Communist Party candidates in Scotland launched their campaigns this week ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections this May. The Communist Party is putting up candidates, not just in Scotland, but across Wales, many of the English regions, and London. Each and every one of these candidates offers hope in a political landscape that has been ravaged by neoliberal politics for over a decade at least.
The number of US coronavirus deaths have passed 500,000 as of Monday (22 February 2021) according to data from John Hopkins University. Over 28 million have also tested positive for COVID-19 in the USA. This is higher than any nation in the world. Both statistics are the worst in the world and the pandemic has thrown a harsh spotlight on the country’s ability to cope with such a disaster, especially during the tumultuous tenure of Donald Trump, whose administration botched the government response.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined the “roadmap” out of lockdown for England on Monday (22 February 2021), with an idea of when pubs, cinemas, sporting events and non essential shops would be opened. However many are concerned at the opening of schools as early as the 8th of March. Johnson put forward his 4 step plan for England to the House of Commons, with the first step being schools opening early next month.
Dimitris Koufontinas has decided to use the last remaining tactic of struggle available to an imprisoned revolutionary, using his final point of leverage against the state – his life.
On Thursday (18 February) Facebook started preventing Australian news outlets from sharing their posts, while users (both Australian and international) couldn’t view or share any content from the news sites. However, this didn’t affect news sites alone. Australian government pages were affected too. While the ban only meant to affect Australian news publishers, it also affected many pages run by unions, politicians and community pages.
A High Court judge has ruled this week (19 February 2021) that Matt Hancock’s failure to publish details of contracts related to the COVID-19 pandemic response within 30 days was unlawful, breaching the “vital function” of transparency over how billions of taxpayers’ money was spent. The case was brought forward by the Good Law Project, an organisation that is in the process of many legal challenges against the government’s procurement of services during the pandemic, including PPE contracts.
Ecuador is close to breaking free from the authoritarian rule of Lenin Moreno and the IMF as polls predict Andres Arauz will win the country’s presidential run-off on April 11th.
A Supreme Court ruling today has unanimously voted to ensure Uber must classify its drivers as workers rather than self-employed. The decision marks the end of a long-standing legal challenge and will mean tens of thousands of Uber drivers will be entitled to minimum wage and holiday pay. The final details of compensation remain unclear, however, this ruling represents a massive win for workers in the gig economy, many of whom have been hit hard throughout the ongoing pandemic.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Spanish cities, demanding the release of Communist and anti-fascist rapper Pablo Hasél. Yesterday (16 February 2021), Hasél was arrested after having locked himself with another activist inside the University of Lleida. There have been multiple demos in cities around Spain, with Barcelona being the largest.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Burma’s cities in anti-coup demonstrations over the weekend (14 February 2021), after a fearful night that saw residents form patrols and the army roll back laws protecting freedoms. The military rulers have shut down the country’s internet as thousands of people joined the largest protests yet against the coup. A near-total internet blackout is in effect with connectivity falling to 16% of ordinary levels, according to the monitoring group NetBlocks Internet Observatory.
Wetherspoon’s chairman Tim Martin today threatened the government with job losses if pubs are not opened as soon as possible, in a move which is a surprise to no one that has been paying attention. Conservative donor Martin, who has made £50m from his shares in the company despite its first pre-tax loss since 1984, has expressed concern that the “great contribution” that his company has made to the tax kitty has been forgotten in order to save human lives from Covid-19.
Recently, a picture has emerged of a soup kitchen in George Square, Glasgow, organised by Kindness Homeless Street Team, with a queue that was around two hundred people long. The surprising thing about this is that people were surprised. Homelessness is all around in Glasgow. It is not something that is hidden like it is in other parts of the country. A short walk from Glasgow Central Station to Buchanan Street would show you that, with people sleeping rough at the side of the road.
Communist rapper Pablo Hasél has been sentenced to nine months in prison for exalting terrorism and slandering against the Spanish Crown.
After extensive criticism was piled on the government last year, leading to an urgent investigation by the care watchdog, people with learning disabilities are still being given inappropriate Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) notices if they are ill with Covid-19. This has caused thousands of avoidable deaths.
Campaigners against climate change have been shocked with a new statistic from Cambridge University researchers who have revealed that Bitcoin mining now consumes more energy than the entirety of Argentina, around 121.36 terawatt-hours a year. Bitcoin is a blockchain cryptocurrency that relies on verifications from computers within its network to maintain the integrity of transactions within the system. Computers that partake in this process are sporadically rewarded with the bitcoin currency, and this process is known as ‘mining’.
As NATO and its allies gear up for a new Cold War with China, the BBC and other corporate media outlets are ramping up their anti-Chinese bias. In the last week in particular, furore has emerged as Sino-British relations appear to have fallen further as Ofcom, the British TV regulator banned CGTN, the Chinese international State broadcaster, akin to the BBC World Service.
The Communist Party has issued the February edition of its news sheet Unity! focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, demands for a genuine strategy to beat the virus and the Party’s upcoming plans for elections across Britain in 2021.
The World Health Organisation team tasked with tracing the source of the COVID-19 virus started its mission in Wuhan this week.
Yesterday morning, unknown individuals attacked the Najaf Party headquarters with Molotov cocktails alongside firing live ammunition, burning down the headquarters’ offices.
British energy company Cairn is set to become the latest in a long list of predatory institutions that drain the Indian people of their resources for profit. A long-running corporate tax case concluded that the Indian government must pay Cairn $1.2 billion in damages after it broke the 2014 UK-India bilateral investment treaty by claiming Cairn’s 10% stake in its Indian subsidiary.
