California educators, healthcare and logistics workers: Unite to stop COVID-19 and save lives now!
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Urgent and far-reaching action is needed to prevent the reopening of schools and stop the spread of the pandemic across California this winter. Join our committee now!
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/cali…
Israel’s fourth election in two years dominated by far-right forces
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Netanyahu faces a strong challenge from the far right, his former colleagues. These forces have moved to fill the vacuum left after Benny Gantz joined and served as Netanyahu’s political accomplice in imposing the government’s “herd immunity” policies that have created a healthcare and social disaster for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians alike.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/isra…
Indigenous movements and the struggle in defense of land in 2020
Anish R M | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-29
On top of the existing violence and institutional impediments, this year was particularly taxing for the defenders of land and environment as they had to face double whammy of COVID-19 pandemic and the intensification of neoliberalism under it…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/29/indigenou…
UN Human Rights Expert Urges US to Lift Sanctions That ‘May Exacerbate the Already Dire Humanitarian Situation in Syria’
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-29
After nearly a decade of war, the special rapporteur noted, Syrians are living with “extensively damaged houses, medical units, schools, and other facilities.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/29/un-huma…
Western Sahara Remains a Crucial Legitimizing Crutch for the Moroccan Monarchy
Matthew Collado | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-29
On Monday, December 14th, a small group of demonstrators attempted to convene a protest outside Morocco’s pretend parliament in the polished French colonial era centre ville of Rabat. The demonstrators, representing a handful of Moroccan Palestine solidarity organizations, hoped to display public opposition to the Moroccan monarchy’s normalization of political relations with Israel, which had…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/29/western-saha…
2020: The year of united struggles against racism
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-29
As far-right forces are gaining power in different regions, racism is finding courage to rear its ugly head again. Humanity, as a result, is regressing, instead of moving forwards. But the masses are pushing back. Despite the pandemic, people and movements across the world rose up, time and again, united, against racism.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/29/2020-the-…
One year into the pandemic, 65,000 deaths in the US in one month
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
One year after the first cases of COVID-19 were identified in China, December was the deadliest month of the pandemic both in the United States and the world.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/pers…
Masking the COVID-19 Virus in this ‘Pandemic’
Dr. David Halpin | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-29
There is no logic, nor reason based in medical science, for the wearing of paper or cloth masks in the context of the epidemic of this virus — Covid_19 (C19) . The virus, though likely altered in laboratories, is part …
globalresearch.ca/masking-covid-19-virus…
Coronavirus accelerates as new strain detected across Europe
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
The spread of the new strain of the virus intersects with the European governments’ criminal refusal of measures to stop the pandemic that would cut corporate profits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/euro…
The Wealth Inequality Virus is Surging
Rick Baum | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-29
If money is the source of happiness, and having more money means more happiness, some of our multi-billionaire friends have reached unprecedented levels of happiness in recent years especially during the pandemic when their level of wealth has skyrocketed. These conditions are revealed in the latest figures on the distribution of wealth from the Federal Reserve Board that cover through the third quarter of 2020, and the daily figures put out by Bloomberg.
counterpunch.org/2020/12/29/the-wealth-i…
www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone…
Sweden records deadliest November since 1918 Spanish flu pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Around 100 people are dying on a daily basis, the equivalent of over 3,000 in the US population.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/swed…
A young Berlin teacher dies from coronavirus: An indictment of the city’s pandemic policy
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
The death of a young teacher in Berlin following a coronavirus infection confirms the criminal nature of the official policy of keeping open businesses and schools.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/berl…
COVID-19 cases skyrocket in South Korea and Japan
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
As in countries around the world, the inadequate responses of Tokyo and Seoul to the pandemic have been driven by concerns for big business.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/jako…
All In for $2K
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-12-29
A few weeks ago I had exchanges with people on Twitter in which I argued against across the board payments to individuals. I was concerned that these were likely to come out of other provisions (most importantly unemployment insurance) in the pandemic relief package. Since most people have actually not seen their income cut from …
cepr.net/all-in-for-2k/
Anti-Vaxxers are gaining dangerous ground in the Latinx community
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-29
COVID-19 is a new disease, but many of us from immigrant families know all too well the trauma of having our livelihood threatened and our lives put in imminent danger of death. The pandemic situation is not too dissimilar to our life experiences. It is natural, especially for those who have been politicized, to look …
mronline.org/2020/12/29/anti-vaxxers-are…
mronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/…
What Can We Learn From the 1918 Pandemic?
