Anonymous103 (2022-02-28). Russia out of Swift, The "Nuclear" Financial Option That Risks Collapsing The World Economy. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Written by Piero Messina | There is the war that is fought on the ground and there is the war that is fought with international finance weapons. Financially, Europe and the United States have a nuclear option. They used it: to oust the Russian Central Bank from Swift transactions. | But what is the Swift? It is an acronym that stands for "Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications": it is a Belgian messaging platform that connects thousands of financial institutions fro…

sputniknews (2022-02-28). Sweden, Finland Inching Closer Toward NATO Amid Russia's Ukraine Op, Poll Shows. sputniknews.com Both Finland and Sweden have maintained a lively collaboration with the North Atlantic alliance through joint drills and overseas operations while retaining their formal non-alignment.

WSWS (2022-02-28). Australia to send "lethal aid" to Ukrainian armed forces. wsws.org A senior Labor leader called for an even greater "step up," saying: "Whether that is support with weapons, on the cybersecurity front, whether it is tightening the screws on the Russian economy."

Fight Back (2022-02-28). The historical emergence of Marxism. fightbacknews.org Continuing the Fight Back! series on the theoretical concepts of Marxism-Leninism, let's examine how Marxism emerged, and the struggles that it grew out of. | Marxism-Leninism didn't spring fully grown from the heads of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao. It developed historically as a result of the struggles that were taking place as it emerged. This is because revolutionaries needed to understand the world in order to change it. In the time that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were working, they took the most advanced theory in philosophy, political economy and socialist thought and brought them to a higher lev…

sputniknews (2022-02-28). UK Treasury Imposes Sanctions Against Central Bank of Russia. sputniknews.com Earlier, the UK announced sanctions measures aimed at "imposing severe consequences on Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian economy" over Moscow's special operation in Donbass to defend the Donetsk and Lugansk People's republics (DPR and LPR).

teleSUR (2022-02-28). Removing Russia from SWIFT to Be Double-Edged Sword For Europe. telesurenglish.net Several European countries, the United States and Canada issued a joint statement on Saturday saying they will remove some Russian banks from SWIFT, the payment system used for most international financial transactions. | RELATED: | The expulsion, which some people believe will deal a heavy blow to the Russian economy by crippling Russian banks' ability to settle international transactions, could be bad for Europe, as it will…

teleSUR (2022-02-28). US Freezes Dollar Assets of Russian Central Bank. telesurenglish.net On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department prohibited American companies and financial institutions from carrying out any operations with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBRF) and froze all dollar assets of this institution. | RELATED: | Announced before the opening of the U.S. markets, this prohibition takes effect immediately and prevents the Russian Central Bank from accessing its dollar reserves aro…

Staff (2022-02-28). Bill McKibben on Dire IPCC Climate Report & How Oil and Gas Are Fueling Putin's Ukraine Invasion. democracynow.org We speak with climate author, journalist and movement leader Bill McKibben upon the release of the highly anticipated U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2022 report, which finds the impacts of the climate crisis are already worse than predicted, driving poverty, hunger, disease and species extinction. McKibben also speaks about how global dependency on oil and gas empowers autocrats like President Vladimir Putin and is helping fuel the Russian war in Ukraine. Renewable energy could help defeat fascism and deter some of "the worst people on Earth" if deployed at scale, he says.

Tom Engelhardt (2022-02-28). Tomgram: Liz Theoharis, Poverty is the Sin, Not Poor People. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Yes, there had been rich American presidents before, but never a billionaire. And it wasn't a mistake either that this country — already in a nosedive of inequality — elected Donald Trump president in 2016 (though who knows …

Kim Scipes (2022-02-28). As Workers Win Victories in Mexico, It's Important to Remember Past Machinations Against Them. covertactionmagazine.com Mexico's reenergized labor movement should be leery of AFL-CIO cooptation and CIA infiltration following long historical pattern In early February, …

Labor Video Project (2022-02-28). SEIU 1021VP Dawkins Opposes Building John Fisher's A's Stadium In Port of Oakland. indybay.org SEIU 1021 VP for Organizing Brandon Dawkins spoke out about the closure of public schools in Oakland and also opposed billionaire A's over John Fisher's stadium in the Port of Oakland.

WSWS (2022-02-28). Imperialist powers use "financial nuclear weapon" against Russia. wsws.org Selected Russian banks have been cut off from the Swift financial messaging system and the foreign exchange transactions of its central banks have been paralyzed.

WSWS (2022-02-28). Surging inflation deepens social catastrophe in Sri Lanka. wsws.org The cost of food will increase further because of crop failures caused by President Rajapakse's import ban last April on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

_____ (2022-02-28). What Russia, Singapore and Fiji Have in Common. journal-neo.org Russia's cooperation with Singapore, a prosperous island city-state in Southeast Asia with a population of nearly 6 million people, neighbouring Indonesia and Malaysia and having one of the highest GDPs in the world, has been actively developing since 2009, when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid his first official visit to Singapore in the history of …

teleSUR (2022-02-28). Russia-Ukraine War Threatens Import-Depending African Economies. telesurenglish.net Last week, the Renaissance Capital Investment Bank Economist Director Charlie Robertson warned that the Ukraine-Russian war will severely impact African countries that depend on food imports from Europe. | RELATED: | "Africa keeps centuries-old ties with Western countries," Robertson said, stressing that this continent imported US$6.9 billion in agricultural products from Russia and Ukraine in 2020. | He considered that the g…

WSWS (2022-02-28). Three months after John Deere strike, company again announces massive profits. wsws.org Deere's earnings and increased projections for 2022 confirm once more that Deere management and the union lied to workers when they told them nothing more could be won in their strike.

David Swanson (2022-02-28). RAND Corporation Urged Creation of the Horrors You're Seeing in Ukraine. dissidentvoice.org In 2019, the RAND Corporation tentacle of the U.S. Military Industrial Congressional "Intelligence" Media Academic "Think" Tank Complex published a report claiming to have "conducted a qualitative assessment of 'cost-imposing options' that could unbalance and overextend Russia." Here was one of the "cost-imposing options," one that U.S. President Barack Obama had been refusing, but in …

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-28). (Italiano) Industria delle armi: la coda che agita il cane. transcend.org 24 Febbraio 2022 – Il militarismo è una minaccia negli sforzi di costruzione di un sistema mondiale più pacifico. Ed è spinto dalla forza gravitazionale, che distorce le risposte sia politiche sia mediatiche, del complesso militar-industriale. Opporvisi comporta aver qualcos'altro da proporre, da mettere al suo posto, come fonte di sicurezza come pure di prosperità .

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-28). Down with US Empire! Long live Revolutionary Internationalism and Socialism! (w/Luna Oi!). anchor.fm In this episode the amazing Luna Oi joins us all the way from Vietnam to discuss her country's history and the struggles they've endured, but more broadly we also go into a discussion about what is stopping the "Left" from within the US Empire and the west, generally, from being able to build a movement capable of combatting these different stopping-blocks that seem to have us stagnant. We discuss misinformation about the virus and vaccines, we talk about organizing and how to help your community and comrades, we discuss isolation, US Imperialism, the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, and elsewhere, as well as Revolu…

Staff (2022-02-27). Donetsk and Lugansk: The Role of NATO and the US Strategy. orinocotribune.com By Rubén Ramos — Feb 23, 2022 | The attack on Donetsk and Lugansk is part of a US plan to apply heavy sanctions, together with its European vassals, on Russia, by accusing it of wanting to annex Ukraine. This would hamper Russia's current economic plan, its ground and space technology development, and its self-defense strategy. | While the United States and its European "vassal states" have denied the geopolitical validity of the "Security Guarantees" peace proposal presented by Russia in December 2021, those very same countries have sent mercenaries and illegal armament to the Donbas region to attack the i…

sputniknews (2022-02-27). Russia-Europe Gas Transit Through Ukraine to Remain at Near Maximum Capacity, Operator Says. sputniknews.com The Russian military operation in Ukraine has sent energy prices on a rollercoaster of volatility, with oil surging past $100 a barrel and spot prices for gas jumping 60 percent or more Thursday before leveling out Friday.

Vijay Prashad (2022-02-27). The Left has Culture, but the World Still Belongs to the Banks. orinocotribune.com By Vijay Prashad — Feb 10, 2022 | 'There is great intellectual poverty on the part of the right wing', Héctor Béjar says in our latest Béjar speaks with a great deal of authority on these matters because, for the past sixty years, he has been intimately involved in the intellectual and political debates which have taken place in his native Peru and across Latin America. 'In the cul…

Benjamin Norton (2022-02-27). US sanctions on Russia over Ukraine also target Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba. multipolarista.com President Joe Biden's top Latin America advisor, Juan S. Gonzalez, admitted that US sanctions against Russia aim to hurt Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba as well. The three socialist governments condemned NATO aggression for creating the crisis in Ukraine.

sputniknews (2022-02-27). As West Slaps Another Package of Sanctions on Russia, Analyst Mulls Over Their Effectiveness. sputniknews.com Although Western sanctions did harm the Iranian economy, they failed to curb Tehran's nuclear drive. They also failed to result in the overthrow of the current Iranian leadership. Will the same scenario unfold in Russia?

Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza (2022-02-27). White House: Venezuela Will Feel the Pressure of Sanctions Against Russia (+Missile Crisis). orinocotribune.com Caracas, February 26, 2022 ( "The sanctions on Russia are so robust that they will have an impact on those governments with economic links with Russia," stated González. "And that is by design, so Venez…

WSWS (2022-02-27). Credit Suisse revelations: Credit Suisse revelations: The rot of the financial oligarchy and its banking system. wsws.org It is impossible to clean out the Augean filth of the global political, economic and financial system. Reports of financial criminality have become so routine that a day later Suisse Secrets was old news.

WSWS (2022-02-27). Credit Suisse revelations: The rot of the financial oligarchy and its banking system. wsws.org It is impossible to clean out the Augean filth of the global political, economic and financial system. Reports of financial criminality have become so routine that a day later Suisse Secrets was old news.

_____ (2022-02-27). Assange Affirms The Existence Of Another Kind Of Human Nature. popularresistance.org We know what Julian did. We know the great public service he provided. We know that he and WikiLeaks, aided by courageous figures such as Chelsea Manning, gave us the most important journalist coup of our generation, ripping back the veil erected by the ruling political, military, and financial elites to expose their mendacity, their corruption, and their crimes. We know that populations around the world, from Haiti to Tunisia, were empowered by this information to hold these elites accountable. | But today I want us to reflect on Julian himself. For Julian, endowed with precocious skills, could easily have been…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-27). Russia Isn't Starting a War in Ukraine, It is Ending One. libya360.wordpress.com Is Russia really "invading" Ukraine? Or is it finally reacting to an ongoing occupation or capture of Ukraine — a nation on its own borders after 8 years of patience? The US has admittedly interfered in Ukraine's internal political affairs in violation of the UN Charter, admittedly spending billions of dollars to shape its political…

Molly Weiner (2022-02-27). Our Universities' Investments in Fossil Fuels Are Unethical — and Illegal. truthout.org We've stormed

sputniknews (2022-02-27). 'He Gave $417 Million. What The Hell is Going On?' Trump Urges Audit of Zuckerberg Election Funding. sputniknews.com Last October former POTUS Donald Trump insisted new analysis showed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's donation of roughly $419.5 million to election offices through a pair of nonprofits was "illegal", having purportedly boosted Democratic turnout in key areas.

ecns.cn (2022-02-27). China's listed companies see strong growth in 2021. ecns.cn Listed enterprises in China registered robust growth in market value and profits last year, the latest data showed.

ecns.cn (2022-02-27). China's textile sector sees strong growth in 2021. ecns.cn China's textile industry posted robust expansion last year, with both revenue and profits logging double-digit growth, official data showed.

