(2020-12-19). The pandemic, complicating already vulnerable lives. laprensalatina.com By Noemí Jabois Beirut, Dec 19 (efe-epa).- The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated some of the most acute humanitarian crises on the planet, from the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, food shortages in the central Sahel and southern Africa to terror activity in the Chad Basin. It is not the virus itself wreaking havoc in these …
(2020-12-18). The revolutionaries, when they rise, care for nothing but love. mronline.org 
A decade has now slipped by since a man named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid on 17 December 2010. Bouazizi, a street vendor, took this extreme step after policemen harassed him for trying to survive.
(2020-12-18). Explained: Sisi, Macron and the dubious history of France's Legion of Honour. middleeasteye.net 
Explained: Sisi, Macron and the dubious history of France's Legion of Honour | News that France granted the Egyptian leader an honorific medal has sparked outrage. But the grand cross has a long history of being handed out to questionable figures | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 16: 50 | French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at Elysee Presidential Palace on 7 De…
(2020-12-18). Don't text & sail? Japanese vessel's eco disaster in Mauritius caused by crew trying to get better PHONE SIGNAL. rt.com 
Japan's Nagashiki Shipping, owner of the bulk carrier that caused an oil spill off Mauritius, announced the results of its investigation, blaming the incident on the crew, who ran the vessel aground seeking a better phone signal. | "There was a lack of awareness of the dangers of navigating close to the coast… and insufficient implementation of regulations that must be observed in order to safely execute voyages," the company said in a statement Friday. | The vessel veered off its pre-defined course as the crew tried to get mobile phone coverage and ultimately ran onto a reef, the company said, citing interv…
(2020-12-18). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org French transport workers strike in Paris against privatisation; UK Heathrow airport workers stoppage over pay and conditions; healthcare workers in six South African hospitals demand pay rise…
(2020-12-18). Conflict, floods and COVID-19 push South Sudanese into extreme hunger. news.un.org Driven by insecurity, the effects of COVID-19, an on-going economic crisis, and the impact of flooding on livelihoods, three UN agencies called on Friday for immediate humanitarian access to eastern South Sudan's Pibor county, where people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
(2020-12-18). Libya's Central Bank Approves New Official Exchange Rate. telesurenglish.net The Central Bank of Libya (CLB) decided that the exchange rate of Libyan dinar against the U.S. dollar will be lowered from 1.4 dinars for one dollar to 4.48 dinars. | RELATED: | "This rate will enter into force on Jan. 3, 2021, and will be available for all government, commercial and personal uses," the CLB said. | Kamal al-Mansouri, a Libyan economic researcher, believes the bank's decision is a "necessary evil" to face the current economic crisis. | "T…
(2020-12-18). The Revolutionaries, When They Rise, Care For Nothing But Love. popularresistance.org A decade has now slipped by since a man named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid on 17 December 2010. Bouazizi, a street vendor, took this extreme step after policemen harassed him for trying to survive. Not long after, thousands of people in this small Tunisian town gathered in the street to express their anger. Their outburst spread to the capital city, Tunis, where trade unions, social organisations, political parties, and civic groups marched into the avenues to overthrow the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Demonstrations in Tunisia inspired similar outbreaks aroun…
(2020-12-18). Saturday 12/19: Meetup: How you Can Denormalize Speciesism. indybay.org Online Zoom…
(2020-12-18). "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom": Chadwick Boseman's finale performance is stunning. salon.com Viola Davis transforms to assume her role, but so does Chadwick Boseman. Together they create something magnificent…
(2020-12-17). Arabic press review: Egypt, UAE say improvement in Saudi-Qatari relations 'not welcome'. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Egypt, UAE say improvement in Saudi-Qatari relations 'not welcome' | Meanwhile, British diplomat says UK 'very concerned about continuing tensions in the Gulf', and number of people held in Algerian prisons without legal basis now 'exceeds 20,000', says human rights group | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 16: 20 | Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (L) and Egyptian President Abdel…
(2020-12-17). Becoming Kwame Ture. mronline.org 
In Guinea, doors fly open at the mere mention of Kwame Ture's name. A senior government minister met me within a few hours' notice.
(2020-12-17). Warning to all tyrants: The Arab Spring lives on. middleeasteye.net 
Warning to all tyrants: The Arab Spring lives on | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 57 | While some believe the uprisings of 2010-11 were a failure – the ferocity of the counter-revolution suggests otherwise | A decade ago, a young Tunisian,
(2020-12-16). Bodies of four children wash up on Libyan coast: Red Crescent. middleeasteye.net 
Bodies of four children wash up on Libyan coast: Red Crescent | Blankets, including those for a baby, lay on shore's rocks near where bodies were found | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 21: 32 | A member of Libyan Red Crescent checks blankets in which bodies of drowned migrant children were wrapped on shore on 16 December (AFP) | The Libyan Red Crescent said the bodies of four children aged between five…
(2020-12-16). Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net 
Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara | Tunisia's former foreign minister provoked anger after blaming Algiers for pushing Morocco to normalise with Israel | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 15: 07 | Tunisia's foreign minister Othman Jerandi has reiterated "Tunisia's pride in brotherly relations with Algeria" (Photo/Screengrab) | Tunisian and Algerian officials are attempting to pu…
(2020-12-16). Covid-19: Scholars say having vaccine is religious duty for Egyptians. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Scholars say having vaccine is religious duty for Egyptians | Arrival of first shipment of vaccine from China has raised religious, political and public debate in the country | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 12: 41 | Worshippers attend Friday prayers inside Cairo's historic al-Azhar mosque (AFP) | Egypt's religious establishment has stepped into the heated debate over Covid-19 vaccines, ur…
(2020-12-16). Great Pyramid relic found in cigar box at university in Scotland. middleeasteye.net 
Great Pyramid relic found in cigar box at university in Scotland | One of only three objects ever recovered from inside Egypt's Great Pyramid, wooden artefact may shed new light on ancient structure, says University of Aberdeen | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 17: 16 | Ancient cedar wood, now fragmented into pieces, is one of only three relics ever recovered from inside Great Pyramid (University of Aberdeen)
(2020-12-16). Arab Spring: Ten years on, has Tunisia's uprising delivered on its promises? middleeasteye.net 
Arab Spring: Ten years on, has Tunisia's uprising delivered on its promises? | Tunisians had high hopes when they toppled the Ben Ali regime, but some say the corruption now is worse than before the revolution | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 18: 19 | A picture of Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who set himself alight 10 years ago on 17 December 2010, is…