e-News bulletin 13 July 2018

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E-NEWS BULLETIN 13 July 2018 Links to present possibilities

SOUTH AFRICA

terry bellSA’s new dawn – the devil is in the details

As the country heads towards another general election, the ANC and the government, along with the opposition political parties, share one thing in common: the mantra that they alone can usher in a “new dawn” for the working people of the country. fin24.com/

cape-toen-uber-protest[Audio] Metered taxis versus Uber drivers – Can the conflict be amicably resolved? Workers on Wednesday

New communications technology has facilitated the development and growth of new taxi services such as Uber and Taxify. Uber has been a pioneer in this “sharing economy” with drivers owning their vehicles and seen as entrepreneurs contracted into the Uber system. However, the company and its drivers have been on the receiving end of often violent protests. In South Africa there have been clashes between metered taxi and Uber drivers with some drivers murdered and cars burnt in Johannesburg and Pretoria. wwmp.org.za/

[Video] Housing Crisis, Evictions, Backyard Dwellers, Informal Settlement
CTV Labour Show

Cape Town has been beset by housing protests that escalated into violence. It is well known that South Africa and Cape Town has a serious housing crisis. In recent years, this has been made worse by hundreds of evictions due to gentrification of areas close to the city and people unable to pay rent for government’s new social housing projects. This crisis is not new, with thousands homeless and seeking shelter in shacks going back to the Apartheid era. The housing crisis is getting worse with no solution in sight. What is to be done?
 

INTERNATIONAL

zanuSafety of journalists in question as Zimbabwean election date nears

As the Zimbabwe elections approach, fears have been raised over threats to journalists. This follows a press conference by the military at which it accused members of the fourth estate of peddling lies against the army. dailymaverick.co.za/

indian diamond cuttersSuicides wipe the shine off Surat’s diamond trade

Investigations spread over a year in Gujarat, India, found a pattern of suicides — many shrouded in silence — in the industry that cuts and polishes 90 percent of gems sold globally, with many workers paid per stone. thehindu.com/

Not so boring: setting statistical standards for measuring Status in Employment

In recent decades, there has been a proliferation of new contractual arrangements under which workers are employed. Unions and workers know the reality of sham contracting, multi-party employment relationships, home-workers, disguised employment relationships, short-term and fixed-term employment, informal employment, casual employment, and other non-standard employment relationships. global-labour-university.org/

[Audio] The Janus Attack – Don’t Mourn, Organize and Fightback

The generations long right wing campaign funded by corporate donors to destroy U.S. unions won a Supreme Court ruling in which it’s five-man Republican-named majority lowered the boom on unions representing state and local government workers, declaring every single such worker in the country a “free rider” archive.org/

lukakuI’ve Got Some Things to Say

When things were going well, I was reading newspapers articles and they were calling me Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker. When things weren’t going well, they were calling me Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker of Congolese descent. theplayerstribune.com/

 

PALESTINE/ISRAEL

poisoned-fieldsFarm warfare: How Israel uses chemicals to kill crops in Gaza

The purpose of herbicides is to enable farmers to grow produce, but Israel is quietly using them to do just the opposite in the Strip — in the name of security [the link is to a copy-to-print version of the article to get around Haaretz’s paywall 😉] haaretz.com/

irish palestineIrish senate backs bill banning trade with Israeli settlements

The Irish Senate gave its support on Wednesday to a legislation prohibiting the import or sale of goods and services produced in occupied territories. aljazeera.com/

al-khan al-ahmar forced removalIsrael’s demolition of Al-Khan Al-Ahmar is a mini-Nakba

Tragic cruelty, humiliation and intimidation culminated with Israel’s official campaign against Al-Khan Al-Ahmar. The scenes of brutality and abuse were recorded for all to see, horrible and almost unbearable. Palestinian children were in a panic, screaming and watching the forced evictions and abuse of their parents by Israeli police and soldiers. middleeastmonitor.com/

 

[Video] The Occupation of the American Mind

One of the most compelling and important documentaries in recent years because it helps us make sense of the lies, mayhem, and injustice in the heart of the Middle East: Palestine.
Local news from Khayelitsha, East London, Port Elizabeth, Alexandra and Orange Farm in English and isiXhosa

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES / NEW FORMS OF LABOUR

totalitarian techInside China’s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras

With millions of cameras and billions of lines of code, China is building a high-tech authoritarian future. Beijing is embracing technologies like facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify and track 1.4 billion people. nytimes.com/

 

Disclaimer:

This newsletter is intended as a special and alternative news, information and knowledge source for all who are interested in issues relevant to promoting political, social and economic equality and the eradication of poverty. The articles contained herein are obtained from various electronic media platforms and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWMP.