(2022-03-05). News on China | No. 89. dissidentvoice.org China criticizes NATO expansion, supports national sovereignty. It calls for both sides, Russia and Ukraine, to end the war. China restates its opposition to unilateral economic sanctions. The de-dollarization of China-Russia trade is about to increase. China is the world leader in transitioning to clean energy. The rate of urbanization slows down.
(2022-03-05). For African and Colonized Peoples, to Understand Ukraine: De-Center Europe and Focus on Imperialism (Statement). orinocotribune.com
(2022-03-05). [Perspectives] Sally Grantham-McGregor: pioneer in early childhood development. thelancet.com "I can still be horrified by the poverty in the world and how it affects children's development", says Sally Grantham-McGregor, Emeritus Professor of International Child Health at University College London (UCL), UK, and the doyenne of early childhood development (ECD). In pioneering work in Jamaica, she developed a low-cost early childhood intervention and showed that it can have long-term benefits for children. Now called Reach Up, it has been implemented in 16 countries, with several, including China and Peru, rolling it out as a national programme.
(2022-03-05). [Perspectives] The modern medical memoir. thelancet.com This Is Going To Hurt, and so it did. Adam Kay's book of the same name with its snappy writing, drama, and vicious humour has done so well that it has been adapted into a BBC television series, starring Ben Wishaw, handsome in scrubs, but also often covered in blood and desperate with fatigue. The series seems to have divided opinion. Some viewers have objected to the misogynistic language and demeaning way that women in labour are often treated and portrayed. Others find the series darkly funny, making public those things previously confined to the doctors' mess.
(2022-03-05). Turkey ends remaining pandemic measures as over 200 die every day. wsws.org This ending of public health measures is based not on science and protecting the health of the population but on the profit interests of the ruling capitalist class.
(2022-03-05). Australian workers face closure of Eraring coal-fired power plant by 2025. wsws.org Origin Energy's plan to bring forward the shutdown is motivated by flagging profits from fossil fuel energy, not concern for the environment.
(2022-03-05). Australian Education Union uses anti-democratic delegates' meetings to promote sellout agreement. wsws.org High school teacher and Committee For Public Education member Will Marshall exposed the union's claims on workload, wages, and provisions covering Education Support staff.
(2022-03-05). Critical race theory: US right-wing wages a culture war, the people fight back. peoplesdispatch.org Conservatives are going after a new boogeyman, "critical race theory", or any attempt at teaching youth about the history of US racism…
(2022-03-05). [Comment] Gefapixant for chronic cough. thelancet.com Chronic cough is responsible for a decrease in quality of life. Chronic cough affects approximately 5—10% of the global population1,2 and might be complicated by incontinence, cough syncope, and dysphonia, leading to social embarrassment and subsequent social isolation and depression or anxiety.3,4 In some people, cough is associated with a treatable underlying disease such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Many of these individuals might respond to treatments targeting the primary cause.
(2022-03-04). US Sanctions on Russia Over Ukraine Also Target Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba. orinocotribune.com 
By Benjamin Norton — Feb 28, 2022 | President Joe Biden's top Latin America advisor, Juan S. Gonzalez, admitted that US sanctions against Russia aim to hurt Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba as well. The three socialist governments condemned NATO aggression for creating the crisis in Ukraine. | President Joe Biden's top Latin America advisor has admitted that US sanctions against Russia over Ukraine intentionally seek to hurt Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba as well. | The United States imposed a series of harsh sanctions on Russia following Moscow's recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk Peop…
(2022-03-04). Six Million People Lose or Leave Their Job Every Month (that's 72 million a year for arithmetic fans). cepr.net I can't say how people form their views of the economy, but it is simply not true that the level of unemployment and the state of the labor market only affects a small minority of the population.
(2022-03-04). Jobs and Hours Jump in February as Unemployment Falls to 3.8 Percent. cepr.net Private sector hours are back to pre-pandemic levels. The economy added 678,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate down to 3.8 percent. The jobs numbers for December and January were also revised up 92,000. This left the number of jobs in the economy 2,105,000 below the pre-pandemic level. Increase in Hours Likely Pushed Private …
(2022-03-04). China set to become a high-income economy by 2025: economist. ecns.cn China will become a high-income economy with a GNI per capita of $12,695 no later than 2025, said Justin Yifu Lin, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, on Thursday.
(2022-03-04). February Job Growth Strong as Private-Sector Hours Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels. truthout.org 
The economy added 678,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate down to 3.8 percent. The jobs numbers for December and January were also revised up 92,000. This left the number of jobs in the economy 2,105,000 below the pre-pandemic level. | Increase in Hours Likely Pushed Private-Sector Hours Above Pre-Pandemic High: | With the waning of omicron, the drop in the length of the average workweek in January was partially reversed. The rise in hours combined with the jump in…
(2022-03-04). Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País inició jornada conmemorativa por su 230 aniversario. cubadebate.cu El próximo 9 de enero de 2023 la Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (SEAP), cumplirá 230 años de existencia comprometida con el lema que la ha identificado a través de los siglos XVIII al XXI: "Pro Patria". Sus integrantes han elaborado un amplio programa de actividades conmemorativas de marcado perfil científico.
(2022-03-04). (Two Sessions Voice) Justin Lin calls for favorable policies for enterprises. ecns.cn In an interview with China News Service, Justin Yifu Lin, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and dean of Institute of New Structural Economics of Peking University, has called for making bigger cakes.
(2022-03-04). (Two Sessions Voice) Justin Yifu Lin: China one step shy of high-income country status. ecns.cn In an interview with China News Service, Justin Yifu Lin, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and dean of Institute of New Structural Economics of Peking University, said China is just one step shy of high-income country status.
(2022-03-04). (Two Sessions Voice) Justin Yifu Lin: China's GDP is bound to grow by 6% in 2022. ecns.cn Justin Yifu Lin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC and dean of Institute of New Structural Economics of Peking University, expressed his optimistic views about China's economic growth while receiving an interview of China News Service.
(2022-03-04). Jobless rate falls in February, 654K jobs are added. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in February, just about matching the figure it reached before the March 2020 pandemic-caused crash, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Businesses claimed to create 654,000 new jobs, while governments added 24,000, 60% of them in local schools, a separate BLS survey showed. "Two years since the pre-pandemic …
(2022-03-04). As Tube strikes throw London into chaos, Labour and Tory MPs denounce RMT as "Putin stooges" wsws.org The McCarthyite attacks are part of efforts to brand all industrial action as treason in time of war.
(2022-03-04). Vanuatu inquiry into Australia's exploitative seasonal worker scheme. wsws.org The seasonal worker schemes established by Australia and New Zealand continue to exploit impoverished Pacific peoples as a source of cheap labour, despite repeated complaints and media exposures over the years.
(2022-03-04). UK: Unite will not oppose Labour's strikebreaking operation in Coventry. wsws.org Unite has continued to meet with the council representatives throughout via the arbitration service ACAS, when the only principled position would have been to end all negotiations as soon as the first scab truck left the council yard.
(2022-03-04). John McDonnell and Diane Abbott pull out of Stop the War Coalition rally. wsws.org The Stop the War Coalition's entire political perspective is in ruins. The Labour Party is firmly in the hands of Starmer, more right-wing than ever, and not even one of its MPs will turn up to STWC events or sign their open letters.
