African Union Uncertain in Era of Coups

African Union Uncertain in Era of Coups

Freedomist Curator February 7, 2022

African Union condemns ‘wave’ of coups, suspends debate on Israel ties

From www.france24.com
2022-02-06 16:48:43
NEWS WIRES
Excerpt:

The African Union has condemned a recent “wave” of military coups that has seen an unprecedented number of member states suspended from the bloc, a senior official said Sunday, the last day of its annual summit.

The putsches were among the main issues expected to be discussed at the summit, along with the AU’s ties to Israel and its response to a grinding war in the north of host country Ethiopia.

Less than two weeks before the summit began Saturday, Burkina Faso became the fourth country to be suspended by the AU after disgruntled soldiers toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

Guinea, Mali and Sudan are also currently suspended.

“Every African leader in the assembly has condemned unequivocally… the wave of unconstitutional changes of government,” Bankole Adeoye, head of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, told a press conference Sunday.

“Do your research: At no time in the history of the African Union have we had four countries in one calendar year, in 12 months, been suspended,” Adeoye said.

Read Full Article

Germany Looks to Send Troops to Lithuania

Freedomist Curator February 7, 2022

Germany may send more troops to Lithuania, Scholz signals

From www.channelnewsasia.com
2022-02-06 21:18:14

Excerpt:

BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signalled on Sunday (Feb 6) he was open to deploying more troops to Lithuania to bolster NATO’s eastern flank in response to a build-up of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine.

The United States already ordered about 3,000 extra troops to bolster NATO in Poland and Romania in response to the fears of a Russian invasion of the former Soviet republic.

“We are ready to do all that is necessary to strengthen” the German-led battlegroup in Lithuania, Scholz said in an interview with ARD broadcaster shortly before his overnight flight to Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden.

The chancellor said he would discuss this with the heads of the three Baltic states who are set to visit him in Berlin next Thursday.

He nonetheless once more ruled out weapons deliveries to Ukraine due to Germany’s policy not to send arms to conflict zones – a stance rooted in the country’s bloody 20th century history that has come under scrutiny of late.

NATO deployed four multinational combat units which have some 5,000 troops in total to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in response to Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea region from Ukraine in 2014.

Read Full Article

US Hawks Russia Invasion of Ukraine Threat

Freedomist Curator February 7, 2022

Ukraine: Russia could launch invasion ‘any day’, causing ‘enormous human cost’, US says

From www.independent.co.uk
2022-02-06 22:39:52
Laurie Churchman
Excerpt:

Russia could invade Ukraine “any day,” launching a conflict that would come at an “enormous human cost”, a US official has claimed.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan offered another stark warning the day after Washington said Russia has assembled at least 70% of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well,” Sullivan said.

Read Full Article

Taliban Kill 100 Former American Friends in Afghanistan

Ivo Fysic February 1, 2022

It looks like America’s former allies have not faired so well after the hasty pullout by President Biden last year from Afghanistan. According to a UN Report, 100 of our former friends, officials of the Afghan government, are no longer alive, having been killed by the Taliban in brutal executions.

U.N. says over 100 ex-Afghan officials have been slain since Taliban takeover : NPR

From www.npr.org
2022-01-31 19:11:29
The Associated Press
Excerpt:

Newly graduated Afghan National Army personnel march during their graduation ceremony in November 2020. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report obtained by The Associated Press that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban takeover of the country.

Read Full Article

Kyrgyz Police Raid News Outlet to Plant Drugs

Mark Clouse January 26, 2022

The unstable situation in Kyrgyzstan continues as the state police have taken to raid news outlets’ offices, ostensibly conducting a drug raid, planting drugs on them and then arresting the journalists for being drug users and drug dealers. The raid happened Sunday January 23rd, 2022.

Kyrgyz Police Raid Media Outlet, Reporters Say Drugs Planted on Colleague

From www.occrp.org
2022-01-22 17:15:20

Excerpt:

Anti-drug police in Kyrgyzstan have raided the office of TemirovLive, an independent news outlet that focuses on exposing high-level corruption, telling reporters that an unknown woman had accused Bolot Temirov, the award-winning investigative journalist who leads the outlet, of forcing her to take drugs.

However, a colleague of Temirov’s said that officers planted a package of drugs on him during the raid on Saturday evening.

“They told us all to lie on the floor and not to look up, and to put our hands behind our backs,” said Aizhan Alymseitova. “They searched everyone, and told everyone to take everything out of their pockets. When they came to Bolot Temirov, they checked his back pocket and pulled out a small plastic packet.”

“They put it there themselves, and then pulled it out,” she said.

Alymseitova was speaking to a…

Read Full Article

China Population About to Shrink

Mark Clouse January 26, 2022

It looks like the Chinese state’s efforts to counter the decades-long one-child policy has not paid off, as China looks to start losing its population within the next few years.

Data Shows That China’s Population Is About to Start Actively Shrinking

From futurism.com
2022-01-22 14:23:24
Abby Lee Hood
Excerpt:

That’s actually not a good thing.

