Wednesday, May 27, 2020



The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity by [Eugene McCarraher]

The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07TFB1WVG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Product description

Review

“McCarraher’s book is more brilliant, more capacious, and more entertaining, page by page, than his most ardent fans dared hope. The magnitude of his accomplishment―an account of American capitalism as a religion that begins in early modernity and extends to the present, an analysis that goes far beyond the loose versions of this argument we’ve seen before (Economists are like clergy! The Fed is like a church!) and rewrites American intellectual history as it does so―will stun even skeptical readers…It is a wonder, an enchantment on a world that has so forgotten itself as to think enchantments rare.”Philip ChristmanChristian Century

“Extraordinary…Like MacIntyre, McCarraher both recognizes and detests capitalism’s spoliations of creation and disintegration of communities, and casts a fond, forlorn eye toward the possibility of restoring a rationality of genuine human life…A majestic achievement. It will enjoy a long posterity…It is a work of great moral and spiritual intelligence, and one that invites contemplation about things we can’t afford not to care about deeply.”David Bentley HartCommonweal

“[A] monumental labor of love…There have been marvelous studies of contemporary capitalism published in recent years…But this is an extraordinary work of intellectual history as well as a scholarly tour de force, a bracing polemic, and a work of Christian prophecy…It is beautifully written and a magnificent read…McCarraher challenges more than 200 years of post-Enlightenment assumptions about the way we live and work…This mammoth portrait of the religious longings at the heart of secular materialism carries a bleak message: 20th-century fantasies of the world as one global business have been realized…Refreshingly original and splendidly pulled off.”The Observer

“One of the most impressive books I’ve ever read…The depth and range of McCarraher’s scholarship are incredible…A must-read for anyone serious about the mesmerizing power of capitalism.”Mark DunbarThe Humanist

“A vitally important book…It could have an impact similar to Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue…Certainly it is a book people concerned about the state of the world and moral theology should be aware of…McCarraher…explains how capitalism has become the religion of the modern world…This detailed account of the idolatries of our age deserves wide readership and detailed examination.”Frank LittonIrish Catholic

“A genuine delight to read…[A] searing excoriation of economics as it is currently practiced…An extraordinary book…It is difficult to characterize this book as anything but a masterpiece for its synthesis of intellectual history, anticapitalist polemic, and Romantic imagination. There is a great deal to be gained from McCarraher’s arguments.”Daniel WaldenCurrent Affairs

The Enchantments of Mammon is a beautiful, stirring achievement. In a bold new synthesis ranging from early modern Europe to the contemporary United States, McCarraher challenges the received wisdom regarding the meanings of modernity and rationality, allowing us to look at familiar concepts in fresh and fruitful ways. This is truly a game-changer―the history of capitalism will never look the same again.”Jackson Lears, author of Rebirth of a Nation

“With this book McCarraher aspires to nothing less than a history of the soul under capitalism. Far from living in a secular, disenchanted world, he argues, ours is a world of ‘misenchantment,’ in which longings for communion are perverted into a religion of plunder and technological control. Capitalism emerges here not as a system of market exchange or class domination but as an affront to the divine creation of which we are a part. An astonishing work of history and criticism.”Casey Nelson Blake, author of The Arts of Democracy

“An intellectually ambitious, analytically insightful, engagingly well written, and unfashionably radical yet timely study of the relationship among capitalism, religion, society, and culture in the United States. McCarraher argues that modern capitalism has not been a secularizing movement from enchantment to disenchantment, but rather an alternative, competing form of enchantment. He is sharply critical of the underlying assumptions and damaging consequences of modern capitalism with its emphasis on extractive efficiency and profit-making. A powerful, impressive work.”Brad Gregory, author of The Unintended Reformation

“A tour de force. McCarraher argues that capitalism is a successor faith, rather than a successor to faith. The capitalist faith in this telling is a heretical, blaspheming Black Mass of perverse sacramentality that sanctions domination by pretending to the status of immutable, impersonal laws of nature. In the world of economic enchantment masquerading as hard-eyed realism, McCarraher urges us to keep open an imaginative window through which to glimpse alternatives. His magnificent intellectual history recovers many such opportunities and invites us to appraise them with fresh eyes.”Bethany Moreton, author of To Serve God and Wal-Mart

About the Author

Eugene McCarraher is Associate Professor of Humanities at Villanova University and the author of Christian Critics: Religion and the Impasse in Modern American Social Thought. He has written for Dissent and The Nation and contributes regularly to CommonwealThe Hedgehog Review, and Raritan. His work on The Enchantments of Mammon was supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies.



UNHEARD OF
Minneapolis mayor calls for arrest of police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck

The mayor said people "can't turn a blind eye," adding that the man who died at the police's hands "deserves justice." 

Donald Trump said that he had asked the FBI and DOJ to "expedite" an investigation.


Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey personally called for the arrest of the arrest of the officer who knelt on a suspect's neck during an arrest.

