(2021-10-18). Alex Saab's Wife Denounces Kidnapping and Violation of Diplomat's Human Rights. orinocotribune.com 
On Sunday, October 17, Alex Saab's wife, Camila Fabri, denounced the Cape Verdean authorities for having violated the fundamental rights of the diplomat during the 16 months that he was detained in the African country. | At the end of a demonstration in Plaza Bolívar, Caracas, in repudiation of the illegal extradition of Saab to the United States, Fabri decried that the government of Cape Verde had prevented Saab from accessing food, medical care, calling these actions a violation of Saab's human rights. | She also denounced the second kidnapping of Alex Saab with the complicity of Cape Verde, alleging that the e…
(2021-10-18). Behind the 'Uyghur Tribunal', US govt-backed separatist theater to escalate conflict with China. thegrayzone.com US-backed activists and regime-change operatives convened the Uyghur Tribunal to ramp up conflict with China, but wound up exposing major inconsistencies in their narrative. As the US government's propaganda campaign against China drags on, a mock tribunal has become a central node for the dissemination of allegations of Uyghur genocide to Western media. But behind the carefully scripted horror stories conveyed to the public by an uncritical media are massive discrepancies, overt separatist sentiments, and huge sums of US government …
(2021-10-18). Bellingcat Funded by US and UK Intelligence Contractors that Aided Extremists in Syria. orinocotribune.com 
By Kit Klarenberg — Oct 9, 2021 | Supposedly "independent" website Bellingcat raked in money from scandal-ridden Western intelligence firms that wreaked havoc — and reaped massive profits — in Syria. | Since its launch in July 2014, the self-styled open-source investigations website Bellingcat has cemented itself as a darling of mainstream Western media, with its dives into alleged Syrian government
(2021-10-18). The Embarrassment of Riches. counterpunch.org What was surprising about many of the 35 current and former world leaders that appear in the Pandora Papers was not so much their presence on the list— Gabon's Ali Bongo, for instance, is notoriously corrupt while Chile's Sebastian Pinera was already linked to 14 corruption investigations before he became president again at the end of 2017—but that they went to such great lengths to hide their purchases from the public.
(2021-10-18). [BREAKING] Venezuelan Government envoy Alex Saab extradited to the United States. mronline.org 
The Maduro administration blasted the contractor's "kidnapping" and suspended dialogue with the US-backed opposition.
(2021-10-18). How Spain works: Ex-king to get away with corruption. greenleft.org.au The revelation that Spain's former king will probably get off scot-free on allegations of corruption has shone a torch down the sewer of the Spanish state, writes Dick Nichols.
(2021-10-18). Legacy Social Media: Free as in Beer, Not as in Speech. counterpunch.org On October 5, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen testified before the US Senate, decrying her former employer's "destructive impact" and warning that "without action, divisive and extremist behaviors we see today are only the beginning." Per Haugen's theory, lack of "action" by social media platforms is the cause of social ills such as violence
(2021-10-18). Facebook will hire 10,000 European engineers to create metaverse. tass.com This investment is a vote of confidence in the strength of the European tech industry and the potential of European tech talent, the company said…
(2021-10-18). Biden delivers on more arms to Ukrainian military to achieve "full NATO interoperability" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukraine receives second batch of U.S. security aid Besides the previously agreed $250 million worth of aid, Ukraine is receiving from American partners medical equipment, weapons, ammunition, high-precision weaponry, and radar surveillance worth another $60 million with cargoes arriving in several batches. Earlier it was reported that during President Volodymyr Zelensky's working visit to the …
(2021-10-18). What Baraitser Thought About the Plot to Kill or Abduct Assange. orinocotribune.com By Joe Lauria — Oct 16, 2021 | In her ruling in January against extraditing the imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher, Magistrate Vanessa Baraitser expressed a high degree of understanding for the CIA wanting to rub out Assange, writes Joe Lauria. | Lawyers for Julian Assange may try at the U.S. appeal hearing later this month to introduce weightier evidence that the Central Intelligence Agency seriously discussed killing or abducting the imprisoned journalist. | The lower court hearing before Judge Vanessa Baraitser in September last year already heard sworn testimony from a former partner and former employee of t…
(2021-10-18). U.S. defense chief visits special operations base used to train Georgian troops for next war. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The Pentagon has been training Georgian armed forces over twenty years for the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and South Ossetia and the war with Russia in 2008. ==== The US Secretary of Defense was at the Special Operations Forces base Within the framework of his official visit to Georgia, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin …
(2021-10-18). Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve Board. counterpunch.org I didn't expect to write again about Powell being reappointed as Fed chair, I had expected that Biden would have made a pick by now, but here we are. Now that Larry Summers has condemned the "woke" Fed for failing to crack down on inflation, it seems worth recapping what is at issue. What we
(2021-10-18). 19 October, Brooklyn, NYC: Screening of "Fedayin" — Georges Abdallah's Fight. samidoun.net 
Tuesday, 19 October 8 pm Spectacle Theater 124 S 3rd St Brooklyn, NY Info and pre-register: spectacletheater.com/fedayin Join the Palestinian Youth Movement and Samidoun for this NYC film screening of "Fedayin: Georges Abdallah's fight." Georges Abdallah is a Lebanese struggler for Palestine who has been imprisoned since 1984, despite being eligible for release since 1999, […] | The article
(2021-10-18). Israel to exile Palestinian-French human rights lawyer. electronicintifada.net Salah Hammouri was born and raised in Jerusalem.
