Washington’s system of managing biological risks in other countries was tested in Ukraine and Georgia, the Russian military says | Africa has become a focal point of interest for the US government, which views the region as an unlimited natural reservoir of dangerous pathogens and a testing ground for experimental medical treatments, the Russian military has reported. ● The Russian Ministry of Defense continues to scrutinize the military-biological activities of the US in Ukraine and other regions worldwide. Previously, attention was drawn to the transfer of unfinished Ukrainian projects to post-Soviet states and Southeast Asia. ● According to Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, the deputy chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, Washington’s system for managing biological risks in other countries was tested in Ukraine and Georgia, and is now actively employed in Africa.

■ US biolab activity in Africa: Russia’s country-by-country analysis (RT)
■ Pentagon’s African Biolabs: Russia Warns of a Global Pathogen Threat (Sputnik)

Tarik Cyril Amar | Foreign Secretary David Lammy launched into a weird rant against Russia, accusing it of the crimes Britain has committed | There are intriguing and disappointing – though not surprising – continuities between Great Britain under the conservative Tories and the current iteration under a hardly less rightwing version of the Labour party. Crony corruption scandals that reveal the British political elite as comically greedy and petty are already erupting again. Ordinary people still face an unforgiving search for “austerity”; indeed, given recent Labour moves on the budget, for instance on the winter fuel allowance, affecting over ten million frequently vulnerable pensioners, the so-called “Left” is now outdoing the Right in cruelty toward the common man and woman. And the fairly new prime minister, Keir Starmer, is already as deeply unpopular as his predecessor Rishi Sunak was when he called the elections that predictably finished him off. [...] Politically, this is just another way in which semi-smart people fool semi-simple people. But there is a more serious, moral dimension as well. It is a truly and abjectly colonial and imperialist move to exploit the massive suffering – almost exclusively at the hands of the West – as well as the hard-won insights and hard-fought resistance of what we now call the Global South so as to feed them into the cheap propaganda that the West now uses to sell its geopolitics-101 proxy war in Ukraine as an issue of ‘rules’ and ‘values’. And yet that is precisely what David Lammy has done. What a disgrace.

Nigeria has announced it will begin selling CRUDE OIL in local currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. | Nigeria is one of the Top 15 countries in the world for crude oil production. It has the eighth largest oil reserves globally and is the sixth largest Exporter of oil. De-dollarization continues, unabated. The world is finally "on to" the United States and its Fiat currency. They're calling it a "US-dollar Ponzi scheme." Let this sink in...[...] This isn’t just unsustainable, it’s the greatest Ponzi scheme the world has ever known. Fiat currency, printed and devalued at will, has turned the global economy into a ticking time bomb. When this system collapses, it won’t be the Western elites who pay the price, it will be you.

Algiers is now playing an increasingly important role in ensuring EU energy security and is itself moving toward economic sovereignty | In the spring of 2022, at the height of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU began thinking about abandoning Russian gas supplies and reducing energy consumption as much as possible. EU countries began looking elsewhere, and one of the places they focused their attention on was Algeria. ● Now, two years later, Algeria is the largest pipeline gas supplier to the EU and continues to occupy the leading position in Africa in natural gas production and exports. But its position in a number of international issues is now posing a threat to supplies to Europe, and the countries of the European Mediterranean have to compromise in their foreign policy in order not to lose such an important source of energy.

Andrew Korybko | Mali and Niger cut ties with Ukraine after its military-intelligence representative admitted that Kiev backs groups that they consider to be terrorists. | The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticized Mali’s decision to cut off ties following GUR representative Andrey Yusov’s boast that Ukraine was behind the Tuaregs’ ambush of Wagner there late last month that reportedly killed several dozen fighters. He said at the time that “The rebels received the necessary information and not just information, which allowed them to conduct a successful military operation against Russian war criminals. We certainly will not disclose details at this time; to be continued.”  ■  Fellow Sahelian Alliance/Confederation member Niger then followed Mali’s lead by doing the same, while their shared Burkinabe ally has yet to do so even though it also condemned this and President Ibrahim Traore recently drew attention to how Ukrainian arms have helped fuel his country’s conflict.

If convicted, some of the defendants could be sentenced to death or hefty prison terms as Judge Freddy Ehume stated that the Americans' charges are “punishable by death.” | The trial of the failed effort to overthrow the government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has begun in Kinshasa, involving 50 suspects, of whom three are American and three others are from the UK, Canada, and Belgium. ● The defendants appeared at a military court on Friday in Kinshasha where they face counts of criminal conspiracy, murder, terrorism, and other charges for their suspected roles in last month’s failed coup attempt. ● If convicted, some of the defendants could be sentenced to death or hefty prison terms as Judge Freddy Ehume stated that the Americans' charges are “punishable by death.”

