2020-09-17: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2020-09-17). Head of Libya's Tripoli government announces he wants to resign. middleeasteye.net Head of Libya's Tripoli government announces he wants to resign | Fayez al-Sarraj says he wants to quit by the end of October, citing progress by UN in a political solution to Libya's conflict | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 08: 22 | Despite Sarraj's defence of Tripoli, his government has since descended into political infighting (Reuters) | Libya's internationally recognised Prime Minister Fayez al-S…

Miko Peled (2020-09-17). Why Arab Leaders Are Suddenly Groveling at the Chance to Normalize Ties with Israel. mintpressnews.com Arab leaders understand that relations with Israel provide access to US Empire and all that comes with it, including much desired US-made weapons and other perks such as security and economic cooperation.

MEE staff (2020-09-17). US considering 'appointing' Mohammed Dahlan as next Palestinian president: Friedman. middleeasteye.net US considering 'appointing' Mohammed Dahlan as next Palestinian president: Friedman | US ambassador to Israel also says freeze on West Bank annexation is temporary and Arab-Israeli conflict will be over within a year | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 10: 55 | David Friedman predicted that the normalisation deals marked the beginning of the end of the Arab-Israeli-conflict (AFP) | The United States is considering supporting…

Fight Back (2020-09-17). Palestinians slam Arab regimes' 'normalization' with Zionist occupation. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On September 15, the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) held a press conference to reject the charade that was happening the same day in Washington, DC, where the Trump administration was holding a signing ceremony for a 'peace' arrangement between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. | CJP represents all of the major Palestinian organizations in Chicago. They spoke against the Arab regimes' 'normalization' with the Zionist Israeli enemy. Solidarity activists with the American Friends Service Committee and the Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy and othe…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-17). Libya's Government of National Accord to step down as peace negotiations likely to conclude soon. peoplesdispatch.org GNA prime minister Fayez Al-Sarraj said in a televised speech on September 16 that the UN-sponsored peace negotiations have succeeded in the rival sides entering a 'new preparatory phase'

Brian Shilhavy (2020-09-17). "Mass Sterilization": Kenyan Doctors Find Anti-fertility Agent in UN Tetanus Vaccine? globalresearch.ca Global Research Editor's Note | In October 2014, the conference of Catholic bishops in Kenya released a The issue was subsequently addressed by Kenya's Catholic Doctors Association. …

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Stage is set for stronger Turkey-Bangladesh ties: Top diplomat. yenisafak.com The current level of bilateral relations between Ankara and Dhaka is ready for takeoff, said Bangladesh's top diplomat on a visit to Turkey, stressing that a slight push by the two governments is needed to get things going.In an inclusive interview with Anadolu Agency in Ankara during his four-day visit to Turkey, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the economy and trade will be the key focus of bilateral relations.He also talked about the Rohingya refugee crisis, Dhaka's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and plan to revive the economy.On the normalization agreements with Israel and Arab states, Mo…

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Turkey fights for justice as region demands it, says Erdogan. yenisafak.com Critics of Turkish foreign policy should stop accusing Ankara and instead oppose the conditions in the region that make it necessary for Turkey to champion peace and justice, said the nation's president on Thursday."They say, 'Why is Turkey involved in Syria, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia?" Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a group of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's provincial heads at party headquarters in the capital Ankara.But, he added, "If Turkey retreats, will Syria enjoy peace and freedom?…"If Turkey turns its back to what is happening in Libya,…

_____ (2020-09-17). Protests And Rockets As Gulf States Sign Deals With Israel. popularresistance.org At a White House ceremony on Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain officially established diplomatic relations with Israel. | The signing of the US-brokered Abraham Accords formalizes decades of clandestine relations between Israel and the two Gulf states. | US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Emirati foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani all spoke before the signing. | Al Nahyan and Alzayani also signed separate treaties with Trump and Netanyahu.

