(2020-07-21). Sudan's Bashir stands trial for 1989 coup. yenisafak.com Ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir appeared in court on Tuesday in connection with the 1989 military coup that brought him to power.More than 20 former officials are standing trial alongside al-Bashir.Tuesday's trial session was procedural as the defendants appeared in cages amid tight security conditions.In May of last year, the Sudanese prosecution opened an investigation into charges against al-Bashir of undermining the country's constitutional order over the coup.On June 30, 1989, al-Bashir staged a military coup against the government of Prime Minister Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi and ruled the country under what…
(2020-07-21). Portland: A Harbinger Of Things To Come? popularresistance.org Militarized federal agents deployed by the president to Portland, fired tear gas against protesters again overnight as the city's mayor demanded that the agents be removed and as the state's attorney general vowed to seek a restraining order against them. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP) | Masked men in unrecognizable police uniforms jump out of unmarked vans and grab an activist who has been involved in demonstrations against a repressive state. That person is disappeared. Is this Pinochet's Chile, apartheid South Africa or a scene from a John Clancy novel? | No, this is happening in Portland, Oregon, a major…
(2020-07-21). Egypt and Ethiopia on the Brink of War. globalresearch.ca The tension between Egypt and Ethiopia is worsening. Both countries are raising their regional rivalry and threatening the North African international security with the imminence of a new conflict. The cause of the tension is due to Ethiopia's intentions to …
(2020-07-21). Egyptian parliament approves armed forces' deployment in Libya. peoplesdispatch.org Last month, Egypt had threatened "direct intervention" in Libya if the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord did not back off from its mission to take back the eastern city of Sirte from Khalifa Haftar's forces…
(2020-07-21). Libya: Germany criticizes Egypt's military intervention plan. yenisafak.com Germany on Tuesday criticized Egypt over its plans to militarily intervene in neighboring Libya.Foreign Minister Heiko Maas voiced Berlin's concern during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens."Decisions on military deployments cannot be welcomed, as they always bring the danger of further escalation," Maas said, adding that German government has long been trying to de-escalate tensions in Libya, through talks with Libyan parties and regional actors.Maas recalled that the conflict parties were seeking to control provinces of Sirte and Al-Jufra, and argued…
(2020-07-21). Black Women's Lives Matter. peoplesworld.org 
According to a report by the African American Policy Forum, the current racial justice movement "has developed a clear frame to understand the police killings of Black men and boys… yet Black women who are profiled, beaten, sexually assaulted, and killed by law enforcement officials are conspicuously absent from this frame." Because of this sexism, …
(2020-07-21). Is the U.S. About to Move Its Strategic Naval Base from Spain to Morocco? globalresearch.ca Located near the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, close to Morocco, is the Spanish Naval Station Rota that is co-tenanted with the U.S. Navy. The issue for Washington to renew its tenancy that allows the Americans …
(2020-07-21). Turkey's Poisonous Hand of Friendship with Ukraine. globalresearch.ca While the situation in Libya continues to escalate and the parties are preparing for a decisive battle for Sirte, Turkey, which actively supports forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), is negotiating with its strategic partners. On July 10, …
(2020-07-21). Time is not on our side in Libya. peoplesdispatch.org Ahmed, who lives in Tripoli, Libya, texts me that the city is quieter than before. The army of General Khalifa Haftar—who controls large parts of eastern Libya—has withdrawn from the southern part of the capital and is now holding fast in the city of Sirte and at the airbase of Jufra. Most of Libya's population lives along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, which is where the cities of Tripoli, Sirte, Benghazi, and Tobruk are located. | Haftar, who was once an
(2020-07-21). AFRICOM And The Guise Of Terrorism. popularresistance.org AFRICOM is a deadly tool used to further U.S. interests in Africa, and Kwame Nkrumah would be vehemently opposed to the co-optation of his ideas in service of the re-colonization of Africa by the U.S. empire. | Terrorism is a useful pretext for the U.S. to assert its power, and the lives of millions of African people are bargaining chips that are played by the United States in the New Scramble for Africa. In that sense, the War on Terror has been a success. The United States has vastly expanded its power and influence on the continent through AFRICOM as it vies for full spectrum global dominance over competitors…
(2020-07-21). Comair workers in South Africa yet to receive pay while business rescue plan becomes more costly. peoplesdispatch.org Serious questions of conflict of interest have been raised as the business rescue practitioners ask the ailing airline to pay R250,000 per month to Redford Capital – a consultancy firm of which they themselves are the directors.