(2022-03-04). Black workers' struggles inform labor history. peoplesworld.org 
(2022-03-04). In These Days Of Great Tension, Peace Is A Priority. popularresistance.org It is impossible not to be moved by the outrageousness of warfare, the ugliness of aerial bombardment, the gruesome fears of civilians who are trapped between choices that are not their own. If you read this line and assume I am talking about Ukraine, then you are right, but of course, this is not just about Ukraine. In the same week that Russian forces entered Ukraine, the United States launched airstrikes in Somalia, Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen, and Israel struck Syria and Palestinians in Gaza. | War is an open sore on humanity's soul. It draws precious social wealth into destruction: 'The impact of war is self-e…
(2022-03-04). Ukraine sanctions lead to $80bn loss for Russia's richest. rt.com 
A third of their net worth has been wiped out, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index | Russia's richest people have lost about a third of their wealth over the past week, due to Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index. | The impact of US and EU sanctions against Russian oligarchs and the collapse of the ruble has seen their collective fortune shrink by $80 billion since the start of Moscow's military operation, according to the index. | The report says some saw their wealth halved, with the biggest loser in dollar terms being Gennady Timchenko, of…
(2022-03-04). Sanctions on tycoon's empire dropped except for yacht and jet. rt.com 
A special license has authorized transactions involving Alisher Usmanov's assets, except for his yacht and jet | The US Treasury has withdrawn businessman Alisher Usmanov's companies from sanctions lists, on the same day it imposed them, leaving only his superyacht and private aircraft blocked. | Announcing on March 3 that Usmanov had been put on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)'s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list, the Treasury described Usmanov as an "affiliate" of Russian president Vladimir Putin and "one of Russia's wealthiest billionaires with vast holdings across multiple…
(2022-03-04). UK could struggle to sanction Russian 'oligarchs' — media. rt.com 
Punitive measures could take "weeks and months," according to The Times | Russia's wealthiest tycoons may not be hit immediately by British embargos, a media report has claimed, alleging that the government has been unable to build a substantive case against them. | In a report published by The Times on Thursday, it was alleged that the Foreign Office and National Crime Agency have so far failed to mount "reasonable grounds" for targeting the most influential moguls, such as Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, with sanctions because "they have struggled to link their finances to" Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(2022-03-04). Global supply chain: Rail industry prioritizes profits over safety. workers.org 
The global supply chain crisis, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, has laid bare systemic problems within global capitalism — when and where goods are produced to how they are transported and the growing disparity between the bosses' wealth versus the wages and benefits paid to millions of workers throughout this . . . |
(2022-03-04). 10 Questions about Russia, Ukraine and "World War III" dissidentvoice.org 
1. Wouldn't a new "Cold War" simply work wonders for Corporate America and keep that upward transfer of wealth thing going strong? 2. Could it be that the Russian Army is moving so "slowly" because it has no interest in destroying Ukraine but rather in transforming it into an intact puppet state? 3. Did you …
(2022-03-04). New Zealand Employment Court passes injunction to scuttle health workers' strike. peoplesdispatch.org Even though the allied health workers' unions in the capital Auckland postponed the strike owing to Omicron surge, the employment court forced a nationwide postponement…
(2022-03-04). Airbnb stops working in Russia. rt.com 
The home rental service is the latest foreign company to suspend operations in the country | American peer-to-peer lodging service Airbnb is putting its operations in Russia and Belarus on hold, the company's CEO Brian Chesky has said. | "Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus," Chesky announced in a tweet on Friday. | The US entrepreneur had a Ukrainian flag added to his name on Twitter, which suggests the move is likely a response to Russia's invasion of the country. | On Monday, Chesky said Airbnb was offering short-term housing for free to some 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. | Airbnb is sus…
(2022-03-04). Gwich'in Steering Committee Responds To AIG's New Policy On Arctic Drilling. popularresistance.org Today American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) announced new company-wide policy, which rules out providing insurance and investment to "any new Arctic energy exploration," among other climate commitments. With this announcement, AIG is the first American company among a growing list of international insurance companies to publicly issue a policy ruling out new energy exploration projects in the Arctic.
(2022-03-04). BBC, Deutsche Welle, and other websites restricted in Russia. rt.com 
The news outlets are being "limited" by the country's media regulator amid the conflict in Ukraine | Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor limited access to Radio Svoboda (Radio Liberty) and blocked the Meduza news outlet website on Friday morning, its registry of restricted internet resources shows. Both had been designated "foreign agents." Access to the websites of the German newspaper Deutsche Welle and BBC has also been restricted. | According to the watchdog, access was limited after a decision taken by Russia's general prosecutor in accordance with regulations to limit websites that contain "appeals for…
(2022-03-04). Marxist IQ: Women in history. cpusa.org 
The Marxist IQ for Women's History Month is dedicated to women who struggle for democracy, socialism, and peace. 1. International Women's Day was first established by the Socialist International (Second International) in solidarity with an early twentieth-century strike of women workers in a. London. b. Berlin. c. New York. d. Paris. 2. Women …
(2022-03-04). In Haiti, misery breeds resistance. workers.org 
Thousands of Haitian garment workers, mainly women, have hit the streets in February demanding that the government raise their minimum wage to 1,500 gourdes (about $14) for a 9-hour day. They currently make 500 gourdes (about $4.80) a day. The workers, mostly women who spend over half their salaries on . . . |
(2022-03-04). Venezuela to Increase Minimum Wage and Consider Bonuses as Part of Wage. orinocotribune.com On March 3, Venezuela announced an increase in the minimum wage to half a petro, and determined that bonuses delivered to public workers through the Patria System will be considered as salary. The increased minimum wage will impact the wage scales of public employees, those under collective bargaining agreements, and pensioners. | In addition, food bonuses will increase to Bs. 45 ($10.30 USD). With the price of the petro currently at $57.81, and the official dollar at Bs. 4.37, the minimum wage would be Bs. 126 per month (or $28.90). Adding the food bonuses, it would be Bs. 171 per month, equivalent to $39.20.
