'We've seen no evidence': Social media networks blow up US officials' claim of 'Russian coronavirus disinformation campaign'
rt.com | 2020-02-29
Social media titans Twitter and Facebook poured cold water on the State Department's latest conspiracy theory, insisting they'd seen no sign "Russian operatives" were spreading falsehoods about Covid-19 on their platforms. | Weighing in after a number of senior State Department officials told AFP that thousands of "Russian malign actors" were hawking "disinformation about coronavirus" on social media, two of the largest networks have cast serious doubt on the assertion. | "In general, our investigation hasn't substantiated this cl…
rt.com/news/481983-twitter-facebook-russia-coronavirus/

Witnessing the Hell That a Migrant Can Face
Vijay Prashad | zcomm.org | 2020-02-29
At Obock, Djibouti, 2,000 migrants gather each day along the waters of the Gulf of Aden; they look for boats to get them to Yemen…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/witnessing-the-hell-that-a-migrant-can-face/

Witnessing the hell that a migrant can face
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-02-29
Roughly 11,500 people got on boats at places like Obock and Bosasso, Somalia, to go into Yemen, and then overland to Saudi Arabia, where they hope to get employment. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/29/witnessing-the-hell-that-a-migrant-can-face-2/

Hunter Biden Calls It His Painting. A Critic Calls It 'Generic Post Zombie Formalism'
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-29
The younger son of former US Vice President Joe Biden has struggled for decades with drug and alcohol abuse. He has now resorted to art to handle the traumas of the past.
sputniknews.com/us/202002291078438839-hunter-biden-calls-it-his-painting-a-critic-calls-it-generic-post-zombie-formalism/

Political legacy of Hosni Mubarak: Oppression, corruption
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-29
Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarak died on Feb. 25 at the age of 92.Born in 1928 to a poor family in Monufia province, Mubarak graduated from the military academy in 1949. Afterwards, he started to get recognized after joining the Egyptian Air Forces.The young officer closely monitored the coup d'état carried out by Gamal Abdel Nasser with nationalist officers known as the "Free Officers" in 1952 and the immediate transformation.The defeat against Israel at the end of the 1967 Six-Day Wars threw the nationalist policies into crisis in Egypt, which greatly weakened Egypt's leadership role and influence in the re…
yenisafak.com/en/news/political-legacy-of-hosni-mubarak-oppression-corruption-3513008

Doctors Without Borders: Cheap Coronavirus Diagnostic Kits Needed in War-Torn Areas & Refugee Camps
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-28
Across the U.S., officials report a severe shortage of test kits for coronavirus. New York officials say they're preparing their own kits, after kits distributed by the Centers for Disease Control failed validation tests. Meanwhile, new cases of coronavirus continue to spring up worldwide, with Nigeria reporting its first case and one of Iran's vice presidents testing positive. We discuss how MSF USA, or Doctors Without Borders USA, is responding to coronavirus, with the organization's executive director, Avril BenoàÆt.
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/28/avril_benoit_msf_usa_coronavirus

Providing Security in the Sahel: A 'Traffic Jam' of Military Interventions, and Al Qaeda Terrorists
Signe M. Cold-Ravnkilde | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
Despite the presence of multiple military actors in West Africa's Sahel region, a steady growth in jihadi activity seems to thrive in the presence of foreign military operations. With their focus on fighting cross-border terrorism and reconstructing 'failed states', while …
globalresearch.ca/traffic-jam-military-interventions/5704917

Nigeria Confirms 1st case of New Virus in Sub-Saharan Africa
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
An Italian man who has been confirmed as Nigeria's first coronavirus case after arriving from Milan was in the country for almost two full days, traveling through Lagos and visiting another state before being isolated. | RELATED: | WHO Warns Against Danger of Complacency in Coronavirus Fight | The man works for cement company Lafarge Africa PLC in the southwestern state of Ogun, the company said in a statement. | The Ogun state governor, in a separate media briefing, said…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nigeria-Confirms-1st-case-of-New-Virus-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa-20200228-0012.html

Amy Klobuchar's wrongful convictions, Twitterstorm will demand justice for Myon Burrell
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-28
Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, February 28, activists will be making noise on Twitter and other social media platforms to demand freedom for Myon Burrell and urging voters to reject Amy Klobuchar, who is responsible for his wrongful conviction. The Twitterstorm is being initiated by Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) using the hashtags #FreeMyon and #NoAmyK to spread their message. | Organizers say presidential hopeful Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar has used Myon's case – a case full of holes – to claim success as Hennepin County attorney and as an example of her work for the African American c…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/27/amy-klobuchar-s-wrongful-convictions-twitterstorm-will-demand-justice-myon-burrell

Wait, what? Biden claims he'll 'appoint' first African-American woman to US Senate in fresh gaffe
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Joe Biden has aroused concerns after misspeaking yet again in public, this time in front of an audience in South Carolina, promising voters he would "appoint" the first African-American woman to the US Senate. | From accidentally pitching himself as a Senate candidate to having to admit a bizarre story about being arrested trying to see Nelson Mandela was false, the Democratic presidential hopeful has had his fair…
rt.com/usa/481966-biden-african-american-woman-senate/

UN-brokered Libya talks show 'seriousness', reach draft ceasefire deal
news.un.org | 2020-02-27
The second round of the United Nations-facilitated talks to end fighting in Libya concluded on Sunday in Geneva with "seriousness of purpose and goodwill" in Geneva on Sunday, the UN said today.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058211

Somalia: Further consensus-building needed ahead of 'historic' election
news.un.org | 2020-02-27
Lack of political consensus on national priorities could threaten further progress in Somalia which is preparing to hold its first "one-person, one-vote" election in 50 years, UN Special Representative James Swan told the Security Council on Monday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058251

African Union Plans to Deploy 3,000 Troops to Sahel Region
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-27
The African Union (AU) announced Thursday at a press conference that it is planning to send 3,000 temporary troops to the restive West African Sahel region, where local forces are struggling to contain a nearly eight-year-old insurgency by Islamist groups. | RELATED: | France to Send 600 Additional Troops to African Sahel Region | "On the decision of the summit to work on deploying a force of 3,000 troops to help the Sahel countries degrade terrorist groups, I think this is…
telesurenglish.net/news/African-Union-Plans-to-Deploy-3000-Troops-to-Sahel-Region-20200227-0022.html

'Africa has both the energy and the determination' to make sustainable development happen, says UN deputy chief
news.un.org | 2020-02-26
The United Nations and the African Union (AU) should do more to ensure all Africans see their futures in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)and the goals of Africa's Agenda 2063, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on Tuesday in Zimbabwe.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058161

Bernie Sanders Gains Support in South Carolina as Billionaire Tom Steyer Draws Votes from Joe Biden
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-26
Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate comes just four days before South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary

Trudeau Enables Corporate Canada to Exploit Ethiopia's Minerals
Yves Engler | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-25
The Federal government wants Canadian corporations to profit from Ethiopia's minerals. During his recent trip to the Horn of Africa country Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). As I detailed in this article, bilateral investment treaties with African countries are overwhelmingly designed to solidify the position of Canadian mining interests. Alongside the …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/trudeau-enables-corporate-canada-to-exploit-ethiopias-minerals/

More funding needed to combat locust swarms 'unprecedented in modern times'
news.un.org | 2020-02-25
Along with climate shocks, conflict and acute food insecurity, the East Africa region now faces a hunger threat from desert locusts, top UN relief officials warned on Tuesday, saying action now, will avert a major food crisis later.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058041