(2021-12-20). Yemen and Afghanistan Face Unprecedented Famine — Crimes of Mass Starvation. journal-neo.org 
Sounding the alarm this December Nicholas Papachrysostomou, MSF head of mission in Yemen made clear that well beyond the many casualties War claimed over the past seven years, famine weighs much heavier on the war-torn nation, a fate Afghanistan unfortunately shares. "A nearly seven-year long conflict has badly affected the country's economy and weakened an …
(2021-12-20). Leftist Gabriel Boric wins Chile's key presidential election and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we look at progressive former student leader Gabriel Boric's victory in Chile's presidential runoff elections; massive protests against the October military coup in Sudan on the 3rd anniversary of the 2019 Revolution; a New York Times report on the "deeply flawed" intelligence informing U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East which killed over 1,000 civilians; and an indefinite strike launched by workers at the NagaWorld casino and resort in Cambodia to protest the targeting of unionised workers, and demand better pay.
(2021-12-20). Left candidate Gabriel Boric wins presidential elections in Chile. peoplesdispatch.org This Sunday December 19 over eight million Chileans voted to decide who will be the next president of Chile. According to Chile's electoral service SERVEL, with 96.75% of the votes processed, Gabriel Boric of the left-wing Approve Dignity coalition won with 55.8% of the votes over far-right José Antonio Kast of the Christian Social Front who received 44.19% of the votes. | At around 7: 20pm (Chilean time) when the first electoral bulletins were being released, Kast accepted his defeat in a message on
(2021-12-20). Afghanistan economy in 'freefall', threatening to take entire population with it. moderndiplomacy.eu Afghanistan's economy is in "free fall", the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told a special meeting on Sunday, warning that if decisive and compassionate action is not taken immediately, it may "pull the entire population with it". Speaking virtually to the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in …
(2021-12-20). West Virginia Senator Manchin kills Biden's already stripped-down "Build Back Better" legislation. wsws.org Announcing his opposition to the measure on Fox News Sunday, the right-wing Democrat ensured that the meager social, tax and climate bill will not be passed in anything like its current form.
(2021-12-20). Belarus ready to host nuclear weapons in face of NATO threat: foreign minister. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com FM: Belarus ready to host nuclear weapons if under threat from NATO ==== Zelensky says if Russia deploys nuclear arms to Belarus, Ukraine will "know where they are located" NATO threat to redeploy nuclear arms led to Belarus to moot basing Russian nuclear weapons — analyst Insane, sociopathic or sadists: Tulsi Gabbard blasts U.S government, …
(2021-12-20). "Unacceptable": Rep. Jamaal Bowman Slams Manchin After Senator Says No to Build Back Better Plan. democracynow.org 
President Biden's signature $1.75 trillion Build Back Better package appears to be dead after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced on Fox News this Sunday he would not support the plan to expand the social safety net and combat the climate crisis. Without Manchin, Senate Democrats do not have enough votes to pass the landmark legislation, which has already been approved by the House. We speak with Congressmember Jamaal Bowman, who is one of six progressive Democrats in the House who correctly predicted that his party's decision to vote on the infrastructure bill prior to the Build Back Better…
(2021-12-20). Why NATO continues to ignore Russian security concerns, spurn its overtures: recent examples. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Emblematic temporizing, equivocation and approval-seeking from the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin, below. From the government's TASS and Interfax news agencies. What real message is being delivered to Washington and NATO other than an acknowledgment of weakness, fear, even desperation? And as to the pat response that in making concession after concession to NATO …
(2021-12-20). Senate approves Brzezinski to initiate conflict with Belarus. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US Senate approves Mark Brzezinski as ambassador to Poland ==== Brzezinski spawn vows to complete cordon around Russia, unite Ukraine, "democratize" Belarus Brzezinski brothers want Biden, NATO to reprise father's confrontation with Russia over Poland Ukraine reprised: Victoria Nuland discusses Belarus with Ukrainian official ==== The US Senate confirmed more than 30 ambassadors on Saturday, …
(2021-12-20). Increased NATO military exercises in Ukraine are preparation for war with Russia: military analyst. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Complete from today's TASS. As reported here two days ago: DM: Ukraine to host 10 NATO exercises, participate in 16 abroad next year Izvestia: NATO approaching Russia's borders Ukraine plans ten large-scale military drills with NATO's participation in 2022, which obviously raises serious alarm bells in Russia. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the alliance's …
(2021-12-20). Ukraine's NATO neighbors pledge support for NATO accession, against Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukraine's accession to EU, NATO: Lublin Triangle leaders sign declaration Presidents of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausƒóda, and President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda signed a joint declaration in support of Ukraine's membership in the European Union and NATO. "The joint declaration stipulates clear support for Ukraine's …
(2021-12-20). "Critical place": NATO expands, modernizes Albanian airfield. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Albanians Protest Against Proposed NATO Airfield in South Residents in Morave and Kucova have been protesting against plans to expand a NATO airfield onto their land, claiming the government compensation offered is far below the market rate. Albania joined NATO in 2009, and now plans are underway to upgrade and extend the Kucova Air Base, …
(2021-12-20). UN report documents massive attacks on democratic rights in Ukraine. wsws.org Limited as it is, the UN report exposes attempts to frame a potential war between a "free Ukraine" against an "aggressive" Russia as a "war for democracy" as a complete fraud.
