This week's biggest stories from the Global South : Venezuela protests, Ghana passes women empowerment law, Indonesia's golden visa

Africa

Ethiopia's coffee waste gets a second life with Coffee Resurrect’s green tech

Coffee Resurrect, an Ethiopian startup founded in 2021, repurposes unwanted coffee grounds into sustainable, high-quality products. As Africa's first coffee biorefinery, Coffee Resurrect creates all-natural ingredients for personal care, nutraceuticals, and food products. Read more here.

Nigeria: Police adopt 'Kenya style' to break up cost of living protests – Video

On August 1, 2024, Nigerian police fired tear gas and shots in the air to disperse thousands of protesters across the country. The demonstrations, driven by the worsening cost-of-living crisis, saw significant participation in cities like Abuja, Kano, and Lagos. Read more here.

Ghana parliament passes law to quicken women's empowerment

Ghana's lawmakers on July 30 passed a law to give more opportunities to women at the national level. Speaker of parliament Alban Bagbin said the law was passed with a target to increase their participation in governance and decision-making to a minimum of 30% by 2030. Read more here.

Latin America

Opposition cries fraud as Maduro declared winner in controversial Venezuelan election

Venezuelan opposition party, Plataforma Unitaria Democratica (PUD), rejected the CNE's declaration of President Nicolas Maduro as president, labelling it as fraudulent and vowing to challenge the results. Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the PUD, said that González had won with 70% of the votes, claiming he was the rightful president-elect. Read more here.

Panamanian athlete Gianna Woodruff seeks gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Gianna Woodruff, who became the first Panamanian woman to win a gold medal in athletics at the Pan American Games last year, now has her sights set on a new victory. She aims to bring home another medal from Paris. The American-Panamanian athlete, specialising in the 400-meter hurdles, is determined not to miss her second chance at the Olympics. After participating in the 2020 edition in Tokyo, she is now looking for a rematch. Read more here.

Chilean women rally against senator supporting convicted abuser

Hundreds of Chilean women rallied outside the Supreme Court of Justice in Santiago on July 24, protesting against Senator Javier Macaya, who defended his father, convicted of child sexual abuse. In a recent interview, Macaya asserted his father's innocence in the sex abuse case involving family members. He criticised the legal process, claiming his father’s conviction was based on a recording made without consent and a "highly edited" video, according to AFP. Read more here.

Asia

Scientists discover new bird-like dinosaur in Mongolia

Researchers have discovered a new species of bird-like dinosaur in Mongolia. The dinosaur belongs to the Troodontidae family, known from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous period. Mongolian palaeontologist Barsbold Rinchen said that this group has posed many questions for scientists who are still conducting investigations. Read more here.

Indonesia unveils 'golden visa' for foreign investors

Indonesia has launched a golden visa scheme for individual investors. The residency by investment scheme launched on July 25 offers a five-year visa to investors who set up a local company worth $2.5 million or a 10-year visa if their company is worth $5 million. Read more here.

Thailand to 'boost' its economy with $13.8 billion digital money handout

Thailand is set to embark on an ambitious economic stimulus plan by launching a $13.8 billion digital money handout. This initiative, known as the Digital Wallet programme was announced in April and aims to strengthen the country's lagging economy by distributing digital cash to its citizens. Read more here.