Daily Archives: 2020-07-26

2020-07-26: News Headlines

RT (2020-07-26). Rwandan refugee working as diocese volunteer confesses to setting Nantes cathedral alight — lawyer. rt.com A 39-year-old man, who had already been detained, questioned and released by French police, was brought into pre-trial custody again, having admitted to starting fires at the 15th-century cathedral in the western city of Nantes. | The impressive Nantes Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul fell victim to a blaze back on July 18, with several fire brigades scrambled to put out the flames. As the story developed, investigators established that the man — who worked as an altar server — was the one who closed up the building for the night. | He was briefly detained by police last week but was then released…

_____ (2020-07-26). Transparency International Silent On Jailed Transparency Journalist Assange. popularresistance.org Berlin, Germany – On a cool July day, the Berlin neighborhood where Transparency International's global headquarters is situated feels a thousand miles away from London's Belmarsh Prison. But it is not just the pleasant setting a few blocks from the Spree River that makes the influential NGO seem so detached from the maximum security penitentiary's most famous inmate, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. | Transparency International has been vocal in defending jailed opposition activists in states like Zimbabwe, Russia, and Venezuela.

yenisafak (2020-07-26). COVID-19 cases in Africa top 828,000. yenisafak.com The number of coronavirus cases in Africa reached 828,214 on Sunday, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).At least 17,509 more people died of the virus across 54 countries in the continent, the Africa CDC said in its daily update.Recoveries in the continent have reached 484,038.Southern Africa is the worst-hit region with 452,000 infections, while North Africa recorded 147,500 cases, West Africa 118,400, East Africa 65,000, and Central Africa 45,300.As for the death toll, Southern Africa suffered 7,000 fatalities, North Africa 6,300, West Africa 1,800, East Africa 1,500, and Ce…

yenisafak (2020-07-26). Interior minister to form new government in Tunisia. yenisafak.com Tunisia's Interior Minister Hisham El-Mechishi will form the country's government, the official news agency announced Saturday.Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed el-Mechishi to form the government, according to the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP).Having no attachments to a political party, el-Mechishi was not nominated for the prime minister's seat by any party.El-Mechishi was born in 1974 and was appointed to his post as interior minister in February. He holds a doctorate in political science and law, and completed his master's degree in France.Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh submitted his resignation to the pres…

Solidarity with Indymedia (2020-07-26). Massive DDoS Attacks Against Indymedia in Germany (de.indymedia.org). indybay.org In the last six months more and more funds were raised to silence us (de.indymedia.org). They, the aggressors (the far-right and their party friends, up to federal authorities and government representatives), apparently see it as a possibility to use malicious technical means to silence one of the voices of the counter-public view.

yenisafak (2020-07-25). Record numbers of coronavirus cases in every global region: Reuters tally. yenisafak.com Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.The rate of cases has been increasing not only in countries like the United States, Brazil and India, which have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, but in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lock…

Georgina Ferry (2020-07-25). [Perspectives] Kesaveloo Goonaruthnum Naidoo: anti-apartheid campaigner. thelancet.com Few have done as much to forge an individual identity as "Dr Goonam", the name Kesaveloo Goonaruthnum Naidoo (1906—98) adopted as the first woman of colour to practise medicine in South Africa during the 1930s. She demanded women's inclusion in political organisations representing her Indian community, and joined others in passionate opposition to the apartheid policies that oppressed them.

_____ (2020-07-25). America's Terminal Decline. popularresistance.org President Trump's U-turn admission on the coronavirus pandemic, acknowledging that it's going to get worse before it gets better, could be applied to the general condition of American politics. It can only get worse under present circumstances. | That's because there is no way to solve deep-seated problems in the US system under the prevailing bipartisan framework. | It is delusional for Democrats to blame Trump and the Republicans for all the woes of that nation. The notion that America can be returned to some kind of presumed normality if Joe Biden is elected to the White House in November is a fantasy.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-25). Enemies failed in creating duality between science, religion. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — Iranian First Vice President said that malicious plans orchestrated by enemies against Islamic Republic of Iran in creating duality between science and religion were failed.

WSWS (2020-07-25). Zimbabwe: Social unrest grows amid economic collapse. wsws.org Security forces have used COVID-19 lockdown laws to arrest nurses striking over poverty wages, appalling work conditions and lack of personal protective equipment.

sputniknews (2020-07-25). 'Cool War': Chinese-US Relations Haven't Sunk to Soviet-American Level of Tensions Yet, Analysts Say. sputniknews.com The Houston-Chengdu consulate closure spat between Beijing and Washington is the latest front in a conflict ranging from trade and technology transfer, to the handling of the coronavirus crisis, and geopolitical and geoeconomic conflicts stretching from Asia and the Pacific to Africa, Europe and Latin America.

