heard from the direction of the base.Watiya's recapture in May by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli marked the start of a sudden collapse of the LNA's 14-mo…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Egypt's opposition still seeking footing 7 years after coup. yenisafak.com The opposition in Egypt and abroad is in a forced absence due to the regime's extensive restrictions on opinion expression as well as extensive political arrests.The regime of the former President Hosni Mubarak suppressed freedom of expression that led to revolution in 2011 that called for equality, freedom and social justice.Mubarak, who ruled for three decades, was forced to step down by a popular uprising in early 2011.Mohamed Morsi won the first post-revolution presidential election in 2012, becoming the country's first democratically elected civilian president and fifth president of the republic. | Several t…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Pandemic spirals out of control in South Africa, India, Brazil. wsws.org The official tallies in each country of daily confirmed coronavirus cases have become exponential, indicating that whatever containment measures were implemented to halt the spread of the virus have essentially collapsed.

Desmond T Jumbam, Ché L Reddy, Emmanuel Makasa, Adeline A Boatin, Khama Rogo, Kathryn M Chu, Benetus Nangombe, Olufemi T Oladapo, John G Meara, Salome Maswime (2020-07-04). [Comment] Investing in surgery: a value proposition for African leaders. thelancet.com Globally, poor access to high-quality surgical, obstetric, and anaesthesia care remains a main contributor to global disease burden accounting for about a third of deaths worldwide.1 The need for strengthening surgical care systems is especially urgent in sub-Saharan Africa, where access is strikingly limited, leading to the highest mortality and morbidity from surgically preventable and treatable conditions in the world.2,3 Approximately 93% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical care, compared with less than 10% in high-income countries.

Richard Lane (2020-07-04). [Perspectives] Salome Maswime: dynamic leader in global surgery. thelancet.com As Associate Professor and Head of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, Salome Maswime is aware of the scale of the job in front of her. "For me the big problem is the disconnect between health systems and clinical care in low and middle income countries, especially concerning surgical care. Outcomes are often poor, there being not enough focus on the quality of surgery, and how it relates to integrated health care and overarching health systems performance", she explains.

_____ (2020-07-04). The Malign Russians and Chinese Are Coming. strategic-culture.org A feeble Russiagate 2.0 attempt coincides with hypocritical attacks on the new Hong Kong national security law | Pepe ESCOBAR | In Russia, 78% have just Among these, we find the paramount Atlanticist obsession: the possibility that Vladimir Putin will be able to run for two more presidential terms. | Predictably, anguished cries of "Dictator! Dictator!" have been lobbed like deadly shells all across the Beltway. | They might even silence the echoes of the latest CIA press release to the New York Times, ba…

Andrew Harmer, Anja Leetz, Ben Eder, Remco van de Pas, Sophie Gepp (2020-07-04). [Correspondence] Time for WHO to declare climate breakdown a PHEIC? thelancet.com At the opening plenary of the World Health Assembly in May, 2019, Richard Horton urged member states and the Secretariat of WHO to recognise climate change as a planetary emergency. A few days later, during a side event on air pollution, climate change, oceans, and health sponsored by the Government of Sweden, the Minister of Health for the Seychelles Jean Paul Adam argued that climate change has to be recognised as a public health emergency at the international level. Johan Giesecke1 once stressed that as public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs) evolve into more complex forms, it becomes neces…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Zimbabwe nurses strike as economic crisis brings threat of second coup and military dictatorship. wsws.org Emmerson Mnangagwa's government is preparing to confront mounting opposition in the working class through dictatorial forms of rule and the abrogation of democratic rights—even as it is threatened by the possibility of a coup.

