Tag: urban space

Southern Cone

Brazil’s top fugitive drug lord gets popped

Brazilian authorities announced the apprehension of Rogerio Avelino da Silva AKA “Rogerio 157″—the fugitive gang leader said be behind a wave of paramilitary-style violence that prompted the national government to flood  Rio de Janiero’s favelas with army troops earlier this year. Nearly 3,000 officers from the Federal Police as well as army troops took part in the “mega-operation” that led to his arrest. (Photo: O Globo)

East Asia
China

Beijing squatter protest —and human rights dilemma

A rare protest is reported from Beijing following the mass eviction of a squatter camp for migrant workers. The protest comes just as the US and EU condemned China on the occasion of International Human Rights Day—and China held its own "South-South Human Rights Forum" in Beijing, in a bid to deflect Western criticism and redefine human rights as a "right to development."

Palestine

Trump, Jerusalem, escalation and eschatology

If Trump is seeking to appease the Christian fundamentalist element of his base with his pledge to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, this should hardly be comforting to Jews. The evangelical fundis see Jewish control of Jerusalem only as fulfillment of Bible prophecies portending the End Times. What makes this wackiness dangerous is that with nuclear weapons, the human race now has the capacity to bring about the foreseen rain of fire and brimstone.

Southern Cone

Brazil deploys army to conflicted Rio favela

Brazil's ongoing favela wars have taken a dramatic turn for the bloody—prompting the government to send military troops into Rio de Janiero's notorious Rocinha. This is the most violent of the city's sprawling favelas—informal urban settlements virtually abandoned by the government for anything other than militarized anti-drug operations. The violence in Rocinha is the deadliest since the launch of a "pacification" program in 2011 to push warring narco-gangs out of the city's favelas.

The Andes

Peru: Lima crackdown on ‘land-traffickers’

Police seized large areas of "trafficked" lands in the Lomas de Primavera green belt overlooking Lima, but accounts were vague on the fate of the peasant families settled there.

Palestine

East Jerusalem demolitions jump since Trump

Home demolitions in East Jerusalem have risen dramatically since the election of US President Donald Trump, with plans for "legal" housing development for Palestinians stalled.

Greater Middle East

Turkey: thousands of Kurds displaced in crackdown

Tens of thousands of residents of Diyarbakır's historic Sur district are among a half million Kurds forced from their homes as a result of a brutal crackdown by Turkish authorities.

The Andes

Lima: indigenous squatter camp burns

Shipibo indigenous shanty-dwellers near downtown Lima are pledging to resist forcible relocation after a mysterious fire swept through their community.

Palestine

UNESCO nomenclature wars in Jerusalem

The UNESCO resolution against Israel's political archaeology at the Temple Mount counter-productively refered to the site only by its Islamic name, the Ḥaram al-Sharif.

Southern Cone

Deadly underside of Rio de Janeiro Olympics

With the Rio de Janeiro Olympics over, the world media are moving on—but the city's poor favela dwellers are left to contend with a wave of murderous police terror.

The Andes

Bogotá: controversy over urban clearance

Authorities in Bogotá began demolishing a notorious district near the city center locally known as "the Bronx"—but seemingly no plans were made for the displaced residents.