Protests broke out at Wistron Infocomm’s manufacturing facility, a Taiwanese-run iPhone factory near Bangalore, in India.  Workers claim that they have not been fully paid for four months and are being forced to do extra shifts.

 Leaked documents show the UK has bought supplies of personal protective equipment from firms accused of modern slavery during the coronavirus pandemic despite warnings. Insiders say that the rush for PPE – which saw prices rise by more than 1,000 per cent in some cases – led to confusion, miscommunication and panic within the government.

  Companies were suspected of forced labour as long ago as November 2019 – with further concerns about suppliers highlighted by a UK diplomat yet tens of millions of items were still purchased from these firms, the majority of which are based in Malaysia.

The Home Office produced a report on the glove-manufacturing industry in Malaysia that concluded “corruption is endemic in the recruitment systems of Malaysia and migrant worker source countries, and touches every part of the recruitment supply chain”.

The report said there was “strong evidence” to suggest that the majority of Malaysian glove manufacturers that supply the NHS “exhibit forced labour indicators”.

Charles Hay, the UK high commissioner to Malaysia, emailed the Department for International Trade (DIT) to highlight persistent labour concerns within the country’s glove industry, and warned that Britain’s audit framework used to assess companies was not fit for purpose. He wrote to the Department of Health’s most senior civil servant, to warn over links to five glove companies: WRP, Ansell, Supermax, Kossan and Hartalega. He again raised fears about the auditing of companies and urged the department to work alongside the Foreign Office and DIT to address the government’s reliance on the heavily criticised industry.

Malaysian factories have been linked to the illegal recruitment of impoverished migrants from Bangladesh and Nepal, with accusations they have been forced to live and work in squalid conditions. Some have been accused of confiscating workers’ passports, leaving them vulnerable to debt bondage, where they are forced to pay off a loan that can never be repaid. The Department of Health purchased an entire stock of 88.5 million gloves from Supermax’s UK subsidiary, which is based in Peterborough and largely sources supplies from the company’s Malaysian factories. Workers in its factories claimed in 2019 that they had been forced to work up to 12 hours a day, for as many as 30 days in a row. 

NHS Supply Chain also has an ongoing £85m deal with international suppliers including Ansell, an Australian firm that owns three Malaysian factories, for the provision of items such as PPE, patients’ gowns, linen and curtains. The contract is set to end next year. The company has repeatedly fallen under the spotlight for purchasing gloves from other companies facing claims of modern slavery.

Top Glove, the world’s largest manufacturer of gloves, and WRP. Both have faced accusations of mistreating staff and confiscating passports. But throughout the pandemic, medical staff have found these firms’ products in hospitals. 

Professor Mahmood Bhutta, co-founder of the Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group at the British Medical Association, said the provision of medical gloves “should not be at the expense of human rights and the welfare of factory workers.”

One NHS source said that “the people who were responsible for sourcing PPE had little experience or knowledge of the products they were buying nor did they understand the complexities of the related supply chains and factories”, adding: “Officials went out and bought what they could get their hands on. They’re having to source from these problematic factories and turn a blind eye.

“They’re saying it’s our lives or their lives, so the lives of our citizens versus the citizens of a country we’ve probably never visited.”

Government ignored internal warnings over PPE suppliers accused of modern slavery | The Independent

  The UN reveal that there are now 741,000 women and girls in prison,  an increase in more than 100,000 in the past decade.  In every region except Europe, the numbers have risen.

“The number of women in prison globally is climbing at an alarming rate – even though they are typically convicted of low-level, nonviolent crime,” said Olivia Rope, executive director of Penal Reform International. “Shocking systemic cases of human rights violations, including violence and mistreatment, persist worldwide,” said Rope. “Many women are deprived of essential health and rehabilitation services and face physical or sexual violence in prison.”

The call to action highlights that many women are imprisoned as a result of discrimination or crimes committed in poverty. Women are also disproportionately affected by punitive drug policies, with 35% in prison for drug-related offences compared with 19% of men.

“A high proportion of women in prison have a history of abuse and violence, increasing the risk of mental health issues,” said Anand Grover, a member of the global commission on drug policy and former UN special rapporteur on the right to health. “Women’s specific needs are often ignored, revealing that gender inequality does not stop at the prison doors.”

