Daily Archives: January 31, 2021

2021-01-31: News Headlines

Fight Back (2021-02-01). Philippines: Mark the 50th anniversary of the Diliman Commune. fightbacknews.org Fight Back New Service is circulating the following February 1 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. | Today we mark the 50th anniversary of the Diliman Commune, a 9-day uprising of the students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. The Diliman Commune was part of the widespread strikes and protest actions against oil price increases, imperialist control of the economy and police brutality under the Marcos regime. | The student uprising was part of the continuum of the surging national democratic mass movement of students and workers from the previous decade. It broke out…

WSWS (2021-02-01). 15,000 students involved in rent strikes in 55 UK universities. wsws.org Facing mass opposition, universities and private student accommodation providers have offered a patchwork of rebates and single payments of varying sizes.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-02-01). The 2020 Worldwide Corona Crisis: Destroying Civil Society, Engineered Economic Depression, Global Coup d'État and the "Great Reset" globalresearch.ca We are at the crossroads of one of the most serious crises in modern history. We are living history, yet our understanding of the flow of events since January 2020 has been blurred. Worldwide, people have been misled both by their governments and the media.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-01-31). The PCR Test does not Identify the Virus: Covid "False Positives" Used to Justify the Lockdown and Closure of the National Economy. globalresearch.ca We are led to believe that the corona epidemic has entered into a Second Wave, and that the virus is spreading relentlessly. That's a lie. | The PCR test used to estimate covid positive cases is flawed. There is no second …

_____ (2021-01-31). Students Continue To Pressure Northwestern University To Abolish The Police. popularresistance.org After several months of continuous pressure on Northwestern administration to abolish University Police and divest from policing and other militarized entities, NUCNC is continuing their work into the new quarter. | Since their campaign of more than 30 days of consecutive actions, the group has not held any mass protests or demonstrations, but they continue to pressure the University and practice mutual aid — a core tenet of prison-industrial complex abolition. | "Prisons are the biggest social service we have," NUCNC member Eliza Gonring said. "So poor people, homeless people, Black people are just getting…

_____ (2021-01-31). 'Real Theory Is In What You Do And How You Do It'. popularresistance.org When I first put forward "wages for housework" in March 1972, I was unsure of the implications. I knew that wages for housework was qualitatively different from wages for housewives, which I had been considering; it spoke about the work and didn't identify necessarily with women, which I thought—and others did too—was crucial. | I had recently studied volume one of Capital in a reading group—without a teacher. l realized that women reproduce labor power, the basic capitalist commodity, unwaged. That was a new idea then. | A year later, I went on a lecture tour of North America with Mariarosa Dal…

_____ (2021-01-31). Chicago Teachers' Struggle At A Crossroads. popularresistance.org The drive to reopen Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the third largest school district in the country, has become a pitched battle between educators and the state apparatus, the latter backed up by the corporate media and the unions. The fight by Chicago educators to prevent the reopening of schools is the focal point of the class struggle in the United States, with every other major district in the country looking to Chicago to set a precedent. | In this context, it is of the utmost importance for teachers and other educators to organize independently of the unions and join the Chicago Educators Rank-and-File Safet…

Sandipan Talukdar (2021-01-31). Research shows humans began consuming milk even before evolving to digest it. peoplesdispatch.org A study that appeared in the scientific journal Nature shows that people in today's Kenya and Sudan were consuming milk products at least 6000 years ago…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-31). Italian workers and students stage countrywide protests. peoplesdispatch.org Trade unionists and students took part in a general strike demanding safety and rights at their workplaces and educational institutions. The protesting workers also sought an end to layoffs and dismissals and guaranteed wages for the unemployed…

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa (2021-01-31). Is Materialism Destroying Society? Philosophical Materialism vs Destructive Materialism. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The Material World and the Formation of Human Society | The foundation …

Abhishek Saha (2021-01-31). The Politics of an Assassination: Who Killed Gandhi and Why? globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | January 30th 2020. Commemoration of the assassination o Mahatama Gandhi. 73 years …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-30). Health workers, students and teachers rise up for their rights in Greece. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers demanded fresh investment in the sector to combat the pandemic while students and teachers opposed the deployment of security forces on university campuses…

_____ (2021-01-30). Victimized Teacher Speaks Out Against Deadly School Reopening. popularresistance.org Chicago Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) ordered 5,800 teachers to return for in-person instruction at the beginning of January. Teachers who refused to return to in-person learning as the deadly COVID-19 virus raged through Chicago were labeled by the district as "absent without leave." Their pay was docked, and their computer access locked. | The World Socialist Web Site recently interviewed Jake, one of nearly 150 locked-out educators. Jake was a physical education (PE) teacher at a CPS elementary school for five and a half years until recently. He quit the profession after bein…

