‘Death is becoming very imminent now’
NewsFeed “And as I speak, this is the sound of huge explosions.” Israeli strikes could be heard as Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported live from Gaza on the many ways Israel is killing Palestinians and instilling the sense that “death is becoming very imminent.” Published On 4 Apr 20254 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump tariffs could lead to a new world order: Economist Ha-Joon Chang
What’s next for the US and global economy after Trump’s new tariffs? Redi Tlhabi talks with economist Ha-Joon Chang. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump unveiled his new global tariff plan, imposing a 10% tariff on all imports, and targeting dozens more countries with additional tariffs on what he called his “Day of Liberation”. So, with Trump’s economic plan set in motion – what will be the fallout? And what will happen next? This week on UpFront, Redi Tlhabi discusses with economist and author, Ha-Joon Chang, Trump’s new tariffs and their global implications. Adblock test (Why?)
South Korea court formally removes President Yoon over martial law
[unable to retrieve full-text content] South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol was formally removed from office by the country’s Constitutional Court on Friday.
‘Just like that’: Yemeni families destroyed by US air strikes
Sanaa, Yemen – On the evening of March 15, Ammar Mohammed* strolled through the vibrant streets of a modern residential neighbourhood in northern Sanaa. The tall, slim man was nattily dressed and expecting a delicious meal at a relative’s home. The pleasant spring air, cooled after sunset, carried the rich aromas of home-cooked dishes as families prepared to break their fast on the last day of Ramadan. The two-storey house of his wife’s relatives, the al-Zeinis*, was lit up, as with the other tightly packed homes on that street. Even from a distance, he could see rows of windows glowing warmly and felt the hum of life radiating from behind closed doors he walked past, as people chatted, children squealed, and cutlery clattered. He was looking forward to iftar and to his wife joining him later at her relatives’ home for a post-iftar gathering. The street was bustling – mosque speakers echoed Quranic recitations, children chased each other barefoot over the asphalt, and the clatter of bustling kitchens spilled from open doorways. Advertisement He was a stone’s throw away when the evening was split apart. Shops in Aden – prepared before the beginning of Ramadan, a festive time in Yemen with families coming together for meals throughout the month, on February 25, 2025 [Fawaz Salman/Reuters] A deafening roar shattered the calm, a blinding orange flash turning everything into a terrifying artificial dawn. The ground convulsed beneath him, and he was hurled backwards, ears ringing as a shockwave of dust and debris swept over him, stinging his skin. For a moment, he could not breathe. When he lifted his head, the al-Zeini home was gone. “Just like that, the house had collapsed into a smouldering heap of rubble and twisted metal,” the 30-year-old civil servant said. “All 12 al-Zeinis – mostly women and kids – who were inside on a peaceful Ramadan evening, were killed,” he said in pain. The al-Zeini family had been killed in a raid ordered by United States President Donald Trump. Trump claimed he wanted to target Houthi fighters and military installations, to force them to stop attacking Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea – which the Houthis say they are doing in response to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip. The US raids continued, and have killed at least 53 people, while nearly 100 others were wounded. A neighbourhood shattered Mohammed, palms bleeding from the force with which he was hurled onto the asphalt, raced to the house to see if there were any survivors. The house had been demolished, along with the one right next to it. Advertisement He joined a crowd of neighbours pulling away bricks and iron rebar in search of people, to ultimately realise no one was alive. “I was swept away by emotions and thoughts, just like my surroundings. I was confused, scared, grateful, alarmed, happy to have survived, and devastated by what happened to this family. “This was a family breaking their fast together, not a military base. Americans make no distinction between a rebel and a child,” he told Al Jazeera. He could not say anything further about his slain relatives, only saying he dreaded what would come next. He vividly recalled how the joyful sounds of children playing were suddenly replaced by piercing screams as panicked parents rushed into the streets, desperately searching for their little ones. A man squats in the middle of an area struck by the US in Sanaa on March 20, 2025 [Mohammed Huwais/AFP] ‘They were there just a minute ago’ Like Khawla*, who was a few houses down from the al-Zeinis, setting the table and keeping an eye on her two sons, eight-year-old Usama and six-year-old Mustafa, playing outside. They were awaiting their father’s return before the family could sit down to break