Labor Court in South Africa dismisses contempt of court application against NUMSA
The application sought to have the union’s 11th National Congress be declared null and void and called for the arrest and imprisonment of NUMSA national leaders, Irvin Jim and Andrew Chirwa
Israeli forces raid offices of Palestinian civil society organizations
On the morning of August 18, occupation forces raided the offices of seven leading Palestinian civil society groups, six of which had been declared “terrorist organizations” and banned by the Israeli government in 2021
1 year after Taliban takeover, the US still hasn’t given Afghanistan’s money back
In 2021, the US froze $7 billion in Afghanistan’s reserves after the Taliban seized control, precipitating the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis”
Syrian child reported dead as asylum seekers left stranded in Greece-Turkey border area
A 5-year-old Syrian girl has reportedly died as a group of 39 asylum seekers remained stranded on an islet on the Evros River this week. Some members of the group have been stranded for weeks after being pushed back and forth by the Turkish and Greek authorities
International solidarity pours in as Cuba copes with major fire at oil facility
Three oil storage tanks at the Matanzas Supertanker Base have collapsed after a fire broke out at the site on August 5. Thousands have been evacuated as emergency efforts continue with critical on-ground help from Mexico and Venezuela.
Strikes spread across Amazon UK warehouses as workers reject “pathetic” pay offer
Workers across at least 4 Amazon warehouses in the UK have staged walkouts to protest pay offers that would raise wages by only 0.35-0.50 per hour. This will amount to a real-terms pay cut as the UK’s inflation is on track to hit 13%.
Safety of jailed Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah feared amid communication blackout
Fattah’s family has had no contact with him for over 10 days, even as he continues a nearly 120-day long hunger strike against his unjust and inhumane incarceration. An icon of the 2011 revolution, the activist is serving a five year sentence for “broadcasting false news undermining national security”
Ghana’s unions and left reject bailout talks with the IMF as economic crisis spirals
Ghana has initiated talks with the International Monetary Fund to seek a potential bailout amid a major economic crisis. This has been rejected by the Socialist Movement of Ghana and trade unions who argue that this will do nothing to alleviate the structural problems in the economy