(2020-05-06). The economic crash is already ravaging Africa. mronline.org 
Sub-Saharan Africa is facing its greatest crisis in generations. The continent thus far has been less affected by the pandemic than other parts of the world. But the impact of the global economic crisis is already enormous.
(2020-05-06). The car is a symbol of freedom and mobility. Covid-19 isn't going to change that. rt.com 
The pandemic is laying waste to industries big and small, but motor manufacturers will endure — even if most of their vehicles might be made in Africa in the future. | At the beginning of this year, when the Covid-19 crisis hit the Chinese province of Hubei, an important supplier for the automotive industry, various German car producers started to recalculate their figures for output and sales. | The Chinese market is a major part of the production and market for German manufacturers, like BMW and Volkswagen. In the aftermath of the global lockdown, these calculations are being reworked on a daily basis.
(2020-05-06). South Korean intelligence says 'no signs' Kim Jong-un had heart surgery. rt.com 
Seoul's spy agency has joined other state officials in dispelling rumors around North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un's health, insisting there is no reason to believe he underwent a heart operation as speculation refuses to die down. | "Evidence for Kim Jong-un's health abnormality is absent," the National Intelligence Service said on Wednesday morning, according to Yonhap News, adding that it had seen "no signs of heart surgery." | The rebuttal comes after three weeks of conjecture about the North Korean leader, who was rumored to be in grave condition after undergoing surgery, while other reports suggested he mig…
(2020-05-06). 'Cool, weird & scary': Skies over Niger's capital dyed BLOOD RED as massive sandstorm engulfs city (PHOTOS & VIDEOS). rt.com 
An enormous sandstorm over Niger's capital turned the skies a deep crimson red as a towering wall of dust swept the city, creating an impressive and menacing spectacle that was captured on film by eyewitnesses. | The immense storm swept through Niamey on Monday, shrouding the city in an eerie reddish darkness, aptly summed up by an onlooker as "Kind of cool, kind of weird, kind of scary" in footage obtained by Ruptly. | Standing hundreds of meters tall, a vast dust cloud could also be seen as it swallowed the city, turning day to night for anyone standing in its path. | A sandstorm can be seen sweeping over…
(2020-05-06). Classical musicians discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org There is increasing uncertainty about when live concert performances will resume, a demonstration of how culture is threatened by the criminal policy of malign neglect.
(2020-05-05). Another life-saving brigade travels to South Africa. mronline.org 
More than 1,450 men and women in white lab coats from Cuba's Henry Reeve Contingent have traveled to 22 nations in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East to battle the pandemic.
(2020-05-05). Attacks on civilians, arbitrary arrests, top list of abuses in Libya: ICC Prosecutor. news.un.org Unabated violence, particularly in and around the Libyan capital, has now been raging for more than a year, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) told the Security Council in a virtual briefing on Tuesday, warning that war crimes may have been committed.
(2020-05-05). The Sound of Silence—When There Are No Words. jamanetwork.com In this narrative medicine essay, a surgeon and palliative care physician describes the isolating silence that she felt her after the slaying of her father in Egypt when she was 18 years old and how that lingering silence has come to guide her when sitting with patients, when there are no words.
(2020-05-05). Food insecurity in West Africa could leave 43 million at risk as coronavirus hits. news.un.org Well over 40 million people across West Africa face desperate food shortages in coming months, with COVID-19 restrictions a new factor adding to people's vulnerability, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
(2020-05-04). Boyle Heights celebrates May Day for the 6th consecutive year. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, May 1, a car protest of over 40 vehicles driven by workers, teachers and activists took to the streets for the sixth consecutive year to celebrate International Workers Day, May Day, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Organized by Centro CSO, this year's May Day protest focused on Trump's attacks on immigrants and called for free healthcare for COVID-19 patients, support for public education, jailing killer cops and community control over the police. | "The coronavirus pandemic has affected oppressed nationalities like African Americans, Chicanos and American Indians the most. Unsafe…
(2020-05-02). COVID-19 impact could be 'disastrously high' in poverty-stricken Malawi. news.un.org In Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, with a fragile health system, the UN is bracing for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which, it is feared, could be severe.
(2020-05-06). Nigeria Faces 'Double Whammy' Challenge of COVID-19 and Plummeting Oil Revenue. sputniknews.com Petrostates across the globe have been forced to reconcile themselves with a future when one of their most prized commodities – oil – has dramatically shed its worth amid economies battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-05-02). Sudan bans female genital mutilation, UNICEF vows to help support new law. news.un.org The United Nations Childen's Fund (UNICEF) welcomed the landmark move by Sudan's transitional government this week to criminalize female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), with a three-year jail sentence for offenders.