Social Organizations Mobilize in Argentina After Murder of Facundo Morales Social organizations and political movements in Argentina mobilized this Friday at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, after the murder on Thursday of Facundo Molares Schoenfeld who died as a result of police violence. … Similarly, the demonstrators held up signs with the phrase: “Not one more dead for fighting,” and questioned the attitude of the head of government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, who claimed responsibility for the actions of the police, said that Facundo’s death was due to a heart attack.
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/post/2023/08/12/social-organizations-mobilize-in-argentina-after-murder-of-facundo-morales/Ecuador arrests 6 Colombians over assassination of presidential candidateEcuador’s police arrested six Colombians for their alleged participation in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The six were arrested in Quito shortly after the assassination on Wednesday. Two of the suspects were arrested near the campaign event in the north of the capital where Villavicencio was shot dead.
https://colombiareports.com/ecuador-arrests-6-colombians-over-assassination-of-presidential-candidate/Millions of Mexicans lifted out of poverty during López Obrador presidencyConeval issues its poverty measurement report every two years, basing its analyses on a survey of household earnings and expenditures from Mexico’s national statistics institute Inegi. “And surely in the 2024 report will be lower,” he said, pointing to a graph that showed that the poverty rate fell from 43.2% in 2016 to 36.3% in 2022. The graphs he presented did not include the data from the 2018 and 2020 reports, which showed the poverty rate to be 41.9% and 43.9%, respectively.
https://www.courthousenews.com/millions-of-mexicans-lifted-out-of-poverty-during-lopez-obrador-presidency/https://archive.ph/xe5h1 13 Turkish soldiers killed in guerrilla actions marking the 15 August initiative The Press Office of the People's Defence Forces (HPG) reported continued actions against the Turkish army in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). According to the HPG statement on Saturday, 13 soldiers of the Turkish invading forces were killed and six others injured in guerrilla actions in the Zap and Metina regions of the Medya Defence Zones.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/13-turkish-soldiers-killed-in-guerrilla-actions-marking-the-15-august-initiative-68784South African police attack and arrest striking workers at Ekapa diamond mines On Thursday, August 10, as workers were picketing outside the mines, formerly owned by the De Beers mining company, the police deployed water cannons and fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them. Police then proceeded to arrest 43 workers, NUMSA regional organizer Tshepo Mokhele, who was present at the picket, told Peoples Dispatch. The workers were granted bail on August 11.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/08/11/south-african-police-attack-and-arrest-striking-workers-at-ekapa-diamond-mines/SANTACO, Western Cape government in heated debate over impounded taxisA heated debate has ensued between SANTACO First Deputy Chairperson, Nceba Enge and Western Cape Minister for Transport, Ricardo Mackenzie during a media briefing at the provincial legislature in Cape Town on the impounding of taxis that led to a week-long violent taxi strike. Taxi services have resumed in the Western Cape after the stay-away which was called off last night. SANTACO has blamed authorities for the repossession of their vehicles by financial institutions after they were impounded because operators could not make money.
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/santaco-western-cape-government-in-heated-debate-over-impounded-taxis/Eastern Sudan prosecutors dismiss charges against ‘Islamist hardliners’The public prosecutor in Kassala in eastern Sudan has cancelled the arrest warrants against former leaders of the defunct Omar Al Bashir regime. In neighbouring El Gedaref, the prosecution dismissed charges against the state governor and other officials accused of covering up activities of Islamist hardliners in the state capital. The army is allegedly recruiting new soldiers along tribal lines. According to a recent report, the influence of prominent leaders of the Al Bashir regime is growing in Sudan.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/eastern-sudan-prosecutors-dismiss-charges-against-islamist-hardlinersNiger coup: West African countries suspend key military meeting on ‘standby’ forceChiefs of staff from West African Ecowas bloc countries were set to attend a meeting on Saturday in Ghana’s capital Accra, regional military sources had said on Friday. But they later said that it had been suspended indefinitely for “technical reasons”. The sources said the meeting was originally set up to inform the organisation’s leaders about “the best options” for activating and deploying the standby force.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/12/niger-coup-west-african-countries-suspend-key-military-meeting-on-standby-forceBrothers at ‘war’: Niger citizens bear the brunt of ECOWAS sanctionsAt the grassroots, the impasse is already affecting Niger’s 25 million people, half of whom live below the poverty line earning less than $2.15 a day. Nigeria also cut the power supply to its neighbour, which depends on it for as much as 70 percent of its electricity. And food prices, already on the rise because of complications in global supply since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have risen yet again.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/8/10/brothers-at-war-nigeriens-bear-brunt-of-ecowas-sanctionshttps://archive.is/QoZekThousands of Afghan refugee face eviction as government deadline to ‘help themselves’ loomsThe government provided “bridging accommodation” in hotels for many who arrived in this country. In July, the government confirmed that the refugees have been given notice to quit the hotels by August 31. About 8,000 Afghans were still in hotels almost two years after the evacuation.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/thousands-of-afghan-refugee-face-eviction-as-government-deadline-to-help-themselves-loomsRMT announces Saturday rail strikes in August and SeptemberThe Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union (RMT) said 20,000 of its members from 14 train operators would walk out on 26 August and 2 September, both Saturdays. The union said it had been left with “little choice” but to take further action as it had seen no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group, the industry body.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/11/rmt-announces-saturday-rail-strikes-in-august-and-septemberTenants and left in Austria demand rent freeze to tackle housing crisisAccording to reports, persistently high inflation and a rising Consumer Price Index (CPI) led to a continuous increase in rental prices across the country. As of now, the average inflation in Austria this year stands at 9.63%. Rents in the private sector increased six times over the last two years due to rising CPI, equivalent to about 1,400 euros per year (USD 1,535.24). Rents in the cooperative sector also spiked as rental costs are linked partly to inflation and partly to the financing costs incurred by loans. With a 5.5% increase in benchmark rents marked from August’s first week, at least 135,000 households in Austria, including tenants of old buildings, have been affected.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/08/12/tenants-and-left-in-austria-demand-rent-freeze-to-tackle-housing-crisis/