(2022-02-05). Europe's governments go all in for "herd immunity" wsws.org Mass infection is now the official policy of every European government. To keep the economy running and profits flowing, those in power are prepared to sacrifice countless lives and the health of the next generation.
(2022-02-05). US Sanctions On Afghanistan Could Be Deadlier Than 20 Years Of War. popularresistance.org Economic sanctions have, in recent years, become one of the most important tools of U.S. foreign policy. There are currently more than 20 countries subjected to various sanctions from the U.S. government. | But if more Americans knew how many innocent civilians actually die as a result of these sanctions, would the worst of them be permitted? | We may be about to find out in Afghanistan. Sanctions currently imposed on the country are on track to take the lives of more civilians in the coming year than have been killed by 20 years of warfare. There's no hiding it any more. | Projections through the winter estimate…
(2022-02-05). Cuba is helping vaccinate the world. peoplesdispatch.org Only 9.5% of people in low-income countries have received a single dose of the vaccine. Cuba has a comprehensive plan to support vaccine distribution in the global south to make sure none are left behind…
(2022-02-05). In New Zealand, rising inflation, inequality intensify social crisis. wsws.org The Labour-Green Party government's pro-business policies, imposed since it assumed office in 2017, have produced an unprecedented explosion in social inequality since the onset of COVID-19.
(2022-02-05). [Perspectives] Ayoade Alakija: advancing equity in the COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija is running late for our video call because of back-to-back meetings in Geneva as the newly appointed WHO Special Envoy and Co-Chair of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator), a global collaboration to accelerate equitable access to COVID-19 health tools. Her Geneva visit will help her "join the dots to help move us from working in silos to working better collectively to overcome COVID-19", she tells me in between her last meeting and catching a flight back home to Abuja, Nigeria.
(2022-02-05). IT'S WAR! The Fight To Stop School Closures In Oakland As Hundreds Rally and March. indybay.org Hundreds of teachers, students and parents rallied and marched against the proposal to shut and merge many schools in the Flatlands in Oakland. These schools have large number of Black and Brown students and this is taking place as the state has a budget surplus of 45.7 billion dollars.
(2022-02-05). Australian government in disarray as workers' anger grows over pandemic disaster. wsws.org While polls show collapsing popular support for Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government, the Labor Party has offered bipartisan backing throughout the pandemic.
(2022-02-05). [Correspondence] Depression and anxiety during COVID-19. thelancet.com The COVID-19 Mental Disorders Collaborators conclude that, throughout 2020, the pandemic led to a 27 ∑6% increase in cases of major depressive disorders and 25 ∑6% increase in cases of anxiety disorders globally.1 However, we propose that these prevalence estimates are likely to be substantially inflated. Decades of trauma research has shown that, for most people, negative life events such as bereavement or disaster exposure are typically followed by resilience (minimal effect on symptoms of anxiety, or depression, or both) or recovery (initial short-term increase in symptoms of anxiety, or depression, or…
(2022-02-05). Virginia police officials accused of human sex trafficking, intimidation. wsws.org A civil rights lawsuit filed late last year alleges that Northern Virginia police officers collaborated with human sex traffickers in exchange for sexually assaulting the victims.
(2022-02-05). Conceptual artist places gold cube in Central Park: Once again charlatanry meets extreme wealth. wsws.org Artnet News announced this week that "An Artist Placed a Cube Made From $11.7 Million Worth of Gold in Central Park—Protected By Its Own Security Detail."
(2022-02-05). Lee Camp and Adam McKay on Social Criticisms and Government Corruption. scheerpost.com 
This week on VIP Lee Camp looks back to a 2016 interview with the director of the Netflix smash-hit "Don't Look Up." Adam McKay is responsible for brilliant social criticisms in movies like "The Big Short" that took on the 2008 financial crisis and a satire of corporate media in "Anchorman." His latest movie skewers …
(2022-02-05). Health systems, pandemic response and social participation: lessons from Latin America. peoplesdispatch.org Latin America has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, following years of privatization and fragmentation of health systems, and low public investment in health…
(2022-02-05). The people of the world vs Pfizer Inc. peoplesdispatch.org During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pfizer has used every opportunity to maximize its profits, even if this meant reduced access to life-saving medical products for most of the world. The same is about to happen in the case of Paxlovid, the company's Covid-19 oral treatment…
(2022-02-05). Chilean and international capital praise Boric's cabinet picks. wsws.org Like SYRIZA in Greece and Podemos in Spain, the Chilean pseudo-left and Stalinist front has the task of dissipating seething opposition among workers and young people to capitalism.