(2021-10-18). This week in history: October 18-24. wsws.org This column profiles important historical events which took place during this week, 25 years ago, 50 years ago, 75 years ago and 100 years ago.
(2021-10-18). 'Marx in Soho': An Epilogue. mronline.org 
In 1999, Howard Zinn published the sensation 'Marx in Soho: A Play on History'. The story began with Karl Marx petitioning Heaven to come back to Earth for a short while so that he could "clear his name."
(2021-10-18). Updates: Billionaire Wealth, U.S. Job Losses and Pandemic Profiteers. inequality.org
(2021-10-18). Video: Pentagon chief says Russia occupies 20% of Georgian territory. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Imagine the Russian defense minister in Mexico to consolidate a strategic military alliance aimed against the U.S. and to achieve military dominance in the Gulf of Mexico stating that 20% — or 40% — of Mexican territory was occupied by the U.S. ==== Russia, which occupies 20% of Georgia's territory, must respect the 2008 ceasefire …
(2021-10-18). Escalating COVID crisis overwhelms Papua New Guinea hospitals. wsws.org The Marape government's "live with COVID" agenda is exacerbating a long-standing crisis within the impoverished country's health system.
(2021-10-18). Alberta's hard-right UCP government stokes regionalist divisions with anti-"equalization" referendum. wsws.org Today's referendum—a reactionary stunt, without legal force—is aimed at diverting mounting social anger and advancing the predatory economic interests of Alberta's oil barons and financial elite.
(2021-10-18). Pentagon chief signs agreement to convert Georgian armed forces to NATO proxy standards. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Georgia-US sign new defense agreement, marking 'new phase' in security cooperation US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze signed a memorandum of understanding on the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement (GDDE) Initiative earlier today in Tbilisi. This initiative marks a new phase of our bilateral security cooperation, and it demonstrates …
(2021-10-18). SEP electoral members denounce removal of COVID-19 safety measures as "profit-driven" wsws.org New electoral laws "are a blatant reaction against the loss of support for the major parties of establishment politics, both domestic and international."
(2021-10-18). Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage Round Two: Kin≈Çani Report Back. itsgoingdown.org Report from Indigenous Action on the recent Indigenous People's Day of Rage march in so-called Flagstaff. As the sun set on Sunday, Oct. 11 a crowd of Indigenous folx and accomplices gathered outside Flagstaff City Hall and pitched three tents for unsheltered relatives. The cops came to intimidate but no-one from what we could see…
(2021-10-18). Huge opposition from television and movie workers as union calls off strike and pushes sellout deal. wsws.org The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union called off a strike, set to begin at 12: 01 am Monday, as part of the efforts of the AFL-CIO and the Biden administration to block the largest strike wave in generations.
(2021-10-18). Sixty years since the massacre of Algerians in Paris on October 17, 1961. wsws.org Sixty years ago, shortly before the end of the Algerian war and Algeria's independence from France in 1962, French police perpetrated a horrific racist massacre in Paris.
(2021-10-18). Wall Street's Takeover of Nature Advances with Launch of New Asset Class. globalresearch.ca
(2021-10-18). Stop the Deforestation Madness. counterpunch.org Since the late 1970s I've been actively involved in issues that relate directly to protecting forest ecosystems in the Northern Rockies bioregion. I still marvel at the beauty and God-given miracles that can be found everywhere among the trees and animals that live there. Everyone can experience this same forest magic without paying a fee.
(2021-10-18). Ambassador: NATO heavyweights Turkey, U.S. need to coordinate management of Greater Eurasia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Time for Turkish-US rapprochement, says envoy The transatlantic alliance is being tested with recent developments in the Middle East, North Africa, Black Sea basin, and Asia, and it is time for rapprochement between Turkey and U.S., according to Turkey's ambassador to Washington [Hasan Murat Mercan]. "…transitioning transatlantic security priorities to an era of great power …
(2021-10-18). Reconciling God with Wild Animal Suffering. counterpunch.org I'm an animal activist who wants to believe in God, but has a hard time getting past what's known in theological circles as the problem of evil. Specifically, it's difficult for me to reconcile the existence of God with wild animal suffering not caused by humans. So I decided to ask scholars, clergy, and other
(2021-10-18). Central Asia's neoliberal tragedy. mronline.org 
Resilience cannot be restored without public spending, but the rentier business plan is to minimize taxes by shrinking the government, especially by privatizing its public utilities and other functions to create opportunities for charging monopoly rents, and to oppose taxation of economic rent.
(2021-10-18). Quarterly earnings put major banks on path for record yearly profits. wsws.org JPMorgan Chase has made the equivalent of $131 million per day over the last four quarters.