■ Americans put on trial over failed African coup attempt (RT.com)

Algeria and France signed an agreement concerning the memory and retrieval of Algerian archives from the period of French colonization (1830 - 1962), according to media reports | The Algerian History and Memory Committee, represented by its chairman, historian Lahcen Zeghidi, signed the agreement and joint memorandum with the French Truth and Memory Commission, represented by historian Benjamin Stora, Algeria International Radio reported.

💬 "The signing ceremony, which took place in the capital, Algiers, followed the conclusion of the fifth meeting of the Algeria-France Joint Commission on History and Memory," it said.​​​​​​​ ● The agreement aims to "retrieve the Algerian archives from the colonial era and possessions of immeasurable historical value to the hearts of the Algerian people."

The fifth meeting of the joint Commission began last Monday in Algiers, which Zeghidi previously described as "procedural and practical" without revealing details. No additional information was provided about the content of the agreement.

🫣 pic.twitter.com/47ladk7epD

— S p r i n t e r F a c t o r y (@Sprinterfactory) May 13, 2023

                                            (ENLARGE Images)

Investigation by Middle East Eye reveals that a company owned by an ally of the Egyptian president may have earned at least $118m in three months | A company owned by an influential Egyptian businessman and ally of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is making around $2m a day from Palestinians fleeing Israel's war on Gaza, Middle East Eye can reveal. ● Hala Consulting and Tourism Services, a firm owned by Sinai tribal leader and business tycoon Ibrahim al-Organi, has been charging Palestinians crossing from Gaza's Rafah to Egypt at least $5,000 per adult and $2,500 for children under 16. ● It has a monopoly on providing transfer services at the Rafah crossing, the only Gaza exit not bordered with Israel and the single route out of the coastal enclave for Palestinians.

A number of countries around the world have begun withdrawing their Gold Bullion from storage in the United States over fears about the US Financial System! It's not only our Financial System, it was the FORCIBLE SEIZURE of Russia's Sovereign Wealth Funds; the world now sees the USA as nothing more than a Den of Thieves! | Over the past ten days, at least FOUR (4) countries have decided to pull their Gold reserves from the United States: Cameroun, Ghana, Nigeria, and a fourth country.

 ● Cameroon: This movement is provoking discussions about the broader implications for international finance. It highlights the importance of diversification and risk management to navigate the complexities of the global economic landscape.
 ● Ghana’s decision to repatriate its gold reserves from the United States reflects a strategic move towards safeguarding against economic volatility and asserting greater control over its financial destiny.

The European Union announced a 7.4 billion euro ($8.1 billion) funding package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt on Sunday. | The agreement lifts the EU's relationship with Egypt to a "strategic partnership" and was unveiled as a delegation of leaders visited Cairo. It is designed to boost cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade and security, while delivering grants, loans and other funding over the next three years to support Egypt's faltering economy. ● The proposed funding includes 5 billion euros in concessional loans and 1.8 billion euros of investments, according to a summary published by the EU. Another 600 million euros would be provided in grants, including 200 million euros for managing migration. ● Such deals were "the best way to address migratory flows", said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who travelled to Cairo alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president.

■ Any forced displacement of Palestinians into Egypt ‘unacceptable,’ Greek premier says (Anadolu)

Using a new avatar of the paramilitary group, Putin is strengthening Russia’s presence in the North African country. | With the gaze of much of the world fixed on the carnage unfolding in Gaza, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin continues to expand his country’s reach in Africa. ● Russia, in the form of the private military contractor (PMC) Wagner, has been a growing presence in Libya since at least 2018, when the group was first reported to be training troops under renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army, forces belonging to the eastern of the country’s two parliaments. But, following the death of Wagner’s founder and former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, after his failed coup in Russia last year, the fate of the paramilitary force in Libya and Africa seemed uncertain.

The International Court of Justice [ICJ] refuses to grant South Africa's request for the tribunal to impose "urgent measures" aimed at safeguarding the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which faces the imminent threat of an “Israeli” ground invasion. | Known as the world court, the tribunal said in a statement on Friday that the "perilous situation" in Rafah "demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures" that it had ordered January 26. It said no new order was necessary because the existing measures "are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah." ● The court added that the “Israeli” entity "remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention" and the January 26 ruling, which ordered the regime to do all it can to prevent death, destruction, and any acts of genocide in Gaza.

