Excluded Headlines: Massive marches in Colombia, France intervenes in Haitian police, Kenya sues Facebook...
Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlooks, with journalist and author, Tamara Pearson.
In this week’s news that has been excluded or downplayed by the mainstream media:
Haiti: US, Canada, France continue to interview in country’s affairs - The three wealthy countries are still using violence in Haiti as a pretext that it needs “help” with its police and security. This has now extended to getting involved in the internal affairs of the Haitian police force. In a meeting on February 10, the French ambassador to Haiti met with the general director of the police force and they discussed “cooperation” - though France will not be getting advice from Haiti, despite its own misguided use of police. Source, source.
Syria: End the sanctions and support for war on the country – Various local analysts have pointed to the double standards regarding sympathy for people affected by the horrendous recent earthquake, but little being done to end the sanctions on Syria. Some five million people in Syria have been made or are expected to be homeless, but sanctions make it difficult or impossible for food, water, medicine, blankets, and building supplies to reach them. The US has now announced a temporary exemption on its sanctions (somehow suggesting that earthquake victims deserve to have basic needs met but war victims don’t), however no Western countries besides Italy have taken advantage of that measure and provided any assistance to Syria. They have only sent support to Turkey. Poorer countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Palestine, and Algeria have sent relief to Syria. Source, source, source, source.
Colombia: Hundreds of thousands march – On February 14, hundreds of thousands of people marched around the country in support of the Petro government’s social reforms. Petro himself called the protests, wanting to provide information and have popular backing for the changes he is going to make. One of the key reforms is that healthcare will be a right, not a privilege or business. Source
Kenya: Facebook being sued – A case against Facebook’s parent company, Meta, will go ahead. A former Facebook moderator is suing the company for its toxic work environment at its Nairobi office. He is also suing Meta’s outsourcing agent, Samasource Kenya EPZ. Meta tried to avoid the suit by arguing that it is a foreign company and not responsible for its actions in Kenya. Source.
Cote d'Ivoire opens borders after three years – The country closed its borders when the pandemic started, but then reopened sea and air borders because it depends on exports. The three-year closure of land borders however has impacted refugees fleeing violence in neighbouring countries. The US land border with Mexico remains closed. Source.
Guatemala: Protests against excluded Indigenous presidential ticket – Small farmers have closed 12 different roads around the country after the Supreme Court stopped the Movement for the Liberation of Peoples, an Indigenous party, from registering. Source.