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Erdogan says Turkey sent virus aid to 138 countries. yenisafak.com Turkey to date has sent medical aid to 138 countries to help them combat the coronavirus pandemic, said Turkey's president on Saturday."We have sent medical equipment and supplies to 138 countries, regardless of religion, language, race, or region," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the inauguration ceremony for a new state hospital in Istanbul.Telling how Turkey's exemplary efforts against the virus laid the groundwork for new opportunities in medical tourism, he added, "We're determined to make Turkey the health center of three continents," meaning Asia, Europe, and Africa, with Turkey at their hub."Thanks to the meas…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Why is Greece courting Haftar's militia in Libya? yenisafak.com Greece has been left in a tight corner after betting on East Libya-based warlord Khalifa Haftar, a Turkey-based scholar has said.After Haftar's 2019 military campaign to recapture the capital Tripoli failed, many of his allies gave up on him. More recently, he lost key cities following an operation by the Tripoli-based legitimate government of Libya.However, Greece officially maintains talks with eastern Libya.Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Wednesday paid a two-day visit to Tobruk, during which he met with Aguila Saleh, head of the pro-Haftar House of Representatives.According to a statement by the Tobr…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Turkey's presence in Libya to do whatever int'l law requires: DefMin. yenisafak.com Turkey's presence in Libya is to do whatever the international law and justice require, the Turkish defense minister said on Saturday."Turkey is together with the Libyan brothers. No one should doubt it, we will not give up on it," Hulusi Akar said.Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler, who are on an official visit to Libya, met Turkish security forces in the country. They later visited Tripoli's Mitiga Hospital, which was frequently targeted by the attacks of warlord Khalifa Haftar's militias, and met the Turkish health care staff at the hospital."Our task here [in Libya] is providing military trainin…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Decisive, dissuasive will win in Libya: Analysis. yenisafak.com Following back-to-back successes of the Government of National Accord, Libya's UN-recognized legitimate administration, all sides seem to have reordered their positions. The safety of the capital Tripoli is no longer debated and the threats to the existence of GNA were eliminated. Gaining these achievements largely thanks to the support from Turkey, the GNA is working toward new achievements while also preparing for the restructuring of the country with the same support.The putschist Khalifa Haftar's forces have switched to a defensive stance, and their main purpose has been shifted to maintaining the territory t…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Tunisia MPs reject motion to blacklist Brotherhood. yenisafak.com The Bureau of Tunisia's House of Representatives (parliament) has rejected a petition to blacklist the Muslim Brotherhood group.The opposition Free Constitutional Party (PDL), which holds 10 seats in the 217-member parliament, had submitted the petition to classify the Brotherhood as a "terrorist" organization.The petition, however, was turned down by the parliament's bureau, which is consisted of the parliament speaker, his deputies and 10 lawmakers representing all parties in parliament.Ennahda party, which holds 54 seats in parliament, earlier described the PDL draft as a "waste of time".Ennahda lawmaker Sayyi…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-03). Tearing Down the Idols of Colonialism: Why Tunisia, Africa Must Demand French Apology. counterpunch.org The visit by newly-elected Tunisian President Kais Saied to France on June 22 was intended to discuss bilateral relations, trade, etc. But it was also a missed opportunity, where Tunisia could have formally demanded an apology from France for the decades of French colonialism, which has shattered the social and political fabric of this North

WSWS (2020-07-03). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to

Louis Proyect (2020-07-03). Smearing Black Lives Matter…From the Left. counterpunch.org Over the past fifty-three years as a socialist, I have seen repeated calls for purifying the left of capitalist influences, both governmental and corporate. The latest flare-up was a Jacobin article titled "Don't Let Blackwashing Save the Investor Class" by Cedric Johnson, a black African American studies professor. Just as Deep Throat advised Bob Woodward

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Russia to reopen embassy in Libya. yenisafak.com Russia has decided to reopen its embassy in Libya, the Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday.Lavrov said a ceasefire in the Libyan conflict, proposed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi alongside Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in Cairo on June 6, fitted into decisions taken at an international conference in Berlin regarding the situation in the North African country.Lavrov was speaking at the start of a meeting with the speaker of Libya's pro-Haftar eastern parliament, Aguila Saleh.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Unions Fight to Save South African Airways. peoplesdispatch.org The Spokesperson of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, talks about the ongoing struggle to ensure that the national carrier, South African Airways, can be saved. She explains why the unions have stridently opposed a plan to 'rescue' the airline presented by Business Rescue Practitioners and questions the logic of the plan. She also details the proposals the unions are putting forward to make sure that the airline and its employees' interests are safeguarded.

teleSUR (2020-07-03). South Africa Reports Highest Daily Increase in COVID-19 Cases. telesurenglish.net South Africa Friday reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases, as hospitals across the country brace for an onslaught of patients and officials warn of another strict lockdown. | RELATED: | On Thursday, over 8,700 infections were confirmed, taking the country's total count to 168,061, according to Health Ministry data, while deaths rose by 95 to 2,844. | The surge comes as the government has allowed…

Jeffery Robinson (2020-07-03). This Fourth of July, Time To Tell the Truth About the Confederacy and Its Symbols. commondreams.org A staff member raises the state flag for the flag retirement ceremony at the Mississippi State Capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi on July 1, 2020. – Mississippi's flag, the last US state banner to feature a Confederate emblem, was permanently retired Wednesday when it was lowered from the state's capitol and removed from the grounds. The move comes one day after Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill ordering the rebel-themed flag's removal, which comes in the wake of coast-to-coast protests over the police killing of African American George Floyd in May. (Photo: Rory Doyle / AFP / Getty Image…

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-07-03). Nigeria third worst COVID-19-affected African country. peoplesdispatch.org According to official data, Nigeria has 6.3% of the COVID-19 cases on the African continent, while South Africa accounts for around 37%. However, Nigeria has conducted only 0.67 tests per 1,000 people, when the figure in South Africa stands at 27.48 tests every 1,000 people…

teleSUR (2020-07-03). Burundi: President Ndayishimiye Renews Cabinet Amid Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Burundi's new president Evariste Ndayishimiye Thursday renewed cabinet after he assumed power in June. The mandatary also announced a new pandemic management strategy. | RELATED: | Ndayishimiye instituted five female-led ministries, as Justice; Civil Service, Labor, and Employment; Trade, Transport, Industry, and Tourism; and Communication, as well as Information Technology and the Media office. | Human rights defender Imelde Sabushimike assumed Solidarity, Social Affa…