their fast. With the ground shaking and the explosive sound of the raid, the alarmed 30-year-old mother rushed outside in panic, looking for any trace of her little ones. “My children were there moments ago, and suddenly I couldn’t see them,” she said. “I staggered through the wreckage strewn across the street, the air was still full of dust. I was terrified. Advertisement “I screamed out their names … nothing,” she said, her voice cracking as she recalled that night. “A neighbour spotted two small bodies flung several metres away by the blast’s force,” Khawla, who asked to be referred to by her first name only, said. Children especially love the family-oriented, festive atmosphere of Ramadan [File: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters] The neighbour scooped them into his arms and carried them into Khawla’s home, afraid that another attack might follow, and feeling it would be safer to be indoors. “I chased after him, sobbing and trying to understand how badly my boys were hurt. They were too shocked to respond, but once inside, I frantically examined every inch of their bodies.” Luckily, the boys’ injuries were limited to bruises and cuts all over their bodies, and she was able to tend to them herself. “These are cuts that are curable, but there are scars too deep and much more difficult to fix. My kids haven’t been themselves since.” The boys keep asking if more bombs will fall on the neighbourhood, she added. “I hug them, avoid answering the question … but I can’t get over the sight of the household whose children didn’t make it.” * Names changed for the individuals’ safety This article was published in collaboration with Egab. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel has turned two-thirds of Gaza into no-go zones, UN says
The latest displacement orders in Rafah and Gaza City have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee again. Israel has now restricted Palestinians’ access to roughly two-thirds of Gaza, either by declaring large areas as no-go zones or issuing forced displacement orders, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Among the restricted areas is a large swath of southern Rafah, where Israel’s military issued a new displacement order on March 31, declaring it was returning to “fight with great force”. The restrictions also cover parts of Gaza City, where Israeli troops launched a new ground offensive on Friday morning to expand their “security zone”. These escalations have triggered one of the largest mass displacements of the war, pushing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians – many already displaced multiple times – to flee yet again. “Our biggest struggle now is displacement,” Abu Hazem Khalef, an elderly man displaced from Gaza City’s east, told Al Jazeera. “We have no idea how to handle this situation. I’m heading west of Gaza City, looking for any street where I can set up a tent.” Advertisement “We are being forced to leave and we don’t even know where to go,” added Mahmoud al-Gharabli, another displaced Palestinian. “We are exhausted and completely broken.” ‘Dividing the Strip’ The military push follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to intensify the offensive to pressure Hamas into further concessions. “We are now dividing the Strip and we are increasing pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a video message on Wednesday. On Friday, Israeli forces continued devastating aerial attacks, killing at least 30 people since dawn, according to local medical sources and Gaza’s civil defence agency. This followed an intense day of bombardment on Thursday that left 112 dead – many of them women and children. Conditions inside Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, where many victims in the north were taken, are “nothing short of apocalyptic,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said after visiting the facility. “We are seeing bodies laid on the ground and they are counted in the 10s,” Mahmoud said. “We’ve seen doctors, they are helpless. They don’t know what to do. They are unable to save lives given the dire situation inside the hospital.” Israel resumed its attacks in Gaza on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire after talks with Hamas broke down over the next phase of the agreement. Netanyahu wants Hamas to release the 59 remaining Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and aid, but without Israel committing to end the war or pull out troops. For a final ceasefire deal, Netanyahu insists Hamas must disarm – a demand the group calls a “red line” – and has openly backed plans for Israel to seize security control of Gaza and push Palestinians out. Advertisement Hamas calls for a return to the previously agreed three-stage ceasefire framework and has offered to free all the captives at once in return for a permanent ceasefire. Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed 50,523 Palestinians and wounded 114,638. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and more than 200 taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
Have Trump’s tariffs killed US-Africa preferential trade?
