(2021-08-03). The Eradication Of Extreme Poverty In China. popularresistance.org On 25 February 2021, the Chinese government announced that extreme poverty had been abolished in China, a country of 1.4 billion people. This historic victory is a culmination of a seven-decade-long process that began with the Chinese Revolution of 1949. The early decades of socialist construction laid the foundation that was deepened during the reform and opening-up period. During this time, 850 million Chinese people were lifted and lifted themselves out of poverty; that is to say, 70 percent of the world's total poverty reduction took place in China. In the most recent 'targeted' phase that began in 2013, the…
(2021-08-03). Refugees Continue to Face "Extreme Danger" in Mediterranean Sea as Aid Groups Scramble to Respond. democracynow.org 
The number of refugees trying to reach European soil continues to grow due to worsening poverty, violence and the climate crisis, and over 1,100 refugees have perished crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations. We speak with Laurence Bondard of SOS Méditerranée, a humanitarian group that rescues migrants at sea, who says there is a severe shortage of search-and-rescue resources in the area to address the crisis. "The people that are actually fleeing via the sea that are on tremendously unseaworthy dinghies — most of the time without life jackets, without enough food or wat…
(2021-08-03). Global Britain Slashes International Aid. counterpunch.org "Decisions on aid are eroding trust and eroding relationships between the UK and developing countries." — Abby Baldoumas, Financial Times, July 15, 2021 Politics is not merely the art of the possible but the pursuit of concerted hypocrisy. When it comes to that matter of funding good causes — foreign aid, for instance — wealthy
(2021-08-03). Pfizer and Moderna Hike EU Vaccine Prices as Rich Countries Oppose Patent Waiver. truthout.org 
With some of the world's wealthiest countries continuing to oppose temporary patent waivers for Covid-19 vaccines in order to more rapidly deploy life-saving shots worldwide, pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have raised the price for European Union orders. | In its new supply contract with the E.U., Pfizer named a price of more than $23 per dose, up nearly 25% from about $18 on earlier purchases. Moderna said in its latest agreement that its mRNA vaccine will cost one-tenth more t…
(2021-08-02). We have proof that life is better without bosses. therealnews.com 
From workers dying from lack of adequate safety measures and PPE to states viciously cutting off extended unemployment benefits to force people back to unsafe, poverty-wage work, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it horrifyingly clear just how little value the lives and wellbeing of working people have in an economic system where all that matters is the bottom line. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can organize our economy and our workplaces in a more humane way—and we have proof that it works. | In this extended mini-cast, we talk with TRNN Senior Reporter Jaisal Noor about his multi-part investig…
(2021-08-02). How Unemployment Insurance Fraud Exploded During the Pandemic. scheerpost.com Flickr)(CC BY 2.0) By Cezary Podkul / ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. A Bronx man allegedly received $1.5 million in just ten months. A California real estate broker raked in more than $500,000 within half a year. |
(2021-08-02). The Little Talked About Covid-19 'Variants': Vaccine Mismanagement Will Have Dire Repercussions. counterpunch.org Do you remember the United Nations Millennium Development Goals? If not, you are not alone. These ambitious goals, which included the eradication of "extreme poverty and hunger", to "combating lethal diseases" and "reducing child mortality worldwide", proved to be yet another empty gesture which, unsurprisingly, amounted to little.
(2021-08-02). Hundreds Arrested in DC Demanding Voting Rights, End to Poverty, and Death of Filibuster. commondreams.org "Ready solutions are available to address root causes and displacement that are centered in human rights and humanitarian protection."
(2021-08-02). Pfizer and Moderna Hike Vaccine Prices. scheerpost.com By Julia Conley / Common Dreams With some of the world's wealthiest countries continuing to oppose temporary patent waivers for Covid-19 vaccines in order to more rapidly deploy life-saving shots worldwide, pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have raised the price for European Union orders. In its new supply contract with the E.U., Pfizer named a price of more than $23 per dose, up nearly 25% |
(2021-08-02). "The Ants and the Grasshopper": Raj Patel's New Film Aims to "Decolonize" Climate & Health Solutions. democracynow.org 
We look at a groundbreaking new documentary on the climate crisis and the global food system, "The Ants and the Grasshopper," which follows the journey of a Malawian farmer as she tries to end hunger and gender inequality in her village, and tackle climate change in the United States. "In this film, what we're trying to do is decolonize the view of how it is that we fix the climate crisis and the health crisis by foregrounding the wisdom of peasants from around the world, whether they're in the United States or from Malawi," says co-director Raj Patel.
(2021-08-02). NYT's Nikole Hannah-Jones Suggests Jay-Z And Will Smith-Backed 'Rent-To-Own' Housing Startup Is Predatory. moguldom.com Renowned journalist and scholar Nikole Hannah-Jones has called a rent-to-own housing startup backed by Jay-Z and Will Smith predatory, saying it is anything but helpful to the poor people it targets as customers. "Credit counseling is not what will take low-income renters to homeowners, wealth will," Hannah-Jones tweeted on Sunday, Aug. 1, along with a …
(2021-08-02). To Break the Corporate Tax Logjam, Tax Overinflated CEO Pay. inequality.org