The man who was kneeled on, George Floyd, later died in police custody. A bystander took a video of the incident, showing Floyd, who is black, surrounded by four white police officers involved in Floyd's arrest. Floyd was grounded by an officer's knee for several minutes, saying "I cannot breathe." Bystanders shouted at the police officer to stop.

The officers involved have been fired, but that is not enough for Frey.

"I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?" said Frey.


The image of Floyd pinned beneath a police car shocked the US

According to the Minneapolis Police, officers responded to a suspected "forgery in progress" and Floyd physically resisted officers. Frey said he did not see a threat from Floyd, adding, "I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary."

President Donald Trump later wrote on Twitter that "the FBI and Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd. I have asked for this investigation to be expedited."

Reminiscent of other deaths at police hands

The circumstances surrounding Floyd's death are strikingly similar to the death of Eric Garner in 2014. The young black man was held in a chokehold by white police officers who were arresting him for allegedly illegally selling cigarettes. Bystanders recorded video of the incident, as Garner repeatedly said "I can't breathe." Garner later died. Despite the death being ruled a homicide, the officer involved was never criminally prosecuted.

Garner's death and the aftermath, as well as several other notorious deaths of black men at the hands of US police officers gave rise to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. The movement has campaigned for changing attitudes around police brutality and systemic racism.

Reactions around the state and beyond

Protesters have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, despite the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, thousands marched more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the intersection where Floyd died to the police precinct station in that part of the city. Police fired tear gas and bean bag rounds into the crowds of protesters around dusk.


Minnesota Senator and former Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Amy Klobuchar tweeted a call for investigations at the federal local and state levels with her fellow state senator Tina Smith, as well as Minnesota representatives Ilhan Omar and Betty McCollum. Klobuchar added "justice must be served & the officers & the police department must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."


Martin Luther King III, the oldest living child of Dr: Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, tweeted "peace and love is possible. It's time for America to wake up. The days of police brutality and white supremacy must end. It's time to heal. Its time to work together. It's time for change."

Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd's sister, told American broadcaster ABC that the officers "murdered my brother. They killed him…Firing them is not enough."

The official Twitter account for the Minneapolis Police Department has been silent since May 25.

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, the police union that represents Minneapolis Police, urged people to wait for an investigation before reaching a conclusion. "We must review all video. We must wait for the medical examiner's report. Officers' actions and training protocol will be carefully examined after the officers have provided their statements," said the police union in a statement.

kbd/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters

Date 28.05.2020
Related Subjects White House
Keywords Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States, Police brutality, race

Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3crwl
A tale of two Trumps

Why President Trump loves his role, hates his job, and what this means for the November elections.

by Marwan Bishara 25 May 2020
US President Donald Trump reacts as he holds a 'listening session' with members of the local African American business community in Ypsilanti, Michigan, US on May 21, 2020 [Reuters/Leah Millis]

MORE ON
US coronavirus death toll surpasses 100,000: Live updates today
US reaches new grim coronavirus m
ilestone with 100,000 deaths today

You have to admire US President Donald Trump's persistence. Almost 100,000 Americans have died under his watch in the last 100 days, and he is still boasting about his success and greatness.

Of course, the president is convinced he is not responsible for these deaths and that, in fact, he has done a "great job" and saved "millions of lives".

Trump also reckons "Trump is right" about the economy and he thinks there has never been a president like President Trump.

Surrealistic? Perhaps. But he believes it.

Trump, who so often talks about himself in the third person, has been living two lives, or arguably two lies - that of a populist outsider and an unfortunate White House insider.
May the real Donald Trump please stand up

Ever since the real estate magnate, TV sensation and brand master auditioned for the presidency of the world's foremost superpower and won it spectacularly in November 2016, he has been having great fun performing the lead role in the greatest show on earth.

As if he were still at Trump Tower, @realDonaldTrump has continued to amuse himself watching TV and tweeting, bullying, badgering and berating his detractors and praising and flattering his lackeys, all the while confusing the United States's friends and bewildering its foes.

He has had the time of his life. It has been a showman's dream come true. He can say anything about anything and watch it cause a national hoopla "like you've never seen before".

His motto: All publicity is good publicity; if you cannot be famous be infamous, as long as you dominate the news agenda.

So when his detractors called him "frighteningly unstable", Trump insisted he was a "stable genius".

And when the Washington establishment baulked at his dangerous Middle East policy, he propagated the claim that he was "the King of Israel" and "the second coming of God".

In the process, he became an international sensation and the undisputed star of world politics. Neither Hollywood, nor slick Obama, could have matched such terrific political drama.

But then, just as the lead man prepared for another four-year season, it all came crashing down.

Not the drama, not the spectacle, but the act.

A pandemic struck and suddenly, Trump had to be president, not only perform the role.

Lives depended on it.
A rude awakening

The pandemic spoiled the party and interrupted Trump's scripted reality.

