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E-NEWS BULLETIN 30 June 2017 A week’s links to the making of the world

 

SOUTH AFRICA

Media freedom repression by the Anti-Land Invasion Unit of City of Cape Town Metro Police

The Zwelethu Community and Khayelitsha Backyarders are concerned and would like to note the unconstitutional and illegal manner in which the City of Cape Town Metro Police treated one of our citizen journalists. On Friday, 23 June a member of Zwelethu Community, the newly named Zwelethu community that is currently occupying land in Khayelitsha witnessed a brutal assault of a citizen journalist by a member of Anti-Land Invasion Unit in the presence of Metro police. The assault was an attempt to prevent the reporter from covering footage of the police demolishing the erected shacks. wwmp.org.za/


Unequal Pay: CEOs Earn R69,000 A Day

jseSenior executives at JSE Top 100 companies are earning an average of R69,000 a day. This is according to a report by Deloitte which reportedly found that executive pay increases have generally exceeded inflation over the past five years, “despite increasing scrutiny”, and that annual bonuses to CEOs and CFOs were “large”. huffingtonpost.co.za/


Cosatu plans national shutdown to force Zuma’s resignation

blade sdumoCosatu is reportedly stepping up its campaign for President Jacob Zuma to resign. City Press newspaper reported that Cosatu has already submitted a strike notice to Nedlac.

It was quoting Deputy General Secretary Solly Phetoe as saying the federation would convene a Central Executive Committee meeting soon to decide on a date.

The national shutdown was expected to take place within the next two months. enca.com/

South Africa’s only isiXhosa and English news site
Read Elitsha online wwmp.org.za/elitsha
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INTERNATIONAL

The contradictory rise of China: an interview with Chuang by InfoAutchinese capitalism

Italian autonomists interview Chuǎng about the ongoing development of capitalism in China, its historical roots, and the revolts of those crushed beneath it. Chuǎng is also a blog that translates reports, and comments on Chinese news of interest to those who want to break beyond the bounds of the slaughterhouse called capitalism. chuangcn.org/


Statement of the Bangladesh Accord’s Witness Signatories on the 3-Year Renewal of the Agreement

Global union federations Industriall and UNI announced an agreement with brand and retailer representatives on binding commitments by apparel brands to ensure that hazards in their factories in Bangladesh are identified and corrected. The Accord has overseen factory renovations – from installation of fire doors to strengthening of dangerously weak structural columns – that have improved safety for millions of garment workers. laborrights.org/


The History Channel Is Finally Telling the Stunning Secret Story of the War on Drugs

Starting Sunday night and running through Wednesday the History Channel is showing a new four-part series called “America’s War on Drugs.” Not only is it an important contribution to recent American history, it’s also the first time U.S. television has ever told the core truth about one of the most important issues of the past 50 years. theintercept.com/


New York Times copy desk to top editors: ‘You have turned your backs on us’

NYT editorsNew York Times copy editors facing staff cuts or new jobs in a re-imagined editing system sent a letter to the newspaper’s two top editors Wednesday protesting the oncoming changes. poynter.org/


Prominent Democratic Fundraisers Realign To Lobby For Trump’s Agenda

After President Donald Trump’s upset election victory, Democratic insiders who worked on Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid weren’t necessarily relegated to the sidelines. Many, in fact, are cashing in as lobbyists — by working to advance Trump’s agenda. theintercept.com/


New UN resolution once again urges states to take action on the commercialisation of education

UNIn an important UN resolution adopted on 22 June, states reaffirmed the urgent need to address the potential negative impacts of the commercialisation of education on human rights. right-to-education.org/


PALESTINE
A decade under siege, Gaza health sector nears camcer in gazacollapse

As the two million Palestinian residents of Gaza enter their 11th year under a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, the many daily hardships they face are having an increasingly adverse effect on physical and mental health, particularly for the most vulnerable. news24.com/

Reclaiming Public Services:

How cities and citizens are turning back privatisation [1.7 MB pdf]

Just published by the Transnational Institute (TNI), this new collection of essays presents the latest data on re-municipalisation of services internationally. tni.org

reclaiming public services

The Internet, Technology, The Gig Economy and the Future of Labor

uber protest

LABORFEST San Franscrisco, US – The development of technology, including artificial intelligence, automation and platforms like UBER, Lyft, and Airbnb, are making trillions for the tech and media companies that now dominate the world.
This conference will look at how our economy is being transformed in the Bay Area, nationally and globally, and how it is affecting working people, including drivers, tech workers, and workers in other industries.
laborfest.net/

NEW TECHNOLOGIES and MEDIA

How Silicon Valley Pushed Coding Into American Classrooms

obama anad partovi“Coding,” Timothy Cooke told Trump, “should be a requirement in every public school.” The Apple chief’s education mandate was just the latest tech company push for coding courses in schools. But even without Mr. Trump’s support, Silicon Valley is already advancing that agenda. nytimes.com/


The Real Threat of Artificial Intelligence

This kind of A.I. is spreading to thousands of domains (not just loans), and as it does, it will eliminate many jobs. Bank tellers, customer service representatives, telemarketers, stock and bond traders, even paralegals and radiologists will gradually be replaced by such software. nytimes.com/


Kids love technology, right? Not always. Why these students couldn’t stand it

Some school reformers have long been pushing technology as the way to transform education. There is no denying that education technology can be helpful to students in a number of important ways, but there is also no denying that in a number of important ways, it has not been as transformative as supporters might have hoped. washingtonpost.com/


HEALTH

Scientists Say That Starting Work Before 10am Is Similar To Torturefatgue

A leading researcher at Oxford University, has recently discovered that the most common form of modern day torture is actually having to wake up and start work before 10 o’clock in the morning, something that affects an enormous amount of us. livetheorganicdream.com/


OPINION

Lies That Capitalists Tell Uscapitalism is boring

While idiotic supporters of our two-party system wring their hands over the sensationalist nonsense reported by the mainstream media, we thought it might be worth touching on the most dangerous lie of all-time: capitalism. counterpunch.org/


The Origins of American Fascismdenton's Fascism: Theory and Practice

Donald Trump’s presidency marks the most acute stage of the protracted crisis of U.S. imperial hegemony and its trajectory toward neofascism. The president, his closest advisers, and some key cabinet members are now promoting an openly racist, xenophobic, and nationalist ideology. monthlyreview.org/


THEORY

Centenary of Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism

leninLenin wrote his pamphlet Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism in the first half of 1916. His theory of imperialism had, and continues to have, huge implications for the Marxist movement. An accurate understanding and presentation of the theory is therefore vitally important. marxistworld.net/

BOOKS

kindleE-books and pulp(ed) fiction

If print books are such a burden on the environment, why are titles about conservation and eco-criticism still printed? Because the alternative is worse. thehindubusinessline.com/