- As the congressional debate continues, single-payer advocates are planning a national day of action today. The group Mobilization for Health Care for All says more than 700 people have signed up to risk arrest by holding sit-ins in front of insurance company offices nationwide. So far this month, over thirty people have been arrested at similar actions in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.
- Labor unions are calling for an island-wide strike and a march near the capital today to protest government layoffs in Puerto Rico, where more than 20,000 public employees have been dismissed as the island struggles to pull out of a three-year recession.
- In Iran, 1700 employees of Wagon Pars Company have gone on a hunger strike to protest the company’s failure to pay their wages and pension.
- In India, around 200 farmers from 20 villages around Halvad continued with their indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday to protest the ban on water for irrigation from Narmada dam.
- In Pakistan, Mastung Girls College students have blocked Quetta-Karachi highway protesting against shortage of lecturers in the college and educational deterioration Wednesday.
- Several hundred UC Berkeley students took over the anthropology library for 24 hours this weekend to protest UC-wide budget cuts, in particular Saturday closures of small campus libraries that students use for studying and research.
- Dock workers at the main Greek port of Piraeus, who walked off the job on October 1, on Tuesday extended a strike against the concession of container facilities to Chinese transport operator Cosco which has caused a massive goods holdup.