He was forced to govern in a time of crisis.

So he tried.

But "America's CEO", who ran the White House as he did Trump Tower, relying exclusively on unqualified loyalists and family members, stuttered and stammered.

He tried desperately to cover up the pandemic by resorting to polemics. He first insisted it did not exist, that it was just a hoax. Then he claimed it was nothing important and it would just disappear.

But it did not. It spread like wildfire.

As he struggled to understand the scientific and medical aspects of this national public health emergency, the spectacle devolved into a real-life tragedy as people died in droves.

He tried to do what he does best - branding. He stamped his name on every government cheque that went out to tens of millions of needy Americans, hoping to be appreciated. He also put his face on every press conference, briefing the nation on the "tremendous job" he was doing combatting the virus.

He even called himself a "war president", declared war on the pandemic, and assigned his son-in-law, the "talented Mr Kushner", to wield the power of government to defeat it.

And within weeks, Trump declared success, not to say victory, and tried to move on.

But to no avail. The virus would not be intimidated, charmed or wished away.

But as Trump, the insider, failed at the White House, Trump, the populist outsider, was having relative success blaming China, "the do-nothing Democrats", and the World Health Organization (WHO) for his failures.

He also blamed the deep state bureaucracy, the governors and the scientists who disagreed with his rosy projections, calling their warnings, a "political hit job".

But Americans have continued to die and the economy has continued to tank.

More Americans have died from COVID-19 this year than in all US wars since World War II, and the country has witnessed its worst economic decline since World War I.

In short, the novel coronavirus has infected Trump's entire presidency, leaving it in critical condition.

Signs of fatigue, pain and frustration are only a few of the symptoms the White House has displayed, as it has tried to put a brave face on a helpless situation.

But numbers do not lie. Nor do the countless dramatic images from overcrowded hospitals and empty streets that will forever be associated with Trump's presidency, and may well torpedo his chances for another term.

So what to do?

Unable to save lives or jobs, Trump has opted to save his presidency.
The show must go on

Tired of all the nagging scientists and probing journalists, Trump has checked out, leaving the pandemic to the state governors to handle.

The populist outsider has been dying to get the show back on the road in order to replace the images of suffering and desperation with those of cheering crowds.

The "morbidly obese" president is literally risking his life to get out and about in preparation to launch his presidential campaign. And he is deliberately doing it without wearing a mask to project an image of confidence.

He wants to lead rallies and speak at packed stadiums, which the Democrats have denied him, as they milk the pandemic "hoax" and encourage restrictive measures.

He has also expressed his intention to convene next month's annual G7 meeting in person at the Camp David presidential retreat, to show how the world is returning to "normalcy" and the US is "transitioning back to greatness".

Except that the day he made the announcement, the WHO registered the highest number of infections in a single day since the pandemic started - 106,000.

But @realDonaldTrump in his mind has already transitioned from the presidency to the incumbency.

The pandemic has dramatised the schizophrenic swing between Trump the White House insider who has failed miserably, and Trump, the populist, who loves his outsider role and excels at it.

So much so that Trump the populist incumbent is considering running against Trump the president and the entire Washington establishment.

All of which, on second thought, explains why Trump may be failing successfully.

But as the number of American deaths continues to rise, will the images of his upcoming rallies mask the real American carnage?

The answer may determine whether next year Trump ends up at the White House or at a New York courtroom.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera.

JUST WHAT CHINA WANTED

Pompeo declares Hong Kong 'no longer autonomous' from China

(NEITHER IS MACAU BUT IT STILL IS HOME TO AMERICAN BILLIONAIRE GAMBLING HOTELS)

Announcement sets the stage for the US to potentially withdraw preferential trade, financial status given to Hong Kong.
Detained protesters and secondary students face the wall while waiting for police to record their identifications in Hong Kong on Wednesday [Kin Cheung/AP]

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has notified the US Congress that the Trump administration no longer regards Hong Kong as autonomous from mainland China.

Wednesday's notification to lawmakers sets the stage for the US to withdraw preferential trade and financial status that the former British colony has enjoyed since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

"Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997," Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo's certification to Congress was not accompanied by a revocation of any specific privileges. But it comes amid calls for the US and others to react against Beijing's move to impose Chinese national security laws over the territory.

China's parliament is expected to approve a proposed security law that would reduce Hong Kong's separate legal status on Thursday. The legislation is aimed at tackling secession, subversion and "terrorist" activities in the city.

"Beijing's disastrous decision is only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms and China's own promises to the Hong Kong people," Pompeo said on Wednesday. He said "no reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground."

Pompeo's certification to Congress was not accompanied by a revocation of any specific privileges [File: Andrew Harnik/AP]Relations between the US and China have worsened over US allegations that Chinese authorities sought to cover up the coronavirus pandemic and pressured the World Health Organization against taking early action to combat it. That has added to long-standing tensions over trade, human rights, religious freedom and the status of Taiwan.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said the US was working on a strong response to China's planned national security legislation for Hong Kong and it would be announced before the end of the week.