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Nearly 3,500 Palestinians killed during Netanyahu era. yenisafak.com During the prime ministry of Benjamin Netanyahu, who signed an agreement with the UAE and Bahrain to normalize relations, nearly 3,500 Palestinians, including many women and children, were martyred and thousands of others injured in the attacks of Israeli forces.Netanyahu, shown as one of the chief architects of Israel's oppression and violations against Palestine, served as the prime minister during the two bloody attacks on the Gaza Strip under the blockade by the Israeli army.According to the data of the Israeli rights group B'Tselem, nearly 3,500 Palestinian Palestinians have been martyred in the attacks of t…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-16). Saudi Arabia 'holding 16,000 Ethiopian migrants' in single detention centre: Report. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia 'holding 16,000 Ethiopian migrants' in single detention centre: Report | Ethiopia's consul general in Jeddah says migrants are being held in all city's jails, with one facility holding 16,000 people | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 18: 46 | Thousands of Ethiopians made dangerous journey through Yemen into Saudi Arabia to seek employment (AFP/File photo) | Dozens of prisons in Saudi Arabia…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-16). Libya's PM Fayez al-Sarraj reportedly set to resign. middleeasteye.net Libya's PM Fayez al-Sarraj reportedly set to resign | Prime Minister of UN-recognised administration said to stay on through negotiations for a new government in Geneva | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 14: 03 | Despite Sarraj's defence of Tripoli, his government has since descended into political infighting (AFP) | Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj plans to announce his resignation soon, but will s…

MEE staff (2020-09-16). Sudan seizes explosives large enough to 'blow up the entire capital'. middleeasteye.net Sudan seizes explosives large enough to 'blow up the entire capital' | Authorities have arrested 41 people in possession of 'very dangerous materials', including ammonium nitrate
| Wed, 09/16/2020 – 15: 00 | Sudan says it captured explosives that would have caused a massive explosion similar to the one that exploded in Beirut last month (AFP/file photo) | Sudan's public prosecutor said on Wednesday that a…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-16). Egypt builds motorways across pyramids plateau, alarming conservationists. middleeasteye.net Egypt builds motorways across pyramids plateau, alarming conservationists | Critics say the two highways may cause irrevocable damage to one of the world's most important heritage sites | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 11: 20 | The Great Pyramids, Egypt's top tourist destination, are the sole survivor of the seven wonders of the ancient world (AFP) | Egypt is building two motorways across the pyramids…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-09-16). Al Jazeera staff hit out at US decision to register it a foreign agent under FARA. middleeasteye.net Al Jazeera staff hit out at US decision to register it a foreign agent under FARA | AJ journalists criticise "politically motivated attack", and question timing amid Israel-UAE normalisation deal | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 13: 51 | Doha-based media network Al Jazeera said it was "deeply disappointed" by the US decision to register it as a foreign agent (AFP/File photo) | Staff at AJ+, Al Jazeera's US-based a…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-16). Palestinians protest against UAE and Bahrain signing "normalization" deals with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of protesters throughout the occupied territories denounced the US mediated deals as betrayal of the Palestinian cause, and vowed to continue their fight against the Israeli occupation…

Ali Harb (2020-09-16). UAE-Israel deal voices support for Trump's 'deal of the century'. middleeasteye.net UAE-Israel deal voices support for Trump's 'deal of the century' | The accord does not mention the two-state solution and makes no reference to the holy sites in Jerusalem, unlike the previous announcement | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 01: 57 | Palestinians had forcefully rejected Trump's plan to end the conflict, known as 'deal of the century' (AFP) | The normalisation agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel…

Sondos Asem (2020-09-16). Arab normalisation with Israel: Who is next? middleeasteye.net Arab normalisation with Israel: Who is next? | Trump has said five countries might follow in the UAE and Bahrain's footsteps – but which ones was he referring to? | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 12: 47 | From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan hold up signed agreements at the…

_____ (2020-09-16). 'Palestinian Self-Determination Not For Sale'. popularresistance.org As US President Donald Trump brought together leaders from Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to sign deals to establish diplomatic relations, just outside of the White House, hundreds of Palestinians, civil rights and advocacy groups gathered in protest of the occasion, accusing the leaders of ignoring the voices of Palestinians. | Coming together with waves of Palestinian flags, donning traditional keffiyehs, and some wearing masks with the words "Free Palestine", the demonstrators shouted slogans: "No hate, no fear, Bibi is not welcome here", and "Occupation is a crime, normalisation is a crime".

