The City of #Ghent stands firm against authoritarianism, wherever it comes from. Florida may have put us on a blacklist for refusing to work with companies profiting from occupation and apartheid. We’ll wear that as a badge of honor.

De VS (onder Trump en voorgangers) en Netanyahu staan aan dezelfde kant van deze schande. Het stoppen van een genocide die je zelf mogelijk hebt gemaakt na 2 jaar onafgebroken bloedvergieten, maakt je geen vredesstichter maar een dader die op de rem trapt wanneer het bloed al tot aan de lippen staat

‘We klampen ons vast aan het vredesakkoord zoals een drenkeling zich vastklampt aan een stuk wrakhout’ – MO*

‘Voor ons is het aanvaarden van het meest recente vredesakkoord voor Gaza geen politieke keuze.’

mo.be

#Conscious #eco-friendly #sustainable Almost half of all environmental claims made by online traders are exaggerated, false or deceptive. When lying is allowed, honest entrepreneurs are punished. Disappointing

Musk and Trump are teaching the world a valuable lesson: When two (powerful) parties fight, it doesn’t mean you have to pick a side. Sometimes both are wrong, petty and despicable in their own ways.

Comeosleden (o.a. Decathlon en Amazon): "Wij willen minder regeltjes. Je kan ons toch niet verantwoordelijk stellen voor wanpraktijken aan de andere kant van de wereld!" Maar ook: "Wij kunnen niet concurreren met Shein, want die betalen hun werknemers niet en houden zich niet aan de regels."

Helft Belgische online shoppers kocht al op Chinese webshops: “Met jurkjes van 8 euro voel ik mij een miljonair”

Belgen zijn in een mum van tijd verslaafd geraakt aan Chinese webshops als Shein, ook al beseft de meerderheid dat de kwaliteit niet altijd deugt. Een op de tien bestelt zelfs wekelijks een pakketje.

standaard.be

1/ A while ago I received a question on the sustainability of #fish. Often, the focus is ecological (overfishing, bycatch, ocean health...), but human rights are just as critical. Fishing crews work under so called '3D conditions' (Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult) + adding a 4th D: Dehumanising.

#neocolonialism in practice: the U.S. pushed a false narrative about white farmers in South Africa using a photo from a Congolese massacre, twisting African tragedies to fit their political agendas.

Trump's image of dead 'white farmers' came from Reuters footage in Congo, not South Africa

The image came from a video that showed humanitarian workers lifting body bags in the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Trump falsely presented the photo as evidence of mass killings of white South Africans.

reuters.com

#extractivism Circular in marketing, linear in practice The global economy now recycles less than 7% of the 106 billion tonnes of materials it consumes each year, down from 9.1% in 2015 Yet politicians push for more mines (EU), new fossil fuel crackers (Antwerp), less rules for industry (EU/US)...

Report: Global economy becoming less circular despite increased recycling efforts - edie

Recycling alone cannot be used to create a truly circular global economy because material consumption is increasing so sharply, according to a landmark new report from Deloitte Global and Circle Econo...

edie.net

1/ Yesterday in Ghent, we sat down with the deputy mayor (@hafsahopsasa.bsky.social) and key orgs (Amnesty, Oxfam, Red Cross...) to reflect on how a world turning its back on solidarity reshapes local action. #War, #intolerance and fear creep in where trust and cooperation are retreating.

When Trump talks about Fair Trade, I laugh. In 2015 alone, the global North appropriated 12 billion tons of raw materials, 822 million hectares of land, 21 exajoules of energy, and 188 million person-years of labor from the global South, worth $10.8 trillion in Northern prices.

Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990–2015

Unequal exchange theory posits that economic growth in the “advanced economies” of the global North relies on a large net appropriation of resources a…

sciencedirect.com

In Nederland mogen kinderen straks opgesloten worden. In België volgt Van Bossuyt met termen als “ankerkinderen” taal uit het alt-rightwoordenboek. Framing die ontmenselijkt, maakt repressie aanvaardbaar.

Kind in azc@kind-in-azc.bsky.social · 2y ago

Kinderen die bescherming zoeken in Nederland kunnen straks in detentie worden geplaatst, ondanks dat het VN-Kinderrechtencomité dit als schending van kinderrechten beschouwt. Detentie is schadelijk voor hun welzijn. Wij roepen politici op: Geen kind in detentie! 👉 www.linkedin.com/posts/werkgr...

The anger many Americans feel and express about Trump’s behavior is legitimate. His disdain for judicial rulings, his attacks on the press, and his growing personal grip on institutions are not small deviations. They're signs of a deeper decay. But anger alone isn't enough. 1/

Silent Spring (1962) was the first book to expose how industries poison nature on a global scale. Before that global pollution wasn't a concern. “Sustainability” wasn’t a concept until 1987. Trump, born in 1946, and many global leaders grew up when endless growth seemed normal.

PFAS, like asbestos, show why strong environmental policies matter. While Europe moves to ban harmful chemicals, pressure to weaken regulations remains. Once pollution spreads, it’s too late to undo the damage. Prevention is the only real solution.

PFAS: The next asbestos?

In some of the Earth's most remote and inaccessible regions, there are traces of humankind.

phys.org

#ModernSlavery Bicycles symbolize sustainability, but many are made under harsh conditions. In Taiwan, migrant workers face debt bondage and poor living conditions in factories. Governments and major cycling events like the #TourdeFrance must do more to end these abuses.

