Daily Archives: October 20, 2024

2024-10-20: News Headlines

Bloomberg (2024-10-20). As global debt nears US$100 trillion, IMF urges action. scmp.com International Monetary Fund economists warn that failure to address rising debt could lead to 'significant spillovers' for the world economy.

ecns.cn (2024-10-20). Job market remains stable despite fluctuation. ecns.cn China's overall job landscape remained stable despite a seasonal fluctuation in the employment rate during the third quarter, thanks to the nation's stronger economic growth and employers' unchanged needs for new recruits.

ecns.cn (2024-10-20). Nation to build unified market. ecns.cn China will push ahead with the building of a unified national market as part of the country's efforts to foster a more equitable and well-ordered development environment for market players, the State Council — the nation's Cabinet — said on Friday.

ecns.cn (2024-10-20). Weifang Port certified as China's first zero-carbon emission port. ecns.cn Weifang Port, which is part of Shandong Port Group subsidiary Bohaiwan Port, said it had become China's first zero-carbon emission port, marking a milestone in the country's push toward sustainability and green development.

ecns.cn (2024-10-20). Xi hails establishment of major recycling company. ecns.cn President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of creating a national resources recycling and utilization platform as China established on Friday a State-owned company specializing in resources recycling across sectors including steel, nonferrous metals, consumer goods, and wind and solar power equipment.

ecns.cn (2024-10-20). Q3 growth ups hopes of meeting full-year target. ecns.cn China's stronger-than-expected 4.6-percent economic expansion in the third quarter has bolstered the confidence in the world's second-largest economy of achieving its full-year growth target, with growth momentum to further accelerate in the rest of the year, officials and analysts said.

ecns.cn (2024-10-20). Financial Street Forum annual conference opens in Beijing. ecns.cn The Financial Street Forum 2024 is ongoing from October 18 to 20 in Beijing under the theme "Trust and Confidence — Work Together To Promote Financial Openness, Cooperate For Shared Economic Stability and Growth". In this feast of ideas, industry heavyweights will share their insights on China's economic recovery and foreign investment confidence in the country.

Shanshan Li (2024-10-20). How Harris and Trump will seek to preserve US dollar hegemony. scmp.com While Democrats and Republicans aim to maintain core US interests, their plans could produce wildly different economic outcomes.

Guest Blogger (2024-10-20). The Energy Crisis Commission is Just Another Green Blob Front. wattsupwiththat.com Another day, another green report. This time, in response to rising energy prices, a report has been published by something calling itself the Energy Crisis Commission. But the report flies in the face of sound economics when it tries to address the hardships faced by millions of individuals and businesses due to shy-high energy prices by calling for "a clear strategy for shifting away from fossil fuels, particularly gas". Well, guess what: that's because the "Commission" is just another bog-standard Green Blob front! Who could have guessed?>

Michael Roberts (2024-10-20). Measuring global poverty. cadtm.org

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead (2024-10-20). Labour can't afford complacency about the ethnic minority vote. leftfootforward.org The continuing tragedy of the Middle East will continue to sap support for Starmer unless and until his policies become braver and more decisive.

James Wright (2024-10-20). Clive Lewis's water bill should have been front-page news this week. thecanary.co Labour Party MP Clive Lewis has brought a private members' bill to the Commons that seeks to solve the issues with our water system. Rather than boardrooms, citizens' assemblies would control the fate of our water utilities. Lewis and those backing the bill argue the current corporate shareholder system of water ownership is not "fit […] | By

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2024-10-20). Mayo Clinic Minute: What to know about bats and rabies. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Bats play an important role in many ecosystems around the world. They are a major predator of night-flying insects, including pests that cost farmers billions of dollars annually. However, bats pose the biggest rabies threat in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most bats are not rabid. However, because rabies can only be determined by laboratory testing, there is concern about possible exposure. Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute youtu.be/wz0yNYGJk4w Journalists: …

People's Dispatch. (2024-10-20). Athens Dockworkers Block Ammunition Shipment Bound For Israel. popularresistance.org Workers at the Piraeus Port in Athens successfully blocked a shipment of ammunition bound for Israel in a late-night action on October 17. Following a call to action by the dockworkers' union ENEDEP, port workers and activists mobilized to prevent a container of bullets, designated for the port of Haifa, from being loaded onto the ship Marla Bull, owned by Israeli company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services. | In addition to ENEDEP, the action was supported by several workers' organizations, including the Labor Center of Piraeus and unions of metalworkers and the shipbuilding industry. The workers declared they woul…

