(2021-02-08). No Beach Dompas: an Illegal Dip in the Indian Ocean During South Africa's Covid-19 Restrictions. counterpunch.org 
Tucked away down a residential road near the beach house we were staying at for the weekend is a path that cuts through thick sub-tropical vegetation to the Indian Ocean. As we arrive, we see, right there at the turnoff to the path, an idling police car. It looks like our chances of going for
(2021-02-08). Arabic press review: Palestinians step up efforts to sue Israel at ICC. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Palestinians step up efforts to sue Israel at ICC | Meanwhile, Hamas is reportedly split on decision to participate in elections, and Egypt and the UAE feel alienated after results of UN-sponsored Libyan elections | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 14: 25 | The Bakr family in their house in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on 7 February, with posters of four children from their exten…
(2021-02-08). Brits Told to Expect to Take a Third Vaccine Jab in the Autumn. anti-empire.com 
A health minister today signalled that millions of Britons can expect to get a third injection of Covid-19 vaccine this year to halt the South African mutation and other new variants. | Ed Argar said an autumn booster was being developed to "outwit" a virus that is constantly evolving to beat human defences. | The development came as South Africa suspended its mass roll-out of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine following a small-scale study of younger volunteers that suggested it did not prevent transmission of the new variant or mild-to-moderate illness. Experts warned that the South African strain could prolong s…
(2021-02-08). Conspiracy to Malign Farmers' Movement in India. counterpunch.org 
Why was Red Fort Left Unguarded When Delhi was on "High Alert"? For over two months now, hundreds of thousands of farmers have been waging an unprecedented struggle at five locations around the National Capital Region of Delhi against three farm laws, which essentially seek to hand over control of India's agricultural sector to large
(2021-02-08). Sudan dissolves cabinet to bring ex-rebels into lineup. middleeasteye.net 
Sudan dissolves cabinet to bring ex-rebels into lineup | Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is expected to include seven ministers from rebel groups in his new cabinet | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 16: 36 | Former rebel groups struck a peace deal with Khartoum in October, but violence continues in Darfur (AFP)
| Sudan's ruling body said on Monday it would announce a new cabinet to include ex-rebel ch…
(2021-02-08). Headlines for February 8, 2021. democracynow.org Dems to Introduce $3,000 Benefit for Children as They Push Ahead with $1.9 Trillion Stimulus, Pentagon to Deploy Troops for Vaccination Effort as Fans Defy Warnings Around Super Bowl Parties, South Africa Halts Rollout of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine, Wyoming GOP Censures Rep. Liz Cheney for Backing Trump's Impeachment, Judge Rules NY Republican Claudia Tenney Won Last Open House Race, Mass Protests Continue in Burma Opposing Military Coup, Removal of Aung San Suu Kyi, Indian Farmworkers Blockade Roads as Mass Protests Show No Sign of Slowing Down, Scores of People Missing and Feared Dead After Himalayan Glacier Co…
(2021-02-08). South Africa halts use of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine over new variant. laprensalatina.com Johannesburg, Feb 8 (efe-epa).- The South African government said it is suspending its rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after a study suggested it only had limited effect on a variation of the coronavirus that originated in the country. Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize, along with several of the country's experts, announced the decision in …
(2021-02-08). United States: Health care, racism and death. greenleft.org.au Physician Susan Moore died of COVID-19 in December, after making a video from her bed describing the racism she experienced from a white doctor when she presented for treatment, writes Malik Miah.
