Israeli attacks on Palestine churches part of campaign to 'eradicate Christian presence’Since October 2023, new illegal outposts have been established in Jericho, which the committee says poses a “direct threat to its historic and sacred character and forming part of a broader plan to erase Palestine’s Christian and historical identity”. “These measures are inseparable from the wider occupation strategy to alter the identity of Jerusalem, erase its religious and cultural character, and ultimately eliminate the Palestinian presence in the city,” Ramzi Khouri, PLO Executive Committee member and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, said in the letter.
https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-eradicating-christian-presence-palestineMalnourished Palestinian woman dies in Italy after Gaza evacuationAccording to the University hospital of Pisa she had a “very complex clinical picture” and was “in a profound state of organic wasting”, doctors said in a statement. On Friday, after undergoing tests and starting treatment, she had a sudden respiratory crisis and cardiac arrest, and died. The hospital did not elaborate on her condition, but Italian news agencies reporting health facility sources said that she was suffering from severe malnutrition. More than 180 children and young people from Gaza have been brought to Italy since the war began between Israel and Hamas.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/16/malnourished-palestinian-woman-dies-in-italy-after-gaza-evacuationTensions soar in Serbia as angry protesters clash with police, set fire to party officesWearing scarves over their faces and chanting slogans against President Aleksandar Vucic, a group of young men threw flares at his Serbian Progressive Party offices in Valjevo, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the capital Belgrade. They set fire to the party’s offices before clashing with riot police in a downtown area. Police threw multiple rounds of tear gas and charged at the demonstrators who hurled bottles, rocks and flares at them. Similar clashes also erupted on Saturday evening in the northern city of Novi Sad and in Belgrade, with police directing tear gas at protesters while battling the protesters who set garbage containers on fire.
https://apnews.com/article/serbia-protests-violence-clashes-1a6cdb041ca10e6b8d08970b7dcf3004 EU leaders back Trump plan for trilateral talks after Putin summit Putin, for his part, refused to answer questions from international media and continued to claim his all-out assault on Ukraine and efforts to capture territory are driven by “fundamental threats to our security.” Despite not making any public concessions, he hinted an “agreement” had been struck with Trump that could “help bring us closer to that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/us-donald-trump-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-european-allies-russia-putin-talks-fizzle-war/https://archive.ph/XVK41Libyans turn out for elections as officials condemn 'unacceptable' obstructionsHundreds of thousands of Libyans went to the polls on Saturday as officials condemned "unacceptable" obstructions that prevented voting in some areas. Fifty cities across the fractured country, including the capital Tripoli, took part in the elections. Polling stations opened as early as 9am [7am GMT] for the 380,000 registered voters, with security provided in the west by the interior ministry of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU).
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/libyans-turn-out-elections-officials-condemn-unacceptable-obstructionsMalema dismisses National Dialogue as waste of state resources“It really did not serve any purpose. If anything, it was saving the egos of certain people, and therefore it was a waste of money. NGOs and people who participated in that preparations suggested that it must be postponed, because they are not ready only to go and embarrass themselves the way they did. We don’t support this convention. We don’t support the national dialogue. We know the demands of our people. We cannot spend R700 million of the money that we don’t have.”
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/malema-dismisses-national-dialogue-as-waste-of-state-resources/Malaysian plantation workers mobilize to demand housing rightsHundreds of plantation workers in Malaysia, under the leadership of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), marched to the parliament building in Kuala Lumpur and presented their demand for housing for all on Wednesday, August 13. The police tried to prevent PSM leaders and the members of the Farm Society Support Committee (JSML) from reaching the parliament. S Arutchelvan, deputy chairman of the PSM was even pushed to the ground by the police.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/08/14/malaysian-plantation-workers-mobilize-to-demand-housing-rights/ From Ang Bayan: NPA Carries Out Successful Attack On AFP Camp In Quezon Province A New People’s Army (NPA)-Quezon (Apolonio Mendoza Command) unit fired at the newly built 85th IB camp in Barangay Cogorin Ibaba, Lopez, Quezon Province on August 2. The unit carried out the attack at 7:30 p.m. Lieutenant Colonel Reynir Nirza serves as the battalion commander and is under the 2nd ID command. Quezonians welcomed the attack as a way to hold the bloodthirsty battalion accountable for their crimes and to give justice to their peasant victims.
https://www.redspark.nu/peoples-war/philippines/from-ang-bayan-npa-carries-out-successful-attack-on-afp-camp-in-quezon-province/Pakistan: Textile Workers Demand Better Wages, Labour RightsIn Faisalabad, led by Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (HKP) and other unions, hundreds of workers successfully carried out a large strike on August 3 and have been regularly organizing large-scale protest gatherings to push for their demands. The workers’ demands include a better minimum wage, the proper implementation of labor and minimum wage laws, and the protection of other workers’ rights. Before Faisalabad, textile workers in Gujranwala observed a strike in support of similar demands, which lasted for more than a fortnight. The strike was lifted after the administration and the factory management agreed to all the demands.
https://www.newsclick.in/pakistan-textile-workers-demand-better-wages-labour-rightsGovernment Shuts Down Air Canada Strike That Grounded Hundreds of FlightsIn an unsigned email, Air Canada, which said that it had locked out the striking workers early Saturday, declined to comment on the minister’s decision, adding that it was too early to say how long it would take to get its planes flying. Hundreds of striking flight attendants outside Toronto Pearson International Airport reacted swiftly and angrily, chanting, “Shame on you, Patty Hajdu,” and “We won’t stop,” as passing motorists honked their horns in solidarity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/world/canada/air-canada-strike.htmlhttps://archive.ph/apv2LBolivian Government Denounces Right-Wing “Dirty War” Prior to General ElectionsThe Government of Bolivia rejected accusations by the Alianza Unidad party about an alleged plan to link them with electoral fraud. The opposition coalition, led by Samuel Doria Medina, declared that the government of Luis Arce would be trying to accuse them of electoral fraud after the elections, denouncing a campaign of “dirty war” to tarnish the process. In this regard, the Government described the statements as “irresponsible” and called on all political formations that will participate in the elections to act responsibly in their declarations, noting that “What explains this position of the Unity Alliance is the dirty war between the right-wing parties.”
https://www.telesurenglish.net/bolivian-government-denounces-right-wing-dirty-war-prior-to-general-elections/Tensions rise in Ecuador as President Noboa protests against the Constitutional CourtTensions between Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and the Constitutional Court (CC) are increasing with each passing day. On August 12, the right-wing leader led a mobilization, alongside his ministers and assembly members, to criticize the recent actions of the CC, which he has described as an “obstacle” to achieving peace. The CC has recently annulled several articles of the latest laws passed by the ruling party. According to the highest body responsible for ensuring the correct application of the Constitution of the Republic, these articles violate fundamental principles and rights enshrined in the Constitution and have therefore been suspended, although the rest of the laws remain in force.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/08/14/tensions-rise-in-ecuador-as-president-noboa-protests-against-the-constitutional-court/