(2020-07-21). Moroccan journalist Hamid el-Mahdaoui released from prison. peoplesdispatch.org Moroccan journalist Hamid El-Mahdaoui was released on July 20, Monday, after spending four years in a prison in Rabat. He was sentenced to a three years prison term in 2018 for "failing to report an attempt to undermine state security." He was welcomed by his family outside the prison. | Mahdaoui was the editor-in-chief of Badil.info news outlet which has been critical to the state's policies. He was arrested in July 2017 for his alleged participation in the Hirak-Rif movement in Morocco's northern al-Hoceima province. He was kept in prison pending his trial and conviction in June 2018. | He was finally sentenced…
(2020-07-21). Mass Poverty, Political Fragmentation of Nigeria? Towards Independence of the Biafra State? globalresearch.ca Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke is a veteran Diplomat and Development Studies Expert with thirty-year achievements in the Nigerian Foreign Service. She is widely known for her performance orientation, positive mentorship and team spirit. In recognition of her high-level competences, the Anambra …
(2020-07-21). Africa's coronavirus caseload surpasses 736,000. yenisafak.com The number of coronavirus cases in Africa reached 736,288 on Tuesday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.At least 15,418 people have died of the virus, while 391,898 patients have recovered across the continent, according to the latest update.Of the give geographic regions Southern Africa is the hardest hit with 388,000 cases of which 373,600 are in South Africa.North Africa has recorded 138,300 cases, West Africa 109,400, East Africa 57,000 and Central Africa 43,500.In terms of death toll, North Africa suffered the most with 6,000 fatalities, while Southern Africa registered 5,500, West A…
(2020-07-21). Turkey wants to play role in Niger's development. yenisafak.com Turkey wants to take part in the "great vision" of Niger's development plan, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday in the Nigerien capital Niamey."We would like to make a contribution to Niger's development in the areas of transportation, construction, energy, mining and agriculture," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a press conference in Niger, the second stop on a West African tour.Speaking after talks with Nigerien President Issoufou Mahamadou, Cavusoglu said they had spoken at length on boosting relations between the two countries."With the president, we also evaluated [bilateral] cooperation against terrorism. We s…
(2020-07-20). Egypt's MPs approve sending troops to fight 'foreign terrorists on western front' as Libya conflict continues. rt.com 
The parliament in Egypt on Monday approved the deployment of armed forces abroad to fight "criminal militias" and "foreign terrorist groups" on a "Western front," Reuters reported. The statement is a likely reference to western neighbor Libya. It said the troops would be defending national security, without going into further details. | Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call on the need to maintain a ceasefire in Libya and to avoid an escalation between the forces fighting there, the presidency in Cairo said. | Qatar's state minister for…
(2020-07-20). Egypt's Sisi discusses Libya and Ethiopia dam with Trump. yenisafak.com Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone on Monday the Libya conflict and talks about Ethiopia's giant Blue Nile Dam, the Egyptian presidency said.
(2020-07-20). Remembering C. T. Vivian, Civil Rights Icon MLK Called "Greatest Preacher to Ever Live" democracynow.org 
Reverend C. T. Vivian, whom Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once described as "the greatest preacher to ever live," died July 17 at age 95. Vivian was a giant of the civil rights movement and a leading proponent of nonviolent struggle against injustice. He spoke to Democracy Now! in 2015 outside the historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama, on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 1965. Vivian describes how he was assaulted on the steps of the courthouse as he tried to escort a group of African Americans inside to register to vote. "There is nothing we haven't done for this nation," Vivian said of the civ…
(2020-07-20). Campaign continues against New Zealand visa processing delays. wsws.org One migrant from South Africa told the WSWS that being sent back would put her in extreme poverty and at risk of dying from COVID-19.
(2020-07-20). John Lewis, civil rights militant turned big-business politician, dies at 80. wsws.org The outpouring of tributes from reactionaries and war criminals demonstrates the class role that Lewis came to play, despite his youthful part in asserting the democratic rights of African Americans.