(2021-02-08). Aboutrika: The unlikely reunion of an exiled Egyptian icon and his former team. middleeasteye.net 
Aboutrika: The unlikely reunion of an exiled Egyptian icon and his former team | Al Ahly's trip to Qatar brings dissident football star into spotlight, just weeks after Doha and Cairo restore ties | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 08: 12 | Mohamed Aboutrika scored over 150 goals for Al Ahly, helping them win seven domestic titles and five African Champions League titles (AFP/File photo) | "After four years of depri…
(2021-02-08). Tough schedule awaits new Libyan gov't until Dec.24. yenisafak.com A busy schedule awaits Libya's new interim government until national elections in December.On Friday, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government after five days of talks at the UN-led Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in Switzerland.Mohammad Younes Menfi was elected to head the Presidency Council of the interim government and Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as its prime minister. Mossa Al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein Al-Lafi were also voted on the three-man Presidency Council.Menfi's ticket garnered 39 votes to 34 of the second group in a second round of voting on Friday with 30% of the elect…
(2021-02-08). 13 Years Is Too Long for Victims of Shell's Oil Spills to Wait for Justice. commondreams.org This case has beaten a path through the undergrowth for victims of corporate crimes. Now we need strong laws to make this avenue easier to access. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shell-appeals-court-compensation-nigerian-farmers.jpg …
(2021-02-08). Defensive Moves Or Preparation For War With Iran? popularresistance.org The US has decided to deploy the Israeli Iron Dome Missile Interceptor Systems, purchased in 2019, in Eastern European countries and also in the Gulf countries where the US Central Command (CENTCOM) operates and has established operational military bases. This step coincides with the US decision that Israeljoin CENTCOM (with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrein, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan and more) following the normalisation of trade and diplomatic relations between several Arab and Islamic countries and Tel Aviv.
(2021-02-08). Protesters Say Mine Expansion Ignores Nunavut Agreement. popularresistance.org Protests continue in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, on Saturday, as a two-week environmental hearing on an expansion at the Mary River iron ore mine wraps up. | At noon Saturday, around 50 residents gathered outside the community hall where the hearings are happening. It was — 32 C with the windchill, according to Environment Canada. | "We protested and chanted, 'Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, protect our rights, protect our people, protect our animals'," said resident Sheena Akoomalik. | At the protest, she brandished a copy of the Nunavut Agreement. She said the legal agreement between Nunavut Inuit and the Canadia…
(2021-02-08). Global outcry for the release of Egyptian student. peoplesdispatch.org Ahmed Samir Santawy is the latest victim of the Egyptian government's intimidation of academics and students studying abroad. Samir, an Egyptian student at the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, was remanded for a period of 15 days on February 6.
(2021-02-08). Nigerian farmers win hollow legal victory against Shell for oil spillages. wsws.org Shell have long sought to evade responsibility via lengthy legal proceedings, many in UK courts, for their part in regular oil spills on the Niger Delta. Even when courts find against Shell, the oil giant manages to manoeuvre its way out of its obligations.
(2021-02-07). South Africa SUSPENDS AstraZeneca vaccine rollout after study shows its 'limited efficacy' against local variant. rt.com 
South Africa is putting on hold the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, after disappointing study results suggested the jab offers significantly less protection against the locally prevalent variant of Covid-19. | "The AstraZeneca vaccine appeared effective against the original strain, but not against the [B.1.351 South African] variant," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize We have decided to put a temporary hold on the rollout of the vaccine… more work needs to be done.