Big Shrink

China’s population may soon level off and then actively shrink as families have fewer babies and older residents age out of having children, according to new data published this week.

Annual figures show 10.62 million babies were born last year, down a staggering 11.5 percent from 12 million in 2020, the South China Morning Post reports — a troubling development that could end up hurting the country’s economy significantly in the long run and even slow its seemingly inexorable march toward global dominance.

Bad News

Many experts agree the change won’t happen overnight.

“In the next 10 to 20 years, China’s natural population growth will not continue falling, it will fluctuate around zero and could see small drops, but there will not be rapid decreases,” Chen Wei, a professor with the Population Development Studies Centre at Renmin University, told SCMP.

While experts may disagree on exactly how much the country’s population of 1.4 billion people will shrink — with some even arguing that its population could drop by half within 30 years — it’s pretty clear there are a few main causes behind the trend. For one, China didn’t ease enforcement of its one-child policy until 2013, and only raised the limit to two children per household in 2016.

It was too little too late, though, because younger families are now having a hard time making ends meet, and older families have aged out of their childbearing years.

The shrink presents a problem for China’s government and economy. According to the The New York Times, a declining population could create a burden on China’s labor force and younger workers. Because older workers may not be able to hold jobs, the government may struggle to pay for an older population that is living longer.

It might be tempting to think that slow declines in the growth of a population is a good thing given humanity’s massive carbon footprint. But there’s a real human cost to…

Read Full Article

Israel Continues to Sabotage Iran’s Nuclear Program

Mark Clouse January 26, 2022

Attack Inside Iran Nuclear Facility Is Latest in Battle With Israel

From www.businessinsider.com
2022-01-24 01:44:27

Excerpt:

According to a recent report by The Jewish Chronicle, which didn’t name or describe its sources, Mossad successfully infiltrated the Iranian supply chain and used the opportunity to sell Tehran faulty materials that caused fires at the Natanz nuclear-enrichment facility in July 2020.

The report also said Israeli intelligence officers recruited Iranian nuclear scientists who conducted sabotage at Natanz in April 2021 before being smuggled out of the country. Mossad is said to have used an unmanned aerial vehicle to attack the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company, a factory making centrifuges crucial for producing weapons-grade uranium.

Read Full Article

Sudan Junta Faces More Mass Protests

Mark Clouse January 26, 2022

Thousands protest in Sudan against military rule: AFP

From www.france24.com
2022-01-24 12:22:46

Excerpt:

Khartoum (AFP) – Thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Monday calling for civilian rule and demanding justice for those killed in crackdowns since a military coup nearly three months ago, an AFP correspondent said.

Crowds in the capital Khartoum chanting slogans against the army headed toward the presidential palace, an area which security forces had sealed off ahead of the march.

Protests were also held in cities including Wad Madani, south of the capital, and the eastern state of Gedaref, according to witnesses.

“No, no to military rule,” and “civilian (rule) is the people’s choice” protesters shouted in Wad Madani, according to witness Emad Mohamed.

Sudan has been rocked by regular protests since the October 25 military power grab led by general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The coup derailed a civilian-military power-sharing deal painstakingly negotiated after the 2019…

Read Full Article

NHS Staff Protest Covid Vaccine Mandates – UK

Mark Clouse January 26, 2022

Dentists among NHS staff marching against Covid vaccine mandate

From dentistry.co.uk

Excerpt:

Rallying together last weekend in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, workers took to the streets to demonstrate against the policy, which comes into force in the spring.

From April, healthcare workers who have not received two doses of the Covid vaccine will no longer be able to work.

Mariana Visan is an NHS dentist based in Norwich. Speaking to ITV News, she said: ‘From a personal point of view, I feel that I don’t need to be forced to do this because it’s a kind of treatment, and I know for treatment you always need to have consent.

‘And I just want my right to exercise my profession and help my patients.’

Read Full Article

Burkino Faso Soldiers Protest Weakness Against Jihadists

Mark Clouse January 25, 2022

Resisting Jihadist Takeover: Burkina Faso Protestors Demand Unresponsive President Resign

From www.cbn.com
2022-01-23 20:14:36

Excerpt:

Unruly soldiers seized control of a military base in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou on Sunday amid protests over the government’s handling of the jihadist threat.

The unrest comes one day after protesters took to the streets, demanding President Roch Marc Christian Kabore’s resignation.

Security forces in the West African country used tear gas to scatter several hundred people seeking to destroy a building occupied by the president’s political party.

Angry soldiers at the Lamizana Sangoule military barracks in the capital fired rounds of ammunition into the air Sunday, directing their rage at the president.

Today’s #gunfire in #BurkinaFaso #Burkina in some #military stations defined #mutiny – Les #tirs d’aujourd’hui definis #Mutinerie par le #gouvernement pic.twitter.com/XERhYfEJZ9

— Domenico Bruzzone (@nikiOuagadougou) January 23, 2022

“The jihadists are hitting (the country), people are dying, others are fleeing their homes. … We want Roch and his government to…