(2022-02-05). [Correspondence] Depression and anxiety during COVID-19 — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Michael Daly and Eric Robinson for their comments on our Article.1 We share Daly and Robinson's caution against generalising mental disorder prevalence estimates solely from the very early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our methods took this timing into account in several ways. Every estimate that informed our model had corresponding values of the impact of the pandemic (estimates of human mobility and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate) for the period in which the survey was done, whether it was early or later during the course of the pandemic.
(2022-02-05). No pause in health workers' struggles in Nigeria. peoplesdispatch.org As health workers' trade unions in Nigeria call their membership to continue strike action over bad working conditions and missed payments, attempts to limit the space for industrial action persist…
(2022-02-05). Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia. wsws.org Indian power distribution workers protest nationally against privatisation; Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government workers demand pay rise; New South Wales commuter rail workers resume limited industrial action…
(2022-02-05). Another death in Los Angeles Harbor. wsws.org On Tuesday, January 18, Edgar Ruiz died on the job from what appears to have been an avoidable industrial accident at the Port of Los Angeles's Maersk Terminal.
(2022-02-05). Renaissance Woman Sylvia Pankhurst: Feminist, Artist, Council Communist, Anti-Imperialist. dissidentvoice.org 
Why Sylvia Matters How many of you about to read this have heard of Sylvia Pankhurst? Our guess is, not many. She seems to have fallen through the cracks of socialist and suffragette movement literature. Her mother, Emmeline Pankhurst and sister, Christabel Pankhurst are still looked up to as leaders in the suffragette movement. What …
(2022-02-05). Join Socialist Workers Party, 'Militant' in campaigning. themilitant.com 
The international In California the fight for ballot status for SWP candidates Eleanor García for U.S. Senate and Joel Britton for governor is underway. García and Britton explain why working people need ou…
(2022-02-05). Canadian workers need a socialist program to defeat the threat of far-right political violence, end the pandemic and oppose war. wsws.org With the support and encouragement of a significant faction of the ruling class, far-right thugs have besieged Canada's parliament for the past week to demand all COVID-19 public health measures be abolished. These extraordinary events underscore the urgent necessity of the independent political mobilization of the working class.
(2022-02-04). Ukraine Forced to Take Loans and Buy US Weapons at Massively Inflated Prices, Opposition Party Charges. orinocotribune.com By Steve Sweeney — Feb 1, 2022 | UKRAINE'S Opposition Platform — For Life (OPZZh) party has accused the United States of fuelling regional tensions by forcing Kiev to take out loans and buy weapons at massively inflated prices. | "Who profits from tensions? [We are sure] the situation is beneficial for the countries that are fuelling them. And I would like to stress that no-one is making presents to us," it said today. | "They make us buy those weapons, hastily and at a triple price. No-one ever disclosed how much we pay for that. They are forcing us [to sign] contracts, and we are taking loans to fina…
(2022-02-04). US vs. China in Laos: Two Nations, Two Approaches, One Obvious Difference. journal-neo.org 
The United States has elected to lock itself in a zero-sum conflict with China, attempting to stop China's inevitable rise as the world's largest, most powerful economy and thus nation. The narrative the US employs to justify political, economic, and even military measures it is targeting China with, revolves around US claims that China's rise …
(2022-02-04). US walks back evidence-free claim of 'imminent' Russian invasion of Ukraine. multipolarista.com Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki walked back the baseless claim of an "imminent" Russian invasion of Ukraine, admitting "we still don't know that [Putin has] made a decision." Meanwhile Ukrainian President Zelensky is criticizing Washington for manufacturing a crisis that has hurt his economy.