(2020-07-20). Teachers' unions mount countrywide campaign to roll back school opening in South Africa. peoplesdispatch.org The Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) alleges that money meant for PPEs for students and teachers is being looted through corrupt tenders given at exaggerated prices by the department of basic education and that they are being sent back to schools in an unsafe manner…
(2020-07-20). Turkey Will be the Death of NATO: Its Recent Clash with Fellow Member France Off the Coast of Libya Is an Early Symptom. globalresearch.ca When two countries who are supposed to be military allies fall out and almost get themselves into a shooting match, you know there's going to be trouble ahead. The problem for NATO is, this time, it may prove terminal. | For …
(2020-07-20). Young innovators vying for top UN environmental prize. news.un.org Thirty-five young people with innovative ideas for tackling challenges such as protecting indigenous Amazonian land through adventure travel, converting harmful emissions into valuable commodities in the United States, and generating electricity from water in Nigeria, have been named as regional finalists for one of the UN's most prestigious environmental awards.
(2020-07-20). Turkish, Libyan and Maltese ministers meet in Ankara. yenisafak.com Turkey's defense minister on Monday held a trilateral meeting with Libya's interior minister, and Malta's minister of home affairs and national security in the capital.The high-ups came to Turkey on an official visit after an invitation by Ankara.Before the joint sitting, Hulusi Akar held separate meetings with Libya's Fathi Bashagha and Malta's Byron Camilleri.According to sources, regional cooperation on defense and security, and efforts in contributing to regional stability and peace were discussed during the trilateral session.Libya has been torn by a civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi i…
(2020-07-20). Rwanda: '200,000 received welfare aid during lockdown'. yenisafak.com About 200,000 Rwandans in the capital Kigali received government welfare support during the coronavirus lockdown, an official said Monday. | "The beneficiaries consisted of about 2,000 vulnerable families. The welfare support included basic necessities such as assorted foodstuffs and sanitary items," local government minister Anastase Shyaka told a news conference. | The virus broke out in Rwanda in March, and to date the number of infections registered is 1,582, including five deaths and 834 recoveries, according to its Health Ministry. | Shyaka attributed the progress in fighting COVID-19 to good governance and…
(2020-07-19). Africa to Become Testing Ground for "Trust Stamp" Vaccine Record and Biometric Digital Payment System. globalresearch.ca A new biometric identity platform partnered with the Gates-funded GAVI vaccine alliance and Mastercard will launch in West Africa and combine COVID-19 vaccinations, cashless payments, and potential law enforcement applications. | *** | A biometric digital identity platform that "evolves just as …
(2020-07-19). COVID-19 Cases Top 14 Million Worldwide. telesurenglish.net For a second day in a row, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases, with 259,848 new infections in the last 24 hours. | RELATED: | The WHO confirmed Sunday a total of 14,007,791 COVID-19 cases, and 597,105 deaths worldwide. The biggest increase in cases came from countries like the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa. | The United States reported the larg…
(2020-07-19). Nailed It! 'Science Guy' Bill Nye 'Just Ended Racism' in Viral Video. sputniknews.com Racism contributes to uncountable conflicts around the globe. Recently, the topic of racism saw a sharp resurgence in the wake of the killing of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, by white police officers in the United States in May, sparking a wave of anti-racism and anti-police-brutality protests around the world.