Stephen Maher (2024-10-20). A Prime Competitor: Understanding Amazon's Market Power. socialistproject.ca A large body of scholarship has emerged in recent years attempting to assess if Amazon is a monopoly. Such accounts generally define monopoly in terms of the neoclassical "quantity theory of competition," which measures competition by the number of sellers in a market.

newarab (2024-10-20). Egypt raises gasoline, diesel prices for third time this year. newarab.com Diesel and gasoline prices will increase by between 11% to 17% effective immediately, the government said. | "The state will c…

Guest Blogger (2024-10-20). Climate Change Weekly #522: EV Owners Have Big Carbon Footprints. wattsupwiththat.com In this issue: | EV Owners Have Big Carbon Footprints | Green Equipment Companies Are Poor Investments…

Emma Curchin, Counter Punch. (2024-10-20). 34 Million Seniors In Medicare Advantage Plans Face Rude Awakening. popularresistance.org October 15 marks the first day of open enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans — a time that will deliver chaos and confusion for many of the 34 million seniors who depend on these plans to pay their healthcare bills. It's yet another reminder that Medicare wastes billions of dollars funneling public money to private companies that are primarily driven by profit-seeking. | Last year, more MA members than expected used their benefits to get necessary medical care. One might assume that companies would expect beneficiaries to use health care services. But after years of making outsized profits, the insura…

Jordynn Paz, NDN Collective. (2024-10-20). NDN Fund's Loan Leads To #LANDBACK In Alaska. popularresistance.org Rapid City, SD — NDN Fund, the impact investing arm of NDN Collective, today announced the closing of a loan with Qizhjeh Vena — an Alaska Native Women-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working in the Bristol Bay area. | The $750,000 loan from NDN Fund will allow Qizhjeh Vena to purchase Koksetna Wilderness Lodge and surrounding land on Lake Clark, located at the outlet of the Chulitna River in Chulitna Bay. The lodge will serve as a cultural preservation and revitalization center, and act as the gateway to a sanctuary for wildlife, and interrelated habitats. This historically important land and r…

Staff (2024-10-20). Venezuela's VP Rodríguez: We Are Working to Reduce Exchange Rate Distortions. orinocotribune.com The vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, stated that President Maduro's administration is working to reduce the gap between the official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) and the parallel rate with the dollar. | During a meeting with the Federation of Chambers and Associations of Commerce and Production (Fedecámaras) on Thursday, October 17, the vice president said, "This gap is currently an issue, and we are already working, with concrete measures and actions. It is time to perform a surgical operation to reduce this gap." | "This gap creates many distortions, and profiteers use it to…

Michael Arria, Mondoweiss. (2024-10-20). Samidoun's Coordinator Speaks Out On US And Canada's Targeting Of Them. popularresistance.org On October 15 the United States Treasury Department announced a joint action with the Canadian government, targeting the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The U.S. slapped sanctions on the organization and Canada listed the group as a terrorist entity. | The Treasury Department press release refers to Samidoun as a "sham charity" and accuses it of raising funds for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a secular Marxist-Leninist Palestinian political party, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department. | "Samidoun is particularly targeted becaus…

CADTM International, Pablo Laixhay (2024-10-20). CADTM International Council | Day 1 | The polycrisis of capitalism. cadtm.org

WSWS (2024-10-20). IAM union announces snap vote in bid to shut down Boeing strike. wsws.org The proposed contract confirms every warning made by the World Socialist Web Site since the beginning of the strike, that Boeing and the IAM are colluding to get a pro-company contract passed so that Boeing can resume production on its terms and force workers to pay for the company's mountain of self-inflicted debt.

Ben Norton (2024-10-19). BRICS plans 'multi-currency system' to challenge US dollar dominance: Understanding Russia's proposal. geopoliticaleconomy.com The BRICS Cross-Border Payment Initiative (BCBPI) will use national currencies, instead of the US dollar. Russia's finance ministry and central bank released a report detailing plans to transform the international monetary and financial system.

ecns.cn (2024-10-19). Job market remains stable despite fluctuation. ecns.cn China's overall job landscape remained stable despite a seasonal fluctuation in the employment rate during the third quarter, thanks to the nation's stronger economic growth and employers' unchanged needs for new recruits.

ecns.cn (2024-10-19). Nation to build unified market. ecns.cn China will push ahead with the building of a unified national market as part of the country's efforts to foster a more equitable and well-ordered development environment for market players, the State Council — the nation's Cabinet — said on Friday.

