(2020-02-05). Libya is being torn apart by outsiders. mronline.org 
Ghassan Salamé is the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. He took over this job in 2017, six years after the catastrophic NATO war on Libya. What Salamé inherited was a country torn into shreds, two governments in place—one in Tripoli and one in Tobruk—and one civil war that had too many […] |
(2020-02-05). Headlines for February 5, 2020. democracynow.org Partial Results from Iowa Caucus Show Buttigieg Leading in Delegate Count, Democrats Boycott & Walk Out of Trump's State of the Union Address, Death Toll of Coronavirus Approaches 500, Report: Israel Pushes U.S. to Recognize Moroccan Sovereignty over Occupied Western Sahara, Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake Rattles Puerto Rico, Canadian Court Dismisses Indigenous Challenge to Trans Mountain Pipeline, Homelessness Among School-Age Children Hits Decade-Long High, HBO Max Picks Up Documentary "On the Record", Judge Reverses Convictions of No More Deaths Volunteers…
(2020-02-05). FROM THE FIELD: Chad returnees' reluctant homecoming. news.un.org Citizens of Chad who have spent most of their lives as refugees in neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) have been talking to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, about the challenges they have faced returning to their home country.
(2020-02-05). Lavrov tours Latin America as Pentagon brands Russia, China as "malign actors" wsws.org Lavrov's three-nation visit to Latin America comes on the heels of a tour of former Soviet republics by US Secretary of State Pompeo dedicated to denouncing Russia and China.
(2020-02-04). Libyan military factions ready to negotiate in Geneva — UN envoy. rt.com 
The UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, said on Tuesday there was a "genuine will to start negotiating" between rival military factions as they began talks in Geneva. | Forces loyal to eastern based commander Khalifa Haftar have been trying to take control of the capital Tripoli for the past 10 months. | Salame told reporters that the two sides were aiming "to bridge the gaps in their views on how the lasting, sustainable ceasefire can be organized on the ground." However, an arms embargo is being violated by both sides, and new mercenaries were still arriving to Libya, Reuters quoted Salame as saying. | Transf…
(2020-02-04). 'No time to explain, Elysee needs your money!' French minister impersonators on trial for scamming MILLIONS. rt.com 
Conmen who duped wealthy donors into donating millions of euro to "secret missions" using Skype and a silicon mask of then-defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian are on trial in France. One of the defendants even inspired a movie. | The group allegedly targeted numerous marks since 2015, pleading for funds for off-the-books transactions like ransom payments or financing anti-terrorist operations, promising that the money would later be refunded by the French government. | The president of Gabon, French AIDS charity Sidaction, and the archbishop of Paris were among more than 150 people and entities who the group t…
(2020-02-04). State of the union 'boycott': AOC & Ayanna bravely skip, Ilhan & Tlaib bravely go, but either way it's #Resistance. rt.com 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley will skip Trump's State of the Union address, while Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib will attend as an act of "resistance." | It appears the congressional "squad" of freshman Democrats is divided on how best to resist President Donald Trump. | The New York Democrat known as AOC announced she will not be attending Tuesday night's State of the Union address from the president. She says her presence will "legitimize" Trump. | After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump's lawless conduct & subversion of the…
(2020-02-04). The Arab Awakening: Lessons Learned from the 2011 Non-Violent Egyptian Revolution. indybay.org California Institute of Integral Studies | 1453 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103 | Room 304…
(2020-02-04). UN Secretary-General Says Libya Situation a 'Scandal'. telesurenglish.net U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called the situation in Libya a "scandal" even as his envoy cited a "genuine will" by rival military factions as they planned their first meeting to secure a lasting ceasefire. | RELATED: | "I am deeply frustrated with what's happening in Libya," Guterres said in a press conference in which he was critical of countries that last month met in Berlin to pu…
(2020-02-04). Both sides in Libya conflict agree need for lasting ceasefire: UN negotiator. news.un.org The UN negotiator leading talks in Geneva to secure an end to fighting in Libya said on Tuesday that high-ranking officials from both sides of the conflict have agreed on the need for a "permanent and lasting" ceasefire to replace an uncertain truce.
(2020-02-04). Draft UN Resolution Condemns Trump Middle East 'Peace' Plan. telesurenglish.net A draft United Nations Security Council resolution rebuked Tuesday President Donald Trump's pro-Israel RELATED: | Tunisia and Indonesia circulated the draft text to council members. Though it will in a…
(2020-02-04). FROM THE FIELD: 'A piece of me' was taken – women talk about genital mutilation. news.un.org "My flesh has been taken away, but I can never give away my heart"; those are the powerful words of resolve from Abida Dawud, one of three women survivors of female genital mutilation, or FGM, from Ethiopia, who have been speaking to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) about their experiences.