(2020-07-19). Iraqis protest power outage in Karbala. yenisafak.com Hundreds of protesters shut down a power plant in Iraq's southern Karbala province on Sunday over repeated power outages.Angry protesters barred employees from entering the plant in the al-Jammaliya area in the province until their demands are met."Hours of electricity cuts have increased at a time when temperatures are very high," Yasir al-Hakim, a protester, told Anadolu Agency.Iraqis suffer shortage in power supplies, especially in camps where thousands of displaced Iraqis live.Iraq generates around 13,500 megawatts and plans to increase its capacity with an additional 3,500 megawatts this year, according to t…
(2020-07-18). Pirates attack tanker off the coast of Benin, 'kidnapping 13 Russian & Ukrainian sailors'. rt.com 
The chemical tanker Curacao Trader was attacked by pirates on Friday, some 210 miles (around 338km) off the coast of Benin, in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, the vessel's Greek operator The armed perpetrators boarded the ship and kidnapped "13 out of its 19 Ukranian and Russian crew members." The vessel has been left drifting since the attack, due to the lack of manpower, but another ship has been sent to assist it. | The Gulf of Guinea,…
(2020-07-18). Dem off the deep end? Former DNC chairman Dean calls for ARREST & JAIL TIME for DHS chief amid Portland riots. rt.com 
In the competition among prominent Democrats to see who can show the most outrage over the role of federal law enforcement in trying to help quell anarchist riots in Portland, former party chairman Howard Dean may be the winner. | After Oregon's largest city was subjected to its 50th straight night of violent unrest, Dean focused his ire on acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief Chad Wolf. "This guy needs to be arrested, prosecuted and, if convicted, imprisoned for a very long time," Dean tweeted on Saturday. | This guy needs to be arrested, prosecuted, and if convicted, imprisoned for a very long…
(2020-07-18). France, Germany & Italy threaten 'sanctions' against countries that interfere in Libya. rt.com 
Paris, Berlin and Rome have urged foreign powers to respect the UN Security Council arms embargo on Libya or face repercussions, in a joint statement issued by the EU leaders. | "We are ready to consider the possible use of sanctions should breaches to the embargo at sea, on land or in the air continue," France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned. | Oil-rich Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a NATO bombing campaign ousted long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the country is now being run by two rivaling governments. | In rece…
(2020-07-18). Scientists warn PM that returning to normal in time for Christmas 'is going to be difficult'. thecanary.co 
Boris Johnson will struggle to deliver his vision of a "significant return to normality" in time for Christmas, leading scientists have warned.The prime minister signalled another significant easing of coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown restrictions in England on Friday 17 July, relaxing work-from-home guidance and paving the way for theatres and sports stadiums to reopen.At a No 10 press conference, he said it was his "strong and sincere hope" that ministers would be able to review the remaining restrictions from November onwards, "possibly in time for Christmas"."It is going to be tough": However, Mark Walp…
(2020-07-18). [Comment] COVID-19: Africa needs unprecedented attention to strengthen community health systems. thelancet.com As the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Liberia, in March, 2020, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,1 among others,2 highlighted the need to adopt lessons learned from the response to the 2014—16 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in west Africa. Ebola claimed about 11‚Äà300 lives in 21 months across Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.3 Comparisons to Ebola benefit from remembering the key differences between the two viruses. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory virus and is infectious among asymptomatic carriers.
(2020-07-18). Unions thwart liquidation of South African Airways. peoplesdispatch.org The decision of stakeholders to approve a rescue plan for the crisis-ridden South African Airways ensures that it will not get liquidated as was feared earlier. Unions fought a long battle to prevent liquidation…
(2020-07-18). Several Palestinians Suffocate at Kufur Qaddoum, Nablus and Salfit Protests. imemc.org Three major demonstrations were held by Palestinians, on Friday, to express their objection to Israel's continued colonial settlement activities in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces opened fire, on Friday afternoon, towards Palestinians during a peaceful protest north of Nablus city, in Asira Ash-Shamaliyya town, northern West Bank, according to …
(2020-07-18). FROM THE FIELD: Frontline resilience in Somalia. news.un.org One hundred thousand households in Somaliland in northwest Somalia have better access to water, protecting them not just from the ravages of climate change but also against the spread of COVID-19, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme.
