Daily Archives: 2020-10-12

2020-10-12: News Headlines

David Hearst (2020-10-12). Ismail Haniyeh interview: Full transcript. middleeasteye.net Ismail Haniyeh interview: Full transcript | Hamas's leader talks to MEE about Arab normalisation with Israel, the Gaza siege, Palestinian politics and the US elections | Mon, 10/12/2020 – 18: 28 | Ismail Haniyeh, 58, is the chairman of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, and the de facto ruler of the besieged Gaza Strip (AFP) | Editor's note: David Hearst, editor-in-chief of Middle…

David Hearst (2020-10-12). Hamas's Haniyeh: 'No mercy' for Arab states who betray Palestinian cause. middleeasteye.net Hamas's Haniyeh: 'No mercy' for Arab states who betray Palestinian cause | Speaking to MEE, Ismail Haniyeh decries UAE 'normalisation' deal with Israel, and hails 'positive' talks with Fatah | Mon, 10/12/2020 – 09: 33 | History will show no mercy to the Arab nations that recognise Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has told Middle East Eye. | Asked about the recent "normalisation"

MEE and agencies (2020-10-11). Cairo court begins high-profile 'Egyptian MeToo' case. middleeasteye.net Cairo court begins high-profile 'Egyptian MeToo' case | Accusations against former student prompted wave of shocking revelations in Egypt | Sun, 10/11/2020 – 10: 07 | An Instagram post reveals accusations against former student Ahmed Zaki (AFP) | An Egyptian court on Saturday began hearing a high-profile case of blackmail and sexual assault that released a wave of accusations against promi…

MEE staff (2020-10-11). Most Arab citizens do not earn enough to live on: Survey. middleeasteye.net Most Arab citizens do not earn enough to live on: Survey | Arab Opinion Index also says more than 60 percent believe Israel and United States are biggest threats to the Arab world's security | Sun, 10/11/2020 – 13: 03 | A man receives subsidized food items in Egypt (Reuters) | The majority of citizens in Arab countries believe they do not earn enough for their family's needs, according to a survey across 13 co…

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-10-11). The Saudi campaign against the Palestinians. thealtworld.com A concerted effort is underway to prepare public opinion for normalization with Israel | In June 2006, about a week after Israel's assault on Lebanon began, a Saudi delegation visited Washington and met with President George Bush Jr., who made an exception to receive them at the White House on a Sunday. The delegation was led by the then foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, and included the national security advisor and former ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar bin-Sultan, and the serving ambassador and ex-intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal. | The day after that meeting, the three princes sent a…

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-10-11). In Zimbabwe, teachers defy president's threat and continue protest into third week. peoplesdispatch.org Teachers in Zimbabwe, who are finding it to even difficult to travel to schools due to the decline in the value of their salaries, began staying off from work from September 28…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-11). South African workers strike against govt corruption, COVID-19 failures, job losses. peoplesdispatch.org A historic general strike was held in numerous cities and towns across South Africa on October 7 against corruption, job losses, govt failures during the pandemic, and its refusal to honor the wage agreement it had signed with public servants.

Elijah Magnier (2020-10-11). Difficult negotiations between Lebanon and Israel ahead. thealtworld.com Amid the domestic split between members of different political groups in Lebanese society, the country is preparing to start an indirect negotiation with Israel, pursuing a decades-old border dispute. After nine years of indirect discussion, both sides have agreed on a road map negotiated by the Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri. The negotiations over the final borders are expected to begin in the week starting 14 October in the neighbouring Lebanese city of Naqoura at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and under its auspices. The negotiation is far from being a Lebanese normalisa…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-10). Coronavirus pandemic hits Tunisians with 165,000 job losses. middleeasteye.net Coronavirus pandemic hits Tunisians with 165,000 job losses | Key tourism industry has collapsed, with curfew latest step in bid to contain rise in Covid-19 cases | Sat, 10/10/2020 – 14: 15 | Tunisia is struggling with high unemployment amid record economic contraction (AFP) | The coronavirus pandemic has plunged Tunisia into an economic crisis that has cost tens of thousands of jobs and c…

Abdul Rahman (2020-10-10). Israel's man in Washington. peoplesdispatch.org It's election season in the United States and one aspect of president Donald Trump's record that is not up for debate is his role in sustaining and strengthening the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Trump has left no stone unturned to win the support of pro-Zionist groups in his country by subordinating US foreign policy interests to that of Israel. | Trump's use of US power, including its military and financial resources, has helped Israel achieve some of its long-term diplomatic and strategic goals. This includes recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the "normalization" of the relationship with Arab…

WSWS (2020-10-10). Anger as UAW rams through 12-hour, 7-day schedule for FCA Sterling Heights Assembly skilled trades workers. wsws.org Skilled trades workers at the Fiat Chrysler Sterling Heights Assembly Plant are livid over the move by the UAW to force them into an inhuman work schedule without the formality of a vote.

