RT (2020-01-28). French defense minister warns Pentagon against cutting US military assistance in W. Africa. rt.com French Defense Minister Florence Parly has warned her US counterpart during a visit to the Pentagon that counter-terrorism efforts in West Africa would be negatively affected by a reduction in US military assistance. | "The US support is critical to our operations and its reduction would severely limit our effectiveness against terrorists," Parly said a joint news conference, standing alongside US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday. | Esper said no decisions had been made. However, he did not suggest any reconsideration of potential cuts to US forces in the region as he looks to focus more on challenges fr…

RT (2020-01-28). Libya's Tripoli-based government says it downed Haftar's drone, 'must be your own' his forces respond (PHOTOS). rt.com The UN-recognized Libyan government said it downed a drone operated by the UAE on behalf of Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar. But his forces said Tripoli must have shot down its own aircraft. | Photos of the drone wreckage, as well as the presumed moment of its downing near the northwestern city of Misrata, have been circulating online, but its ownership remains disputed. The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) said the drone was operated by the United Arab Emirates, the allies of Haftar. But his Libyan National Army (LNA) said the aircraft was not theirs and presumably belonged to Turkey…

Staff (2020-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Lawyers Says He Did No Wrong as Calls Mount for Bolton and Other Witnesses to Testify | , Trump to Unveil Middle East "Peace Plan" as Netanyahu Indicted over Corruption, SCOTUS Allows Trump's "Public Charge" Rule Targeting Low-Income Immigrants to Take Effect, State Dept. Bars NPR Reporter from Upcoming Pompeo Trip, Washington Post Suspends Reporter for Tweet About Kobe Bryant Rape Allegation, Mixed Accounts After U.S. Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan, Torrential Rains and Landslides Kill At Least 46 People in Brazil, Nigerian Journalist Maxwell Nashan Killed, 2nd Accuser Testifies in Weinstein Trial a…

Citizen Film (2020-01-28). African Americans & The Vote: Film Screening & Exhibit Opening. indybay.org San Francisco African American Historical & Cultural Society | 762 Fulton Street, 2nd Floor | San Francisco, CA 94102…

yenisafak (2020-01-28). African Union says coronavirus not confirmed on continent. yenisafak.com Surveillance and screening on the novel coronavirus is being enhanced across Africa as reports of the existence of the virus on the continent remain yet unconfirmed, a senior African Union (AU) official said Tuesday.Diseases Control and Prevention director John Nkengasong told reporters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa that "rumors" would likely circulate around suspected coronavirus cases, without rejecting the risk of Africa importing the virus given the continent's strong links with China.Concerns have mounted after reports emerged on a suspected coronavirus case in Ivory Coast on Monday."It is very possib…

yenisafak (2020-01-28). Shells fired by Haftar forces kill, injure children in Libya. yenisafak.com Several children were killed and injured on Tuesday as forces loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar targeted a school compound in the capital Tripoli, according to the UN-recognized government."The tragedy occurred due to the fall of indiscriminate shells fired by the war criminal Khalifa Haftar, one of which landed in the backyard of a school in the Al-Hadba Badri area," said a statement by the Government of National Accord."Initial reports suggest a number of children were killed and injured," the statement added.

yenisafak (2020-01-28). Russia urges Libyan military committee to convene soon. yenisafak.com Russia has urged to convene the Libyan military committee at the earliest to address the issue of cease-fire.Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Tuesday he expects a dialogue within the format in Geneva will pave the way for lasting peace in the region."We urge that they convene as soon as possible. […] The main thing is to stop the fighting and establish an inclusive, inter-Libyan dialogue. The main and primary task is to initiate contacts between Libyans so that they reach a consensus on all these proposals," Bogdanov told reporters in Moscow.He added that the cease-fire in Libya following the ca…