United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement on most trading partners, including several in Africa, will affect businesses and people across the continent and likely force more producers to trade with China, experts have warned. Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration on Wednesday threw markets into chaos, as the US took its strongest turn to protectionist policies since the 1930s, weakening a global trade system the US helped build and strengthen. The tariffs, which include a baseline, universal 10 percent duty on all US imports as well as additional tariffs on “worst offender” countries like Nigeria and South Africa, will also likely override a decades-long open trade agreement that has seen African manufacturers export goods to the US duty-free and that has been credited for creating tens of thousands of jobs, analysts say. Established in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) framework helped grow the continent’s exports of textiles, steel, and agricultural products, among others, to the US. Advertisement The AGOA was set for a second renewal this year, but is now likely to be jeopardised by Trump’s trade war, according to analysts. Here’s what to know about how African countries were hit and what the likely effects could be: Matumelo Manosa, centre, works in a garment factory in Maseru, Lesotho, Thursday, February 24, 2022 [Neo Ntsoma/AP] Which African countries have been hit and by how much? Africa’s largest economies, Nigeria (14 percent) and South Africa (31 percent), were among those on Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs list — that is, countries the president said “treat us badly”. They included those that impose high tariffs on US goods or have introduced other barriers to US trade, according to Washington. Those tariffs will take effect on April 9, while the universal tariffs begin on April 5. Southern African countries were particularly badly hit. Lesotho, the small Southern African country that Trump claimed “ no one has heard of” last month, was hit with the highest tariff rates at 50 percent. The country, which carries the second-highest HIV burden of any other in the world, is still reeling from the shock of Trump’s sweeping aid cuts earlier that have gutted HIV response efforts across the region. Other Southern African countries hit were: Madagascar (47 percent); Mauritius (40 percent); Botswana (37 percent); and Angola (32 percent). South Africa was also earlier affected by a separate 25-percent tariff on all foreign-made cars that went into force this week. South Africa exports vehicles and parts worth $2bn to the US under the AGOA framework, according to the country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition. Advertisement Here are the tariffs in excess of 10 percent imposed on other African countries: Algeria – 30 percent Cameroon – 12 percent Chad -13 percent Democratic Republic of the Congo – 11 percent Equatorial Guinea – 13 percent Ivory Coast – 21 percent Libya – 31 percent Malawi – 18 percent Mozambique – 16 percent Namibia – 21 percent Tunisia – 28 percent Zambia – 17 percent Zimbabwe – 18 percent What have African governments said? South Africa’s government, which has been involved in a series of spats with Washington in recent weeks, was the first to respond to the tariff hikes. In a statement on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office called the tariffs on the country “punitive” and added that they would “serve as a barrier to trade and shared prosperity.” The government also pledged to seek redress with Washington. The Presidency has noted with concern the newly imposed tariffs on South African exports to the United States of America (USA). https://t.co/Y3YgJd7ECP — The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) April 3, 2025 “The tariffs affirm the urgency to negotiate a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the US, as an essential step to secure long-term trade certainty,” the statement read. According to the US government, South Africa charges a 60 percent tariff on US goods, while Lesotho charges 99 percent. Madagascar, the White House claimed, levies 93 percent tariffs on US goods, and Mauritius, 80 percent. Trump and his close ally, Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, have criticised South Africa for land reform policies that they claim discriminate against the country’s white minority population. Trump has also offered citizenship to white South Africans. On Wednesday, during his announcement, Trump said, “Bad things are going on there.” Former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, addresses the 8th Africa Growth Opportunity Act Conference (AGOA), in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, August 5, 2009 [Sayyid Azim/AP] How will tariffs impact AGOA? Experts say the tariffs will most significantly impact African economies that are reliant on US trade, and that they will effectively override AGOA privileges. Currently, 32 African countries are eligible for the programme. Countries can be, and have been, taken off the list – such as Niger and Gabon, which lost their benefits after military coups. Advertisement The AGOA, which expires in September, grants duty-free access to more than 1,800 products from eligible sub-Saharan African countries and has formed the backbone of US-Africa trade policy for 25 years. It was renewed for 10 years in 2015. Chocolate and basket-weaving materials from Mauritius, musical instruments from Mali and nuts from Mozambique are among the products that have reached US buyers through AGOA. While it is still officially operational, it’s unclear if the Trump administration will renew it again. Certainly, Trump’s tariff announcements “set it along the path to die”, Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at Lagos-based risk analysis firm SBM Intelligence, told Al Jazeera. “African countries aren’t known for making firm geopolitical stances, so many of them will try to hold on to AGOA, which means it will go into zombie mode rather than dying off,” he said. The programme has been hailed by economists for years for opening the US market to African manufacturers, although critics say its strict production and packaging requirements often favour bigger economies. Kenya’s AGOA sales, mainly textiles and apparel, went from $55m in 2001 to $603m in 2022. What countries will be most affected? South
How much will Trump’s new tariffs hurt other countries and US consumers?
On Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump imposed sweeping reciprocal tariffs on the US’s trading partners. The day was termed “Liberation Day” by Trump, who signed an executive order imposing a flat 10 percent tariff on almost all nations and then additional tariffs on those countries that the US accuses of charging higher levies on American goods. The levies sent shock waves through global markets and prompted criticism from world leaders. China and the European Union have already responded with retaliatory measures, signalling the risk of a global trade war. China’s Ministry of Commerce called on Washington to cancel the tariffs. “There is no winner in a trade war, and there is no way out for protectionism,” the ministry said in a statement. The 10 percent flat tariffs come into force on April 5, while the other tariffs will come into effect on April 9. What are the new tariffs announced? Trump has targeted roughly 60 countries with customised reciprocal tariffs. These are countries that have been singled out as ones that charge higher levies on US goods. The steeper rates apply to both major US trading partners and smaller economies – and allies and rivals alike. Advertisement China has been hit with a 54 percent tariff, including 20 percent levies from earlier; Lesotho faces a 50 percent tariff; Cambodia 49 percent; and neighbouring Vietnam 46 percent. “The hike in tariffs was more aggressive than expected,” Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at Dutch bank ING, told Al Jazeera. “Many were expecting a range of 10-20 percent tariffs. This sort of aggressive move will probably risk some retaliation from the bigger players, though smaller countries could choose to try and negotiate for a lower rate.” The EU has also been hit with a 20 percent tariff. Baseline tariffs of 10 percent have been applied to all imports coming to the US. Some countries facing 10 percent levies are the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates. There will be no additional tariffs on Canada and Mexico – both countries are already subject to 25 percent tariffs, except for products covered by a free trade deal with the US. Explore the table below to see which countries have been hit the least and most. Which countries export the most to the US? In 2024, Mexico exported $505.9bn of goods to the US, according to the US International Trade Administration. This was followed by China, which exported $438.9bn; Canada, $412.7bn; Germany $160.4bn; and Japan $148.2bn. Which countries will be most affected? While Trump did not impose extra tariffs on Canada or Mexico, these countries are the most likely to be affected by US levies, given the high percentage of exports that go to the US. Advertisement In 2023, 77.6 percent of Canada’s total exports went to the US, according to data from the United Nations Comtrade. Mexico’s total exports to the US were 79.6 percent. By contrast, while the US is the EU’s largest export destination, the bloc has many other countries that buy its products: In 2023, the US accounted for less than 20 percent of the EU’s exports, according to Comtrade. Similarly, while a heavy tariff is being applied to Chinese products, only 14.8 percent of Chinese exports went to the US in 2023. So while the US was China’s biggest export market that year, China’s vast portfolio of other export destinations – including Japan, Germany, India and Mexico – means that it might hurt less than Canada or Mexico. Still, the tariffs could influence how China approaches future trade with the US, according to experts. “Escalation of tariffs and a continuation of unilateral measures could deepen the erosion of trust in the global trade system, further pushing China to diversify its partners and reduce reliance on the US market,” Carlos Lopes, a Chatham House associate fellow with expertise in international trade and China, told Al Jazeera back in January. How will this affect US consumers? In 2023, the US imported $3 trillion worth of goods – about $1 trillion more than it exported. US consumers are already facing higher car prices following Trump’s 25 percent levies on all autos and auto parts coming into the US, which came into effect on Wednesday, April 2. Since the tariffs also apply to auto parts, cars manufactured in the US using imported parts will become more expensive. Advertisement “The increased costs would cause significant disruption throughout the supply chain and, perhaps, most importantly, lead to significant price increases to the cost to American consumers for vehicles,” the Detroit Regional Chamber and MichAuto, an automotive and mobility association, said in a letter, the Reuters news agency reported. On Thursday, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon responded to the 10 percent tariffs imposed on the country: “It ends up driving higher prices for US consumers, higher inflation, slows down growth and, as a result, that puts real pressure in across the world.” Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,135
