_____ (2021-12-31). Legislative Election Held in Hong Kong. journal-neo.org Election to the Legislative Council, the local parliament in Hong Kong, was held on December 19 of this year — an event that observers outside China should be interested in from an academic point of view. It is always curious to see how one of the two leading world powers solves its internal problems, which …

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2021-12-31). Venezuelan Parliament Approves Supreme Court's Organic Law Reform. orinocotribune.com With the goal of consolidating the Venezuelan judicial system as an instrument at the service of the people, in its first discussion of the issue the National Assembly approved the partial reform project of the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), a proposal presented on December 22 by the president of the TSJ, Maikel Moreno. | During the session that took place this Thursday, December 30, in the last legislative meeting of 2021, the President of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, led the debate from which the approval by a qualified majority emerged. | In recent weeks, members of the Venezuelan Parliamen…

Atilio Boron (2021-12-31). A Lesson from Simón Bolívar: 'To Hesitate is to Persih'. orinocotribune.com By Atilio Borón — Dec 20, 2021 | Speech in remembrance of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Anniversary of the Liberator Simón Bolívar's passage to immortality, on December 17, 1830, celebrated at Rivadavia Park in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, at the foot of the monument to Simón Bolívar. | Simón Bolívar advanced the ideals of the unity of Our America, the same ideals he shared with José Gervasio Artigas and José de San Martín. It went further in this endeavor because he strategically organized his entire struggle to advance with tenacity and coherence towards the creation of the Patria Grande (Great…

Staff (2021-12-31). In Remembrance of Chuck Kaufman, Anti-Imperialist, International Solidarity Organizer. orinocotribune.com Tucson, AZ — It is with heavy heart that the news of the passing of longtime anti-imperialist organizer Chuck Kaufman reached communities on December 28. Born in a small Indiana town, Chuck's life saw travels to numerous countries, most notably in the Latin American countries most firmly in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialism. | In 1987, as Reagan's illegal Contra War against Nicaragua ravaged the country in an attempt to kill the successful Sandinista Revolution, Chuck answered the call for solidarity. He gave up his advertising business and joined thousands of other U.S. solidarity activists to help in the…

Editor (2021-12-31). Chris Hedges: PEN America and the Betrayal of Julian Assange. mronline.org Careerists and Democratic Party apparatchiks successfully leverage corporate money and backing to seize and deform historic rights organizations into appendages of the ruling class.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Australian unions promote slashing of COVID-19 health measures. wsws.org The unions are stepping up their efforts to stifle resistance and opposition among workers as the pandemic spirals out of control.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Modi ignores Court request to postpone elections as Omicron surges in India. wsws.org The Modi government's response to the pandemic over nearly two years has shown that the Indian ruling elites prioritize corporate profits over human life.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org French midwives and nursing assistants' seven-day strike over pay and staff shortages; protests by Iranian workers and pensioners over low pay and pensions with inflation at 40 percent; 4,000 dairy workers at Clover Foods in sixth week of indefinite strike over pay, conditions and job losses across South Africa…

Gary M. Kramer (2021-12-31). The worst film performances of 2021. salon.com So many bad "House of Gucci" performances, so little time (for that nonsense)…

WSWS (2021-12-31). United Auto Workers prepares another sellout contract at Columbia University. wsws.org The ongoing struggle at Columbia has thus far, under the criminal leadership of the UAW and with support from the Democratic Party and the pseudo-left, been implementing a strategy of defeat for workers.

Joseph Neese (2021-12-31). Salon Food's top 10 recipes of 2021: From impossibly crisp chicken parmesan to chocolate sandwiches. salon.com All of these recipes have one thing in common: comfort…

WSWS (2021-12-31). The historic assault on university education and Australia's anti-democratic electoral laws. wsws.org The deep hostility among university staff and students is part of the rising political discontent that drove the Liberal-National and Labor parties to rush through new electoral laws in August.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Pakistan to impose new raft of austerity measures and pro-investor reforms to secure IMF bailout funds. wsws.org Pakistan's government is seeking IMF assistance with great trepidation, because it fears the eruption of mass anger against yet another round of IMF-dictated austerity.

Hedelberto López Blanch (2021-12-31). 2021, un año de economía pandémica. globalizacion.ca El 2021, al igual que el 2020, ha sido un año marcado por la pandemia de coronavirus Sars-Cov-2 que restringió las posibilidades económicas a la mayoría de las naciones del mundo y que también incrementó las diferencias entre los países…

teleSUR (2021-12-31). Central America Celebrates New Year's Eve With Few Restrictions. telesurenglish.net Central America will dismiss the year 2021 without major COVID-19 restrictions, although health authorities have asked the population to maintain biosecurity measures and avoid crowds. | RELATED: | COVID-19 vaccination is advancing in the region, with Costa Rica and Panama leading the way, with 90 percent and 81 percent of the population with the complete scheme, respectively. | Without large mass events and with some capacity restrictions, Costa…

WSWS (2021-12-31). Deere CEO John May brought onto Ford board of directors. wsws.org The election of May to the Ford board of directors has drawn favorable notice from business analysts due to his confrontational stance against Deere workers.

Matthew Rozsa (2021-12-31). The US broke its single-day case record for omicron — but not all regions are affected equally. salon.com As the omicron variant tears through the United States, hospitalization rates appear lower than previous variants…

WSWS (2021-12-31). Maryland State Board of Education passes proposal to loosen mask regulations in schools as state sees record infections. wsws.org The statewide mandate was lifted even as Maryland's COVID-19 reporting system was knocked offline due to a cyberattack and the state was reporting its first Omicron cases.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Turkish government rejects public health measures as Omicron rages. wsws.org As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly throughout Turkey, President Erdogan's government is refusing to take any public health measures against the pandemic.

teleSUR (2021-12-31). Bahia Governor Accepts Argentine Aid Rejected By Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Bahia Governor Rui Costa announced that he will accept Argentina's humanitarian aid in order to respond to the emergency caused by the rains and floods. | RELATED: | In a message posted on social networks, he stressed that his subnational government will accept assistance from any country regardless of what federal diplomacy does or says. | Since the beginning of December, the Brazilian northeast has been ex…

WSWS (2021-12-31). Favorite jazz and pop music of 2021. wsws.org The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate every aspect of social and cultural life. Artists and technical workers in the music industry face conditions unlike anything seen in generations, if ever.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Sri Lankan and Indian ruling elites whip up national rivalry between poverty-stricken fishing communities. wsws.org The ongoing military harassment of Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen highlight the reactionary and irrational character of the arbitrary national borders maintained by the ruling classes in both countries.

WSWS (2021-12-31). An open letter to all workers: The pandemic must be ended and lives saved in 2022! wsws.org As we approach the end of the year, workers in the UK and throughout the world must decide to act collectively and finally put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2022 must not be another nightmarish year of mass infections, illness and death!

WSWS (2021-12-31). White House lies about child hospitalizations amid Omicron surge. wsws.org Even as COVID-19 cases surge across the country and child hospitalizations and deaths hit one record after another, the entire US political establishment is pressing forward with the imminent reopening of schools.

Lucian K. Truscott IV (2021-12-31). What matters most: Not what happened already — but what we do now. salon.com Ultimately the Detroit riots of 1967 made us stronger. That can happen again — if we have the strength to change…

WSWS (2021-12-31). Stop the reopening of New York City schools! Mobilize the working class to save lives, not profits! wsws.org If the pandemic is ever to be brought under control, the policies taken must be motivated by an entirely different set of social interests than the profit motive, which has blocked all measures to contain the virus.

Abayomi Azikiwe (2021-12-31). Africa in Review 2021, Regional Conflict and the Role of Imperialism. globalresearch.ca Since 2020, the number of military interventions in African politics has accelerated. | . | However, what is often overlooked is the role of western governments and their military institutions in the deliberate undermining of national and regional stability. | . | The North …

WSWS (2021-12-31). Workers respond to Socialist Equality Party open letter calling for movement to end the pandemic. wsws.org Educators, pharmacy techs, nursing home and manufacturing workers responded with interest and enthusiasm to Thursday's statement from the Socialist Equality Party, "An open letter to the working class: The pandemic must be ended and lives saved in 2022!"

Melanie McFarland (2021-12-31). Calling out the saddest sacks of 2021, a reckoning by Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's … friends. salon.com Before the ball drops on 2021, a tasty listicle of those who lacked the bollocks to listen to science or sense…

WSWS (2021-12-31). UK health workers denounce government refusal to combat Omicron threat to National Health Service. wsws.org The only move made in response has been to announce plans to set up coronavirus "surge hubs", mostly in hospital car parks, to meet up to the challenge of a fresh wave of Omicron admissions.

Dr. Robert Malone (2021-12-31). Before your Child is Injected, Watch Dr. Robert Malone's statement on Child COVID Vaccinations. globalresearch.ca First published on December 15, 2021 | Before your child is injected, watch Dr. Robert Malone's statement on child COVID vaccinations. | Before you vaccinate your child, which is irreversible and potentially permanently damaging, find out why 15,000 physicians and medical scientists …

Dr. Peter McCullough (2021-12-31). Video: The Vaccine is More Dangerous than COVID-19: Dr. Peter McCullough. globalresearch.ca

Dean Obeidallah (2021-12-31). Donald Trump and his family fleeced America: Why aren't they being held accountable?>. salon.com Pulitzer-winning reporter David Cay Johnston on the criminal Trump regime: "This was thievery, plain and simple"

WSWS (2021-12-31). Typhoon Rai death toll rises to 397 in the Philippines. wsws.org The typhoon, which has confronted hundreds of thousands with the risk of starvation and disease, has exacerbated already existing social tensions in impoverished regions of the Philippines.

_____ (2021-12-31). Biden's COVID Pivot Is Pure Politics. strategic-culture.org By Tom LUONGO | If you thought the worst screenplay you'd have to endure this winter was anything written by a Wachowski sister, boy howdy are you wrong. | A couple of weeks ago I told you that And it's coming this spring. | The problem for Bidenwood is Omicron spreads quickly…

Victorio Paulón (2021-12-31). Argentina — La gran apuesta de Juntos: Dividir el peronismo. globalizacion.ca Por primera vez en mucho tiempo el poder concentrado dominante de nuestro país parece apostar a la democracia y pretende construir una mayoría sólida que le permita gobernar por décadas. La cooptación de algunos dirigentes en el pasado reciente le…

Editor (2021-12-31). China Sends Bolivia 3 Million COVID-19 Vaccines. mronline.org Bolivia has received three million Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from China, the largest delivery of vaccines to arrive in Bolivia from the Asian superpower.

WSWS (2021-12-31). UK Employment Tribunal rules against worker who refused to return to work over COVID safety concerns. wsws.org The corporate media are using the tribunal ruling, hinging on the question of what constitutes a philosophical belief, to assert that workers have no legal right against being forced to labour in unsafe conditions.

WSWS (2021-12-31). CUPE's sabotage of the New Brunswick public sector strike—the political lessons. wsws.org The New Brunswick public sector workers' strike exemplifies the political issues and organizational challenges all workers face in opposing the capitalist ruling elite's demands for austerity and its homicidal drive to keep schools and non-essential business open amid the pandemic.

Sandy C. (2021-12-31). "Midnight Mass" and the 8 best horror movies and shows of 2021. salon.com Escape the horrors of our real world with these chilling offerings…

_____ (2021-12-31). Will 'Godless liberalism' Force Russia to Close Its 'Window on the West'? strategic-culture.org The problem is finding a way to shield the vulnerable, particularly the youth, from adverse influences without restricting personal freedoms. | For centuries, Russia has been open to adopting popular Western traditions, but as the invasive cultural weed known as progressive liberalism enters the scene, Moscow is now forced to rethink the level of its engagement. With the internet and ubiquitous social media, however, such a cultural distancing will not be easy. | Russian Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725), from the vantage point of his newly built capital of Saint Petersburg, encouraged his fellow Russians to em…

WSWS (2021-12-31). Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia. wsws.org India: New Delhi police arrest protesting doctors; Punjab university teachers continue strike action; South Korean parcel delivery workers threaten strike…

teleSUR (2021-12-31). House Panel Asks Judges To Deny Trump's Bid To Shield Records. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot asked the Supreme Court to reject former President Donald Trump's bid to block the release of his White House's records requested in the ongoing probe. | RELATED: | Lawyers for the select committee in a brief filed with the high court argued against Trump's claim of executive privilege over a trove of records that the panel considered to be…

WSWS (2021-12-31). Preface to Halil àáelik: A Fighter for Socialism. wsws.org This is the preface to a volume of writings of Halil Celik published by the Sosyalist E≈üitlik Grubu of Turkey, three years after Comrade Halil's untimely death of cancer.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Scientists denounce French government's inaction amid Omicron wave. wsws.org Only a mobilization of the working class can smash the resistance of the financial aristocracy to health measures scientists are demanding to prevent a surge in deaths.

Alex Henderson (2021-12-31). Why Trump's legal bills are costing the GOP a fortune: "There is no precedent for this" salon.com "He could afford this, but they are paying his bills anyway"

Atilio A. Boron (2021-12-31). La imperdonable soledad de Julian Assange. globalizacion.ca Julian Assange está enterrado por la "Justicia" inglesa en una cárcel de máxima seguridad. Lo de enterrado no es una tramposa apelación a una palabra que nos estremece sino un sobria descripción de la celda en la cual -de a…

WSWS (2021-12-31). December tornadoes cut swath of devastation through southeastern Missouri. wsws.org Ninety people have been confirmed killed by the storms across eight states, including eight workers at Mayfield Consumer Products in Mayfield, Kentucky and six Amazon workers at an Edwardsville, Illinois fulfillment center outside St. Louis.

Fight Back (2021-12-31). Looking forward to a new year of struggle in 2022: Join FRSO. fightbacknews.org As 2021 concludes and we look forward to a new year, it makes sense to survey the political landscape and discuss what's to be done. | Monopoly capitalism is a failed system. We need a revolutionary solution to our problems. And to achieve that goal, revolutionary organization is a requirement. Freedom Road Socialist Organization has the aim of overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with socialism. If that is what you want, it is time to join our ranks. | FRSO does not just talk about change. We are active in our unions, community organizations, anti-war, student, and many other groups. Our members are African…

Travis Gettys (2021-12-31). Ted Cruz's daughter knocks him on TikTok: "I really disagree with most of his views" salon.com "A lot of people judge me based upon him at first glance," she said. "But I really disagree with most of his views"

Richard D. Wolff (2021-12-30). A critique of obscene wealth. canadiandimension.com The obscenely rich have driven economies and societies further from anything remotely resembling a "level playing field," writes Richard Wolff. Photo by aisletwentytwo/ Wherever an…

Staff (2021-12-30). Venezuela Mourns Death of US Activist Chuck Kaufman. orinocotribune.com This Wednesday, December 29, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Félix Plasencia, mourned the death of US activist and organizer Chuck Kaufman, who consistently supported social movements in Latin American countries. Kaufman's involvement in solidarity actions spanned several decades, first focused on Central America and Nicaragua, and later expanded to include activism for Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, and many other Latin American countries. | "We express our deepest sadness at the tragic passing of Chuck Kaufman," wrote Plasencia through his Twitter account, "a US activist, defender of…

Hannah Rose (2021-12-30). Before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Corona Virus "Vaccines". Nuremberg Code, Crimes against humanity, War Crimes and Crimes of Aggression" globalresearch.ca We bring to the attention of Global Research readers, the full text …

Staff (2021-12-30). Chomsky Blasts the "Torture" of Julian Assange & Biden's Provocative Acts Against China. democracynow.org Noam Chomsky decries what he calls the torture of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He also critiques the Biden administration's reckless foreign policy. "The trajectory is not optimistic," Chomsky says. "The worst case is the increasing provocative actions towards China. That's very dangerous."

Amanda Mills (2021-12-30). Thanks to the Infrastructure bill, the US will work on replacing all lead water pipes across the country. nationofchange.org "The American Jobs Plan creates jobs replacing 100% of the nation's lead pipes and service lines so every American, so every child — can turn on the faucet and be certain to drink clean water."

Ashley Curtin (2021-12-30). United Airlines first passenger plane to make journey on 100 percent plant-based jet fuel. nationofchange.org The "unprecedented flight" is a first in aviation history.

Joyce Chediac (2021-12-30). Biden's new COVID rules protect profits, endanger workers. liberationnews.org 'Nurses hare not going to stand by while the government and our employers weaken protections. We are not going backward now."

WSWS (2021-12-30). CDC Director Walensky dismisses the seriousness of child COVID-19 hospitalizations. wsws.org Despite the rising number of pediatric cases and admissions, the Biden administration and its top health officials minimize the danger to ensure schools reopen on schedule when the winter break ends.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Man claiming to work for Turkish intelligence burned Syrian refugees to death. wsws.org This horrific triple murder is a product of the reactionary atmosphere incited by the ruling class and the entire political establishment against refugees in Turkey.

WSWS (2021-12-30). An open letter to the working class: The pandemic must be ended and lives saved in 2022! wsws.org As we approach the end of the year, workers in the United States and throughout the world must decide to act collectively and finally put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Biden administration withdraws federal COVID-19 safety standards for health care workers. wsws.org The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the expiration of its Emergency Temporary Standards, even as frontline health care workers risk their lives in overwhelmed hospitals and long-term care facilities.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Misanthropy and '90s nostalgia: The Matrix Resurrections. wsws.org Audiences are being treated to a transparent cash-grab that sacrifices plot, pacing and characterization in favor of winking "meta" references to the fact that the movie is essentially a reboot of The Matrix .

WSWS (2021-12-30). A financial "blockbuster" year fuelled by death and disease. wsws.org There are concerns that the massive increases in financial market leverage have created a "ticking time bomb."

WSWS (2021-12-30). Rate of police killings remained unchanged in 2021. wsws.org Police have killed approximately 1,100 people every year since 2015, a consistent rate of three people every day.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Detroit police killed 33-year-old mother one week before Christmas. wsws.org Nakita Williams was shot and killed by police at a gas station on the east side of Detroit after allegedly brandishing an airsoft gun.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Fascist kills five people in shooting spree; Denver police chief admits shooter was "on the radar of law enforcement" wsws.org Fourty-seven-year-old neo-Nazi Lyndon McLeod, who was previously investigated by police for menacing threats, foreshadowed his violent rampage in a series of novels popular with the far right.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Australian medical specialist speaks out about escalating COVID crisis. wsws.org "There's going to be misery and suffering and death that is totally unnecessary. The policies our governments are taking will cause much, much further death."

WSWS (2021-12-30). Michigan governor signs bill to keep K-12 classes open by using non-teaching staff as substitutes. wsws.org The proposal to use school bus drivers, secretaries and cafeteria workers as substitute teachers explodes Governor Whitmer's pretenses over being concerned about the academic needs of children.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Outrage grows as Australia's "National Cabinet" scraps basic protections against mass COVID infections. wsws.org Far from taking steps to avert the disaster, the government leaders moved to further slash testing, tracing and isolation measures, in particular to ensure that workers are kept on the job, even if infected.