South Front (2020-09-16). Mali: Historical Overview, The Post-Coup Political and Military Situation. globalresearch.ca Mali's recent history has been a succession of disputed presidential elections, military coups, insurgencies, civil war and international conflicts. Although there are significant deposits of gold in the country, the country's strategic location in the centre of the Sahel region …

Sam Jacobs (2020-09-16). The Benghazi 9/11 Attack: The Forgotten History of the 2012 Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. globalresearch.ca If you say "September 11" most people automatically think of the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon on

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-16). South African govt. bends after funeral undertakers' strike overwhelms mortuaries. peoplesdispatch.org Workers and owners of small firms providing funeral undertaker services embarked on a three-day strike on September 14, complaining that the regulations favor capitalist monopoly while squeezing out smaller enterprises…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-16). Palestinians protest normalization of ties with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of Palestinians across the occupied territories came out on the streets on September 15 protesting the "normalization" of ties with Israel by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

WSWS (2020-09-16). Acting US Homeland Security secretary refuses to appear before congressional committee. wsws.org In defiance of Congress and the Constitution, Chad Wolf said he would not testify before a House committee on September 17.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-16). Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni's prison term reduced but only by a year. peoplesdispatch.org The term of Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni, who was earlier sentenced to three years in prison, has been reduced by a year. Activists and journalists condemned the ruling, demanding his freedom…

news.un (2020-09-16). South Sudan: Progress on peace agreement 'limps along', UN envoy tells Security Council. news.un.org Although the transitional government in South Sudan continues to function, with state governors now appointed, among other developments, progress on the 2018 peace agreement "limps along", the top UN official in the country told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-16). VIDEO: Palestinians slam Bahrain's ties with Zionist Regime. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — Palestinians held a rally in Ramallah against the normalization of relations between Bahrain and the Zionist Regime on Wednesday.

yenisafak (2020-09-16). 'Hotel Rwanda' hero could face maximum life in prison, prosecution says. yenisafak.com Rusesabagina, who once called for armed resistance to the government in a YouTube video, was charged in a Kigali court on Monday with 13 counts including terrorism, complicity in murder and forming or joining an irregular armed group."For some of the crimes, he may face 25 years, and some even go up to life imprisonment," Faustin Nkusi, spokesman of Rwanda's prosecution authority, told Reuters on phone.Rusesabagina declined to respond to all the charges on Monday, saying he wanted to take a plea to each individual count. The court will rule on bail on Thursday.His case has thrust a spotlight on to President Paul…

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-09-16). 'This Fight Is Not Over': Activists Help ICE Detainee Avoid Deportation Following Alleged Sterilization Procedure at Georgia Facility. commondreams.org Pauline Binam, a Cameroonian who has lived in the U.S. since the age of two, was detained at an ICE facility where her fallopian tubes were removed, allegedly without her consent. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-ice_protest_new_york.jpg

Ted Snider (2020-09-16). Peace Plans That Have Nothing to Do With Peace. commondreams.org Protesters from multiple Palestinian rights organizations demonstrate outside the White House on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC The groups gathered to protest the signing of the Abraham Accords that will normalize relations between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/peacedealprotest.jpg

Staff (2020-09-15). Headlines for September 15, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Doubles Down on Climate Crisis Denial as West Coast Burns, World's Largest Vaccine Maker Says It Could Take 5 Years for Universal COVID-19 Vaccination, Trump Calls COVID-19 "The Plague" in April Interview with Woodward as He Called for U.S. to Reopen, Nevada City Fines Venue That Hosted Trump Rally Which Violated State's Coronavirus Restrictions, Appeals Court Gives Trump Greenlight to End Immigration Protections for 400,000 TPS Holders, Whistleblowing Nurse Says Georgia Immigration Jail Performing Forced Hysterectomies, Palestinians Form Unified Front as Israel, UAE and Bahrain Sign Deal Normalizing Relati…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-09-15). Italy May Recover Historic Ties with Libya. globalresearch.ca Libya is a country of particular economic and political importance for Italy. The geographical proximity ≠and the historical ties between both nations make the African country a strategically important state for Rome. But the violent instability that has been hitting …

