Cross-party report highlights Tory Covid-19 failures
On Tuesday (October 12), a cross-party report was published detailing the government’s many failures in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the errors the document lays out are how the government was too slow to lock down, too eager to abandon community testing, and how it failed to implement effective contract tracing
US soldiers have been stationed in Taiwan for at least a year, claim US officials
Soldiers from the United States have been training forces in Taiwan for at least a year, new reports have shown. The presence of serving US military on the island of Taiwan undermines agreements made between the USA and mainland China, including the 1979 agreement to sever formal between the USA and Taiwan, and withdraw its forces
Priti Patel to give police powers to prevent protesters travelling
Since Priti Patel’s announcement on Tuesday (5 October) to crack down on protesters, civil liberties groups have reacted with outrage, saying the plans disregard any notion of a “healthy democracy”
School funding gap has more than doubled since Tories came to power
A report published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found the gap between private school fees and state school spending per pupil in England has more than doubled in the last 10 years.
Fascists attack Greek communists
On Sunday comrades from the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) received a message about a series of attacks on anti-fascist students. Several KNE members were injured and have been in hospital.
Pandora Papers expose dodgy finances of the rich and powerful
On Sunday (3 October), a leaked cache of 11.9 million financial records was published, detailing 14 companies who work to establish offshore corporations and trusts. The leak has revealed the tax-dodging of many of the world’s rich and powerful, including Tony and Cherie Blair, the Queen’s estate, and Conservative co-chair Ben Elliot.
Barbados to ditch the royal family and become a republic
The nation of Barbados has announced its intent to remove the British monarch as its head of state, becoming a republic. By November 30th 2021, the 55th anniversary of Barbados’ independence, a president will be elected as the country’s new head of state.
Starmer faces embarrassment at Labour Conference
Monday (September 27) was an embarrassing day for Labour Leader Keir Starmer, with Labour conference passing motions that defied his own line on the same day as a shadow cabinet resignation.
Austrian communists win Graz elections
While the German speaking world may have been crowded around the TV to see whether Herr Schulz or Herr Laschet was to succeed Angela Merkel as Germany’s chancellor, Graz, the second largest city in Austria was about to contribute with some election drama of its own.
Over 50% of Met police officers keep job after committing sexual misconduct
An investigation revealed this week that over half of Metropolitan police officers found guilty of sexual misconduct between 2016-2020 have remained in their roles.
