SOUTH AFRICA

GIWUSA rejects the passing of the Labour Bills!

The passing of these Bills represents a dark day in the history of the South African working class. The three passed Labour Bills together constitute a huge setback for the working class of South Africa. These Bills are part of the agenda of the Ramaphosa administration to bring about reform to appease the rating agencies and local white monopoly capital. wwmp.org.za/

Protests erupt in Woodlands as shacks demolished

On Monday evening, Woodlands in Mitchell’s Plain erupted in protest after metro police demolished shacks. Shops were looted and seven people were arrested, according to SAPS. groundup.org.za/

Woman faces eviction after 51 years on a farm

Kanah said she had worked on the farm now known as Marlenique Estate for 51 years before she was retrenched in 1999. She lives in a two bedroom house on the estate with her adult son and a grandchild. groundup.org.za/

Justice and Correctional Services Committee updated on Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill

The committee heard that the bill seeks to address the increasing number of incidents motivated by prejudice, in the forms of hate crimes and hate speech, and to assist people who are victims of such crimes. The Bill also puts in place measures to prevent and combat these offences. polity.org.za/

South Africa needs to reverse corporate capture of agricultural policy

South Africans are embroiled in heated debates about the expropriation of agricultural land. But very little space is being devoted to how the country’s scarce arable land could and should be used once it has been acquired. theconversation.com/

INTERNATIONAL

How identity politics has divided the left: an interview with Asad Haider

Identity politics has something for everyone — but not in a good way. Even Hillary Clinton invoked “intersectionality” and “white privilege” as a shallow gesture of allyship to young liberal voters. Richard Spencer and members of the “alt-right” refer to themselves as “identitarians” to mask that they are, in fact, white supremacists. theintercept.com/

Ha’aretz reports on Israeli ties to Trump Probe

There are billionaires aplenty with Kremlin ties who funneled political contributions to Donald Trump and top Republican leaders. Many are Israel lobbyists, Netanyahu cronies, and well-connected oligarchs. israelpalestinenews.org/

Labour’s lynch mob leaves ex-London mayor hanging out to dry

Ken Livingstone’s resignation from the Labour Party became inevitable as he continued to draw fire unto himself from friends of Israel everywhere. rt.com/

For international action to defend Julian Assange!

The International Committee of the Fourth International calls for urgent action to be taken around the world to defend WikiLeaks’ editor Julian Assange. After fighting for close to eight years against relentless persecution by the US government and its allies, the Australian-born journalist is now in tremendous danger of falling into their clutches. wsws.org/

Who buys a trafficked child for sex? Otherwise ordinary men

IndyStar columnist Tim Swarens spent more than a year investigating a lucrative business where abused children are bought and sold. usatoday.com/

IKEA refuses to join Bangladesh Accord

The largest home furnishing company in the world, has refused to bring the home textile factories it sources from in Bangladesh under the purview of the Accord which was established to inspect factories and monitor renovations in the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013. labourbehindthelabel.org/

PALESTINE/ISRAEL

A Palestinian Vineyard Annihilated With Chainsaws, With a Chilling Message in Hebrew

Vandals slashed hundreds of mature grape plants near Hebron, and the odds that the culprits will be caught are slim. tlaxcala-int.org/

NEW TECHNOLOGIES / NEW FORMS OF LABOUR

G.D.P.R., a New Privacy Law, Makes Europe World’s Leading Tech Watchdog

Europe is determined to cement its role as the world’s foremost tech watchdog — and the region is only getting started. Authorities in Brussels and in the European Union’s 28 member countries are also setting the bar for stricter enforcement of antitrust laws against tech behemoths and are paving the way for tougher tax policies on the companies. nytimes.com/

ENVIRONMENT

37 Million Bees Found Dead After Planting Large GMO Corn Field

“Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions,” Schuit said. While many bee keepers blame neonicotinoids, or “neonics.” for colony collapse of bees and many countries in EU have banned neonicotinoid class of pesticides, the US Department of Agriculture fails to ban insecticides known as neonicotinoids, manufactured by Bayer CropScience Inc. dailynativenews.site/