Richard J. Evans | thenation.com | 2020-12-29
A recent history of the pandemic illuminates not just parallels with our moment but how a public health crisis can become a political one as well.
thenation.com/article/society/1918-covid…
www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/202…
FROM THE FIELD: India’s pandemic of violence against women
news.un.org | 2020-12-29
An increase in violence against women in India during the global COVID-19 outbreak has been described by the United Nations as a “shadow pandemic”.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1…
COVID-19 threatening development gains in Cape Verde: a UN Resident Coordinator blog
news.un.org | 2020-12-29
Progress made towards sustainable development by the Atlantic Ocean nation, Cape Verde, is under serious threat due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to the United Nations’ most senior official in the country. In this blog, UN Resident Coordinator Ana Patricia Graàßa, explains how the UN is supporting the small island country to rebound from the impact of the virus.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1…
Invitation to New Thinking
Mechthild Schrooten and Michael Klundt | indybay.org | 2020-12-29
One virus changed everything. Covid-19 has managed to do what all the discussions about climate change and justice in recent years have failed to do. Phenomena that threaten humanity are no longer a theory. The pandemic has made the risk of our extensive lifestyle tangible. For this global crisis is not an exogenous shock. Rather, crass, profit-oriented globalization has fueled its spread.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/29/1883911…
Pandemic profiteers: Forbes adds 50 health care moguls to its list of global billionaires
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
In a new survey released just before Christmas, Forbes magazine reported that at least 50 health care capitalists had entered the ranks of the world’s billionaires in 2020.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/bill…
Activists, Health Care Workers Are Fighting To Keep Mercy Hospital Open
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-29
Chicago – A coalition of activists are demanding elected officials maintain pressure on Mercy’s ownership to keep the hospital open or sell to someone who will. | The activists held a vigil Monday, a week after a state board unanimously rejected Mercy Hospital’s request to close. Board members agreed closing the Near South Side institution would negatively impact South Siders, especially in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. | Mercy Hospital leadership announced in July the city’s first chartered hospital would shut down, citing monthly operating losses of $4 million and shifting trends in the field of healt…
popularresistance.org/activists-health-c…
Thailand warns of significant increase in coronavirus cases in January
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
Bangkok, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The Thai authorities on Tuesday predicted that the number of Covid-19 infections in the country would increase significantly in January. Thailand had kept the pandemic under control until an outbreak in mid-December. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesperson for the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), told reporters that the most likely scenario …
laprensalatina.com/thailand-warns-of-sig…
Wuhan’s seafood market, presumed Covid ground zero, tries to turn the page
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, the presumed ground-zero for the Covid-19 pandemic, remains sealed off, disinfected and tightly guarded by security a year on from the first reports of the outbreak but on the second floor of the establishment, some are trying to rebuild their livelihoods. The …
laprensalatina.com/wuhans-seafood-market…
A Nasty Shot in the Arm — RT-PCR Kits and Vaccines Unlicensed by Britain’s MHRA
John Goss | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-29
Aware of the forthcoming vaccine roll-out aimed, it is said, to protect against a disease (COVID-19) that reached its apex almost nine months ago, I emailed the MHRA (Medical and Healthcare Regulatory Authority) on 20 November 2020. | My main concern …
globalresearch.ca/rt-pcr-kits-vaccines-u…
Selected Articles: Masking the COVID-19 Virus in this ‘Pandemic’
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-29
Masking the COVID-19 Virus in this ‘Pandemic’ | By Dr. David Halpin, December 29, 2020 | There is no logic, nor reason based in medical science, for the wearing of paper or cloth masks in the context of the epidemic of …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-mask…
www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads…
The Fate Of Press Freedom To Be Decided On January 4
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-29
Judge Vanessa Baraitser will announce her decision on the United States’ request to extradite Julian Assange on January 4. Assange faces 18 charges, 17 of them under the Espionage Act, which has been weaponized to go after journalists who expose war crimes and other truths the United States wants to keep secret. If he is extradited, it will end press freedom as we know it. Any journalist anywhere in the world will know they could face similar consequences if they expose the US government. I speak with Kevin Gosztola of Shadowproof, who has been following the extradition process closely, about what is likely to ha…
