(2020-12-13). Armed group abducts nearly 400 male students in Nigeria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — An armed group has abducted nearly 400 male students at a boarding school in northern Nigeria, local media outlets reported on Saturday.
(2020-12-12). Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It. commondreams.org Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/georgia_primary.jpg …
(2020-12-12). Israel establishes 'formal diplomatic relations' with Bhutan. middleeasteye.net 
Israel establishes 'formal diplomatic relations' with Bhutan | Himalayan kingdom is latest country to recognise Israel in a normalisation deal, days after Morocco signed agreement | Sat, 12/12/2020 – 23: 25 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the agreement with Bhutan, saying that his country was 'in contact with other countries that want to establish relations with' Israel…
(2020-12-12). Israel-Morocco deal: Palestinians and Sahrawis hope for renewed solidarity. middleeasteye.net 
Israel-Morocco deal: Palestinians and Sahrawis hope for renewed solidarity | Activists have long linked the two people's struggles, and hope the latest normalisation deal will encourage the Palestinian leadership to do the same | Sat, 12/12/2020 – 10: 26 | Supporters of the Polisario Front separatist movement hold a banner reading "All for Palestine, all for Western Sahara" during a demonstratio…
(2020-12-12). [World Report] Humanitarian access deal for Tigray. thelancet.com Humanitarian groups will be allowed into Tigray, Ethiopia, where conflict has displaced thousands and strained health services. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2020-12-12). [Clinical Picture] Occult fracture in teenager's tibia revealed by MRI. thelancet.com A 13-year-old girl presented with a 2-week history of mild pain in her right knee. She reported no recent injury. x-rays showed a high-density linear abnormality with a periosteal reaction in the proximal right tibia (figure), which medical staff, at the hospital where she was first seen, thought might have been a tumour of the bone.
(2020-12-12). Nigeria's Security Agents Have Committed Crimes — ICC Prosecutor. popularresistance.org She announced the conclusion of the preliminary examination in a statement Friday and recommended an investigation into the crimes committed. | "Following a thorough process, I can announce today that the statutory criteria for opening an investigation into the situation in Nigeria have been met", she said. | Her conclusion about Nigeria's security agents was at the heart of the #EndsARS protest in October, which the authorities also crushed. | Her finding verbatim: we have also found a reasonable basis to believe that members of the Nigerian Security Forces ("NSF") have committed the following acts constituting…
(2020-12-11). U.S. Recognizes Morocco's Occupation of Western Sahara in Latest Betrayal of Sahrawi People. democracynow.org 
We continue to examine the U.S.-brokered deal between Morocco and Israel to normalize relations. As part of the deal, the U.S. will become the first country in the world to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, which Morocco has occupied since 1975 in defiance of the international community. We convene a roundtable to discuss developments: Mouloud Said, a representative of the Polisario Front in Washington; Stephen Zunes, professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco; and Sahrawi journalist and activist Nazha El-Khalidi.
(2020-12-11). 'Algerians are hurting': Dinar's dramatic fall deepens economic woes. middleeasteye.net 
'Algerians are hurting': Dinar's dramatic fall deepens economic woes | Coronavirus and sharp drop in oil prices have exposed decades of failure to diversify away from natural resources, experts tell MEE | Fri, 12/11/2020 – 09: 35 | Once boasting wealthy resources, the North African country has seen its foreign exchange reserves significantly depleted in the last few years (AFP/file photo)…
(2020-12-11). Which Middle Eastern and North African countries have normalised relations with Israel? middleeasteye.net 
Which Middle Eastern and North African countries have normalised relations with Israel? | Morocco joins a handful of countries in the region to have made official diplomatic relations with Israel | Fri, 12/11/2020 – 14: 30 | Egypt under president Anwar Sadat (left), shaking hands with then-Israeli premier Menachem Begin in front of US president Jimmy Carter, became in 1979 the first Arab country to forma…
(2020-12-11). Ethiopia: UN refugee agency calls for 'unfettered access' to Tigray. news.un.org Amidst "disturbing reports" from Ethiopians fleeing to Sudan, the UN refugee agency called on Friday for "unfettered access to Tigray in order to reach people in need".
(2020-12-11). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Strike ballots across many sectors in UK including education, hospitals and health, transport, local government and British Airways; local government strike in Niger state threatens to spread to port and oil workers in Nigeria.
(2020-12-11). Trump Deal to Trade Occupied Western Sahara for Morocco Normalizing Ties With Israel Denounced Worldwide. commondreams.org "Only the people of Western Sahara can decide their own future as they have an inalienable right to self-determination recognized by the U.N.," said one Sahrawi official. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/women_1.jpg …
(2020-12-11). Sahrawis condemn US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. peoplesdispatch.org In return of US recognition of its rights over Western Sahara, Morocco has agreed to "normalize" its relations with Israel. The United Nations and the majority of the world does not recognize Moroccan claims of sovereignty over the territory.
(2020-12-10). What is Western Sahara and why does Morocco claim sovereignty over it? middleeasteye.net 
What is Western Sahara and why does Morocco claim sovereignty over it? | Region has been claimed by both Morocco and Polisario Front, an independence movement that has long awaited political referendum | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 19: 33 | People demonstrate in support of Sahrawi people's rights in Malaga, Spain, on 28 November (AFP) | Often referred to as Africa's last colony, Western Sahara has come to the forefront…
(2020-12-10). Libya's Haftar releases detained Turkish ship. middleeasteye.net 
Libya's Haftar releases detained Turkish ship | The cargo ship was released after paying a fine to the eastern Libya commander's forces following threats by Turkey | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 14: 50 | In this file photo taken on 19 October,2020 in Istanbul shows Turkey's third drilling ship 'Kanuni' as it enters the Bosphorus near Haydarpasa port (AFP) | Forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar have relea…
(2020-12-10). Nigerians call for a "second wave" of protests after police officer kills a young man. thecanary.co On 10 December, a Nigerian police officer shot and
(2020-12-10). The Blockade: Qatar and Saudi Arabia Approach Historic Breakthrough. globalresearch.ca Since June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia ordered a land, air, and sea blockade on Qatar and severed diplomatic ties, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Bahrain. The self-styled "Anti-Terror Quartet" issued Doha 13 demands, including closing media …
(2020-12-10). US Africa Command to Get Budget Boost Amid Somalia Withdrawal. sputniknews.com The Pentagon and Congress have been debating for more than a year about what to do with the nearly 6,000 US military and civilian personnel in Africa. While US President Donald Trump recently ordered the withdrawal of US troops from Somalia, a leading Pentagon figure clarified they weren't leaving the continent.
(2020-12-10). Israel's Honeymoon with the United Arab Emirates Is Grotesque. globalresearch.ca Since normalizing relations in September, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have teamed up to do what both do best: trample on democratic freedoms, commit atrocities, and whitewash occupation. | *** | Back in 2010, the New York Times' Thomas Friedman …
(2020-12-09). Sudan's civilian rulers fear new body's powers may derail democracy hopes. middleeasteye.net 
Sudan's civilian rulers fear new body's powers may derail democracy hopes | Politicians and analysts warn of the risks of a coup in Sudan following creation of a ruling council by country's military chief | Wed, 12/09/2020 – 15: 49 | Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Sovereign Council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attend the opening session of the First National Economic Conference i…