(2020-07-18). Ethiopian premier in Eritrea to discuss regional issues. yenisafak.com Ethiopia's prime minister arrived in Eritrea on an official visit on Saturday.Abiy Ahmed was welcomed in the capital Asmara by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and other senior officials.The two leaders will confer on bilateral and regional issues, according to a statement by the Ethiopian premier's office.Relations between the neighboring countries were restored in June 2018 after two decades of mistrust and tensions.They fought a bloody war from 1998 to 2000 that claimed around 70,000 lives.Abiy won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for leading efforts to normalize Ethiopia and Eritrea's ties and for making regional…
(2020-07-18). Libya's oil firm calls for foreign mercenaries to leave. yenisafak.com Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Saturday called for the immediate withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from oil facilities in the country.In a statement, the NOC condemned the deployment of Russia's Wagner Group and Syrian and Janjaweed mercenaries in Libyan oil installations, most recently at Es Sidra port."NOC demands their immediate withdrawal from all facilities," it said, calling the UN to "send observers to supervise the demilitarization in the areas of NOC operations across the country.""There are currently large numbers of foreign mercenaries in NOC facilities who do not share this wish," the state…
(2020-07-17). Conflict Looms for Egypt and Ethiopia Over Nile Dam. strategic-culture.org Ethiopia appears to be going ahead with its vow to begin filling a crucial hydroelectric dam on the Nile River after protracted negotiations with Egypt broke down earlier this week. There are grave concerns the two nations may go to war as both water-stressed countries consider their share of the world's longest river a matter of existential imperative. | Cairo is
(2020-07-17). Rights group blasts French 'complicit silence' in Libya. yenisafak.com France's history of solely calling out Turkey's actions in Libya while turning a blind eye to steps taken by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates is "complicit silence" par excellence, Human Rights Watch said Friday."That Macron is only accusing Turkey— which supports the government recognized by the United Nations and, at least officially, by France itself— is perplexing, yet it reveals France's ambiguities regarding Libya," Bruno Stagno Ugarte, the group's deputy executive director for advocacy, said in a blog post.He was referring to French President Emmanuel Macron. "In singling out Ankara, Macron k…
(2020-07-17). Turkey's Erdogan says Egypt's actions in Libya are illegal. yenisafak.com Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Egypt's actions in Libya and its support for the eastern-based forces of commander Khalifa Haftar were illegal.Erdogan was responding to a question about Egypt's possible intervention in Libya's conflict, where Ankara has helped the Tripoli administration force Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) to abandon an offensive on Tripoli.President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday that Egypt will not stand idle in the face of any direct threat to Egyptian and Libyan security, after lawmakers allied Haftar urged Cairo to intervene militarily in the country's civil war.
(2020-07-17). In honor of her 73rd birthday/A tribute to Assata Shakur. workers.org 
The great African American revolutionary, Assata Shakur, turned 73 on July 16. The following slightly edited article first appeared online on May 7, 2013, with the original headline, "Assata Shakur is a modern-day Harriet Tubman." I had the distinct honor of meeting Assata Shakur in person at the 1997 World . . . |
(2020-07-17). Twitter piles on 'Gestapo' tactics as DHS chief vows to never surrender Portland to 'violent extremists'. rt.com 
The acting head of the Department of Homeland Security has praised federal officers who face off Portland protesters. Tensions in the city are high, as netizens repost images of unmarked agents, comparing them to the Gestapo. | "Our men and women in uniform are patriots. We will never surrender to violent extremists on my watch," Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf wrote on Twitter. | Sharing photographs of him meeting with law enforcement and inspecting vandalized buildings, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief said that police and federal officers would "prevail" against the "violent anar…
(2020-07-17). Cuba in the last stretch of the Pandemic. mronline.org 
Cuba is only a few days away from ending its coronavirus quarantine. Except for Havana, all the other provinces are free of the contagion and have begun moving toward a new normality.
(2020-07-17). The Gates Foundation's "Green Revolution" In Africa. popularresistance.org Fourteen years ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations launched the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) with the stated goal of doubling productivity and incomes by 2020 for 30 million small-scale farming households while reducing food insecurity by half in 20 countries. AGRA claims success, but a broad-based civil society alliance has just published "False Promises: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)," in which they conclude that the number of Africans suffering extreme hunger has increased by 30 percent in the 13 countries that AGRA eventually focused on. I spo…
(2020-07-17). Health care workers take action to preserve lives as COVID-19 spreads throughout Africa. wsws.org From the onset of the pandemic, health care workers across the continent sounded the alarm over the lack of staff as well as ventilators and ICU beds.
(2020-07-17). Mandela Prize awarded to Greek and Guinean rights activists. news.un.org The 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize, which is awarded every five years and recognizes those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity, will go this year to Marianna Vardinoyannis, of Greece, and Doctor Morissana Kouyaté, of Guinea, it was announced on Friday.
(2020-07-17). Turkey will be the death of NATO — its recent clash with fellow member France off the coast of Libya is an early symptom. thealtworld.com When two countries who are supposed to be military allies fall out and almost get themselves into …
(2020-07-17). Students, Colleges, and Universities Win Against the Trump Administration's Latest Anti-Immigrant Attack. aclu.org After a week of chaos, international students were able to relax after the Trump administration agreed to rescind its latest attack on immigrants: an attempt to ban international students whose classes would be entirely online this fall. The administration has normalized chaos, fear, and trauma over the last few years, beginning with airports all over the country during the Muslim ban and tearing children apart from their parents to attempting to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status programs. In the last several months, the administration has repeatedly used the p…