(2021-02-07). South Africa records 3,184 new COVID-19 infections. yenisafak.com South Africa recorded 3,184 new coronavirus infections, taking the country's total to 1,473,700, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said late Saturday. | "Regrettably, we report a further 278 COVID-19 related deaths," Mlkhize said, adding that it brings the number of fatalities to 46,180. | The coastal city of Kwa-Zulu Natal had the highest death toll Saturday with 109, followed by the tourism province of Western Cape which recorded 57 deaths. | Gauteng province, which includes the capital of Pretoria and the largest city, Johannesburg, registered 50 deaths. While the remaining six provinces each have less than 47 deat…
(2021-02-07). A Return to "Normal" Under Biden Is Not Good Enough. We Must Demand More. truthout.org 
A return to "normality." A collective sigh of relief. From Washington, D.C. to living rooms across the world, the inauguration of President Joe Biden signalled a return to "normal." Back to the old ways of doing politics. The slew of executive actions Biden signed on his first day undid (thankfully) many of the draconian dictates of the Trump administration. For many, January 20, 2021, was like waking up after a four-year nightmare. And of course, the damage of those years — whether in packing…
(2021-02-07). Saudi-led coalition intercepts rebel drone from Yemen. yenisafak.com The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday it had intercepted an explosive-laden drone fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia.The Houthi drone attack was a "systematic and deliberate attempt to target civilians and civilian objects", coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said in a statement cited by Saudi SPA News Agency.There was no comment from the Houthi group on the coalition's statement.The rebel movement regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition's assault on Yemen.Yemen has been wracked by violence and instability since…
(2021-02-07). Bomb blast kills at least 12 in central Somalia. yenisafak.com The attack, which wounded several others, targeted the vehicle of Abdirashid Abdi Qooje as it passed through the village of Eldhere 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galmudug State. Qooje was the head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency in Dhusamareb.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, security officials in the region confirmed the attack and number of casualties on condition of anonymity."A military vehicle carrying Dhusamareb intelligence chief Abdirashid Abdi Qooje, was attacked while traveling between Eldhere and Guriel town, killing him and 11 of his bodyguards,"
(2021-02-07). Turkey 'friend and ally' to Libya: Interim PM. yenisafak.com Libya's new Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Sunday described Turkey as a "friend and ally", saying his government will work to achieve peace in war-torn Libya.This came in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, the first by a foreign news agency with the new premier after being elected to lead an interim government.On Friday, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government after five days of talks in Switzerland. Mohammad Younes Menfi was elected to head the Presidency Council of an interim government and Dbeibeh as its prime minister. Mossa Al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein Al-Laf…
(2021-02-07). Egyptian student Ahmed Samir Santawy remanded to 15 days in prison. peoplesdispatch.org Ahmed Samir Santawy, a student of the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, was detained by the police in Cairo on February 1, leading to an international outcry…
(2021-02-06). What's Not Being Said About the Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine. "Human Guinea Pigs"? globalresearch.ca The Pharma giant Pfizer use an experimental technology known as gene editing, specifically mRNA gene-editing, something never before used in vaccines. Before we rush to get jabbed in hopes of some immunity, we should know more about the radical experimental technology and its lack of precision.
(2021-02-06). Wearable/Implantable Nanotech Is Your New Normal & Experimental COVID Injections Are Its Fast-Track. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (2/6/21). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth
(2021-02-06). Canada's governments lift COVID-19 restrictions, even as pandemic rages. wsws.org The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions threatens to plunge Canada into a death spiral, especially since there are now scores of cases—including some linked to community transmission—of the more contagious British and South African variants.
(2021-02-06). Incarcerated and at COVID's mercy: New York must do more for elderly imprisoned people. mronline.org 
COVID-19 is now raging uncontrolled throughout the United States. New variants that are more easily transmitted have entered the country from the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Vaccine is scarce.
(2021-02-06). New Libyan interim unity government met with cautious optimism. middleeasteye.net 
New Libyan interim unity government met with cautious optimism | UN-brokered deal could end a decade of chaos, but rival administrations face a difficult road ahead | Sat, 02/06/2021 – 15: 26 | Participants in UN talks on Friday in Switzerland voted government head to oversee the run-up to elections (AFP) | Libya's Tobruk administration welcomed Friday's announcement of a new interim gover…
(2021-02-06). Africa suffers 'devastating impact' of COVID-19. yenisafak.com The coronavirus pandemic has had a "a devastating impact" on Africa," the South African president said on Saturday.Speaking at the 34th ordinary session of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa, who was the chairperson of the union for 2020, said global inequalities were further revealed by the pandemic."COVID-19 has not been defeated and there will be difficult times ahead," he said, adding there is also "a long road to travel to silence the guns in Africa."The pan-African body had planned to achieve the silencing of the guns by 2020, but due to the threat of terrorism, cross-border clashes and civil wars, the plan…
(2021-02-06). South Africa: New lockdown bans political gatherings. greenleft.org.au Under new COVID-19 regulations, for the first time in South Africa's history it is now a criminal offence for anyone in the country to hold any kind of political gathering, writes Dale McKinley. This should make us all sit up and take notice.
