SOUTH AFRICA

Court overturns state’s approval of controversial coal mine

The government’s hush-hush approval last year of a new coal mine within a critical biodiversity and water conservation area in Mpumalanga has been reversed by the North Gauteng High Court. dailymaverick.co.za/

Union celebrates victory in fruit processing plant dispute

The Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers’ Union has gained organisational rights at fruit processing plant Two-a-Day in Grabouw. The company only relented after a threatened strike and mediation by the CCMA. It is a major victory as the Two-a-Day Group comprises more than 50 farms iol.co.za/

We are concerned about the culture of sexual harassment within the SABC!

In this joint statement, R2K and SOS raise concerns about an endemic culture of sexual harassment within the corridors of the SABC, believing that the culture of silence around the matter is a cause for concern and inhibits the institution from dealing effectively with the scourge. r2k.org.za/

INTERNATIONAL

‘Black soldiers were expendable – then forgettable’

With the centenary of the First World War commemorated this week, the role played by the four million non-white non-Europeans who fought and laboured on the western front – and in other theatres of the war in Africa, the Middle East and Asia – should not be airbrushed out of the popular history of the first world worst . theguardian.com/

European Parliament slams Bangladesh Government on human rights

An EU resolution calls on Bangladesh to address a multitude of human rights abuses such as the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and association, extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances, excessive use of force, anti-union discrimination and other labour rights abuses. cleanclothes.org/

The Rich Get Richer: 2017 Was Best Year for Billionaires in Recorded History With U.S. Leading the Way

Billionaires around the world enjoyed their most profitable period in recorded history, increasing their wealth by around 20 percent in 2017 as the gap between the super-rich and the rest of humanity continued to widen. newsweek.com/

ISRAEL-PALESTINE

Israel’s $72m ‘war chest’ to fight BDS arrives in Europe

Israel has little interest in countering BDS using grassroots efforts, which has been the backbone of the Palestinian boycott movement for years. Instead, the Israeli government has invested in persuading US, European and other western legislators, political parties and governments, in the hope of designating BDS – and any call for boycott – as an anti-Semitic one, punishable by law. aljazeera.com/

Shrinking Space and the BDS movement

A widening pattern of repression of social movements has taken shape around the world. Everywhere, space for dissent is shrinking rapidly. A new report published by the Transnational Institute examines the legal and political pressure exerted on the BDS Movement, a global campaign aimed at pressuring Israel to end human rights violations. tni.org/

Mainstream media on Gaza: Israelis get killed, but Palestinians merely ‘die’

An article carried in the Guardian about the Israeli incursion into Gaza that precipitated the latest bombardment of the area showed up the Western media’s hierarchy of resulting deaths. An Israeli officer was “killed” during the raid, yet the seven Palestinians killed merely “died” from presumably unknown cause. theummahtimes.com/

Israel’s Mockery of Security: 101 Actions Israel Could Take

What can Israel do to improve its insecurity? Sam Bahour lists 101 actions the Israeli state can take which together comprise a detailed sampling of what the Israeli military occupation means from ground zero. counterpunch.org/

Chomsky echoes prominent Israeli, warns of the rise of ‘Judeo-Nazi tendencies’ in Israel

The renowned political dissident, linguist and scholar repeated warnings given by Yeshayahu Leibowitz, an Israeli public intellectual, biochemist and polymath, concerning the dehumanising effect of Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine on the victims and the oppressors. middleeastmonitor.com/

NEW TECHNOLOGIES / NEW FORMS OF LABOUR

‘The Cleaners’ Looks At Who Cleans Up The Internet’s Toxic Content

Thousands of content moderators work around the clock to ensure that Facebook, YouTube, Google and other online platforms remain free of toxic content. A new documentary, The Cleaners, seeks to get to the bottom how that work is done. The film follows five content moderators and uncovers what their jobs actually entail. npr.org/

How to Become a “Russian Expert” on Facebook in a Matter of Weeks!

PHILOSOPHY

The Philosophy of Our Time

ENVIRONMENT

South Africa’s climate target not in line with Paris Agreement, according to G20 climate action report

If all other governments were to follow South Africa’s level of ambition when it comes to cutting carbon dioxide emissions, it would lead to the planet warming up by between 3°C and 4°C above pre-industrial levels. This is among the key findings in the latest G20 Brown to Green Report compiled by Climate Transparency, a global partnership of 14 climate research organisations and NGOs from the majority of G20 countries.

Bayer CEO: Roundup Weedkiller Cancer Victims Are ‘Nuisances’

There are about 8,700 lawsuits pending against Monsanto, by people who allege that exposure to Roundup weedkiller is responsible for their cancer—or they have family members who have already died from the disease. organicconsumers.org/