(2022-03-04). Sri Lankan unions begin campaign for minimum wage rise. peoplesdispatch.org 12 unions have launched a joint campaign to demand an increment in the minimum wage of private sector employees after the government decided to exclude them from a scheme granting a monthly increment of 5,000 LKR (USD 25) to pensioners and public sector employees…
(2022-03-04). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org South African Clover Foods workers to continue strike over wages and job cuts until their demands are met, while gold miners closer to strike action; strikes and protests in health care sector across Spain and France over jobs and conditions; two 24-hour strikes over jobs and pensions bring London underground to halt…
(2022-03-04). Fifteen bad Ukraine narratives. canadiandimension.com 
Photo by Artem Kniaz/ Especially when deepened by the fog of war, idiocy comes in many mutually reinforcing forms. Let's examine and get past some problematic thinking on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But first, let's proclaim some basic principles. The Ukraine crisis is a good focus for practising the art of detesting two things at the same time. | Just as one can hate both the neoliberal-capitalist Democratic Party and (imagine) the neofascist-capitalist Republican Party at the same time, one can simultaneously abhor both supremely dange…
(2022-03-04). Neoliberalism Is Normalizing Extreme-Right Discourse in the UK. truthout.org 
One of the most familiar tactics of populist demagogues when under pressure is to shift the agenda away from reality and into a fantasy world of accusation, smears, false equivalences and conspiracy theories. | This erodes the boundary between
(2022-03-04). Planting seeds of opposition: Cabral's cultural front. roarmag.org Image: Bertina Lopes' painting "Tribute to Amílcar Cabral" (1973) overlaid with the portrait of Amílcar Cabral | From the 1950s to the early '70s, uprisings across Africa saw workers, peasants, artists and intellectuals taking up arms against their European oppressors. In the Lusophone colonies and provinces — then under the control of Portugal's dictator António de Oliveira Salazar — revolutionary leaders like Amílcar Cabral advocated for a socialism rooted in African culture. From the humanist literature of his native Cape Verde to the radical imaginary of the Harlem Renaissance and Négritude, art w…
(2022-03-04). Venezuela: Jorge Arreaza Appointed Minister for Communes. orinocotribune.com As he outlined the path for the new stage of rejuvenation in the construction of Bolivarian socialism, President Nicolás Maduro Moros announced this Thursday, March 3, the appointment of Jorge Arreaza to…
(2022-03-04). UK attendees speak on WSWS webinar "Fight Covid! Save lives! Stop the drive to World War III!" wsws.org Workers and youth in Britain who attended Saturday's World Socialist Web Site international online webinar, "Fight Covid! Save lives! Stop the drive to World War III!", have spoken to the WSWS about their thoughts on the important event. We publish further responses here.
(2022-03-04). Sri Lankan action committee holds a successful online meeting in defence of Julian Assange. wsws.org Speakers insisted that the fight to release Julian Assange depends on a political movement of the working class based on socialist policies and in opposition to the capitalist system and all its institutions.
(2022-03-04). Declara»õia PSL privind interven»õia militarƒÉ a Rusiei àÆn Ucraina. liberationnews.org 
Amenin»õarea rƒÉzboiului poate fi àÆnvinsƒÉ doar prin solidaritatea interna»õionalƒÉ àÆntre popoarele lumii »ôi printr-o luptƒÉ hotƒÉrâtƒÉ àÆmpotriva imperialismului american, care trebuie sƒÉ impunƒÉ abolirea NATO. FƒÉrƒÉ rƒÉzboi cu Rusia!