_____ (2021-12-30). Can We Expect Saudi Arabia and Israel Normalizing their Relations in the Near Future? journal-neo.org After Israel signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 to normalize relations with the UAE and Bahrain, and then with Morocco, whether Saudi Arabia will be next in line in this process is being actively discussed in the United States, Israel, and the Middle East in general. The intensity of such discussions increased as the Saudi …

_____ (2021-12-30). Libyan Elections Got Disrupted by the US and UK Intervention. journal-neo.org On 24 December 2021, Libya was scheduled to hold a popular vote for the country's first president, but it never took place: The Election Commission failed to publish the final list of candidates on time, and on December 21, the head of the Commission, Imad al-Saih, ordered the closing of polling stations. The vote was …

Bharat Dogra (2021-12-30). The Exploiter Harms—But Look At What Happens to the Exploiter, Too. towardfreedom.org If there is a better understanding and a wider recognition of how exploiters suffer in the process of exploitation, new openings can emerge to convince the more powerful regarding the futility of prolonging exploitative relations and systems, writes Bharat Dogra.

_____ (2021-12-30). Why Atlantans Are Pushing To Stop 'Cop City'. popularresistance.org The project's supporters, who include Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, have described the facility as a vital tool for improving police morale and fighting crime. Yet about 70 percent of the people calling in expressed their opposition to Cop City. Beyond the basic objections to such a major expansion of the city's policing footprint, environmentalists are also up in arms, since the site's proposed location lies within the South River Forest, which is the Atlanta area's largest remaining green space and, scientists say, one of the city's greatest defenses against worsening climate change.

_____ (2021-12-30). In Remembrance Of Chuck Kaufman. popularresistance.org Tucson, AZ – It is with heavy heart that the news of the passing of longtime anti-imperialist organizer Chuck Kaufman reached communities on December 28. Born in a small Indiana town, Chuck's life saw travels to numerous countries, most notably in the Latin American countries most firmly in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialism. | In 1987, as Reagan's illegal Contra War against Nicaragua ravaged the country in an attempt to kill the successful Sandinista Revolution, Chuck answered the call for solidarity. He gave up his advertising business and joined thousands of other U.S. solidarity activists to help in the coffe…

_____ (2021-12-30). Occupy Biden Activists Will Rally On January 1. popularresistance.org This week, environmental advocates addressed intensifying fossil fuel pollution, climate injustices, and the Biden administration's failure to take the lead on climate crisis solutions during the Occupy Biden protests near Joe Biden's Wilmington, DE home. Their goal remains to increase the pressure on the President to declare a climate emergency and end new fossil fuel projects. The actions are being led by local community leaders and supported by dozens of environmental and social justice groups from around the country, and have resulted in hundreds of people taking action. The Occupy Biden actions began on Chri…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-30). Global Migration Indicators report summarizes 2020 for migrants across the world. peoplesdispatch.org The Global Migration Indicators report by the International Organization for Migration is here, with an update on how COVID-19 affected migration around the world. The report says more than 2,300 migrants died while trying to get into Europe or within Europe in 2020. While the pandemic restricted mobility and reduced international migration, still, there were two hundred and eighty-one million international migrants in the middle of 2020. That is close to four per cent of the world's population.

Staff (2021-12-30). Venezuela's National Assembly Passed Almost 40 New Laws in 2021. orinocotribune.com A total of 38 laws were passed by the National Assembly (AN) of Venezuela since its installation on January 5. At all times, the national parliament acted in compliance with the 7+7 scheme and all biosafety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. | Since its passing of the Interior and Debate Regulations at the beginning of the year, the Legislative Power has gone on to pass numerous laws leading up to the draft law on the Commission for the Guarantee of Justice and Reparation of Victims of Crimes Against Human Rights, passed on December 15. | The laws passed were: | 1) Interior and Debate Regulations of the…

Editor (2021-12-30). Cuba eyes cooperation with China on clean energy. mronline.org Facing the challenges of an aging energy infrastructure, Cuba is looking to new energy sources with help from the Belt and Road Initiative to strengthen its power production capacity and move away from fossil fuels.

Paul Buhle (2021-12-30). Colonialism: a cancer on the planet. mronline.org This highly unusual book highlights a forgotten journalist and thinker, but just as much, the assiduous research and interpretations by Tony Pecinovsky, a St. Louis activist and non-academic scholar, on the history of the U.S. Left. W.A. Hunton, to quote W.E.B. Du Bois, was "the kind of absolutely honest and unselfish scholar who is apt …

Ann Brown (2021-12-30). Fund Created To Provide Support To Veterans Of Original Black Panther Party. moguldom.com An Atlanta-based group has set up a mutual aid program and is raising money to support veterans of the Black Panther Party. Members of the Community Movement Builders announced they have raised nearly $5,000 over the past two months and provided monetary support in December to 10 Black Panther Party veterans. Jalil Muntaqim, a Black …

Rann Miller (2021-12-30). Why Five-Star Athletes Choose HBCUs: Knowing The Past To Process The Present. moguldom.com Howard University professor Dr. Greg Carr teaches his students using the Africana Studies Framework (ASF), which is a set of conceptual categories for studying periods of time with African people at the center. One of those categories, movement in memory, answers the questions: How did Africans preserve memories of where they had been, what they …

Ann Brown (2021-12-30). Bryon Allen Is Still Buying Media Assets: Acquires New Alabama-Based TV Station For $28M. moguldom.com Media mogul Byron Allen didn't let the recent dismissal of his lawsuit against McDonald's over racial discrimination set him back. Allen is continuing to grow his media empire and just added another TV station to his broadcasting holdings with the purchase of Fox affiliate WCOV-TV in Montgomery, Ala. Allen Media Group bought the station for …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-30). FBI is Recklessly Misusing Trump-Era Espionage Policy to Create "Climate of Fear" Among Scientists—Terrorizing Families and Ruthlessly Destroying Careers. libya360.wordpress.com Jeremy Kuzmarov [Source: justice.gov] The Justice Department's China Initiative Was Established by the Trump Administration to Crackdown on Chinese Economic and Scientific Espionage.However, its primary targets have been academics prosecuted for failing to properly disclose their connection to Chinese universities on grant forms and it has led to numerous miscarriages of justice On the Tuesday…

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2021-12-30). What were the top BDS victories of 2021? electronicintifada.net Direct actions, legal victories and ice cream topped our headlines.

Vijay Prashad (2021-12-30). We Dance into the New Year Banging Our Hammers and Swinging Our Sickles. dissidentvoice.org P.S. Jalaja (India), We Surely Can Change the World, 2021. Bittersweet is the passage of this year. There have been some immense victories and some catastrophic defeats, the most terrible being the failure of the Global North countries to adopt a democratic attitude towards confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and creating equitable access to key resources, …

Staff (2021-12-30). Video: David Swanson on RT: The 2021 State of Things. davidswanson.org By RT, December 30, 2021 See minute 20: 28.

Yanis Iqbal (2021-12-30). Left-Wing Victory in Chile. orinocotribune.com By Yanis Iqbal — Dec 25, 2021 | The 2021 presidential election in Chile has resulted in the

WSWS (2021-12-30). Morenoite Izquierda Diario criticizes lockdowns as COVID-19 surges in Spain. wsws.org The petty-bourgeois Morenoite organisation, affiliated to Argentina's Socialist Workers Party (PTS), is politically implicated in policies that have led to mass death.

teleSUR (2021-12-30). Cuba Remembers Revolutionary Heroine Haydee Santamaria. telesurenglish.net On Dec. 30, Cubans celebrate the birthday of Haydee Santamaria, a woman whose life was marked by episodes of intense revolutionary struggle. Among them is her participation in the assault on the Moncada Barracks, a milestone in the revolutionary war. | RELATED: | Santamaria was born in 1922 in Las Villas province, where she got involved with social causes from her early youth. Besides being editor of the undergrou…

Jordan Schachtel (2021-12-30). Shell Game? There remains no FDA approved COVID vaccine in the United States. globalresearch.ca

Steve Kirsch (2021-12-30). Bhakdi/Burkhardt pathology results show 93% of people who died after being vaccinated were killed by the vaccine. globalresearch.ca The vaccine was implicated in 93% of the deaths in the patients they examined. What's troubling is the coroner didn't implicate the vaccine in any of those deaths. | Summary : | The vaccines are bad news. Fifteen bodies were examined (all died …

Jon Queally (2021-12-30). Encampment Near Biden's Delaware Home Calls for Declaration of Climate Emergency. truthout.org A small group of climate activists has established an encampment near President Joe Biden's private home in Delaware where they are demanding he declare a national climate emergency and immediately order the end to fossil fuel development in the United States. | Establishing the camp on Christmas Day and sleeping overnight in tents or cars on a roadside area not far from the family's Wilmington residence, the campaigners operating under the "Occupy Biden" banner say if the president truly…

William Rivers Pitt (2021-12-30). Trump Sues Jan. 6 House Committee Because Committee Might Find Trump Wrongdoing. truthout.org In June 2007, former Vice President Dick Cheney — already no stranger to wantonly abusing his power — became the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion of Chutzpah when he

Staff (2021-12-30). Noam Chomsky on Rising Fascism in U.S., Class Warfare & the Climate Emergency. democracynow.org Noam Chomsky warns the Republican Party is "marching" the world to destruction by ignoring the climate emergency while embracing proto-fascism at home. Chomsky talks about the January 6 insurrection, how neoliberalism is a form of class warfare and how President Biden's climate plans fall short of what is needed.

Editor (2021-12-30). A red under every bed? Canada, racial profiling, and the Five Eyes. mronline.org Amid the wreckage of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States and its allies have turned their sights on China. University of Victoria professor emeritus and historian John Price examines the rise of the coalition of Anglo settler colonial states of Canada, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, and how they are today fomenting conflict in the Asia Pacific.

_____ (2021-12-30). Oklahoma Bill Would Empower Parents To Remove Books From School Libraries. popularresistance.org A bill proposed by a Republican state senator in Oklahoma would empower parents to have books that discuss gender identity removed from public school libraries—a measure that rights advocates warned could have life-threatening consequences for LGBTQ+ children across the state. | Under Senate Bill 1142, introduced earlier this month by state Sen. Rob Standridge, just one parent would have to object to a book that includes discussion of "sexual perversion, sex-based classifications, sexual identity, or gender identity" and other related themes in order to begin the process of removal.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Omicron variant thrashes global luxury cruising industry. wsws.org The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently marked over 80 vessels as "yellow" in its color coding system, indicating that reported COVID-19 cases have met the threshold for official investigation.

Amy Goodman (2021-12-30). Noam Chomsky: Corporate patents & rising anti-science rhetoric will prolong pandemic. nationofchange.org It's overwhelmingly a far-right phenomenon. Others have been drawn in. And I think there are many sources.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Ukrainian government expands military conscription among women. wsws.org The US-backed government of President Volodymyr Zelensky continues its attempts to militarize the Ukrainian population despite wide-spread anti-war sentiments.

Amy Goodman (2021-12-30). Chomsky: Rising Anti-Science Rhetoric Feeds the Pandemic and Climate Crisis. truthout.org Today, a special broadcast: an hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, who just turned 93 years old. Chomsky spoke to Democracy Now! prior to the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant, but he predicted new variants would emerge. "If you let the virus run rampant in poor countries, everyone understands that mutation is likely, the kind of mutation that led to the Delta variant, now the Delta Plus variant in India, and who knows what will develop,"

David Swanson (2021-12-29). Surveillance Concerns: The Good, the Bad, and the Xenophobic. warisacrime.org By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 28, 2021 Thom Hartmann has written an enormous number of great books, and the latest is no exception. It's called The Hidden History of Big Brother in America: How the Death of Privacy and the Rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democracy. Thom is not the least …

Craig Murray (2021-12-29). Protecting the Nazis: The Extraordinary Vote of Ukraine and the USA 327. orinocotribune.com By Craig Murray — Dec 21, 2021 | This is verbatim from the official report of the The Assembly next took up the report on "Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", containing two draft resolutions. | By a recorded vote of 130 in favour to 2 against (Ukraine, United States), with 49 abstentions, the Assembly then adopted draft resolution I, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo‚ÄëNazism and other practices that contribute t…

teleSUR (2021-12-29). Bolivia To Use Digital COVID Vaccination Card Starting in 2022. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Bolivia's Health Minister Jeyson Auza presented the new digital COVID-19 vaccination card that will be requested to carry out procedures or access public sites starting next January 1. | RELATED: | Auza indicated that the new certificate is connected to the database of the National Epidemiological Surveillance Registry. Therefore, citizens can generate the card by accessing the Health Ministry web page…

WSWS (2021-12-29). Australian SEP supporters: "The only force that can free Assange is the international working class" wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party is today publishing further comments from WSWS readers and supporters of the fight to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

_____ (2021-12-29). Political Coordination between Egypt and Russia Intensifies. journal-neo.org Against the background of consistent strengthening by Egypt of its role in the Arab world and and in the international arena, further coordination of policy between Egypt and Russia continues with the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields. Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, held a meeting with colleagues from Egypt …

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2021-12-29). Podcast Ep 48: Gaza, cyberwarfare and resistance. electronicintifada.net EI editors discuss some of the most impactful stories of the year.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Apple employees mount one-day strike on Christmas Eve to demand COVID-19 protections and better working conditions. wsws.org Employees at the tech company Apple launched a one-day strike on December 24 to demand improvements in their wages, benefits and working conditions.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Outrage among US workers over CDC decision to reduce quarantine guidelines. wsws.org The CDC announcement has stunned and angered workers who are being confronted with the fact that the corporate and political establishment consider their lives and those of their friends and relatives expendable.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Don't Look Up: Science vs. a deadly catastrophe confronting humanity. wsws.org Adam McKay's new film Don't Look Up is a dark comedy about unheeded warnings in the face of an event that could destroy humanity.

WSWS (2021-12-29). 13-year-old Florida boy on dirt bike dies during attempted traffic stop by police. wsws.org A 13-year-old boy from Boynton Beach, Florida, died Sunday afternoon while riding his dirt bike after police chased the teen down during an attempted traffic stop.

WSWS (2021-12-29). San Diego sanitation workers continue strike for wages and safe working conditions. wsws.org San Diego waste management workers went on strike against Republic Services the day after the Teamsters union shut down another strike by Republic workers in Orange County.

WSWS (2021-12-29). UK HGV drivers' health and lives endangered by "epidemic" levels of fatigue. wsws.org The government has significantly weakened safety restrictions protecting HGV drivers and other road users in response to a labour shortage created by decades of declining pay and conditions.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Los Angeles police officer fires assault rifle in crowded store, killing 14-year-old girl. wsws.org The day before Christmas Eve, a Los Angeles police officer fired three rounds from an assault rifle inside a store at a 24-year-old suspect who was not armed with a gun, also killing a 14-year-old girl in a dressing room.

WSWS (2021-12-29). National Labor Relations Board agreement expands union access to Amazon workers. wsws.org The NLRB ruling is the latest effort by the Biden administration to install a union at Amazon, which can be relied on to contain worker unrest in this critical industry.

WSWS (2021-12-29). CDC backs corporate demands to force the sick back to work. wsws.org The Biden administration has made clear that preventing Americans from contracting, and dying from, COVID-19 is no longer a goal of public policy.

WSWS (2021-12-29). German district calls for elderly homes to block access to hospital for residents with COVID-19. wsws.org The district is pressuring elderly care and nursing homes to evaluate whether transferring their residents to hospital in the event of a COVID-19 infection is really worthwhile.

WSWS (2021-12-29). What is behind the American Postal Workers Union and the Postmaster General's 10-year plan? wsws.org The concessionary contract negotiated by the American Postal Workers Union and the United States Postal Service supports the recently enacted plan to dismantle and privatize mail delivery.

Fra Hughes (2021-12-29). Jeremy Corbyn and the North Shropshire Conservative Defeat. orinocotribune.com By Fra Hughes — Dec 24, 2021 | In undermining Corbyn in a Machiavellian-type coup, the new Labour leader Keir Starmer was supported by the establishment, supported by the mainstream media, supported by Tony Blair, and supported by Zionist "Israel". |

_____ (2021-12-28). Richard Wolff: US Capitalism Has Peaked And Is On The Way Down'. popularresistance.org For the end of the year, Clearing the FOG speaks with economist Richard Wolff about the current state of United States capitalism. Wolff explains that the United States is experiencing the greatest crisis in its history – a severe economic crisis at the same time as a pandemic, as well as the climate crisis. This is unprecedented. Unlike the great depression in the last century, when the wealth divide shrank, inequality is worsening. On top of that, US empire is in decline. Wolff discusses the current state of inflation and supply chain disruption and the forces behind them. Instead of facing up to these realitie…

_____ (2021-12-28). Flushing Of Dangerous Petroleum Contaminated Water From Military Housing. popularresistance.org Hawai'i – On Friday, December 24, I went to Aliamanu Military Reservation at Red Hill housing area which is located above the entryway into the main tunnel that leads into the U.S. Navy's deep, massive, leaking 80-year-old Red Hill underground jet fuel storage tanks complex. These tanks are only 100 feet above the main aquifer of drinking water for 400,000, half the population of the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i. | A recent leak of at least 19,000 gallons of jet fuel and water leaked from a fire suppressant pipe into two Navy operated wells that supply drinking water to over 93,000 residents in the Pearl Harbor-Hicka…

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-12-28). Putin hints at military options in Ukraine. mronline.org The Rossiya 1 state television in Moscow broadcast today President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference on Friday. It conveys a much fuller picture of the grave crisis brewing in the Russian-American relations than what the excerpts in the Russian media sought to convey over the weekend.

Staff (2021-12-28). Headlines for December 28, 2021. democracynow.org World Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High as Omicron Surges, Israel Tests Fourth Vaccine Doses as COVID Surges in Largely Unvaccinated African Nations, Biden Warns Governors of Looming Shortages of Hospital Beds as COVID-19 Cases Near Pandemic Highs, CDC Recommends Shorter Isolation for People with Asymptomatic Coronavirus Infections, Afghan Taliban Bans Women from Road Trips Without Male Escort, Talks on Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Iraq's Top Court Ratifies Results of October's Contested Election, Russia to Hold Talks with U.S. and NATO Allies over Ukraine Border Tensions, New German Government Mo…

Amanda Winstead (2021-12-28). Challenges homeless people face in getting jobs. nationofchange.org All too often, homeless persons are unfairly blamed for their plight.

Moderator (2021-12-28). The Pentagon Just Got $778 Billion, But USAID Is Running Out of Money for COVID-19 Vaccines? scheerpost.com By Brett Wilkins / Common Dreams Sharply contrasting with the $778 billion in new military spending authorized Monday by President Joe Biden, the U.S. Agency for International Development reportedly can't find the funds to pay for the Biden administration's effort to help vaccinate the world's population against COVID-19, according to two agency officials interviewed by Politico. In an article published Monday …

WSWS (2021-12-28). Anger among Kellogg's workers as work restarts following union betrayal of two-month strike. wsws.org Kellogg's workers report filthy conditions and missing tools inside the plant, as well as continuing censorship by union-affiliated social media pages.

