On 13 September, almost four months after the explosion and oil spill in the Indian town of Baghjan (Tinsukia district, Assam state), experts from the company in charge of the oil well (Oil India Limited) and international engineers managed to control the fire. Four days earlier, an engineer from the company had died on site. He was the third employee…
Farming in Palestine, an essential activity for the national economy, was already suffering from military attacks and the Israeli blockade. The sector now faces further damages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and government response measures, including lockdown. “Palestinian farmers are unable to access the necessary agricultural inputs, lands and markets due to the lockdown,” said Samar Khuzundar, an activist from…
21 September marks the International Day of Struggle against Monoculture Tree Plantations. This day was declared in 2004 by rural communities in Brazil, to expose the impacts of industrial tree plantation projects expanding in their territories and to reaffirm their determination to resist plantations and recover their territories from corporations. Together with Isaac Rojas, we mapped how monoculture plantations are…
On 22 September, the Continental Day for Democracy and against Neoliberalism (La Jornada Continental), will hold an online discussion entitled “Popular dialogues: unity, democracy and life for our peoples”. Taking place at 4pm in Central America (12am midnight CET), the discussion will be broadcasted live on their Facebook page in Spanish, English and Portuguese. “It will be a moment to…
After an 18-month suspension of the preliminary hearings to decide whether to open trial against David Castillo, a Honduran court finally announced on 26 August that he will face an oral and public trial. A military intelligence officer trained at West Point, David Castillo is also a known businessman linked to the Atala Zablah family. The Atalah Zablah business group…
After being 100 days on hunger strike, on 11 July, Machi Celestino Córdova announced he would begin a dry hunger strike. With the little strength he has left, he sent an audio message addressed “to the Mapuche people and native peoples, to all society around the world, to all peoples fighting for their spiritual beliefs, for their territories, their freedom,…
During the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which takes place from 30 June to 17 July in Geneva, Switzerland, journalist Bianca Santana reported how she was personally targeted by the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, by social media on 28 May. This case is one of 54 attacks that organisation Artículo 19 Brasil recorded since Bolsonaro took…
On 23 June 2020, the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted a complete ban on the construction of small hydropower plants (SHHPs) in the territory. In practical terms, this means immediate suspension of all new hydro-projects, and a chance to turn the tables on the exploitation of rivers and water across this Balkan State. The conclusion represents…
On 20 April, the world woke up to a historical drop in the price of oil in the United States. The reference value for crude oil in the US (WTI) reached negative numbers for the first time in history. Argentina’s Southern Oil Observatory (Opsur) issued a press release, stating: “Press and social media are filled with technical explanations, when the…
April 17, International Day of Peasants' Struggle, is a special day celebrated by rural organizations around the world, usually with demonstrations, conferences, demands addressed to governments, and other activities. But of course, this year, the COVID-19 pandemic is severely limiting the room for action. For this reason, the international peasant movement La Vía Campesina, which gathers local rural organizations at…
