Excluded Headlines: Kenyans storm parliament, Bolivia coup, marijuana in Brazil, Niger revokes French company's permit ...
Stay up to date on the Global South news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlook, with author and journalist, Tamara Pearson.
In this week’s Global South news:
Protestors killed but mobilisations stop anti-poor tax bill in Kenya - The Kenyan president has said he won’t sign a tax bill after strong protests against it, and after the parliament had passed it. Security forces repressed the protests, in which some people tried to storm the parliament, and killed 23 people. The next day - today - Kenyans held what they called a “One Million People March” and shut down much of the country, calling for the president to resign. The tax bill would have raised taxes on essential goods. Source, source, source.
Coup attempt in Bolivia defeated - A coup attempt yesterday in Bolivia was quickly defeated. The leader, former army commander Juan Jose Zuniga, was arrested. Military units had gathered in the main square of La Paz and an armoured vehicle and soldiers stormed the presidential palace. Then, the country’s president called on the people to mobilise, while Zuñiga threatened to change the cabinet. The mobilisation saw the troops withdraw from the square and authorities quickly appointed new military leaders. Source, source, source, source.
Video: Protestors in Bolivia chasing away pro-coup troops (protestors are chanting in Spanish “Lucho (the president) isn’t alone”)
Niger revokes French nuclear company’s permit - Niger’s military government has revoked the operating licence of French nuclear fuel producer, Orano, at one of the world’s biggest uranium mines. The military government came to power via a coup last year with a commitment to cutting Western involvement in the area, including mining and military ties. Source.
Israeli forces kill Gazan water workers -A targeted airstrike on a Gazan municipal building killed the region’s water and environment chief engineer and four municipality officials while they were working to restore the water supply to the famine-stricken area. Source.
Brazil decriminalises marijuana for personal use - The country’s Supreme Court has decriminalised possession of marijuana, but not the sale of it. The move could significantly impact the large prison population. Marijuana for personal use is legal in most of the Americas, and Brazil is one of the last bigger countries to implement the policy. Source.
Senegal begins oil production, but Australia owns 82% - For the first time, Senegal has begun oil extraction. The offshore project is being promoted by the government as a boost to the economy (if not the environment), but Australian company Woodside Energy has an 82% stake. Source.
Military intervention in Haiti - Kenyan police arrive - After months of local resistance and negotiations around the measure, 400 Kenyan police officers arrived on Tuesday in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Some 600 more are expected in the coming days and weeks. The intervention of the Kenyan police force into Haiti’s security was authorized by the United Nations Security Council and pushed for by the US. Source.
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández sentenced to 45 years prison - Accused in a New York court of conspiring with drug traffickers and of running his country as a narco state, Hernández was president until 2022. His government was fully supported by the US, despite numerous human rights abuse allegations. He was found guilty in March, then sentenced yesterday. Source, source.
Useful reads:
The Gaza Project: How Forbidden Stories investigated the killing of nearly 100 journalists in Gaza
Dear Haiti, our Kenyan police are a problem
‘We survive together’: The communal kitchens fighting famine in Khartoum
The Inequality of Heat: Heatwave Leaves Delhi's Poor, Marginalised Gasping for Breath
The Congolese vision for freedom in light of the unfettered extraction of the DRC’s resources
Tensions at Colombia’s largest gold mine highlight climate justice quagmire