Massive demonstrations were held across Australia on September 17 in support of a “Yes” vote in an upcoming referendum on Indigenous Voice. The proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, or the Voice, will be an advisory body to the Parliament and the government on matters concerning Indigenous peoples in Australia.
Multimedia: Multimedia Section
Categories South Africa
Johannesburg fire is the result of neglect and discrimination against …
On August 31, a horrific fire in a building in Johannesburg claimed at least 77 lives. Most of those killed were immigrants from other African countries who had come to South Africa to try to eke out a living. After the fire, the immigrant community became the target of attacks by politicians who blamed their presence for the disaster.
We spoke to Thapelo Mohapi, General Secretary of Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM), the shack dwellers’ movement, one of the few organizations to take a strong stand against this xenophobia. Thapelo talks about the structural reasons that led to the fire and the neglect of the poor and the working class in cities such as Johannesburg, He also explains the politics of xenophobia and how it is used to divide the workers.
Thapelo also talks about the failures of the ANC government and the kind of measures needed to prevent such tragedies.
Categories World
G20: What’s in it for the Global South?
Dr Biswajit Dhar is former professor of economics at JNU’s Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, and has worked in numerous capacities in and outside government as a trade and economic analyst. In this interview, he tells NewsClick what to expect from the forthcoming G20 summit being held in Delhi, India, over 8 and 9 September 2023. He says the rhetoric about gains to developing countries from the G20 summits are hyped. There’s little on the table that would fulfill needs and expectations in the Global South.
Categories Niger
Niger and the Sahel are pushing back against insecurity, exploitation, …
In this video, we take a look at the developments in Niger and the Sahel region since the coup on July 26 overthrew Mohamed Bazoum. We also speak to Kwesi Pratt Jnr., General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, on the historical oppression of the people of the region, the politics of ECOWAS, and the demands of the people of the region.
Categories India
KK Shailaja on battling COVID-19, transforming Kerala’s healthcare, …
At a time when the world was reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic, the response by the Indian State of Kerala shone as a guiding light. Under the leadership of then health minister KK Shailaja, the state had among the lowest casualty rates anywhere in the world. NewsClick and Peoples Dispatch spoke to Shailaja Teacher on her recently launched book, My Life as a Comrade. She talks about her tenure as health minister during which she battled multiple crises and led a transformation of the health sector, her journey into politics, and the socio-political culture of Kerala which enabled the state to respond successfully to the pandemic.
Categories United States | Zambia
Activists demand Blackrock cancel Zambia’s debt
Activists from organizations such as the People’s Forum, Friends of the Congo, ANSWER Coalition, Friends of Swazi Freedom, Black Men Build and many others, protested outside the global headquarters of investment firm BlackRock in New York City to demand it cancel Zambia’s debt. 70% of Zambia’s debt is held by Western institutions, and 220 million is held by investment giant BlackRock. In 2021, Zambia was diverting half of its entire public income to paying its external debts. Activists argue that BlackRock, which is worth USD 10 trillion, could easily cancel the debt and allow Zambia to develop.
Categories Philippines
No improvements to health system after one year of Marcos Jr administr …
Delen Dela Paz and Albert Pascual from the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) reflect on changes in the health system one year into the Marcos Jr administration in the Philippines. Despite promises of improvement to health services delivery and the health insurance model, the people in the Philippines are still struggling because of high emigration rates of health workers and worsening of social determinants of health.
Categories World
World Breastfeeding Week 2023: Is formula milk a real alternative?
As World Breastfeeding Week 2023 approaches, Peoples Health Dispatch spoke to Patti Rundall from Baby Milk Action and David McCoy from the United Nations University. The two health experts talked about the importance of this annual campaign, the misleading marketing widespread in the baby formula industry, and what needs to be done to make it possible for mothers to be able to breastfeed their babies for the required duration.
Categories India
Protests break out across India against BJP government’s inactio …
For nearly three months, the northeastern State of Manipur in India has been witnessing horrific ethnic and religious violence. A shocking and graphic video of two women being paraded naked and brutalized in Manipur recently became viral in India, leading to outrage and protests across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been conspicuously silent on the violence in Manipur until the video emerged. His senior ministers had also remained quiet. Opposition parties have stated that the central government, as well as the Manipur State government, both of which are led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have failed to uphold law and order in the State by deliberate inaction.
Categories Philippines
State of the nation of Philippines: People give Marcos Jr’s administ …
As the president of Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers his State of the Nation Address, we spoke to leaders of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) on how the people of the country have assessed the first year of the Marcos’ administration.
HEAD’s Chairperson Dr. Delen Dela Paz and Secretary-General Albert Pascual talk about the state of the economy of the country, the impact on health sector, Marcos Jr’s policy towards military relations with the US, the continuing war on drugs, and how the people are continuing to organize and resist.
Categories Europe | Latin America Caribbean
Belgium hosts movements from across Latin America and Europe in People …
Parallel to the CELAC-EU heads of state summit, people’s movements, trade unions, and left parties from across Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe held the People’s Summit from July 17-18. The People’s Summit was a democratic and plural space for people-to-people exchange and open discussion about the key issues facing the people of both regions.
Categories Sri Lanka
One year after mass uprising, Sri Lanka’s political and economic …
In July 2022, months of protests culminated in the Sri Lankan people overthrowing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. A year later, the promise of those heady days seems to have vanished. Under the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, repression has intensified, and labor reforms and privatization have angered unions.
Ahilan Kadirgamar, Senior Lecturer at the University of Jaffna, talks about how the key issues that led to the protests remained unaddressed. The symptoms of the economic crisis may have changed but poorer sections continue to suffer.
Meanwhile, Ranil Wickremesinghe is going all out to implement IMF conditions, which will be disastrous for the Sri Lankan economy. Ahilan talks about the nature of these measures. He also talks about the social aspects, including the fears of a right-wing resurgence.