WSWS (2021-12-28). New York state judge issues prior restraint order against New York Times. wsws.org The order by New York state trial judge Charles Wood is a dangerous attack on free speech.

_____ (2021-12-28). A Referendum that was Held in Taiwan. journal-neo.org On December 18, a referendum was held in Taiwan, to which four questions were submitted. Since both leading parties of the country, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the Chinese National Party (Kuomintang), in increasingly tough opposition to each other in almost all aspects of domestic and foreign policy, called for directly opposite answers to …

Editor2 (2021-12-28). Maduro to Al Mayadeen: We Will Not Abandon Palestine. orinocotribune.com Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says, in an interview for Al Mayadeen, that the Venezuelan people resisted fierce attacks launched by US imperialism and its allies, and discusses relations with some countries, including Iran and Syria. | In an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro noted that 2021 was the first year in which Venezuela registered economic growth since "the beginning of the criminal imperialist US sanctions," adding that this growth was the result of Venezuela's economy which produces food, goods, products, and services. The country has witnessed growth in i…

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2021-12-28). María Corina Machado Speaks Out Against 'Interim Government'. orinocotribune.com Faced with the announcement of former deputy Juan Guaidó's clan and the fake National Assembly that Washington uses to provide some legitimacy to its actions, the Vente Venezuela party, led by María Corina Machado, rejected the recent steps to renew the "interim government" and announced that it will not support them in this new stage. | It should be remembered that next January 5 is the date that the US-led extreme opposition politicians consider as the deadline for the renewal of the pseudo-parliament that supports Guaidó, following the directions of the US government —despite countless corruption scandal…

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2021-12-28). China Cooperating With Africa's Health Sector. moderndiplomacy.eu China and Africa will always be a community of a shared future. At least, its policy is directed at addressing sustainable development, and China has in deed proved, over the years, in many aspect of dealing with Africa. Results are seen especially with all kinds of infrastructure that have been built these years. And, of …

Maria Smotrytska (2021-12-28). Maritime Transhipment lines: Congested South VS Strategic North. moderndiplomacy.eu Improved connectivity, especially through transport links, is an essential condition for economic growth. Transport links not only provide physical access to resources, but also enable producers to take advantage of opportunities in domestic and foreign markets, leading to economies of scale and specialization. In the conditions of a market economy, the need to improve the …

Medea Benjamin (2021-12-28). Yes, There Were 10 Good Things About 2021. dissidentvoice.org Photo credit: peace-justice.org This year, 2021, began with a huge sense of relief as Trump left office. We hoped to emerge from the ravages of COVID, pass a hefty Build Back Better (BBB) bill, and make significant cuts to the Pentagon budget. But, alas, we faced a January 6 white nationalist insurrection, two new COVID …

Robert Hunziker (2021-12-28). Warnings from the Far North. dissidentvoice.org Forces profound and alarming are reshaping the upper reaches of the North Pacific and Arctic oceans, breaking the food chain that supports billions of creatures and one of the world's most important fisheries. 1 "Breaking the food chain that supports billions of creatures" is horrific to contemplate. It sends a powerful signal of trouble dead ahead. …

Sheikh Fakhar-e-Alam (2021-12-28). Pakistan — A Wonderful Destination For Adventurous Sports. moderndiplomacy.eu Pakistan is famous for its exciting cities, historical sites, hospitality, great cuisines across the world. However, most of the international states are not aware of the fact that it is an excellent destination to enjoy adventurous sports as well as cultural festivities. The variety of adventure sports in Pakistan is enormous. There are a number …

WSWS (2021-12-28). Australian governments let loose soaring COVID-19 infections. wsws.org There is shock and outrage among health workers, medical experts and working-class people as governments wash their hands of the developing disaster.

WSWS (2021-12-28). Thousands of flights canceled worldwide due to rising infections among airline workers. wsws.org The airlines lobbied the CDC to change its guidelines so airline workers could be forced to work even if they are infected or exposed.

WSWS (2021-12-28). Ferry fire in Bangladesh claims 41 lives. wsws.org Last Friday's disaster is the product of decades of government indifference to the profit-driven and unsafe ferry transport system operating in Bangladesh.

WSWS (2021-12-28). James Webb Space Telescope successfully launches. wsws.org The spacecraft, when fully operational, will peer deeper into the Universe than any previous astronomical instrument.

WSWS (2021-12-28). For a "Zero COVID" policy in Canada's schools!—an appeal from a special-needs educator. wsws.org To oppose the disastrous profit-before-lives pandemic policy pursued by Canada's governments, I urge my colleagues to join with the Cross-Canada Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee in organizing independent rank-and-file committees in all schools to fight for a science-based Zero COVID strategy.

WSWS (2021-12-28). An Anniversary of Stalinist Counterrevolution: 30 years since the end of the USSR. wsws.org The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) recognized, as early as 1985, that Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika expressed the drive of the Stalinist bureaucracy to reintegrate the Soviet economy with the world market through the restoration of capitalism.

WSWS (2021-12-28). French parent calls for rank-and-file committee to fight state COVID-19 policy. wsws.org Raphaà´lle, a mother of two, called to support Lisa Diaz's struggle in the UK against sending children into schools where they risk being infected by the coronavirus.

WSWS (2021-12-28). French parents call for rank-and-file committee to fight state COVID-19 policy. wsws.org Raphaà´lle, a mother of two, called to support Lisa Diaz's struggle in the UK against sending children into schools where they risk being infected by the coronavirus.

WSWS (2021-12-28). Solomon Islands' government invites Chinese riot police deployment. wsws.org The move has triggered alarm in Australian ruling circles—ever since World War II, Australian imperialism has regarded the South Pacific as its exclusive "sphere of influence."

WSWS (2021-12-28). More workers died of COVID-19 at one Michigan auto plant than all of China in 2021. wsws.org Xavier Anderson, a worker at Stellantis' Sterling Stamping Plant north of Detroit, is the fifth to die from COVID-19 at the plant.

WSWS (2021-12-28). Making a killing: Pfizer's domination of the market for COVID jabs. wsws.org Blocking the transfer of vaccine technology, together with the practice of selling to the highest bidder, creating grotesque levels of vaccine inequality, have been critical factors in enabling the conditions for the Omicron variant to emerge.

Staff (2021-12-28). Scholar Angela Davis on Prison Abolition, Justice for Palestine, Critical Race Theory & More. democracynow.org World-renowned author, activist and professor Angela Davis talks about the prison abolition movement from her time as a Black Panther leader to today. In her tireless efforts as an abolitionist and a teacher, Davis continues to be a fierce advocate of education and the interconnected struggles of oppressed peoples. Davis talks about Indigenous genocide, Palestine, critical race theory and the role of independent media. "Democracy Now! helps us to place our own domestic issues and struggles within the context of global battles against fascism," says Davis.

Thomas Redshaw (2021-12-28). Cryptocurrencies: a view from the left. zcomm.org As cryptocurrencies take the world of finance by storm, Thomas Redshaw examines their rise and what the left should make of them…

Staff (2021-12-28). "His Spirit Reflected a Giant": Mumia Abu-Jamal Remembers Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Visit on Death Row. democracynow.org Mumia Abu-Jamal remembers South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90. Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting to end apartheid in South Africa. In 2007, Tutu visited Mumia when he was still on death row. "His spirit reflected a giant," says Abu-Jamal. "He struggled for change with his prophetic voice, his sweet humor, his deep love and his boundless sense of compassion."

Lee Fang (2021-12-28). The Collapse of Afghanistan's Economy. zcomm.org More Afghan people may die from sanctions than from 20 years of war…

Romina Green Rioja (2021-12-28). In Chile, Boric's Win Signals Victory for Social Movements and New Constitution. zcomm.org Elected on the heels of a historic movement against neoliberalism, president-elect Gabriel Boric will face high expectations and social movement pressure to deliver on his campaign promises…

Staff (2021-12-28). "People Have the Power": Poet & Singer Patti Smith Awarded Key to New York City. democracynow.org Legendary poet, singer, author and activist Patti Smith has been awarded a key to New York City. Smith's music has inspired countless bands and helped earn her the title of the queen of punk. Her song "People Have the Power" has become an anthem at protests across the globe. Patti Smith has also been a longtime activist, performing regularly at antiwar rallies and political benefits. She gave an emotional acceptance speech during a ceremony Monday with outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. We also air a clip of her live performance with singer Michael Stipe at Democracy Now!'s 20th anniversary celebration…

Sisonke Msimang (2021-12-28). Tutu's Passing is a Reminder of the ANC's Unfinished Business. zcomm.org Tutu's reconciliation efforts were supposed to be followed by justice for apartheid victims…

Moderator (2021-12-28). Rights Groups Accuse Tech Giants of Throttling Content on Abortion Pills. scheerpost.com By Jessica Corbett / Common Dreams As anti-choice lawmakers ramp up attacks on reproductive freedom across the United States, new reporting on Monday raised alarm about Big Tech companies limiting access to scientifically accurate content from abortion rights organizations while allowing the spread of misinformation. Representatives from multiple pro-choice groups told The Hill's Rebecca Klar about their struggles trying …

WSWS (2021-12-28). COVID-19 danger persists in Japan as Omicron variant takes hold. wsws.org The government's response to the latest COVID-19 dangers in contrast to public sentiment demonstrates the need for an international strategy to end the pandemic.

Sarah Kleiner (2021-12-28). Rural America Is Facing an Invisible Eviction Crisis. zcomm.org In places where rental assistance has been slow to be delivered, eviction cases are piling up. No one's tracking it…

teleSUR (2021-12-28). PM Mia Mottley Calls Snap Elections in Barbados. telesurenglish.net On Monday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley called for early elections for next January 19, in what will be the first elections of Barbados as a republic after cutting ties with the British monarchy. | RELATED: | In a speech given to the nation, Mottley shared that she had met earlier in the day with President Sandra Mason and had advised that Parliament be dissolved with immediate effect. The Prime Minister added that Mason had also been advised to issue writs for t…

Robert Jensen (2021-12-28). Critiquing Transgender Theology. dissidentvoice.org There's a sad irony at the heart of Janice Raymond's new book on transgenderism and feminism. After decades of research and activism, she is uniquely qualified to contribute to the polarized debate over these issues. But because she has long been demonized by the transgender movement, her insights on sex and gender will be overlooked …

WSWS (2021-12-28). UK Johnson government takes no new measures against pandemic. wsws.org The decision was a fait accompli. Johnson is under instruction from his party's most fascistic wing in the COVID Recovery Group to ignore all warnings that the Omicron variant of the virus is surging out of control, infecting millions and rapidly overwhelming the National Health Service.

WSWS (2021-12-28). CDC surrenders US population to the spread of Omicron. wsws.org The US health agency is effectively ending any effort to stop the spread of COVID, in order to meet business demands for workers.

teleSUR (2021-12-28). Saint Vincent & The Grenadines To Use Cuba's Abdala Vaccine. telesurenglish.net On Monday, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG) became the first country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to authorize the use of Abdala, a COVID-19 vaccine made in Cuba. | RELATED: | Previously, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced that Cuba had donated 300 Abdala doses to his country, which would be used immediately on teachers and other workers who are on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic. | "God and the Cuba…

WSWS (2021-12-28). Florida sees alarming growth of COVID-19 infections fueled by Omicron variant. wsws.org New cases jumped nearly 333 percent as more than 125,000 cases were reported last week compared to just 28,841 cases the week prior.

Sarah Anderson (2021-12-28). 'Our Deadline is Victory'. zcomm.org The Poor People's Campaign and progressive members of Congress vow to continue the fight for the Build Back Better Act…

Tom Ferguson (2021-12-28). In 2020, Elites Bailed on Trump, Not on Republican Party. zcomm.org By Jan 6th events, the majority of corporate America wanted Trump gone, but money continued to flow to GOP…

_____ (2021-12-28). The World is Turning to Nuclear Power amid the Raging Energy Crisis. journal-neo.org The energy crisis is perhaps the worst since 1973, when the Arab countries imposed an oil embargo, protesting against Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Combined with a pandemic, new strains, and a lockdown relapse threat, it is a deadly blow to economies and industries worldwide. Bloomberg sounds the alarm: problems with …

Staff (2021-12-28). Angela Davis on Imagining New Worlds, the Campaign to Free Mumia and the Biden Presidency. democracynow.org World-renowned author, activist and professor Angela Davis talks about navigating the pandemic and an inadequate two-party political system during a time of racial uprising in the United States. She also talks about imprisoned journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Biden presidential campaign and the protests that erupted from the police killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

F. William Engdahl (2021-12-28). Will the Federal Reserve Crash Global Financial Markets As a Means to Implementing Their "Great Reset"? globalresearch.ca First published on December 16, 2021 | It's looking increasingly likely that the US Federal Reserve and the globalist powers that be will use the dramatic rising of inflation as their excuse to bring down the US financial markets and with …

Chris Hedges (2021-12-28). PEN America and the Betrayal of Julian Assange. zcomm.org Careerists and Democratic Party apparatchiks successfully leverage corporate money and backing to seize and deform historic rights organizations into appendages of the ruling class…

teleSUR (2021-12-28). Israeli Missile Attack Targets Syrian Seaport. telesurenglish.net A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. | RELATED: | The Israelis fired their missiles from the Mediterranean against the commercial port of Latakia, hitting the container terminal and igniting a fire, SANA quoted a military statement as saying. | Some of the containers hit by Israeli missiles in Latakia port appeared to co…

Jason Ditz (2021-12-27). 18 Yemeni Soldiers Killed in Maarib in Fight Against Houthis. news.antiwar.com Fighting on Sunday raged inn the area just south of Maarib, with pro-Saudi forces reporting No figures were offered for the Houthi side, though the pro-Saudi side did claim "many Houthis killed in the battle by airstrikes." The Houthis reported 16 airstrikes hit the area. | Heavy airstrikes killing scores of Houthis are a near daily occurrence in Maarib. This has become the last ditch strategy to keep…

_____ (2021-12-27). Monsanto Will Plead Guilty To Illegal Use Of Pesticide In Hawaii. popularresistance.org In court documents filed on 9 December in Hawaii, Monsanto agreed to plead guilty to 30 environmental crimes related to the use of a pesticide on corn fields in Hawaii, and the company further agreed to plead guilty to two other charges related to the storage of a banned pesticide that were the subject of a 2019 Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA).

Jamal Rich (2021-12-27). Homeless for the holidays: D.C. to continue encampment evictions during pandemic. peoplesworld.org

Ali Abunimah (2021-12-27). Palestinians pay tribute to Desmond Tutu. electronicintifada.net South African liberation icon strongly endorsed Israel boycott.

Selma Dabbagh (2021-12-27). Love tormented by betrayal. electronicintifada.net Sahar Khalifeh pays tribute to Nakba-era Palestinian resistance.

Robert S. Becker (2021-12-27). Can Trumpist fascism commandeer America, today's richest, 'exceptional,' freedom-loving empire? nationofchange.org How can an unteachable blunderer—failing every presidential crisis, many self-created, pull off the most improbable, fascist lurch since the 19th century?

Andrew Emett (2021-12-27). Medical examiner identifies innocent 14-year-old girl killed by LAPD. nationofchange.org "My commitment is to conduct a thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led up to this tragedy and provide the family and public with as much information as possible."

Robert Reich (2021-12-27). Staying hopeful in turbulent times. nationofchange.org Which is why we have to keep up the fight even when feeling deeply discouraged.

Kiah Collier, Maya Miller (2021-12-27). A plant that sterilizes medical equipment spews cancer-causing pollution on tens of thousands of schoolchildren. nationofchange.org Beal, of the EPA, said that the Biden administration has "reinvigorated its commitment to protect public health from toxic air emissions from industrial facilities." And she said ethylene oxide in particular is a major priority.

Staff (2021-12-27). Talk World Radio: Greta Zarro on Peace Activism in 2021. davidswanson.org AUDIO: Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm. Here is this week's video and all the videos on Youtube. VIDEO: This week on Talk World Radio we're talking about peace activism in 2021 and looking ahead to 2022. Our guest Greta Zarro is Organizing Director for World BEYOND War, where I'm …

In Defense of Liberation! (2021-12-27). . anchor.fm This is part one of what I'm hoping wi be an ongoing series as I continue to organize myself, while learning about ongoing movements and struggles here in Turtle Island and across the world. We need to learn to take concrete analysis of concrete conditions, to see and meet the needs of the masses, to stick true to our word and to keep our word as truth, constantly point out all that is antagonistic between the classes and among the people so as to clearly be able to point it out AND act upon it. But as Kwame Nkrumah stresses, "Action presupposes Organization." We need to organized, fast. We have much to fight, an…

_____ (2021-12-27). Will 2022 be Better Than the Outgoing Year? journal-neo.org As 2021 is approaching its end, efforts are being made to assess it and gain insight into what the New Year, 2022, holds in store for us. In 2021, the world has still been reeling under the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic, but it has turned out to be more hectic: the old conflicts have flared …

_____ (2021-12-27). Turkey's Economic Difficulties and the Fate of Erdogan. journal-neo.org Turkey's economy is in freefall: the lira is falling, inflation is rising, and food prices are spiraling. The government has resorted to disinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories to deflect blame from itself and shift it to others. But the lower living standards of the common people and the country's future is unlikely to end the …

Andrew Korybko (2021-12-27). The Neo-NAM: From Vision to Reality. moderndiplomacy.eu The latest Putin-Modi Summit was a global geostrategic game-changer unlocking the potential for the two great powers to jointly assemble a new Non-Aligned Movement ("Neo-NAM"). Their meeting came against the backdrop of both countries recalibrating their respective "balancing" acts. Russia has been engaged in high-level diplomacy with the U.S. while India defied America's CAATSA sanctions …

Dr. Andrey KORTUNOV (2021-12-27). Russia in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Art of Balancing. moderndiplomacy.eu Strictly speaking, Russia is not an Eastern Mediterranean country. It does not have direct access to the Mediterranean Sea; its most important strategic and economic interests belong to other parts of the world, such as the North Atlantic or East Asia. However, for a long time Russia has been trying to make its presence in …

Dr.Begum Burak (2021-12-27). Emotions and the Outlook for Turkish Politics. moderndiplomacy.eu Economic well-being and social prosperity of the citizens are among the significant factors that determine electoral behavior. Everyone wants to lead a life in a country where they can fully have the right of freedom of speech, and other civil liberties. In a fair social order where rule of law prevails, people feel happier and …

Sergey Ryabkov (2021-12-27). Russia's nonproliferation policy and global strategic stability. moderndiplomacy.eu While the weight of accumulated problems and troubling instabilities in strategic sphere is significant, relations among nuclear powers are very far from being well-tempered. The situation is heavily overshadowed by disintegration of the arms control architecture, mostly due to the destructive course of the previous U.S. Administration. The New START Treaty is practically the last …

Luis Feliz León (2021-12-27). Christmas On Strike: Warrior Met Miners Stick It Out. zcomm.org "At the end of the day we're all workers, and workers have to stay together. It's been eye-opening to see where your support comes from."