Vanessa Beeley (2020-09-15). Wildfires Rage Across Syria in Wake of Increased US-Led Economic Warfare. mintpressnews.com The combination of a ten year military war, maximum pressure economic sanctions, the deliberate destruction of essential civilian infrastructure and the blatant scorched earth policies of the American neocolonialist foreign policy-managers are designed to reduce Syria to another failed state following NATO's Libya blueprint.

RT (2020-09-15). UAE hopes normalization deal dispels Israeli doubts over US F-35 sale, despite Netanyahu's open opposition. rt.com The United Arab Emirates has said a request to buy US F-35 warplanes has been on the table since before it agreed to normalize ties with Israel, despite Benjamin Netanyahu's vocal opposition to any such sales to the Gulf state. | The Abraham Accord agreement should dispel "any grain of doubt" over the UAE buying stealth F-35 fighter jets from the US, the Gulf state's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Tuesday. | The UAE seeks to modernize its military, and "our request for the F-35 and other systems pre-dates this [normalization] agreement," he said. The country's existing F-16 jets…

teleSUR (2020-09-15). Zimbabwe To Gradually Resume Economy and Learning Activities. telesurenglish.net Zimbabwe's government on Tuesday resumed some productive activities as the nation gradually eases COVID-19 restrictions and re-opens the economy. | RELATED: | In March, after registering the first COVID-19 cases, Zimbabwe enforced a nighttime curfew to prevent an increase in cases. Before the pandemic, the South African nation already faced a scarcity of basic resources. | Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa…

Raul Diego (2020-09-15). In the Face of "Normalization" Congressional Dems Lobby to Protect Israel's "Qualitative Military Edge" mintpressnews.com A group of Congressional Dems are calling attention to a key pillar of US-Israeli policy in a futile effort to stall an arms deal as Israeli-UAE normalization takes effect.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-15). Kenyan govt. approves insurance cover for frontline workers but protests set to continue. peoplesdispatch.org The Kenyan government's approval of insurance cover addresses only one of the key demands of health workers as many professionals are unhappy over unpaid remittances, lack of PPEs and pending promotions…

teleSUR (2020-09-15). Trump Warns Iran About Retaliatory Attack If It Hurts Diplomat. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump Monday warned that his government would respond to any attack made by Iran with another attack 1,000 times stronger. | RELATED: | His threat came after Iran allegedly said that they will kill the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks, in response to General Qasem Soleimani's murder early this year. | "Iran may be planning an assassination, or other attacks, against the U.S. in retaliation for th…

_____ (2020-09-15). On Its 27th Anniversary: Defeat Oslo, Confront Normalization, Escalate BDS. popularresistance.org The agreement signed on the White House lawn and the famous handshake of Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat was falsely billed as a promise of peace and hope for Palestinians, denied both for decades upon decades, but was in reality a program for continued and intensified colonization and the suppression of the Palestinian liberation struggle. The entire project of Oslo was always intended to intensify the repression, division and fragmentation of the Palestinian people, while imposing a Palestinian "security" framework over the Palestinian people struggling for their rights, for return and liberation.

Hunasikatti M. (2020-09-15). Benefits of Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea. jamanetwork.com To the Editor Drs Gottlieb and Punjabi, in their Review on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), stated that "current evidence suggests that treatment does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, or metabolic abnormalities in asymptomatic patients." Even though studies have failed to find a decrease in cardiovascular mortality in patients using continuous positive airway pressure (PAP), they have had significant methodological flaws, such as excluding patients with excessive sleepiness—precisely the patients who need continuous PAP therapy.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-15). Government in eastern Libya resigns after days of protest. peoplesdispatch.org The government in eastern Libya, which is associated with the breakaway Libyan National Army led by general Khalifa Haftar, handed over its resignation to the speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR), Aguila Saleh, on Sunday, September 13. This was after four days of intense civilian protests against declining living conditions in areas under its control. The resignation will now be reviewed by the HoR members in their next meeting, according to a parliamentary spokesman. If the government's resignation is accepted, the HoR will also have to elect a successor to the outgoing prime minister, Abdallah al-Thani…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-15). More countries may normalize ties with Israeli Regime: Trump. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — US President Donald Trump has claimed that five or six countries could reach similar diplomatic deals with the Zionist Regime in the future.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-15). Al-Maliki holding talks with Velayati in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 15 (MNA) — The former Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party Nouri al-Maliki met and held talks with Leader's advisor Ali Akbar Velayati in Tehran on Tuesday.