popularresistance.org/the-fate-of-press-…
Colonialist Injustice: The Pardoning of the Blackwater Killers
Richard Becker | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-29
Along with a motley collection of wealthy swindlers and fraudsters, President Donald Trump on Dec. 22 pardoned four former Blackwater private contractors (mercenaries) convicted in the infamous Sept. 16, 2007, Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad. | Seventeen Iraqis were killed and …
globalresearch.ca/colonialist-injustice-…
Book Review: ‘Out of Mesopotamia’ Is a Great War Novel
Editor | scheerpost.com | 2020-12-29
Introducing a new Book Review section on ScheerPost, edited by Eunice Wong. By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost Salar Abdoh’s novel, ” Out of Mesopotamia,” is one of a handful of great modern war novels. It tells the story of Saleh, a jaded, middle-aged Iranian reporter — one suspects a bit like Abdoh himself — who accompanies Shia militias, as Abdoh did, in Iraq and Syria during the heavy… | Source…
scheerpost.com/2020/12/29/book-review-ou…
COVID-19 Learns From Experience, Unlike Boris Johnson and His Crew
Patrick Cockburn | zcomm.org | 2020-12-29
Traditional English deference towards the powers-that-be is wearing thin but, even so, many people resist facing up to the comic opera inadequacy of British leadership at a time of such extreme national peril — understandably so since it is a truly frightening sight…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/covid-19-learns-fr…
Why Senators Must Reject Avril Haines for Intelligence
Medea Benjamin | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-29
This unassuming spy may look and sound like your favorite college professor, but that facade masks a ruthless wolf in sheep’s clothing who enabled murder by remote control and wielded a thick black pen to cover-up CIA torture.
mintpressnews.com/why-senators-must-reje…
www.mintpressnews.com/wp-content/uploads…
“The working conditions are hell”–Ontario allows COVID-19 to run rampant through workplaces
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Hundreds have been infected with COVID-19 in recent weeks in a series of major outbreaks at a Cargill meatpacking plant and four Amazon distribution facilities.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/work…
The virus that shut down the world: The plight of refugees and migrants
news.un.org | 2020-12-29
In part four of our review of the global impact of COVID-19, UN News considers the new challenges faced by refugees and migrants during 2020; from a heightened risk of catching the COVID-19 virus in crowded camps, to being stranded due to travel restrictions, and becoming the targets of criminal gangs.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1…
The NDAA, Trump and the Military Industrial Complex
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-29
For decades, the National Defense Authorization Act has been the lifeblood of the US imperium, guaranteeing a flow of money across the military. A better term for such a bill would use the word offence in it, but lawmakers and …
globalresearch.ca/ndaa-trump-military-in…
Endings for Beginnings: Reaching a Brexit Deal
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-29
It was a hurried dash and came just before the end of the transition period. The UK and the European Union have reached an agreement on the torturously long road of Brexit. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson can take the deal back to his constituents and Parliament, claiming he achieved something less horrendous than a…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/29/endings-for-…
www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone…
Taliban behind 99 percent attacks this year, Afghan intelligence says
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
Kabul, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The Taliban are behind 99 percent of the terror attacks carried out within the past year in Afghanistan, including a recent wave of almost daily targeted killings that have rocked the country, the principal intelligence agency of the country said on Tuesday. In 2020 “out of 18,200 attacks, 99 percent were …
laprensalatina.com/taliban-behind-99-per…
Ford Kansas City Assembly worker dies after testing positive for COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
The worker had been at KCAP over a decade and was employed by a cleaning vendor at the plant, workers said.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/kcap…
Workers demand answers over COVID-19 infections at Cricklewood garage
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Despite the preventable deaths of 35 London bus workers, a new wave of infections has struck, with information about garage outbreaks deliberately concealed in the interests of “operational efficiency”, i.e., profits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/lond…
Cuban doctors will begin treating COVID-19 patients in Panama
Prensa Latina | mronline.org | 2020-12-29
The dozen of Cuban medical brigades recently arrived in Panama will be deployed to the places assigned to fight COVID-19.