Jan6 Unity Day Coalition (2021-12-27). Wednesday 12/28: Host Training: How to Organize an Event for Jan. 6th Day of Remembrance & Action. indybay.org Online training webinar…

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2021-12-27). America's Climate Emergency. zcomm.org It does not look likely the Biden administration will act in time to forestall the predicted punishing rage of climate change…

Rosalind English (2021-12-27). Enforced quarantine in hotels: a breach of the right to liberty? ukhumanrightsblog.com Hotta and others, R(on the application of) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and another [2021] EWHC 3359 (Admin) This was an application for permission to challenge to the Managed Hotel Quarantine (MHQ) scheme. MHQ was put into place under Schedule 11 to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) …

Camilo Pérez-Bustillo (2021-12-27). Radical Democracy Is Resurgent in Latin America. How Will the US Respond? truthout.org Chile has become the global capital of resurgent opposition to neoliberalism and resistance to fascism, electing the world's youngest president,

Staff (2021-12-27). Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) on Apartheid, War, Palestine, Guantánamo, Climate Crisis & More. democracynow.org Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African anti-apartheid icon, has died at the age of 90. In 1984 Desmond Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fighting to end white minority rule in South Africa. After the fall of apartheid, Archbishop Tutu chaired the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he pushed for restorative justice. He was a leading voice for human rights and peace around the world. He opposed the Iraq War and condemned the Israeli occupation in Palestine, comparing it to apartheid South Africa. We reair two interviews Archbishop Tutu did on Democracy Now!, as well as two speech…

Multiple Climate Action Groups (2021-12-27). Friday 1/14: Code Red for Humanity: What SF Bay Area Municipalities Can Do to Support Climate Action. indybay.org Online event…

Sarah Kleiner (2021-12-27). Rural America Is Facing an Invisible Eviction Crisis. truthout.org This MILLSVILLE, West Virginia — About 70 miles northwest of the nation's capital, past wineries in the affluent Virginia countryside and across the state line into West Virginia, there's a house on a hill in a deteriorating nei…

teleSUR, SH (2021-12-27). Cancelan casi 8.000 vuelos esta semana por la variante ómicron. telesurtv.net Numerosas compañías aéreas debieron poner en cuarentena a sus tripulaciones que se vieron expuestos a la Covid-19 en la última semana.

Ruth Milkman (2021-12-27). How the Hart—Celler Act Changed America. zcomm.org For those eager to advance the cause of immigrant rights, or for anyone who wants to understand the historical roots of the current political landscape, The Walls Within should be required reading…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-12-27). Bombshell: CDC No Longer Recognizes the PCR Test As a Valid Method for Detecting "Confirmed Covid-19 Cases" globalresearch.ca Smoking Gun: The CDC Says that the PCR Test is Invalid. Does not differentiate between Covid-19 and Seasonal Influenza. Does not detect or identify SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. If the PCR test is invalid the 260 Million "Confirmed Covid-19 Cases" collected Worldwide are meaningless. There is no Pandemic.

Byul Ryan-Im (2021-12-27). The Weekly Round-Up: New COVID-19 rules for three nations and no investigation into Met on Downing Street Christmas party. ukhumanrightsblog.com In the news: From 26 December new Covid rules came into effect in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. All three nations have limited the size of public events and face coverings are compulsory in most indoor public spaces. Covid passports or proof of a negative test result is required at many venues. Nightclubs will close in Wales and Scotland from 27 December and in …

Sarah Butrymowicz (2021-12-27). Tuition Debt Financing Companies Help For-Profit Colleges Stay in Business. truthout.org This story was produced by On a muggy June morning in 2019, administrators from for-profit colleges took their seats in breakout rooms on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency in downtown New Orleans. They had arrived for the Career Education Colleges and Universities trade association's annual convention and were getting ready to choos…

Alex Jensen (2021-12-27). Appropriate Technology, Traditional Cultures and Degrowth. zcomm.org From an ethical and sustainability perspective, the reigning technological system is fundamentally in-appropriate…

ecns.cn (2021-12-27). Snow-capped village in SW China looks picturesque. ecns.cn Snow-capped Shadong village looks picturesque at the foot of Fanjing Mountain in the southwest China's Guizhou Province, Dec. 26, 2021.

sputniknews (2021-12-27). Israel is Set to Offer 4th Dose of Pfizer Vaccine; Expert Says It Should Not Be Mandatory. sputniknews.com The decision to start mass vaccination yet again hasn't been taken yet, but the Jewish state is already encouraging its medical staff, people above 60 and those at risk to get the jab.

Institute of Policy Studies (2021-12-27). Wednesday 1/19: A Just Transition for Latin America: Intersection of Gender, Ethnic & Ecological Justice. indybay.org Online event…

Labor Video Project (2021-12-27). Sausalito Homeless Protest Police Attacks & Arrest Of Journalist Jeremy Portje. indybay.org Homeless are under attack in Sausalito as well as an independent journalist Jeremy Portje. California Homeless Union counsel Anthony Price is interviewed about these struggles.

Staff (2021-12-27). Study reveals how Covid affects the brain. rt.com The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 can within days move from the respiratory system into the brain, heart, and nearly every organ system in the body, and stay there for months, a new study says. | A team from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) described their research as the "most comprehensive analysis" to date of how the virus spreads through the human body. The results were published online on Saturday in a manuscript, which was submitted under review in the Nature journal. | The scientists based their findings on autopsies of 44 patients who died after contracting Covid. The autopsies were p…

Florian Zollmann (2021-12-27). Russia is reacting to NATO's policy of expansion. indybay.org Russia is accused of calculating power and bellicose behavior. As far as the situation in Ukraine is concerned, however, the political facts speak a different language. Russia is being built as an enemy for peace. With its Ukraine policy, Russia is actually reacting to NATO's expansionist policy.

NorCal MLK, SF Public Library,, partners (2021-12-27). Monday 1/17: MLK22 Black & Brown Comix Arts Festival Expo Showcase. indybay.org Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA. 94103 | REQUIRED: Wear a mask. Proof of COVID vaccine status required for ages 12+ in order to enter.

Jon Queally (2021-12-27). World's Most Destructive Climate Disasters of 2021 Cost Nearly $200 Billion. truthout.org A new report out Monday shows that 2021 continued the trend of annual climate devastation worldwide that is costing the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars as planet-heating emissions unleash exactly the kind of damage scientists have warned about for decades. | The new report by Christian Aid — entitled "

David Rovics (2021-12-27). Desmond Tutu Opposed Capitalism, Israeli Apartheid and US/UK Imperialism, Too. zcomm.org Long live Desmond Tutu's vision of a world free of oppression — a world in which so many of the politicians praising him today would be in front of a truth and reconciliation commission tomorrow, if Tutu were calling the shots…

Indivisible Marin (2021-12-27). Thursday 1/6: Call to Action: Defend Democracy Virtual Hour of Action w/ Indivisible Marin. indybay.org Virtual action – join from anywhere (hosted from Marin)…

Carissa Byrne Hessick (2021-12-27). The Constitutional Right We Have Bargained Away. zcomm.org Instead of protecting defendants' right to have their guilt or innocence decided by their peers, judges routinely punish defendants for exercising that right.

Mike Ludwig (2021-12-27). We Are Not Returning to "Normal." 2022 Must Be a Year of Change. truthout.org President Joe Biden cast his successful election as a signal of a return to some semblance of normalcy after the chaos that defined the reign of Donald Trump, as if "normal" could describe Instead, 2021 was a year of pandemic uncertainty and harsh, right-wing backlash to any small amount of progress made by the social movem…

Jan6 Unity Day Coalition (2021-12-27). Thursday 1/6: Napa: Jan. 6th Day of Remembrance & Action Vigil to Defend Democracy. indybay.org Veterans Memorial Park, Main Street and 3rd Street, Napa, CA 94559 | Please wear a mask and be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…

reenvia Red Latina sin fronteras (2021-12-27). Arbolito navideño y tantas otras arboledas de memorias que resisten. indybay.org Arbolito navideño y tantas otras arboledas de memorias que aùn resisten…

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-27). The ten most popular Imperial news stories of 2021. imperial.ac.uk Well into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic Imperial research continues to save lives and generate headlines around the world.

Fight Back (2021-12-27). World Federation of Trade Unions New Year 2022 Message. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). | Dear colleagues, | Another year is coming to an end. Another year is added to the history of the WFTU and the world class-oriented movement. Another year made us cry and laugh, without losing not even for a moment our optimism for the best days to come for our class, thanks to our struggle and our firm political perception. | Making a brief assessment, as is usual at the end of each year, we will see that some things are repeated monotonously, but also new things are born, filling us with optimism f…

reenvia Red Latina sin fronteras (2021-12-27). Kurdistà n_Abdullah àñcalan: redefiniendo la revolución. indybay.org Kurdistà n y sus pueblos en lucha | El paradigma de Abdullah àñcalan: redefiniendo la revolución…

Moderator (2021-12-27). Hedges: PEN America and the Betrayal of Julian Assange. scheerpost.com By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost | Nils Melzer, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, is one of the very few establishment figures Those in power, as Noam Chomsky points out, divide the world into "worthy" and "unwor…

F. Douglas Stephenson (2021-12-27). Purdue Pharma/ Sackler Family Fails in End Run around Justice. zcomm.org In a seismic victory for justice and accountability, the Sackler family will be forced to confront the pain and devastation they have allegedly caused…

Julia Conley (2021-12-26). Desmond Tutu, Fierce Opponent of South African and Israeli Apartheid, Dies at 90. truthout.org Leaving behind a legacy of fighting for oppressed people in South Africa and around the world, Archbishop Desmond Tutu died Sunday at age 90 in Cape Town, South Africa. The cause was reportedly cancer. | Advocates for human rights, health equity, economic justice, and nonviolence honored Tutu, who helped lead the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was formed afterwards. | The Elders, the independent group of global leaders working for j…

_____ (2021-12-26). US-Backed TPLF Seeks Protection From UN After Facing Military Defeat. popularresistance.org On December 23, Ethiopian government's Minister of Communication Service, Legesse Tulu, announced that all parts of eastern Amhara and the entire Afar state have been liberated from the occupation of the US-backed Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). | The TPLF, which started the civil war in November 2020 by attacking a federal army base in Tigray state's capital city Mekelle, had invaded these two neighboring states after the federal government's unilateral ceasefire on June 29.

_____ (2021-12-26). For Third Year, Committee To Protect Journalists Excludes Assange From Jailed Journalist Index. popularresistance.org A record number of journalists are imprisoned throughout the world, according to the annual prison index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). But that number excludes WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | CPJ, which is based in New York, opposes the United States Justice Department's prosecution against Assange. However, for the third year, the press freedom organization declined to classify him as a jailed journalist. | In the organization's press release on the 2021 index, it states, "No journalists were jailed in North America at the time of the census deadline." That may be true, but it obscu…

_____ (2021-12-26). Israeli State Violence Intensifying As 2021 Proves Deadliest For Palestinians Since 2014. popularresistance.org The latest string of killings by Israeli forces follows the same predictable pattern of Israeli state violence against Palestinians, but with one significant distinction. Israel's violence is intensifying, as 2021 is proving to be the deadliest for Palestinians since 2014.

Editor2 (2021-12-26). The Socialist Program Red Star Over the Third World w/ Vijay Prashad: Lessons of Soviet History — Part 2. orinocotribune.com This interview is an episode of | Russia's October Revolution in 1917 and the rise of Soviet power rev…

Editor2 (2021-12-26). Ukraine in the Great Game. orinocotribune.com By Alexander Dugin — Dec 21, 2021 | Throughout history, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia were intertwined with a set of solid cultural, political, and economic links, to the point that the division did not appear more than mere administrative under Soviet jurisdiction. But it all changed after the collapse of the Union. | The escalation between the West and Russia | Today, under Joe Biden's neoconservative and ultra-globalist administration, relations between Russia and the United States are so strained that humanity is on the verge not of a Cold War (which has long been ongoing), but of a nuclear war, World War…

Timothy Alexander Guzman (2021-12-26). Poking the Russian Bear: US-NATO Aggression and Russia's Red Line. globalresearch.ca Following the Taliban's victory over US-NATO forces in Afghanistan, Washington is walking into another death trap, but this time on Russia's borders with the neighboring Ukraine. So now, Washington's non-partisan bureaucrats and the Military-Industrial Complex are calling for ways to …

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-26). Senators sound Ukraine "War Drums", not "Peace Chimes" on Christmas Eve. globalresearch.ca On the day before Christmas, when the world's two billion Christians celebrate the birth of the prince of peace, the Washington Post accorded Senators Rob Portman and Jeanne Shaheen — Republican and Democrat, from Ohio and New Hampshire, respectively — …

Dr. Anjum Sarfraz (2021-12-26). AUKUS Leading to Nuclear Arms Race in Indo — Pacific Region. moderndiplomacy.eu To contain Chinese military and economic, influence especially in the Indo — Pacific region, USA and its allies are making all efforts including the supply of nuclear submarines (subs) to Australia a trusted associate. On 15 September 2021 Prime Minister of UK Boris Johnson, US President Joseph Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued …

Steven Sahiounie (2021-12-26). China Will Overtake the US In the Course of the Next Ten Years: Max Parry. globalresearch.ca : | The US is faced with a long list of hot-spots and tensions. Beginning with the situation in Iraq, where the Parliament has asked the US troops to leave. However, the …

Carrie Levine (2021-12-26). New Anti-Protest Laws Cast a Long Shadow on First Amendment Rights. zcomm.org 'Who defines what peaceful is?' A deep divide over protests…

_____ (2021-12-26). On Contact: Slow-Motion Execution Of Julian Assange. popularresistance.org On the show, Chris Hedges discusses the torture of Julian Assange with his father, John Shipton. | Julian Assange committed the empire's greatest sin — he exposed it as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, callous disregard for human life, rampant corruption, and innumerable war crimes. Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Labour, Trump or Biden — it does not matter. The goons who oversee the empire sing from the same satanic songbook. Empires always kill those who inflict deep and serious wounds.

Ashley Curtin (2021-12-26). Taylor Energy agrees to pay for cleanup of longest-running oil spill in US history. nationofchange.org Taylor Energy will pay upwards of $43 million in penalties and transfer $432 million as a trust to the Department to start cleaning up the 17-year spill.

Andrew Emett (2021-12-26). Former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death. nationofchange.org "Justice is beyond the reach that we have in this life for Daunte. But accountability is an important step, a critical necessary step on the road to justice for us all."

Victoria Shineman (2021-12-26). California is the world's number one importer of Amazonian oil, report finds. nationofchange.org Tracking oil exports in the Amazon identified that the majority of Amazonian oil comes from Ecuador and ends up in the hands of large California-based corporations.

Liberation Staff (2021-12-26). Socialists distribute essentials, build working-class solidarity during holiday season. liberationnews.org These actions include coat and clothing distributions, toy and gift drives, serving breakfast in homeless shelters, and providing household essentials to working-class residents.

Zach Farber (2021-12-26). 2021: A banner year for sports support of Palestine. liberationnews.org Sporting boycotts were instrumental in undermining the legitimacy of the South African apartheid regime. Time will tell their impact in bringing down Israeli apartheid.

_____ (2021-12-26). Puyallup Tribe And Community Organizations Challenge Decision Allowing Tacoma LNG Facility. popularresistance.org Today, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and several community organizations filed an appeal with Pierce County Superior Court challenging a November decision by the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB). Despite misleading and inaccurate information used to evaluate the project, PCHB determined the Puget Sound Energy's (PSE) air permits, issued by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) and given to the Tacoma Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility, were adequate.

_____ (2021-12-26). The Big Business Behind Travel Nursing. popularresistance.org As the first wave of Covid-19 hit the United States, Jen, a 53-year-old nurse struggling to pay her bills, received an intriguing message. "THE TIME HAS COME TO DEPLOY AT INCREDIBLY HIGH RATES," read the mass text from Krucial Staffing, sent to nurses nationwide in March 2020 and forwarded to Jen by a colleague. Jen (a pseudonym used to protect her from retaliation from employers) could barely believe the wages promised by the Kansas-based healthcare staffing firm. As part of its massive recruitment drive during the first wave of Covid-19, Krucial was paying $10,000 a week to nurses willing to travel‚Ä…

_____ (2021-12-26). What's Really Causing Inflation & How We Should Deal With It. popularresistance.org While times have been getting harder for workers, it is clear that capitalists (or "big business") have been doing very well. It would seem as though everyone is against inflation. But the real problem is not that prices have been increasing but that wages have not kept up with this. It is important to look not only at why inflation has increased but at the very different question of why wages have not kept up with it.