yenisafak (2020-09-15). MoU on Libya-Turkey cooperation approved. yenisafak.com A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Turkey and Libya last month has been approved, the country's Official Gazette announced on Tuesday.According to the deal, both governments emphasized the importance of continuing the execution of development projects in Libya, taking into account the country's stability and laying foundations for a genuine bilateral partnership.Turkey and Libya signed the MoU to boost trade and economic relations on Aug. 13.With strong ties dating back to the Ottoman era, Turkey and Libya last November also signed agreements on maritime boundaries, security and military cooperati…

teleSUR (2020-09-15). Ethiopians Suffer Displacement Crisis Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Thousands of people in Ethiopia need urgent help as there are 1.8 million internally displaced individuals suffering the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Organization for Migration warned on Tuesday. | RELATED: | The UN organization revealed that conflict is the leading cause of the crisis, which has resulted in 1.233.557 displaced people in the country. Moreover, drought has forced 351.0…

Staff (2020-09-14). Headlines for September 14, 2020. democracynow.org Historic Climate-Fueled Wildfires Kill 35 People, Burn 5 Million+ Acres Across West Coast, Trump Holds Packed Rally as U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Near 200,000 , ICE Flew Migrant Prisoners to Virginia, Fueling Outbreak, to Skirt Rules on Flying ICE Staff, WHO Says World Saw Biggest Daily Rise in Global Cases, Court Blocks Floridians with Unpaid Felony Conviction Fines from Voting, Trump Defends Police Killing of Portland Anti-Fascist Activist, Palestinians Decry Israeli Normalization Deals with UAE and Bahrain, Intra-Afghan Peace Talks Kick Off in Doha, Salvadoran Ex-Colonel Convicted for 1989 Murder of Jesuit Priest…

Vijay Prashad (2020-09-14). Multinationals and Oil Companies Are Imposing Their Greed on the People of Mozambique. counterpunch.org Three years ago, on October 5, 2017, fighters with the Al Sunnah wa Jama'ah (ASWJ) entered the town of Mocímboa da Praia in northern Mozambique. They attacked three police stations, and then withdrew. Since then, this group—which has since proclaimed its allegiance to the Islamic State—has continued its battle, including capturing the port of Mocímboa da Praia in August 2020. |

The Canary (2020-09-14). Donald Trump is 'reckless and selfish' holding Nevada indoor rally. thecanary.co President Donald Trump has hosted his first indoor rally in three months in front of a packed, mask-less crowd in Nevada, in open defiance … | By | President Donald Trump has hosted his first indoor rally in three months in front of a packed, mask-less crowd in Nevada, in open defiance of state regulations and his own administration's pandemic health guidelines.Eager to project a sense of normality…

Doug Enaa Greene (2020-09-14). Remembering the Martyred Revolution. counterpunch.org Ian Scott Horst Like Ho Chi Minh! Like Che Guevara! The Revolutionary Left in Ethiopia, 1969-1979 Foreign Language Press, Paris, 2020. 502 pp., $10.00 In both the popular imagination and the memory of the left, the 1960s are remembered as a time of revolution. The Vietnam War showed that imperialism was not invincible and could

WSWS (2020-09-14). Floods inundate Sudan amid escalating economic crisis. wsws.org The hardest hit has been the capital Khartoum, where the Blue and White Nile Rivers meet, as the Nile burst its banks, demolishing everything in its way.