Excluded Headlines: Accountability for slavery, Israel ignores MoU, Venezuela goes to IMF over earthquake, more sanctions on Cuba...
Stay up to date on the Global South news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlook, with author and journalist, Tamara Pearson.
This week in Global South news:
Demands for reparations in Ghana - A conference convened by Ghana’s president and backed by the African Union and UNESCO adopted the Accra Next Steps Commitment on Reparatory Justice, a comprehensive framework aimed at addressing the lasting consequences of slavery, colonialism, and apartheid against Africans and people of African descent. The framework seeks formal apologies, financial compensation, and accountability for slavery’s lasting impact. -TRT, UNESCO, TG
Israel defies Iran-US MoU - Israel has stated that it will not leave its occupied “security zone” in southern Lebanon even if the US demands it, and it will also stay in Gaza and Syria. In Gaza, the UN warns that nearly 1.7 million displaced Palestinians — around 80% of the population — are living in dire conditions with acute shortages of water and shelter. Israel has continued to bomb Lebanon, with environmentalist Mona Khalil among those it has murdered. The US temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil. Iran has now announced the creation of a new “De-confliction Cell” to monitor ceasefire arrangements, as talks continue in Switzerland over 60 days. -MEM, MEM, MEE, GSW, TRT, TO.
Venezuela earthquake - Two earthquakes at over 7 on the Richter scale hit Venezuela last night. Tall buildings around the capital and in nearby states collapsed. At the time of writing, the confirmed death toll was 235, with 4,300 injured, though the final figure will likely be much higher, as rescue teams try to access people in the rubble, and tens of thousands have been reported missing. In the short term, the country’s biggest challenge is a lack of heavy machinery to remove rubble and quickly save people. Estimated economic losses are also very high, at 1-7% of the GDP, and the acting president has announced a huge IMF loan, without yet explaining what Venezuela will be forced to do in exchange for that. -N, P12, AJ
US imposes even more sanctions on Cuba - After Cuba was just recently pressured to pass 176 measures that largely opened the country up to private interests, the US has still gone ahead and added even more sanctions to existing ones that are choking the country. The latest sanctions target the Cuban Army and other state-owned companies, such as GeoMinera, a mining company. -BT
50 Israeli soldiers deployed to Somaliland - Israel has deployed troops to Somaliland earlier this year, though the news only came out over the past week. The move is part of its efforts to control the Gulf of Aden. Somaliland faces Yemen at the entrance to the Red Sea. -TC, i24
Protests in Colombia following right-wing victory - After the victory of the Trump-backed candidate in Colombia, there were major protests, particularly in Cali, where demonstrators burned US flags and clashed with riot police who responded with tear gas; students also protested in Bogotá outside the National University. - E
Pakistani Kashmir protests, food cut off - People in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are protesting over legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir, which some say Pakistan exploits to maintain political control. In response, the Pakistani government launched a crackdown that reportedly left 58 people dead, while also allegedly restricting the flow of food, fuel, and medicines into the region to pressure protesters (Pakistani authorities deny imposing any blockade). Residents are reporting acute shortages and are calling for a massive march. -I
Useful reads
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Yemen: Resistance at the Chokepoint of Imperialism
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Internal Documents Show Trump’s “Board of Peace“ Moving to Crush Palestinian Self-Determination
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