■ Israel should do everything it is asked to do by UN court: Portugal (aNews)
■ Netanyahu says Israel will not 'succumb to international dictates,' as he insists on attacking Rafah (Anadolu)

Algeria requested the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to vote on a draft resolution that demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, a move the United States - a council veto power – has pledged to veto. | According to diplomatic sources quoted by media, the 15-member body is likely to vote on Tuesday on the resolution sought by Algeria demanding an “immediate” truce in Gaza. Algeria put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. ● The draft resolution rejects “the forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population” and demands “all parties to comply with international law” and calls for full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip. It also calls for the full implementation of the provisional measures announced by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late January, in the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel.

■ Israel bombs Gaza as US threatens to block new UN ceasefire resolution (The New Arab)

The story of Israel’s ambitious plan to grab the Sinai Peninsula, or at least part of it, from Egypt, goes back to around 57 years ago. It involved pro-Israel lobbyists in the West, and started to raise questions about the legitimacy of Egypt’s sovereignty over the strategic territory after the June 1967 Six Day War, British documents unearthed at the National Archives in Kew reveal. | During the war, Israel occupied Sinai, along with the West Bank and Gaza in Palestine, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights. The Sinai Peninsula covers an area of about 61,000 square km, approximately six per cent of Egypt’s total area, and is equivalent to nearly a quarter of the area of Israel. ● The documents show that although Britain’s position was that Egyptian sovereignty over Sinai was evident, it considered the judicial status of this sovereignty a “card” to use when it served British interests. Ever since the 1967 war, they reveal, the Israelis “have from time to time flown a number of exploratory kites on the future of Sinai.”

Sylvia Chebet | Germany's backing of Israel against genocide charges at the International Court of Justice has infuriated Namibia, whose indigenous people bore the brunt of German soldiers' bloodlust 120 years ago. | The remains of an estimated 70,000 Namibians who perished in what is considered the first genocide of the 20th century lie under the dunes of the sprawling Namib Desert. Many others were washed into the depths of the ice-cold waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. This colonial-era genocide of numbing proportions was perpetrated by German forces on the indigenous Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908. [...] In 2021, after years of negotiations, Germany formally acknowledged the blot on its colonial history as "a genocide". By way of reparation, the European nation agreed to fund projects in Namibia worth US $1.3 billion over 30 years for its role in the mass killings. ● But even before the dust could settle on the injustices of 120 years ago, Germany made a decision that shocked Namibia and reopened old wounds. The German government pledged to intervene on Israel's behalf in the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague over what is widely regarded as a "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza.

In 2024, billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates is planning to spend more money than ever before on new health "innovations" for the world's poorest countries, some of which are already receiving shipments of his latest malaria "vaccines." | At the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Gates was asked by reporters about his plans for the coming year, which include unleashing not only new malaria injections but also jabs for tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and even the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). ● Around the same time, Cameroon launched the world's first malaria vaccination program using Gates' injections. Reports indicate that the shots are only about 13 percent effective, but can supposedly reach a 90 percent effectiveness rate when used in conjunction with mosquito nets and malaria tablets. ● Worded more accurately, the shots themselves are useless, and the nets and tablets are what does all the actual work. This was shown in tests where prophylactic doses of malaria drugs all on their own are already 90 percent effective at preventing malaria.

“Israeli” officials are in talks with Rwanda and Chad to receive Palestinians pushed out of the Gaza Strip, the “Israeli” news site Zman Yisrael reported on Friday. | Both countries expressed a basic agreement to continue talks, according to unnamed sources, unlike other countries which have refused in principle. According to the “Israeli” outlet, the initiative is spearheaded by the foreign ministry and Mossad. ● The basic outline of the initiative is to give a generous financial grant to any Palestinian who expresses a desire to leave Gaza, along with extensive aid to the receiving country, including military aid. On Wednesday, “Zman Yisrael” reported that similar talks were held with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which appeared less willing to accept that offer.

London, which accuses Moscow of violating UN Security Council resolutions, should remember its neocolonial actions, including aggression against the population of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, and military aid to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed. | The official made a statement commenting on British Defense Minister Grant Shapps' assertions that "the world has turned its back on Russia." ● The British minister made the remarks in connection to unsubstantiated allegations regarding the use of "DPRK missiles." Shapps also accused Russia of violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions, despite Moscow's stern denial of such innuendos. 💬 "Here is just a short list of London's neocolonial actions of recent times: the participation of British land and air forces together with the Americans in the aggression against Yugoslavia, in the destruction of Iraq and its population, Libya, Afghanistan, the bombing of Syria, and now - supporting the Kiev regime, which in violation of all resolutions on non-delivery of weapons to conflict zones the Anglo-Saxons are supplying with lethal weapons. But Shapps is right about one thing: 'This must end,'" Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.