yenisafak (2020-01-28). Algeria president holds meeting with military officials. yenisafak.com Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune held a meeting with the country's military leadership, the presidency said in a statement on Tuesday."The President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune in his capacity as Commander in Chief of the armed forces and Minister of Defense has visited the headquarters of the National Defense Ministry and held a work-meeting," the statement said.It was Tebboune's first meeting with the military leadership since he took the office in Dec. 19.On Dec. 23, Algerian military's Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaid Saleh died at the age of 79 following a heart attack.Gen. Said Chengriha,…

news.un (2020-01-27). Libya: UN report urges accountability for deadly attack against migrant centre. news.un.org Warring parties in Libya, as well as foreign governments supporting them, are being urged to investigate deadly airstrikes last July which killed at least 53 migrants and refugees at a detention centre in the northwest of the country.

Eva Bartlett (2020-01-27). US to Grant $35 Million to Promote Its "Fake News Bubble" in Syria and Control Local Media. globalresearch.ca Although Western media has a shoddy track record of lying on Syria (and Libya, Iraq…), the US State Department will pump $35 million more into future war propaganda on Syria, under the guise of promoting honest reporting. | A US State …

Staff (2020-01-27). Headlines for January 27, 2020. democracynow.org Impeachment Trial Resumes as Leaked Bolton Manuscript Bolsters Democrats' Case, Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 81 in China as Disease Spreads Around the World, Pentagon: 34 U.S. Troops Have Brain Injuries After Iranian Attack on Iraqi Airbase, Deadly Crackdown on Iraqi Protests Continue as 100,000s March Against U.S. Military Presence, Turkey Earthquake Kills 38; At Least 1,600 Hospitalized, Ugandan Activist Vanessa Nakate Slams Racist Media After Being Cropped from Photo with White Activists, Trump Attends Anti-Abortion "March for Life" as Admin Continues Assault on Reproductive Rights, High-Ranking Pharma Exec…

teleSUR (2020-01-27). Tunisia's 2011 Revolution Symbol, Lina Ben Mhenni Dies Aged 36. telesurenglish.net Tunisian human rights activist and blogger Lina Ben Mhenni, one of the principal symbols of the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime autocrat RELATED: |

teleSUR (2020-01-26). Colombia: Ex-FARC Member and Peace Deal Signatory Assassinated. telesurenglish.net Former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) member and peace agreement signatory John Freddy Vargas was murdered Saturday after attending a meeting in a church in Huila. | RELATED: | Vargas, 42, was shot multiple times while he was on a motorcycle with his girlfriend, after the meeting with officials from the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN). | "The event took place when the victim was ridin…

news.un (2020-01-24). FROM THE FIELD: Niger supporting the most vulnerable, as crises mount. news.un.org The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance in Niger, a country which the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, says is "being assaulted on all fronts", is expected to increase in 2020.

Fight Back (2020-01-24). President plans to expand travel ban to more countries. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – The Wall Street Journal reported this week that President Trump wants to expand his travel ban to Nigeria, Sudan, Belarus, Myanmar, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan and Eritrea. January 27 will be the third anniversary of Trump's first executive order, which was his first attempt at a Muslim ban. AP, BuzzFeed, CNN and other media outlets have previously reported that the White House could announce a dramatic expansion of the ban on or around that date. | The MN Anti-War Committee organized multiple protests, including one of 15,000 people in downtown Minneapolis in January 2017, to protest the Trump's Musli…

Staff (2020-01-23). "The New Colossus": In New Play, Tim Robbins Tackles Immigration & Xenophobia. democracynow.org President Trump said Wednesday that he would expand his highly controversial travel ban, which already bars citizens from seven countries, most of which have Muslim-majority populations — Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela — from entering the United States. Politico reports that the expanded ban could implement immigration restrictions on seven more countries: Belarus, Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania, according to two sources. We speak with acclaimed actor, director and activist Tim Robbins, whose recent work has focused on immigration to the United S…

news.un (2020-01-21). Joint UN-Congolese strategy needed to address insecurity following deadly attacks. news.un.org Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the UN peacekeeping operation in the country, MONUSCO, are being urged to develop a comprehensive joint strategy to address insecurity in Beni territory, located in the east.