2020-08-06: News Headlines

The Canary (2020-08-06). Number of families affected by benefit cap surges due to Covid-19, figures show. thecanary.co The number of families affected by the benefit cap, which limits how much any one household can receive in total benefits, rose by 93% from February to May due to coronavirus (Covid-19), the government has confirmed.Statistics released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that 154,000 households had their benefits capped in May, and that the rise from February represents the biggest single increase in the number of capped households since the policy was launched in April 2013.Of those now affected by the cap, 52,000 are single parents with at least one child under five years old.The DWP said this wa…

The Global Research Team (2020-08-06). Global Research Newsletter Temporarily Suspended. globalresearch.ca Dear Readers, | Due to technical issues, our daily newsletter sent out via e-mail is currently suspended. We will be able to resume the send-out within the next week or so. We thank you for your patience. | In the meantime, as …

yenisafak (2020-08-06). 'India not releasing jailed critics despite virus risk'. yenisafak.com India is among several countries where human rights defenders and activists imprisoned for criticizing the government have been kept in jail despite the risk of COVID-19, Amnesty International said in a report released on Thursday.The new briefing, Daring to Stand up for Human Rights in a Pandemic, states that India is one of the countries that has "left prisoners of conscience to languish in appalling conditions despite widely publicized prisoner release programs."According to the report, 131 people who speak up for human rights have been harassed, prosecuted, killed, or imprisoned on COVID-19-related pretexts i…

WSWS (2020-08-05). Brazilian teachers oppose back-to-school drive. wsws.org Amid intense opposition from teachers and parents, private schools were reopened last month in the state of Amazonas and this week in Rio de Janeiro.

Andrew Korybko (2020-08-05). 5 August 2019: The Kashmir Conflict and the Aksai Chin Border Clash, A Dark Day for India-China Relations. globalresearch.ca Most observers at the time regarded India's de-facto annexation of Jammu & Kashmir on 5 August 2019 as being a defining moment for either India's internal affairs or Indian-Pakistani relations, but in reality it was a defining one for Indo-Sino …

Staff (2020-08-05). Headlines for August 5, 2020. democracynow.org Massive Explosion Tears Through Beirut, Leaving Hundreds Missing and Thousands Injured, Lebanon's PM Says 2,700 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate Sparked "National Catastrophe" in Beirut, Mississippi Becomes Biggest U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spot as Governor Mandates Masks, Georgia Prisoners Livestream Video From Prison Uprising Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Chicago Schools Cancel September Classes as Union Threatens Strike Over Coronavirus Safety, U.N. Warns Coronavirus School Closures Have Impacted Over One Billion Students, Brazil COVID-19 Deaths Approach 100,000 as Infections Surge in India, Black Lives Matter & Ferguson Acti…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-05). NEA launches lobbying for $175 billion to aid schools. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON —The nation's largest union, the National Education Association, is asking its members and allies nationwide to lobby lawmakers to include $175 billion to aid schools in the next economic relief act dealing with the impact of coronavirus closures. And they're also making the point the issue is in the hands of lawmakers, particularly senators' …

Kimball Cariou (2020-08-05). Don't fall victim to the right's anti-science coronavirus conspiracy theories. peoplesworld.org With no early end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic, two crucial questions are on the agenda: How can we protect lives in this emergency, and what fundamental economic changes can prevent big corporate interests from imposing the burden of this crisis on working people? The second question is a subject for another commentary, but …

A Guest Author (2020-08-05). Boston school workers blast 'reopening plans'. workers.org By Steve Gillis, Financial Secretary, USW Local 8751 and G. Lechat, Harvard TPS Coalition Boston Public School nurses, teachers and bus drivers occupied City Hall Plaza on July 29, vowing to defend public safety by any means necessary. The action was a response to the threatening, dangerous demands of the . . . |

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-05). Threat of strike forces Chicago to cancel school re-opening plan. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—The Chicago Public Schools have backed down from their plan to reopen school buildings in August despite the coronavirus pandemic. City Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the reversal in a morning press conference on August 5, citing health recommendations and parent and teacher concern as her reasons. City schools will hold remote-only classes for the first …

RT (2020-08-05). UK schools' reopening could see Covid-19 cases multiply rapidly but it's 'not certain,' Professor Lockdown warns. rt.com The UK might need to hold off on easing Covid-19 restrictions if it wants its schools to re-open without triggering a new viral outbreak, epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, who once prompted London to impose a strict lockdown, warns. | Secondary schools throughout the UK could become new centers of infection as soon as the educational facilities fully re-open in September, Ferguson warned in his latest alarming forecast. | "The risk then is that big schools, comprehensives, universities and FE colleges, link lots of households together, reconnecting the social network," the scientist told BBC Radio 4's 'Today' prog…