Matt Smyth (2022-02-27). Francis: A Pope of the Poor? A Pope for the Environment? Or a Pope for the Global Elite? globalresearch.ca Pope Francis. A pope of rupture. A pope for ecology. Inimical to capitalism, but compassionate to the poor and the migrant. | The gay friendly pope. Lenient with divorcees, but hostile to traditionalists and conservatives. | The reformer of the corrupt Roman …

_____ (2022-02-27). On Contact: Race And America's Long War. popularresistance.org The internal violence in the United States, militarized police, and the largest prison system in the world, along with America's endemic racism, are mirrored in the foreign wars that have been fought almost continuously by the United States since the end of the 19th century. These inner and outer wars, argues historian Nikhil Pal Singh, are intimately connected. The gunning down of unarmed black people in American cities is expressed outside our borders in the gunning down of unarmed Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia, often by militarized drones. The prison-industrial-complex at home…

teleSUR, PGV, JGN (2022-02-27). øPor qué Venezuela recuerda el Día por el Respeto a los DD.HH?>. telesurtv.net A 33 años del "Caracazo", la sublevación popular ante las políticas neoliberales de Carlos Andrés Pérez, te contamos por qué Venezuela recuerda hoy el Día Nacional por el Respeto a los Derechos Humanos.

Benjamin Norton (2022-02-27). Las sanciones de EEUU a Rusia por Ucrania apuntan a Venezuela, Nicaragua y Cuba. multipolarista.com El principal asesor para América Latina del presidente Joe Biden, Juan S. González, admitió que las sanciones de Estados Unidos contra Rusia también tienen como objetivo dañar a Venezuela, Nicaragua y Cuba. Los tres gobiernos socialistas condenaron la agresión de la OTAN por crear la crisis en Ucrania.

Staff (2022-02-27). Putin orders Russian nuclear deterrent forces to be on highest alert. rt.com The move comes in response to 'hostile' rhetoric by top NATO officials, Russia's president has explained | President Vladimir Putin placed the country's strategic deterrence forces on "special" alert on Sunday, announcing the move during a meeting with Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. | "Western countries are not only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic area. I'm speaking about the illegitimate sanctions that everyone is well aware of. However, the top officials of the leading NATO countries also make aggressive statements against our countr…

Staff (2022-02-27). China lifts all restrictions on wheat imports from Russia. rt.com The move could ease the impact of western sanctions against Moscow | China is now fully open to Russian wheat deliveries, as all import restrictions have been lifted, the South China Morning Post has reported, citing the country's General Administration of Customs. | The announcement was made public on Thursday, hours after Russia began its military operation in Ukraine, the paper says, adding that the deal could provide a lifeline to the Russian economy as it faces tough economic sanctions from the EU and the US, and at the same time addresses China's need to enhance food security. | China previously restrict…

sputniknews (2022-02-27). Russia-Europe Gas Transit Through Ukraine to Remain at Near Maximum Capacity, Operator Says. sputniknews.com The Russian military operation in Ukraine has sent energy prices on a rollercoaster of volatility, with oil surging past $100 a barrel and spot prices for gas jumping 60 percent or more Thursday before leveling out Friday.

Staff (2022-02-27). Russia's vast offshore reserves could roil international money markets. rt.com Moscow holds $300 billion abroad, a Credit Suisse strategist estimates | The world's money markets will suffer if Ukraine-related sanctions target Russia's huge offshore reserves, according to Credit Suisse as reported by Bloomberg on Thursday. | The Swiss banking giant says Moscow has about $300 billion of foreign currency held abroad — enough to disrupt money markets if the reserves are frozen or if Moscow is forced to suddenly move them due to sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine, the business outlet quotes Credit Suisse Group AG strategist Zoltan Pozsar as saying. | "When flows change, spreads can gap…

Vijay Prashad (2022-02-27). The Left has Culture, but the World Still Belongs to the Banks. orinocotribune.com By Vijay Prashad — Feb 10, 2022 | 'There is great intellectual poverty on the part of the right wing', Héctor Béjar says in our latest Béjar speaks with a great deal of authority on these matters because, for the past sixty years, he has been intimately involved in the intellectual and political debates which have taken place in his native Peru and across Latin America. 'In the cul…

sputniknews (2022-02-27). As West Slaps Another Package of Sanctions on Russia, Analyst Mulls Over Their Effectiveness. sputniknews.com Although Western sanctions did harm the Iranian economy, they failed to curb Tehran's nuclear drive. They also failed to result in the overthrow of the current Iranian leadership. Will the same scenario unfold in Russia?

Staff (2022-02-27). Bank of Russia responds to Western threats. rt.com The regulator pledges to protect the nation's economy | The Bank of Russia (the Central Bank) will provide domestic banks with cash and non-cash liquidity in rubles in order to maintain financial stability and protect the economy from the impact of the latest Ukraine-related Western sanctions, the regulator said in a statement on Sunday. | "The Bank of Russia will continuously provide banks with cash and non-cash liquidity in rubles. The REPO (repurchase agreement) auction on Monday will be held on an unlimited basis, with full satisfaction of all applications received from banks," the statement released by th…

Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza (2022-02-27). White House: Venezuela Will Feel the Pressure of Sanctions Against Russia (+Missile Crisis). orinocotribune.com Caracas, February 26, 2022 ( "The sanctions on Russia are so robust that they will have an impact on those governments with economic links with Russia," stated González. "And that is by design, so Venez…

ecns.cn (2022-02-27). Chinese FM elaborates China's basic position on Ukrainian issue. ecns.cn Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday elaborated China's basic position on the Ukrainian issue.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-27). SEIU 1021VP Dawkins Opposes Building John Fisher's A's Stadium In Port of Oakland. indybay.org SEIU 1021 VP for Organizing Brandon Dawkins spoke out about the closure of public schools in Oakland and also opposed billionaire A's over John Fisher's stadium in the Port of Oakland.

Staff (2022-02-27). West cuts Russians' access to 'golden passports'. rt.com Wealthy citizens will no longer be able to buy European citizenship | Western countries pledged to limit the 'Golden Passport' program, which allows Russians to obtain European citizenship by investment. | "We commit to acting against the people and entities who facilitate the war in Ukraine and the harmful activities of the Russian government. Specifically, we commit to taking measures to limit the sale of citizenship — so called golden passports — that let wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government become citizens of our countries and gain access to our financial systems," the leaders of…

Staff (2022-02-27). SWIFT preparing to disconnect Russia. rt.com US, Canada and European countries earlier agreed to cut several banks from the system | The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) announced on Saturday that it was preparing to comply with orders from Western powers to disconnect Russia from its system. | In a

ecns.cn (2022-02-27). China's listed companies see strong growth in 2021. ecns.cn Listed enterprises in China registered robust growth in market value and profits last year, the latest data showed.

ecns.cn (2022-02-27). China's textile sector sees strong growth in 2021. ecns.cn China's textile industry posted robust expansion last year, with both revenue and profits logging double-digit growth, official data showed.

sputniknews (2022-02-27). 'He Gave $417 Million. What The Hell is Going On?' Trump Urges Audit of Zuckerberg Election Funding. sputniknews.com Last October former POTUS Donald Trump insisted new analysis showed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's donation of roughly $419.5 million to election offices through a pair of nonprofits was "illegal", having purportedly boosted Democratic turnout in key areas.

Staff (2022-02-26). Australia suspends RT broadcast. rt.com Australia's satellite operator said the move has been made out of "concern about the situation in Ukraine" | Australia's satellite operator, Foxtel, has notified RT on Saturday that it is suspending the channel's broadcast distribution in Australia as part of its services "in view of concern about the situation in Ukraine." The operator will then further "consider" its rights under the channel license agreement, it added, without elaborating on any potential additional measures. | Foxtel is a satellite operator covering all of Australia's territory and has its own over-the-top (OTT) server allowing media servi…

New Atlas (2022-02-26). US Plans to Destroy Taiwan to "Save" It. newatlas.report February 26, 2022 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — Tensions between the United States and China exist across a wide spectrum of areas, from economics to geopolitics. Among the many flashpoint issues defining this growing confrontation is the "Taiwan question." Officially, the United States recognizes what is known as the "One China Policy." The US State …

Chris Hedges (2022-02-26). Russia, Ukraine and the chronicle of a war foretold. mronline.org After the fall of the Soviet Union, there was a near-universal understanding among political leaders that NATO expansion would be a foolish provocation against Russia. How naive we were to think the military-industrial complex would allow such sanity to prevail.

JANET (2022-02-26). Berlin antiwar rally exposes Washington's lies. iacenter.org By John Catalinotto February 25, 2022 Despite gale warnings, the Berlin Peace Coordination drew a thousand people to a Feb. 18 antiwar rally on the Platz des 18. Mà§rz at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, under the slogans "Stop the media warmongering and NATO aggression policy" and "Disarmament and peace with Russia." Among the participants were members of the Left Party, the German Communist Party and the Friends of Nature. Left Party representative in Bundestag, Sevim Dagdelen, at Feb. 18 antiwar rally. Friko (Peace Coordination) Left Party member of the Bundestag, Sevim Dagdelen, to the cheers of the crowd…

WSWS (2022-02-26). Herd immunity in Northern Ireland: "My family has been torn apart" wsws.org "The moneymen in government don't care how many families suffer, as long as profits keep rolling and the economy is booming."

Staff (2022-02-26). Macron says Ukraine conflict 'will last'. rt.com The French president is convening the country's defense council on Saturday | The conflict between Russia and Ukraine "will last," so France is bracing for the economic impact — that's the conclusion President Emmanuel Macron made on Saturday. | "War has returned to Europe," he said while speaking at an agricultural show. "In a certain way there will be consequences in our exports for the major sectors." | Macron also said the French defense council will gather on Saturday afternoon to discuss the situation in Ukraine. | After Russia began its operation to "demilitarize" Ukraine earlier this week, France…

Richard Horton (2022-02-26). [Comment] Offline: There is no right to lie. thelancet.com Perhaps the most curious aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the flourishing of anti-science movements, despite the demonstrable triumphs of science in producing life-saving antivirals and vaccines. Mistrust of science is spreading well beyond COVID-19. Political challenges to climate action, notably the goal of net zero emissions, are growing, especially as economic stress impoverishes millions. 5G remains a target for many science sceptics. And libertarian politicians condemn scientists as unelected threats to democratic freedoms.

Newsclick (2022-02-26). How economic 'reforms' plundered India. peoplesdispatch.org Capitalism is based on big lies — that the West is prosperous because of the Industrial revolution and free market policies. In reality the riches of the developed world is based entirely on draining wealth from the poorer countries. It is a process that has continued even after the end of colonies. In fact, this plunder has increased since the 1980s, when neoliberal economics came to rule the world.

_____ (2022-02-26). REI Workers In SoHo Schedule First Union Vote. popularresistance.org More than 100 retail workers at the national outdoor gear chain Recreational Equipment, Inc. will decide whether to form a union during an in-person vote on March 2, paving the way for what could become the company's first unionized store. | The workers are campaigning to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in order to help workers address issues related to wages, paid-time off scheduling, training and workplace safety concerns, organizers said. Union organizers announced the vote Wednesday night and records from the National Labor Relations Board confirmed the election will be held throughout t…

Liberation Staff (2022-02-26). Union files complaint: Is Amazon trying to rig the Bessemer election AGAIN? liberationnews.org The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union released a statement announcing the filing of Unfair Labor Practice charges against Amazon alleging illegal union-busting actions by the company in the re-run union election in Bessemer, Alabama.