South Africa has presented all the necessary documentation to the ICC | South Africa has submitted all necessary paperwork to the International Criminal Court (ICC), bringing war crime charges against Israel over its offensive in Gaza, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday, according to local outlet Eyewitness News. ● More than 19,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli air and ground assaults in Gaza since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "eliminate" Hamas in response to the Palestinian militant group's October 7 cross-border attack, in which it killed about 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. ● Last month, President Ramaphosa condemned the Hamas incursion during an emergency virtual BRICS+ meeting, accusing the militant group of violating international law. He insisted, however, that Israel is committing genocide and blamed the raging conflict on the Jewish state's occupation of Palestinian territory.

Tamara Ryzhenkova | Despite Cairo’s resistance, the old plan to relocate Palestinian people to Egypt has prompted new discussions | Egypt’s reaction to the events in the Gaza Strip has drawn renewed attention to the US-Israeli plan of relocating the Palestinian population living in Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula, which is now a part of Egypt. In former times, this question was repeatedly raised during negotiations with Cairo. Now, it looks like Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will have to deal with the issue once again and find an optimal solution.

Pretoria accuses the Israeli government of committing genocide in Gaza | South Africa has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Israeli government for alleged war crimes in Gaza, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday during a two-day visit to Qatar. ● The claim against Israel, which has not ratified the Rome Statute – the treaty establishing the ICC – was taken “together with many other countries”, Ramaphosa said, without specifying which states were involved. ● Last week, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Bogota would request that the court prosecute Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over “the massacre” of civilians in Gaza. Similarly, two Turkish lawyers and a former lawmaker have petitioned Ankara's government to file charges against Israel at the ICC, to which Türkiye is also not a party.

■ Israel's Hidden Nuclear Arsenal Makes It Unaccountable for War Crimes (James Tweedie)

RSF, allied Arab militias targeted Massalit civilians in el-Geneina suburb of Ardamata in ethnic-based killings, witnesses and local activists tell Middle Eeast Eye | Around 1,300 people, mostly civilians belonging to the Massalit tribe, were slaughtered in Sudan's West Darfur over three days earlier this month by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allied Arab militias. The massacres in Ardamata, an area on the northeast outskirts of West Darfur's state capital el-Geneina, were committed after the RSF, a paramilitary force, expelled Sudanese soldiers from a military base in the suburb during battles from 2 to 6 November. ● For the second time in a matter of months, the streets of el-Geneina and its surroundings have been left filled with corpses. Witnesses said the scenes were reminiscent of June, when Arab militias and RSF fighters killed more than 500 people in what human rights organisations described as ethnic cleansing against the Massalit, a Black African tribe.

Russia says it has obtained papers that confirm the United States is moving its “illegal” bioresearch laboratories to Africa. | In February 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry discovered the existence of 30 Pentagon-funded biological research laboratories in Ukraine. Back then, Russia said the laboratories were only a small part of a global network of over 300 similar facilities. ● The Defense Ministry, on Monday, citing documents that had been obtained from the Pentagon, said the US is transferring dual-purpose biological research activities to the Black continent. ● Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who leads the Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, said the move is in response to Moscow’s efforts to expose Washington’s illegal military-biological operations. He also cited the worsening “epidemic situation near bio-sites in the European region.” Moscow has repeatedly accused the US of plotting biological warfare against Russia and other countries.

Their discussion focused on the situation in Libya and the surrounding region, according to the Kremlin | Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting in Moscow with the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. 💬 “Yes, we confirm this meeting. Indeed, it took place today in the Kremlin. The situation in Libya and in the region as a whole was discussed,” said Peskov. LNA officials said Haftar discussed “bilateral relations between the two countries, ways of their strengthening and development, as well as issues of mutual interest” during his meeting with the Russian leader. The Libyan commander arrived in Russia for an official visit on Tuesday, when he was greeted by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. ● A Russian Defense Ministry delegation visited Libya for the first time on August 22. According to the department’s press service, Yevkurov and Haftar planned to discuss the potential for collaboration in the fight against international terrorism and other issues of mutual interest.