Eds. (2021-01-30). Ontario's long-term care sector is in a Grave Humanitarian Crisis. mronline.org We are a group of physicians, researchers, and advocates who have come together to express our grave concern for the safety and well-being of Ontarians who reside and work in long-term care (LTC) homes. We call upon the Ontario government to immediately end the violations of peoples' human rights and control the spread of COVID-19 …

The Lancet (2021-01-30). [Editorial] Health and care workers are owed a better future. thelancet.com It has been a traumatic and testing year for the health and care workforce globally. In recognition of their contribution and struggles during the pandemic response, WHO has designated 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers. This campaign highlights the need for investment in health workforce readiness, education, and learning to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, to maintain health services, and to prepare for vaccine roll-outs. A call for action on behalf of the health-care workforce is welcome.

Michael Welch (2021-01-30). The Vaccines, The Plunder, and the Arrival of the Great Reset. globalresearch.ca "Rebuilding trust and increasing global cooperation are crucial to fostering innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery." | — Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum [1] | "I don't consider the …

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). A year of coronavirus in India, the second worst affected country. laprensalatina.com By Mikaela Viqueira New Delhi, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Exactly a year ago from Saturday, India confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus after a student of the University of Wuhan tested positive. Now, more than 10.7 million cases later, the country has finally received a glimmer of hope of putting behind a pandemic which …

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). Taiwan's economy grows 3% in 2020 thanks to virus response. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- The economy of Taiwan was one of the few in the world to end the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in positive numbers, growing by 2.98 percent over 2020. This official estimate, published Friday night by the General Directorate of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Taiwanese government, marks …

_____ (2021-01-30). UN Independent Expert: 'This Is How The Human Rights Industry Works'. popularresistance.org Indeed, a "human rights industry" exists, and many officials of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner [for Human Rights], diplomats, activists from non-governmental organisations, human rights teachers, and, of course, also many "independent experts" and rapporteurs are more or less opportunistic. | These people consider themselves "better" than others, but do not necessarily feel solidarity with the victims of human rights violations. Some of my bosses were models of integrity and professionalism, such as Professor Theo van Boven, Professor Kurt Herndl, Judge Jakob Muller, or High Commissioners Bertrand Ramch…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Turkey ratifies agreements with 7 countries. yenisafak.com The Turkish government ratified agreements with seven countries in areas of education, sports, and health, according to information issued in the Official Gazette on Saturday.A visa cooperation deal with Azerbaijan, signed on Feb. 25 last year, was among the approved agreements.It aims to facilitate short-term travel between the two countries and gives citizens a 30-day visa validity period from the date of entry.Turkey's extradition agreement with Kosovo inked on May 31, 2011 was also ratified.The agreement aims to "develop international cooperation in the field of criminal law" and "further ends of justice and…

Yanis Varoufakis (2021-01-30). Truth Remains Under Siege As Long As Economists Promote Discredited Policies That Hurt People and Gave Rise to Trumpism. commondreams.org In the natural sciences, strictly observed protocols ensure that empirically unsupported theories are rejected in light of evidence. The authority of an economic hypothesis, however, is bolstered by a peer-review process that—far from being scientific—is a value-laden power struggle. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Prof. Sunanda Sharma (2021-01-30). Gandhian Strategy: Combination of Truth, Sacrifice, Non-Violence and Solidarity. globalresearch.ca First published on November 14, 2017. | In Commemoration: The 73d anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30th, 1948 | *** | The Gandhian strategy is the combination of truth, sacrifice, nonviolence, selfless service and cooperation. According to Gandhi one …

Robert J. Burrowes (2021-01-30). "Humans Love Violence": Gandhi and the World Economic Forum. globalresearch.ca First published on January 28, 2020 | This incisive article focusses on Mohandas Gandhi's call for non-violence, while underscoring today's instruments of violence —including economic violence— exerted with impunity by the upper echelons of the financial establishment. | Robert J. Burrowes…

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa (2021-01-30). The Corona Crisis. Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel? globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | What matters most at this point in time is not the …

WSWS (2021-01-30). Pennsylvania educators oppose statewide reopening of K-8 schools. wsws.org Toothless state recommendations over school reopenings are being swept away under Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, as districts are told to return K-8 students to face-to-face learning in line with the Biden plan.