(2021-12-20). Zelensky says if Russia deploys nuclear arms to Belarus, Ukraine will "know where they are located" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Zelensky will have to explain in which " different parts of the world" Russia has deployed or exported nuclear weapons. With the assertion that his regime will "definitely know where part of Russia's nuclear weapon is located," he appears to indicate that a preemptive strike against them could be conducted. ==== Can't play with these …
(2021-12-20). U.S. congressional delegation arrives in Ukraine to discuss threat of war with Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US Congress delegation arrives in Ukraine to discuss threat of war with RussiaA group of congressmen announced Washington's readiness to take tough measures in response to any encroachment on sovereign Ukrainian territory *** "Representative Jason Crow led a U.S. Congressional delegation to Kyiv to discuss Russia's aggressive military buildup in and around Ukraine and hear …
(2021-12-20). West mulls Finnish war scenario for Russia in addition to Bandera, Mujahideen models. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com As Helsinki confirms it will purchase 64 U.S. F-35s, now equipped to deliver B61-12 tactical nuclear weapons, the 1939-1940 Finnish-Russian Winter War scenario is also being proposed by Western analysts to combat Russia in Ukraine in addition to those of the World War II Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Afghan Mujahideen model of the 1980s. …
(2021-12-20). The Pentagon's 20-Year Killing Spree Has Always Treated Civilians as Expendable. zcomm.org The killings have resulted from policies that gave very low priority to prevention of civilian deaths…
(2021-12-20). Progressive anger erupts after Manchin kills Build Back Better. peoplesworld.org
(2021-12-20). Headlines for December 20, 2021. democracynow.org Build Back Better in Jeopardy After Sen. Joe Manchin Announces He Will Not Vote in Favor, Federal Company Vaccine Mandate Reinstated; New Data Show Moderna Booster Helps Fight Omicron, Southwest CEO Tests Positive After Senate Hearing; Sens. Booker and Warren Announce They Have COVID, Omicron Sends COVID Cases Surging, Prompts New Restrictions in Israel, U.K., the Netherlands, 35-Year-Old Progressive Activist Gabriel Boric Will Be Chile's Next President, Death Toll from Super Typhoon Rai Rises to 375 in Philippines; Floods Kill 8 in Malaysia, Hong Kong's "Patriots Only" Election Sees Record Low Turnout, Hundreds…
(2021-12-20). Military alliance requires ideological cover. moderndiplomacy.eu Weeks after the announcement of the Aukus Alliance, which aims to confront China in the Asia- Pacific region, the United States launched a summit for democracy, aimed at uniting the countries of the region and building more military alliances, which must be based on an ideological cover that gives them legitimacy. Why does the United …
(2021-12-20). Beijing and Moscow Strengthen Cooperation in Response to the West's Incitement of Hatred Against Russia and China. journal-neo.org 
The United States' and the European Union's desire to increase pressure with sanctions and hostile rhetoric on Russia and China has resulted in the tightest possible partnership between Moscow and Beijing, which are already united by years of extensive ties in various areas. Bilateral trade exceeded $132 billion from January to November, increased by 24 …
(2021-12-20). Belt and Road: How Laos Exemplifies Preconditions for Global Success. journal-neo.org 
More than eight years ago, in September 2013, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced the launch of China's global transport initiative, One Belt One Road (OBOR). The project implies the unification of all major world transport routes into a single system and removing all economic and political barriers to the free circulation of goods through this …
(2021-12-20). Canada joins US-led Olympic boycott as Trudeau government pursues ever more belligerent anti-China policy. wsws.org Canada's Liberal government is binding itself ever more tightly to Washington's all-sided diplomatic, economic and military-strategic offensive against China.
(2021-12-20). New Zealand Defence Assessment calls for more aggressive anti-China stance. wsws.org The Defence Assessment firmly aligns New Zealand with US and Australian imperialism in the escalating drive to war against China.
(2021-12-20). VIDEO: Assange's life is in danger. Attend emergency online meeting to demand his immediate release. wsws.org "The campaign for Assange's freedom must turn to the emerging struggles of the working class against social inequality and the murderous policies of mass infection."