(2021-02-06). [World Report] Hopes for trachoma control in South Sudan. thelancet.com Conflict has hampered trachoma control in South Sudan, but there are new plans to map and treat the disease. Jacqui Thornton reports.
(2021-02-06). Turkey's Erdogan congratulates Libya interim gov't leaders. yenisafak.com Turkey's president congratulated the leaders of Libya's interim government in a phone call on Saturday.Recep Tayyip Erdogan wished success to Mohammad Younes Menfi and Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbebibeh, who have been elected as head of the Presidential Council and prime minister, respectively, according to a statement by the Turkish Presidency."Turkey will continue its efforts for political unity, territorial integrity, stability, peace, security and prosperity in Libya and further enhance its cooperation with Libya in the new period," Erdogan said.Menfi and Dbebibah, who were chosen at the UN-led Libyan Political Di…
(2021-02-06). After Default, Zambia Becomes Third Country Seeking G20 Debt Relief. indybay.org Zambia requested the G20 coronavirus debt relief process, the "Common Framework for Debt Treatment beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative."
(2021-02-05). It's Now or Never — We Stare Into the Abyss. counterpunch.org This column is hopeful. I promise. The northern white rhinoceros is now functionally extinct. Sudan — the last male of his kind — passed away recently. There are two females remaining but obviously they can produce no more of their species without a male — and mating with nearby giraffes is not something in which they seem
(2021-02-05). "A Moral Catastrophe": Africa CDC Head Says Lack of Vaccines for the Continent Will Imperil World. democracynow.org 
Countries across the African continent are facing a second COVID-19 outbreak, linked to a variant first found in South Africa that has been detected in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Comoros and Zambia and more than 20 non-African countries so far. There is concern new variants, which scientists believe are more infectious, could spread the virus further before widespread vaccination begins. More than 40 African countries have been hit by this second wave, and just six have received relatively small shipments of vaccines. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the world…
(2021-02-05). CDC's COVID Death Count Sleight Of Hand & How Microsoft's ID2020 Is Being Fulfilled Because COVID. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (2/5/21). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth
(2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up
(2021-02-05). UN-led Libya forum elects interim govt of 4 leaders until war-torn country goes to polls in December. rt.com 
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) overseen by the UN has elected an interim prime minister and three-member Presidency Council to lead the war-ravaged country until elections at the end of this year. | The forum's 74 delegates voted in Mohammed al-Menfi, who is supported in the country's east, to lead the Council, while Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, who has western Libyan support, was chosen as prime minister. | The pair emerged ahead from a list of four leadership candidates, which included the current parliamentary chief Aguila Saleh and interior minister Fathi Bashagha. | The vote was overseen by the UN secr…
(2021-02-05). Libya: Dbeibah surprise pick as new interim prime minister. middleeasteye.net 
Libya: Dbeibah surprise pick as new interim prime minister | UN-led forum rejects slate of former war foes Fathi Bashagha and Aguila Saleh | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 15: 08 | Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah delivering a speech via video link during a meeting of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (AFP) | A new Libyan leadership was elected on Friday by a UN-led forum, with Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeib…
(2021-02-05). Our Mutual Fight: The Case against Pakistani Normalization with Israel. dissidentvoice.org 
The Pakistani government should never, under any circumstances and no matter the pressure, normalize with Israel. Doing so is not only dangerous — as it will embolden an already vile, racist, violent apartheid Israel — but it would also be considered a betrayal of a historic legacy of mutual solidarity, collective affinity and brotherhood that …
(2021-02-05). Malians demonstrate against French military presence. workers.org 
By Carlos Lopes Pereira The author writes regularly on African events for the Portuguese Communist Party. This article was published in the PCP newspaper Avante on Jan. 28. Translation: John Catalinotto. There have been further protests in Mali against the presence of French troops in the Sahel. On Jan. 20, . . . |
(2021-02-05). Will Biden Admin Reverse Trump's "Dangerous" Recognition of Morocco's Occupation of Western Sahara? democracynow.org 
President Donald Trump broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy in the waning days of his administration and recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a territory the country has occupied since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. U.S. recognition came as Morocco agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming the fourth Arab nation to do so in recent months as part of a regional push by the Trump administration to strengthen Israel without addressing the Palestinian conflict. Now the Biden administration must weigh whether to reverse Trump's decision…
(2021-02-05). Aid agencies renew appeals for aid access to all areas in Ethiopia's Tigray. news.un.org The UN renewed appeals on Friday for humanitarian access to all areas of Ethiopia's troubled Tigray region to help people displaced fighting, forcing the most desperate to eat leaves to survive.