RT (2020-08-05). Anxiety twinned with depression causes sufferers' brains to swell 'significantly'. rt.com The brains of people suffering from the twin scourges of anxiety and depression have been found to swell dramatically. Experts say the extraordinary activity may mask part of the damage depression can cause. | Researchers, investigating the effects of depression and anxiety on the volume of people's brains, have made the discovery that depression by itself causes the brain to shrink. However, when paired with anxiety, as is often the case, the disorder causes one area of the brain to become "significantly" larger. | Interestingly, two different areas of the brain are affected by the problems. The scientists fo…

RT (2020-08-05). Biden backs out of attending Democratic convention on Covid-19 fears, will instead accept presidential nomination VIRTUALLY. rt.com Joe Biden won't be traveling to Milwaukee as planned to accept the Democratic presidential nomination – he and other scheduled speakers at the party's national convention will give their speeches remotely, due to Covid-19 fears. | "From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first," Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday. | "We followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and we continued making adjustments to our plans in order to protect lives. That's the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserv…

The Canary (2020-08-05). Marine heatwaves can dramatically shift habitat for wildlife, study finds. thecanary.co Marine heatwaves can shift suitable habitat for sea turtles, whales and other wildlife by thousands of kilometres in the world's oceans, research suggests.While periods of unusually hot temperatures in part of the ocean are known to hit species which cannot move, such as corals, many creatures in the seas can relocate to find their preferred conditions.A study by US scientists suggests the distance they might have to move to find more suitable sea temperatures can range from tens to thousands of kilometres.This could have major impacts on wildlife and natural systems, as well as for human activities such as fishi…

Tony Cartalucci (2020-08-05). Bangkok Political Unrest. Is the US Funding Protesters to Attack Thailand's Military and Monarchy? globalresearch.ca The Southeast Asian nation of Thailand has in recent years "tilted" too far toward China for Washington's liking. | Now, the familiar signs of US-backed covert regime change are evident in Thailand's streets. Protests are openly targeting Thailand's current government as …

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-05). US War on Chinese Enterprises. globalresearch.ca US war on China's rising prominence on the world stage is a bipartisan affair. | It won't likely miss a beat if Biden succeeds Trump in January. | US hostility toward China by Republicans and Dems differs only or largely in style …

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-05). Devastating Beirut Explosion: An Accident or Something More Sinister? globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, a massive explosion rocked Beirut, Lebanon's port area. | Scores were killed, thousands wounded, dozens of people missing, along with widespread destruction and damage. | According to Lebanese authorities, around 2,700 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate were stored in …

Dr. Steven Hatfill (2020-08-05). Hydroxychloroquine: An Effective COVID Treatment the Media Continues to Tag as "A Dangerous Drug" globalresearch.ca On Friday, July 31, in a column ostensibly dealing with health care "misinformation," Washington Post media critic Margaret Sullivan opened by lambasting "fringe doctors spouting dangerous falsehoods about hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 wonder cure." | Actually, it was Sullivan who was …

Shane Quinn (2020-08-05). Pentagon Plans to Destroy Dozens of Soviet Cities and the So-called Cold War. globalresearch.ca Though remaining unmentioned in official texts, the origins of the dubiously titled Cold War can be traced to policies pursued by American leaders during World War II itself. Following Nazi Germany's calamitous defeat at Stalingrad in early 1943, Washington's ongoing …

John W. Whitehead (2020-08-05). P Is for Predator State: The Building Blocks of Tyranny from A to Z. globalresearch.ca "When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a …

David DeGraw (2020-08-05). National Security Alert: COVID Tests Scientifically Fraudulent, Epidemic of False Positives. globalresearch.ca Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests are used worldwide to "diagnose" Sars-Cov-2 infection. An in-depth investigation reveals clear scientific evidence proving that these tests are not accurate and create a statistically significant percentage of false positives. Positive results more likely …

Arabi Souri (2020-08-05). Massive Explosion Destroys Beirut Harbor, Hundreds of Casualties. globalresearch.ca A massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut this afternoon Tuesday 04 August 2020, the center of the explosion was in the Beirut harbor. | The Lebanese people who lived through a lengthy civil war and several confrontations with Israel and …

Robert Fantina (2020-08-05). Kashmir, India and Human Rights. globalresearch.ca It is one year since the Indian government revoked article 370 of their constitution, thus rendering Kashmir an oppressed colony of India. This is not to imply that Kashmiris enjoyed any semblance of independence prior to August 5 of 2019, …

