Excluded Headlines: Apple should stop using blood minerals, floods in Brazil, Israel striking Rafah, heat in Asia ...
Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlook, with author and journalist, Tamara Pearson.
In this week’s Global South news:
DRC accuses Apple of using exploited minerals for its products - The Democratic Republic of the Congo has warned Apple of potential legal repercussions for incorporating what are known as 'blood minerals' in their devices. The government has urged the iPhone maker to cease the use of minerals sourced from eastern Congo mines, where human rights abuses are rampant. Source.
Floods wreak havoc in Brazil - Rio Grande do Sul is experiencing the worst environmental catastrophe in its history. Around 90 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, with the poorest and most vulnerable suburbs under water. Thousands lack water and electricity. The region is the country’s largest rice produce. The Brazilian government announced it would import a million tonnes of rice in order to ensure supply and avoid speculative prices taking advantage of the situation. Source, source, source.
Israel begins striking Rafah despite Hamas accepting ceasefire deal - While Palestinians and much of the world demand peace, Israel has told 100,000 Palestinians to flee Rafah. Then the Israeli army launched multiple air strikes on the area. It has also shut down Al Jazeera, a key outlet providing international news coverage. Source, source, source.
Deadly and historic heatwave in South and Southeast Asia - The region is experiencing extreme weather patterns, wildfires, heat-related deaths, school closures, and disruption of agricultural production. Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Laos, Vietnam, and Nepal have all regularly had temperatures over 42°C (107.6 F). The Sundarbans, the world’s biggest mangrove forest, has been on fire. Rohingya refugees living in camps, and many of the poorest people don’t have access to any kind of cooling. Over 1,500 people died of heatstroke in Myanmar last month. Source, source.
Pakistani farmers launch national movement for fair wheat prices - The farmers are demanding increased government procurement of wheat, and they will mobilise tomorrow around the country. In the last week of April, hundreds of farmers were arrested by Pakistani security forces following their protests against the decision of the newly elected government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to drastically reduce wheat procurement from farmers. Source.
Chad's interim leader Déby wins presidential vote - Chad’s electoral body announced today that Mahamat Idriss Déby had won the May 6 presidential election with over 60% of the vote, but his main challenger also declared himself the winner. Some observers are claiming there was fraud and election rigging. Source, source.
Hospitals in region of Syria to close - Thousands of displaced Syrians live in Syria's Idlib region. International organisations are cutting their funding to hospitals and medical centres there, leaving around 1.2 million people on the verge of having almost no access to medical care. Source.
Conservatives win in Panama - José Raúl Mulino is the new president of Panama, after obtaining just 34% of the vote. Source.
Useful reads:
‘Full Belly before Death’ – This is How We Are Surviving in Northern Gaza
Brazil: Climate tragedy requires solidarity, structural measures
Mining and logging threaten Ghana forests (video).
Settler colonialism and the destruction of Palestine’s ecology
Unraveling Zambia’s Drought Crisis and the Urgent Call for Climate-Health Solutions
Abu Ghraib Survivors Detail Torture in Case Against US Military Contractor