- The Guardian
- Issue #2141
BRAZIL: Thousands of Indigenous people set up camps in Brasilia to defend their ancestral land rights and demand greater respect for Amazonian ecosystems. The ‘Free Land’ camp brings together people from around 200 Indigenous communities who meet with representatives from all three branches of the Brazilian government. The event has been held annually since 2004 by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB). This year’s gathering is called ‘in defence of the Constitution and life.’ The slogan refers to a controversial legal theory, known as the Time Frame which the far-right managed to turn into law in 2023. It has been recently ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The Time Frame limits Indigenous land rights to territories that were physically occupied as of 5 October 1988, the date the current Constitution was enacted. The legislation disregards the ancestral rights to land from which Indigenous peoples were violently expelled by European colonizers.
LIBYA: Authorities in Libya have asked ten aid groups to close their offices and operations in the country. The Libyans accused the aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council of plotting to change the country’s ethnic mix by encouraging sub-Saharan African migrants to stay in the country and thus “damage the demographic composition of the country.”
CUBA: The Cuban Foreign Minister has reaffirmed Cuba’s support for Argentina’s “legitimate right to exercise sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Sandwich and South Georgia islands, as well as their surrounding maritime areas.” The message emphasises that “geographical proximity and political affinities cannot surrender sovereign rights to hegemonic and imperialist domination interests.” The sovereignty dispute over the islands remains a contentious issue in Argentine politics, as Britain refuses to engage in dialogue over the matter. Cuba’s message not only expresses solidarity with Argentina but also shows its opposition to what it sees as imperial interests in the region.
INDIA: The Communist Party of India-Marxist concluded its 24th Congress in Madurai with the election of a new 85-member central committee and an 18-member political committee. Mariam Alexander Baby was elected as the party’s new general secretary. MA Baby replaced Sitaram Yechury, a legendary communist leader who passed away last September. MA Baby will lead the CPI(M) for the next three years.
GERMANY: The 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi’s Buchenwald concentration camp was marked in Germany with warnings against global “radicalisation and a world-wide shift to the right.”
GAZA: As many as 210 journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since the beginning of the Israeli military offensive. Gaza authorities have been calling on the international community and journalist organisations to condemn the actions of the Israeli forces who deliberately target reporters.
SPAIN: Thousands of Spaniards joined nationwide protests over high housing costs. The massive demonstrations organised by housing activists and backed by Spain’s main trade unions protested against high rents and lack of affordable housing. “The demand of the numerous people who have marched today: the homes are for living in and not for speculating,” the Housing Minister wrote on social media. Marchers in Madrid chanted “Get Airbnb out of our neighbourhoods” and held up signs opposing short-term rentals.
MOROCCO: Tens of thousands of Moroccans took to the streets to protest against Israel’s assault on Gaza and its people. They also directed their anger at the United States and its support for the war. It was one of the largest demonstrations in the country. The Morocco protests echoed similar demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa, where pro-Palestinian rallies took place in Tunisia and Yemen. Protesters also condemned the US crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on university campuses.