Matthew J.L. Ehret (2022-02-26). Immune to Irony: Nazi Collaborators and Authoritarian Personalities Denounce Russia. dissidentvoice.org O would some Power the gift to give usTo see ourselves as others see us! — Robert Burns, To a Louse, 1786 This famous quote by the great Scottish poet Robert Burns stands as one of the clearest reminders of a precondition for any matured identity. Burns understood that without having learned to use our …

sputniknews (2022-02-26). Asteroid 'Taller Than Dubai Skyscraper, Wider than The Vatican' to Skim Past Earth. sputniknews.com NASA had earlier warned that a kilometre-plus wide, potentially hazardous asteroid would be passing near Earth in early March. The agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) considers any asteroid of at least 150 metres in diameter passing within 7.5 million kilometres of Earth to be potentially hazardous.

Staff (2022-02-26). Russia's space agency responds to Western sanctions. rt.com The Russian space agency has turned to China with a collaboration proposal | Roscosmos will cease work on joint space projects with Europe and the United States and instead seek cooperation with China, the head of the Russian space agency Dmitry Rogozin announced on Saturday. | Rogozin told Tass news agency on Saturday that he had given his team an order to start negotiations with Beijing on coordination and mutual technical support of all deep space missions, including the 'Venera-D' project, the first Russian mission to Venus since Soviet times. | "Under the conditions of sanctions, US participation in the p…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-26). Ukraine: Partisans and Collaborators. libya360.wordpress.com Apparatchik As a result of the present confrontation in Ukraine, much discussion has taken place about the possibility of an insurgency against Russian forces. At the same time, the extent of far-right entanglement with…

Anonymous103 (2022-02-26). Russian Military Operation Prevented Launch Of U.S. Bio-Laboratories In Ukraine. Kiev Hiding Evidence. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The Russian military special operation in Ukraine coincided with the planned launch of U.S. military biolaboratories in Kiev and Odessa. On February 26, the US Embassy in Ukraine rushed to delete all documents about 11 Pentagon-funded bio-laboratories in Ukraine from its website. All these documents (now deleted by the Embassy), you can read In October 2021, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the U.S. Department…

Anonymous669 (2022-02-26). US-Backed Fighters Occupied Syrian Government Building In Al-Qamishli. southfront.org Click to see full-size image, source: sdf-press.com | On February 26, fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) occupied a building of the Damascus government in the northeastern Syrian town of al-Qamishli. | According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, SDF fighters took over the Social Insurance and Labor building in the town's center by force."A groups of SDF fighters took control of the three-story Social Security and Labor building after breaking the door locks then began to guard the main entranc…

Brian Williams (2022-02-26). SWP takes truckers' fight in Canada to working class. themilitant.com Members of the Socialist Workers Party have been building on the momentum of the recently concluded successful renewal campaign to introduce the paper and the party's election campaign to workers and farmers at plant gates, strike picket lines, political events and on their doorsteps. | They're making special efforts to meet truckers to discuss the conditions they face and how working people can defend ourselves. | "Fuel prices are high, freight is low. And the shippers and receivers keep us waiting for 13, 14 hours and we don't get paid. I'm for the Canadian truckers," Chris Weber told Eleanor García, SWP candid…

Editor (2022-02-26). Hedges: Assange Affirms the Existence of Another Kind of Human Nature. scheerpost.com Original illustration by Mr. Fish | By Chris Hedges / A Statement made at the We know what Julian did. We know the great public service he provided. We know that he and WikiLeaks, aided by courageous figures such as Chelsea Manning, gave us the most important journalist coup of our generation, ripping back the veil erected by the ruling political, military, and financial elites to expose their mendacity, their corruption, and their crimes. We know that populations around the world, from Haiti to Tunisia, w…

Staff (2022-02-26). Chinese banks limit financing for Russian purchases — media. rt.com The two largest lenders reportedly restricted funding for the purchase of Russian commodities | China's largest public financial institutions are reportedly limiting financing to purchase raw materials from Russia under the threat of sanctions from the US and allies over the military operation in Ukraine. | The step, which might only be temporary, was taken by at least two of China's largest state-controlled banks, ICBC and Bank of China, which are at major risk of secondary sanctions from Washington, Bloomberg news agency reported on Saturday, citing unidentified sources. | ICBC, the world's biggest bank by a…

teleSUR (2022-02-26). Argentina Expects Agreement With IMF in the Near Future. telesurenglish.net The divergent points between the Casa Rosada and the international organization lie in the way to reduce the fiscal deficit, with the objective of reducing the 2.5 percent of GDP set for 2022 to 0.9 percent in 2024. | As IMF staff and Argentina advance on talks for a new agreement, the lender's board is closely following whether the country meets four key criteria that would allow it to receive a large loan. Feb. 26, 2022.

sputniknews (2022-02-26). Russian Space Agency Suspends Cooperation With Europe on Launches in Kourou Spaceport. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian space agency Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with Europe on launches from the Kourou cosmodrome and is recalling its employees from French Guiana in response to sanctions imposed by the European Union, the head of the agency, Dmitry Rogozin, said on Saturday.

Nicholas J White, Nicholas P J Day, Elizabeth A Ashley, Frank M Smithuis, Francois H Nosten (2022-02-26). [Correspondence] Have we really failed to roll back malaria? thelancet.com The World Malaria Report (WMR) 2021 estimates that there were 241 million (95% CI 218—269) malaria cases in the world in 2020, which is the same number as in 2000 (241 [226—260] million).1 Has the global burden of malaria really not changed over 20 years, after spending more than US$30 billion on malaria control activities, and after distributing more than 2 ∑5 billion insecticide-treated bednets, 3 billion rapid diagnostic tests, and 3 ∑5 billion artemisinin combination treatments?

WSWS (2022-02-26). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org India: Tamil Nadu state transport workers demonstrate over working conditions; Punjab fire fighters workers protest sackings; Pakistan: Quetta municipal workers demand unpaid wages; West Australian Newspaper print workers still locked out; CHEP pallet workers continue strikes in New Zealand…

Rick Rozoff (2022-02-26). How Ukraine is helping Turkey become world military power. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ahmedabad MirrorFebruary 19, 2022 How Ukraine Is Helping Turkey To Become A Formidable Military PowerAditi Bhaduri In a rare move, a Chinese company Skyrizon at the end of 2021 filed an application to the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration over the failed purchase of Ukraine's Motor Sich, one of the worlds advanced military aircraft engine …

Partido por el Socialismo y la Liberación (2022-02-26). Declaración del PSL sobre la intervención militar de Rusia en Ucrania. liberationnews.org La operación militar rusa en Ucrania pone de manifiesto que el mundo ha llegado a una peligrosa bifurcación.

WSWS (2022-02-26). Chinese translation of "2022: Year Three of the pandemic and the emerging global class struggle" wsws.org The perspective outlines a socialist and internationalist perspective for the global working class and is of immense relevance to workers and young people in China, as well as the millions around the world who also read Mandarin.

Roy Landersen (2022-02-26). Defend the independence of Ukraine! Moscow out now! themilitant.com Russian President Vladimir Putin Feb. 21 declared that the Moscow-backed "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk set up in Ukraine in 2014 were independent countries and ordered Russian troops to go in as "peacekeepers." The Kremlin's invasion is backed by the largest military mobilization on the European continent since World War II. | "The Socialist Workers Party demands Moscow pull its tanks and troops out of Ukraine and respect the sovereignty of Ukraine," Joanne Kuniansky, Socialist Workers Party leader and candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, told the press the next day. "Sin…

Steve Penner (2022-02-26). Protest Canadian rulers' Emergencies Act attack on workers' protests, rights! themilitant.com MONTREAL — "The sweeping police operation carried out under the anti-working-class Emergencies Act against the three-week protest in Ottawa, Canada's capital, by truckers and others opposed to vaccine mandates is an assault on the political rights of all working people," said Philippe Tessier, Communist League candidate in a Quebec provincial by-election in the riding of Marie-Victorin. "It is one of the largest acts of police repression in modern Canadian history and should be opposed by all unions and supporters of democratic rights. | "As of today — Feb. 22 — even though the cops have shut do…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-26). Communist Party of Russia Calls for Increased Nationalization, Dedollarization, an End to Digital ID and Mass Vaccinations. libya360.wordpress.com "The answer to external pressure should be a radical change in domestic policy". The 2014 coup d'état in Ukraine was carried out with the support of the United States and the European Union. It brought to power extremely reactionary forces imbued with the poison of Banderite Nazism and Russophobia. The burning of people in the…

JANET (2022-02-26). Berlin antiwar rally exposes Washington's lies. iacenter.org By John Catalinotto February 25, 2022 Despite gale warnings, the Berlin Peace Coordination drew a thousand people to a Feb. 18 antiwar rally on the Platz des 18. Mà§rz at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, under the slogans "Stop the media warmongering and NATO aggression policy" and "Disarmament and peace with Russia." Among the participants were members of the Left Party, the German Communist Party and the Friends of Nature. Left Party representative in Bundestag, Sevim Dagdelen, at Feb. 18 antiwar rally. Friko (Peace Coordination) Left Party member of the Bundestag, Sevim Dagdelen, to the cheers of the crowd…

New Atlas (2022-02-26). US Plans to Destroy Taiwan to "Save" It. newatlas.report February 26, 2022 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — Tensions between the United States and China exist across a wide spectrum of areas, from economics to geopolitics. Among the many flashpoint issues defining this growing confrontation is the "Taiwan question." Officially, the United States recognizes what is known as the "One China Policy." The US State …

WSWS (2022-02-26). Herd immunity in Northern Ireland: "My family has been torn apart" wsws.org "The moneymen in government don't care how many families suffer, as long as profits keep rolling and the economy is booming."

Richard Horton (2022-02-26). [Comment] Offline: There is no right to lie. thelancet.com Perhaps the most curious aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the flourishing of anti-science movements, despite the demonstrable triumphs of science in producing life-saving antivirals and vaccines. Mistrust of science is spreading well beyond COVID-19. Political challenges to climate action, notably the goal of net zero emissions, are growing, especially as economic stress impoverishes millions. 5G remains a target for many science sceptics. And libertarian politicians condemn scientists as unelected threats to democratic freedoms.

Liberation Staff (2022-02-26). Union files complaint: Is Amazon trying to rig the Bessemer election AGAIN? liberationnews.org The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union released a statement announcing the filing of Unfair Labor Practice charges against Amazon alleging illegal union-busting actions by the company in the re-run union election in Bessemer, Alabama.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-26). SEIU 1021VP Dawkins Opposes Building John Fisher's A's Stadium In Port of Oakland. indybay.org SEIU 1021 VP for Organizing Brandon Dawkins spoke out about the closure of public schools in Oakland and also opposed billionaire A's over John Fisher's stadium in the Port of Oakland.

