24-30 Nov - IMF messes with Pakistan, Dominican Republic mass deportations
Excluded Headlines: Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlooks, with journalist and author, Tamara Pearson
This week’s excluded or down-played headlines from the global south include mass deportations of refugees from the Dominican Republic, the IMF refusing to help drought-affected Pakistan, and the continuing impacts of US sanctions on Venezuela.
The mainstream media has focused much of its so-called “global” news on the World Cup, and has covered the protests and repression in Iran, as well as protests in China. And while China, for example, should be covered, the amount of coverage has given the impression that millions are protesting there. In reality, most news outlets haven’t mentioned any numbers, with one CNN article noting hundreds at a candle light vigil, and Time recognising that there have been protests in “at least eight major cities across the country” (there are 687 cities in China). With the clashing economic and political interests between the US and China, its worth asking why these protests are getting so much more coverage than others, elsewhere.
Dominican Republic: Special police force deports hundreds of Haitians daily – On average, a newly created police force is expelling 750 Haitian refugees and migrants from the Dominican Republic per day. The government created the force specifically to chase down and expel migrants earlier this month, and since then, there has been an increase in deportations, violence towards Haitians, homes destroyed, denial of medical attention, and racism or discrimination. In February this year, the Dominican government began building a wall between Haiti and its country. The US embassy criticised the Dominican government’s actions, despite treating Haitian refugees the same way. There were small protests in Haiti against the violence against Haitian migrants on Tuesday, while people in Mexico have also organised resistance against the mass deportations. Source, source, source, source.
Pakistan: IMF wants drought-devastated country to reduce expenses in order to access loan – Just months after millions were displaced by floods in Pakistan, the International Monetary Fund asked the country to reduce its expenses before talks to review its loan program. On Tuesday, with US$1 billion in debt payments due on Friday, the country was forced to take out a US$500 million loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, at a cruel interest rate of 4.9%. Source, source.
Sudan: Street vendors protest – Women who sell tea and food in the street protested on Monday. Police attacked the protest and confiscated their equipment. The protestors were demanding an end to the regular attacks by police against women workers in the informal sector, and for police officers to be punished. Source.
Venezuela: Chevron granted a license, but US sanctions are still hurting the country - Following talks, the US has allowed Chevron to resume oil production in Venezuela. The move will not benefit Venezuelans, and the US’s economic sanctions against the country continue to cause fertilizer and fuel shortages, make international transactions difficult, and prevent subsidised basic goods from reaching Venezuelans. Source, source.
Honduras declares state of emergency - The Honduran president has declared a national security emergency, including curfews in high-crime areas, and ordered strict border control. The measures are supposedly part of a plan to confront organised crime violence and extortion. And while the implementation may be different, the measures are very similar to El Salvador’s national emergency, which has seen thousands of innocent people arrested and imprisoned. In Honduras’ case, the policy follows protests by bus and taxi drivers demanding the government take action against gang extortion. Source, source
Argentina: Plant turns industrial organic waste into electricity – While biogas plants are reasonably common, the Helios Clean Energy plant in Cordoba, is the first in the region to generate energy entirely from industrial organic waste. Usually biogas plants need to use a large share of crops like corn to be viable. Source.
Kazakhstan gets first new party in two decades – An environmental party has become the first new legally recognised party in the country in twenty years. The new party is called Baytaq. National elections are due next year, and the few opposition parties in the country tend not to be very critical. However the new Green Party has been accused of astroturfing. Source.
Uganda struggles to support large refugee population - In early 2022, Uganda was already hosting 1.5 million refugees. Since then, 130,000 more refugees have arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Large towns have developed, with basic facilities and refugee children attending local schools. However, services are well beyond capacity. Source.
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