J.B. Gerald (2020-07-03). Cameroon and Nigeria: the Risk of Breathing. dissidentvoice.org There is a long history of human rights violations by Cameroon's government against its Anglophone people. Brutalized by war with Boko Haram, the Cameroon military is now engaged in low intensity warfare against militant Anglophone separatists. On May 15, 2019 for instance, Cameroon's military attacked Anglophone Separatist Bamenda, burning 70 dwellings and stores in retaliation …

teleSUR (2020-07-03). Over 40 UAE Firms Sign Deals With Israel: Report. telesurenglish.net The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi Friday reported that 42 Emirati companies have signed deals with Israeli companies purportedly to develop technological solutions against the pandemic, marking the latest bid by Arab countries to normalize ties with Tel Aviv. | RELATED: | The agreements were made with two Israeli firms —Israeli air industries and Raphael— that are affiliated with the regime's war ministry and pro…

en.mehrnews (2020-07-03). Armed forces ready to respond to any US despicable move. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 03 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Defense (MoD) Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that Iran's Armed forces is ready to respond to any US malicious move authoritatively.

IMEMC Staff (2020-07-03). Israeli Troops Disperse Muslim Worshipers On Threatened Palestinian Land. imemc.org Israeli troops forcibly dispersed, on Friday afternoon, dozens of Palestinian Muslim worshipers, while performing the Friday sermon on Palestinian-owned land in the Aseera Al-Shamaliya village, north of Nablus city, in northern West Bank. Local Palestinian media sources and witnesses said that the piece of land, on which dozens of locals …

WSWS (2020-07-03). As pandemic accelerates in US, young people made the scapegoat of ruling elite's malicious return to work policy. wsws.org The US continues to see a surge of new infections at an unprecedented rate with a single one-day high of 57,236 new cases.

yenisafak (2020-07-03). 'Attempt to instigate civil war in Ethiopia foiled'. yenisafak.com The Ethiopian prime minister on Friday said violence in the country over the past three days was an attempt to instigate a civil war and that it has now been foiled.Abiy Ahmed was speaking at a meeting with senior civil and army officials in the capital Addis Ababa, according to state channel ETV.So far, "87 people lost their lives in the violence including four police officers," ETV quoted Oromia police commissioner as saying.Abiy said instigators of the violence have been arrested thanks to security forces.Violence started in the Horn of Africa country on Tuesday following the death of Ethiopian activist and ar…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Erdogan says Turkey to 'keep a close watch' on developments in Libya. yenisafak.com "Work between Turkey and Libya's legitimate government must continue very seriously and decisively," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.Erdogan also underlined that Ankara wants to "keep a close watch" on the developments in Libya as he informed that Turkish defense minister arrived in the civil-war-torned northern African country on Friday.Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler arrived in Libya to review the activities carried out under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.Following the military ceremony at the Mitiga International A…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Turkey accuses France of committing crimes in Libya. yenisafak.com Turkey's ruling party spokesman on Friday accused France of committing crimes in civil war-torn Libya."France has committed crimes in Libya," said Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party.Celik said as France's crimes have surfaced with mass graves, it is posing as a human rights defender to get away with the crimes by blaming Turkey.Recalling France's colonial history, he said: "France is guilty.""[France] cannot cover those mass graves by excessive attacks on Turkey or on our president."Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country's…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Growing number of mercenaries to Sirte deepens conflict in Libya: Analysis. yenisafak.com By Ferhat Polat – The writer is a researcher at the TRT World Research CentreOver the past two months, there has been a drastic change on the ground in Libya as forces loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) have pushed Haftar's self-declared Libyan National Army (LNA) to the borders of the coastal city of Sirte, some 450 km east of Tripoli, and Al-Jufra airbase in central Libya.Since January this year, Turkey has intervened determinedly in the Libyan conflict, providing air support, weapons, and technical assistance to the UN-backed government, and this Turkish support has rec…

Reese Erlich (2020-07-02). Foreign Correspondent: Libya, the Forgotten War. progressive.org Though it has disappeared from headlines, Libya's humanitarian crisis continues unabated.

WSWS (2020-07-02). Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods: A lifetime of war. wsws.org Four African-American veterans of the Vietnam War return to present-day Vietnam to recover the remains of a fallen comrade. Buried with him is a cache of gold bars worth millions.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-07-02). Mayo Clinic experts to help guide Delta Air Lines COVID-19 safety measures. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Industry leaders in health and travel formalize partnership to transform the future of safe flying ROCHESTER, Minn. — Delta Air Lines and Mayo Clinic, a global leader in serious and complex medical care, are deepening their relationship to provide additional safety and COVID-19 infection control measures for customers and employees. The collaboration is another significant …

yenisafak (2020-07-02). Africa lost almost $55 billion in travel and tourism due to pandemic. yenisafak.com Africa countries have lost almost $55 billion in travel and tourism revenues in three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the African Union commissioner for infrastructure and energy said on Thursday.Amani Abou-Zeid told a news conference that due to the prolonged lockdown and border closures to curb the spread of the virus, the air industry will be greatly impacted."Some airlines in the continent will not make it post-COVID-19," she said.