At a White House news briefing, Trump was asked if he planned sanctions against China over Hong Kong and if he intended to put restrictions on visas for students and researchers from China.

"We're doing something now. I think you'll find it very interesting ... I'll be talking about it over the next couple of days," he replied.

Pressed about whether this would include sanctions, he said: "No, it's something you're going to be hearing about ... before the end of the week, very powerfully I think."

Trump did not elaborate.

A large group of detainees seen sitting on the ground as police set up a cordon around the area in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong during a protest against a controversial Chinese anthem law and the proposed security law [Miguel Candela/EPA]
China responded to Trump's comments with a warning it would retaliate against any new measures.

"We will not accept any foreign interference, and to the wrong actions of outside powers in interfering in Hong Kong, we will take necessary countermeasures to hit back," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing.

"The issue ... is purely China's internal affair."

Chinese authorities and the Beijing-backed government in Hong Kong say there is no threat to the city's high degree of autonomy and the new security law would be tightly focused.

The proposed law, unveiled in Beijing last week, triggered the first major street unrest in Hong Kong in months on Sunday, with police firing tear gas and water cannons.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hong Kong police fired pepper pellets to disperse protesters as hundreds of people gathered in the centre of the financial hub to oppose a controversial bill on China's national anthem and the proposed national security law.
'Big mistake'

Pompeo's certification to Congress on Wednesday was required by the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support last year. The law requires the US to impose sanctions against officials held responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong as well as determine whether the city continues to warrant special status.

David Stilwell, the State Department's assistant secretary for the region, accused Beijing of using the coronavirus pandemic to accelerate a global political agenda, including on Hong Kong.

In a briefing for journalists on Wednesday, Stilwell declined to detail the US response, which he said was for Trump to decide, but said it would be targeted and aim to mitigate the impact on the Hong Kong people and US businesses.

Trump's economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, has said Washington would welcome back any US companies from Hong Kong or China's mainland. "We will do what we can for full expensing and pay the cost of moving if they return their supply chains and their production to the United States," he said.

Trump administration officials and lawmakers have been exploring ways to encourage US firms to move supply chains for critical products back to the US from China amid steadily worsening ties and bitter recriminations over the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China.

Proposals discussed include tax breaks, subsidies including a potential $25bn "reshoring fund" and new local content rules.

The US Chamber of Commerce business lobby urged Beijing to de-escalate the situation, saying it would be "a serious mistake" to jeopardise Hong Kong's special status.



SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES


Ethiopia unlocks one of the world's last closed telecoms markets

Issued on: 28/05/2020
Mobile problems: Ethiopia's phone system is struggling to cope with demand EDUARDO SOTERAS AFP


Addis Ababa (AFP)

For delivery man Sisay Alebachew, the difference between a good and bad day depends on Ethio Telecom, Ethiopia's monopoly telecoms provider.

When the internet is down or too slow to use, customers struggle to place orders on the website of Deliver Addis, Sisay's e-commerce employer, meaning he has little to do.

Other times, when the phone network is jammed, Sisay can't reach customers to complete deliveries -- he wastes precious time standing outside their homes, dialling in vain.


Sisay is thrilled, then, that after years of build-up, change finally seems to be coming to Ethiopia's stunted telecoms sector, one of the last closed markets in the world.

Last week the government regulator invited firms to submit "expressions of interest" for two new telecoms licences that would break up Ethio Telecom's monopoly.

Officials also plan to sell a 40-percent stake in Ethio Telecom, a move they hope will make the firm more efficient.

"For a business like ours, telecoms is crucial, and it's the most difficult challenge we face," Sisay told AFP during a break from his rounds one recent afternoon.

"I've heard that many countries have a better connection compared to us. I'm hoping ours will improve when other companies join the market."

The shake-up of the telecoms sector is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's economic reform agenda, although there are several big unknowns.

These include how much money outside firms will need to fork up to enter the market and what, exactly, the revamped sector will look like.

Nevertheless it's "an exciting time", said Deliver Addis founder Feleg Tsegaye.

"I think everyone in the tech scene has at one point or another been wondering, 'When is this going to happen?'"

- 'New growth area' -

The Ethiopian Communications Authority, the regulator, has given firms until June 22 to submit expressions of interest for licences.

Potential bidders include France's Orange, Kenya's Safaricom and South Africa's MTN.

The value of licences could well exceed $1 billion each, and firms will also need to finance improvements to telecoms infrastructure held back by years of underinvestment.

Analysts point out that many firms see the cost as a bargain, given Ethiopia's population of 110 million -- plus the fact that Ethio Telecom currently has only around 44 million subscribers.

"Ethiopia obviously represents this new growth area, and any operator would want to get in on the ground floor," said Chiti Mbizule, analyst at Fitch Solutions.