Brian Williams (2022-02-26). SWP takes truckers' fight in Canada to working class. themilitant.com Members of the Socialist Workers Party have been building on the momentum of the recently concluded successful renewal campaign to introduce the paper and the party's election campaign to workers and farmers at plant gates, strike picket lines, political events and on their doorsteps. | They're making special efforts to meet truckers to discuss the conditions they face and how working people can defend ourselves. | "Fuel prices are high, freight is low. And the shippers and receivers keep us waiting for 13, 14 hours and we don't get paid. I'm for the Canadian truckers," Chris Weber told Eleanor García, SWP candid…

Editor (2022-02-26). Hedges: Assange Affirms the Existence of Another Kind of Human Nature. scheerpost.com Original illustration by Mr. Fish | By Chris Hedges / A Statement made at the We know what Julian did. We know the great public service he provided. We know that he and WikiLeaks, aided by courageous figures such as Chelsea Manning, gave us the most important journalist coup of our generation, ripping back the veil erected by the ruling political, military, and financial elites to expose their mendacity, their corruption, and their crimes. We know that populations around the world, from Haiti to Tunisia, w…

teleSUR (2022-02-26). Argentina Expects Agreement With IMF in the Near Future. telesurenglish.net The divergent points between the Casa Rosada and the international organization lie in the way to reduce the fiscal deficit, with the objective of reducing the 2.5 percent of GDP set for 2022 to 0.9 percent in 2024. | As IMF staff and Argentina advance on talks for a new agreement, the lender's board is closely following whether the country meets four key criteria that would allow it to receive a large loan. Feb. 26, 2022.

Nicholas J White, Nicholas P J Day, Elizabeth A Ashley, Frank M Smithuis, Francois H Nosten (2022-02-26). [Correspondence] Have we really failed to roll back malaria? thelancet.com The World Malaria Report (WMR) 2021 estimates that there were 241 million (95% CI 218—269) malaria cases in the world in 2020, which is the same number as in 2000 (241 [226—260] million).1 Has the global burden of malaria really not changed over 20 years, after spending more than US$30 billion on malaria control activities, and after distributing more than 2 ∑5 billion insecticide-treated bednets, 3 billion rapid diagnostic tests, and 3 ∑5 billion artemisinin combination treatments?

sputniknews (2022-02-26). Russian Space Agency Suspends Cooperation With Europe on Launches in Kourou Spaceport. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian space agency Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with Europe on launches from the Kourou cosmodrome and is recalling its employees from French Guiana in response to sanctions imposed by the European Union, the head of the agency, Dmitry Rogozin, said on Saturday.

WSWS (2022-02-26). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org India: Tamil Nadu state transport workers demonstrate over working conditions; Punjab fire fighters workers protest sackings; Pakistan: Quetta municipal workers demand unpaid wages; West Australian Newspaper print workers still locked out; CHEP pallet workers continue strikes in New Zealand…

Partido por el Socialismo y la Liberación (2022-02-26). Declaración del PSL sobre la intervención militar de Rusia en Ucrania. liberationnews.org La operación militar rusa en Ucrania pone de manifiesto que el mundo ha llegado a una peligrosa bifurcación.

WSWS (2022-02-26). Chinese translation of "2022: Year Three of the pandemic and the emerging global class struggle" wsws.org The perspective outlines a socialist and internationalist perspective for the global working class and is of immense relevance to workers and young people in China, as well as the millions around the world who also read Mandarin.

Roy Landersen (2022-02-26). Defend the independence of Ukraine! Moscow out now! themilitant.com Russian President Vladimir Putin Feb. 21 declared that the Moscow-backed "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk set up in Ukraine in 2014 were independent countries and ordered Russian troops to go in as "peacekeepers." The Kremlin's invasion is backed by the largest military mobilization on the European continent since World War II. | "The Socialist Workers Party demands Moscow pull its tanks and troops out of Ukraine and respect the sovereignty of Ukraine," Joanne Kuniansky, Socialist Workers Party leader and candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, told the press the next day. "Sin…

Steve Penner (2022-02-26). Protest Canadian rulers' Emergencies Act attack on workers' protests, rights! themilitant.com MONTREAL — "The sweeping police operation carried out under the anti-working-class Emergencies Act against the three-week protest in Ottawa, Canada's capital, by truckers and others opposed to vaccine mandates is an assault on the political rights of all working people," said Philippe Tessier, Communist League candidate in a Quebec provincial by-election in the riding of Marie-Victorin. "It is one of the largest acts of police repression in modern Canadian history and should be opposed by all unions and supporters of democratic rights. | "As of today — Feb. 22 — even though the cops have shut do…

Chris Hedges (2022-02-25). Chris Hedges: Russia, Ukraine and the Chronicle of a War Foretold. mintpressnews.com After the fall of the Soviet Union, there was a near-universal understanding among political leaders that NATO expansion would be a foolish provocation against Russia. How naive we were to think the military-industrial complex would allow such sanity to prevail.

_____ (2022-02-25). Chronicle Of A War Foretold. popularresistance.org I was in Eastern Europe in 1989, reporting on the revolutions that overthrew the ossified communist dictatorships that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was a time of hope. NATO, with the breakup of the Soviet empire, became obsolete. President Mikhail Gorbachev reached out to Washington and Europe to build a new security pact that would include Russia. Secretary of State James Baker in the Reagan administration, along with the West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, assured the Soviet leader that if Germany was unified NATO would not be extended beyond the new borders. The commitment not t…

WSWS (2022-02-25). EU imposes sanctions on Russia as NATO escalates troop deployments. wsws.org The NATO powers are intensifying economic and military pressure on Russia, risking escalation of the conflict into a global war between the major nuclear powers.

Steve Topple (2022-02-25). Keir Starmer's latest authoritarian crackdown is dire timing. thecanary.co Keir Starmer has shut down 11 MPs who signed a Stop the War Coalition (STWC) statement on Ukraine. It's divided opinion and caused controversy. Now, he's also taken action against Young Labour, too. And his timing with all of this couldn't have been worse. | The STWC statement: | PA reported that STWC issued the statement earlier in February on Ukraine. The group accused the UK government of "aggressive posturing". It also said that NATO "should call a halt to its eastward expansion". The Labour MPs who signed the statement were: | Diane Abbott. | John McDonnell. | Richard Burgon. | Ian Lavery. | Beth Win…

_____ (2022-02-25). The Government Just Admitted An Inconvenient Truth. popularresistance.org Every now and then, federal officials admit some truths that are inconvenient to the corporations that own the government — and this latest admission is pretty explicit: Scrapping corporate health care and creating a government-sponsored medical system would boost the economy, help workers, and increase longevity. | Those are just some of the findings from the Republican-led Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in a new report that implicitly tells lawmakers just how the existing corporate-run health care system is immiserating millions of Americans — and how a Medicare for All-style system could quickly…

sputniknews (2022-02-25). West's Resolve to Sanction Any State With Its Own Position Endangers World Order – Russian Envoy. sputniknews.com On Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced a number of new sanctions that he said would "impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time".

sputniknews (2022-02-25). EU Should Urge US to Change Its Course Aimed at Containing Russia, Chinese Media Says. sputniknews.com On Thursday, the US imposed a string of new "severe" sanctions on the Russian economy after Moscow began a special military operation to demilitarise Ukraine following the Donbass republics' request for Russia's assistance in repelling growing attacks by Ukrainian forces.

WSWS (2022-02-25). War crisis triggers market swings. wsws.org Global economy and financial markets are being hit by "stagflationary" shock as the major powers consider whether to exclude Russia from the Swift international payments system.

_____ (2022-02-25). The American Political Process Is Disconnected From Economic Reality. popularresistance.org The growing disconnect between the capitalist system and the economic realities plaguing the United States is now nearing completion. On the ground, the accumulated problems of U.S. capitalism undermine its empire and challenge its very future. Meanwhile, the ever-deepening inequalities of wealth and income conjure up images of ancient Egypt's pharaohs. Three economic crashes opening the new century (2000, 2008, and 2020) have shaken the system; so have the two wars America lost against very poor countries in the Middle East: Afghanistan and Iraq. The worst public health crisis in a century during the COVID-19 pa…

teleSUR (2022-02-25). Ukraine Situation Pose 'Significant Economic Risks': IMF. telesurenglish.net On Friday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said this week's events in Ukraine are "a matter of grave concern," warning that the repercussions of the conflict pose "significant economic risks" in the region and around the world. | RELATED: | "This week's events in Ukraine are a matter of grave concern – first and foremost due to the human toll and suffering of ordinary p…

Sarah Schiffling, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos (2022-02-25). Five essential commodities hit by war in Ukraine. asiatimes.com The war in Ukraine is threatening further disruption to already stretched supply chains. Ukraine and Russia may only account for a small proportion of the imports of major manufacturing nations like Germany and the US, but they are essential suppliers of raw materials and energy for many crucial supply chains. Though the economic consequences of …

Mark Valencia (2022-02-25). China-Australia laser incident raises many questions. asiatimes.com Australia has accused a Chinese warship of shining a military-grade laser at an Australian Air Force Poseidon 8A (P-8A) surveillance plane on February 17 in Australia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Department of Defense condemned "the unprofessional and unsafe military conduct." Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the incident was an "act of intimidation." Defense Minister Peter Dutton …

Alicia Garcia Herrero (2022-02-25). China's economic support for Russia is not a panacea. asiatimes.com Given the delicate situation in Ukraine and the US imposition of sanctions on Russia, followed by the European Union, it seems important to assess how much Russia can rely on China as a trading partner. Although trade between the EU and Russia has lost some steam since President Vladimir Putin's "Pivot to the East" announced …

Graham Peebles (2022-02-25). The Keep Africa Poor and Dependent Project. dissidentvoice.org Exploited and abused for generations by white colonial powers and manipulative economic structures, there is a growing feeling of solidarity within parts of the African continent, as exemplified by the #NoMore movement. Covid vaccine inequality and environmental injustice, together with recent events in Ethiopia, have galvanized people. Ideas of African unity and rage against former …

sputniknews (2022-02-25). EU Sanctions Against Russia Should Be Cancelled, Head of German Party AfD Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tino Chrupalla, the co-chairman of the German right-wing party AfD, has called for the lifting of all European economic sanctions against Russia, stressing that they have not had the desired effect in the past.

Kevin Mwanza (2022-02-25). Leverage: Putin And Russia Expected To Respond To Sanctions By Choking Europe's Access To Natural Gas Supplies. moguldom.com Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to respond to Western sanctions by choking Europe's access to natural gas supplies. A major supplier of oil and gas, Russia is linked to European energy markets through a series of critical pipelines. The biggest one flows through Ukraine and it became a stumbling block for both sides in …

Binoy Kampmark (2022-02-25). Antarctica: Where Realpolitik and Science Meet. dissidentvoice.org A frozen continent. Another potential frontier for conflict and competition. Antarctica is a part of the world were realpolitician meets scientist; the desire for finding exploitable resources meets environmental expectations and fears. Countries have vied for their little slice of ice, sometimes citing reasons of scientific collaboration, and often national self-interest. Much of this culminated …

teleSUR, jaa, SH (2022-02-25). Exsenadora colombiana Piedad Córdoba pide acogerse a la JEP. telesurtv.net Piedad Córdoba señaló que en su labor como activista humanitaria tuvo la posibilidad de escuchar testimonios que podrían contribuir en el Caso 001.

JANET (2022-02-25). Sat, Feb 26 @ 12pm — Stop racist union-busting! Black Lives Matter! iacenter.org On the tenth anniversary of the killing of Trayvon Martin STOP RACIST UNION-BUSTING! Black Lives Matter! Saturday, February 26 @ 12pm Barclays Center, Brooklyn NYPD arrests Amazon Union Leader Chris Smalls for delivering food NYPD HANDS OFF AMAZON LABOR UNION! REHIRE THE STARBUCKS WORKERS MEMPHIS 7! Labor leaders, union supporters and anti-racist activists will gather noon Saturday in Brooklyn to denounce the racist union-busting campaigns being organized by the bosses at Amazon and Starbucks. African-American labor leader Chris Smalls, arrested Wednesday for the crime of delivering food to Amazon workers, will b…

WSWS (2022-02-25). Major League Baseball spring training delayed as lockout continues. wsws.org The owners, who have vastly increased their revenue share as a result of the last collective bargaining agreement (CBA), intend to maintain their beneficial wealth distribution by offering small, incremental changes in a new CBA.

