China plans to ban the trade in wild animals, believed to be behind the coronavirus as racism spreads worldwide

Countercurrents | February 04, 2020

Countries with confirmed coronavirus cases. Photo: ABC News. The photo is used here in public interest.

China said it would ban illegal wildlife markets and trade in light of the Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, which has killed at least 426 people and infected more than 20,000. Beyond China, at least 169 cases have been confirmed in 25 countries.

It is widely believed that the Wuhan coronavirus likely started in a wet market, where live and dead animals are often sold in poorly regulated conditions.

The ban on wildlife markets is just one of a number of initiatives China is taking in response to the novel coronavirus.

When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered

by Aubree Gordon and Florian Krammer

The Conversation | January 29, 2020

A security guard wears a mask as she keeps watch at arriving passengers at Manila’s international airport in the Philippines on Jan. 23, 2020, as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus. AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Editor’s note: The coronavirus that started in Wuhan has sickened more than 7,000 people and killed at least 170 in China as of Jan. 30, 2020. Thailand and Hong Kong each have reported eight confirmed cases, and five people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the illness. People are hoping for a vaccine to slow the spread of the disease.

Is there a vaccine under development for the coronavirus?

Work has begun at multiple organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, to develop a vaccine for this new strain of coronavirus, known among scientists as 2019-nCoV.

Venezuela, January 2020: Hardship and resistance

by Peter Lackowski

Countercurrents | January 30, 2020

Illustration by Nathaniel St. Clair

This January I went to Venezuela with a group of North Americans to see for ourselves how economic “sanctions” are affecting people’s access to food. We wondered how the Venezuelan popular classes are responding to the massive attack on their economic well-being.

We saw a complicated scene, with virtually every kind of productive activity crippled in many ways, some not so obvious on the surface. Nevertheless, people have had time to adjust to the situation; they have been creative, energetic, and determined. Communes are growing, the government is surviving, and “It’s not as bad as it was in 2017” was a common refrain. These are some of the stories we heard as we met people working to achieve food sovereignty for their country.

Palestine Liberation Organisation warns Israel rushing to enforce Trump’s ‘act of hostility’ against Palestinians

by Steve Sweeney

Morning Star | February 03, 2020

Protesters hold candles as others wave flags during a protest against the Middle East plan announced by US President Donald Trump, at Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip

PALESTINIAN leaders accused Israel of rushing to implement US President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” today and condemned an “economic war” against Gaza and the West Bank.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was intent on moving ahead with the details contained in Mr Trump’s “peace plan,” which it blasted as an “act of hostility” against the Palestinian people.

Australia: How big money influenced the 2019 federal election – and what we can do to fix the system

by Kate Griffiths and Danielle Wood

The Conversation | February 04, 2020

Amid the ongoing bushfire and coronavirus crises – and the political kerfuffle surrounding the Nationals and Greens – you’d be forgiven for missing the annual release of the federal political donations data this week.

Nine months after the 2019 federal election, voters finally get a look at who funded the political parties’ campaigns.

The data reveals that big money matters in Australian elections more than ever, and donations are highly concentrated among a small number of powerful individuals, businesses and unions.

Fighting for Venezuela is fighting for the independence of Our America

by Jorge Pérez Cruz

Granma | January 23, 2020

Photo: Resumen Latinoamericano

Venezuela, stoically resisting imperialist attacks on its people, welcomes the World Anti-imperialist Encounter: For Life, Sovereignty and Peace, to define strategies for the development and future of humanity.

On the gathering’s opening day, January 21, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel tweeted a message expressing his firm and unwavering solidarity with the nation, its people, government and civic-military union: “Venezuela can count on Cuba,” the President wrote, as he shared the ideas expressed at the 20th Session of the Cuba-Venezuela Intergovernmental Commission, which took place in Caracas, a few days earlier.

Video: Venezuela’s Great Housing Mission [Exclusive]

by Gloria La Riva

As a part of La Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela (GMVV) – The Great Venezuela Housing Mission, the Venezuelan government has built 2.6 million homes, and millions more are planned to house the people of Venezuela. Started by Hugo Chávez GMVV  has been continued by President Nicolás Maduro.