The bicycle industry’s dirty secret

Open access // by Peter Bengtsen (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, February 2025)

mondediplo.com

Deep-sea scars from decades-old extraction reveal a simple truth: profit-driven choices can outlast the industries that made them. #Extractivism takes, markets move on, but the damage remains.

Deep sea mining impacts visible for 'many decades'

Scientists said they have seen the first signs of life returning to deep sea mining tracks carved into the abyssal seabed more than four decades ago, but warned on Wednesday that full recovery may be ...

phys.org

This is America in 2025, where an international student is detained, her visa revoked, for writing about the Palestinian genocide and advocating for divestment.

David Leavitt@davidleavitt.bsky.social · 2y ago

Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk being detained by ice Via @bedford.bsky.social

"Gent economisch dood na circulatieplan", aldus de visionairs van NVA-Gent in 2016

⚠️ Persbericht: onze humanitaire operaties in #Gaza worden ernstig belemmerd. Bij een aanval gisteren werden drie partners gedood terwijl ze hun werk deden, toen hun duidelijk gemarkeerde vrachtwagen werd vernietigd bij een aanval van Israëlische militairen. (1/3) oxfambelgie.be/humanitaire-...

Humanitaire operaties in Gaza ernstig belemmerd; risico op hongersnood neemt toe

oxfambelgie.be

“I don’t care what the judges think.” When fighting higher powers, whether corrupt leaders, the ultra-rich, or multinationals, you have to accept that 'the system' won’t save you. Courts fail, laws bend, money rules. Here we are today...

White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela deportations

Trump administration used Alien Enemies Act to deport about 250 alleged gang members to El Salvador

theguardian.com

1/ Unreal. Shocking. The images from Palestine are beyond comprehension. People there are deprived of water and food, denied humanitarian aid, and international law flouted. Children and adults are being murdered, maimed and traumatized.

Extraordinary scenes in Serbia’s capital Belgrade right now. Around 500,000 people are on the streets in what may be the biggest protest in Serbian history. All demanding the resignation of President Vučić & his government. What began as a student protest is now a full democratic uprising. 🇷🇸

Peru's new law banning NGOs from taking human rights cases against the state is a direct attack on justice. It silences those fighting for accountability and protects those in power. This comes as civil society worldwide faces growing restrictions, making it even harder to defend the most vulnerable

Fears for human rights as Peru passes ‘simply brutal’ anti-NGO law

Experts say legislation will prevent vulnerable people from accessing justice in latest government-backed crackdown

theguardian.com

The Netherlands is one of the world's largest tax havens Amsterdam sheltered Gazprom and provides a haven for Tesla Tesla Motors Netherlands BV - a subsidiary with sales of $28 billion in 2023 With the trade war underway, it's time for tax justice, kick out Tesla www.somo.nl/enabling-put...

Enabling Putin's war - SOMO

This briefing focuses on Gazprom’s business activities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which are serviced by a range of accountancy and law firms. As the world’s largest gas producer, majority state-ow...

somo.nl

🚨🚨 In not totally unsurprising news, the United States has been added to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist, which identifies countries that the global civil rights watchdog believes are currently experiencing a rapid decline in civic freedoms. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US added to international watchlist for rapid decline in civic freedoms

Civicus, an international non-profit, puts country alongside Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan and Serbia

theguardian.com

Another sign of #BillionaireColonialism in the U.S.: when media giants fall under the control of the ultra-wealthy, society becomes fragile. The lines between journalism, corporate interests, and personal influence are completely blurred.

Top Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus resigns after piece critical of Jeff Bezos is scrapped

The column was disapproving of paper’s new opinion policy of supporting only ‘personal liberties and free markets’

theguardian.com

Circulaire mode lijkt duurzaam, maar onderzoek toont aan dat het ecologisch weinig oplevert. Als #ultrafastfashion de bron van onze kleding blijft, heeft het nauwelijks impact. Ondertussen blijven arbeidskwesties, maar ook de vernietiging van onverkochte kleding buiten beeld.

Research challenges circular fashion's economic and environmental claims

A study reveals that circular fashion (CF)—the practice of recycling, reselling, and renting clothing to reduce waste—might not be the green solution it claims to be.

phys.org

Drunk on power and ketamine. This is Musk and the foreign minister of Poland. This is what I mean about Musk as the "over-mighty subject". His power is too great for anyone else to be fully free.

“The rights of Indigenous ppls are not being respected, the contamination of our rivers & territories continues, there are threats to uncontacted Indigenous Peoples, more regulations that make environmental standards more flexible & oil & gas lots continue to be promoted.” apnews.com/article/peru...

Peru's Indigenous leaders raise concerns over oil and gas projects at a human rights hearing

Indigenous leaders from the Peruvian Amazon have urged the government to halt oil and gas projects that threaten their lands, presenting their case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights...

apnews.com

Met een extreemrechtse leider in het Witte Huis moet Europa zelfstandig de rug rechten. Om de liberale democratie en internationale rechtsorde te verdedigen, om mensenrechten te verdedigen, in internationale solidariteit en met ontwikkelingshulp. Alleen zo kan Europa relevant zijn en blijven.