ecns.cn (2024-10-19). Weifang Port certified as China's first zero-carbon emission port. ecns.cn Weifang Port, which is part of Shandong Port Group subsidiary Bohaiwan Port, said it had become China's first zero-carbon emission port, marking a milestone in the country's push toward sustainability and green development.

ecns.cn (2024-10-19). Xi hails establishment of major recycling company. ecns.cn President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of creating a national resources recycling and utilization platform as China established on Friday a State-owned company specializing in resources recycling across sectors including steel, nonferrous metals, consumer goods, and wind and solar power equipment.

ecns.cn (2024-10-19). Q3 growth ups hopes of meeting full-year target. ecns.cn China's stronger-than-expected 4.6-percent economic expansion in the third quarter has bolstered the confidence in the world's second-largest economy of achieving its full-year growth target, with growth momentum to further accelerate in the rest of the year, officials and analysts said.

ecns.cn (2024-10-19). Financial Street Forum annual conference opens in Beijing. ecns.cn The Financial Street Forum 2024 is ongoing from October 18 to 20 in Beijing under the theme "Trust and Confidence — Work Together To Promote Financial Openness, Cooperate For Shared Economic Stability and Growth". In this feast of ideas, industry heavyweights will share their insights on China's economic recovery and foreign investment confidence in the country.

Fran Quigley, Waging Nonviolence. (2024-10-19). Diabetes Patients Are Starting To Beat Big Pharma's Price Gouging. popularresistance.org T1International was born out of anger. | Elizabeth Pfiester had lived with type 1 diabetes since she was four years old. The daughter of a Monticello, Illinois railroad worker and library clerk, Pfiester and her family together had to learn the daily regimen of insulin injections, finger pricks for blood testing, and constant fear of blood sugar spikes and crashes. Fortunately, her dad's railroad job provided solid health coverage, which got even better when Pfiester enrolled in the London School of Economics, where she qualified for the U.K.'s National Health Service program.

Bruce Lerro (2024-10-19). The Myopia of Anglo-American Rulers. dissidentvoice.org In the last 20 years, China, Russia, India and Iran are blossoming in harnessing energy and building infrastructures. Economically BRICS currency will eventually marginalize the dollar. What is amazing to us is the vast denial system that Mordor and its vassal has hypnotized itself into believing. Bruce Lerro's article is about how the ideology of Eurocentrism, paternalism, racism and imperialism keeps the West in a fog about how bad its situation actually is.

Michael Roberts (2024-10-19). Why Nations succeed or fail: a Nobel cause. mronline.org Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson have been awarded the Nobel (really the Riksbank prize) in economics "for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity."

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead (2024-10-19). Spain's prime minister unveils pro-immigration policy, citing moral duty and economic growth. leftfootforward.org 'I want citizens to understand that this is not a battle between Spaniards and foreigners, or Christians and Muslims or saints and criminals. It is a battle between truth and lies, between tales and data, between what is in the interests of our society and the interests of a few who see fear and hatred of foreigners as their only path to power.'

tvbrics (2024-10-19). Egypt and China consider joint investments in Suez Canal Economic Zone. tvbrics.com A delegation from Jiangsu has arrived for talks at the New Administrative Capital…

DikelediM (2024-10-19). Celebrating a life of service and leadership. sanews.gov.za Celebrating a life of service and leadership | President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the late former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni for being a man of great stature who never lost his ability to connect with people from all walks of life., , The President delivered a poignant eulogy at the Special Official Funeral Category 2 in honour of Mboweni at the Nkowankowa Stadium in Limpopo on Saturday., , Mboweni, remembered for his immense contributions to South Africa's economic and political landscape, was honoured by dignitaries, colleagues, and citizens alike for his unwavering service to the country and his ability…

DikelediM (2024-10-19). Dr Tito Mboweni remembered as a trailblazer. sanews.gov.za Dr Tito Mboweni remembered as a trailblazer | President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded the late former Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni as a man who understood the assignment, describing him as a trailblazer who has left an enduring legacy in South Africa's public and economic spheres., , The President delivered the eulogy at Mboweni's Special Official Funeral Category 2 at the Nkowankowa stadium in Limpopo on Saturday., , Mboweni, who was the first Labour Minister in democratic South Africa passed away last week following a short illness at the age of 65., , He was fondly known by names like Comrade Tito, Uncle Tit…

____ (2024-10-19). Cuba Faces Major Power Outage Amid Economic Struggles. devdiscourse.com Cuba's government announced on Saturday that electricity had been partly restored following a large-scale outage caused by the failure of a major power plant. The outage, impacting millions, began on Thursday and was exacerbated by rising demand and aging power infrastructure.

