Tunisian parliament to vote on new govt next week as moderate Islamist party backs lineup
rt.com | 2020-02-21
Tunisia is set to hold a confidence vote on a new government on February 26, after more than four months of political wrangling following elections in the country, according to a parliamentary statement. | The parliament announced a date for the vote on Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh's government after the premier unveiled a revised cabinet lineup earlier this week. | An initial version of the list had been rejected by the Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha, which won the most seats in October's legislative election but fell far short of a majority in the 217-seat assembly. | The party won seven portfolios in the…
rt.com/newsline/481375-tunisia-government-confidence-parliament/

Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
wsws.org | 2020-02-21
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/21/work-f21.html

EU agrees to new military mission against Libya
wsws.org | 2020-02-21
The foreign ministers of all 27 EU countries agreed on a new military mission in Libya on Monday.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/21/liby-f21.html

A Paradoxical Colonel: He Doesn't Know What He is Talking About, Because He Knows What He is Talking About
Stephen Reyna | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-21
'Woke … a political term of African-American origin refers to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice' (Wikipedia 2010). 'Woke' can be about matters other than social justice. This brief essay is a appraisal of David Kilcullen's The Accidental Guerrilla, Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One [TAG].[1]…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/21/a-paradoxical-colonel-he-doesnt-know-what-he-is-talking-about-because-he-knows-what-he-is-talking-about/

Missiles fired from Yemen intercepted: Saudi Arabia
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-21
Saudi air defenses intercepted ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels from neighboring Yemen, the Saudi-led international coalition said on Friday. | "The missiles were launched in a deliberate and systematic manner targeting cities and civilians, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. | He claimed the missiles were being assembled and launched from Yemen's capital Sanaa. | Meanwhile, a senior Yemeni army officer was killed in an exchange with the Houthi rebel group, according to local sou…
yenisafak.com/en/world/missiles-fired-from-yemen-intercepted-saudi-arabia-3512507

Senegal's start-up act to boost female-led business in first for West Africa
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-21
Senegal's start-up scene is dominated by men, the laws are complex and the taxes are high – all reasons why talented businesswomen from the West African nation shy away from creating companies, said entrepreneur Seynabou Thiam."They tell themselves: 'It's too scary, I don't understand the system, I can't afford it," said 39-year-old Thiam, who started Kepaarel, a cafe and co-working space geared toward mothers in Senegal's capital Dakar.This may soon change. Senegal in December became the second African country after Tunisia to pass a so-called start-up act – a law providing tax breaks and other benefits to innov…
yenisafak.com/en/world/senegals-start-up-act-to-boost-female-led-business-in-first-for-west-africa-3512519

Pan African Film & Arts Festival returns to L.A
Ed Rampell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-20
LOS ANGELES–One of the top ways to celebrate Black History Month–and the moviegoing experience in general–is to attend the Los Angeles-based 28th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival. PAFF focuses on Black-themed films, ranging from studio pictures to indie productions, with works from Hollywood, the USA, Mother Africa, the Caribbean, Melanesia (the Black South …
peoplesworld.org/article/pan-african-film-arts-festival-returns-to-l-a/

Mass Student Movement in the United States Began Six Decades Ago
Abayomi Azikiwe | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
On February 1, 1960, four African American students from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University sat down at a racially segregated lunch counter in the F.W. Woolworth Department store in downtown Greensboro to demand service. | This act of civil disobedience …
globalresearch.ca/mass-student-movement-united-states-began-six-decades-ago/5704154

Central African Republic: Security Council reflects on peace deal anniversary
news.un.org | 2020-02-20
One year after the signing of a peace deal in the Central African Republic (CAR), State authority is being extended throughout the country, violence against civilians has decreased, and an inclusive Government remains in place, the UN Security Council heard on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057731

Mike Bloomberg attacked on all fronts during Democratic debate
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-20
New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg was savaged by his Democratic rivals on his first debate on the presidential campaign trail.Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who was once a Republican, was forced to defend his record and past comments related to race, gender and his personal wealth in a rocky debate stage debut in Las Vegas.Bernie Sanders lashed out at Bloomberg's policing policies as New York City mayor that he said targeted "African-American and Latinos in an outrageous way".Elizabeth Warren made repeated attacks on Bloomberg. She raised issues such as his vast wealth, his offensive remarks about policin…
thecanary.co/us/us-news-us/2020/02/20/mike-bloomberg-attacked-on-all-fronts-during-democratic-debate/

'Deliberate starvation' tactics used in South Sudan could be a war crime
news.un.org | 2020-02-20
The people of South Sudan have been "deliberately starved" in different parts of the country for ethnic and political reasons, and sexual violence against women and men as a weapon of war is ongoing, UN investigators said on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057751

Guterres 'deeply concerned' over deadly assault in north-west Cameroon
news.un.org | 2020-02-18
The United Nations Secretary-General has extended his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in an attack on a village in north-west Cameroon.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057571

As Libya talks resume in Geneva, UN negotiator seeks to overcome sticking points
news.un.org | 2020-02-18
Talks to end fighting in Libya have resumed in Geneva, where UN negotiator Ghassan Salamé said that ongoing clashes must end for there to be a chance for progress.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057631

Africa: A year of record climate disasters
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-18
Climate Nnimmo BasseyIssue 1254 Africa Paris agreement Climate DebtFebruary 18, 2020While the world literally burns from climate and political turmoil, it is possible for Africa and other vulnerable regions…
greenleft.org.au/content/africa-year-record-climate-disasters

Detroit Overtaxed Residents by $600M, Causing Foreclosure Crisis. Residents Are Now Fighting Back
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-14
In Detroit, a showdown between progressive lawmakers and the city is taking on racist housing policies that robbed African Americans in Detroit of their homes and widened the racial wealth gap. On Thursday, the Coalition for Property Tax Justice announced a class-action lawsuit against the city of Detroit, Wayne County and the state of Michigan in response to unfair property tax foreclosures. One in four Detroit properties have been subject to property tax foreclosure, a level comparable only to tax foreclosure rates during the Great Depression. According to legal experts, many of the foreclosures were caused by…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/14/detroit_class_action_lawsuit_foreclosures

Did Amy Klobuchar Send an Innocent Teenager to Life in Prison? Questions Mount over Her Record as DA
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-13
After a surprising third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is attempting to gain ground in the national polls. But Klobuchar is also facing mounting scrutiny over her record as a district attorney in Minnesota. The Minneapolis NAACP, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities and other racial justice groups recently called on Klobuchar to suspend her presidential campaign following a shocking investigation by the Associated Press. The AP report centered on the case of Myon Burrell, an African-American teenager who was sentenced to life in prison over the 2002 murder of 11-year-old Tye…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/13/amy_klobuchar_myon_burrell

Weekend Read: 2020: African Americans and the Vote
splcenter.org | 2020-01-29
Historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926 established "Negro History Week" to celebrate the contributions to our nation made by Black people.
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/01/weekend-read-2020-african-americans-and-vote