Tiffany Duong (2021-01-30). Air pollution is linked to permanent vision loss, study finds. nationofchange.org University College London researchers hypothesized that air pollution might heighten the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

Students Demand Action (2021-01-30). Thursday 2/4: National Gun Violence Survivors Week Summit for Youth Activists. indybay.org Online event…

Jake Johnson (2021-01-30). Parents of Sandy Hook victims: Naming of Marjorie Taylor Greene to education panel an attack on all 'whose loved ones were murdered in mass shootings'. nationofchange.org "Giving Representative Greene the platform to spread dangerous dogma only rewards and normalizes this abhorrent behavior, places already vulnerable groups in danger, and further traumatizes survivors."

Fight Back (2021-01-30). CTU forces Mayor Lightfoot to back down as Chicago Public Schools continue remote learning. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) stayed home and learned remotely again on Thursday, January 28. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) continued to demand that any return to in-person learning be done in a safe way. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had ordered all teachers back to the classroom on Wednesday the 27th but was forced to backtrack and tell parents to keep their kids home again Thursday. | CPS has been demanding that 80% of school staff return in person and has refused to allow accommodations for staff who live in households with people who are in high-risk categories according to the Cen…

WSWS (2021-01-30). Osceola County, Florida sheriff's deputy brutally assaults high school student. wsws.org An eleven-second video posted to Twitter showing a sheriff's deputy picking up and slamming 16-year-old Taylor Bracey to the ground went viral this week, sparking widespread outrage.

Staff (2021-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2021. democracynow.org South African Coronavirus Variant Detected in U.S. for First Time, Novavax Vaccine Cut COVID-19 Cases by 90 Percent in Trial But Lagged Against South African Variant, President Biden Expands Affordable Care Act Enrollment Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, U.S. Economy Shrank by 3.5% in 2020 as Pandemic Took Hold , House Speaker Blasts GOP for Assigning Racist Conspiracy Theorist to House Education Committee, "Brazen, Entitled, Dangerous": Capitol Rioter Who Looted House Speaker's Office Denied Bail, House GOP Leader Signals Devotion to Trump as Lawmakers Target Rep. Liz Cheney Over Impeachment Vote, Indian Farmworkers Call…

news.un (2021-01-29). Follow the science: UN plans for a stronger pandemic recovery. news.un.org Funders responsible for more than $100 million of annual global research investments joined the deputy UN chief Amina Mohammed on Friday to discuss how to unify research efforts, and use science to recover effectively from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-29). Roger Waters on Ecuador and Steven Donziger's fight for justice. peoplesdispatch.org Musician Roger Waters and Vijay Prashad of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research talk about the struggles of the indigenous people of Ecuador against Chevron's Lago Agrio oil field and the persecution of attorney Steven Donziger who fought their case. They also reflect on the struggles of people like Donziger, Julian Assange and others who strive for a better world against those for whom power and profit are more important than anything else.

WSWS (2021-01-29). Staff at Toronto school walk off the job due to COVID-19 safety concerns. wsws.org Many of the special needs students the school staff work with have compromised immune systems.

WSWS (2021-01-29). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org British energy strike continues over "fire-and-rehire"; French teachers, school nurses and students walk out over pay and Covid safety issues; Dutch metal and electronic workers strike over pay; Nigeria's non-teaching university staff to strike over cuts, pay and conditions…

Alan MacLeod (2021-01-29). Corporate Media bash teachers unions for resisting school reopenings amid rising death toll. mronline.org Rather than attack the government for its poor handling of the COVID crisis, corporate media have opted for a return to a favorite pastime of theirs: union bashing.

_____ (2021-01-29). Corporate Media Bash Teachers Unions For Resisting School Reopenings. popularresistance.org The seven-day average COVID death toll hit an all time high yesterday, with over 3,400 Americans expected to die on any given day. Educator cases are on the rise. Studies have shown that children are as likely to contract and pass the coronavirus on as adults, making schools potential super spreading hotspots. As a result, European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands are shuttering schools, despite, in many cases, having lower infection rates than the U.S. | President Biden, however, is pushing forward with a new plan to achieve a near full reopening within his…

Luis Feliz Leon (2021-01-29). Dead Teachers Can't Teach. thenation.com Dead Teachers Can't Teach…

Staff (2021-01-29). Will US policy on Palestine and Israel change under Biden? Florida students take on prison slave labor. therealnews.com When it comes to U.S. policy on Palestine and Israel, the Biden administration has sent some mixed and not-so-mixed signals. Also, student organizers are forcing the University of Florida to end its use of unpaid prison labor.