Prabhat Patnaik (2024-10-19). How not to measure poverty. mronline.org Several international organisations are now engaged in the business of measuring what they call "poverty".

SKWAWKBOX (2024-10-19). Starmer's Labour collapses in Scotland (and England/Wales) — SNP on track for 39/57 seats. skwawkbox.org Scottish voters hate what they've seen of Starmer and mini-Starmer Sarwar Voters in Scotland and around the UK are continuing to abandon Keir Starmer's Labour, causing a collapse in the party's projected number of parliamentary seats at the next election regardless who is leading the Tory party, according to the latest poll of Westminster voting …

WSWS (2024-10-19). Australian students denounce Labor foreign minister for complicity in Gaza genocide. wsws.org Wong was to give a speech at the University of Tasmania on international relations and policy. Her speech was interrupted by protesters on about a dozen occasions.

WSWS (2024-10-19). US used Australian bases in bombing Houthi facilities in Yemen. wsws.org This development marks another intensification of the Labor government's transformation of northern Australia into a strategic platform for US wars, both in the Middle East and against China.

Dr. Mark Trozzi (2024-10-19). DNA Contamination in Bivalent COVID-19 "Vaccines": Insights from Kevin McKernan. globalresearch.ca The greatly respected geneticist Using five different laboratory methods, McKernan and his team studied two vials each of Moderna's and Pfizer's bivalent "vaccines." Both …

Rhoda Wilson (2024-10-19). PlasmidGate just got a whole lot bigger: Recombinant vaccines have contained plasmid DNA for decades. expose-news.com Plasmids are DNA sequences used by laboratories to manufacture vaccines and biologics and contain elements that should never get into the human supply chain. It turns out that this has been happening …

The Independent (2024-10-19). China, EU, Africa seek green cooperation using bamboo instead of plastic. independent.co.ug BRUSSELS | Xinhua | A forum on green industry cooperation between China, the European Union (EU), and Africa has underscored opportunities for technological collaboration and sustainable practices, particularly the use of bamboo as an alternative to plastic. The forum, co-hosted on Thursday by the Chinese Mission to the EU and the International Bamboo and Rattan …

Martha Ríos (2024-10-19). Presidente Díaz-Canel chequea restablecimiento de sistema eléctrico en Cuba. radiohc.cu La Habana, 19 oct (RHC) El primer secretario del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba y presidente de la República, Miguel Díaz-Canel chequeó, hace unas horas, las labores que se realizan para restablecer el sistema eléctrico nacional, frente a la contingencia energética que enfrenta la isla.

Editor (2024-10-19). Ralph Nader: Last Clear Chances for November. scheerpost.com By Ralph Nader / Nader.org Wouldn't you think the Republican Party, that is as gung-ho for Empire and Genocide as the Democratic Party, but domestically is blatantly open about its policies against women, children, workers, the environment, climate crisis, public lands, public education and fair share taxes for the wealthy would be easy to defeat? …

Staff (2024-10-19). Ralph Nader: Last Clear Chances for November. scheerpost.com By Ralph Nader / Nader.org Wouldn't you think the Republican Party, that is as gung-ho for Empire and Genocide as the Democratic Party, but domestically is blatantly open about its policies against women, children, workers, the environment, climate crisis, public lands, public education and fair share taxes for the wealthy would be easy to defeat? …

Peoples Health Dispatch (2024-10-19). Health activists picket against high cost of nutritious food on World Food Day. peoplesdispatch.org On World Food Day, October 16, the People's Health Movement (PHM) South Africa organized a picket in front of the National Parliament to protest the high cost of healthy and nutritious food in the country. | While the South African Constitution guarantees the right to food, PHM South Africa argued that only the wealthy can afford healthy meals today. "The soaring prices of nutritious food have placed it beyond the reach of millions, forcing many to resort to cheaper, ultra-processed foods," they said. Ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to a long list of non-communicable diseases, including cancer and d…

Kit Klarenberg (2024-10-19). Leaked: How MI6 Exploits Palestinian Refugees. orinocotribune.com By Kit Klarenberg — Oct 13, 2024 | All my investigations are free to access, thanks to the generosity of my readers. Independent journalism nonetheless requires investment, so if you took value from this article or any others, please consider sharing, or even becoming a paid subscriber. Your support is always gratefully received, and will never be forgotten. To buy me a coffee or two, please Leaked files expose the intensive interest taken in Palestinians by British intelligence operatives, and Foreign Office-funded and d…

Zeyad Masroor Khan (2024-10-19). The Dark Side of Crowdfunding. progressive.org Tech companies are leveraging the misery of Palestinian war victims for their own profit.