Dr.Nadia Helmy (2021-12-26). The attempts of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in the process of polarization within the American society. moderndiplomacy.eu All indicators within the American society indicate that (the Organization of American Islamic Relations "CARE") is considered a complex and intertwined organization, and it surpasses many civil work organizations inside the United States, as it has become to talk about (the huge funding network enjoyed by the "CARE" organization and the presence of more than …

Dr.Nadia Helmy (2021-12-26). The different views of democracy between the U.S, and its allies in the Middle East. moderndiplomacy.eu There are many surprising paradoxes and analyzes that must be stopped when analyzing the American democracy summit, chief among which is the inclusion of the "International Institute for Democracy and Election Aid" in November 2021 of the United States of America for the first time in the list of "regressing democracies". For this, there are …

Harsh Mahaseth (2021-12-26). The Politics of Intolerance and Discrimination: Aliraan Kepercayaan of Indonesia. moderndiplomacy.eu Authors: Harsh Mahaseth and Aadira Menon* Indonesia, a 30,000-island archipelago with 300 ethnic groups, is a mainly Muslim country with a long history of religious diversity. The earliest major world religions to arrive in Indonesia were Hinduism and Buddhism, followed by Islam and Christianity. The identity of the "others" is unknown; however, they may be …

MD Staff (2021-12-26). How wind power is transforming communities in Viet Nam. moderndiplomacy.eu In two provinces of Viet Nam, a quiet transformation is taking place, driven by the power of renewable energy. Thien Nghiep Commune, a few hundred kilometres from Ho Chi Min City, is a community of just over 6,000 people — where for years, people relied largely on farming, fishing and seasonal labour to make ends …

Newsclick (2021-12-26). Mapping Faultlines: Can we expect a breakthrough in Iran nuclear deal talks? peoplesdispatch.org NewsClick's Prabir Purkayastha analyzes the major points of contention ahead of the latest round of Iran nuclear deal talks that are set to begin in Vienna on Monday…

Newsroom (2021-12-26). The Future of Work is About People, not Tech. moderndiplomacy.eu The future of work—with advanced technologies and new working arrangements—is here and is changing economic opportunities and employment relationships. However, according to the 2021 APEC Economic Policy Report, certain economic structures, laws and institutions across APEC remain products of the past. The report highlighted four megadrivers of the future of work. These are technological change, climate …

Olga Malik (2021-12-26). Pakistan—Russia Gas Stream: Opportunities and Risks of New Flagship Energy Project. moderndiplomacy.eu Russia's Yekaterinburg hosted the 7th meeting of the Russian-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation on November 24—26, 2021. Chaired by Omar Ayub Khan, Pakistan's Minister for Economic Affairs, and Nikolai Shulginov, Russia's Minister of Energy, the meeting was attended by around 70 policy makers, heads of key industrial companies and businessmen …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-26). Attack on protesting oil refinery workers in Greece condemned. peoplesdispatch.org On December 21, police attacked the workers of Kavala Petroleum who were protesting at their plant against threats of layoffs and inadequate safety measures. The All Workers Militant Front of Greece and the Communist Party of Greece have condemned these attacks…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-26). Belgian Workers' Party intensifies campaign to reduce energy bills. peoplesdispatch.org As of December 25, a petition launched by the PTB demanding a reduction in the VAT has been endorsed by over 290,000 people. The VAT on energy bills is one of the highest in Europe…

Sheikh Fakhar-e-Alam (2021-12-26). Religious Tourism in Pakistan: The Case of Sikhism & Buddhism. moderndiplomacy.eu Religious tourism plays an important role in reviving the country's economic activity through promoting religious-based tourism. Realizing the economic and political importance of this sector, the Government has taken ample measures to support this industry. Hence, with Government support and improved law and order situation, religious-based tourism in Pakistan is flourishing and attracting different communities. …

Staff (2021-12-26). Fourth Coffee Export Shipment from Lara State to the United States. orinocotribune.com Nine containers with 210 tons of green coffee were exported to the United States, from Lara state of Venezuela, through the efforts of the Asopras company together with the Lara Foreign Trade Company (EMCOEX). | José Maldonado, director of EMCOEX, reported this Saturday, December 24, that all operations regarding the fourth export shipment of green coffee to the US were carried out from the GD Jacinto Lara dry port intermodal terminal. | Mal…

Staff (2021-12-26). President Maduro Praises Christmas Toy Distribution Campaign. orinocotribune.com On Saturday, December 25, President Nicolás Maduro praised the activities of the Christmas toy distribution campaign, which was carried out as a joint initiative of the Venezuelan government and the social organizations. | In a Christmas message, Maduro wrote on Twitter, "I appreciate the effort and commitment of our leaders who have travelled to every corner of the country to bring smiles to the faces of our boys and girls. We are moved by love for the seedlings of our homeland. Merry Christmas!" | Along with the message, the president posted photos of children receiving their toys in a campaign in Caracas which…

Subodh Varma (2021-12-26). What about jobs in cities, Mr. Modi? peoplesdispatch.org With 7-8% joblessness for the past few years, urban job seekers are helpless and hopeless. An equally alarming trend is the fall of the work participation rate itself in cities and towns…

Stephen Macekura (2021-12-26). Mismeasuring progress: A critique of the growth paradigm. zcomm.org Historian Stephen J. Macekura traces the origins of the growth paradigm and explains why we are still in the grips of his powerful-but-flawed economic idea today…

Prof. Anthony J. Hall (2021-12-26). Corrupt Judges and Elected Politicians in Lockstep with Covid Mandate. A Power-Grab at Levels Never Before Seen in the History of the World? globalresearch.ca Different methods in choosing and employing judges form a possible factor in the contrasting judicial reception to schemes for mandatory injections in the United States and Canada. | The fact that some judges in the United States are elected, might make …

John Knefel (2021-12-26). A Year in, Biden Hasn't Fulfilled Promise to Repair Refugee Resettlement Program. truthout.org On June 20, 2020, World Refugee Day, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden made his most sweeping

Ellen Brown (2021-12-26). The Real Antidote to Inflation: Stoking the Fire Without Burning Down the Barn. globalresearch.ca The Fed has options for countering the record inflation the U.S. is facing that are more productive and less risky than raising interest rates. | The Federal Reserve is caught between a rock and a hard place. Inflation grew by 6.8% …

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2021-12-26). Nord Stream 2 is a double-edged geopolitical tool. peoplesdispatch.org When Pavel Zavalny, the chairman of Russian parliamentary committee on energy, made the forecast on December 18 that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could start shipping natural gas to Germany as early as next month, it was received with disbelief. But Zavalny was categorical, and was quoted by Reuters as saying, "I can say with a high degree of certainty that the first gas via Nord Stream 2 will go in January." | He added that Europeans would not want to drag their feet with the certification process over Nord Stream 2 at a time when their storage levels of gas is so abysmally low. | But Zavalny was effectively contr…

Julia Rock (2021-12-26). YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: Coal Miners Want Build Back Better. dailyposter.com

_____ (2021-12-26). Mongolia is Among Russia's Key Partners in Asia. journal-neo.org Russia and Mongolia are close neighbors, and their immediate geographic proximity has determined the mutual geopolitical pull of Russia and Mongolia, an objective contributing to political, military, trade and economics, cultural, and other bilateral ties. Russian-Mongolian relations, characterized by traditional good-neighborliness, are comprehensive, oriented to further development in the spirit of strategic partnership, based on …

Jonathan Cook (2021-12-26). "Coerced Vaccination": The Left's Contempt for Bodily Autonomy during the Covid-19 Pandemic. A "Gift to the Right"? globalresearch.ca | First published on December 22, 2021 | When did parts of the left get so contemptuous of the principle of "bodily autonomy"? Answer: Just about the time they started fetishising vaccines as the only route out of the current pandemic. | Only …

Martin Armstrong (2021-12-26). The Covid-19 Pandemic Procedure at The International Criminal Court (ICC). globalresearch.ca The complaint filed with the International Criminal Court continues to provide a broad-picture view of the various ways governments have used the coronavirus to exploit the people. | INFLATED COVID FIGURES | Nurses and doctors from hospitals across the world have …

Fight Back (2021-12-26). FRSO greetings to Communist Party of the Philippines on 53rd anniversary. fightbacknews.org From: Freedom Road Socialist Organization | To: Communist Party of the Philippines | Dear Comrades, | The leadership and members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization send our warm and militant greetings to the Communist Party of the Philippines on the occasion of the of your 53rd anniversary and we wish the CPP every success in developing the people's democratic revolution. | Working and oppressed people around the world, including here in the U.S., take inspiration from heroic struggle of the people of the Philippines and the great advances made by the CPP. Your party has grown from a relatively small organiza…

Noah Styzkgold (2021-12-26). Victorious Kellogg's workers. zcomm.org The strike involved workers across Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, most of whom stood with their coworkers on a picket line for the first time in their lives…

Hadas Thier (2021-12-26). Businesses Have Manufactured Inflation Fear to Protect Profits Amid Rising Wages. truthout.org For weeks, a high-pitched panic about inflation has infused the mainstream media, most absurdly in Up until recently, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pushed back against this kind of narrative, arguing that rising prices were a s…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-12-26). Video: "Imagine All The People": The Covid-19 Omicron Christmas and New Year Lockdown. globalresearch.ca We are told by our governments that It's Christmas under Lockdown. To protect you and your loved ones against the so-called deadly Covid Omicron Variant. The announcement was made on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

David Waltham (2021-12-26). We should ban all new oil and gas fields. zcomm.org It would be much better for people and planet if there were no further investments in the first place…

Sydney Pereira (2021-12-26). Confronted with the holiday rush, retail workers are organizing and speaking out. zcomm.org The holiday season has brought many of the risks and challenges of retail work to a head, from crowds and maskless customers to demanding bosses and supply chain problems…

_____ (2021-12-26). Philippe Sands Makes The Case For A New International Crime Called Ecocide. popularresistance.org The British Lawyer And Author Has Held Nazis And Presidents Accountable For Crossing The Moral Red Line. Now, He Argues, The Time Has Come To Pursue Those Who Commit Crimes Against The Environment. His lectures are part of a global campaign, led by Stop Ecocide International, to make acts of mass environmental destruction a crime within the purview of the International Criminal Court, which has a mandate to investigate and prosecute individuals who otherwise would evade accountability after committing the most serious crimes of concern to humanity at large.

Prof. Claudia von Werlhof (2021-12-26). Global WAR-NING! Geoengineering Is Wrecking Our Planet and Humanity. globalresearch.ca World leaders are meeting in Glasgow at COP-26. All eyes are now on "the imminent dangers of CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions". The "climate emergency" is a timely instrument of propaganda used to distract people from questioning "the real crisis", namely the Covid-19 "plandemic".

_____ (2021-12-25). Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. journal-neo.org The last year was marked by a number of important events that NEO's been covering daily due to the valiant effort of all of our authors. The rapid growth in the number of terrorist attacks and the ongoing armed conflicts — that is the outcome of the short-sighted policies employed by certain countries and Wahhabi states. The "New Eastern Outlook" …

Dr. Gary G. Kohls (2021-12-25). The Forgotten Christmas Truce of 1914. Unlearned Lessons which could have Prevented a Century of War (1914 — 2014). globalresearch.ca It was exactly 106 years ago this month when the Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred, when Christian soldiers on both sides of the infamous No Man's Land of the Western Front, recognized their common humanity, dropped their guns and fraternized …

Dr. Jacques R. Pauwels (2021-12-25). World War I: The 1914 Christmas Truce. globalresearch.ca An excerpt from Jacques Pauwels' book The Great Class War, 1914-1918 | The situation in the fall 1914, after the "war of movement" has given way to the infamous stationary "trench warfare": | The ordinary soldiers developed more and more antipathy and …

Luis Feliz Leon (2021-12-25). Warrior Met Coal Miners Are Spending Christmas 2021 on Strike. truthout.org This article was first published by This Christmas, as millions of families settle in to adorn fir trees, the children of striking coal miners in Alabama have asked mainly for practical gifts. Shoes and clothes top their lists, followed by Barbies and Rainbow High dolls, Legos, Nerf guns, and makeup kits. | Roughly 300 children will receive these gifts through donations collected by the Min…

Frida Berrigan (2021-12-25). The Climate Won't Survive Our Current Appetite for Consumerism and Consumption. truthout.org Confession time: this year, I don't want to buy my kids anything for Christmas. Big one, right? Okay, let me soften that just a bit. I have bought a few modest, useful things. But that's it! No new games, no new toys, no new clothes (other than socks)… nothing. They already have too much. We have too much. Our nation is drowning in stuff and, in reality, need almost none of it. | There, I've said it! It feels good to get that off my chest, even if it makes me sound like a cold-hearted Grin…

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-25). Apple Workers Held Christmas Eve Walkout for Their Safety Amid Holiday Shopping. truthout.org A group of Apple employees organized a Christmas Eve walkout, demanding better working conditions and calling on customers to not shop in the tech giant's retail or online stores. | "We are Apple," Apple Together, the group organizing the walkout, The worke…

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (2021-12-25). What Low-Wage Workers Understand About the True Meaning of Christmas. zcomm.org Poor people and low-wage workers understand the basic message of Christmas. When the justice of God comes to those at the bottom of society, it is good news for all of us…

_____ (2021-12-25). Growing Russia-India Cooperation Strengthens Global Stability. journal-neo.org With its sanctions intrigues and the desire to demonstrate a servile adherence only to the United States, Europe is increasingly becoming a global strategic periphery. Asia, on the contrary, is moving forward in terms of the global significance of the events taking place there. Against this background, the strategies of Russia and India complement each …

_____ (2021-12-25). I Want To Get Our Rights From The Americans Who Harmed Us. popularresistance.org On 12 July 2007, two US AH-64 Apache helicopters fired 30-millimetre cannon rounds at a group of Iraqi civilians in New Baghdad. These US Army gunners murdered at least a dozen people, including Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his driver Saeed Chmagh. Reuters immediately asked for the US to conduct a probe into the killing. Instead, they were fed the official story by the US government that soldiers of Bravo Company, 2-16 infantry had been attacked by small arms fire as part of their Operation Ilaaj in the al-Amin al-Thaniyah neighbourhood. The soldiers called in air strikes, which came in and cleared…

_____ (2021-12-25). The Real Antidote To Inflation. popularresistance.org The Federal Reserve is caught between a rock and a hard place. Inflation grew by 6.8% in November, the fastest in 40 years, a trend the Fed has now acknowledged is not "transitory." The conventional theory is that inflation is due to too much money chasing too few goods, so the Fed is under heavy pressure to "tighten" or shrink the money supply. Its conventional tools for this purpose are to reduce asset purchases and raise interest rates. But corporate debt has risen by $1.3 trillion just since early 2020; so if the Fed raises rates, a massive wave of defaults is likely to result. According to financial advisor…

Dr.Nadia Helmy (2021-12-25). The positions of the Council on American-Islamic Relations within the American society. moderndiplomacy.eu The positions of (the Organization of American Islamic Relations), known as CAIR, can be evaluated in view of its reputation by confusing human rights papers, defending civil rights and the freedoms of American and foreign Muslims, and its overlap with the Muslim Brotherhood and their political activities and movements, and therefore many evidence since the …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-25). Declassified Documents Reveal How the US Lied to Russia about NATO Expansion in the 1990s. libya360.wordpress.com Kit Klarenberg In April 2014, President Vladimir Putin addressed Russia's Federal Assembly in the wake of Moscow's reabsorption of Crimea. Over the course of his speech, he laid the blame for an increase in tensions on the West, which he insisted had "lied to us many times, made decisions behind our backs, placed us before an…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-25). Mass Demonstrations in Libya Demand an End to the Transitional Phase, the Overthrow of the Corrupt Political Class. libya360.wordpress.com Suzan Al-Ghitani The wall of silence collapsed, and citizens broke the barrier of negativity, saying no to the continuation of chaos, the extension of the transitional stages, and the tampering with the future of country and the Libyan people. The demonstrations delivered strong messages as people gathered in various Libyan cities on December 24, the…

MD Staff (2021-12-25). Pandemic Drives Need for Technology Adoption Among SMEs but Barriers Remain. moderndiplomacy.eu A survey by World Economic Forum indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for more adoption and integration of digital technology among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). However, they face numerous barriers to adopting technology at a critical time of need. While 97% of global companies have accelerated adoption of technology to get …

MD Staff (2021-12-25). Two model rules for domestic implementation of 15% global minimum tax. moderndiplomacy.eu The OECD today published detailed rules to assist in the implementation of a landmark reform to the international tax system, which will ensure Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) will be subject to a minimum 15% tax rate from 2023. The Pillar Two model rules provide governments a precise template for taking forward the two-pillar solution to address …

New Atlas (2021-12-25). New US Embargo on Cambodia Over Friendship with China. newatlas.report December 25, 2021 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — The United States continues a process of targeting and isolating nations around the globe increasingly choosing to do business with Beijing rather than Washington. The most recent of these is the Southeast Asia nation of Cambodia. For years Cambodia has incrementally pivoted from once serving US foreign …

Pavan Kulkarni (2021-12-25). US-backed TPLF seeks protection from UN after facing military defeat. peoplesdispatch.org With federal government forces cornering the TPLF back into Tigray state, the TPLF has called for peace negotiations. The government has called for the disarmament of the group and the surrender of its leadership.

Shane Quinn (2021-12-25). Pentagon Plans to Destroy Dozens of Soviet Cities and the So-called Cold War. globalresearch.ca Of relevance to the ongoing US-NATO agenda directed against the Russian Federation: | The history of Nuclear Weapons dates back to World War II. The Manhattan Project was intended to "Subdue The Soviets" while the US and the USSR were allies. …

Eric Zuesse (2021-12-25). China's success against covid dwarfs The West's. Here's how & why. moderndiplomacy.eu Libertarians/neoliberals in The West can't believe the enormous extent of China's success at keeping down the rates of disease, and of death, and of unemployment, from covid-19, because China's policies on covid are, and have been, the exact opposite of libertarian/neoliberal. (What's called "libertarian" in America is called "neoliberal" throughout the rest of the world.) …

Maha Hilal (2021-12-25). Guantánamo Film Ignores the War on Terror's Ongoing Tangible Harms. truthout.org "There is no them, there is only us," says filmmaker Alex Gibney reflecting on the story of Abu Zubaydah, a torture victim and Guantánamo prisoner who is the focus of his HBO documentary, The Forever Prisoner. Expanding on this, he poses a challenge: "If we believe in that idea, how can we imprison a man without charge for the remainder of his life — not for what he did to us, but for what we did to him?" In this statement made at the conclusion of the documentary, Gibney explicitly notes that the…

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-25). 800+ Faith Leaders Tell Biden, Dems Voting Rights Must Be 'Number One Priority' in 2022. zcomm.org "We cannot be clearer: You must act now to protect every American's freedom to vote without interference and with confidence that their ballot will be counted and honored."

WSWS (2021-12-25). Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez discusses the fight for the truth about airborne transmission of COVID-19. wsws.org In this interview, Dr. Jimenez reviews the science of airborne transmission, the present threat of the Omicron variant, and why the WHO and world governments refuse to educate the population on airborne transmission.

Yanis Iqbal (2021-12-25). Left-wing Victory in Chile. dissidentvoice.org The 2021 presidential election in Chile has resulted in the victory of the Left candidate Gabriel Boric. With nearly 56% of the vote, he has won by a margin of more than 10 percentage points — most presidents had hitherto secured only four or five point leads. In absolute terms, this is a record majority, …

William Rivers Pitt (2021-12-25). Two Years of COVID Have Forced Us to Recalibrate Our Concept of Hope. truthout.org "I wish it was over for good or ill," laments J.R.R. Tolkien's over-curious hobbit, Pippin, on the eve of Sauron's siege at Minas Tirith. "I am no warrior at all and dislike any thought of battle; but waiting on the edge of one that I can't escape is worst of all. What a long day it seems already!" | A long day indeed. Waiting on the edge is what many of us have been doing for nearly two years now, and not only is there no end in sight, there is yet another unavoidable battle waiting for us out there…

Editor2 (2021-12-25). How Public Workers Can Stop the Privatization of Everything. orinocotribune.com By Steve Early — Dec 21, 2021 | In new book,The Privatization of Everything, Cohen and Mikaelian, describe and debunk the vast array of privatization schemes that now litter the landscape, from private prisons and charter schools to for-profit water treatment and trash collection. | Several years ago, Don Cohen, a former central labor council staffer from San Diego, appeared on a panel discussing the privatization threats faced by union members across the country. He and other speakers were addressing a conference of state, county, and municipal workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (C…

Ariel Dorfman (2021-12-25). The Meaning of Boric's Victory in Chile. zcomm.org The causes he believes in are those youth everywhere have been increasingly fighting for across the globe…

Ana Perdigón (2021-12-25). Venezuela's Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Evaluates Measures to Deal with Omicron. orinocotribune.com Venezuela's presidential task force for the prevention and control of COVID-19 met this Thursday, December 23, to evaluate mechanisms to deal with the Omicron variant that has recently been detected in the country. | The meeting, chaired by Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Foreign Trade. | Various officials of the government were also present at the meeting, including the Minister for Health, Carlos Alvarado; the Minister for Communication and Information, Freddy àëáñez; and the Minister for Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez…

Sarah Wade (2021-12-25). Thousands of Virginians Have Faced Years of Sickness-Inducing Landfill Pollution. truthout.org Erica Nophlin woke with a sore throat one morning in early November, just as she has many mornings for the last two years. She checked on her two daughters and young cousin; two had the same symptoms. The girls often had headaches, upset stomachs, and throat pain. "It's like almost every single night," said Nophlin, a 37-year-old with shoulder-length black curls. | Until late November, the four lived in an apartment complex in Bristol, Va., a half-mile from a city-owned landfill in an old…

fernando_santamaria (2021-12-25). Ordering my thoughts about the "Back Better Act" zcomm.org I've been trying to read the history of the processing of "The Back Better Act" in the Wikipedia. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Build_Back_Better_Act?wprov=sfti1). The Bill derived (it was an extracted part) from the American Jobs Plan, together with the Law for Investment in Infrastructure and Labor, and was part of a package of 3.5 trillion dollars, (later reduced to

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-25). 10 Imperial moments that were out of this world in 2021. imperial.ac.uk From uncovering what killed the dinosaurs to exploring rocky terrains on Mars, here are 10 moments from 2021 when Imperial took on the final frontier.

