President Biden will extend the freeze on student debt payments as one of his first executive actions after his inauguration. The Department of Education will be directed to continue the student debt payment suspension through September. read full story / add a comment

Gary Gensler, former Wall Street regulator will be President-elect Biden's nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to Reuters. read full story / add a comment

The White House announced a $3.7 billion disaster grant for Puerto Rico to rebuild reservoirs, dams and wastewater facilities.
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As countries address their debt crises, policy responses can reduce climate change, asserts a new study. “Linking Debt Relief and Sustainable Development: Lessons from Experience,” examines previous debt relief processes to learn how debt and climate responses can work in tandem. read full story / add a comment

By a vote of 84 to 13, the Senate passed corporate transparency legislation as part of the annual vote on the National Defense Authorization Act. read full story / add a comment

In 1912 James Connolly proposed the motion to form a political wing of the Labour movement at the Irish Transport and General Workers Union annual conference. Two years before this he had stated his firm belief that the Irish free themselves when they realise ‘the truth that the capitalist system is the most foreign thing in Ireland.’ Every time Labour has entered government with a civil war party, they have both compromised and neglected these ideals.
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On Friday, the G20 convenes an extraordinary meeting on debt reduction for developing countries affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis. read full story / add a comment

Brussels (EU and European NATO Headquarters) – On 21 October 2020, the German Press Agency (dpa) reports that Germany pledges NATO soldiers for possible Covid-19 operations: “German soldiers could be sent on crisis missions to other NATO and partner countries during the second wave of the Corona pandemic. As a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense confirmed, the German government has promised NATO support for its “Allied Hand” emergency plan. According to this plan, medical personnel, pioneers and experts from the force would be made available for foreign missions to counter nuclear, biological or chemical hazards as required. The contingency plan is to be activated, for example, if a collapse of the health care system is imminent in allied or NATO partner countries due to very high infection rates and the affected state asks for support.” read full story / add a comment

The country is in the grip of Covid-19 fear. The public have been frightened using manipulative figures and by emphasis on case numbers which are meaningless. Many are very concerned and know we face economic ruin and worry about the future. Mental health issues are widespread and critical. People are only reluctantly agreeing to any of this out of fear and want the whole thing to end. The media, politicians, and the medical bureaucrats with conflicts of interest have been criminal in their actions and the Left has attempted to hijack the fear to shamelessly pretend they are protecting workers when they are simply acting as shrills for multi-national Pharmaceutical & vaccine industry and thereby pushing the agenda of the Great Reset promoted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) who are the voice of the global capitalist oligarchy. Not only that anyone with a different opinion is accused as being right-wing and racist and while indeed elements on the right are have taken an position against the official narrative, it is disingenuous and arrogant of the Left to label people as being somehow misled as well as anti-science when the official narrative is being blatantly fraudulent in the way they try to wear the cloak of scientific respectively but instead are tarnishing it's reputation. We have been hearing for the last two or three weeks that cases are rising exponentially and it all seems out of control. It appears the number of deaths is rising and the media seem to be reporting the country's hospital ICU capacity is about to be over run. The government's own figures show this is not actually the case.

As we speak the government cabinet is due to meet to decide whether to put the whole country in lockdown for a massive 6 weeks at Level 5 which is basically a full lockdown. NPHET have been strongly advising for this to happen for the last two or three weeks and when the government refused to put the country in lockdown a week or two ago, NPHET were furious that their minions in the government did not follow their orders. It remains to be seen whether government ministers will like bold children repent and obey NPHET orders.

In this brief report we take the government's or rather the Health Preventive Surveillance Centre, HPSC, figures to show that the impression of out of control Covid and soaring death rate is not actually happening and there is no need for heightened fear or lockdown.

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Analyzing the economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus, the International Monetary Fund released the Global Financial Stability Report and the 2020 World Economic Outlook Report, "A Long and Difficult Ascent." The economic outlook report projects global economic growth to contract 4.4%. read full story / add a comment

IMF head Kristalina Georgieva warned that developing countries could face a second wave of economic crises just as they are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. "... There is a need to reform the international debt 'architecture' ... to provide speedy and sufficiently deep debt relief to countries that need it, benefitting not only these countries but the system as a whole," wrote Georgieva and other top IMF officials in a Fund blog published Thursday. read full story / add a comment

A high-level United Nations panel report says global policies are needed to prevent trillions of dollars escaping developing countries through tax abuse and corruption. The UN group includes former heads of state, past central bank governors, business leaders and prominent academics. read full story / add a comment

On August 27 and 28, the US Federal Reserve and other government central banks meet for their annual retreat. read full story / add a comment

Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Laura pummeled Haiti and the Dominican Republic leaving at least 13 dead, infrastructure decimated and towns isolated by landslides. read full story / add a comment

Student debt relief is now included in round the clock stimulus package negotiations on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, President Trump indicated that student debt relief measures passed in the Spring could be extended in the final Congressional package. read full story / add a comment

Religious leaders representing over 95% of Puerto Rico's population wrote Congress urging that the island be included in the next stimulus plan. Job creation, disaster relief and protections for the vulnerable were lifted in a letter signed by leaders of the Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Christian (Disciples) and Evangelical Churches. The Puerto Rico Council of Churches, Catholic Charities (Caritas) and the General Bible Society also added their names to the letter to Congress. read full story / add a comment

Comparing similarities of the Political Governance in Ireland to that of China.
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The Irish health system is entering the Covid-19 crisis in a very poor position. Before the virus hit, it was already at breaking point. This is a result of chronic underfunding by successive governments stretching back decades and made worse in the last decade of austerity. Despite the spin from the government, the Irish state is actually one of the lowest spenders on healthcare in the OECD.

An estimated 1.9 million people could contract the Covid-19 virus in the State. A feature of the infection for some is respiratory difficulties. It is estimated that 5%-10% will need more intensive treatment in hospitals and up to half of them will need access to ventilation equipment. There is a real fear on the part of working class people generally and of course healthcare staff of the impact of COVID-19 in the context of an underfunded and overstretched health system. read full story / add a comment

In the aftermath of the election that cemented their historically poor results of four years ago, Labour leader Brendan Howlin resigned, triggering a leadership race. The race will pit Alan Kelly, the most prominent figure remaining from the 2011-16 cabinet, against Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. read full story / add a comment

General Election 2020 was historic. It was only the second time that the combined vote of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael went below 50%. 2016 was the first, when it dipped just below 50% by 0.2%. However, this time it plunged to just 43.4% — an historic low.

The election unfolded around the desire that emerged from below for “real change” and included the widespread understanding that this could only be achieved by a rejection of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

Sinn Féin were the winners, receiving the biggest share of the popular vote at 24.53%, but Fianna Fáil have taken the most seats, as Sinn Féin didn’t stand enough candidates to maximise the full value of its surge in support. read full story / add a comment