(2021-12-20). Julian Assange and the Day Democracy Died. orinocotribune.com By Fra Hughes — Dec 18, 2021 | The travesty of Justice which we have witnessed in the persecution of Julian Assange has proven beyond all shadow of a doubt that there is no press freedom in the Western world. | The real losers in the Julian Assange case are Julian Assange, his family, freedom of the Press, truth, and justice. | Britains decision to grant America's appeal, to have Julian Assange extradited to face 175 years in a deep dark windowless dungeon, in isolation, in the most inhospitable hole in the ground the American penal system can find, where most likely he will be waterboarded to gain informati…
(2021-12-20). What Are The Fundamental Differences Between Capitalist And Socialist Democracy? popularresistance.org The United States hosted a "Summit for Democracy" on December 9th and 10th in an obvious attempt to legitimize its unipolar and hegemonic claim of leadership over the so-called "rules-based international order." While on the surface this appeared to be an unproductive move on the part of the world hegemon, it aligned well with the U.S. strategy of cloaking its aggressive and exploitative policies under the guise of "democracy." Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly hyped the differences between "autocracy" and U.S.-led "democracy." So-called allies were summoned to give the U.S.'s vision for democracy credibi…
(2021-12-20). Speaking Truth to Empire about Metaverse and Civil Liberties. warisacrime.org Speaking Truth to Empire on KFCF 88.1 FM independently owned and locally operated since 1975 in Fresno, Dan Yaseen interviews John Whitehead, an attorney and author who has written, debated and practiced widely in the area of constitutional law and human rights. Whitehead's concern for the persecuted and oppressed led him, in 1982, to establish …
(2021-12-20). Low Wages And Exploitative Conditions Are Sparking Graduate Student Strikes. popularresistance.org Many graduate students find themselves caught between these multiple fronts: burdened with past student debt, earning sub-living-wage pay in their present work and facing dwindling future opportunities. Universities have grown over-reliant on graduate students and other contingent faculty to maintain a pool of low-cost labor. But an upswell of organizing activity in the last year indicates that graduate students have been emboldened to take a collective stand against the precarity and untenable conditions that mar the academic experience in the U.S.
(2021-12-20). The Working Class is Not Voting Against Its Interests. zcomm.org America needs a labor party. A party of the working class. But right now it has nothing that even vaguely resembles either one…
(2021-12-20). US Lawmakers Call For Sanctions After 9 State Department Employees' iPhones Hacked With Software From Israeli NSO Spyware Company. moguldom.com A group of 18 Democratic lawmakers has asked President Joe Biden to impose financial sanctions on controversial Israel spyware firm NSO Group and several other surveillance companies following the revelation that nine U.S. State Department employees had their iPhones hacked with the company's software. NSO Group has come under global scrutiny for its Pegasus software, …
(2021-12-20). Prisoners Sue California Prison System Following Targeted Raid Against Black People. scheerpost.com 
Talib Williams performing one of his spoken word poems at his Defy Ventures graduation in 2019. | By Claude Marks / Original to ScheerPost | California prisoner, Talib Williams, is bringing a class action lawsuit on his behalf as well as other Black incarcerated people who were targeted by a July 20, 2020 raid at Soledad, California's Correctional Training Facility (CTF). The suit seeks a reprieve from the state-sponsored terror that is their norm. Injunctive and declaratory relief, among other remedies, are necessary to stop the violence, change CDCR policy, and compensate the prisoners for the degradation t…
(2021-12-20). Gabriel Boric Victory Speech: 'I Will Be The President Of All Chileans'. popularresistance.org The president-elect of Chile, Gabriel Boric, thanked the people this Sunday, December 19, for their support in the second round of the presidential elections, in which he defeated the extreme right-wing Pinochet-admirer José Antonio Kast, becoming the new president of Chile for the 2022-2026 term.
(2021-12-20). Teamsters Union Shuts Down Southern California Sanitation Workers Strike. popularresistance.org In coastal Orange County, south of Los Angeles, 400 sanitation workers went on strike on December 9 against Republic Services, the second-largest waste management firm in the US. The workers, members of International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 396, had voted by a large majority in favor of a strike on November 23.
(2021-12-20). 'Fortress Conservation' Is Driving Us From Our Homes. popularresistance.org Kaziranga is also a World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO and listed as a global hotspot of biodiversity by the IUCN. However, all that is under threat thanks to an increasingly militarized form of conservation. This is being promoted by the Indian Forest Department, in a feudal, colonial setup, assisted by large international and national NGOs. A flawed and exploitative idea has emerged: the plan to turn 30 per cent of the world's surface into Protected Areas by 2030 (30×30). This idea, being pushed by the IUCN, has been greenwashed, whitewashed and sold to the world, alongside 'nature-based solutions' (NBS),…
(2021-12-20). Rocket Attack Targets Green Zone In Baghdad. popularresistance.org Two Katyusha rockets were fired early Sunday on the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. embassy in central Baghdad, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported. | One of the rockets was destroyed in the air by the C-RAM defense system, which protects the U.S. embassy site, and the other landed near the grand celebrations square in the zone, damaging two civilian cars.
