Myanmar’s acting President Myint Swe dies after a long illnessMyint Swe, who became Myanmar’s acting president under controversial circumstances after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, died on Thursday, the military said. He was 74. Myint Swe’s death came more than a year after he stopped actively carrying out his presidential duties after he was publicly reported to be ailing.
https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-acting-president-myint-swe-obituary-dead-3e816743ec95a1ab4b543ab0846615a8Modi ready to ‘pay a heavy price’ as India seeks to resist Trump tariffsIn a speech on Wednesday night which did not directly mention Trump or the new tariffs, Modi appeared defiant as he addressed one of the biggest sticking points in India’s ongoing trade negotiations with the US over tariffs. According to Indian officials, the US has been pushing India to allow for the import of American genetically modified (GM) crops into the country and for duty-free imports on US farm and dairy products.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/07/modi-ready-to-pay-a-heavy-price-as-india-seeks-to-resist-trump-tariffsIndia bans 25 books in contested Kashmir for ‘secessionism’ Indian authorities in Kashmir have banned 25 books, including a piece of work by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, saying the titles “excite secessionism” in the contested Muslim-majority region. The government order accuses the writers of propagating “false narratives” about Kashmir, “while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence” against the Indian state. It follows orders in February when the authorities seized Islamic literature from bookshops and homes.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/india-bans-25-books-in-contested-kashmir-for-secessionismhttps://archive.ph/VZqEBHow Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza is bringing the Israeli army to its kneesThis week, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to order the army to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. According to reports, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is strongly opposed to such a move and has even threatened to resign. If these reports are true, the importance of this moment is difficult to overstate. Such a head-on clash between the government and the army puts Netanyahu and his government in a position that challenges not only the military but also the will of much of the Israeli public.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/how-netanyahus-plan-occupy-gaza-bringing-israeli-army-its-kneesAlgeria bans pro-Palestine protest for 'threatening public order'The Algerian interior ministry this week rejected a request from a dozen opposition parties to organise a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the capital Algiers. The coalition of parties had sought authorisation on 29 July to march under the banner "Algeria with Palestine, against starvation and displacement," proposing the dates of 7 or 8 August.
https://www.newarab.com/news/algeria-bans-gaza-protest-threatening-public-orderBolivia's socialists lose support of the Aymara, once their baseNow support for leftist and MAS-affiliated candidates is trailing the right-wing opposition. A July survey by Ipsos CIESMORI showed Andronico Rodriguez, the leading leftist contender, with just 6% support in July, from 19% earlier this year. Another candidate of Aymara heritage, Eva Copa, stood down from the race last week. Such is the rout that the official MAS candidate is polling around 2%, while Rodriguez has distanced himself from the party.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolivias-socialists-lose-support-aymara-once-their-base-2025-08-07/Brazilian Indigenous Women March Demanting Reproductive Health Access and Land RightsThe march in Brasilia was also marked by criticism of a bill that weakens environmental licensing requirements for infrastructure projects, a measure seen as a serious setback for efforts to combat deforestation and climate change. Approved last month in Congress with support from the agribusiness sector, the protesters urged President Lula to veto the bill.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/brazilian-indigenous-women-march-demanting-reproductive-health-access-and-land-rights/Buenos Aires City government to sanction citizens that sort through trash Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri has instructed the Security Ministry and City Police to introduce sanctions for citizens – mostly poor – who take rubbish out of bins. … Via a post on X, the mayor reminded that article 94 of the City Misdemeanours Code on “Soiling property” provides that: “Anyone who stains or soils by any medium public or private property shall be sanctioned with one to fifteen days of community service or 81 to 1,217 fixed fine units.”
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/jorge-macri-orders-sanctions-over-rubbish-removal.phtmlhttps://archive.ph/fMXedMass protest organisers dismiss ‘feeble’ first charges for Palestine Action supportJeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney, north-east London, were charged under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They were arrested in Westminster following a protest in central London on July 5 and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 16. They are accused of displaying an article in a public place, arousing reasonable suspicion that they are a supporter of a proscribed organisation.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/mass-protest-organisers-dismiss-feeble-first-charges-palestine-action-supportGerman kebab workers striking for collective agreement and pay transparency in industry firstA new round of negotiations between Birtat Meat World SE, one of the country’s biggest kebab meat factories, based in Murr, Baden-Wurttemberg, and the Food, Beverage and Catering (NGG) union were due to start today, but union officials expressed anger after the company clarified that it was not meeting them to negotiate a collective agreement but merely for an exchange of views.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/german-kebab-workers-striking-collective-agreement-and-pay-transparency-industry-first France’s top court blocks comeback of controversial insecticide The judges stressed that neonicotinoids — a class of insecticide that includes acetamiprid and that works by obstructing the nervous systems of insects — can be allowed in exceptional situations but only for a limited time and for well-defined crops. These conditions were not respected in the text of the law, the judges found.
https://www.politico.eu/article/frances-top-court-blocks-comeback-of-controversial-insecticide/https://archive.ph/YxntdRally demands Vic Labor save public housing towersAlmost 1000 people mobilised on August 2 to oppose Victorian Labor’s destruction and privatisation of 44 public housing towers. The protest was called by Save Public Housing Collective. Public housing tenants, activists and elected representatives from the Greens and Socialist Alliance addressed the protest, saying this is the biggest sell-off of public assets ever attempted by a government. They all called on Labor to stop handing over public housing estates to private developers and to instead expand public housing.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/rally-demands-vic-labor-save-public-housing-towers