- The Guardian
- Issue #2158
UK: London’s Metropolitan Police have arrested nearly 500 people protesting in support of the Palestine Action group, which was prescribed a terrorist organisation by the UK parliament. The police promised on their official social media to arrest “anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.” They delivered on their threats, arresting an 89-year-old woman, a blind man in a wheelchair, and hundreds of others for holding placards or chanting messages of support for Palestine Action and opposition to the UK-backed genocide being committed by Israel. Arrests were also made at other events both in London and across the UK, such as one woman arrested in Belfast for wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked Metropolitan Police for their actions, claiming the arrests were to “ensure peaceful protests.”
USA: NASA has been ordered by the Trump administration – via secretary of transportation, acting NASA administrator, and former reality tv presenter Sean Duffy – to prepare for the shutdown of dozens of programs and missions as well as staff cuts. Doing so without congressional approval is illegal, but Duffy and other senior officials have continued to secretly direct plans to terminate two satellites crucial to the monitoring of global carbon dioxide levels. These satellites also play a major role in agriculture through the mapping of photosynthesis. NASA leadership is allegedly pursuing privatisation of the satellites to make up for any loss of federal funding. The previous Trump administration also attempted to dismantle carbon monitoring.
Indonesia: The flag of the Straw Hat Pirates from the Japanese anime ‘One Piece’ has been the target of government crackdowns ahead of Indonesia’s Independence Day. People, particularly youth, have been using the flag as a symbol of freedom and criticism of the Indonesian government. Some government officials have threatened “firm action” and “criminal consequences” for those flying the flag, while others have labelled it an attempt to “divide the unity of the nation.” Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director said that the government should “stop repressing freedom of expression and instead focus on the root causes of public dissatisfaction that have prompted people to fly the One Piece flag.”
Ecuador: The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) has accused President Daniel Noboa and other officials of the right-wing government of undermining the independence of the Constitutional Court. This comes after the Constitutional Court ordered the temporary suspension of several provisions within laws rushed through by Noboa. These provisions included amendments to intelligence law which would have allowed undercover agents to assume false identities, enabled government intelligence to obtain information on any citizen from telecom companies, and authorised the use of funds without following public procurement laws. Other provisions would have given Noboa the power to pre-emptively pardon police and military personnel for crimes committed under what Noboa has declared the “internal armed conflict” against gangs. CONAIE has previously criticised the Noboa government for hostilities against Ecuador’s Indigenous Peoples, such as the use of forced evictions and attempts to install Noboa allies into Indigenous leadership positions, in cooperation with corporations including Canada’s Solaris Resources.
Sudan: The UN refugee agency UNHCR has reported that militias in Sudan regularly threaten fleeing refugees, saying “You can run, but we will find you.” Displacement and attacks on civilians continue to escalate in Darfur and Kordofan, while a combination of ongoing violence and seasonal rains disrupts the delivery of humanitarian aid. The ongoing conflict between factions of the military, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has subjected millions to hunger, sustained a refugee crisis, contributed to a worsening cholera epidemic, and littered the landscape with unexploded ordnance. International weapons manufacturers have been profiteering from the violence despite arms embargoes.