(2020-02-04). FROM THE FIELD: 'A piece of me' was taken. news.un.org "My flesh has been taken away, but I can never give away my heart"; those are the powerful words of resolve from Abida Dawud, one of three women survivors of female genital mutilation, or FGM, from Ethiopia, who have been speaking to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) about their experiences.
(2020-02-04). Netanyahu discusses 'normalization' with Sudan's leader after Uganda talks. rt.com 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met Sudan's leader to discuss normalizing ties, his office said. The talks are seen as a potentially landmark step that was denounced by the Palestinians, AFP reports. The PM's office said he met Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, in the Ugandan city of Entebbe on Monday. | Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which for years supported hardline Islamist forces. The sovereign council is a transitional body of Sudan's military officials and civilians that is headed by Burhan, an army general. | Israel has improved ties with…
(2020-02-04). South Sudan: UN official welcomes release of women and children abducted by armed group. news.un.org The expert leading UN efforts to stamp out sexual violence committed during wartime has welcomed the release of 78 women and 50 children by an armed group in South Sudan.
(2020-02-04). Sudan casts doubt on early normalisation of ties with Israel. yenisafak.com Sudan cast doubt on Tuesday on an early normalisation of historically hostile ties with Israel, a day after Israeli officials said the two countries' leaders had met and were working towards that goal.Sudan's cabinet on Tuesday discussed that meeting, which it said it had not yet been informed about. It also summoned leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change, an alliance that fronted protests that toppled Omar al-Bashir last year, for consultations, FFC sources said.Bilateral relations have never been normalised, and doing so would likely raise hackles in Sudan and the wider Arab world, especially at a time wh…
(2020-02-04). "Greater Israel": The Zionist Plan for the Middle East. globalresearch.ca When viewed in the current context, the war on Iraq, the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2011 war on Libya, the ongoing wars on Syria and Iraq, the war on Yemen, must be understood in relation to the Zionist Plan for the Middle East…
(2020-02-04). Libya commission meets in Geneva for day two of talks. yenisafak.com A joint military commission representing Libya's UN-recognized government and eastern Libyan forces will meet in Geneva for a second day to help turn the current truce into a "full-fledged ceasefire," said the UN's Libya envoy Tuesday.At a press conference in Geneva before the 5 5 commission's talks were to resume, Ghassan Salame praised Turkey and Russia's "achievement" in reaching a truce meant to grow into a cease-fire and lasting peace.On Jan. 12, Libya's conflicting parties announced a truce in response to a joint call by the Turkish and Russian leaders. However, talks for a permanent cease-fire ended withou…
(2020-02-04). In Uganda, Netanyahu urges stronger ties, embassy move. yenisafak.com Israel is coming back to Africa, and Africa is coming back to Israel in a big way, the country's prime minister said on an official visit to Uganda lasting for a few hours late Monday, urging the country to controversially move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On his fifth visit to the East African country, Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's president, for supporting Israel's efforts, saying: "Increasing our cooperation with African countries, that is something that is of great value to Israel."He said Israel and Uganda are cooperating in many fields such as agriculture, education, and in…
(2020-02-03). I will hold you in my arms a day after the war. mronline.org 
On Monday, 27 January, the South African photographer Santu Mofokeng slipped away. His camera had been a familiar presence in the anti-apartheid struggle; after years of photographing police violence and popular resistance, he tired of making 'images bespeaking gloom, monotony, anguish, struggle, [and] oppression', he wrote in 1993. |
(2020-02-03). Pioneering Black journalist Gwen Ifill honored on a U.S. stamp. peoplesworld.org 
Gwendolyn (Gwen) L. Ifill, born on September 29, 1955, was a trailblazer American journalist, television newscaster, and author. In 1999, she became the first woman of African descent to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program with Washington Week in Review. She was the moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and co-anchor and …
(2020-02-03). Libyan Joint Military Commission Meets to Look for a Ceasefire. telesurenglish.net Libya's warring sides met Monday to continue to look for a permanent ceasefire during the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission organized by the United Nations. | RELATED: | Five senior officers appointed by the Government of National Accord (GNA) and five senior officers appointed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) participated in the talks, which are moderated by the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General and…
(2020-02-03). Libya and the Modern Colonial Legacy of the Berlin Conference. globalresearch.ca Once a leading force in the Pan-African Movement on the continent, Libya today, provides a profound illustration of the detrimental and destructive character of neo-colonialism in the present epoch. | During February and March of 2011, the United States and its …
(2020-02-03). Top banker suspended for allegedly stealing food from staff canteen. thecanary.co A high-flying Citigroup trader has been suspended from the bank following accusations he stole from the staff canteen. | Paras Shah, 31, had allegedly taken food from the company's European headquarters in London's Canary Wharf, according to the Financial Times. | The bank suspended him following the allegations, sources told the newspaper. | Mr Shah was earlier reported to have left the bank this month. Reuters said that he had left after a tough year. | It comes just over two years since he joined the bank from HSBC. He was promoted to head of Europe, Middle East and Africa high yield credit trading after only…