KS Kumar (2022-02-25). India Inc worried about Ukraine fallout. asiatimes.com Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Thursday rattled Indian industry leaders, who are now worried about the immediate and long-term fallout. While those exporting their produce to Russia are concerned about the impact of war on their trade, others are worried about the soaring crude and commodity prices and their effect on the input costs. In …

Matt Sedlar (2022-02-25). Congressional Hearing Highlights Need for IMF Policy Change to Support an Equitable Global Recovery. cepr.net On February 17, 2022, the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy held a virtual hearing titled "The Role of the International Monetary Fund in a Changing Global Landscape." The hearing addressed critical issues facing developing countries in their efforts to recover from the fallout of the COVID-19 …

David P Goldman (2022-02-25). China's SWIFT alternative may undercut US sanctions. asiatimes.com Washington's new sanctions against Russia were no match for President Biden's rhetoric, leaving out the most obvious measure that the United States might take to hurt Moscow, namely exclusion from the SWIFT international payments system. Banks conduct virtually all hard-currency transactions via SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. But a new Chinese …

WSWS (2022-02-25). Financial scandal at Black Lives Matter foundation: Who benefits from racialist politics? wsws.org While leaders of the official Black Lives Matter organization have profited from book deals and corporate sponsorships, tens of millions of dollars in revenues are unaccounted for.

Dana Sanchez (2022-02-25). Bitcoin Falls Hard In Times Of War: It's Not A Safe Haven Like Gold. moguldom.com Bitcoin, long hyped by fans as a safe haven, a hedge against inflation and an alternative to gold — saw its price plummet 8 percent within minutes after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The Bitcoin price subsequently recovered to more than $39,000 in the last 24 hours and other stocks closed higher on Thursday, …

sputniknews (2022-02-25). US Inflation Reaches 6.1% in January, Highest Single-Year Increase in 40 Years. sputniknews.com The US is experiencing levels of inflation not seen in decades, caused by many factors both internal and external. Some experts predict that inflation in the country will remain high and could even accelerate in the coming months.

New Atlas (2022-02-25). Russian Military Ops in Ukraine: Explained in 6 Minutes. newatlas.report February 25, 2022 (The New Atlas) — Is Russia really "invading" Ukraine? Or is it finally reacting to an ongoing occupation or capture of Ukraine — a nation on its own borders after 8 years of patience? The US has admittedly interfered in Ukraine's internal political affairs in violation of the UN Charter, admittedly spending …

WSWS (2022-02-25). North Carolina prison inmates initiate hunger strike against inhumane treatment and grossly inadequate pandemic response. wsws.org The strike came to light nearly two weeks ago after family members of one of the inmates contacted the non-profit law firm, North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services.

sputniknews (2022-02-25). Avocados Held Hostage by Drug Violence in Mexican State of Michoacan. sputniknews.com Although the United States Department of Agriculture resumed imports of avocados after a nearly week-long ban, Mexico's western state of Michoacan is being held hostage by violent drug traffickers who are trying to turn a profit off the beloved fruit through robbery, kidnapping and extortion.

Tobias Debiel (2022-02-25). øA las puertas de un mundo posneoliberal? globalizacion.ca Aunque hay quienes afirman que la pandemia y la crisis climática son indicios del final del neoliberalismo, otros consideran que su caja de herramientas no está vacía. Para el posneoliberalismo hace falta una nueva política y un cambio de estructuras….

Chris Hedges (2022-02-25). Chris Hedges: Russia, Ukraine and the Chronicle of a War Foretold. mintpressnews.com After the fall of the Soviet Union, there was a near-universal understanding among political leaders that NATO expansion would be a foolish provocation against Russia. How naive we were to think the military-industrial complex would allow such sanity to prevail.

WSWS (2022-02-25). EU imposes sanctions on Russia as NATO escalates troop deployments. wsws.org The NATO powers are intensifying economic and military pressure on Russia, risking escalation of the conflict into a global war between the major nuclear powers.

WSWS (2022-02-25). War crisis triggers market swings. wsws.org Global economy and financial markets are being hit by "stagflationary" shock as the major powers consider whether to exclude Russia from the Swift international payments system.

sputniknews (2022-02-25). EU Should Urge US to Change Its Course Aimed at Containing Russia, Chinese Media Says. sputniknews.com On Thursday, the US imposed a string of new "severe" sanctions on the Russian economy after Moscow began a special military operation to demilitarise Ukraine following the Donbass republics' request for Russia's assistance in repelling growing attacks by Ukrainian forces.

sputniknews (2022-02-25). West's Resolve to Sanction Any State With Its Own Position Endangers World Order – Russian Envoy. sputniknews.com On Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced a number of new sanctions that he said would "impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time".

Staff (2022-02-25). Georgia won't join West in sanctioning Russia over Ukraine. rt.com Tbilisi said it would continue to de-escalate its tense relations with Russia despite the attack on Ukraine | Georgia will not participate in economic and financial sanctions on Russia following Moscow's full-scale assault against Ukraine, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told the country's media on Friday, citing national interests. | "During these years, among other issues, we have managed to de-escalate our tense relations with Russia, which was in line with Georgia's national interests, and I will not make any decisions against them," the PM said. | In a statement on Friday, the National Bank of Georgia…

Graham Peebles (2022-02-25). The Keep Africa Poor and Dependent Project. dissidentvoice.org Exploited and abused for generations by white colonial powers and manipulative economic structures, there is a growing feeling of solidarity within parts of the African continent, as exemplified by the #NoMore movement. Covid vaccine inequality and environmental injustice, together with recent events in Ethiopia, have galvanized people. Ideas of African unity and rage against former …

sputniknews (2022-02-25). EU Sanctions Against Russia Should Be Cancelled, Head of German Party AfD Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tino Chrupalla, the co-chairman of the German right-wing party AfD, has called for the lifting of all European economic sanctions against Russia, stressing that they have not had the desired effect in the past.

JANET (2022-02-25). Sat, Feb 26 @ 12pm — Stop racist union-busting! Black Lives Matter! iacenter.org On the tenth anniversary of the killing of Trayvon Martin STOP RACIST UNION-BUSTING! Black Lives Matter! Saturday, February 26 @ 12pm Barclays Center, Brooklyn NYPD arrests Amazon Union Leader Chris Smalls for delivering food NYPD HANDS OFF AMAZON LABOR UNION! REHIRE THE STARBUCKS WORKERS MEMPHIS 7! Labor leaders, union supporters and anti-racist activists will gather noon Saturday in Brooklyn to denounce the racist union-busting campaigns being organized by the bosses at Amazon and Starbucks. African-American labor leader Chris Smalls, arrested Wednesday for the crime of delivering food to Amazon workers, will b…

Binoy Kampmark (2022-02-25). Antarctica: Where Realpolitik and Science Meet. dissidentvoice.org A frozen continent. Another potential frontier for conflict and competition. Antarctica is a part of the world were realpolitician meets scientist; the desire for finding exploitable resources meets environmental expectations and fears. Countries have vied for their little slice of ice, sometimes citing reasons of scientific collaboration, and often national self-interest. Much of this culminated …

Martha Grevatt (2022-02-25). Cleveland Starbucks workers: 'We are stronger together'. workers.org Cleveland The Starbucks union organizing is moving faster than a runaway train. Workers at over 100 stores have now filed for a representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. Starbucks Workers United achieved this milestone when two Cleveland-area stores filed Feb. 18, following a January filing from the West . . . |

teleSUR, jaa, SH (2022-02-25). Exsenadora colombiana Piedad Córdoba pide acogerse a la JEP. telesurtv.net Piedad Córdoba señaló que en su labor como activista humanitaria tuvo la posibilidad de escuchar testimonios que podrían contribuir en el Caso 001.

WSWS (2022-02-25). Major League Baseball spring training delayed as lockout continues. wsws.org The owners, who have vastly increased their revenue share as a result of the last collective bargaining agreement (CBA), intend to maintain their beneficial wealth distribution by offering small, incremental changes in a new CBA.

Matt Sedlar (2022-02-25). Congressional Hearing Highlights Need for IMF Policy Change to Support an Equitable Global Recovery. cepr.net On February 17, 2022, the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy held a virtual hearing titled "The Role of the International Monetary Fund in a Changing Global Landscape." The hearing addressed critical issues facing developing countries in their efforts to recover from the fallout of the COVID-19 …

David P Goldman (2022-02-25). China's SWIFT alternative may undercut US sanctions. asiatimes.com Washington's new sanctions against Russia were no match for President Biden's rhetoric, leaving out the most obvious measure that the United States might take to hurt Moscow, namely exclusion from the SWIFT international payments system. Banks conduct virtually all hard-currency transactions via SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. But a new Chinese …

Staff (2022-02-25). Ukraine bans transactions in Russian and Belarusian rubles. rt.com The country's central bank earlier prohibited financial operations on accounts of Russian residents | The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said on Friday it has prohibited the country's banks from making any foreign exchange transactions using Russian and Belarusian rubles. | According to the regulator, Ukrainian banks will also not be able to make any foreign exchange transactions, if the participant involved is an individual or legal entity located in either Russia or Belarus. | On Thursday, the Ukraine's central bank switched to an emergency mode of operation and announced a number of restrictive measures due…

WSWS (2022-02-25). Financial scandal at Black Lives Matter foundation: Who benefits from racialist politics? wsws.org While leaders of the official Black Lives Matter organization have profited from book deals and corporate sponsorships, tens of millions of dollars in revenues are unaccounted for.

WSWS (2022-02-25). North Carolina prison inmates initiate hunger strike against inhumane treatment and grossly inadequate pandemic response. wsws.org The strike came to light nearly two weeks ago after family members of one of the inmates contacted the non-profit law firm, North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services.

Tobias Debiel (2022-02-25). øA las puertas de un mundo posneoliberal? globalizacion.ca Aunque hay quienes afirman que la pandemia y la crisis climática son indicios del final del neoliberalismo, otros consideran que su caja de herramientas no está vacía. Para el posneoliberalismo hace falta una nueva política y un cambio de estructuras….

Partido por el Socialismo y la Liberación (2022-02-24). Declaración del Partido por el Socialismo y la Liberación: Detener la expansión de la OTAN para garantizar la paz en Ucrania. liberationnews.org La abolición de la OTAN resolvería las tensiones explosivas en Europa del Este y representaría un paso histórico hacia la paz mundial.