WSWS (2020-10-10). Dutch government's malign neglect accelerates resurgence of COVID-19. wsws.org The Netherlands has become a major hot-spot in western Europe for COVID-19 infections, with record numbers of confirmed infections each day.

Steve Horn (2020-10-10). Trump getting COVID is his Hurricane Sandy October Surprise for science denial. nationofchange.org From COVID-19 to the hurricanes of the climate crisis, even "moderate" Republicans have continually displayed a willingness to ignore and malign science.

_____ (2020-10-10). When Confronted By Hungry Bellies, Us Imperialists Reach For Their Guns. popularresistance.org In 1965, Ghana's Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah published a bold book, Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism. In this book, Nkrumah documented in great detail the way in which European and North American multinational firms — in close collaboration with their governments — continued to smother the aspirations of the new nations of Africa. As an example, Nkrumah took up his own country, Ghana, which had been known by the colonial name 'the Gold Coast' until 1957. | One of the old colonial companies, Ashanti Goldfields (a British company) continued to make fabulous profits from the hard labour of…

MEE staff (2020-10-09). Palestinians outraged by Saudi prince's barbed criticism of leadership. middleeasteye.net Palestinians outraged by Saudi prince's barbed criticism of leadership | Ex-Saudi spy chief's rant prompts suspicions Riyadh is clearing the way for Israeli normalisation | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 13: 26 | Bandar bin Sultan during an interview with Al-Arabiya channel (Screengrab) | Palestinians have reacted furiously to comments by top Saudi royal, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, a former Saudi spy chief and…

WSWS (2020-10-09). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Thousands of South African workers held a nationwide strike Wednesday, while the PCS union ended the stoppage at the Tate art galley's commercial arm after 42 days of strike action, with a deal that includes job losses.

Pepe Escobar (2020-10-09). The Limits of Chinese Power. US-China Relations Hinge Upon the 2020 Presidential Election. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on Trump 2.0 essentially would turbo-charge its bet on decoupling, aiming to squeeze "malign" China on a multiple Hybrid War front, undermine the Chinese trade surplus, co-opt large swathes of Asia, while …

WSWS (2020-10-09). One-day nationwide strike against South African ANC government. wsws.org The mass walkout is part of a broader wave of struggles by workers in recent months that have seen repeated actions by healthcare workers, municipal workers, bus drivers, teachers and workers in meat processing plants, steel works and warehouses.

WSWS (2020-10-09). Zimbabwean teachers refuse to work as government reopens schools without COVID-19 protection. wsws.org Teachers are demanding that as frontline workers they should have regular testing, adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), and risk allowances before they are prepared to start work again.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-09). Prominent Hirak protester Yacine Mebarki sentenced to 10 years in jail in Algeria. peoplesdispatch.org Yacine Mebarki is the latest in a long line of Hirak protesters and supporters, and journalists to face the wrath of the Algerian establishment. He has been charged with inciting atheism and undermining national unity…

news.un (2020-10-09). The World Food Programme: a three-year experiment that became indispensable. news.un.org The need for the World Food Programme, the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, to exist is starker than ever. From conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to flooding in South Sudan, and the civil war in Yemen, man-made and natural disasters are leaving tens of millions of people unsure if they will have enough food for themselves and their families to survive on.

Cédric B. Chesnais, Sébastien D. Pion, Charlotte Boullé, Jacques Gardon, Nathalie Gardon-Wendel, Joà´l Fokom-Domgue, Joseph Kamgno, Michel Boussinesq (2020-10-09). Individual risk of post-ivermectin serious adverse events in subjects infected with Loa loa. thelancet.com By enabling the prediction of post-ivermectin SAE risk in communities with known distribution of L loa MFDs, our results can guide decisions on the choice of ivermectin-based treatment strategies. They also predict that 37 SAEs were prevented in 2015 by using a Test-and-Treat strategy in the Okola District of Cameroon.

sputniknews (2020-10-09). Swiss Hostage Killed by Terrorists in Mali — Foreign Ministry. sputniknews.com ZURICH (Sputnik) — A Swiss female citizen, who had been a hostage of terrorists in Mali for four years, has been killed, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

sputniknews (2020-10-09). 'A Lot of Opportunities Open up' — Afrikaner Minority NGO Welcomes UN Recognition. sputniknews.com AfriForum — a South African civil rights organization, which just received a consultative status at the United Nations, was granted a permission to send its representatives to the UN's New York, Geneva and Vienna offices.