"But despite the significant potential that we maintain Ethiopia has, for any player entering this market, it's not going to be cheap."

- Mobile money, shutdowns -

There are some concerns that outside firms' operations will be limited.

A central bank directive issued last month allows non-financial firms to provide mobile financial services, but only if they're locally owned.

That could be a problem for companies like Safaricom and Orange which place mobile money at the centre of their business models.

Additionally, Ethiopia has developed a reputation for extended internet shutdowns during periods of social unrest and more innocuous events like national exams.

One of the most important things going forward will be for the government to assure outside firms they'll be operating on a "level playing field" with Ethio Telecom, said Zemedeneh Negatu, chairman of the US-based Fairfax Africa Fund.

"It's the biggest untapped market left in the world, so all the serious players are pretty excited about the Ethiopian market," Zemedeneh said.

"But on the Ethiopian side, we have to make sure to monetise that."

- 'No mandate'? -

Perhaps inevitably, the telecoms reforms face political headwinds as Ethiopia gears up for national elections that, before the coronavirus pandemic, were planned for August.

Some critics accuse Abiy, who was appointed prime minister in 2018, of overstepping his mandate by selling off part of Ethio Telecom, a profitable state-owned firm.

"If you were elected democratically on the agenda that you're going to be selling strategic assets, then you don't have to wait for elections," said Alemayehu Geda, an economist at Addis Ababa University. "But this government didn't come via an election with an agenda of selling."

The worst outcome would be if the government were to simply "cash in" on reforms without guaranteeing service gets better, said German Ambassador Brita Wagener, though she stressed that so far officials seem committed to doing "a thorough job".

"The IT sector needs a lot of improvement in the country. The internet has a lot of problems," Wagener said. "We see that particularly now with all the virtual meetings we are having."

Abiy's team, for its part, seems determined to push forward with telecoms reforms even amid a state of emergency prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

That's welcome news at Galani Coffee, an upscale cafe in Addis Ababa where customers routinely park themselves for hours to work on their laptops.

"Whenever there is an internet outage they get frustrated," cafe supervisor Meheret Eyob told AFP before closing one recent evening, as the last tables settled their bills.

"Most of them complain, and some of them don't ever come here again because of this."

© 2020 AFP
France revokes decree authorising use of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19

Issued on: 27/05/2020
Hydroxychloroquine tablets sold at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on May 20, 2020 © George Frey, AFP Text by:FRANCE 24



The French government on Wednesday revoked a decree authorising hospitals to prescribe the controversial drug for Covid-19 patients after France’s public health watchdog warned against its use to treat the disease.

The government’s decision comes two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) said safety concerns had prompted it to suspend use of the drug in a global trial.


Last week, a study published in British medical journal The Lancet found patients randomised to get hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) had increased mortality rates and higher frequency of irregular heartbeats.
HCQ is normally prescribed to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but US President Donald Trump and others have touted it as a possible treatment for Covid-19.

The drug has been the subject of much debate in France, where “maverick” Professor Didier Raoult claimed in March to have successfully treated Covid-19 patients using a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.

>> ‘Let hospitals decide,’ experts warn, as chloroquine hype triggers rush on pharmacies


However, doctors have questioned the value of Professor Raoult’s study, saying it was poorly designed and based on too small a sample to offer hard evidence of benefit.

Last month the European Medicines Agency warned that there was no indication HCQ could treat Covid-19 and said some studies had seen serious and sometimes fatal heart problems in patients.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
News Corp to stop printing more than 100 Australian papers

Issued on: 28/05/2020

Sydney (AFP)

Rupert Murdoch's Australian flagship media group News Corp announced Thursday it will stop printing more than 100 regional and local newspapers, blaming a collapse in advertising made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision comes after News Corp announced on 1 April it was temporarily halting printing of around 60 community newspapers and is expected to cost hundreds of jobs.

The company said the bulk of its regional and local papers would shift to digital-only publishing by 29 June, with 76 papers moving online and 35 other titles closing permanently.


The move echoes a global trend in the troubled media industry, as falling readerships and the continued rise of Google and Facebook eats into media advertising revenues.

News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said the permanent changes had been brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, which had impacted the sustainability of local publishing.

"Print advertising spending which contributes the majority of our revenues, has accelerated its decline," he said in a statement.

"Consequently, to meet these changing trends, we are reshaping News Corp Australia to focus on where consumers and businesses are moving."

The company said the changes would "regretfully lead to job losses" but more than 375 journalists would continue covering community and regional news.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that there were previously about 1,200 people employed in News Corp's Australian regional and community division.

Papers in nearly every state and territory will be impacted by the decision, including dozens in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

The announcement follows a series of media closures, including national wire AAP, which is due to shut down within weeks unless a last-ditch buyout bid can save it.