Moderator (2022-02-24). Hedges: Chronicle of a War Foretold. scheerpost.com Svyatoslav, 6, plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions in a move that could rewrite the world's geopolitical landscape. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) |
| By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost | I was in Eastern Europe in 1989, reporting on the revolutions that overthrew the ossified communist dictatorships that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was a time of hope. NATO,…

Editor (2022-02-24). 'Not One Inch Eastward:' How the War in Ukraine Could Have Been Prevented Decades Ago. scheerpost.com [ By Thirty years ago the current conflict with Russia was foretold and feared. George Kennan, James Baker, Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Sam Nunn, and Thomas Friedman, among others, all warned in the 1990s of a new Cold War if NATO was expanded without including Russia. | In order to unde…

Dana Sanchez (2022-02-24). Russian Stock Market Collapses 50%, Ruble In Free Fall: 5 Things To Know About Economic Consequences Of Ukraine War. moguldom.com The Russian stock market collapsed by more than 50 percent and the ruble went into freefall on Thursday, Feb. 24 after the Moscow Exchange resumed trading following a two-hour suspension. Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped trading to announce "a special military operation" against Ukraine. Russian forces started the attack before dawn from three sides, targeting …

Sarah Anderson (2022-02-24). What Can Biden Say About the Economic State of Our Union? inequality.org

Hedelberto López Blanch (2022-02-24). México defiende su independencia económica. globalizacion.ca Con prudencia y a la par valentía, el presidente mexicano Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) ha ido explicando a sus coterráneos y al mundo cómo compañías españolas han obtenido enormes ganancias en detrimento del bienestar del pueblo, mediante contratos firmados…

Editor (2022-02-24). Studs Terkel's 'Working' 50 Years On. mronline.org First published in January 1972, Working is a baggy collection of over seven-hundred and sixty pages, most devoted to the reflections of ordinary Americans about their economic lives. From the Terkel archive, it's clear that his interest in work was long standing and went well beyond the USA.

Sarah Anderson (2022-02-24). We Cannot Separate the Movements for Black Electoral Power and Economic Power. inequality.org

Dean Baker (2022-02-24). Reducing Oil Prices Without Ruining the Environment: Pay People Not to Drive. cepr.net There undoubtedly will be people who get away with substantial amounts of cheating, but that should not be an excuse for not adopting an environmentally friendly way of reducing the price of oil on world markets.

Staff (2022-02-24). Ukraine crisis sends global markets plummeting. rt.com Stocks across Europe, Asia and the US see sharp selloff as military | conflict intensifies | Stock markets across the world sold off sharply on Thursday after the Russian Armed Forces confirmed the first airstrikes against military targets in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin ordered the operation in the Donbass region to protect the local population against Ukrainian shelling attacks, days after recognizing the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. | The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell by 2.31% in early trade, with the financial sector leading the losses, sending major bourses sliding into bear territory.

WSWS (2022-02-24). Phil Wayland on UK High Court upholding denial of Unemployment Credit uplift to two million claimants. wsws.org Four legacy benefit claimants challenged the government decision in the High Court on the grounds of unlawful discrimination.

Editor (2022-02-24). Mitigating global food waste: Does China provide lessons? mronline.org Apart from the fact that China's food system offers lessons that could improve policy-making in both high and low-income countries, the world's most populous country is also one of the world's major producers of food despite having less cultivated land.

WSWS (2022-02-24). UNESCO report: 10 million arts jobs lost in 2020 due to COVID-19. wsws.org The study reports that in 2020, "the income drawn by creators fell by more than 10 percent, or more than 1 billion euros. What was already a precarious situation for many artists has become unsustainable, threatening creative diversity."

_____ (2022-02-24). Starbucks Tries To Slow Union Elections But Misses Legal Deadline. popularresistance.org As more baristas around the country seek to unionize, Starbucks has used a massive legal team to slow the pace of union elections. But the coffee chain suffered a tough legal setback on Friday, all thanks to some late emails. | Workers at several stores in upstate New York recently petitioned for union elections, just like the two stores in the Buffalo area that successfully unionized last year. But Starbucks, through its lawyers from the firm Littler Mendelson, has asked the National Labor Relations Board not to move ahead with the votes, arguing that elections for individual stores aren't appropriate. The compa…

Mark Gruenberg (2022-02-24). Union tries to outlaw 'captive audience' meetings at Alabama Amazon. peoplesworld.org BESSEMER, Ala.—The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is using the rerun of the unionization vote at Amazon's big Bessemer, Ala., warehouse to try to outlaw one of the big tools in bosses' anti-union anti-worker toolbox, captive audience meetings. The challenge is in the form of one of three labor law-breaking—formally called unfair labor practices—charges …

WSWS (2022-02-24). Bipartisan line-up in Australia behind US moves against Russia. wsws.org With Labor's backing, the government has offered full-throated political support to the US and has effectively intervened militarily by offering to assist the Ukrainian military, including in cyber warfare.

Sharon Zhang (2022-02-24). Manchin Reportedly Backing Corporate-Friendly Michelle Childs for Supreme Court. truthout.org As President Joe Biden considers several top Supreme Court picks, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) is reportedly telling colleagues in private that he prefers a GOP-backed candidate, who unions and pro-labor advocates have sounded the alarm about for her history of advocating for corporations against workers, According to Punchbowl, multiple anonymous sources have said that Manchin wants J. Michelle Childs in…

Editor (2022-02-24). Engaging Federici on Marx, Capitalism, and Social Reproduction. mronline.org The discussion of Marx is embedded in Federici's signature critique of the social reproduction of labor power in capitalist societies.

Matt Sedlar (2022-02-24). Wage Cap Allows Millionaires to Stop Contributing to Social Security on February 24, 2022. cepr.net Social Security, the program that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to almost one-in-five people in the US, stops getting support from America's wealthiest today. Thursday the 24th is the first day of 2022 that millionaires make no contribution to the program. Most people are not aware that Social Security contributions are capped at the …

Staff (2022-02-24). Oil breaches $105 as Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies. rt.com Major crude benchmarks hit their highest price levels since 2014 | Oil prices surged on Thursday, with the major global crude benchmark, Brent, breaching $105 a barrel for the first time since 2014, amid concerns that the escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine over the Donbass regions could disrupt global energy supplies. | On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation, aimed at "the defense" of the newly recognized republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The first Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian military positions have been confirmed by Moscow. | The Brent crude pri…

WSWS (2022-02-24). Life insurance companies report a sudden rise in non-COVID-related deaths. wsws.org New light is being shed on the colossal human impact of the pandemic, not from government health reports, but from the financial accounts of giant corporations.

Hannah Gais, Megan Squire (2022-02-24). Far-Right Livestreamer Who Attended Capitol Insurrection Got Federal Pandemic Relief Funds. splcenter.org The federal government program intended to support businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic awarded more than $20,000 in forgivable loans to a far-right livestreamer and treasurer for a white nationalist nonprofit, Hatewatch found.

_____ (2022-02-24). Reaction To Haitian Strike Exposes Liberal Lie On 'Feminist Foreign Policy'. popularresistance.org A government truly committed to a "feminist foreign policy" would support Haitians striking to boost their 70-cents-per-hour wage. But thus far Canadian officials have responded to the workers' action by paying a celebratory visit to a sweatshop and ignoring protests repressed by Canadian-funded police. | At the start of last week thousands of Haitian apparel workers launched a strike for a higher minimum wage. Thousand have taken to the streets in Port-au-Prince calling for a tripling of their 500 gourdes daily salary (CDN $6.20). The largely female workforce stitches shirts and other apparel for brands like Gap…

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-24). Sovereignty and Self-Determination in the Age of Capitalism-Imperialism. anchor.fm In this episode I talk about how the Ukrainian intensification has continued, the recent passing of a new abortion bill in Columbia, as well as an abortion bill that is hopefully going to be passed here in the US, HR 3755 "Women's Health Protection Act", and its comparison also to other legislation being passed in Texas against our Trans comrades, children and loved ones. Plus much more!

WSWS (2022-02-24). Judge upholds strike injunction at BNSF: US capitalism disciplines the working class while preparing for war. wsws.org Faced with a resurgence of the class struggle, the capitalist ruling class is reviving all the anti-democratic methods that it used to crush workers' resistance in previous generations.

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2022-02-24). PSL Statement on Russia's Military Intervention in Ukraine. liberationnews.org The conflict currently exploding in Ukraine and rippling throughout the region and the entire world is hugely dangerous. The reckless and provocative actions of the U.S. government and its allies must cease immediately.

WSWS (2022-02-24). Strikers at the University of Manchester speak on working conditions. wsws.org World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to striking lecturers on picket lines on Tuesday, just before brutal pension cuts were forced through by employers at a meeting of the Universities Superannuation Scheme's Joint Negotiating Committee.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-24). Important Clarification by the Union of Soviet Officials on the US/EU Imperialist Aggression against Ukraine. libya360.wordpress.com Editorial Comment: The Union of Soviet Officers clarifies some points of Putin's speech when he discredits the successes of the USSR, the policy of the Communist Party and the Soviet power, which saved Russia from collapse and colonization. In addition to attempts to blame the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the escalation of the…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-24). Dutch communists commemorate 81st anniversary of 1941 February Strike. peoplesdispatch.org Under the call of the Communist Party of Netherlands (CPN), the Dutch working class organized a heroic strike on February 25 and 26, 1941 against the persecution of Jews in the country under Nazi Germany occupation…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-24). Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation on Ukraine. libya360.wordpress.com Statement of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation The people of Ukraine should not be a victim of global capital and oligarchic clans. After the appeal of the leaders of the DNR and LNR, the Russian authorities launched a military-political operation aimed at…

Maxwell Schwarz (2022-02-24). In solidarity rally, Young Communists bring striking miners' fight to Blackrock HQ. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—Members of the Young Communist League gathered in Chicago to demonstrate that solidarity crosses state lines. In front of the downtown Chicago headquarters of asset-management giant, BlackRock, demonstrators rallied in support of the mineworkers striking against Warrior Met Coal in Alabama. Miners in Alabama have been on strike for nearly a year, demanding their pay, …

Partido por el Socialismo y la Liberación (2022-02-24). Declaración del Partido por el Socialismo y la Liberación: Detener la expansión de la OTAN para garantizar la paz en Ucrania. liberationnews.org La abolición de la OTAN resolvería las tensiones explosivas en Europa del Este y representaría un paso histórico hacia la paz mundial.

WSWS (2022-02-24). Life insurance companies report a sudden rise in non-COVID-related deaths. wsws.org New light is being shed on the colossal human impact of the pandemic, not from government health reports, but from the financial accounts of giant corporations.

WSWS (2022-02-24). Judge upholds strike injunction at BNSF: US capitalism disciplines the working class while preparing for war. wsws.org Faced with a resurgence of the class struggle, the capitalist ruling class is reviving all the anti-democratic methods that it used to crush workers' resistance in previous generations.

Hedelberto López Blanch (2022-02-24). México defiende su independencia económica. globalizacion.ca Con prudencia y a la par valentía, el presidente mexicano Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) ha ido explicando a sus coterráneos y al mundo cómo compañías españolas han obtenido enormes ganancias en detrimento del bienestar del pueblo, mediante contratos firmados…

Dean Baker (2022-02-24). Reducing Oil Prices Without Ruining the Environment: Pay People Not to Drive. cepr.net There undoubtedly will be people who get away with substantial amounts of cheating, but that should not be an excuse for not adopting an environmentally friendly way of reducing the price of oil on world markets.

Staff (2022-02-24). Ukraine crisis sends global markets plummeting. rt.com Stocks across Europe, Asia and the US see sharp selloff as military | conflict intensifies | Stock markets across the world sold off sharply on Thursday after the Russian Armed Forces confirmed the first airstrikes against military targets in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin ordered the operation in the Donbass region to protect the local population against Ukrainian shelling attacks, days after recognizing the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. | The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell by 2.31% in early trade, with the financial sector leading the losses, sending major bourses sliding into bear territory.

WSWS (2022-02-24). Phil Wayland on UK High Court upholding denial of Unemployment Credit uplift to two million claimants. wsws.org Four legacy benefit claimants challenged the government decision in the High Court on the grounds of unlawful discrimination.