‘Alarming’: female prison population rises by 100,000 in past decade – report | Women’s rights and gender equality | The Guardian

 Triggered by a new brand of misguided patriotism, vaccine nationalism, COVID-19 vaccines have been hi-jacked by the rich.  Everything in this world is stacked up against the poor and the downtrodden. The Covid-19 vaccine is no exception because some of world’s richest nations, including the US, Canada and UK, seem to have cornered most of the supplies — whilst marginalizing the world’s poorer nations. Vaccine nationalism is one facet of the widening economic inequalities between the developing and the developed world.

Rich countries with 14% of the world’s population have bought more than half of all the most promising vaccines. The deals made by rich countries mean they have “hoarded enough doses to vaccinate their entire populations nearly 3 times over.” Canada has reportedly bought enough doses to immunize its citizens five times over. 

Meanwhile, nine out of 10 people living in 67 poor countries will miss out on the vaccine in 2021. Covid-19 is being described as a disease of the haves and the have-nots.

“Unless something changes dramatically, billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and effective vaccine for Covid-19 for years to come,” according to Anna Marriott, health policy manager for Oxfam.

 Vaccine nationalism will deprive citizens of low-income countries of COVID-19 vaccines for many months to come.

Asked about the “lip service” by rich countries on equitable access to vaccine while glaring inequalities persist in the distribution to Africa and other developing countries, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters December 9: “It’s true we are seeing vaccine nationalism moving with full speed. But the vaccines the African continent needs, and we all need… has to be properly supported. Or we will not be able to fight the pandemic anywhere effectively”.

 The scandal is not just that rich nations are marginalizing poor nations from scarce supplies but the bigger scandal is that there is only such scarcity of supplies because companies are being allowed to hoard licenses and know-how. Between 1996 and 2001, the prioritization of companies’ intellectual property over people’s health meant millions of people in poor countries died from AIDS when the treatment to HIV was known, and producible cheaply, but was kept by profit-driven policy deliberately too costly.

Ben Phillips, author of ‘How to Fight Inequality’, explained,  “it’s astonishingly mean-spirited, and utterly short-sighted, that the same approach is being pursued now with Covid-19… No one is safe until everyone is safe, and the world can’t recover till all countries can,” said Phillips.

Professor Kunal Sen, Director at the Helsinki-based UN University– World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), said, “The world needs a people’s vaccine which can be provided universally, and it is important for the international community to develop a vaccine which is compatible with universal access.”

A Vaccine That Was Hijacked by the Rich | Inter Press Service (ipsnews.net)

 After 17 years without a federal execution, the Trump administration has executed nine inmates since July, and plans five more executions before Joe Biden takes office on 20 January. 

Biden has pledged to eliminate the death penalty.

On Thursday night, Brandon Bernard, was executed by lethal injection at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, after the US supreme court rejected a last-minute appeal to stay the execution. Five jurors and a former prosecutor have said they don’t support the death penalty in his case, including two lawyers who defended Trump at his impeachment trial this year in the US Senate and who filed briefs in the supreme court appeal, Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr.

One of his victims mother, Todd Bagley’s mother, Georgia,  became emotional when she spoke about the apologies from Bernard before he died and from Vialva, who was executed in September.

“The apology and remorse … helped very much heal my heart,” she said, beginning to cry and then recomposing herself. “I can very much say: I forgive them.”

‘Abolish the death penalty’: Brandon Bernard execution prompts wave of anger | Capital punishment | The Guardian

The Democratic Party joined the Republicans to ensure the passing of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act—a behemoth bill authorizing $740 billion in U.S. military expenditures.

 Erica Fein, advocacy director at the peace advocacy group Win Without War, said in a statement:

“First and foremost, the FY21 NDAA authorizes nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars in Pentagon spending. As people across the world reel from a devastating pandemic, as families struggle to pay their bills, as communities of color go starved for resources, funneling billions more into an overpowered war machine is an act of utter inhumanity.”