yenisafak (2020-07-25). Turkey's Erdogan, Italian PM discuss Libya over phone. yenisafak.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over the phone on Saturday.Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement that Erdogan and Conte discussed regional developments, particularly in war-weary Libya, as well as cooperation in fighting COVID-19.The leaders agreed to maintain dialogue for a political solution in Libya.Since April 2019, warlord Khalifa Haftar's illegitimate forces have launched attacks on the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, including civilian women and children.However, the…

yenisafak (2020-07-25). Somalia: Parliament ousts Prime Minister Hassan Khaire. yenisafak.com Somalia's Parliament removed Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire from office by a vote of no confidence on Saturday.According to Speaker Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman, legislators voted 170-8 to dismiss Khaire and his government during an extraordinary session in the capital Mogadishu.Khaire, a dual Somali-Norwegian citizen, was appointed prime minister on Feb. 23, 2017 by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo and was approved by the Parliament days later on March 1.Mursal called on the president to appoint a new prime minister to lead the country to its first popular elections in decades.President Farmaajo has a…

Leonid Savin (2020-07-24). Libya's Proxy War And The Changing Geopolitical Balance Of North Africa. thealtworld.com On 20 July 2020, the Egyptian parliament unilaterally In early July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Staff (2020-07-24). Headlines for July 24, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Cancels RNC in Jacksonville as COVID-19 Deaths Soar in Florida, CDC Issues New Guidelines Urging Schools To Reopen, South Africa Closes School For a Second Time as COVID-19 Cases Top 40,000, 1.4 Million File For Employment as Moratorium on Evictions Ends, Whistleblowers Reveal How ICE Used Deception to Deport Immigrants with COVID-19, ICE Attempted to Censor Embedded Journalists Who Filmed Wrongdoing, Judge Bars Federal Agents in Oregon From Targeting Journalists & Legal Observers, 37 Senate Democrats Join GOP in Passing $740 Billion Military Spending Bill, AOC Delivers Moving Response to Rep. Ted Yoho's Se…

WSWS (2020-07-24). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to

South Front (2020-07-24). Video: Failed Show of Power by Libyan National Army Increases Chances of Turkish Attack on Sirte. globalresearch.ca On July 19, the Libyan National Army (LNA) test-fired the Soviet-era P-15 Termit anti-ship missile near Zawiyat Zanzur, on the Libyan coast. | The P-15 Termit is guided by active radar homing and equipped with an inertial navigation system. Missiles of …

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-07-24). Teachers mount campaign to roll back school opening in South Africa. zcomm.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…

Dr Byelongo Elisee Isheloke (2020-07-24). The Moment of Truth for BRICS: Challenges, Opportunities and the Way Forward. globalresearch.ca As already known, BRICS is an association of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa joined the association in 2010. The BRICS has a significant influence on regional affairs and very active on the …

news.un (2020-07-24). Children in Nigeria and surrounding countries, continuing to endure 'horrendous violations'. news.un.org Girls and boys in northeast Nigeria are continuing to endure brutal abuse at the hands of Boko Haram, and are also being deeply affected by military operations taking place to counter the terrorist group, despite noteworthy efforts, according the UN chief's latest report on children and armed conflict.

news.un (2020-07-24). Rights experts urge Nigeria to free humanist detained for blasphemy. news.un.org Nigerian authorities must immediately release prominent humanist and rights defender Mubarak Bala, who has been detained for more than two months without charge on accusations of blasphemy, a group of independent UN human rights experts said on Friday.

news.un (2020-07-24). Zimbabwe: COVID-19 must not be used to stifle freedoms, says UN rights office. news.un.org The coronavirus pandemic should not be used as an excuse to clamp down on fundamental freedoms, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) reminded authorities in Zimbabwe on Friday.

yenisafak (2020-07-24). COVID-19 cases in Africa surpass 787,500. yenisafak.com The death toll from the virus in the continent reached 16,697, the latest figures indicate, while a total of 446,082 patients have recovered so far.The Southern Africa region has recorded 424,200 cases, North Africa 143,300, West Africa 114,000, East Africa 61,800 and Central Africa 42,200.At least 6,400 people have died in Southern Africa, 6,100 in North Africa, 1,800 in West Africa, 1,500 in East Africa and 871 in Central Africa.More than 241,600 patients have recovered in Southern Africa, 72,800 in West Africa, 69,600 in North Africa, 34,200 in East Africa and 27,800 in Central Africa.

yenisafak (2020-07-24). Russia resuming flights to Turkey. yenisafak.com Russia on Aug. 1 will resume flights to Turkey, officials announced Friday.After flights were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, service will resume from three Russian cities — the capital Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Rostov-on-Don — Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told a news conference in Moscow.Flights to Turkey will start with the capital Ankara and the metropolis of Istanbul from Aug. 1, and then add the coastal resort destinations of Antalya, Bodrum, and Dalaman on Aug. 10.Flight service to the UK and the East African nation of Tanzania is also restarting.Passengers coming to Rus…

Paul Street (2020-07-23). Moment of Supreme Danger: Trumpism-Fascism Rears its Head. counterpunch.org This is a supremely dangerous moment. The White House is occupied by a rogue fascist regime whose malignant leader Donald Trump has recently made it clear yet again that he will not honor the results of an election that does not go his way next November. It is well understood within his administration that Trump is a wannabe dictator who is only half-joking when he talks about wanting to be "president for life."

