- The Guardian
- Issue #2153
UK: The activist group Palestine Action has been prescribed a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000. The House of Commons passed the motion by 385 votes to 26. The proscription comes after members of Palestine Action broke into a military base to spray red paint on two planes in protest of the UK-backed genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza and beyond. Other groups prescribed as terrorist organisations under this legislation include ISIL (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda. Members and supporters of Palestine Action could face 14 years imprisonment.
USA: The first group of immigrants have been detained at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the concentration camp established in the Florida Everglades by the Republican state government of Ron DeSantis. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that Alligator Alcatraz will be partially financed by funds meant for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has also had funding cut by the Trump administration just before hurricane season. Trump called the alligators “bodyguards” and “cops” who don’t need to be paid, while Florida Republicans have sold official Alligator Alcatraz merchandise.
India: Protests have erupted in West Bengal following two incidents with alleged ties to the ruling Trinamool Congress. 10-year-old Tamanna Khatun, daughter of Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporters, was killed in a bombing on the day of the Kaliganj by-election results. A 24-year-old law student at South Calcutta Law College was the victim of a gang-rape on campus, with the main accused being Monojit Mishra, a contractual employee of the college with alleged ties to the student wing of the Trinamool Congress. The ruling party has been subject to public backlash for fostering a “culture of impunity” and allowing individuals with criminal backgrounds to hold influential positions. The Kolkata Police have also come under scrutiny. Protests have been led by student, youth, and women’s organisations, including wings of the CPI(M) and Left Front, as well as teachers’ unions and the All-India Lawyers’ Union.
Luxembourg: Minister for Defence Yuriko Backes, Chief of Staff Steve Thull, and Belgian Minister for Defence Theo Francken visited Kosovo as part of their ongoing support for NATO military operations. Luxembourg’s military returned to Kosovo earlier this year as the leaders of a Benelux detachment of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR). Comprised of 7 soldiers from Luxembourg, five from Belgium, and one from the Netherlands, the detachment uses drones to obtain intel from the northern border with Serbia. The KFOR’s stated goal is stability and democracy for all ethnicities, however Serbs, Roma, and other groups continue to face oppression.
Peru: Peruvian lawmakers have introduced four bills aiming to annul President Dina Boluarte’s decree more than doubling her own salary. Lawmakers have criticised the move given Peru’s economic difficulties and the record unpopularity of Boluarte’s government. The Congressional Oversight Commission has unanimously approved a decision to summon Boluarte to a special session of congress to explain the decree.
Venezuela: Celebrations have commemorated the 214th anniversary of Venezuelan independence. The National Assembly of Venezuela also observed a minute of silence in honour of the mothers of Venezuelan children kidnapped in the United States. President Nicolás Maduro has previously pledged to rescue the more than 200 Venezuelan migrants detained by the US in El Salvador and reunite families.
HAITI: A UN report has warned that the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, is almost entirely under the control of armed gangs. Violence has soared to critical levels with over 1.3 million internally displaced people and a 24 per cent increase in homicides over last year.