(2021-02-05). Perpetrator of French apartment fire sentenced to 25 years. yenisafak.com A French court on Thursday sentenced the perpetrator of the 2017 fire in Mulhouse to 25 years in prison.Six people, four of them Turkish, died in the fire in an apartment building. Two Algerian nationals also died.The Colmar High Criminal Court found French defendant Aurelien Roellinger guilty of arson.A lawyer of the Turkish families, Gulcan Yasin, told Anadolu Agency that Roellinger is a dangerous and criminal person."Those who lost their lives will not come back, but justice has been served," she said, adding the families welcomed the decision.Ertun and Aksu families' house in Mulhouse's Bourtzwiller District…
(2021-02-05). Libya: 'Historic moment' as UN-led forum selects new interim leadership. news.un.org The 74-members of the UN-led Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) have selected an interim Prime Minister and President of its new executive council, marking what the UN Special Representative called another "historic moment" on the road to unification of the war-torn country and national elections in December.
(2021-02-05). Joe Biden Is A White Supremacist War Hawk, Too. popularresistance.org The white hooligans who invaded Capitol Hill on January 6th set the stage for the U.S. ruling class to reinvigorate its most prized political narrative: American exceptionalism. Trump committed the most egregious crime of all in the eyes of the empire by encouraging his most loyal supporters to desecrate what one police officer on the scene called "the most sacredest place." His closing act paved an even smoother road for the incoming Biden administration to quickly militarize Washington D.C. and normalize a period of sustained crisis vis-à -vis cosmetic changes to the leadership of the empire. But as neoliberal…
(2021-02-05). South African company builds vintage-inspired motorized bicycles. laprensalatina.com The South African company Soekoe Moto-Bicycles Co, founded by Desmond Soekoe, builds motorized bicycles in Johannesburg with designs inspired by the first decade of the 20th century, when the first motors were attached to bicycles. A visual story by EFE/EPA photographer Kim Ludbrook…
(2021-02-05). Soldiers Invade Homes In Nablus And Hebron, Abduct One Palestinian. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, on Friday at dawn, many Palestinian homes near Nablus, in northern West Bank, and Hebron, in the southern part, before abducting one Palestinian. Media sources in Nablus said the soldiers invaded 'Asira ash-Shamaliya town, north of the city, before storming and searching homes, and abducted Esmat Shouli. They added that, two weeks …
(2021-02-05). Yemeni Journalist: "Saudi Arabia Failed in Yemen Despite US Support" globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Yemen has suffered through a violent war on its population by …
(2021-02-05). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Nationwide strikes on Thursday across France; UK strikes and ballots over pay across all sectors; Zimbabwe council strike continues over lack of pay.
(2021-02-05). Biden Continues Policies Which Put Kids In Cages, In Syria. thelastamericanvagabond.com Joe Biden and his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, backed policies towards Syria which saw innocent children separated from their families and placed in cages. But the worst part of it, is that they have no quarrels with doing it again. Despite many having celebrated US President, Joe Biden's, alleged policy position of eliminating the