(2020-10-25). COVID-19 as a Weapon. The Crushing of the Disposable Working Class — by Design. globalresearch.ca This article was originally crossposted in April 2020. | The arrogance and brutality of the ruling class — is nothing less than breathtaking. | Let's begin. |
(2020-10-25). "Democracy" vs. COVID: A No-Go. The Great Reset is the Antidote of Democracy. globalresearch.ca On 21 October 2020, the German Press Agency (dpa) reports that Germany pledges NATO soldiers for possible Covid-19 operations: | "German soldiers could be sent on crisis missions to other NATO and partner countries during the second wave of the Corona …
(2020-10-25). Protests Against Greed And Inequality Are Spreading Like Wildfire Through Latin America. popularresistance.org With attention fixed on this week's events in Bolivia, you would be excused for not realizing that much of the rest of the region has for weeks also been ablaze in the flames of protest. | In Costa Rica, the neoliberal coalition government of Carlos Alverado attempted to force through a $1.75 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. As has been its modus operandi this year, the organization offered the money attached to a host of free-market changes, including tax changes, cuts to public services, and privatization of state-owned assets, s…
(2020-10-25). Federal Judges Block Efforts To Ease Rules For Mail-In Ballots. popularresistance.org In the final weeks of the 2020 election, Republican-appointed appellate judges have overturned rulings that required states to make mail-in voting easier during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tens of millions of ballots have already been cast, even as federal judges kept changing the rules. | These decisions could be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which will include a 6-3 conservative majority if nominee Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the U.S. Senate next week as planned. So far, the court has ruled against voters in nearly every case it has reviewed.
(2020-10-25). Majority of doctors believe the tier system will have little to no impact on coronavirus spread. thecanary.co More than a third of doctors in England feel the government's tier system will have no impact on efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), while almost half (46%) said they thought the system would only work to a slight extent. This is according to a wide-ranging survey from the British Medical Association (BMA). | The research also raises concerns about the confidence of healthcare staff for the autumn/winter period. More than half said they're "quite anxious" about it. | "Enormous scale" of challenges: | The findings show the "enormous scale of the challenges" facing the NHS into winter,…
(2020-10-25). Pressure mounts on government to sack NHS Test and Trace chief. thecanary.co The government is resisting pressure to sack the head of NHS Test and Trace. It comes amid deepening concern from ministers and MPs that the system is failing to stem the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19). | "Untenable": | Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis insisted that baroness Dido Harding was doing "a very good job". This is after one Conservative MP called for her to be replaced by a senior military commander. | However, Labour warned that Harding's position was "untenable", after it emerged that ministers were considering cutting the time people have to self-isolate if they've been in contact w…
(2020-10-25). Pence's chief of staff tests positive for Covid-19, VP not infected — spokesman. rt.com 
Marc Short, known as Mike Pence's closest aide, has been infected with coronavirus, the vice president's spokesman has confirmed, adding that Pence himself tested negative and is not planning to halt his campaign. | "Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence both tested negative for Covid-19 today, and remain in good health," spokesman Devin O'Malley reported on Saturday evening as he confirmed that the VP's right-hand man, Short, had contracted the virus. | Pence is not expected to cancel any of his scheduled events in light of his top aide's illness, O'Malley noted, adding that his boss "will maintain his schedule…
(2020-10-25). Pence aide tests positive for coronavirus, spokesman says. yenisafak.com Marc Short, the chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, a spokesman for the vice president said on Saturday."Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence both tested negative for COVID-19 today, and remain in good health," said Devin O'Malley, adding that Pence would maintain his scheduled "in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel."
(2020-10-25). Spain's government to decree COVID-19 state of emergency, tighten controls. yenisafak.com Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will announce a new state of emergency on Sunday in an effort to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus, local media reported.The state of emergency will give regions, which decide on their own health matters, the backing to impose stricter measures, including curfews.
(2020-10-25). India's central bank chief tests positive for coronavirus. yenisafak.com "I have tested Covid-19 positive. Asymptomatic. Feeling very much alright," Das said in a tweet."Will continue to work from isolation. Work in the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) will go on normally," he said.Many top Indian politicians including Home Minister Amit Shah and actors such as Amitabh Bachchan have tested positive for the virus, and since recovered.Over 7.8 million Indians have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. The pandemic has claimed 118,534 lives in the world's second most populous country.
(2020-10-25). Coronavirus cases in the Netherlands hit new record, up by more than 10,000. yenisafak.com The number of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands jumped by more than 10,000 in 24 hours, hitting a new record, data released by the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) on Sunday showed.The RIVM reported 10,203 confirmed cases of COVID-19.The Dutch government imposed partial lockdown measures to contain the spread of the virus on Oct. 14, including the closure of all bars and restaurants in the country.