MEE staff (2020-10-08). EU Parliament condemns Saudi Arabia over treatment of Ethiopian migrants. middleeasteye.net EU Parliament condemns Saudi Arabia over treatment of Ethiopian migrants | Criticism comes after report by Telegraph that thousands of Ethiopian migrants were locked up to stop spread of Covid-19 | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 19: 13 | Thousands of people from Ethiopia have made dangerous journey through Yemen to Saudi Arabia (AFP/File photo) | The European Parliament condemned Saudi Arabia for holding tens of thousands…

Yasmina Allouche (2020-10-08). Algeria hands Hirak activist 10-year sentence for 'inciting atheism'. middleeasteye.net Algeria hands Hirak activist 10-year sentence for 'inciting atheism' | Sentencing against Yacine Mebarki the harshest of any activists convicted since the February 2019 protests began | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 16: 10 | Algeria has seen an increasing crackdown on activists, opposition figures and journalists (AFP/Ryad Kramdi) | An Algerian activist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and fin…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-10-08). Nobel Peace Prize 2020: The Middle East names and stories to look out for. middleeasteye.net Nobel Peace Prize 2020: The Middle East names and stories to look out for | In an unprecedented year of a global pandemic, MEE takes a look at some of the names being discussed for the prestigious peace award | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 15: 54 | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, US President Donald Trump and Sudanese protester Alaa Salah are in contention for this year's Nobel Peace Prize (AFP) | The winner…

MEE staff (2020-10-08). Egypt using special terror courts to silence dissent, UN experts say. middleeasteye.net Egypt using special terror courts to silence dissent, UN experts say | Cairo accused of 'gravely endangering' activists and infringing on their fundamental rights by imprisoning them during pandemic | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 18: 39 | Egypt has jailed more than 60,000 dissidents (AFP/File photo) | UN experts have accused Egypt of using special terrorism courts to imprison human rights defenders and silence dissent, w…

RT (2020-10-08). US slaps new sanctions on Iran as FBI seizes 92 web domains allegedly used by Tehran to wage 'global disinformation campaign'. rt.com Washington has announced a new sanctions package against Iran, hitting the country's financial sector and targeting 18 major banks. Tehran has branded the move a "crime against humanity" and an attempt to starve the country out. | The new sanctions were announced by the US Treasury Department on Thursday. The move was made to further "isolate the Iranian economy from the global financial system," which the Treasury claimed is necessary to stop Tehran from advancing its alleged "malign agenda." | "Our sanctions programs will continue until Iran stops its support of terrorist activities and ends its nuclear prog…

Dr. Bischara A. Egal (2020-10-08). Corruption Inc. — Somalia Style. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in February 2020. | Political corruption is so rampant in Africa and Somalia in particularly since the civil war 1991. Resource-rich African countries such as Angola, Algeria, DRC, Libiya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan suffer from the …

Pepe Escobar (2020-10-08). Shedding light on the limits of Chinese power. thealtworld.com Academic Lanxin Xiang is no fan of Trump's China policies but also sees where Beijing has miscalculated and overreached | Everything about United States-China relations hinges on the result of the upcoming US presidential election. | A Trump 2.0 administration would essentially turbo-charge its first-term bet on decoupling, aiming to squeeze "malign" China on a multiple hybrid war front, undermine the Chinese trade surplus and co-opt large swaths of Asia while always characterizing China as evil incarnate. | Team Biden, even as it professes no desire to fall into the trap of a new Cold War, judging by the Democra…

WSWS (2020-10-08). Appalachian State University faculty and students demand action after death of healthy student from COVID-19. wsws.org Following the death of 19-year-old Chad Dorrill, students and professors have spoken out against the poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic by the university's administration.

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-10-08). Historic general strike in South Africa sees workers raise issues of corruption, job loss. peoplesdispatch.org The strike was called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions and was joined by the South African Federation of Trade Unions and other organizations. It may set the stage for a new phase of working class unity…

news.un (2020-10-08). Transitional President in Mali appoints new Prime Minister, top UN official tells Security Council. news.un.org Mali's transitional President has appointed a new Prime Minister, the UN's top official in the West African country told the UN Security Council on Thursday, detailing the significant events which has ushered in a new political era, since the 18 August coup d'état.

news.un (2020-10-08). UN refugee agency condemns 'brutal and callous' killings in Burkina Faso. news.un.org The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has strongly condemned an attack, on the night of 4 October, targeting a convoy carrying internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso, in which 25 people were killed.

The New Arab (2020-10-08). Libya Refuses to Take Up Arab League Presidency Following Palestinian Walkout. globalresearch.ca Libya on Tuesday refused to assume the presidency of the current session of the Arab League, after Qatar …