© 2020 AFP
A World Redrawn: Re-think gender roles, says Tunisian feminist Bochra Belhaj Hmida

Issued on: 28/05/2020
Tunisian feminist Bochra Belhaj Hmida has stepped away from politics but remains engaged on questions of gender roles in Tunisian society FETHI BELAID AFP/File

Tunis (AFP)

During Tunisia's coronavirus lockdown, feminist activist and former lawmaker Bochra Belhaj Hmida has been worrying about family violence, rethinking gender roles -- and crocheting.

Tunisia's lockdown, which has seen men and women confined to the domestic space together, offers a chance to rethink gender roles in a traditionally patriarchal society, Hmida told AFP in an interview.

"It's a subject that we don't talk about, and we can't have real change if we don't explore these questions in depth," she said.


Now is the time for people to reflect and speak out about family relations and domestic violence, she said, stressing that "we cannot continue like this".

Tunisia is seen as a forerunner for women's rights in the Arab world and Hmida -- who helped found the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women in 1989 -- a pioneer.

The North African country, birthplace of the Arab Spring protests that ousted several autocratic rulers, adopted a new constitution in 2014 which guarantees equality between men and women.

Hmida, a lawyer who was elected to parliament in 2014, chaired the commission charged with integrating into law the values of freedom and equality that characterised the 2011 uprising.

She has since stepped back from politics but maintains her concern for Tunisian society, where around half of women say they have been subject to at least one form of violence in their lives.

During the lockdown, Hmida has had the chance to re-engage with traditional home life, but on her own terms.

"In the morning, I start with the gardening. And I've discovered I still know how to crochet," she said.

"It's not very feminist of me but I've realised it's a pleasure and not an obligation. Today men are sewing and cooking, we can't have complexes about these things. If it's done for pleasure, it's a luxury."

- Opportunity for change -

The lockdown has made Tunisia's youth more open to challenging gender norms, Hmida said, with young people the most receptive to taking up housework normally assigned to the other gender.

"The question is whether this will continue and become normal or whether it is just temporary," she said.

Unfortunately the confinement has also produced a fivefold increase in emergency calls for gender-based violence compared to the same period last year.

"Men already had an issue with women accessing the public space, but now they are forced to remain in a space typically reserved for women, many men are struggling to accept it," Hmida said.

The positive aspect is that more women have started speaking out, either online or via local organisations, she said.

"They are more aware regarding violence", said the retired lawyer, who once faced controversy defending a woman raped by policemen in a highly politicised trial.

But there has yet to be a fundamental reckoning with Tunisia's traditional gender roles and male-dominant power dynamics in families, she said.

- 'Citizens must take charge' -

Making any kind of fundamental change to Tunisia's social structure would require clear political will, Hmida said.

But she does not see any such efforts by the state, whether on the social, financial or cultural level.

"I am shocked that in Tunisia or elsewhere, violence against women would be an issue to be relegated to the minister of women," she said.

"All sectors need to be involved to the highest level of government."

Journalists must question ministers on whether they have done anything proactive to combat gender-based violence, Hmida said.

Views on the role of men and women in the family are an area where progressives like Hmida diverge widely from Islamists. But many others are not yet ready for change, she said.

"We lack the collective will to redefine the family and review our priorities," she said.

Foremost among these must be healthcare, she said, which has been stretched thin by years of mismanagement and privatisation.

Environmental issues are also absent from public discourse in Tunisia, she said, while inequality is also neglected.

"Citizens must take charge" and lead the debate, she said.

© 2020 AFP
Sex workers' hands tied under virus lockdowns

Issued on: 28/05/2020

Madame Caramel's Hoxton Dungeon Suite near London's trendy Shoreditch neighbourhood has stood silent for weeks Elizaveta MALYKHINA AFP


London (AFP)

The bondage chairs and polished metal whipping tools sit gathering dust on a quiet street near London's trendy Shoreditch neighbourhood -- and Madame Caramel is not pleased.

The coronavirus lockdown has punished the London dominatrix, whose Hoxton Dungeon Suite has stood silent for weeks.

"In regards to the dungeon, completely stopped, zero percent, no income whatsoever, and in regards to Madame Caramel as a professional dominatrix it is exactly the same," said the red-haired self-proclaimed "femme domme".


"The one-to-one... is gone, just the online stays," she told AFP.

- 'Can't do in-person' -

In Europe's red-light capital Amsterdam, sex work is due to officially resume in September. Prostitution in the Netherlands is legal and regulated, which allows for more support and structure during the coronavirus lockdown.

But many sex workers in Britain and beyond are now moving online to make ends meet.

Fellow London dominatrix Mistress Evilyne found success on the largely X-rated entertainment platform OnlyFans, which has grown in popularity since it was founded in 2016.

She said a relatively successful OnlyFans account can bring in about £800 ($1,000, 900 euros) a month, and is often supplemented with content on other sites, such as Clips4Sale or iWantClips.

"Obviously I can't do in-person meets anymore," Evilyne said.

She works out of her small flat in southeast London, where chains, whips, gags and other BDSM (bondage, domination, sado-masochism) apparatus lie unused beneath her bed.