WSWS (2022-02-24). UNESCO report: 10 million arts jobs lost in 2020 due to COVID-19. wsws.org The study reports that in 2020, "the income drawn by creators fell by more than 10 percent, or more than 1 billion euros. What was already a precarious situation for many artists has become unsustainable, threatening creative diversity."

WSWS (2022-02-24). Bipartisan line-up in Australia behind US moves against Russia. wsws.org With Labor's backing, the government has offered full-throated political support to the US and has effectively intervened militarily by offering to assist the Ukrainian military, including in cyber warfare.

Matt Sedlar (2022-02-24). Wage Cap Allows Millionaires to Stop Contributing to Social Security on February 24, 2022. cepr.net Social Security, the program that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to almost one-in-five people in the US, stops getting support from America's wealthiest today. Thursday the 24th is the first day of 2022 that millionaires make no contribution to the program. Most people are not aware that Social Security contributions are capped at the …

Staff (2022-02-24). Oil breaches $105 as Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies. rt.com Major crude benchmarks hit their highest price levels since 2014 | Oil prices surged on Thursday, with the major global crude benchmark, Brent, breaching $105 a barrel for the first time since 2014, amid concerns that the escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine over the Donbass regions could disrupt global energy supplies. | On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation, aimed at "the defense" of the newly recognized republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The first Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian military positions have been confirmed by Moscow. | The Brent crude pri…

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-24). Sovereignty and Self-Determination in the Age of Capitalism-Imperialism. anchor.fm In this episode I talk about how the Ukrainian intensification has continued, the recent passing of a new abortion bill in Columbia, as well as an abortion bill that is hopefully going to be passed here in the US, HR 3755 "Women's Health Protection Act", and its comparison also to other legislation being passed in Texas against our Trans comrades, children and loved ones. Plus much more!

WSWS (2022-02-24). Strikers at the University of Manchester speak on working conditions. wsws.org World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to striking lecturers on picket lines on Tuesday, just before brutal pension cuts were forced through by employers at a meeting of the Universities Superannuation Scheme's Joint Negotiating Committee.

Bhabani Shankar Nayak (2022-02-23). NATO's Ukraine Playbook Resonates Traditional Imperialism. countercurrents.org Amidst of all its failures, the troika of capitalism, reactionary nationalism and imperialism move together to continue its false relevance with the help of its traditional weapons of war and regional conflicts. It is a response to divert the radical agendas of rising movements against social and political movements against capitalism and imperialism. It is within this context; one needs

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2022-02-23). PSL statement: NATO expansion must end to guarantee peace in Ukraine. liberationnews.org The dramatic events in recent days demonstrates how the very existence of NATO poses a grave threat to peace around the world. The abolition of NATO would resolve the explosive tensions in Eastern Europe and represent a historic step towards world peace.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-23). Fed-up, Frustrated and Disenfranchised: Why Indigenous Canadians Joined the Freedom Convoy. libya360.wordpress.com Ashley Frawley We are encouraged to believe that different experiences mean that some groups can never unite. The Freedom Convoy shows us the opposite is true. Since a movement dubbing itself the 'Freedom Convoy' emerged at the end of January and headed to Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates for border crossings, labour leaders, the media…

Alasdair Baverstock (2022-02-23). Mexico's economy struggles to bounce back after pandemic recession. america.cgtn.com As countries around the world seek to bounce back from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing mixed results.

John Whitehead (2022-02-23). Perpetual Tyranny: Endless Wars Are the Enemy of Freedom. mintpressnews.com Two years after COVID-19 shifted the world into a state of global authoritarianism, just as the people's tolerance for heavy-handed mandates seems to have finally worn thin, we are being prepped for the next distraction and the next drain on our economy.

Anis Chowdhury (2022-02-23). Financialization at heart of economic malaise. mronline.org COVID-19 has exposed major long-term economic vulnerabilities. This malaise—including declining productivity growth—can be traced to the greater influence of finance in the real economy.

Jacob Nordangard (2022-02-23). World Economic Forum's "Young Global Leaders" Revealed. globalresearch.ca For several decades, this program has nurtured compliant leaders acting as WEF agents in governments around the world. The consequences are far-reaching and may turn out to be devastating for humanity.

ecns.cn (2022-02-23). (W.E.Talk) How is China's development model different from the west?>. ecns.cn China has become a key strategic player on the international chessboard and its development models – both the political-economic and the organizational ones – are increasingly studied and taken as examples to follow.

Norman A. Bailey (2022-02-23). Time for a new American political party. asiatimes.com The precipitous decline of the once-invincible United States of America from every standpoint — political, economic, social, cultural and educational — is threatening not only the future of the country itself, but of all Western civilization. The political system of the US is in thrall to the Trumpist extreme right on the Republican side and to …

WSWS (2022-02-23). Nervous market response to sanctions on Russia. wsws.org Further market falls are expected with the Wall Street Journal reporting that investors are "scooping up at a record pace options contracts that would pay out if the recent declines in stock and bond markets worsen."

Martin Hart-Landsberg (2022-02-23). Don't believe the hype, big finance continues to threaten our survival. mronline.org According to defenders of the status quo, the best response to our most serious problems is to let markets work their magic; government regulation of private business activity only makes things worse.

_____ (2022-02-23). Can Argentina Escape The Plague Of IMF-Imposed Austerity? popularresistance.org The crush of people began at the 9 de Julio subway stop downtown, less than a block from the Buenos Aires obelisk, the city's most recognizable monument. By 5: 00 p.m. on February 8, thousands from over 100 trade unions, human rights organizations and student groups had blocked the main thoroughfare to protest a preliminary agreement between the Peronist, center-left government of Argentinian President Alberto Fernández and the International Monetary Fund. Amid a cacophony of competing drumbeats, demonstrators along Roque Saenz Peña bore signs that read "With the IMF, we return to the bottom," "The IMF is poverty…

Editor (2022-02-23). To eradicate global poverty and cut global carbon emissions, rich nations must change their consumption patterns. mronline.org Sometimes the aching injustice of human-caused climate change hits you square between the eyes. A new fact rears up that is potent, emotive and incontrovertible.

Sharon Zhang (2022-02-23). Republicans' Response to Taxing the Rich? Tax the Poor. truthout.org In the new GOP platform for the midterm elections, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) has laid out the Republican party's response to Democrats' rallying cry to tax the rich: slash funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and tax the poor. | "All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount," reads Scott's While it's true that…

Liberation Staff (2022-02-23). Pittsburgh Starbucks workers file for union election. liberationnews.org Workers at the Bloomfield Starbucks in Pittsburgh joined the nationwide unionization effort when they filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board — Liberation News interviewed a worker at this location…

_____ (2022-02-23). The Power Of Recognizing Higher Ed Faculty As Working-Class. popularresistance.org Just over 20 years ago, Michael Zweig published The Working Class Majority: America's Best Kept Secret. At that year's How Class Works conference at SUNY Stony Brook, academics from history, political science, labor and industrial relations, and other fields debated Zweig's use of the term "working class." Some thought it was a throwback to the 1930s or a tip-off that someone was a Marxist. But even at a conference attended by many academics from working-class backgrounds, no one pointed out that academics are working class. Twenty years ago, academia still seemed like a middle-class or even an upper-class job, e…

WSWS (2022-02-23). Australia: Rail union saves NSW government after provocation backfires. wsws.org The union is collaborating closely with a government that a couple of days ago locked out its members, falsely accused them of shutting down the Sydney rail network and slandered them as terrorists.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-23). CA SEIU Tops Pushing Union Busting 2 Tier "Non-Profits" Like HealthRight360 Harming Workers. indybay.org Top SEIU California officials are pushing a statewide privately run "non-profit" health system called HealthRight 360 which is undermining thousands of SEIU public healthcare workers. They are supporting a two tier healthcare system with lower wages and benefits than those in the public sector. They are doing the same work as public worker with lower pay, benefits and rights.

Editor (2022-02-23). The capitalist imperative driving cruel and bipartisan U.S. migration policies. mronline.org Capitalism's need for labor is the determining factor in immigration policy. Its contradictions create a system that is consistently inhumane.

Dana Sanchez (2022-02-23). Who Was Paul Volcker? The Federal Reserve Chairman Who Received Death Threats After Sending U.S. Into Recession. moguldom.com Soon after he became chairman of the Federal Reserve in 1979, Paul Volcker pushed interest rates into the stratosphere, allowing the prime rate to rise as high as 21.5 percent in an attempt to get runaway inflation under control. Volcker's name is showing up increasingly in news reports as U.S. inflation jumps the tracks in …

WSWS (2022-02-23). Bipartisan congressional war consensus emerges, bringing together progressive "left" and Republican right. wsws.org The emerging ruling class consensus is part of an attempt by the Biden administration to effect a new "national unity," particularly aimed at distracting from growing inflation and a daily US COVID-19 death toll of over 2,000 people.

Nigel Bouvart (2022-02-23). Disabled Buffalo man in jail seven months without charges. workers.org Monica Lynch protests the treatment of her disabled son at the Erie County Holding Center, Buffalo, New York. Buffalo, New York Since July 6, 2021, Eric Lynch has been held in the Erie County Holding Center (where 32 prisoners have died since 2005) with no charges against him, spending around . . . |

Martin Rizzo-Martinez & Daniel Stonebloom (2022-02-23). Challenging Colonialism Ep. 3 p.III. indybay.org In part 3 of a four-part episode, we continue to examine the negative environmental and cultural impact of dams, and the Indigenous-led movement to remove them. These dams, deemed as Weapons of Mass Destruction by Chief Caleen Sisk, have devastated Salmon populations and the communities whose histories have been in relationship with Salmon since time immemorial. Part III gives context to the larger water system–and its boosters, defenders, and profiteers.

Staff (2022-02-23). Enrique Ochoa Antich Wants G4 to Hold Dialogue with Other Opposition Factions in Venezuela (2024 Presidential Elections). orinocotribune.com Venezuelan opposition leader Enrique Ochoa Antich has strongly criticized the G4 coalition of the extreme-right opposition after the G4 made public that it would be discussing the implementation of a regulation for primaries. | During an interview on Primera Página on Monday, February 21, Ochoa Antich stated that it would be "a very serious mistake" if the G4 elects a candidate for the 2024 presidential elections without discussing it with all the other opposition factions. | "It seems to me a very serious mistake that these four parties, and the other smaller ones that congregate around them, which only obtained…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-23). Egyptian factory workers protests non-payment of wages following one worker's suicide. peoplesdispatch.org Egyptian security forces responded heavily to the protest and sit-in by workers outside the Universal Appliances factory, using tear gas canisters to break up the protests…

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-23). Morning Commute: 2-23-2022 #NoWarWithRussia Let's build a movement! anchor.fm In this episode I discuss a little bit more of the situation going on in Ukraine especially since the last few days. I also use this to discuss the need for people across the world to come together in the fight against the reactionary and repressive governments, ruling class, and their propaganda across the world. Militarization will not solve the issues that capitalism and imperialism have created, only Proletarian revolution and the dictatorship of the working and exploited classes over the former oppressing and exploiting class. This is it, this is our only way out. Let me know what you think of the show!