(2020-10-25). Pence Denounced for 'Grossly Negligent' Decision to Keep Campaigning Despite Exposure to Top Aide With Covid-19. commondreams.org "It's just an insult to everybody who has been working in public health and public health response." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mike_pence_4.jpg …
(2020-10-25). The Battle to Suppress Hydroxychloroquine as a Cheap and Effective Drug for the Treatment of Covid-19. globalresearch.ca The campaign against HCQ is carried out through slanderous political statements, media smears, not to mention an authoritative peer reviewed "evaluation" published on May 22nd by The Lancet, which was based on fake figures and test trials.
(2020-10-25). Trump's Body Count: Could Be Over a Million. indybay.org The combined death toll from all of Trump's many crimes is not "just" the over 222,000 COVID deaths. It includes at least 40,000 Venezuelans, Syrian Christian and Yazidi refugees, Karen Christians, Rohingya, refugees from Latin America, Afghans, Iraqis, Somalis, Yemenis, and tens of thousands of Americans who died by Trump sabotaging their healthcare.
(2020-10-25). Pence Was Exposed to COVID From Top Aide. He Plans to Keep Campaigning Anyway. truthout.org Despite being considered a close contact with a top aide who The White House announc…
(2020-10-25). Italy PM says new measures should curb COVID rise in coming weeks. yenisafak.com Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said tighter restrictions announced on Sunday, including early closing for restaurants and bars, should allow the rapidly rising curve of the coronavirus epidemic to be brought under control in the coming weeks."We think that we will suffer a bit this month but by gritting our teeth a bit with these restrictions, we'll be able to breathe again in December," he told a news conference, adding that the government aimed to protect both public health and the economy.Sectors hit by the measures would be helped out by support measures being worked out by the government, he said.
(2020-10-25). 'Such an Insult': Doctors Furious as Trump Peddles Baseless Claim That They Are Inflating Covid Death Count for Profit. commondreams.org "We report deaths how they occur. If you did your damn job we wouldn't be reporting so many." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_coronavirus_doctors.jpg …
(2020-10-25). "We're Not Going to Control the Pandemic," Trump Chief of Staff Says on Live TV as Covid Cases Surge. commondreams.org "'It is what it is' wasn't a randomly tossed off phrase: it's the official policy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mark_meadows.jpg …
(2020-10-25). 605 Years Ago: Medieval Inspiration to Fight The Corona World Order Today. globalresearch.ca "The truth is, the technocrats have no intention of ever letting us go back to normal," writes Dr. Joseph Mercola in
(2020-10-25). How Coronavirus Exposed the Flaws of the Childcare Economy. zcomm.org The pandemic has revealed the barbaric nature of an economy that has largely left the care of children to the whims of market forces. The well-being of children, women, and especially women of color is at stake…
(2020-10-25). How Did We Get Here? And How Do We Get Out? commondreams.org President Donald Trump holds a press conference announcing Vice President Mike Pence will lead the effort combating the spread of the coronavirus in Washington, D.C. on February 26, 2020. (Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/donald_trump_coronavirus_3.jpg …
(2020-10-25). Czech Republic reports 12,472 new coronavirus cases. yenisafak.com The Czech Republic reported 12,472 new cases of coronavirus for Oct. 24, its highest daily tally for a weekend day, when there are usually fewer tests, Health Ministry data showed on Sunday.The total number of cases rose to 250,797 in the country of 10.7 million, with 106 new deaths taking that total to 2,077.
(2020-10-25). The rising wealth of billionaires even amid a pandemic. peoplesdispatch.org It is inevitable under capitalism that every human tragedy which unleashes a crisis in this system becomes an occasion for an increase in wealth concentration, writes Prabhat Patnaik…
(2020-10-25). The Future Of Pandemic Solidarity. popularresistance.org In their recent book Pandemic Solidarity, Colectiva Sembrar (Sowing Seeds Collective) collected first-hand experiences from around the world of people creating their own narratives of solidarity and mutual aid in our time of global crisis. Red Pepper interviewed members of the collective — carla bergman (she doesn't capitalise her name), Seyma Ozdemir, Nancy Piñeiro, Emre Sahin and Marina Sitrin — to discuss what unites these diverse experiences, what can be learned, and where they might fit into a broader project of systemic change.
(2020-10-25). Why Black Families Are Choosing To Keep Their Kids Remote. popularresistance.org Mississippi – Yolanda Logan, the parent engagement coordinator for the Oxford School District, spent two weeks in July making home visits — some announced, some cold-calls — to check in on the students educators had been most worried about when schools shut down in the spring. Some had test scores at the bottom at their class. Some belonged to families who had been struggling to make ends meet before the pandemic struck and devastated the economy. | Logan asked the students, and the adults in their lives, how they were holding up and what support they needed.
