This week's biggest stories from the Global South: AI transforming African businesses, US deportations continue, plastic into fuel

Top importer Vietnam struggles to recycle plastic waste, exposing limits of trillion-dollar trade

A general view of plastic waste at a recycling facility, in Minh Khai Craft Village, Hung Yen province, Vietnam, February 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khanh Vu

Source: REUTERS

Here are the big stories that made an impact in the Global South this week.

Africa

South Sudanese migrant sues Italy over release of alleged Libyan torturer: Video

Lam Magok Biel Ruei, a migrant who filed a complaint against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ministers Nordio and Piantedosi in relation to the affair of Libyan General Osama Almasri wanted by International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity poses, on February 5, 2025 in Rome. Osama Almasri Najim, the head of Libya's judicial police, was arrested in Turin on January 19 on an ICC warrant, only to be released and flown home to Tripoli two days later on an Italian air force plane. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Lam Magok, a South Sudanese migrant, has filed a complaint against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after Italy deported Osama Almasri Najim, a Libyan judicial police chief accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read more here.

African leaders call for direct talks with rebels to resolve Congo conflict

A woman carries a mattress and other belongings on her head as she flees from Kibati, where fighting has intensified, towards the city of Goma

At a historic joint summit of Eastern and Southern African blocs focused on resolving the crisis in Eastern Congo, leaders called on all parties to engage in direct talks, including with the Rwanda-backed rebels whose progress has raised concerns about a potential broader conflict. Read more here.

How AI is transforming African economies and businesses

Illustration shows AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand — AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

African economies are not being left behind in the technological revolution, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent times. AI is transforming industries from agriculture to healthcare, finance, and customer service, creating growth opportunities and addressing challenges across Africa. Read more here.

Asia

China blames US 'sabotage' for Panama's departure from Belt and Road initiative

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian attends a press conference in Beijing, China March 20, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

China condemned the U.S. for "smearing and sabotaging" the Belt and Road Initiative in Panama through "pressure and coercion," following Panama's decision to withdraw from the program, according to its foreign ministry on Friday, February 7. Read more here.

Taiwan sends officials to US to discuss possible Trump tariffs

FILE PHOTO: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te gives a keynote address on the island's national day. in Taipei, Taiwan October 10, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

Taiwan has sent officials to Washington to discuss potential U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump and has made preparations in case they are implemented, Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei said on Saturday, February 8. Read more here.

About 500 Samsung India factory workers hold sit-in in latest dispute, sources say

FILE PHOTO: Security guards stand outside a Samsung facility during a strike by the factory workers demanding higher wages in Sriperumbudur, near the city of Chennai, India, September 16, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Around 500 workers at Samsung's plant in southern India are staging a sit-in to protest the suspension of three employees, with the company bringing in contract workers to fill the vacancies, according to two sources. Read more here.

Latin America

How plastic waste is being converted into fuel in Mexico

A Mexican startup is transforming plastic waste into fuel as part of its efforts to reduce pollution. Petgas, based in the coastal city of Boca del Río, has created a machine that converts plastic into gasoline, diesel, and other fuels. Read more here.

Colombians weigh returning home after rebel violence

Colombians displaced by attacks of ELN rebels, in Cucuta — Colombians displaced by attacks of rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN), stand in line to be registered outside the General Santander Stadium, in Cucuta, Colombia January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez

Residents of Colombia's conflict-ridden Catatumbo region, near the eastern border with Venezuela, are deciding whether to return home after a rebel group's attacks displaced at least 50,000 people over several weeks. Read more here.

Brazil's Lula rejects Trump plan for Gaza and tariff threats as 'bravado'

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks in Sao Paulo — FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the arrival of Brazilian citizens from Lebanon, in Guarulhos, Brazil, October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Carla Carniel/File Photo

On Wednesday, February 5, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip, dismissing his expansionist ambitions and tariff threats against trading partners as "bravado." Read more here.

Abigail Johnson Boakye