The women-led anti-war group CodePink said the military budget “out of control…the Pentagon is asking for a whopping $740.5 billion—more than half of the country’s discretionary spending, the majority of this money goes directly to perpetuating violence, destruction, and endless war.” It continued:

 “The Pentagon’s absurd budget harms Americans at home as well, by diverting funds that should be used to benefit the American people such as universal healthcare and welfare programs, and by fueling violence on our streets. Even the modest 10% budget cut many congress-people are calling for could vastly improve the lives of millions of Americans and lessen our country’s damage abroad.”

Bernie Sanders commented, “Endless money for wars? No problem. Endless money for tax breaks for the rich? No problem. Endless money for corporate welfare? No problem. But when it comes to providing a $1,200 direct payment to the working class during a pandemic, somehow we can’t afford it. Not acceptable.”

With Endless War Abroad and Endless Suffering at Home, Peace Group Warns Against Making NDAA Fight All About Trump | Common Dreams News

But it is perfectly acceptable to the political duo-poly and you have always known this, Bernie.

 Receiving less attention than the widespread farmers strikes and protests in India is the similar campaign being carried out in Peru, by its farming communities.

Farm workers in various regions of Peru- such as Ica, Viru La Libertad and Piurahad – went on a strike in the first week of December, 2020, blocking the strategic Pan-American motorway to demand wage increases, basic social security benefits and the repeal of the Agrarian Promotion Law, enacted in 2000,  a mechanism which maintains the power of corporations in the agro-export sector. 

 The law authorizes the hiring of personnel for the agricultural industry through intermediary companies. These third-party contractors avoid statutory labor regulations and pay workers extremely low wages.

Farm workers complain they are paid about $10 for a 12-14 hour workday. They also don’t receive benefits given to other workers, including annual bonuses and vacations.

This law was extended until 2031 by the government of Martín Vizcarra and strikes ensued this decision, with the state deploying police violence to quell mass protests.   the police showed all their violent methods against peaceful protesters. They excessively used tear gas bombs, shot pellets into peoples’  directly at faces and clubbed people with batons. The police had free rein with no restrictions or regulations on their violence since the government supported them, so they also began arbitrary arrests of anyone who was participating or contributing to the protest. On December 3, 2020, Peru’s National Police officers shot dead young farmer Jorge Muñoz during a peaceful protest called by farmworkers in Viru city.  During earlier protests Bryan Pintado and Inti Sotelo died at the hands of the Peruvian police and then on Nov. 14, the police shot Brian Pintado Sanchez, who died immediately by bullet wounds to his head, face, neck, arm and thorax. Manuel Merino resigned from the government.  Francisco Sagasti was appointed as interim president of Peru

President Francisco Sagasti sent a bill to congress to repeal the law and it passed by a vote of 114 in favor, two against and seven abstentions.

The protesters expressed joy and immediately began lifting the blockades that had choked many stretches of the north-south Pan-American Highway. “We did it!” protesters chanted. However, the anger and discontent has not disappeared. The parliamentary and constitutional situation remains unstable’

Building workers and miners have now marched through the streets of Peru’s capital, Lima, to demand various labor improvements including an increase in their salaries.

Cracks Appear in Peru’s Neoliberal Agriculture | Dissident Voice

 In rural India, a nationwide lockdown imposed in March pushed millions of people into poverty, encouraging trafficking of children from villages into cities for cheap labor. The pandemic is hampering enforcement of anti-child labor laws, with fewer workplace inspections and less vigorous pursuit of human traffickers.

“The situation is unprecedented,” said Dhananjay Tingal, executive director of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a children’s rights group whose founder, Kailash Satyarthi, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. “These children are made to work 14-16 hours a day and if they refuse to work they are beaten. One beating sends the message down the group, which suits the owner.” 

Tingal’s organization has rescued at least 1,197 children between April and September across India. In the same period last year, it helped 613. Childline, a nationwide helpline for children in distress, received 192,000 distress calls between March and August, most of them related to cases of child labor. It handled 170,000 such calls in the same period of 2019.

In India, children under 14 are not allowed to work except in family businesses and farms. They are also barred from dangerous workplaces such as construction sites, brick kilns and chemical factories. The country has made serious gains in combatting child labor, but more than 10 million Indian children are still in some form of servitude, according to UNICEF. In July, India’s Home Ministry redoubled its fight against the resurgence of child labor, issuing guidelines for urgently setting up Anti Human Trafficking Units in every district. Many Indian states have flouted that advisory. 