(2020-10-25). Family of Palestinian teen accuses Israeli soldiers of beating him to death. middleeasteye.net 
Family of Palestinian teen accuses Israeli soldiers of beating him to death | Amer Snobar died on Sunday from blunt-force trauma to the neck, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 14: 07 | Amer Snobar, 18, from the Nablus-area village of Yatma, was reported dead early Sunday morning (Supplied) | The death of a Palestinian teenager early on Sunday morning, allegedly at the h…
(2020-10-25). Fracking Isn't Just Bad for the Climate. It's Bad for Mental Health Too. truthout.org Hydraulic fracturing has boomed in the U.S. over the past decade, but unless you live near it, you may not realize just how close fracking wells can be to homes and schools. In Colorado, the wellbore — the hole drilled to extract oil or gas — can be 500 feet from someone's house under current state rules. In some states, like For people living in these areas, that me…
(2020-10-25). How A Police Killing In Nigeria Sparked A Nationwide Movement. popularresistance.org Nigerian security forces opened fire this week on protesters in Lagos, killing at least 12 demonstrators and marking a deadly escalation in the weekslong protests against police brutality. | Since early October, tens of thousands of Nigerians have been marching in cities throughout the country, demanding the disbandment of a notorious police unit known as SARS—the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. An Amnesty International report published in June documented dozens of cases of torture and extrajudicial killing by the unit. But the incident that sparked the movement was a video of what appeared to be an unprovoked…
(2020-10-25). Macron's Gamble Will Backfire as Brexit Will Make Both Him and France Big Losers of a No-Deal With Brussels. strategic-culture.org He couldn't save Lebanon, despite all the rhetoric. Libya too was a disaster, as was his more recent battle with the firebrand Turkish president over a row in the Eastern Med about energy exploration. And now, France's cursed President, Emmanuel Macron, is going to lead his nation in a campaign which will take him and the entire French economy over the abyss on Brexit. | Remarkably, as the EU stands and watches, Macron, a man tortured and cursed by defeat wherever he goes around the world, is about to throw the lever on the French economy as he prepares to go into battle against Boris Johnson over UK's rights to…
(2020-10-25). Palestinian beaten to death by Israeli settlers. yenisafak.com A Palestinian teen was beaten to death early Sunday by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to eyewitnesses and a medical source.Amer Snobar, 18, from the town of Yatma, south of Nablus city, was attacked by settlers guarding a Jewish settlement and died of his wounds, witnesses said.A medical source said the teen was admitted to hospital with signs of assault on his body.An Israeli military statement said a Palestinian fell while escaping and hit his head while being chased by army forces.According to the army, the chase came after settlers said that their cars were attacked by stone-throwing P…
(2020-10-24). With nearly a half-million COVID cases daily, WHO warns world is at a critical juncture. wsws.org With daily COVID-19 cases reaching nearly one-half million, the WHO warns if measures are not immediately taken to stem the exponential growth of the pandemic the health crisis will become catastrophic.
(2020-10-24). UK COVID-19 deaths surge to more than 1,100 over last week. wsws.org It was the premature ending of the national lockdown from June onwards, and the opening of schools, colleges and workplaces to facilitate the profitmaking of big business, that produced this disastrous situation.
(2020-10-24). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.
(2020-10-24). Catastrophic increase of coronavirus infections in Germany. wsws.org Since January, over 380,000 people in Germany have been infected with COVID-19, more than one in ten within the last seven days.
(2020-10-24). Palestine Cinema Days film festival kicks off despite cash, pandemic challenges. middleeasteye.net 
Palestine Cinema Days film festival kicks off despite cash, pandemic challenges | Social distancing, international funding curbs on Palestinian cultural institutions fail to deter event's seventh edition | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 10: 23 | Seats sealed off in line with strict Covid-19 social-distancing measures at the Ramallah Cultural Palace on 20 October (MEE/Shatha Hammad) | In the main hall of the Ram…
(2020-10-24). Chicago officials plan to reopen schools for 20,000 students. wsws.org The plan to shift from online learning to a daily in-person schedule was announced as Illinois' seven-day average COVID-19 testing positivity rate surpassed five percent for the first time since early June.