■ Putin meets with South Sudanese president (RT.com)
■ Russian cars to be produced in Africa (RT.com)

The Sudanese conflict has not abated: in five months, more than five million people have been displaced by the fighting. Of these, nearly 420,000 Sudanese have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. | The Sudanese conflict has not abated: in five months, more than five million people have been displaced by the fighting. Of these, nearly 420,000 Sudanese have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. The population of the small town of Adré has increased sevenfold. Prices of staple foods have skyrocketed. Sanitary conditions are precarious, and diseases such as malaria proliferate during this rainy season. 85 per cent of Sudanese exiles registered here in Chad are women and children. The Sudanese conflict has not abated: in five months, more than five million people have been displaced by the fighting. Among them, nearly 420,000 Sudanese have found refuge in Chad.

Retrieving the dead in devastated Derna as big a challenge as finding the living | The corpses are everywhere. Buried under mud-filled husks of ruined homes. Wedged among smashed bridges and roadways. Drifting by the dozens – perhaps hundreds, even thousands – in the detritus-filled sea. In the days after a powerful storm lashed Libya’s coastline and floodwaters from two burst dams swept part of the city of Derna into the sea, authorities have understandably focused on the living, racing to find and evacuate survivors. But they also must contend with the dead, to collect and bury the growing number of victims before their bodies turn Derna into a massive contamination site. Estimates of the death toll have varied widely, and large numbers of Derna residents have lost their homes and belongings. ● The catastrophe was triggered by Mediterranean Storm Daniel, which over the weekend dumped more than 40cm (16 inches) of rain within 24 hours on Libya’s northeast coast – a region that normally receives about 15mm over the entire month of September.

■ Libyan flood survivor recounts horror in Derna after dams burst (09/14/23)
■ Fears mount of surging death toll in Libya flood disaster (The Straits Times)
■ 10,000 missing in Libya storm floods, death toll 'huge': Red Cross (09/12/23)

Death toll 'huge': Red Cross | As two dams collapsed and stormwaters tore through the streets of the Libyan city of Derna, carrying bodies and buildings with them, Ruba Hatem Yassine, her pregnant sister, and several older relatives clambered up a neighbor’s ladder to the roof to flee the grasp of the rushing flood below. From there, they scampered from rooftop to rooftop along their narrow street, Yassine, 24, recounted Wednesday, two days after her terrifying ordeal. Eventually, they sought shelter in a small storage unit on one of the rooftops and watched for hours as the water overwhelmed the city. They could hear their neighbors — trapped in half-destroyed homes by rising water or under rubble — screaming, "Save us, save us,” Yassine said, speaking by phone from a friend’s home in the nearby town of Marj. Once the floodwaters had somewhat subsided, other survivors helped her family of nine come down from the roof to safety. They waded through the knee-deep water, leaving everything behind.

■ Fears mount of surging death toll in Libya flood disaster (The Straits Times)
■ 10,000 missing in Libya storm floods, death toll 'huge': Red Cross (09/12/23)

The death toll from freak floods in eastern Libya is expected to soar dramatically, with 10,000 people reported missing, the Red Cross warned on Tuesday. | Officials in Libya have said at least 150 people were killed in the flooding in Libya after storm Daniel swept the Mediterranean, lashing Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece. But Tamer Ramadan of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the actual toll was likely many times higher. 💬 "Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment, (but) from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge," he told reporters in Geneva via video link from Tunis. "It might reach to the thousands." "We don't have a definite number right now," he said, stressing though that the organisation had independent sources saying "the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 persons so far." ● Speaking on Libyan network Almasar, Oussama Hamad, prime minister of the east-based government, has reported "more than 2,000 dead and thousands missing" in the city of Derna alone, but no medical sources or emergency services have confirmed such figures.

Late Friday, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco 77 kilometers (48 miles) southwest of the city of Marrakesh. King of Morocco Mohammed VI on Saturday declared three days of national mourning following the disaster, with the national flag to be flown at half-staff on all public buildings. | Moroccan geological researcher Dr. Kamal Aghroud told Sputnik that “an earthquake...in Morocco has not been observed in the country since 1755.” 💬 “Previous earthquakes of this magnitude have not been recorded in the past, including the Al Hoceima earthquake in 2004, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, and the Agadir earthquake in 1960, which was the most destructive because it killed about 15,000 people at that time, it was about 6 points.” He noted that "the earthquake was the result of a new movement of faults in the High Atlas mountain range, but it was not expected to reach a magnitude of 7," explaining that "aftershocks are still possible, but they are of a lesser magnitude and may not be felt." ● According to the researcher, the likelihood of a tsunami occurring after an earthquake is low, given that “the epicenter of the earthquake is located in the earth’s crust deep under the city of Marrakesh, and the city itself is located quite far from the sea.”

■ More than 2,000 killed as powerful earthquake strikes Morocco (RT.com)