Most of India’s elementary and middle schools are still closed because of the pandemic, affecting more than 200 million children. Teachers visit families to check in with students, but online learning is beyond the reach of millions of families that can’t afford smartphones or laptops.

Pandemic threatens India’s children with child labor rising (apnews.com)

 Socialists have always been skeptical of the over-optimism of the politicians in regards to effective solutions to the climate crises and we have always questioned the over-confidence of the scientists in their hope that the politicians would follow their advice with accompanying legislation and regulation.  We were indeed the nay-sayers but unfortunately for all and for the planet, the socialists are proving to be correct. Too little is being done too late because it is the same old story, the interests of the capitalists and the corporations has to be primary. 

The commitments to reduce emissions that countries made at Paris were insufficient, and would result in catastrophic heating of more than 3C.

The world is still not on track to fulfil the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the UK’s business secretary Alok Sharma warned, after a summit of more than 70 world leaders on the climate crisis ended with few new commitments on greenhouse gas emissions.

Sharma said: “[People] will ask ‘Have we done enough to put the world on track to limit warming to 1.5C and protect people and nature from the effects of climate change?’ We must be honest with ourselves – the answer to that is currently no.”

More than 80 world leaders including China’s Xi Jinping, the European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and Pope Francis urged swifter action on the climate crisis.  António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, called on all world leaders to declare a state of climate emergency.

Guterres pointed out that many countries are also pouring money into high-carbon activities as they strive to recover from the coronavirus crisis, with G20 countries spending 50% more in stimulus packages on fossil fuels than low-carbon energy.

 “This is unacceptable,” he said. “The trillions of dollars needed for Covid recovery is money that we are borrowing from future generations. We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken planet.”

Tim Gore, head of climate policy at Oxfam, said: “The Climate Ambition Summit lacked real ambition. World leaders must step up in the next 12 critical months to pull the world back from the brink of catastrophic climate change. Commitments to near-term emissions cuts are still insufficient to limit warming to the 1.5C Paris goal… We must not stumble from Covid-19 disaster into climate calaimity.”

Mohamed Adow, director of climate and energy thinktank Power Shift Africa, said,  More and more countries are setting net-zero emission dates. But it’s one thing to set a net-zero date for decades into the future and another thing to enact policies right now that will get us there.”

Kat Kramer, climate policy lead at the charity Christian Aid, said: “Although we saw more than 70 world leaders making new commitments that still leaves many more that are yet to do so. It’s shameful that countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia have so far failed to come forward with new pledges and risk catastrophe for themselves and vulnerable communities around the world.”

World is in danger of missing Paris climate target, summit is warned | Climate change | The Guardian

15,000 children die each day from conditions which are avoidable or preventable. 

2.4 million babies died within the first month of life in 2019.

 Cutting the UK’s overseas aid budget will result in a significant number of children dying “with negative impacts lasting generations”, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has said.

 The RCPCH said the evidence was overwhelming that aid helped children’s health and the reduction of overseas aid funding from 0.7% to 0.5% of Britain’s gross national income, would have far-reaching consequences.

The International Child Health Group, a speciality group within the RCPCH, explained, “The collateral impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is causing severe disruption to preventive and curative health services in the poorest settings, particularly for children. Estimates suggest that more than a million excess child deaths could occur as a result. To reduce our commitment further, just as global needs intensify, will result in significant further loss of life, with negative impacts lasting generations.”

The RCPCH said: “In the rich world, we are largely insulated from the horror of children dying needlessly. These rates of death are neither inevitable nor natural.”

The positive impact aid could have was demonstrated by research showing that a 1% increase in health aid reduces infant deaths by 2.6% in sub-Saharan Africa, and that for every additional aid dollar allocated to malaria control, the rate of child infection and death falls, the RCPCH said.

“Put simply, aid saves children’s lives and can set them on a path to life-long health,” the statement said.

Children will die due to UK overseas aid cuts, paediatricians say | Foreign policy | The Guardian