But she said many clients are still asking about in-person sessions, despite the risks and government advice for people to socially distance by two metres (six feet) at all times outside the home.

"There are so many people who are emailing every dominatrix I know, including myself, asking for sessions at the moment who are just totally disregarding the fact that we need to stay safe," Evilyne said.

- 'Urgent need' -

Britain counted about 72,000 sex workers -- 32,000 of them in London -- in 2016, according to a government report.

Prostitution is legal in Britain but various related activities such as solicitation are not, so thousands are operating in the shadows and lack access to government support and protections.

Although some may have found a way to make money online, many have been left "doing what they can" during the lockdown, according to Laura Watson, a spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes.

"If you've got three children at home running around, it's very hard to do online work," she said.

Support groups such as the UK Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM) have set up hardship funds to help "sex workers in urgent need".

"It shouldn't be up to us and up to sex workers themselves to organise their own way out of this," said Watson, who urged the government to do more.

- Charitable support -

Similar initiatives are springing up globally after the pandemic pushed over half of the world's population into some form of confinement.

In Warsaw, a group of men and women in the industry set up a fundraiser to help buy essentials during lockdown.

It began as a donation-based system, but eventually allowed contributors to access content.

They raised £3,000 in two weeks, sex worker "Medroxy", one of the organisers, told AFP.

Meanwhile in Europe's capital Brussels, sex workers are relying on donated parcels of essentials to survive.

Dolores, 60, who has worked in the industry for 42 years, said she now relies on the small paper bag full of essentials such as toiletries that is supplied by a charity grocery store.

It is distributed by a sex workers' collective, the Union of Sex Workers Organised For Independence (UTSOPI), whose volunteers make drop-offs every Wednesday.

"If I didn't have the parcel, I don't know what I would do," said Dolores, who also helps with deliveries.

Belgian law prohibits third-party activities such as renting out rooms for use by prostitutes or managing a brothel, but regional regulations vary widely.

Even though prostitutes are liable for income tax, Maxime Maes, a coordinator for the collective, said most sex workers are not registered to pay taxes.

"All these people do not have access to everything," he said, noting they missed out on unemployment support and other government welfare.

- 'Fear of contact' -

Back in Britain, sex workers registered as self-employed are eligible for government hardship grants.

Both Mistress Evilyne and Madame Caramel have applied to receive funds during the lockdown.

Despite an approaching easing of Britain's lockdown, uncertainty about how willing people will be to go back to their old habits in a world filled with a new, dangerous disease leaves sex workers apprehensive.

"I think there's going to be this real fear of contact that's probably going to affect a lot of people who are going to second-guess whether they should go and see a service provider," Evilyne said.

As for Madame Caramel, she is not taking any risks.

"I just really have to wait until almost everything is opening... because I want to cover myself as well," she said.

"Because if someone gets sick in my dungeon, you know I am not insured for that."

German sex workers call to end coronavirus ban

Sex workers have put forward their own coronavirus "hygiene concept" as they call for a resumption of services. 

Being called "super spreaders" is offensive and misinformed, they say.



The coronavirus ban on sex work, including the closure of brothels must be lifted, said Germany's Federal Association of Sex Services (BSD) in an open letter, citing a fall in coronavirus transmission rates.


The letter was addressed to 16 members of Germany's parliament who recently called for a permanent ban on sex work.

The sex work industry must also be able "to generate income again and to offer customers a good service that is human and grounding for them," states the letter.

The letter presents a "hygiene concept" that outlines how sex work could continue while minimizing infection.

A ban on sex work was introduced in mid-March as part of nationwide measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. After the transmission rate from the virus fell, German states began to ease restrictions such as reopening restaurants, swimming pools and non-sexual massage parlours. Yet the blanket ban on all types of sex work remains in place.

Last week, 16 German lawmakers signed a letter that stated: "Prostitution has the effect of a virus super spreader – sexual acts are generally non-negotiable with social distancing." The open letter from the BSD is addressed to these lawmakers.

The group responded: "To use the term 'super spreader' in this context is not only extremely offensive but also wrong. Obviously you want to discredit an entire industry in order to enforce your real goal, the ban on the purchase of sex."

The Berlin-based BSD states that there is variety in places where sex work is undertaken and the ratio of customer to client is often one on one – "similar to a cosmetic studio or massage parlour."


What is in the 'hygiene concept'?

The BSD suggests there should be a limit placed on the number of sex workers able to work in brothels. In smaller brothels there could be a limit of up to 10 sex workers at one time. Larger houses could open up some, but not all of their rooms.

Sex work in private houses and in private apartments should be able to go-ahead.

Bars, table dance bars, cinemas and clubs would be able to reopen, but at half their usual capacity, while ensuring a minimum distance of 1.5 meters is maintained between guests.