Global Research News (2021-01-29). Selected Articles: "Western Civilization": The Culture of Slavery vs. the Culture of Resistance. globalresearch.ca By On Jan. 13, California health officials issued a hold…

Cal Winslow (2021-01-29). The Decade of the Rank and File: Fifty Years On. counterpunch.org The US Department of Labor Statistics, in its accounting of the year 1970, revealed an extraordinary statistic; there had been in that year alone 5,716 strikes, involving three million workers. 1970 saw strikes in almost every employment category. Many, seen from the outside, were inconsequential affairs; others shook the nation. In Chicago, a truckers' strike

Staff (2021-01-29). Battleground Baltimore, Jan. 29. therealnews.com In this week's round-up of Baltimore news: Members of the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police try to make the case for keeping the LEOBR, city students are going on strike, and Lawrence Brown's "The Black Butterfly" is released.

Real Progressives (2021-01-29). To honor Dr. King, Pediatricians Offer Four Tips to Teach Kindness to Kids. realprogressives.org Children are listening. | During the election, messages of hate, fear and intolerance were propagated across different media and into communities. And the messages continue. While parents view and lis…

yenisafak (2021-01-29). Russia reports 19,238 new COVID-19 cases, 534 deaths. yenisafak.com The country's total number of cases passed 3.81 million, while 72,185 people lost their lives to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.Some 26,204 people recovered from the virus and the total recoveries exceeded 3.25 million.Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said universities will begin face-to-face education on Feb. 8 depending on the epidemiological situation of their region.COVID-19 measures will also be applied in the universities, it added.

Steve Topple (2021-01-29). Once again the Tories throw students under the bus. thecanary.co The government just refused to budge on a crucial issue for university students. It is one that has been at the forefront of political debate for nearly a decade, although the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has driven the problem home. Yet still, the Tories are refusing to act to rectify an appalling situation. | Tuition fees: always in the spotlight: | University students have been paying tuition fees

Online News Editor (2021-01-29). Gravestone campaign aims to raise awareness of Covid-19 in Bogotá. laprensalatina.com Bogotá, Jan 28 (efe-epa).- A high number of Covid-19 deaths and infections has led the mayor of an area of Bogotá to start an education campaign using gravestones to raise awareness of the dangers of the virus. The initiative called "Covid-19 kills, don't risk your life" uses black tombstones inscribed with the names of more …

Rima Najjar (2021-01-29). If US Foreign Policy Toward Palestine Is Any Indication, "Trump Is Here to Stay" globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles including the E-Book can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | As I watch the unfolding political drama of …

_____ (2021-01-29). How to Do 'Regime Change' Correctly: a Blueprint for the Biden Administration. strategic-culture.org By Sasan FAYAZMANESH | In my college years, as a member of the Iranian Students Association, one of my political tasks was to dispatch progressive American attorneys to Iran to investigate human rights abuses by the Shah, including torture and murder of political prisoners. These trips and the subsequent reports submitted by the attorneys were often successful in reducing the pain and suffering of prisoners of conscience, since the Shah was cognizant of his image abroad. Afterall, he was a creature of the West and dependent on it. He owed his throne to the 1953 American-British backed coup and was nurtured by the…

_____ (2021-01-29). Suspicion Of Chinese-Born Researchers Threatens US Innovation. popularresistance.org The arrest of MIT engineering professor Gang Chen on Jan. 14 has drawn attention to the role of China in U.S. science and technology system. It's not the first time suspicions have fallen on a Chinese-born scientist — Chen is a naturalized U.S. citizen — for work they conduct openly in the United States. | The charges against Gang Chen — wire fraud, failing to report a foreign bank account and a false statement on a tax return — stem from failing to disclose Chinese funding for his research. MIT called the allegations "distressing," and the school's president and 100 faculty members are de…

_____ (2021-01-29). Strikes Loom For Public Schools. popularresistance.org Across the country, a growing number of students, teachers, and parents are resisting pressure to return to the classroom before all teachers and students are vaccinated—and in Baltimore, students are preparing to strike in support of their teachers' safety. | During a Jan. 26 school board meeting, 18-year-old high school senior Joshua Lynn, a former student school board commissioner, announced plans for a student strike against in-person instruction until teachers are vaccinated. "Reopening … should not be followed through …. unless all teachers are FULLY vaccinated," Lynn, who recently recovered from…