Reduced Inequalities

Photo: Woman on the streets of Minneapolis holds #BlackLivesMatter sign. Credit: Breakthrough News

The Murder of George Floyd is Normal in an Abnormal Society

Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad*

This article was originally produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (IDN) – There is no need to wonder why George Floyd (age 46) was murdered in broad daylight in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. The script of his death is written deep in the ugly drama of US history.

I Can’t Breathe 2020

Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee sat on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. After that time, George Floyd was dead. From the moment Chauvin put his body on an unarmed man, George Floyd said – eleven times – I can’t breathe.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 03 June 2020

Photo: Collage of images of George Floyd and the video showing four police officers while one is kneeling on the back of Floyd's head and neck. Credit: heavy.com

Leaders and Media Respond to Police Killing of Shackled Black Man

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – The murder of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis yanked from his car, shackled and suffocated to death by a police officer aided by at least three other officers, was front-page news in most of the major newspapers in the U.S. It was also covered internationally with many Africans expressing disgust and dismay over the cold-blooded police action. [Watch the video of the Minneapolis chocking an unarmed George Floyd.]

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 01 June 2020

UN Launches Strategic Global Initiative to Combat Scourge of Misinformation

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN)—The United Nations has launched a strategic initiative to combat the growing scourge of COVID-19 misinformation by increasing the volume and reach of trusted, accurate information.

“We cannot cede our virtual spaces to those who traffic in lies, fear and hate,” said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who announced the initiative called 'Verified'.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 21 May 2020

Image: Collage of flags of Australia and China from Wikipedia Commons.

COVID-19 Revives Racism Against Asian-Australians and Threatens Relations with China

Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) – Australia is entering what observers here say could be a deep recession, the first in almost 30 years. It was the rise of China that helped this sparsely populated vast continent to avoid a recession for the past three decades, the most extended period of economic growth in Australian history.

Rather than being thankful to China, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in a local TV interview on April 19 called for an "independent" inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan expressing concerns about transparency from China on the issue.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 21 May 2020

Eritrean Refugees Sue EU for Abetting Forced Labour Back Home

By Dion De Vries*

BRUSSELS (IDN) – A Dutch Foundation of Eritrean refugees, Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans, has filed a lawsuit in the Amsterdam court against the European Union (EU) for its role in financing a road building project in Eritrea that uses forced labour. The Netherlands is host to many Eritrean migrants and pays toward the project as a member of the EU. The Foundation, together with their Dutch Lawyer Emiel Jurjens, demand the EU stops the 80 million euro support to Eritrea.

: Europe Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Reduced Inequalities; 18 May 2020

Photo: Transporting new migrant workers to Doha, Qatar. Source: tellmemoreblogger.com

COVID-19: Should Economy Have Priority Over Migrant Workers' Health?

Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) – Many critics have described labour migration as the 21st-century slave trade and Covid-19 crisis has exposed this stark reality. Eastern European migrant labour in Europe. Unpaid construction workers on the brink of starvation in the Middle East. Hundreds of South Asian dormitory locked down migrant labourers infected with Covid-19 in Singapore. Global economy’s lack of compassion for the migrant workers that drives its engines is very much in display today.

Speaking on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story, Thulsi Narayanasamy, head of labour rights at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) argued that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the structural inequalities that face migrant workers all over the world.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 13 May 2020

Photo: A detention camp for immigrants and asylum seekers in Greece. Source. Human Rights Watch.

Greece Extends COVID-19 Lockdown at Refugee Camps

Viewpoint by Eva Cossé, Human Rights Watch

The writer is Western Europe researcher, works on issues related to discrimination, migration, asylum and minority rights, with a focus on Greece. This article first appeared on Human Rights Watch, and is being reproduced with the author's permission.

LONDON | ATHENS (IDN) – The Greek government has begun easing lockdown measures, given the country’s success in keeping Covid-19 under control. Starting last week, people could leave their homes without authorization, most shops have re-opened, and older students have returned to the classroom.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 12 May 2020

Photo: The unsung heroes of Majengo slums | YouTube screenshot.

Two 'Unsung Heroes' Helping Kenya's Slum Dwellers Facing Coronavirus

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Journalists who step out of their high-floor offices or manage to escape from their coronavirus confinement sometimes find a great story right on the street below. Such was the story discovered by Kevin Phillips Momanyi, a reporter with Kenya’s Tuko news channel.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 April 2020

Collage with map of Brazilian states by population (from Wikimedia Commons) and Basic Income card (from Vox).

COVID-19: Brazil Implements Basic Income Policy Following Massive Civil Society Campaign

By Pedro Telles

The writer is 2018-19 Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute, London School of Economics.

SÃO PAULO (IDN) – Tens of millions of Brazilians have begun receiving basic income payments aimed at addressing the economic impact of COVID-19, following Congress' approval of a bill prompted by a country-wide grassroots campaign that began just three weeks ago.

: J C Suresh; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 17 April 2020

Photo: IOM Libya staff assist migrants at a disembarkation point in Tripoli, Libya. Credit: IOM.

UN Migration Ramps Up Coronavirus Response Worldwide

By Jaya Ramachandran with IOM Press Release

GENEVA (IDN) – In the face of the number of rising new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expanded the scope of its Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) to include far-reaching interventions that aim to mitigate the dire health and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic. A revised appeal was launched on April 15 for $499 million to support vital preparedness, response and recovery activities in over 140 countries.