(2021-10-18). Strike by Deere workers challenges decades of union-backed concessions, sparking fears on Wall Street. wsws.org The strike is part of a broader movement of the working class against the corporations and their servants in the United Auto Workers and other pro-company unions.
(2021-10-18). Comedian Dave Chapelle's The Closer: A racist tirade disguised as stand-up comedy. wsws.org To an extent without precedent by any entertainment figure in recent memory, Chapelle openly advocates anti-Semitism and gloats over racist violence directed against Asians.
(2021-10-18). The 2022 Earthbound Farmer's Almanac is Looking for Submissions! itsgoingdown.org 
Call from Lobelia Commons for submissions for the 2022 edition of the Earthbound Farmer's Almanac. To hear Lobelia Commons on This Is America, go here. The past year has reminded us that we need to constantly re-imagine what the world can look like and to not let our imagination be curtailed by colonial institutions and…
(2021-10-18). The destruction of Opel in Germany: A new stage in the attack on autoworkers. wsws.org The decision of Stellantis to dismantle the Opel network and transform the plants in Eisenach and Ràºsselsheim into independent companies is intended to accelerate attacks on jobs, benefits and working conditions and prepare the shutdown of the plants.
(2021-10-18). "Expert" Calls for Denying Life-Saving Hospital Treatment to the Unvaccinated. globalresearch.ca
(2021-10-18). Funeral Rites for COVID Zero. counterpunch.org It was such a noble public health dream, even if rather hazy to begin with. Run down SARS-CoV-2. Suppress it. Crush it. Or just "flatten the curve", which could have meant versions of all the above. This created a climate of numerical sensitivity: a few case infections here, a few cases there, would warrant immediate, sharp
(2021-10-18). California SEIU executive director resigns following arrest for grand theft and tax fraud. wsws.org Alma Hernandez, head of the Service Employees International Union in California, resigned after she and her husband were arrested Friday, charged with under-reporting $1.4 million in income between 2014 and 2018.
(2021-10-18). Australia: Bipartisan push to wind down COVID-19 contact tracing. wsws.org Contact tracing is being targeted as the corporate elite demands that "finite" public health resources will have to be "rationalised."
(2021-10-18). Nicaragua is the Exception: Letter to a Cynic. counterpunch.org "That's unbelievable," my father-in-law wrote me from Ireland after watching me give a statistic-heavy webinar on the advances for the poor in Nicaragua since 2007. "I know, right?" I replied. "No, I mean it's actually unbelievable," he wrote back. "For cynical people like me, our faith in humanity has been undermined. The story of a
(2021-10-18). The class struggle and the fight to eradicate COVID-19. wsws.org The growth of the class struggle is revealing the social force—the international working class—which can compel the implementation of policies to eradicate the coronavirus globally.
(2021-10-18). Persistent Desperation of Charter School Promoters. dissidentvoice.org 
Promoters of privately-operated charter schools have continually sought to justify the existence and expansion of charter schools since their inception 30 years ago in Minnesota. In and of itself this is curious because if charter schools are supposedly so successful and so much better than public schools, as charter school promoters endlessly like to boast, …
(2021-10-18). The fourth brother: Qatari deputy prime minister, foreign minister in state visit to Azerbaijan. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ==== Azerbaijan, Pakistan And Qatar Emiri Air Force Combat Aircraft Stole The Scene At Anatolian Eagle 2021 in Turkey ==== President Ilham Aliyev receives delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of State of Qatar President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign …
(2021-10-18). Historic visit: Pentagon chief to usher Georgia into NATO, "civilized world" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The official visit of the US Secretary of Defense to Georgia has started During the visit, Lloyd Austin will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. The US Secretary of Defense will visit one of the military bases of the Georgian Defense Forces and will attend a joint exercise with the participation of American …
(2021-10-18). Biden Administration to Release Long-awaited Sanctions Review. globalresearch.ca
(2021-10-18). Republican campaign rally in Virginia draws Trump, Bannon and fascist supporters. wsws.org In the gubernatorial election, Republican hedge fund executive Glenn Youngkin is running a close race against Democratic former Governor Terry McAuliffe.
(2021-10-18). Netherlands rewards Israel for killing Gaza children. electronicintifada.net Dutch military ties with Tel Aviv recall embrace of apartheid South Africa.
(2021-10-18). Nobel Prize committee hails US-aligned journalists, silent on Assange. wsws.org In their celebration of press freedom, the Nobel Committee selected two journalists who have never challenged the interests of the major imperialist powers and who have spent their entire careers in alignment with the US state apparatus.
(2021-10-18). Evidence of money laundering at the collapsed Surfside, Florida condo complex. wsws.org The USA Today has brought to light details of drug money laundering in the original construction and sale of condo units at the Champlain Tower South complex that collapsed and killed 98 people on June 24.
(2021-10-18). Julian Assange's Father, John Shipton, on the U.S. Government's 'Scandalous' Plan to 'Murder' His Son. globalresearch.ca