G. Dunkel (2020-07-23). Popular protest shakes former French colony Mali. workers.org Bamako, Mali, July 10. Tens of thousands of Malians in the capital Bamako came out in the streets July 10 for three days of protest demanding the resignation of Mali's president Ibrahim Boubacar KeàØta (IBK). The government reported that 11 people died and 158 were wounded. The opposition — the . . . |

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-23). South Africa didn't use COVID-19 lockdown for mass awareness, testing. peoplesdispatch.org Lydia Cairncross of the People's Health Movement talks about the failure of the South African government to effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and examines the reasons behind it, She says the failure to bring together the public and private sectors, the lack of adequate awareness and testing, as well as investment, has cost the country dear.

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-07-23). Racial Politics in Georgia and the Presidential Elections. globalresearch.ca A contested gubernatorial election in 2018 involving Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp and former Georgia State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams highlighted problems related to voter suppression based upon the national oppression of the African American people. | Hundreds of …

teleSUR (2020-07-22). South Africa: Andrew Mlangeni, Last Anti-Apartheid Icon Dies. telesurenglish.net The icon of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa Andrew Mlangeni died at 95 in the capital Pretoria, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday. | RELATED: | Andrew Mlangeni fought alongside Nelson Mandela in the liberation struggle against the white minority government that, from 1948, legalized racism unleashing the South African racial segregation system known as apartheid. | "The passing of Andrew Mekete Mlangeni signifies the end of gener…

Staff (2020-07-22). COVID-19 Lays Bare South Africa's Rampant Inequality & Fault Lines of Post-Apartheid Society. democracynow.org COVID-19 infections are skyrocketing in South Africa, now fifth in the world for coronavirus cases, with an already fragile hospital system. "I really think it's our inequality reckoning moment," says Fatima Hassan, a human rights lawyer with the Health Justice Initiative. "All of the fault lines of South Africa's post-apartheid democracy, and its inequality and its violence, is actually coming to the fore."

Abdul Rahman (2020-07-22). Workers returning from crisis-hit Gulf economies need state support back home. peoplesdispatch.org The six states in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) can expect an average economic downfall of 7.6% this year, according to the revised estimates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF had earlier predicted in April an overall 3% decline in these economies. While the projections may delay economic projects in some of these countries, the impact on millions of migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Egypt and Bangladesh, among others employed in the Gulf, may be deeper and more significant. This is particularly due to lack of any social security net for most of these workers in the host countries which m…

yenisafak (2020-07-22). Coronavirus cases in Africa near 750,000. yenisafak.com The number of coronavirus cases in Africa is now just short of 750,000, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.According to the daily update, 749,492 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in 54 African countries, with fatalities now at 15,726 and 409,568 recoveries.With 396,600 cases, Southern Africa remains the continent's worst-hit region, followed by North Africa with 139,900 infections, West Africa 111,000, East Africa 58,400, and Central Africa with 43,600 cases.South Africa has the highest number of cases among countries — 381,800 — and is trailed by Egypt with 89,10…

Monica Moorehead (2020-07-22). Athletes demand justice for Breonna Taylor. workers.org The struggle to bring about justice for Breonna Taylor continues. The 26-year-old African American emergency medical technician was fatally shot eight times by three white police officers who invaded her Louisville, Ky., home on March 13 during a no-knock, no-warrant narcotics search. Originally it was reported that Taylor was asleep . . . |

RT (2020-07-22). 'We won't retreat': DHS chief defends 'proactive arrests' amid Portland riots, stokes Minority Report dystopia outcry (VIDEOS). rt.com The head of the Department of Homeland Security set off alarms after saying that federal agents were making 'proactive' arrests in Portland amid heated protests, drawing comparisons to the dystopian "pre-crime" of Minority Report. | Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf appeared on a Fox News segment on Tuesday night, discussing the ongoing protests and rioting across Portland, which he says have continued for "52 nights in a row" as federal officers there are stretched to the limit. | "Because we don't have that local law enforcement support, we are having to go out and proactively arrest individuals, and we need…

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-22). Time is not on our side in Libya. mronline.org Haftar, who was once an intimate of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is now prosecuting a seemingly endless and brutal war against the United Nation's recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli and led by President Fayez al-Sarraj.

news.un (2020-07-22). Rights experts call on Tanzania to end 'crackdown' on civic space. news.un.org Tanzania should allow peaceful gatherings to take place ahead of elections in October and step back from "draconian" laws, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Wednesday.