(2020-02-03). BRICS and the Digital Money Project: Alternative to US$, New Wave in International Payment System? globalresearch.ca In 2019 Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa were planning to issue their own digital money in order to reduce the share of payments in the US currency. BRICS countries are reducing the share of settlements in dollars. In …
(2020-02-03). 14 Kenyan Children Killed in Stampede After School. telesurenglish.net Fourteen children were killed in a stampede as they rushed down a staircase at the end of classes at a primary school in western Kenya Monday, officials said. | RELATED: | At least 39 more were badly hurt in the incident at the Kakamega Primary School, the Daily Nation newspaper said, citing Western Region Police Commander Peris Kimani. | "We lost 14 of them," Education Minister George Magoha told Citizen TV. "One…
(2020-02-03). Rush Limbaugh Tells Listeners He Has Lung Cancer. truthdig.com LOS ANGELES — Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said he's been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. | Addressing listeners on his program Monday, Limbaugh said will take some days off for further medical tests and to determine treatment. | Limbaugh called himself the "mayor of Realville" in announcing his illness. He'd been experiencing shortness of breath that he initially thought might be heart-related but turned out to be a pulmonary malignancy. | Limbaugh's announcement come at a tumultuous political time, as the conclusion of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial nears. | He started his nation…
(2020-02-03). More Troops in Mali Won't Help, Talks With Islamists Might: UN. telesurenglish.net The head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Mali Ute Kollies said Monday that more troops will not help to stabilize Mali. | RELATED: | Urging for more talks with Islamist armed groups, and for more funding for aid and development, Kollies told journalists in Geneva that Mali was at a turning point, and regretted a lack of international interest in what is happening…
(2020-02-03). ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea. The expansion is expected to affect more than 350 million people. Democrats say they will…
(2020-02-03). Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. truthout.org The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia,…
(2020-02-03). Israel and Sudan to Start Normalizing Ties for First Time. telesurenglish.net Israel and Sudan have agreed to work towards the normalization of their relations for the first time, Israeli officials announced Monday after the leaders of the two countries met in Uganda. | RELATED: | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with the chairman of Sudan's sovereign council Abdel-Fattah Burhan in the city of Entebbe in central Uganda. | "We agreed to begin cooperation that will lead to th…
(2020-02-02). Generals, Princes, and Black Snakes. dissidentvoice.org Damn The Man, Damn The Empire (January 16th) In 2012 Barack Obama was reelected following the disastrous US-led war on Libya that he began without approval from Congress, and two years after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, without trial, inside a sovereign nation. In 2011 Obama also came out with this progressive chestnut: "Unlike …
(2020-02-02). France to Send 600 Additional Troops to African Sahel Region. telesurenglish.net French forces deployed to the Barkhane Operation in the West African Sahel region will be increased from 4,500 to 5,100 soldiers, by the end of February, the French government said Sunday. | RELATED: | "This is a major effort for the French Armed Forces: most of the reinforcements will be deployed in the so-called "three borders" zone between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger," Defence Minister Florence Parly said in a statement. | Rebel groups have been inc…
(2020-02-02). Descendants of extinct tortoise species found in Galapagos. thecanary.co Conservationists working around the largest volcano on the Galapagos Islands say they have found 30 giant tortoises partially descended from two extinct species, including that of the famed Lonesome George. | The Galapagos National Park and Galapagos Conservancy said that a young female has a direct line of descent from the Chelonoidis abingdonii species of Pinta Island. | The last of those tortoises was Lonesome George, who died in June 2012 and was believed to be more than 100 years old. | Another 11 males and 18 females were from the Chelonoidis niger line of Floreana Island. | The 45-member expedition was wor…
(2020-01-31). The war in Libya will never end. mronline.org 
General Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA) continue to partly encircle Libya's capital, Tripoli. Not only does the LNA threaten Tripoli, but it is within striking distance of Libya's third-largest city, Misrata. |
(2020-01-31). Minnesotans tell Klobuchar to drop White House run. Reports say she sent innocent Black teen to prison for life. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – "A young African American man by the name of Myon Burrell has spent more than half of his life incarcerated in Minnesota prisons under the leadership of Amy Klobuchar. She was the Hennepin County Attorney and she played a role in Myon Burrell being prosecuted for a crime that he did not commit," said Nekima Levy Pounds of Racial Justice Network, as she opened a press conference on January 29. "We want to lift up family of Tyesha Edwards, who was the victim in this case, an 11-year-old innocent child who was shot and killed. The incident that happened to Tyesha is extremely devastating. It sent s…
(2020-01-31). Security Council renews Central African Republic arms embargo. news.un.org The UN Security Council on Friday renewed the arms embargo against the Central African Republic (CAR) and extended the mandate of the expert panel assisting its sanctions committee for the country.
