(2020-12-20). On Contact: Censorship And Criminalizing Love. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to author Naomi Wolf about the bitter legacy of the British and Western colonialism of rampant homophobia, so virulent that people to this day are murdered for being gay in countries such as Egypt or Uganda. | Naomi Wolf in her new book, 'Outrages, Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love', examines through the life of the British poet and gay activist John Addington Symonds how imperial power used, and uses, rigid sexual stereotypes as tools for repression and social control.
(2020-12-20). The Zimbabwean army expands its influence. peoplesdispatch.org The Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) has added a television station, NRTV, to what is fast becoming a growing business empire as the armed forces substantively consolidate their power outside of their military competence. | Rusununguko Media, a ZDF company that owns NRTV, is one of six that were awarded lisences to operate free-to-air commercial television stations by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe in October. Interested parties have described the process of awarding that lisence as bipartisan and lacking in diversity. | Rusununguko Media also partly owns Fairtalk Communications, one of the television licens…
(2020-12-20). CAR: UN chief condemns escalating violence during election campaign. news.un.org With a week to go until elections are scheduled to take place in the Central African Republic (CAR), the UN is concerned about an escalation of armed attacks, amid reports that armed groups have taken control of towns near the capital, Bangui.
(2020-12-20). Bomb blast in Ethiopia kills 3, injures 5. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) — Three people have been killed and five others injured in a bomb blast in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.
(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). Over 1.5 Million People Displaced Due To Violence in Mozambique. telesurenglish.net The United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday denounced that over half a million people are displaced because of attacks by armed groups in northern Mozambique. | RELATED: | Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Zambezia, and Niassa are the provinces most affected by the wave of violence and where forced displacement is being experienced. | The victims are fleeing from those territories to areas further south beca…
(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…
(2020-12-18). Saturday 12/19: Meetup: How you Can Denormalize Speciesism. indybay.org Online Zoom…
(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,