H. Ealy (2020-08-05). Covid-19: Questionable Policies, Manipulated Rules of Data Collection and Reporting. Is It Safe for Students to Return to School? globalresearch.ca Article by | H. Ealy, M. McEvoy, M. Sava, S. Gupta, D. Chong, D. White, J. Nowicki, P. Anderson | *** | Key Findings For Data Through July 12th | According to the CDC, 101 children age 0 to 14 have died from influenza, …

Third World Network (2020-08-05). COVID-19: Are We Being Misled Again by Big Pharma? globalresearch.ca In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. | This is not the first time. The WHO, in the recent past, had announced H1N1 — also known as swine flu — in June 2009, a …

Ted Regencia (2020-08-05). Up to 300,000 Left Homeless by Beirut Explosion: Live Updates. globalresearch.ca Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared following a massive explosion in Beirut that killed at least 100 people and injured 4,000 others. | The explosion …

Richard Silverstein (2020-08-05). Breaking: Israel Bombed Beirut? globalresearch.ca Photo: Massive mushroom cloud from Hezbollah warehouse bombing and its aftermath | A note to our readers | Important report by Tikun Olan

Scott Ritter (2020-08-05). US-German Relations Are Beyond Repair as Result of Decades-long Clash of Views & Ideas. Troop Pullout Is Only a Symptom. globalresearch.ca While the Trump administration sells the decision to withdraw US troops from Germany as a strengthening of NATO force alignment, the reality is it's merely the latest manifestation of a relationship on the decline for decades. | The …

Ella Fassler (2020-08-05). Teachers and Students Mobilize in More Than 35 Cities to Demand Safe Schools. zcomm.org When many politicians announced plans for the full or hybrid reopening of schools, rank-and-file teachers began organizing themselves spontaneously to prevent the unsafe reopening of schools…

Rachel M. Cohen (2020-08-05). As Schools Reopen, Teachers, Parents, and Students Are Pushing Back. zcomm.org On the National Day of Resistance, activists say "going back to normal" isn't good enough…

WSWS (2020-08-05). COVID-19 surges in Spain as government pushes reopening of schools. wsws.org The return to school is a criminal policy exposing children, teachers, families and neighbourhoods to serious illness and death.

WSWS (2020-08-05). New York educators oppose city and state school reopening plans. wsws.org Teachers in New York are determined to prevent the unsafe reopening of schools by the Democratic mayor and governor.

WSWS (2020-08-05). For a nationwide general strike to halt the drive to reopen schools! wsws.org Mass opposition by teachers to the criminal policies of the ruling class will galvanize support among all workers in the United States and throughout the world.

WSWS (2020-08-05). UK teachers' pay award: A shoddy deal for all. wsws.org The offer is divisive and paltry. It will not be funded nationally by the Johnson government, but out of school budgets which are chronically under-funded.

WSWS (2020-08-05). US teachers defy threats to cut funding for schools that delay in-person learning. wsws.org Republican-controlled legislatures in several states are moving to cut funding and outsource the jobs of teachers if schools do not open with full in-person learning.

Labor Video Project (2020-08-05). Connecting Dots! GAP Fisher Family Attacks ILWU & SF Malcom X Academy With A KIPP Charter. indybay.org ILWU members, other unionists and supporters of public education rallied in San Francisco on August 1, 2020 at the GAP corporate headquarters. They spoke against GAP & A's owner John Fisher's plan to privatize the Howard Terminal in the Port of Oakland and and against the efforts of Doris Fisher, John's mother to bust up the SF public school Malcom X Academy in Bayview Hunters Point. SF KIPP which she runs has sued the SFUSD to allow the KIPP school to grab more rooms from Malcom X Academy public school…

#sillhere Coalition (2020-08-05). Sunday 8/9: #stillhere: 75th Commemoration of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki Teach-in 8/9. indybay.org Online…

_____ (2020-08-05). Parents Stand With Educators On Safety Before Reopening Schools. popularresistance.org Many parents nationwide are questioning whether it's safe to send their kids back to a brick and mortar school this fall. With varied life circumstances, and different districts and schools choosing different options, it's a daunting decision to make. | For Florida's Raquel Pantoja Lias, a mom of a rising fourth grader in Broward County, it's a hard "no." | Under an emergency order from the state education commissioner, most schools are scheduled to reopen on August 19 for in-person learning, five days a week, a plan supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2020-08-06 14:33 GMT (10:33 EST)

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