(2022-02-04). How We Broke The Supply Chain. popularresistance.org Anyone old enough to remember the Cold War is familiar with a scene routinely depicted on U.S. television at the time: the Soviet breadline. Warning Americans about life under communism, these clips showed Russian citizens lingering forlornly outside businesses for hours to obtain basic goods—indelible proof of the inferiority of central planning, and an advertisement for capitalism's abundance. | Breadlines, the Big Book of Capitalism assured us, could not happen in a market economy. Supply would always rise to meet demand, as long as there's money to be made. Only deviating from free-market fundamentalism…
(2022-02-04). VIDEO: Messages of solidarity and Cuba's statement marking 60 years of the U.S. blockade. liberationnews.org 
An event organized by Radio Havana Cuba and Cubavisión Internacional marked the 60th anniversary of the imposition of the cruel U.S. economic blockade that aims to suffocate the Cuban economy and cause suffering among the people…
(2022-02-04). January Sees Strong Job Growth as Omicron Leads to Cuts in Hours, Not Jobs. truthout.org 
The economy added 467,000 jobs in January, in spite of the spread of the omicron variant. Even pandemic sensitive sectors such as hotels and restaurants were big job gainers. It appears that employers' main response was to reduce hours, with the average workweek falling by 0.2 hours, a decline of 0.6 percent. The unemployment rate was little changed at 4.0 percent. | (2022-02-04). Strong Job Growth in January as Omicron Leads to Cuts in Hours, Not Jobs. cepr.net Employers responded to omicron by cutting hours rather than workers. | The economy added 467,000 jobs in January, in spite of the spread of the omicron variant. Even pandemic sensitive sectors such as hotels and restaurants were big job gainers. It appears that employers' main response was to reduce hours, with the average workweek falling by 0.2 hours, a decline of 0.6 percent. The unemployment rate was little changed at 4.0 percent. |
(2022-02-04). Argentina To Russia: We Want To End Dependency On US. popularresistance.org The President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, today visited the Kremlin and told President Vladimir Putin that his country wants to end "dependency" on the US and strengthen economic ties with Russia instead. | Fernández told Putin "Argentina, in particular, is experiencing a very special situation as a result of its indebtedness and the economic situation that I had to inherit. From the 1990s onwards, Argentina has always looked towards the United States. Now, the Argentinian economy depends a lot on the debt it has with the United States, with the IMF, and the role that the US has within the IMF." | The Presid…
(2022-02-04). Tuesday 2/8: Climate Crisis: Help Stop Wall Street's Toxic Money Gamble w/ Our Economy & Planet. indybay.org Online event via Zoom…
(2022-02-04). Make Noise About The Silent Crisis Of Global Illiteracy. popularresistance.org In October 2021, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) held a seminar on the pandemic and education systems. Strikingly, 99% of the students in the region spent an entire academic year with total or partial interruption of face-to-face classes, while more than 600,000 children struggled with the loss of their caregivers due to the pandemic. It is further estimated that the crisis could force 3.1 million children and youth to drop out of school and force over 300,000 to go to work. At the seminar, Alicia Bárcena, the executive secretary of ECLAC, said that the combinati…
(2022-02-04). Appalachians Are Building A Green New Deal Blueprint For Themselves. popularresistance.org The Green New Deal proposal is one of the only effective, broadly recognized pathways to tackle the climate crisis and address its social and economic consequences. It is technologically possible and economically sustainable. Yet although the Green New Deal project is already under way in some shape or form in various states, it has yet to be scaled up to the national level. In fact, climate policy as a whole has been stalled in Congress, and the Biden administration has so far engaged more in symbolic gestures than in living policy processes. | With time quickly running out to prevent a greenhouse apocalypse, ac…
(2022-02-04). Recent Polls Show Venezuelans Expect Economic and Political Improvements. orinocotribune.com Caracas, February 4, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—According to the last Hinterlaces national survey, carried out this January, 29% of voters sympathize with the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and 1% with other organizations that are grouped around the Great Simón Bolívar Patriotic Pole (GPP), which places partisan support for the government of President Nicolás Maduro at 30%. | Last May, 2021, Orinoco Tribune
(2022-02-04). Surprise! Businesses claimed to add 444K jobs in January; Jobless rate at 4%. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON — In data that surprised economists across the political spectrum, U.S. businesses claimed to add a net of 444,000 new jobs in January, a federal survey reported. Governments added another 23,000. The U.S. jobless rate ticked up by 0.1%, to 4%. Not only that, but, as Economic Policy Institute Senior Analyst Elise Gould pointed …
(2022-02-04). China, Russia Issue Joint Statement on NATO European Expansion. telesurenglish.net The two countries emphasize the need for cooperation between governments across the world, given the challenges of fast-moving economic globalization, political upheavals, and a pandemic that continues to threaten millions and weigh on international security. | Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photograph during their meeting & the recent anti-NATO joint statement in Beijing, on February 4, 2022…
(2022-02-04). Make noise about the silent crisis of global illiteracy: The Fifth Newsletter (2022). mronline.org 
In October 2021, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) held a seminar on the pandemic and education systems.
(2022-02-04). How U.S. Meddling Split Sudan, Creating an Oil Republic Drowning in Poverty and Conflict. strategic-culture.org Following decades of US soft power aid interventions to exploit South Sudan's energy reserves and counter China's influence, the republic is trapped in humanitarian crisis.: | TJ COLES | Like most countries, the Republic of South Sudan is a complex nation of shifting alliances and external influences. | Recently, President Salva Kiir, who sports a Stetson hat
(2022-02-04). Unite refuses to oppose Coventry Labour council strikebreaking against bin workers. wsws.org There could be no clearer proof that the dispute must be taken out of the hands of Unite than its willingness to sit down with strike-breaking organisers.