Editor2 (2021-12-25). How Washington Led the Purge of Christians from its 'New Middle East'- Part 2. orinocotribune.com By Tim Anderson — Dec 21, 2021 | Christians in Syria were attacked and purged in the west of the country by US and NATO-backed sectarian Islamists and in the east by the death cult ISIS. | Purging the Christians of Syria | The US role in the purge of Syrian Christians was apparent from the first months of 2011, but warnings came earlier. In 2005, CNN's Christine Amanpour, closely linked to senior Washington officials,

_____ (2021-12-24). Amazon Warehouse Workers Walk Off The Job In Illinois. popularresistance.org On Wednesday morning, several dozen Amazon workers at two separate Chicago-area delivery stations staged a walkout to demand raises and safer working conditions, making it the first time the tech giant has seen a multi-site work stoppage in the United States. | Coming just three days before Christmas to ensure maximum impact, the action caps a year of intense organizing and protest by Amazon warehouse workers who have been on the frontlines of both the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather events. | Organized by the labor network Amazonians United, the walkouts occurred during the morning shifts at the company's…

Anonymous Contributor (2021-12-24). Fundraiser for Portland Protestors' Legal Support Parodies Classic Holiday Tale. itsgoingdown.org Announcing fundraiser for legal defense of Portland protesters featuring an updated retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with Ebenezer Wheeler. An updated retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol follows Ebenezer Wheeler through the streets of Portland, Oregon. Read about Wheeler's encounters with the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Adams, his tours through…

Jay Janson (2021-12-24). No USA Christmas Love for Afghans, Venezuelans, Cubans, Syrians, Iranians, and North Koreans. dissidentvoice.org This Christmas season, as always, CIA controlled mainstream media is filled with unctuous images of the hungry homeless in America being charitably served food by private citizens and institutions. It has long become an American tradition of kindness during the season celebrating the birth of all loving Jesus along with gift giving Santa Claus, and …

Amjed Jaaved (2021-12-24). Santa Claus rueful at imminent Christmas in India. moderndiplomacy.eu Ahead of Christmas, Indian police raided a shishu bhavan (infant house or orphanage) in Kolcatta (West Bengal) and another at Vdodra (Gujarat), Indian prime minister's home state. The Kolkatta orphanage was established by Mother Teresa herself, and was being run by the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata since February11, 2014. The raiding police claimed that …

Peter Koenig (2021-12-24). COVID-Omicron is Killing Christmas — And Beyond. Financial Crash, Inflation, Digitization. globalresearch.ca First Delta, then Omicron. Neither one of the two has ever been isolated. The vast majority of people of the 193 UN member countries — swallow the lie with fear and respect, as if it were the truth…

WSWS (2021-12-24). As Omicron surges in Europe, governments prepare holiday catastrophe. wsws.org This year's Christmas festivities will be an unprecedented super-spreader event as Omicron leaves European countries facing hospital collapse in January.

WSWS (2021-12-24). After Sterling Heights Assembly worker and husband die of suspected COVID-19, Stellantis management announces plant will run through Christmas Eve. wsws.org The provocative announcement of Christmas Eve shifts comes at the end of a "critical status" period in the plant, where workers were forced to work for 90 consecutive days to make up for lost production at the plant due to widespread supply chain problems.

Graham Peebles (2021-12-24). Ethiopia: Historic Battle for the Mother of Africa. dissidentvoice.org The outrage felt by Ethiopians at the Western-backed terrorist attack on their country is spreading across the Horn of Africa and parts of the continent more widely. A great movement of solidarity is emerging as Ethiopia's neighbors, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya join hands, standing together against terror, imperial interference and mainstream media lies and misinformation. …

_____ (2021-12-24). Ethiopia: TPLF Announces Retreat. popularresistance.org The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has announced that it will withdraw its forces to "give peace a chance." This marks a key milestone in the civil war it started in November 2020. Why was the TPLF forced to retreat? What prospects lie ahead for the country? Elias Amare, editor of Horn of Africa TV, explains.

_____ (2021-12-24). A Mass-Murdering Regime Dares to Lecture the World on Human Rights. strategic-culture.org Washington is a criminal regime as its illegal wars and deliberate mass murder demonstrate beyond any doubt. | An important report published this week reveals in extensive detail the shocking scale of war crimes committed by the United States in the Middle East. Thousands of civilian deaths, including children, are documented as a result of aerial bombardments conducted by the U.S. military. | It is crucial to remark that the published survey — while voluminous involving thousands of pages and documents — represents only a fraction of the full scale of mass murder. The research focuses on Syria and I…

Staff (2021-12-24). Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald & Chris Hedges on NSA Leaks, Assange & Protecting a Free Internet. democracynow.org NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Glenn Greenwald and Chris Hedges discuss mass surveillance, government secrecy, internet freedom and U.S. attempts to extradite and prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. They spoke together on a panel moderated by Amy Goodman at the virtual War on Terror Film Festival after a screening of "Citizenfour" — the Oscar-winning documentary about Snowden by Laura Poitras.

Kit Klarenberg (2021-12-24). Leaked files expose Syria psyops veteran astroturfing BreadTube star to counter Covid restriction critics. thegrayzone.com By covertly recruiting popular YouTube influencer Abigail Thorn to counter growing opposition to UK gov't Covid restrictions, psy-ops pros are bringing home the tactics they honed in the Syrian dirty war. Leaked documents have revealed a state-sponsored influence operation designed to undermine critics of the British government's coronavirus policies by astroturfing a prominent founder of the BreadTube clique of "anti-fascist" YouTube influencers. The project aims to conduct psychological profiling on British citizens dissenting against policies such as mandatory vaccination and …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-24). Leaked Files Expose Syria Psyops Veteran Recruiting Youtube Influencer to Counter Covid Restriction Critics. libya360.wordpress.com Kit Klarenberg and Max Blumenthal By covertly recruiting popular YouTube influencer Abigail Thorn to counter growing opposition to UK gov't Covid restrictions, psy-ops pros are bringing home the tactics they honed in the Syrian dirty war. Leaked documents have revealed a state-sponsored influence operation designed to undermine critics of the British government's coronavirus policies by…

WSWS (2021-12-24). Doctors call for Julian Assange's immediate release. wsws.org Doctors for Assange delivered an open letter to Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, imploring him to seek the WikiLeaks founder's release on medical grounds.

Vijay Prashad (2021-12-24). I want to get our rights from the Americans who harmed us: The Fifty-First Newsletter (2021). mronline.org When WikiLeaks and Assange released military video, they embarrassed the United States government. All its claims of humanitarian warfare lost credibility. It is from this point onwards that the US government—whether under the charge of Obama, Trump, or Biden—sought to punish Assange. | December 24, 2021…

Peter Certo (2021-12-24). A few magnificent things that happened in 2021. nationofchange.org Feeling bleak? Well, 2021 wasn't all bad — here are a few astounding things ordinary people won at home and abroad.

Noah Styzkgold (2021-12-24). Victorious Kellogg's workers win plant closure moratorium, cost of living raises and more. liberationnews.org The strike involved workers across Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, many on strike for the first time in their lives.

K.J. Noh (2021-12-24). South Korean Dictator Dies, Western Media Resurrects a Myth. towardfreedom.org South Korea's history offers a stark and ominous lesson, one that the mainstream media would prefer you ignore: A battle is brewing, with very high stakes. Under pressure, the United States has taken brutal actions to maintain control and hegemony, writes K.J. Noh.

_____ (2021-12-24). Capitalism Contributed To Factory Workers Deaths. popularresistance.org The weekend of December 10-11, 2021, saw a reported 30 tornadoes hitting several states from Arkansas to Illinois; as of this writing, 74 people are confirmed dead and several buildings severely damaged or totally demolished. | All the cases of death and destruction are devastating; however, the most telling and unconscionable are the deaths of eight people at a candle-making factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, and six in an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois. What makes these two cases significant is that they most likely could have been avoided, but once again capitalism's insatiable greed is significantly re…

Graham Peebles (2021-12-24). Ethiopia: Historic Battle for the Mother of Africa. dissidentvoice.org The outrage felt by Ethiopians at the Western-backed terrorist attack on their country is spreading across the Horn of Africa and parts of the continent more widely. A great movement of solidarity is emerging as Ethiopia's neighbors, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya join hands, standing together against terror, imperial interference and mainstream media lies and misinformation. …

Staff (2021-12-24). Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald & Chris Hedges on NSA Leaks, Assange & Protecting a Free Internet. democracynow.org NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Glenn Greenwald and Chris Hedges discuss mass surveillance, government secrecy, internet freedom and U.S. attempts to extradite and prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. They spoke together on a panel moderated by Amy Goodman at the virtual War on Terror Film Festival after a screening of "Citizenfour" — the Oscar-winning documentary about Snowden by Laura Poitras.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Doctors call for Julian Assange's immediate release. wsws.org Doctors for Assange delivered an open letter to Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, imploring him to seek the WikiLeaks founder's release on medical grounds.

Sarah Rawlins (2021-12-24). CEPR Spotlight: Revolving Door Project. cepr.net Late last year, Politico described the Revolving Door Project's Executive Director Jeff Hauser as "the thorn in the Biden transition's side" for trying to push the Biden administration to reject standard, corporate-friendly, revolving door appointees in favor of those who would zealously fight for the broad public interest. In 2021, RDP has only become thornier …

WSWS (2021-12-24). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Riot police use stun guns against occupation of Kavali Oil plant by Greek workers; Romanian miners hold wildcat strike to demand early retirement and rail workers walk out spontaneously over pay; teachers demonstrate across Iran in 120 cities over wages, conditions and state repression; strike by South African Clover food workers against pay, conditions and job cuts enters second month…

WSWS (2021-12-24). Currency market turmoil impoverishes millions of Turkish workers. wsws.org The eruption of class battles is inevitable, as government measures in the interest of the financial aristocracy worsen the plight of millions of workers.

WSWS (2021-12-24). What the resumption of student loan repayments will mean for millions of young people. wsws.org Students are outraged at scheduled resumption of loan payment as US Department of Education tells them to prepare for loan repayment restart.

WSWS (2021-12-24). UK: Stuart delivery drivers in Sheffield strike into third week, spark action in other cities. wsws.org The potential for a national strike against Stuart is shown by the fact that the action in Sheffield has sparked similar walkouts in other cities. Delivery workers in Huddersfield and Blackpool have taken five days of strike action with workers in Sunderland carrying out a few hours' stoppage to stage a protest.

WSWS (2021-12-24). After Sterling Heights Assembly worker and husband die of suspected COVID-19, Stellantis management announces plant will run through Christmas Eve. wsws.org The provocative announcement of Christmas Eve shifts comes at the end of a "critical status" period in the plant, where workers were forced to work for 90 consecutive days to make up for lost production at the plant due to widespread supply chain problems.

WSWS (2021-12-24). "We have no way further to retreat," says Putin, as NATO escalates military build-up on Russia's borders. wsws.org The Russian president warned his country would "react harshly" to further aggressive moves by NATO.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Australian court refuses to reinstate sacked Qantas ground staff. wsws.org The Federal Court ruled that the airline would not have to reemploy over 2,000 ground staff whose jobs were outsourced last year.

WSWS (2021-12-24). California nurse Elizabeth gives testimony for the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org In this interview, Elizabeth speaks on her experiences and those of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Former Minnesota police Officer Kim Potter found guilty in shooting death of Daunte Wright. wsws.org Potter, the police officer who shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop on April 11 in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, was found guilty by a 12-person jury of first- and second-degree manslaughter.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Podemos leader Yolanda Diaz admits she covered up danger from COVID-19. wsws.org As the COVID-19 pandemic began, Podemos ministers knew the Spanish government was massively downplaying the danger from the disease but kept their mouths shut.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Urgent action is necessary to stop viral transmission, save lives and end the pandemic. wsws.org The Zero COVID strategy must be implemented in every country, aimed at progressively stopping human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ever-broader geographic regions until the virus is eliminated globally.

WSWS (2021-12-24). "My campaign is spearheading a fightback": Victimised London bus driver David O'Sullivan's hearing set for January. wsws.org Metroline bus company sacked O'Sullivan after he warned colleagues about the spread of COVID-19 at Cricklewood bus garage in northwest London.

WSWS (2021-12-24). A reply to President Biden from California health care workers: "No, the country is not better prepared for COVID than last year!" wsws.org We issue this blunt warning to workers and the general public: The hospital system is worse off now than it was in March 2020. We have been worn to the bone after two years of the pandemic.

WSWS (2021-12-24). An intensive care physician's report to the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org The physician's report clearly shows the ongoing physical and psychological strains for those working in intensive care and why the path to the elimination of COVID-19 can only proceed via the independent mobilisation of the working class.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Foxconn forced to close key Indian facility after worker protest over mass food poisoning. wsws.org Hundreds of workers had to be treated for vomiting, diarrhoea and dizziness after eating their evening meal in a company-provided canteen.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Explosion and fire at ExxonMobil refinery east of Houston. wsws.org Authorities reported at least four people had been injured in the fire.

_____ (2021-12-24). Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. journal-neo.org The last year was marked by a number of important events that NEO's been covering daily due to the valiant effort of all of our authors. The rapid growth in the number of terrorist attacks and the ongoing armed conflicts — that is the outcome of the short-sighted policies employed by certain countries and Wahhabi states. The "New Eastern Outlook" …

_____ (2021-12-24). Erdogan is Actively Trying to Score Points in Africa. journal-neo.org Amid growing accusations against the Turkish government and calls for early presidential and parliamentary elections from the local population due to the intensifying domestic crisis in Turkey in recent days, there has been a surge in publications in the West about the impending power transition in Turkey. Thus, American edition Foreign Policy says that even …

_____ (2021-12-24). Antony Blinken Visited the South-East Asian Region Yet Again. journal-neo.org Another tour, started on December 9 by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, may have been unprecedented since he took office, both in terms of the number of countries visited and the breadth of topics that were supposed to be discussed with foreign colleagues. The plan was for the trip to include three phases: a stop …

Amjed Jaaved (2021-12-24). Santa Claus rueful at imminent Christmas in India. moderndiplomacy.eu Ahead of Christmas, Indian police raided a shishu bhavan (infant house or orphanage) in Kolcatta (West Bengal) and another at Vdodra (Gujarat), Indian prime minister's home state. The Kolkatta orphanage was established by Mother Teresa herself, and was being run by the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata since February11, 2014. The raiding police claimed that …

Christos Kefalis (2021-12-24). Benedetta: A "Provocative" Film that Demythologizes Religion. dissidentvoice.org Relatively recently we criticized Man of God as a film that obscures reality and, by deifying religious feeling, could lead those who adopt its standpoint only to wrong, deceptive paths.1 Benedetta, Paul Verhoeven's latest film, can in many ways be considered its opposite. It is a film that demythologizes, deconstructs and keenly dissects religion with …

Dost Muhammad Barrech (2021-12-24). Afghanistan: OIC emerging dilemma. moderndiplomacy.eu December 19, 2021, is going to be a monumental day for Afghanistan in its perilous situation. Pakistan on that particular day will host a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers on Afghanistan aimed at addressing exacerbating and egregious humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's foreign minister says, "In …

Dr.Nadia Helmy (2021-12-24). The repercussions of the American presence in the Middle East on China and Russia. moderndiplomacy.eu There are many potential repercussions of the US presence in the Middle East, with direct impacts on both China and Russia. Here, the most important priorities of the new US administration in the Middle East are represented in (negotiating over the Iranian nuclear program), which threatens Israel's security and destabilizes the region, according to American …

Editor2 (2021-12-24). What can we Expect from Boric? (Interview). orinocotribune.com We spoke to Bruno Sommer, founder of I imagine there is still a sense of elation on the streets of Chile now! | Of course, the victory of Boric and his Frente Amplio group is not only a victory for their sector, but for all the social movements that came out to back him. This election was unique, it had the highest rate of participation since the…

Giancarlo Elia Valori (2021-12-24). Ethical aspects relating to cyberspace: Utilitarianism and deontology. moderndiplomacy.eu Obviously web ethics must primarily be behavioural in nature. Its task is to serve as a tool for making decisions in morally difficult situations. However, as long as web ethics is seen only as one of the mechanisms of the Internet normative self-regulation, based on the spontaneously formed ethos of cyberspace, it will lack the …

Karen Dolan (2021-12-24). Three reasons to be hopeful as a hard year comes to a close. nationofchange.org The year to come could still see big changes for the better. Here's how.