(2021-12-20). Unions, Worker Advocates Call Out Backroom Deal To Sneak Amazon Into NJ Airport. popularresistance.org The Teamsters, along with RDWSU and other worker advocacy groups belonging to the coalition calling on New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to back new anti-trust legislation pending in the Legislature, rallied outside the Amazon Go outlet at the corner of Church and Cortland streets in Manhattan this week, before marching over to the Port Authority offices where the agency was busy behind closed doors planning a new regional hub for Amazon at Newark Airport.
(2021-12-20). Amazon Workers Are Organizing For Cellphone Access. popularresistance.org Hundreds of Amazon employees at warehouses across the mid-Atlantic are organizing to push the company to allow workers to keep their phones with them throughout their shifts and adopt an inclement weather policy in the aftermath of the collapse of the Amazon warehouse in Illinois that killed six workers. | The Amazon workers are demanding that Amazon pay workers for shifts cancelled due to inclement weather. And during school closures, they want Amazon to excuse all absences caused by severe weather and to be paid 80 percent of their salary.
(2021-12-20). Gabriel Boric's victory in Chile's presidential run-off hailed across the globe. peoplesdispatch.org Political leaders from across the globe hailed the victory of Gabriel Boric of the left-wing Approve Dignity coalition in Chile's presidential elections. Boric won the presidency with 55.87% of the votes…
(2021-12-20). Leftist candidate Gabriel Boric emerges victorious in Chilean elections. peoplesdispatch.org Boric has promised to deliver on key demands raised during the 2019 protests which includes an increase in state spending on social services, progressive taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals.
(2021-12-20). Israeli court rejects appeal to release administrative detainee on hunger strike. peoplesdispatch.org Palestinian detainee Hisham Abu Hawwash has been on hunger strike for 125 days now to protest his illegal administrative detention by Israel. His release has been rejected despite serious life-threatening health issues…
(2021-12-20). Karachi climate march 2021 demands end of forced displacement. peoplesdispatch.org Residents of Karachi's working-class neighborhoods organized the People's Climate March to protest against the eco-fascist policies of the government and the upper class which have led to the systematic eviction of the city's marginalized communities…
(2021-12-20). Italian working class mobilizes for worker-friendly budget, pension reforms and job security. peoplesdispatch.org National trade unions in Italy organized a general strike protesting the 2022 budget plan of the Mario Draghi government for not meeting the expectations of the working class, particularly on tax cuts, pension reforms and preventing the relocation of industries…
(2021-12-20). NASA spacecraft touches outer atmosphere of Sun for first time. peoplesdispatch.org The Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, has been orbiting the Sun. The craft has a carbon composite shield which protects the instruments inside it from the scorching heat of around 1370 degree Celsius…
(2021-12-20). Lack of Left-Wing Culture, Weakness of Progressivism in Latin America (Interview). orinocotribune.com 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. | Despite the electoral triumphs of progressive ideas in the region, neoliberalism has established a common sense which goes beyond who is the ruler, García Linera expressed in a talk with La Jornada on progressivism, left, right, and popular culture. Here is the final part of that interview: | -It seems that in countries like Chile, El Salvador, and Ecuador…
(2021-12-20). 'The Dawn of Everything' gets human history wrong. mronline.org 
Is inequality inevitable? Is freedom just a choice? Two materialist critiques of a widely-praised book.
(2021-12-20). The full story of Metabolic Rift: A new format of underground culture by Berlin Atonal [Part 1/2]. mronline.org 
In 2020, we were forced to put our lives on pause. Countries were divided from one another; communication between people moved to the more diluted online space. The schedules of jet setters across the world became completely blank, and one German artist passionate about the environment went as far as to say they'd never fly again.
(2021-12-20). Sustainable technology isn't enough to save us. mronline.org 
How many minutes till midnight? Two different but related news stories give us a clue.
(2021-12-20). U.S. inflation and India's economic recovery. mronline.org 
The very day, December 11, when the Indian finance ministry spuriously claimed a robust recovery in…
(2021-12-20). Legendary Hedge Fund Manager Ray Dalio: Bitcoin Has Merit, Is Like The Younger Generation's Alternative to Gold. moguldom.com Billionaire investor and hedge-fund founder Ray Dalio said he is impressed with Bitcoin, although less than two years ago, he said Bitcoin was not the best way to store value as it and other cryptocurrencies are fundamentally flawed. "It has been an amazing accomplishment for Bitcoin to have achieved what it has done, from writing that …