(2022-02-04). An open letter to workers in New Zealand: Join the fight to stop the pandemic and save lives in 2022! wsws.org The Labour Party-led government, backed by the trade unions, insists that schools and businesses must remain open, allowing Omicron to spread. The working class cannot accept this policy of mass infection and death.
(2022-02-04). Landmark landslide win for independent union at big GM Mexico plant. peoplesworld.org 
SILAO, Mexico—The landmark landslide win for an independent union at the big General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico, may well be a precursor of the future of Mexican organized labor—a precursor that augurs well for their U.S. colleagues, too. That's because the 4,192-932 February 3 victory by SINTTIA, The National Independent Union for Workers in …
(2022-02-04). Connecticut's Essential Worker Relief Fund a model other governments should follow. peoplesworld.org 
Connecticut is leading the way in building back better. The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the lives of many working-class families, but some relief is in sight. Recently, the Connecticut General Assembly, with a strong push from organized labor, passed the Connecticut Essential Worker COVID-19 Relief Fund. It' a $34 million program which will allow essential …
(2022-02-04). A Labor Stunner in Mexico Augurs Greater Equality — on Both Sides of the Border. inequality.org
(2022-02-04). Europe: New Super-Mutant HIV Variant Discovered. telesurenglish.net A new super-mutant, highly dangerous, and transmissible strain of HIV has been discovered in the Netherlands. | RELATED: | Researchers from the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute developed an international collaborative study, where 109 cases of the new 'virulent subtype B' (VB) variant were detected after analyzing 6 700 positive samples. The study revealed significant genome differences between the VB strain and other HIV va…
(2022-02-04). Super-mutant HIV strain discovered in Europe. rt.com 
The new variant is said to be more transmissible and dangerous | A new highly transmissible and dangerous HIV variant has been discovered in the Netherlands, confirming scientists' worst expectations. | An international collaborative study, led by researchers from the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute, identified 109 cases of the new 'virulent subtype B' (VB) variant after analyzing more than 6,700 positive samples. | The research revealed significant genome differences between the VB strain and other HIV variants. | "Individuals with the VB variant had a viral load (the level of the virus in the blood…
(2022-02-04). Bitcoin Prophet Michael Saylor's New Average BTC Price Is $30K: At What Level Will He Blow Up And Fold On His Massive Gamble? moguldom.com Michael Saylor, the billionaire crypto bull and head of the data analytics firm MicroStrategy, keeps buying Bitcoin at higher prices, pushing up the average purchase price of all his Bitcoin. This begs the question: at what point will he blow up and fold on his massive gamble? The largest independent publicly-traded business intelligence company, MicroStrategy …
(2022-02-04). Crude Oil Prices Top $90 For 1st Time Since 2014, $100+ Could Break Biden With Rising Inflation Pressures. moguldom.com Crude oil prices rose to more than $90 for the first time since 2014 and some experts believe they will reach $100+. The rising prices are due to continued inflation, something political pundits believe will hurt President Joe Biden and the Democrats during the midterm elections. West Texas Intermediate crude futures — which serve as …
(2022-02-04). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Strikes across France by healthcare, transport and employment agency workers over staff shortages, workload and pay; protests by teachers across Iran against wages and conditions following protests of retirees demanding a rise in pensions; 5,000 South African food workers on indefinite strike against pay and job cuts for eleventh week…
(2022-02-04). Victory: Palestinian teacher defeats Israel lobby smears. electronicintifada.net Sheffield Hallam University drops investigation against Shahd Abusalama.
(2022-02-04). What a Waste, and You're Paying for it: $778 Billion for the Pentagon and Still Counting. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — 2021 was another banner year for the military-industrial complex, as Congress signed off on a near-record $778 billion in spending for the Pentagon and related work on nuclear warheads at the Department of Energy. That was $25 billion more than the Pentagon had even asked for. It can't be emphasized enough just …
(2022-02-04). Fighting for his life: An interview with Prakash Churaman. peoplesdispatch.org 
Prakash Churaman was 15 years old when NYPD officers kidnapped him from his home in the early hours of the morning, drove him around in an unmarked vehicle for three hours, and upon arriving at the 113th Precinct of New York City, handcuffed him to a pipe attached to the wall. Prakash would then be interrogated for three hours and fifteen minutes by two police officers, before making incriminating statements allegedly connecting him to the crime of which there was no physical or forensic evidence of him committing. | After spending six years of his youth behind bars, Prakash, now 22, is fighting for his freedom a…