Luigino Bracci (2021-12-24). Trains with Flawed Electrical Systems Caused Caracas Subway Explosions. orinocotribune.com Wednesday, December 22, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and the Minister of Transportation, Hipólito Abreu, reported that investigations by engineers from the Caracas Metro found the cause of explosions that affected several trains of the public company in previous weeks. They also responded to threats of a lawsuit from by the Spanish Export Credit Insurance Company (CESCE), which is claiming compensation for ‚Ǩ138 million. | "A fault was discovered that caused explosions as a result of the electrical overload," explained President Nicolás Maduro at a ceremony at the Teresa Carreño T…

MD Staff (2021-12-24). Minimum corporate taxation- Explainer. moderndiplomacy.eu What did the European Commission propose? The European Commission has proposed a Directive to ensure a global minimum effective tax rate of 15% for large groups operating in the European Union.The proposal delivers on the EU's pledge to move extremely swiftly and be among the first to implement the historic global tax reform agreement reached …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-24). Campaign calling for release of Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez gains momentum. peoplesdispatch.org Following the arrest of activist Khurram Parvez in November, a number of international human rights organizations have launched a solidarity campaign demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-12-24). The Combating Islamophobia Act: On Hate Crimes and "Irrational Fears" dissidentvoice.org The result of a vote, on December 14, in the US House of Representatives regarding the combating of Islamophobia, may possibly appear to be a positive sign of change, that Washington is finally confronting this socio-political evil. However, conclusions must not be too hasty. Disquietingly, Congress was nearly split on the vote. While 219 voted in …

Ron Forthofer (2021-12-24). Failure of US media on Ukraine. dissidentvoice.org We need to constantly remind ourselves about the US media. During the Cold War, there was the saying that the difference between the New York Times and the Soviet Pravda was that Pravda readers knew they were being lied to. Unfortunately, current coverage by the US media about the movement of Russian troops demonstrates the applicability of that saying today. …

Sheila Velazquez (2021-12-24). The Exploitation of Children in a Season that Celebrates Love. dissidentvoice.org The role of the media is to inform, report and humanize the facts and figures that are more easily assigned to cells in a spreadsheet. Not to rewrite what is into what they feel will please their masters. Most "news" hours are spent rehashing ever-repeated rhetoric, "language that is intended to influence people and that …

Dennis Kucinich (2021-12-24). Fighting the Power From Inside the Belly of the Beast. zcomm.org Interview on a quest to take on City Hall and restore power to the people of Cleveland…

WSWS (2021-12-24). First Omicron cases detected in Indonesia. wsws.org Faced with the dangerous new variant, the Indonesian government, in line with governments around the world, has implemented no serious health measures to stop its spread.

WSWS (2021-12-24). As Omicron surges in Europe, governments prepare holiday catastrophe. wsws.org This year's Christmas festivities will be an unprecedented super-spreader event as Omicron leaves European countries facing hospital collapse in January.

Eric Toussaint (2021-12-24). The Coronavirus Pandemic has Widened Global Inequalities. zcomm.org The prices asked by Big Pharma for Covid vaccines are exorbitant…

Noam Chomsky (2021-12-24). Outdated US Cold War Policy Worsens Ongoing Russia-Ukraine Conflict. zcomm.org The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a solvable problem, but one wonders if the U.S. will remain dedicated to a "zombie policy" that could produce potentially awful consequences in the event of a diplomatic failure…

A. Kent MacDougall (2021-12-24). Boring From Within the Bourgeois Press: Part One. mronline.org Eugene V. Debs may be my all-time favorite American and Karl Marx my all-time favorite journalist. But my employer for a decade was The Wall Street Journal, and for another decade it was the Los Angeles Times.

Andrea Germanos (2021-12-24). Forget Manchin. Sanders says entire Democratic party must show 'guts' against corporate interests. nationofchange.org The focus of the party, says the Vermont senator, must be "to restore faith with the American people that they actually stand for something."

WSWS (2021-12-24). Anger mounts as New York Democrats fail to protect population from Omicron surge. wsws.org New York City has plunged into a health crisis this week as record numbers of people test positive for COVID-19, primarily its Omicron variant.

Susan Corke (2021-12-24). Pentagon Clamps Down on Extremism & White Supremacy. zcomm.org The Pentagon has announced new rules to slow the spread of extremism in the military, one of which will discipline soldiers for liking or resharing white nationalist and other extremist content on social media…

Jeff Schuhrke (2021-12-24). Amazon Warehouse Workers Walk Off the Job in Illinois. zcomm.org Wednesday morning, several dozen Amazon workers at two separate Chicago-area delivery stations staged a walkout to demand raises and safer working conditions…

WSWS (2021-12-24). To oppose government austerity, Sri Lankan workers need to build action committees and fight for socialist policies. wsws.org The critical lesson of this year's strikes and protests is that determination and militancy is not enough. The working class cannot defend its rights without independently mobilising on a socialist program.

WSWS (2021-12-24). Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia. wsws.org India: Delhi school teachers suspend online classes over unpaid salaries; Sri Lankan public sector doctors take national walkout; Australia: Rail workers and bus drivers continue industrial action in NSW.

WSWS (2021-12-24). SEP holds emergency online meeting to demand immediate freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org "Assange's salvation has never been the British judiciary. His freedom and defence have always depended on a mass movement of the international working class."

John Feffer (2021-12-24). Russian Green Deal: Light at the End of the Tunnel? zcomm.org Russia is a leading carbon emitter and exporter. But change is afoot inside the country…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-23). TPLF Announces Retreat. What Lies Ahead for Ethiopia? libya360.wordpress.com Elias Amare, editor of Horn of Africa TV, explains the situation in Ethiopia in light of the declaration by the TPLF that they are withdrawing to Tigray. He analyzes the situation over the past few months that led to this moment. The Tigray People's Liberation Front has announced that it will withdraw its forces to…

WSWS (2021-12-23). "Civilian Casualty Files" documents the barbarism of US imperialism in Iraq and Syria. wsws.org The Civilian Casualty Files are evidence of extensive war crimes. They reveal that the US military, under the Obama and Trump administrations, deliberately killed civilians, including children.

Joe Glenton (2021-12-23). The military: the year in review — war crimes, withdrawals and secrecy. thecanary.co 2021 was a year of decline and reorganisation for the British military. It was also a year when historical war crimes allegations resurfaced, secrecy was expanded and a major defeat became undeniable. We decided to look back over some of the key themes in military affairs which emerged over the year. | This article is another in The Year In Review series. You'll be able to catch up on the many of the other review articles Cut and run: | The Afghanistan occupation finally ground to an end as the Taliban took Kabul in Aug…

Eric Zuesse (2021-12-23). How Red Are the EU's 'Greens'? moderndiplomacy.eu Blood-red. But that's a banned fact. (It will be documented in what follows.) Here are the announced values (the "Guiding Principles") of the European Green Party: "Environmental Responsibility" "Freedom through Self-Determination" "Extending Justice" "Diversity, an Indispensable Condition" "Non-Violence" "To sum it up, Sustainable Development" This "Charter of the European Greens" fills-in those blanks by stringing …

Creede Newton (2021-12-23). D.C. Police Closely Watched Anti-Racist Groups for Years. splcenter.org The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department's Intelligence Bureau (IB) closely watched Black-led organizations and anti-racist groups for years while ignoring the growing far-right threat, according to Hatewatch's review of leaked documents. Experts say this is in line with broader law enforcement attitudes toward such groups.

_____ (2021-12-23). New US Embargo on Cambodia Over Friendship with China. journal-neo.org The United States continues a process of targeting and isolating nations around the globe increasingly choosing to do business with Beijing rather than Washington. The most recent of these is the Southeast Asia nation of Cambodia. For years Cambodia has incrementally pivoted from once serving US foreign policy objectives in the region, to striking a …

_____ (2021-12-23). The Hypersonic Fall of US Prestige. journal-neo.org Even against the backdrop of recent events, the US stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that "American credibility" in the world is falling apart. It is not just a question of political credibility or the collapse of 20 years of American military intervention in Afghanistan. This fall did not begin with Biden or Trump, but with the …

_____ (2021-12-23). The Vienna Talks are at a Difficult Stage. journal-neo.org As the complex Vienna talks and desperate disputes among their participants proceed, unconcealed threats against Iran are heard from Tel Aviv several times a day. The growing hysteria and multiplication of Israeli military threats against Tehran suggest that the Israeli regime has forgotten that Iran is a powerful state with a modern, well-equipped army and …

_____ (2021-12-23). 300 Doctors Implore Australia To Bring Assange Home. popularresistance.org The letter begins by commending Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce for his recent statements calling for the U.S. extradition request against Julian Assange to be dropped. It continues: | "We are concerned that Mr. Assange's apparent mini stroke [reported in the Daily Mail on 11 December] may be the tip of a medical iceberg. Indeed his symptoms suggest as much. It is therefore imperative that Mr. Assange be released from prison, where his health will otherwise continue to deteriorate and where his complex medical needs cannot be met." Continued incarceration, the doctors warn, will place Julian Assange's life at…

_____ (2021-12-23). A For-Profit Company Is Trying To Privatize Public Libraries. popularresistance.org "Even if we don't see a written-out master plan, the banning of books, the attacks on teaching real US history, the efforts to push out professors with views that transgress official US policy: In their myriad forms, these actions tell us that it's important to powerful people to restrict what ideas people can access. It's the land of the free and the home of the brave—except if you want to know what's happened, and happens, here, or to tell people about it. | It all shows us the power of ideas. As infuriating and sad and enervating as it all is, it reminds us that knowledge is power."

_____ (2021-12-23). How Public Workers Can Stop The Privatization Of Everything. popularresistance.org Several years ago, Don Cohen, a former central labor council staffer from San Diego, appeared on a panel discussing the privatization threats faced by union members across the country. He and other speakers were addressing a conference of state, county, and municipal workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), a group which did not include any federal employees. When Cohen described propaganda campaigns that proponents of privatization conduct to pave the way for out-sourcing local government or state university jobs, audience members immediately recognized that kind of employer behavior a…

_____ (2021-12-23). New Anti-Protest Laws Cast A Long Shadow On First Amendment Rights. popularresistance.org Tiffany Crutcher was worried. | Oklahoma lawmakers had passed a new measure stiffening penalties for protesters who block roadways and granting immunity to drivers who unintentionally hit them. The state NAACP, saying the law was passed in response to racial justice demonstrations and could chill the exercising of First Amendment rights, filed a federal lawsuit challenging portions of it. But the new law was only weeks from taking effect. | Crutcher, an advocate for police reform and racial justice, was moderating a virtual town hall about it, featuring panelists who brought the lawsuit. At the end, she asked a q…

_____ (2021-12-23). Stoney Nakoda Language Resources Launched To Preserve Language. popularresistance.org The Stoney Education Authority (SEA), with support from The Language Conservancy, is releasing historic Stoney Nakoda language learning resources this December. This release includes three picture books, a Level 1 textbook, and an alphabet colouring book. The release also includes several digital resources: a 9,000-word web and mobile dictionary, a textbook-accompanying media player app, and a vocabulary-building app.

_____ (2021-12-23). The Pendulum Swing Of Black Liberation. popularresistance.org In June of last year, I wrote a piece about the call-and-response between movements for Black liberation in the United States and elsewhere, focusing on the upheavals that happened in Sudan in late 2018, and of course the protests that erupted in Minnesota and spread across the country after the murder of George Floyd in May of last year. In this piece, I encouraged all of us to refuse the enclosures of hemisphere, market, nation and language, to embrace urgency and refuse to concede to the divisions presented by nation, market and geography. | This piece focused on the activation of struggles, and less so on the…

_____ (2021-12-23). UN Fails To Agree On 'Killer Robot' Ban. popularresistance.org Autonomous weapon systems — commonly known as killer robots — may have killed human beings for the first time ever last year, according to a recent United Nations Security Council report on the Libyan civil war. History could well identify this as the starting point of the next major arms race, one that has the potential to be humanity's final one. | The United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons debated the question of banning autonomous weapons at its once-every-five-years review meeting in Geneva Dec. 13-17, 2021, but didn't reach consensus on a ban. Established in 1983, the conventi…

_____ (2021-12-23). Wet'suwet'en Retake Checkpoint A Month After Police Crackdown. popularresistance.org On Saturday, December 19, activists leading the Wet'suwet'en resistance against the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline project declared that they evicted workers of the project from the drill site. This development comes exactly a month after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) violently dismantled a blockade led by the Gidimt'en clan near Camp Coyote and arrested dozens of protesters and even bystanders. | The declaration of reclaiming Camp Coyote was made over a statement released by the Gidimt'en Checkpoint, on Sunday, December 20. "This courageous action took place one month after a wave of militarized raids…

_____ (2021-12-23). What Russia Says About Its Not-An-Ultimatum Demands To The US And NATO. popularresistance.org Andrei Martyanov also explains the timing. Russia is technologically and militarily in a strong position and currently can survive a break with the 'western' world without too much trouble. The U.S. is in disarray and NATO not ready to fight. It is simply the right moment. | To add to his short video I will also note that it is winter and that Europe depends on Russian gas. Gazprom is no longer offering gas at European spot markets but only delivering in previously agreed quantities to long term contract partners. This puts pressure on German regulators to finally sign off on Nord Stream II which the U.S. and Ukr…

_____ (2021-12-23). Who Actually Owns Corporations, Anyway? popularresistance.org According to elementary students of economics and Wall Street financiers alike, the answer to this question is as simple as it is intuitive: the shareholders. The standard narrative goes like this: a share is a "piece of a company." Accordingly, the holders of those shares are the company's collective owners. Shareholder ownership explains why an army of retail investors coordinating trades on Reddit could claim they "owned a piece" of the struggling video game retailer GameStop and why Warren Buffet is as certain he "owns" companies as varied as GEICO and Dairy Queen as less wealthy Americans are certain they ow…

Ahmed Al-Sammak (2021-12-23). A painful year for Gaza's patients. electronicintifada.net Israel has blocked entry of spare parts for medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ann Brown (2021-12-23). Drakeo The Ruler's Mom Plans To Sue Live Nation After Stabbing Death, Cites Failed Security. moguldom.com Hip-hop artist Drakeo the Ruler was stabbed backstage on Dec. 18 at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. festival, and his mother vows to sue over her son's death. Drakeo, born Darrell Caldwell, was attacked by a group of people and died hours later on Dec. 19 from his stab wounds. Several videos emerged after the muder, sources …

Ann Brown (2021-12-23). Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Calls On U.S. Government To Send ATF Feds To Help With Violence. moguldom.com Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is in over her head trying to deal with rising violence and after she proposed cutting $80 million from her city's police budget last year, she is now publicly pleading with the feds to help beef up the ranks of the city's cops. Lightfoot called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland …

Binoy Kampmark (2021-12-23). Voices of Concern: Aussies for Assange's Return. dissidentvoice.org With Julian Assange now fighting the next stage of efforts to extradite him to the United States to face 18 charges, 17 of which are based on the brutal, archaic Espionage Act, some Australian politicians have found their voice. It might be said that a few have even found their conscience. Australia's Deputy Prime Minister …

Caitlin A. Johnstone (2021-12-23). Absurd Guardian article declares China world's only imperialist power. mronline.org Another cartoonishly ridiculous anti-China propaganda piece has been published in the western mass media, this time by The Guardian, which at this point could arguably be labeled the single most destructive promulgator of empire propaganda in the western world.

Dana Sanchez (2021-12-23). Silicon Valley Execs Quit Good-Paying Jobs For Crypto Startups, Quick Riches. moguldom.com Some of the biggest tech companies are scrambling to retain employees as a wave of engineers and executives quit jobs that pay as much as seven-figure salaries for what's seen as a once-in-a-generation opportunity — to join crypto startups. Stories of massive crypto wealth amassed by early investors in Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptos including …

Dr. James M. Dorsey (2021-12-23). Are Arab militias losing their usefulness for Iran? moderndiplomacy.eu Iranian support for Arab militias has long threatened Iran's detractors, unable to develop an effective counterstrategy. Now, the tide may be turning. A string of events suggests that the usefulness of at least some of the militias in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Palestine is waning as their popularity diminishes and relations with Iran encounter headwinds. The …

Dr.Nadia Helmy (2021-12-23). The American deal with the popular decline in support of political Islam after Arab Spring revolutions. moderndiplomacy.eu Before answering this question, it is necessary to understand (the Brotherhood's grand strategy), which is based on the role of the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood inside the United States of America, in Europe and around the world, through a strategy based on (the Brotherhood's penetration into the United States of America with its …

Dr.Nadia Helmy (2021-12-23). The influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates inside and outside the United States. moderndiplomacy.eu The Muslim Brotherhood has a great influence on the American interior, and they have had relations with Washington for 70 years. From the point of view of the American historian (William Engdahl), he sees that the Muslim Brotherhood is just a tool and a means used by Washington to employ them for its interests. Especially …

Editor2 (2021-12-23). àÅlvaro García Linera: The Central Command of the Latin American Right is the US, not Spain. orinocotribune.com The conservative command of the Latin American right is in the United States, not in Spain. Vox is small and clumsy. On the other hand, Washington promotes a series of basic values: market, individuality, institutionality against social convulsions and wealth as the goal of life, affirms àÅlvaro García Linera. | The vice president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia between 2006 and 2019 is one of the most prominent contemporary leftist intellectuals. His extensive and provocative intellectual production is the result of a political commitment that led him to imprisonment for seven years and of a solid th…

Editor (2021-12-23). Frederick Douglass and American Empire in Haiti. mronline.org Toward the end of his life, Frederick Douglass served briefly as U.S. ambassador to Haiti. The disastrous episode reveals much about the country's long struggle for Black sovereignty while always under the threat of U.S. empire.

In Defense of Liberation! (2021-12-23). Democrats are NOT your friends! anchor.fm In this episode I discuss the duopoly between Republicans and Democrats and how the continued "fumbling" by the Democrats is not unintentional. They have direct interests and reasons as to why they continue to do things only for themselves. Stay well you all, and get organizing!

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-23). Libya: National Committee for Human Rights Warns of the Political and Humanitarian Consequences of Aborting Elections. libya360.wordpress.com Demonstrations in Libya protest…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-23). Libya: Protests Mark the Postponement of Elections Amidst Threats of Deepening Chaos. libya360.wordpress.com Participants in the Friday of Salvation demand the overthrow of the existing political bodies A group of activists called on citizens to participate in a demonstration entitled "Friday of Salvation" in Tibesti Square in the city of Benghazi. Participants demand the overthrow of all political bodies currently in place, with parliament's work limited to legislative…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-23). The Need for a Multidimensional Democracy. libya360.wordpress.com Javier Tolcachier Celebrating and reflecting are two actions that do not usually go hand in hand. Celebration implies an achievement, even if it is only the satisfaction of something well done, while reflection usually accompanies failure or error. Much more so in political terms, since it is not the euphoria of triumph but defeat that…

Isheka N. Harrison (2021-12-23). NAACP President Sends Message To Biden: If You Can Afford To Pause Student Loan Payments Over And Over, You Can Cancel Them. moguldom.com Some rejoiced when President Joe Biden announced that he was extending the pause on making student loan payments for three additional months while others urged Biden to go further and cancel student loan debt altogether. Among the latter group are NAACP president Derrick Johnson and renowned wealth inequality expert and economist William "Sandy" Darity. Biden …

Joris Leverink (2021-12-23). Mismeasuring progress: A critique of the growth paradigm. roarmag.org Cityscape of Johannesburg, South Africa in 2013. Photo: Nataly Reinch / Shutterstock.com | In recent years, more and more people have begun to question the received wisdom of "economic growth" — the idea that government policies can be measured a success or failure based on an increase in national income. Many, that is, except most economists. For them, growth is still the sacred benchmark on the road to development — for those countries deemed "undeveloped" — and something to be maintained and if possible expanded in all the OECD countries. | Governments follow suit and design their policies ar…

KWORINOCO (2021-12-23). Cuba Denounces US Allegations of Human Trafficking. orinocotribune.com Cuba firmly rejected the allegations fabricated by the US accusing the Caribbean island of involvement in human trafficking, and has assured that these claims are simply another way of justifying the aggressive measures which continue to be taken against Havana. | "The declarations made by the US government, regarding human trafficking, terrorism and human rights abuses, have no relation with the reality of out country," responded Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez through his Twitter account. "The US is trying to justify—with lies—the abusive and aggressive measures taken against the Cuban popul…

KWORINOCO (2021-12-23). Venezuela Maintains 7 International Air Routes. orinocotribune.com Despite the fact that the state of emergency declared in Venezuela due to the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be lifted, the president of the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), Juan Teixeira Díaz, announced that seven international air routes will continue to service the country. | He clarified that commercial flights to Mexico, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Russia, Bolivia, and Cuba will remain availa…

Mick Dumke, Haru Coryne (2021-12-23). Chicago's last black-owned bank got millions in government deposits — then had to give them back. nationofchange.org As Black-owned banks disappear, politicians are under increasing pressure to save them. Big deposits are a ready solution, but sometimes they burden the banks more than they help.