These are the key events on day 1,135 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. These are the key events from Thursday, April 3: Fighting A Russian ballistic missile strike killed at least four people and wounded 17 in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. The attack also sparked a fire in the city, said Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih’s military administration. Russian drone attacks overnight targeted the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring several others, officials said. Two people were killed and at least 32, including two children, were injured by a Russian drone attack which hit several multistorey apartment blocks in Kharkiv, the region’s governor said. One person was also injured in a separate drone attack on Ruski Tyshky, a village outside Kharkiv. Kyiv’s air force said Russia launched 39 drones towards Ukraine overnight, of which 28 were shot down. According to the air force, seven others failed to reach their targets due to electronic warfare measures. Russian air defence units repelled a drone approaching Moscow, the city’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of launching more than 30 “provocative” attacks on Russian energy facilities, despite a mutually agreed moratorium on strikes against energy facilities brokered by the United States. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian energy facilities four times in the past 24 hours. Ukraine’s military denied the accusations, saying its troops were adhering to the ceasefire, but claimed Russia had violated the moratorium “numerous times”. Advertisement The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces took control of two settlements, Vesele and Lobkove, in eastern Ukraine. Reuters news agency reports, citing war bloggers, that Russian troops have intensified their attacks in Russia’s western Kursk region to rout Ukrainian forces, including hundreds of Ukrainian troops holding out in a monastery – which it described as the last major Ukrainian foothold in the Russian territory. US Army General Christopher Cavoli said Ukraine’s army had resolved some of its manpower shortages to fight against Russia but warned that a cut-off of US weapons to Ukraine would be severely harmful to Kyiv’s war efforts. Cavoli also said Russia lost more than 4,000 tanks during its war on Ukraine, describing the scale of the war as “awe-inspiring”. Economy The 10 percent reciprocal tariffs imposed on Ukraine by the United States are “difficult, but not critical”, said Kyiv’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. She also said Ukraine had an export volume of $874m to the US last year while Kyiv bought goods worth $3.4bn from the US during this period. Russia remains patient and is not surprised by US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose new tariffs on Russian oil, said Sergei Ryabkov, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister in charge of ties with the US. Ceasefire Ryabov warned that there might not be a peace agreement in the war on Ukraine unless the US recognised the “belligerent” stance of the European Union and Ukraine. President Zelenskyy, during a meeting with community leaders in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, said that maintaining the country’s army size would be a top priority in peace negotiations. Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine would not accept the recognition of Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories as parts of Russia. He suggested finding a compromise to return such territories back to Ukraine over time through diplomatic means. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Russia’s violation of the energy ceasefire brokered by the US. Advertisement Politics and Diplomacy Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev accused unidentified forces of trying to sow tension between Russia and the US by “distorting Russia’s position” and said meeting with the US demonstrated a “positive dynamic” between Washington and Russia. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said France, or the United Kingdom as part of the “coalition of the willing”, should take charge in engaging with Russia as part of Europe’s efforts to support Kyiv. The US has withdrawn from the team of European and US investigators put together under the EU’s judicial body Eurojust to collect evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The move was inspired by a “change in priorities” within the US Department of Justice, Eurojust said. Adblock test (Why?)
Downtown Seoul tense as court rules on President Yoon’s impeachment
Seoul, South Korea – The catchphrase “8-0” was blasted on loudspeakers and seen on placards in Seoul’s historic centre of Jongno District, where thousands of critics of impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol gathered. The demonstrators on Thursday were calling for Yoon to be impeached, confident that all eight acting justices in the country’s Constitutional Court would decide to uphold an impeachment motion passed by the National Assembly in mid-December after Yoon’s short-lived martial law bid. When the final verdict was announced on Friday, the court ruled unanimously to uphold Yoon’s impeachment and remove him from office for briefly declaring military rule. The decision has set in motion a presidential election, which must be held within 60 days. Nestled between ancient palaces and state-of-the-art museums, the neighbourhood of Anguk, where the court is located – and which translates to “peaceful country” – was fortified by hundreds of police buses on Friday morning. More than 14,000 police officers have been mobilised throughout the city while the Anguk subway station, local businesses and several schools were closed in case of disturbances following the court’s ruling. Police buses are parked to make walls on the road as part of precautions for any eventuality near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on April 3, 2025 [Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo] In front of Gyeongbokgung Palace on Thursday, a student organisation staged what sounded like a celebratory band performance in anticipation of a successful impeachment decision that many hoped would end a four-month-long standoff over Yoon’s future. Advertisement “I completely trust that they will make the right decision,” said Song Hye-jung, who was watching the band from afar on Thursday. “But with so many things that have happened in the last few months, I have the tiniest