(2020-01-31). To Keep the Rohingya Alive. dissidentvoice.org The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish. — Article 1. The Genocide Convention On November 11, 2019 The Gambia filed at the International Court of Justice an Application of proceedings against Myanmar, …
(2020-01-31). Trump to expand travel ban, targeting immigrants from 6 more countries. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump will issue an updated version of his controversial travel ban, acting Homeland Security head Chad Wolf said Friday. The existing ban will remain in place, having been okayed by the Supreme Court in 2018. | Speaking to reporters by phone, Wolf said that the updated ban will suspend immigrant visas for nationals of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria. Non-immigrant visas from these countries will not be affected. | 'Diversity Visas' — handed out by lottery to boost immigration from countries with low rates of immigration to the US — for nationals of Sudan and Tanzania wil…
(2020-01-31). How mobile money is rebuilding lives in Sudan. news.un.org When Mohammed Ahmed left Sudan in search of better life, he couldn't have imagined that he would find financial security back home. But, some four years later, he now runs a thriving business, thanks to an innovative scheme involving the UN migration agency (IOM), based on the use of mobile money.
(2020-01-30). Find unity 'to halt Libya's senseless unraveling', UN envoy urges Security Council. news.un.org The top UN official in Libya on Thursday expressed his "deep anger and disappointment" over intensifying conflict in Libya despite a high-level summit held in the German capital of Berlin earlier this month, that set out measures to de-escalate fighting and put the divided country back on a path towards peace.
(2020-01-30). Coding in Namibia: UN supports young women's computing career dreams. news.un.org Six young women from Namibia are on the path to a career in the field of information and communications technology (ICT), with the support of the UN office in the country.
(2020-01-30). "Coded Bias": New Film Looks at Fight Against Racial Bias in Facial Recognition & AI Technology. democracynow.org 
A new documentary looks at the dangers of artificial intelligence and its increasing omnipresence in daily life, as new research shows that it often reflects racist biases. Earlier this month, Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the latest major city to ban facial recognition technology, joining a growing number of cities, including San Francisco, to ban the artificial intelligence, citing flawed technology and racial and gender bias. A recent study also found that facial recognition identified African-American and Asian faces incorrectly 10 to 100 times more than white faces. The film "Coded Bias" begins with Joy B…
(2020-01-30). Sports rorts just tip of normalised corruption iceberg. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
(2020-01-29). Weekend Read: 2020: African Americans and the Vote. splcenter.org Historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926 established "Negro History Week" to celebrate the contributions to our nation made by Black people.
(2020-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Lawyers Says He Did No Wrong as Calls Mount for Bolton and Other Witnesses to Testify | , Trump to Unveil Middle East "Peace Plan" as Netanyahu Indicted over Corruption, SCOTUS Allows Trump's "Public Charge" Rule Targeting Low-Income Immigrants to Take Effect, State Dept. Bars NPR Reporter from Upcoming Pompeo Trip, Washington Post Suspends Reporter for Tweet About Kobe Bryant Rape Allegation, Mixed Accounts After U.S. Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan, Torrential Rains and Landslides Kill At Least 46 People in Brazil, Nigerian Journalist Maxwell Nashan Killed, 2nd Accuser Testifies in Weinstein Trial a…
(2020-01-27). Headlines for January 27, 2020. democracynow.org Impeachment Trial Resumes as Leaked Bolton Manuscript Bolsters Democrats' Case, Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 81 in China as Disease Spreads Around the World, Pentagon: 34 U.S. Troops Have Brain Injuries After Iranian Attack on Iraqi Airbase, Deadly Crackdown on Iraqi Protests Continue as 100,000s March Against U.S. Military Presence, Turkey Earthquake Kills 38; At Least 1,600 Hospitalized, Ugandan Activist Vanessa Nakate Slams Racist Media After Being Cropped from Photo with White Activists, Trump Attends Anti-Abortion "March for Life" as Admin Continues Assault on Reproductive Rights, High-Ranking Pharma Exec…