Newsroom (2021-12-23). Middle East: Positive steps needed to restore calm. moderndiplomacy.eu The deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, took centre stage at the Security Council on Tuesday as the UN Special Coordinator for the peace process in the region, expressed his "continued concern" over recent developments. Tor Wennesland painted a grim picture of "clashes, attacks, military operations" and continued settler-related violence …

Newsroom (2021-12-23). New ADB Facility to Help Southeast Asia Revive Tourism. moderndiplomacy.eu The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has set up a $1.7 million technical assistance facility to accelerate Southeast Asia's tourism recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, boost inclusive, sustainable development in the sector, and help local tourism entrepreneurs, especially women and youth, adopt digital platforms to grow their businesses. The Southeast Asia Sustainable Tourism Facility …

Newsroom (2021-12-23). Structural Reforms Can Ease China's Transition to High-Quality Growth. moderndiplomacy.eu To achieve quality growth over the medium-term, China will need to rebalance its economy across several dimensions, according to Rebalancing Act, From Recovery to High-Quality Growth, the latest China Economic Update released today by the World Bank. Following a strong rebound in the first half of 2021, economic activity in China cooled rapidly in the …

Newsroom (2021-12-23). Sudan protests: Security forces in spotlight over sexual violence allegations. moderndiplomacy.eu In Sudan, reports of serious sexual violence and the use of live ammunition against protesters at the weekend must be investigated immediately, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday. The allegations surfaced after demonstrations in Khartoum on Sunday, where tens of thousands had massed to mark the third anniversary of protests that led to the …

Newsroom (2021-12-23). Tajikistan's Energy Sector to Benefit from World Bank Support. moderndiplomacy.eu The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved today additional grant financing of $65 million in support of the Second Phase of the Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project, which will contribute towards more reliable electricity supply and expansion of renewable energy exports in Tajikistan. "The World Bank is committed to supporting Tajikistan's energy sector, given the …

Newsroom (2021-12-23). With decent work and a sustainable model aquaculture could feed the world. moderndiplomacy.eu Harnessing aquaculture's potential to effectively contribute to feeding the world's growing population in the decades to come will require concerted efforts to promote sustainable enterprises and decent work for its workforce. These are among the main conclusions of the Technical meeting on the future of work in aquaculture in the context of the rural economy …

Omar Zahzah (2021-12-23). Palestinian student receives death threats, FBI visit. electronicintifada.net University of Southern California has done little to protect against targeted smear campaigns by Israel lobby groups.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-23). Chubut governor repeals mining law after days of protest. peoplesdispatch.org After five days of anti-mining protests across Argentina's Chubut province, the provincial governor repealed the law that paved the way for mega-mining in the province, and gave the call for a plebiscite to decide on this matter…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-23). Fatal accidents reveal unsafe conditions in Pakistan's coal mines. peoplesdispatch.org As deadly accidents continue in various coal mines in Pakistan, senior representatives of IndustriALL Global have asked the Pakistani ambassador at Geneva to take immediate steps to ensure that Pakistan ratifies and implements ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-23). Libyan presidential elections postponed. peoplesdispatch.org The Libyan election committee has proposed January 24 as the new date for the elections due to unresolved disputes regarding the electoral laws and the presence of foreign troops in the country…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-23). Tunisia likely to see more protests against president Saied's power grab. peoplesdispatch.org Over the last few months, Tunisian president Kais Saied has consolidated his control over the executive and legislative authority in the country. His latest action was to announce the formulation of a new constitution to be put to a national referendum next year followed by general elections…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-23). UK blocks Venezuela from accessing its international reserves. peoplesdispatch.org Britain's Supreme Court passed a ruling to continue blocking Venezuela from accessing 31 tons of Venezuelan gold valued at USD 2 billion. This gold is deposited at the Bank of England. The case went to court because the Bank has refused to release the gold reserves to the Bolivarian government stating that it recognizes the opposition activist Juan Guaidó as a legitimate authority.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Quebec's discriminatory Bill 21 causes hijab-clad teacher to be permanently removed from the classroom. wsws.org The decision to remove Fatemeh Anvari from her classroom underscores the reactionary aim of Bill 21, which is to foment hatred and prejudice against immigrants and religious minorities in order to divide the working class.

Natalia Marques (2021-12-22). Crucial social spending bill in the US blocked by Democratic Party Senator Joe Manchin. peoplesdispatch.org Senator Joe Manchin went on Fox News last Sunday to announce that he "cannot vote" for the widely popular Build Back Better Act.

Michael Sainato (2021-12-22). U.S. Labor Unions on the March in 2021 After Years of Decline. zcomm.org Workers went on strike and pushed union drives in record numbers after corporations made giant pandemic profits…

Eric Zuesse (2021-12-22). Russia Warns NATO Membership for Ukraine Would Mean WW III. moderndiplomacy.eu Just like when U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's American Government, during the 1962 Cuban Crisis, warned that Soviet missiles in Cuba would mean World War 3, Russia's President Vladimir Putin's Russian Government warned, on 20 December 2021, that if its adjoining nation of Ukraine becomes a NATO member (which would present the danger of U.S. …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-22). 'We have to reexamine the legality of US drone wars'. peoplesdispatch.org Newly declassified Pentagon documents revealed the scale of devastation caused by flawed US intelligence as US forces bombed across various countries in West Asia. An investigation by New York Times showed that "flawed intelligence" and "faulty targeting" resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 civilians over the last decade. Official numbers undercounted these deaths by several hundred at least.

Editor (2021-12-22). Chris Hedges on the Persecution of Julian Assange (Video). scheerpost.com In July 2010, Wikileaks published Cablegate, one of the biggest leaks in the history of the US military, including evidence for war crimes and torture. Julian Assange, the founder and spokesman of Wikileaks, immediately found himself a target, accused of hacking, and later sexual assault. He spent the next seven years in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearful that he would be extradited to Sweden to face the accusations of assault and then sent to US. In 2019, Assange was handed over to the British police. On the same day, the US demanded his extradition. He faces up to 175 years in prison for…

WSWS (2021-12-22). Two Olympic boycotts: Human rights in the service of imperialist gangsterism. wsws.org The 1980 boycott of the Moscow games was bound up with the US agenda of weakening and fracturing the former Soviet Union, which is precisely the Biden administration's strategy toward China in its boycott of the Beijing Olympics.

New Atlas (2021-12-22). The US Fights Asia, Not Just China. newatlas.report December 22, 2021 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cut short his tour of Southeast Asia due to concerns over COVID-19, the New York Times would report. The aborted trip comes at a time when the US finds itself struggling for relevance in a region it had once held considerably more …

WSWS (2021-12-22). VIDEO: Join emergency online meeting today to demand Julian Assange's immediate release. wsws.org "We need an independent movement of the working class, students and youth to free Assange."

Steve Early (2021-12-22). How Labor Can Stop 'The Privatization of Everything'. zcomm.org Review of The Privatization of Everything: How The Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back…

Tyler Walicek (2021-12-22). Low Wages and Exploitative Conditions Are Sparking Graduate Student Strikes. zcomm.org The will to collective action now reemergent on the campus represents a path toward reversing the trends of exorbitant tuition, an exploited contingent labor pool and the concentration of power in administrative hands…

Andrew Chuter (2021-12-22). Inner West Council result shows strong mood for change. greenleft.org.au There is a strong mood for progressive change in the inner west, as the demerger vote and swings to Greens and Labor show. Andrew Chuter reports.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Trump announces event to celebrate one-year anniversary of the violent January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. wsws.org In a brief statement, the former president reiterated his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged" and that the storming of Capitol by fascist militia members was a "completely unarmed protest."

WSWS (2021-12-22). Truck driver boycott forces Colorado state to begin process to lower the 110-year sentence for young driver in 2019 crash. wsws.org Videos associated with the hashtag # NoTrucksToColorado have been viewed 11.4 million times, and a Change.org petition has garnered over 4.6 million signatures…

WSWS (2021-12-22). Finance capital and the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org Since the interventions by central banks, led by the Fed, into financial markets, starting in March 2020, they have been buying financial assets at the rate of $800 million per hour.

WSWS (2021-12-22). New German Defense Minister visits German combat troops in Lithuania. wsws.org Eighty years after the Third Reich's war of annihilation against the Soviet Union, the German Defense Minister denied Russia the right to even criticize the threatening military build-up on its border.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Peter Jackson's Get Back: A Beatles fan creates a devoted tribute. wsws.org A half century after the band's breakup, an eight-hour, three-part celebratory documentary of the Beatles' last album is streaming on the Disney Plus channel.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Striking Jon Donaire bakery workers overwhelmingly reject contract backed by BCTGM union. wsws.org The vote at Jon Donaire came just days before Kellogg's workers were forced to vote yet again on a reworded contract that was in all respects the same as the one that was rejected three weeks ago.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Germany sees massive job cuts in all sectors. wsws.org Workers' protests are nipped in the bud by pitting workers against one another, either factory against factory or along national lines.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Inflation soars to record level as UK wages stagnate. wsws.org The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, considered to be more accurate as it includes factors such as mortgage payments, rose to 7.1 percent last month, its highest level in more than 30 years.

WSWS (2021-12-22). COVID rapidly spreading through Detroit auto plants with reports of at least three deaths. wsws.org COVID-19 infections are spreading throughout Detroit area auto plants, with at least three deaths reported by co-workers in recent days.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Australian medical experts speak out against the scrapping of pandemic safety measures. wsws.org "A policy of deliberately expecting to infect children and other vulnerable people is counter to any known or accepted public health practice."

Sara Flounders (2021-12-22). Biden's Summit on Democracy Hypocrisy. workers.org With great publicity, President Joe Biden called a grand, international Summit on Democracy for Dec 9-10. This gathering, held on Zoom, was hardly more than a Washington D.C., webinar with a few hundred well-chosen invitees and a well-controlled microphone. U.S. Marines in Syria — "democracy" or imperialist domination? Biden invited . . . |

_____ (2021-12-22). The US is Gaining a Foothold in Uzbekistan. journal-neo.org To create sustainable groundwork for further expansion into Central Asia, Washington has recently placed particular emphasis on developing relations and cooperation with Uzbekistan. One of such work areas in this country has been the active opening of "American Corners" in Uzbekistan. It is a US government-supported global network of more than 600 open-access educational centers, …

Andrei Isaev (2021-12-22). Turkey on the lookout for allies. moderndiplomacy.eu The scaling down of the US presence in the Middle East and the possible strengthening of Iran's positions following the lifting of the American sanctions are forcing the leading regional powers to reset their relations with their neighbors. Above all, with Israel, the existential enemy of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), and with Syria, …

Anish R M (2021-12-22). Wet'suwet'en activists retake checkpoint a month after police crackdown. peoplesdispatch.org Anti-pipeline Indigenous activists, resisting the contentious Coastal GasLink pipeline in Wet'suwet'en have retaken a checkpoint in Coyote Camp, a month after violent crackdown by federal police forces…

Editor2 (2021-12-22). Destruction of the Soviet Union: a Crime Without Statute of Limitations. orinocotribune.com Statement of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the United Communist Party of Russia (OKP) in connection with the 30th anniversary of the unconstitutional liquidation of the USSR in December 1991. | In December 1991, the largest state on the planet, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the first ever socialist state of workers and peasants, disappeared from the political map of the world. | In the context of the general crisis of Gorbachev's "perestroika" policy, few people paid attention to the blatant violation of all conceivable and inconceivable constitutional procedures during the "dissolution" of…

Lauren Smith (2021-12-22). Nicaragua's evidence-based democracy threatens U.S. oppression domestically and abroad. mronline.org Despite Washington's best effort to derail Nicaragua's electoral process through hybrid warfare, strong voter turnout resulted in a decisive victory by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), and the reelection of President Daniel Ortega with 75.92% of the votes cast. Nicaragua's non-partisan, independent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) reported on Monday, November 8th that 65.23% of …

NYC Anarchist Black Cross (2021-12-22). NYC Anarchist Black Cross Statement on the Passing of Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. itsgoingdown.org Statement from the NYC Anarchist Black Cross on the passing of former Black liberation political prisoner, Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. NYC Anarchist Black Cross mourns the loss of Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. Russell was a founding member of the Black Unity Council, as well as a veteran of both the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation…

Pavan Kulkarni (2021-12-22). As vaccinations lag behind, COVID-19 cases exceed 9.2 million in Africa. peoplesdispatch.org To understand the systemic issues hampering Africa's efforts against the pandemic, Peoples Dispatch interviewed Dr. Ahmed Kalebi, president of the East African Division of International Academy of Pathology (IAP), and members of the People's Health Movement, Prof. Leslie London and senior lecturer Lauren Paremoer from the University of Cape Town…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-22). Egyptian court sentences activist Alaa Abdel Fattah to five years in prison for 'spreading fake news'. peoplesdispatch.org A prominent activist in the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship, Alaa has been in jail for most of the decade since for opposing the crackdown on dissent carried out by the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi…

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan (2021-12-22). Afghan crisis emerged as the biggest human-made disaster. moderndiplomacy.eu The situation in Afghanistan has emerged as the biggest human-made crisis, where almost half of the 40 million people are facing a shortage of food and almost one-fourth are reached at the starvation stage. The war-torn country is facing a severe shortage of food, medicines, fuel, electricity and severe winter has aggregated the situation further. …

Editor (2021-12-22). Lack of Left-wing culture, weakness of progressivism in Latin America. mronline.org One of the great weaknesses of Latin American progressivism and something that explains its partial defeats is the lack of a leftist, alternative and accessible popular culture, promoting new ways of organizing daily life, affirms àÅlvaro García Linera.

Tom Ferguson (2021-12-22). A Perfect Storm for Democrats in 2022. zcomm.org Analysis of voters in the 2016 elections indicates that Covid and political money will lead to many lost Democratic seats in 2022…

WSWS (2021-12-22). The Omicron surge: Scientific facts vs. Biden's fictions. wsws.org Beyond telling the unvaccinated to get inoculated, Biden advanced no plan to stop the ongoing massive spread of the Omicron variant and the infection of millions of people in the coming weeks.

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-22). Podcast: Women's hearts, psychedelic worldviews, and nanotechnology for children. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: Differences between men's and women's hearts, how psychedelics can change our worldview, and introducing children to nanotechnology.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Britain's National Health Service faces disaster as Omicron surges. wsws.org Modelling by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies found that between 3,000 and 10,000 people a day could be hospitalised if the government did not immediately implement further public health measures.

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-22). Big Business Defeated as Sawant's Victory Certified in Seattle. zcomm.org "We have defeated Big Business and the right wing in their attempt to use… trumped-up charges against me personally in order to push back against the success of working-class movements in Seattle."

Staff (2021-12-22). Venezuela and Turkey Agree to Strengthen Cooperation Projects. orinocotribune.com This Tuesday, December 21, President Nicolás Maduro reported that he had a pleasant phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to consolidate the cooperation agreements that both nations develop in different areas. | "We talked about the great challenges for the coming years and the need to advance in all areas of cooperation for shared development. Venceremos!" says the tweet shared by the president. |

A Guest Author (2021-12-22). 'We have to become emancipators'. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were made by recently freed political prisoner, Jalil Muntaqim, during a Dec. 9 webinar to mark the 40th anniversary arrest of Mumia Abu-Jamal and to demand his freedom. By Jalil Muntaqim On October 25, international jurists at the Spirit of Mandela Tribunal found the United . . . |

WSWS (2021-12-22). Six more Philadelphia schools switch to virtual learning as Omicron spreads. wsws.org More schools are forced to close in Philadelphia as virus continues to rage across the city.

George Monbiot (2021-12-22). How border walls are triggering ecological disaster. zcomm.org Border walls are accelerating the extinction crisis and making ecosystems inviable…

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-22). Real-world data provides valuable insights into COVID vaccine roll-out. imperial.ac.uk Analysis of Europe's largest patient data record has provided valuable insights into the UK's COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, an Imperial expert has said.

WSWS (2021-12-22). Airline industry pushes for return to full capacity as Omicron explosion begins. wsws.org Officials for the major airline corporations testified before Congress to push for further support in getting travel to pre-pandemic levels despite the spread of the new Omicron variant and increasing positive cases.

Peter Koenig (2021-12-22). COVID-Omicron is Killing Christmas — And Beyond. Financial Crash, Inflation, Digitization. globalresearch.ca Omicron, a so-called covid-variant, has never been isolated. Whatever the current narrative — 193 UN member governments tell you in lockstep, what the mainstream media tell you in lockstep — and what the majority in the street of the 193 …

Prof. Pankaj Jha (2021-12-22). Vietnam National Assembly Chairman visit to Korea and India. moderndiplomacy.eu The Vietnam National Assembly Chairman Mr Vuong Dinh Hue visited South Korea and India as part of its six-day official visit (Dec 12-19). The highly successful visits show convergence is with regard to the two important partners of Vietnam. During the visit to the two countries the Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue …

Walker Bragman (2021-12-22). How The Koch Network Hijacked The War On COVID. dailyposter.com

WSWS (2021-12-22). German government refuses to take action to avert Omicron disaster. wsws.org The criminal inaction of European governments has allowed the highly contagious Omicron variant to spread across the continent. To this day, the German government refuses to take any action to prevent the looming catastrophe.

Andrew Chuter (2021-12-22). Progressive campaigns influence City of Sydney election results. greenleft.org.au Long-term Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been returned to the position in the local government elections, along with four others from her Independent Team. Andrew Chuter reports.

Juan Cole (2021-12-22). Vaccinating 200 million Americans. zcomm.org The Commonwealth Fund finds that without Biden's vaccination drive, a million and a half Americans would have died this year…