A Dubai company’s staggering land deals in Africa raise fears about risks to Indigenous livelihoods
ABUJA, Nigeria—Matthew Walley’s eyes sweep over the large forest that has sustained his Indigenous community in Liberia for generations. Even as the morning sun casts a golden hue over the canopy, a sense of unease lingers. Their use of the land is being threatened, and they have organized to resist the possibility of losing their livelihood. In the past year,...
Forbes billionaires list shows ‘utterly unconscionable’ wealth growth of world’s richest
by Julia Conley - CommonDreams.org Forbes recently released its latest catalog of, as one economic justice campaigner put it, people who should be regulated “out of existence” as the business magazine unveiled its 2024 Billionaires List, featuring near the top a number of U.S. tech billionaires who have aggressively opposed workers’ rights movements and fair taxation. The magazine reported April 2...
Zimbabwe launches ‘gold’ currency to replace dollar
Zimbabwe has introduced a new national currency aimed at stabilizing the economy and countering the devaluation of the local dollar in the southern African nation. Harare has also appealed to the United Nations for $2 billion in aid to help with food insecurity. The “structured currency”—Zimb Gold (ZiG)—will be anchored mainly on gold and foreign currency reserves, Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank...
At least 38 migrants are dead and others are missing off Djibouti after a shipwreck
NAIROBI, Kenya—The United Nations migration agency says 38 migrants are dead and 22 others have been rescued from a shipwreck off Djibouti on a popular route to Yemen. Rescue teams searched for six other migrants who were thought to be on board, the International Organization for Migration said on April 9. Djibouti is the main transit country for migrants trying to...
Namibia still fighting for reparations from Germany
In March, the Turkish parliament speaker thanked Namibia for its international stance in condemning Israel’s genocide atrocities in Gaza. “I would like to express that as the Turkish nation, we greatly appreciate Namibia’s stance in the international arena against the ongoing atrocities, which have reached the level of genocide, perpetrated by Israel in Gaza for nearly six months,” Numan...
Wealth of the top one percent in U.S. hits all-time high of $45 trillion
Data released by the Federal Reserve on March 28 shows the top one percent of Americans are the richest they’ve ever been. The new data reveals that at the end of the fourth quarter last year they had a record $44.6 trillion in wealth. That’s up from $30 trillion in 2020. The main driver of wealth gains last year was from the stock...
Unraveling the legacies of slavery
Racism, discrimination and crippled economies and health are among centuries-old legacies of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and part of the stark messages behind the #RememberSlavery special events and newly unveiled chilling exhibits at UN Headquarters. “You’re speaking about the greatest crime against humanity ever committed,” said renowned historian Sir Hilary Beckles, who also chairs the Caribbean Community’s Reparations Commission, reflecting...
From desperation to determination: Indonesian trafficking survivors demand justice
Working abroad can be a way for Indonesians to earn much more than they could at home and provide for their families. However, for some, the journey can turn into a nightmare, with long hours, wages withheld, and abuse. The UN is working closely with the government to help bring trafficked workers’ home. Ms. Rokaya needed time to recover after...
French lawmakers condemn ‘bloody and murderous’ 1961 massacre of Algerian protesters
PARIS—French lawmakers on March 28 condemned an infamous 1961 police crackdown on Algerian protesters in Paris as a “bloody and murderous repression,” marking another step in the country’s recognition of the massacre that authorities sought to cover up for decades. The National Assembly, parliament’s lower house, voted 67-11 in favor of a nonbinding resolution that condemned the police brutality that occurred on...
Surge in long-term sickness in UK coincides with rollout of COVID shots
by John-Michael Dumais - The Defender The number of people on long-term sick leave in the U.K. has risen by 700,000 since the spring of 2021, coinciding with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, according to healthcare commentator John Campbell, Ph.D. Campbell questioned the government’s transparency and handling of the data on disability and deaths. This article was originally published by The...