mronline.org/2020/12/29/cuban-doctors-wi…
mronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/…
Full details of COVID-19 infections at Cricklewood garage must be published
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Despite the preventable deaths of 35 London bus workers, a new wave of infections has struck, with information about garage outbreaks deliberately concealed in the interests of “operational efficiency”, i.e., profits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/lond…
India finds 6 cases of new covid variant among travelers from Britain
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
New Delhi, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Six people who flew in from Britain recently have tested positive for the more contagious strain of the coronavirus that has prompted fresh border closures across the world after it was first detected in the United Kingdom. “All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated health …
laprensalatina.com/india-finds-6-cases-o…
Pakistan confirms first cases of new Covid variant from UK
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
Islamabad, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Pakistani authorities on Tuesday confirmed the first three cases of the new British strain of the novel coronavirus after testing 12 passengers who had arrived from the United Kingdom. “The Health Department of Sindh (province) took samples of UK returnees for genotyping, out of 6 were positive and 3 showed the …
laprensalatina.com/pakistan-confirms-fir…
Nearly 282,000 vaccinated against Covid-19 in eastern China
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
Shanghai, China, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A province in eastern China has already inoculated nearly 282,000 people from risk groups who have received emergency Covid-19 vaccines so far, the official Global Times reported Tuesday. The region was the first to start the vaccination campaign in China. Regional authorities said hundreds of health workers have administered nearly …
laprensalatina.com/nearly-282000-vaccina…
Argentina prepares to roll out Sputnik Covid-19 vaccine
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2020-12-29
Buenos Aires, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Argentina mobilized Monday to distribute 300,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to hospitals in each of the 34 provinces amid concerns about a second wave of infections in the South American country that has already lost nearly 43,000 lives to Covid-19. The operation was on track “to initiate …
laprensalatina.com/argentina-prepares-to…
Argentina starts nationwide COVID-19 vaccinations
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-29
On December 24, the South American nation received the first 300,000 doses out of a total order of over 10 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. In the first round it has prioritized the health workers for the administration of the vaccine.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/29/argentina…
Workers Struggles: The Americas
wsws.org | 2020-12-29
Air traffic controllers in Peru held a three-day strike over the Christmas holiday to protest lack of COVID protection, while Ecuador police attacked workers occupying the Explocen mining explosives plant south of Quito.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/29/wrkr…
Neera Tanden and Antony Blinken Personify ‘Moderate’ Rot
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2020-12-29
Neoliberal corporatists move in…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/28/1883910…
The Imperative To Achieve National Improved Medicare For All
Margaret Flowers | zcomm.org | 2020-12-29
This time around, the “Yes we can” slogan so common under Obama must mean that, yes, the people can overcome the plutocrats and put people over profits…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/the-imperative-to-ac…
Engels’ struggle for a dialectical concept of nature
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-29
To prevent climate catastrophe, revolutionary decisions are needed based on a widespread understanding of the “dialectics of nature”, which Friedrich Engels, on his joint mission with Karl Marx, sought to explain.
mronline.org/2020/12/29/engels-struggle-…