of uncertainty still.” There have been two acting presidents since Yoon was suspended from office in December, as Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was next in line to the presidency, was also impeached by the National Assembly. While Han was reinstated as acting president last month, it had taken a record 38 days for the court to deliver its ruling on Yoon. “By looking at how long it took for the court to make its decision, there might have been one or two dissenting votes. So, it might not turn out to be a perfect eight to zero,” Lim Woon-taek, a sociology professor at Keimyung University and a former member of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning, told Al Jazeera ahead of the ruling. “The key point in this fiasco was that the whole nation could watch what was happening on the night martial law was declared through live feeds on televisions and their phones. It was clear to see that the president overstepped the limits of his powers,” Lim said. Yoon’s case had centred on whether he broke the law by engaging in five key actions: declaring martial law, writing up a martial law decree, deploying troops to the National Assembly, raiding the National Election Commission and allegedly attempting to arrest politicians. “None of the five reasons are light whatsoever. The actions on December 3 can be seen as an attempt to suspend the constitutional government, freeze all political activities, and replace the National Assembly with a substitute force,” said Chung Tae-ho, a professor at Kyung Hee University specialising in constitutional law. Advertisement As a graduate law student at Seoul National University, Lim Hyeon-chang blamed the prolonged decision in Yoon’s case on the Constitutional Court being too sensitive towards public opinion. “It’s already been four months of protesting for many of our students, so we definitely felt tired from all the wait. But with spring and the new semester starting, there’s hope that this social chaos will go back to normalcy finally,” he said. While pro-impeachment protests gathered in their thousands on Thursday night, pro-Yoon supporters were harder to find. In a small group of fewer than 10 people, Grace Kim held a poster reading, “NO impeachment”. “I’m fully convinced that the court will decide to reinstate Yoon in office. The whole process of suspending and impeaching our president was illegal from the start,” the 63-year-old said. “If the court decides otherwise, we will exercise our right of resistance and fight until truth prevails,” she said. Adblock test (Why?)
Six people dead after alleged dynamite attack in Bolivia gold-mining clash
The dynamite attack is thought to be the result of two mining collectives fighting over access to gold deposits. A clash between gold-mining operations in Bolivia has resulted in an explosion that killed six people, according to authorities. Thursday’s blast rocked the Yani mining camp approximately 150 kilometres – or 90 miles – northwest of the country’s administrative capital, La Paz. “There are six dead, and we have reports of missing persons,” said Jhonny Silva, a representative from one of the mining groups involved, the Hijos de Ingenio Mining Cooperative. That mining collective reportedly brawled with another group, known as Senor de Mayo, in a dynamite-laden fight over access to a gold mining area. The explosion left houses damaged and the town of Sorata without power. “They have blown up machinery with dynamite, even a diesel tank,” Silva said of the rival cooperative. Collectives developped in Bolivia as an alternative to state-run and private enterprises. Critics have accused those large companies of providing unstable employment for low-income mining workers, their jobs hinging on market fluctuations. Advertisement The collectives started to crop up in the wake of several economic crises, particularly in 1985, when international mineral prices fell and the state-owned mining company Corporación Minera de Bolivia (COMIBOL) temporarily shuttered. That left tens of thousands of Bolivian miners without jobs. As Bolivia’s mines were privatised, the collectives offered a space for the miners to self-organise. Some would eventually extract tin, silver, gold and zinc to sell to private businesses. Collectives now represent the majority of mining workers, outnumbering their counterparts at COMIBOL and in the private sector. They therefore wield significant political power, despite their relatively modest ability to extract minerals, compared to big companies. Estimates put the number of gold-mining collectives at about 1,600. But critics of the cooperative system warn that there are few safeguards in place for workers, who are exposed to toxic conditions in the extraction process. Opponents also note that – while cooperatives are legal – some of their mining activity is not, and that can lead to environmental destruction and pollution. The informal nature of the work has also led to deadly clashes, both over access to mining sites and the markets in which to sell the metals and raise investments. The fights sometimes involve COMIBOL workers and security forces. The state-run company has become Bolivia’s largest company, propelled in part by favourable policies under former socialist President Evo Morales, who led the country from 2006 to 2019. Advertisement In 2012, for instance, tensions between COMIBOL and the collectives led to road blockages and a deadly dynamite attack in La Paz. Thursday’s dynamite attack between the collectives, however, was simmering for years, according to Silva. Colonel Gunther Agudo, a local police officer, told local media that the dynamite attack “caused an explosion of great magnitude”. “We’re continuing the rescue efforts,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)