(2020-10-24). Dystopian Plagues, Pandemic Fears, and Fascist Politics in the Age of Trump. zcomm.org The COVID-19 crisis has amplified a surrealist hallucination that floods our screens and media with images of fear, trepidation, and dread…
(2020-10-24). COVID-19: The World Is At A Critical Juncture. popularresistance.org The fall and winter surge of COVID-19 cases, as predicted, has begun. The number of cases across North America and Europe is rising exponentially in some regions. | There have been more than 42.4 million cases of COVID-19 globally, with 1.14 million deaths thus far. On Friday, the number of daily new cases reached an unprecedented 500,000-plus new infections. Global deaths have consistently tracked above 6,000 four days running. | At the World Health Organization Friday press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ominously warned…
(2020-10-24). Oakland's new Encampment Management Policy (EMP) threatens the unhoused. indybay.org Black, Asian, & Latino Adults Have The Most Trouble Paying The Rent During The Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic:…
(2020-10-24). [Research Paper] Diagnosis of COVID-19 by analysis of breath with gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry – a feasibility study. thelancet.com These two studies independently indicate that patients with COVID-19 can be rapidly distinguished from patients with other conditions at first healthcare contact. The identity of the marker compounds is consistent with COVID-19 derangement of breath-biochemistry by ketosis, gastrointestinal effects, and inflammatory processes. Development and validation of this approach may allow rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 in the coming endemic flu seasons.
(2020-10-24). [Comment] Building a tuberculosis-free world while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com In March, 2019, the Lancet Commission on Tuberculosis1 highlighted the opportunity to build a tuberculosis-free world. After years of neglect of this disease, the UN High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis in September, 2018, made ending tuberculosis a global priority; global leaders committed to important steps, including ambitious country-specific tuberculosis case-finding and prevention targets, and a revitalised research agenda.2 The Lancet Commission concluded that the prospect of a tuberculosis-free world was a realistic objective that could be achieved with sufficient accountability and resources, and detailed…
(2020-10-24). [Comment] Offline: Science and politics in the era of COVID-19. thelancet.com "How can we follow the science when scientists haven't the foggiest." "'Big mouth' scientists losing trust of Ministers." Headlines such as these are increasingly common in UK newspapers. Scientists are no longer seen as providing impartial, independent advice to government. They are seen as being responsible for crashing economies, driving up unemployment, and ruining livelihoods. Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, and Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Adviser, have received the sharpest criticism.
(2020-10-24). [World Report] Experts criticise Australia's aged care failings over COVID-19. thelancet.com Three-quarters of deaths from COVID-19 in Australia have been in aged care homes. Experts say that the pandemic is only exposing systemic weaknesses. Sophie Cousins reports.
(2020-10-24). [Perspectives] Understanding planetary health. thelancet.com Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves is a milestone—the first textbook for the emerging field of planetary health. I read the book under lockdown at home in Australia, a requirement of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Melbourne. At the same time, wildfires were raging in the USA that made me recall the devastating 2019—20 Australian wildfire season. Those fires were unprecedented. They killed more than 30 people, burned more than 11 million hectares of land, and resulted in prolonged smoke pollution that has since been linked to more than 400 premature deaths.
(2020-10-24). [Perspectives] Kelvin Kong: trailblazer for Indigenous health in Australia. thelancet.com The equity of his nation's health services provision is a core mission for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon Kelvin Kong, Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, and the University of Newcastle in eastern Australia. "As an Indigenous Australian, I feel obligated to strive to ensure that access to quality health care is available to all Australian citizens", he says. As a busy clinician, Kong sees the pressure on ENT and hearing services, recently compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-10-24). COVID-19 Lockdowns Are in Lockstep With the 'Great Reset'. strategic-culture.org Dr. Mathew MAAVAK | In October 2019, a pandemic simulation exercise called When COVID-19 coincidentally emerged from Wuhan two months later, scientists were rushing to generate similar alarmist forecasts using a variety of questiona…
(2020-10-24). The Heat: Trump, Biden final debate. america.cgtn.com 
US President Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden clash over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in their final debate.
(2020-10-24). Demonstrators Protest Outside Prime Minister Netanyahu's Residence in Jerusalem – Video. sputniknews.com Anti-government protests have been held weekly for the past several months across the Jewish state, with many Israelis demanding the Israeli prime minister's resignation over his indictment on corruption charges, as well as widespread anger over the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-10-24). Scientist warns we may struggle to curb coronavirus spread without closing schools for older kids. thecanary.co 
Ministers may be forced to close schools to older children if coronavirus (Covid-19) cases continue to increase at the current rate, a scientist has warned.Professor Neil Ferguson said the NHS would soon be unable to cope unless the spread of the disease was stemmed. His modelling led to the original lockdown in March.He said there were currently 8,000 people in hospital with coronavirus. That's around a third of the peak earlier this year, and numbers are continuing to rise.Further action: He said the restrictions on households mixing may not be enough, and further action may be needed: If we go beyond tha…
(2020-10-24). New Research Shows Masks Are Helping Hold Down COVID Death Rates Significantly. truthout.org The chances of dying from COVID-19 have fallen precipitously since the pandemic began, according to two new peer-reviewed studies. | One Patients treated by NYU's health system had a 25.6% chance of dying when the pandemic began but that number has fallen to 7.6%…