The Independent (2024-10-19). Gambling Addiction Among Ugandan Players: Can Self-Exclusion Help? independent.co.ug Uganda is one of the "fresh" places with a massively growing gaming market. And even though it comes with some regulations regarding gaming and betting, they are still not entirely developed and in some aspects are also weak. That's the very reason why there is an urgent necessity for alternative gambling balancing tools …

JANET (2024-10-19). Sri Lankans elect Marxist president. iacenter.org By Zoe Johnson October 18, 2024 Anura Kumara Dissanayke, Sri-Lanka's president. On September 22, Marxist candidate Aruna Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People's Power (NPP) alliance won the Sri Lankan presidential election. Traditional parties such as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) dominate the Sri Lankan Parliament, currently holding 145 of the 225 seats. The JVP only has three seats in Parliament. Dissanayake's victory is significant, as he is the first Marxist to be elected president in Sri Lanka's history. He has strong support from young voters in particular. H…

WSWS (2024-10-19). Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia. wsws.org More than 10,000 Bangladeshi garment workers remain on strike over months of unpaid wages.

The Independent (2024-10-19). Is Capitalism really the cause of global inequality? independent.co.ug Western observers have treated inequality as a domestic issue but this framing often overlooks the plight of hundreds of millions of impoverished people around the world COMMENT | KENNETH ROGOFF | In 2014, the French economist Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century became an international sensation, reshaping the inequality debate and launching its author into …

Brian Berletic (2024-10-19). Ukraine's "Victory Plan" Implies NATO Intervention. thealtworld.com Update on the conflict in Ukraine for October 20, 2024… | Ukraine unveils its "victory plan," including membership in NATO, additional weapons, and all restrictions on their use lifted; | Ukraine has also warned that it will pursue nuclear weapons if NATO membership is not granted; | No aspect of the "victory plan," or the pursuit of nuclear weapons acknowledges the disparity between Ukraine, its Western sponsors and Russia in terms of military industrial capacity or trained manpower; | Western-Ukrainian escalation with Russia at this juncture risks forcing a greater imperative for Russia in expanding the sc…

WSWS (2024-10-19). Tens of thousands of Stellantis workers strike in Italy. wsws.org Workers took to the streets in Rome, Italy, for industrial action in opposition to Stellantis' plans to cut more jobs and move production to other countries.

WSWS (2024-10-19). IAM bureaucrats seek to ram through Textron deal to isolate Boeing strike. wsws.org That the IAM apparatus even brought this contract to a vote is a clear indication that the bureaucracy never had any intention of waging a serious strike.

Lev Deane, Fight Back! News. (2024-10-19). Lessons From The Tulane And Loyola Encampments For Gaza. popularresistance.org Baton Rouge, LA — On October 9, Louisiana State University's Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a panel on the Tulane and Loyola University encampments for Gaza as part of their October 7 Week of Rage. LSU SDS invited members of Tulane and Loyola SDS and a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) from New Orleans. They highlighted their wins and explored lessons learned from planning and implementing the encampment. | Last spring, the National Students for a Democratic Society put out a call for campuses across the country to enact encampments for Gaza on their universities' lawns to e…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2024-10-19). 'The Commune Is Nothing New Here': The Rio Cataniapo Commune. libya360.wordpress.com Chris Gilbert, Cira Pascual Marquina Las Pavas inhabitants in the Cataniapo River. (Rome Arrieche) A socialist commune in the Venezuelan Amazon draws inspiration from the collective practices of its Indigenous members. Early in the last decade a set of communities along the Cataniapo River started to organize themselves to protect the river's ecosystem and bolster their…

JANET (2024-10-19). European Union set back in Western Sahara. iacenter.org By Carlos Lopes Pereira October 18, 2024 Polisario Front has led the struggle for sovereignty in Western Sahara. The author writes about Africa for Avante, newspaper of the Portuguese Communist Party, where this article was published on Oct. 10, 2024. Translation: John Catalinotto. African media reported that the United Nations special envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, met a few days ago with the authorities of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The diplomat's trip to the Sahrawi refugee camps is part of the U.N.'s efforts to relaunch the peace process in Western Sahara, blocked by the occup…

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