During meetings with clients, sex workers would have to wear face masks and rooms would have to be aired and disinfected. Measures to ensure contact tracing would also be in place, in case of an outbreak.

"In prostitution, there has always been a high hygiene standard," states the BSD.

Read more: German brothels get new 'ethical sex seal' for prostitution

Legal but not decriminalized

Sex work in Germany is legal but not decriminalized, meaning those in the sex industry must comply with strict laws governing how it is carried out. Since 2017, sex workers must register with local authorities and seek a medical consultation from a public health service. Brothels are also subject to strict hygiene checks.

Watch video Sexuality always matters - also during the pandemic


A history of resistance: key dates in Hong Kong's battle with China

Beijing’s attempts to bring the territory to heel since handover have resulted in pushback and protest
 Umbrellas in a cloud of tear gas outside Tai Koo MTR station in Hong Kong, 2019. Photograph: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Beijing’s rubber-stamp parliament is to vote to move forward with a national security law for Hong Kong, in an unprecedented push that many fear will result in silencing critics of the government in the territory.
The legislation, which would bypass the semi-autonomous territory’s legislature as well as widespread opposition to such measures, comes on Thursday after years of controversial government-proposed measures aimed at bringing Hong Kong more in line with Beijing’s wishes.
Mass demonstrations have erupted in response to each of these plans over the decades, bringing them to a halt, as well as solidifying civil society and laying the foundation for future protests. These are the key moments of resistance in Hong Kong’s history:


Article 23 national security law – 2003

After the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997, the former British colony was meant to pass laws that would prevent treason, secession, sedition, subversion and other acts against the Chinese central government. The requirement is enshrined in a provision, article 23, of Hong Kong’s de facto constitution, known as the basic law.
In early 2003, the government proposed a national security law, prompting fears that overly broad definitions of national security on the mainland would be established in Hong Kong, threatening freedom of speech, the press and assembly. Barristers said the law went beyond what was required by article 23, while others worried about expanded powers given to the police and draconian measures that would put security above civil liberties.
On 1 July, as the government tried to push the legislation through, an estimated half a million people took to the streets in the largest protests since the handover. They called for the law to be stopped and for the chief executive Tung Chee-hwa to resign. The bill was eventually shelved. The secretary of security who had pushed the legislation resigned, and two years later, Tung stepped down in the middle of his second term, citing health problems.

FacebookPinterest
 Protesters chant slogans calling for political reforms in 2003. Photograph: Kin Cheung/Reuters

Patriotic education – 2012

In 2012, the education bureau of Hong Kong proposed a “moral and civic education” curriculum to be implemented in all public schools by 2016. Guidelines distributed to teachers in a handbook called the China Model criticised multiparty democracies and described the Communist party in glowing terms. Critics argued the curriculum was an attempt to brainwash students.
Jiang Yudui of the pro-Beijing China Civic Education Promotion Association said at the time, according to local media: “A brain needs washing if there is a problem, just as clothes need washing if they’re dirty.”
Organisers said at least 90,000 people came out to oppose the plan. Protesters occupied government headquarters for 10 days, with some going on hunger strike. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “No thought control”.
The law gave rise to a group of student leaders, including the pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who was 15 at the time. Wong notes that even though the plan did not go forward, Hong Kong education has been compromised in other ways, including the revision of textbooks and most recently a question in a history exam that Beijing took issue with.
The patriotic education plan was also shelved. In 2018, education officials said there were no plans to reintroduce the plan but that the government was looking into ways of implementing it “in a way Hong Kong people can accept”.

Universal suffrage – 2014



Hong Kong’s basic law says that election of the territory’s chief executive, who is chosen by an election committee by universal suffrage, is the “ultimate aim”. In 2007, Beijing pledged that Hong Kong’s 7 million people would be able to cast a ballot for their chief executive election in the 2017 election.
But in 2014 the standing committee of China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, which has ultimate authority over interpretation of the basic law, said any candidate would first need majority support from an election committee comprised of pro-Beijing delegates. Only vetted candidates who “love the country” could run.
Calls for “real universal suffrage” spawned what became known as the Umbrella movement, an occupation in central Hong Kong as well as other areas of the city that lasted for 79 days in 2014.

FacebookPinterest
 Detained and injured protesters wait to be evacuated by ambulance near Polytechnic University of Hong Kong in 2019. Photograph: Bing Guan/EPA

Extradition bill – 2019

Last year, the Hong Kong government proposed amendments to its extradition law that would allow those wanted by Chinese authorities to be sent to mainland China.
Proponents of the bill, prompted by a murder that took place in Taiwan, said the changes were key to ensuring the city does not become a haven for criminals. Critics said it was a backhanded way of giving the government a way to extradite critics and political opponents to China.
The proposal, which has now been shelved, gave rise to the longest and most volatile protest movement the territory has seen. The demonstrations, which have included both peaceful rallies and marches as well as violent clashes with the police and fights between residents as well as vandalism, are now approaching their one year anniversary.