JANET (2022-02-23). Dred Scott to Daunte Wright: same repression, same fight. iacenter.org By Monica Moorehead February 22, 2022 "There was police brutality, and there was atrocity, and the press was just as atrocious as the police. Because they helped the police cover it up by propagating a false image across the country." These words weren't spoken today but almost 60 years ago by Malcolm X. The great Black Nationalist leader was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, an act orchestrated by the U.S. government. Malcolm X connected the right to self-defense to the revolutionary liberation of Black people from the yoke of capitalism and imperialism. One can still apply the wisdom of Malcolm X to today's develo…

William Astore (2022-02-23). America's disastrous 60-year war. indybay.org Speaking of George Orwell, America's 60-year war, which was a losing proposition for many, turned out to be a clear winner for a few, and that was no accident. In his book , Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell wrote about permanent war as a calculated way to consume the products of modern capitalism without creating a higher standard of living for workers.

WSWS (2022-02-23). Australia: The way forward for New South Wales nurses. wsws.org Rank-and-file committees must be formed to fight for the unification of all workers in an industrial and political struggle for real improvements to pay, safe working conditions, a high-quality public health system and an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ann Brown (2022-02-23). The Top 5 Considerations For Rural Land Buyers: Doing For Self And Due Diligence. moguldom.com Buying real estate is always a daunting task. As more Black people become interested in purchasing rural land, there is a growing need to learn the ins and outs of being landowners. In 2020, 19 Black families teamed together to create The Freedom Georgia Initiative. The collective formed a limited-liability corporation (LLC) and purchased 96.71 acres …

Suds, Snacks, Socialism Forum Committee (2022-02-23). Saturday 3/5: How Socialist Women Would Run California. indybay.org

S V Rajadurai (2022-02-23). Death of Two Organic Intellectuals of Tamil Nadu. countercurrents.org The demise of two outstanding , organic intellectuals who served the cause of annihilation of caste and the destruction of capitalist system and highlighted a number of burning social problems in Tamil Nadu and the rest of the world passed largely unnoticed or ignored by the mainstream media , while activists in Dalit , Periyarist and Communist movements could pay

Satya Mohapatra (2022-02-23). Neo-Nazis attempt to disrupt 'Red Books Day' reading at library in Rhode Island, community fights back. peoplesdispatch.org A group of about two dozen neo-Nazis attempted to violently disrupt a reading circle at Red Ink Community Library on February 21 in the Mount Hope neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The community space was holding a small public gathering to celebrate "Red Books Day," which is recognized around the world to celebrate the anniversary of the publication of the Communist Manifesto. | The Red Ink Library is in a working class area of Providence. Community members submitted French, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Georgian, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, and Odia recordings of sections of the Manifesto to share w…

deweylaura (2022-02-23). Elsie Dickerson: Philly trade unionist, civil rights advocate, and Party leader. cpusa.org The following was adapted from a memorial tribute given on Feb. 28, 2006. To many in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware District of the Communist Party, Elsie was a mentor and a teacher. Whether it was in the Party, in the many mass organizations in which she participated or on the shop floor, where …

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2022-02-23). PSL statement: NATO expansion must end to guarantee peace in Ukraine. liberationnews.org The dramatic events in recent days demonstrates how the very existence of NATO poses a grave threat to peace around the world. The abolition of NATO would resolve the explosive tensions in Eastern Europe and represent a historic step towards world peace.

WSWS (2022-02-23). Nervous market response to sanctions on Russia. wsws.org Further market falls are expected with the Wall Street Journal reporting that investors are "scooping up at a record pace options contracts that would pay out if the recent declines in stock and bond markets worsen."

Editor (2022-02-23). The capitalist imperative driving cruel and bipartisan U.S. migration policies. mronline.org Capitalism's need for labor is the determining factor in immigration policy. Its contradictions create a system that is consistently inhumane.

John Whitehead (2022-02-23). Perpetual Tyranny: Endless Wars Are the Enemy of Freedom. mintpressnews.com Two years after COVID-19 shifted the world into a state of global authoritarianism, just as the people's tolerance for heavy-handed mandates seems to have finally worn thin, we are being prepped for the next distraction and the next drain on our economy.

Jacob Nordangard (2022-02-23). World Economic Forum's "Young Global Leaders" Revealed. globalresearch.ca For several decades, this program has nurtured compliant leaders acting as WEF agents in governments around the world. The consequences are far-reaching and may turn out to be devastating for humanity.

Norman A. Bailey (2022-02-23). Time for a new American political party. asiatimes.com The precipitous decline of the once-invincible United States of America from every standpoint — political, economic, social, cultural and educational — is threatening not only the future of the country itself, but of all Western civilization. The political system of the US is in thrall to the Trumpist extreme right on the Republican side and to …

ecns.cn (2022-02-23). (W.E.Talk) How is China's development model different from the west?>. ecns.cn China has become a key strategic player on the international chessboard and its development models – both the political-economic and the organizational ones – are increasingly studied and taken as examples to follow.

Editor (2022-02-23). To eradicate global poverty and cut global carbon emissions, rich nations must change their consumption patterns. mronline.org Sometimes the aching injustice of human-caused climate change hits you square between the eyes. A new fact rears up that is potent, emotive and incontrovertible.

WSWS (2022-02-23). Australia: Rail union saves NSW government after provocation backfires. wsws.org The union is collaborating closely with a government that a couple of days ago locked out its members, falsely accused them of shutting down the Sydney rail network and slandered them as terrorists.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-23). CA SEIU Tops Pushing Union Busting 2 Tier "Non-Profits" Like HealthRight360 Harming Workers. indybay.org Top SEIU California officials are pushing a statewide privately run "non-profit" health system called HealthRight 360 which is undermining thousands of SEIU public healthcare workers. They are supporting a two tier healthcare system with lower wages and benefits than those in the public sector. They are doing the same work as public worker with lower pay, benefits and rights.

WSWS (2022-02-23). Bipartisan congressional war consensus emerges, bringing together progressive "left" and Republican right. wsws.org The emerging ruling class consensus is part of an attempt by the Biden administration to effect a new "national unity," particularly aimed at distracting from growing inflation and a daily US COVID-19 death toll of over 2,000 people.

Martin Rizzo-Martinez & Daniel Stonebloom (2022-02-23). Challenging Colonialism Ep. 3 p.III. indybay.org In part 3 of a four-part episode, we continue to examine the negative environmental and cultural impact of dams, and the Indigenous-led movement to remove them. These dams, deemed as Weapons of Mass Destruction by Chief Caleen Sisk, have devastated Salmon populations and the communities whose histories have been in relationship with Salmon since time immemorial. Part III gives context to the larger water system–and its boosters, defenders, and profiteers.

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-23). Morning Commute: 2-23-2022 #NoWarWithRussia Let's build a movement! anchor.fm In this episode I discuss a little bit more of the situation going on in Ukraine especially since the last few days. I also use this to discuss the need for people across the world to come together in the fight against the reactionary and repressive governments, ruling class, and their propaganda across the world. Militarization will not solve the issues that capitalism and imperialism have created, only Proletarian revolution and the dictatorship of the working and exploited classes over the former oppressing and exploiting class. This is it, this is our only way out. Let me know what you think of the show!

William Astore (2022-02-23). America's disastrous 60-year war. indybay.org Speaking of George Orwell, America's 60-year war, which was a losing proposition for many, turned out to be a clear winner for a few, and that was no accident. In his book , Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell wrote about permanent war as a calculated way to consume the products of modern capitalism without creating a higher standard of living for workers.

JANET (2022-02-23). Dred Scott to Daunte Wright: same repression, same fight. iacenter.org By Monica Moorehead February 22, 2022 "There was police brutality, and there was atrocity, and the press was just as atrocious as the police. Because they helped the police cover it up by propagating a false image across the country." These words weren't spoken today but almost 60 years ago by Malcolm X. The great Black Nationalist leader was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, an act orchestrated by the U.S. government. Malcolm X connected the right to self-defense to the revolutionary liberation of Black people from the yoke of capitalism and imperialism. One can still apply the wisdom of Malcolm X to today's develo…

WSWS (2022-02-23). Australia: The way forward for New South Wales nurses. wsws.org Rank-and-file committees must be formed to fight for the unification of all workers in an industrial and political struggle for real improvements to pay, safe working conditions, a high-quality public health system and an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suds, Snacks, Socialism Forum Committee (2022-02-23). Saturday 3/5: How Socialist Women Would Run California. indybay.org

deweylaura (2022-02-23). Elsie Dickerson: Philly trade unionist, civil rights advocate, and Party leader. cpusa.org The following was adapted from a memorial tribute given on Feb. 28, 2006. To many in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware District of the Communist Party, Elsie was a mentor and a teacher. Whether it was in the Party, in the many mass organizations in which she participated or on the shop floor, where …

JANET (2022-02-22). U.S. war on Russia: a stampede off a cliff. iacenter.org Bulletin: As of Feb. 22, Russia has recognized the two peoples' republics in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic, established in 2014. Russia has said that it will send troops to protect the two republics if they come under further Ukraine/ NATO attack. Washington and some European allies have announced economic sanctions against the two republics and/or against Russia. Working people worldwide must oppose U.S./NATO aggression and expansion, which are creating the danger of a massive war. Grand Central Terminal, New York City, Feb. 19. Photo: Sara…

Kevin Mwanza (2022-02-22). Fact Check: Russia Can Escape SWIFT Banking System Sanctions With Bitcoin And Crypto. moguldom.com As NATO considers sanctions against Russia if it fails to withdraw troops at the border with Ukraine and continues to threaten war, the Kremlin is considering switching to using cryptocurrency for its money transfer system instead of using the Brussels-based SWIFT global payments system. SWIFT, which stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, carries …

Rick Rozoff (2022-02-22). Canada pauses from Anti-Terrorist Operation to sanction Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Interfax-UkraineFebruary 22, 2022 Canada prepares to impose economic sanctions for Russia's recognition of so-called 'L/DNR' — Foreign Minister ==== Taking page from sponsor Trudeau's playbook, Ukraine may declare martial law — Zelensky Munich: Canadian foreign minister dwells on foreign interference in "national security threat" Canadian DM at NATO HQ: more troops to Ukraine region affected …

KWORINOCO (2022-02-22). Bernal: Cross-Border Trade Frozen by Colombia. orinocotribune.com The governor of Táchira state bordering Colombia, Freddy Bernal, assured the public that the paralysis of commerce through the border between Colombia and Venezuela is the result of political measures taken by Colombian President Iván Duque. | Bernal made it clear that the decisions taken from his office, as protector of the state and now as governor, have always been geared towards reactivating the border economy, which can be attested to by the innumerable meetings which he has held with representatives from the productive sectors of the Colombian economy. | "I met with all of the entities of commerce, industry…

sputniknews (2022-02-22). Price of April Futures for Brent Oil Exceeds $99 Per Barrel First Time Since September 2014. sputniknews.com Between mid-2014 and early 2016 the global economy saw one of the most drastic declines in oil prices in modern history, witnessing a price drop of 70 percent. It was driven by a growing supply gut as well as the growth of US shale oil production, which sparked a rivalry with traditional oil producers.

Brittani Banks (2022-02-22). The American Political Process Is Disconnected From Economic Reality. independentmediainstitute.org The growing disconnect between the capitalist system and the economic realities plaguing the United States is now nearing completion. On the ground, the accumulated problems of U.S. capitalism undermine its empire and challenge its very future. Meanwhile, the ever-deepening inequalities of wealth and income conjure up images of ancient Egypt's pharaohs. Three economic crashes opening …

sputniknews (2022-02-22). Nothing to Lose? Gazans Vent Anger Against Hamas in Rare Twitter Campaign. sputniknews.com In 2021, the poverty rate in the Gaza Strip saw a dramatic spike, reaching 59 percent, compared to 43 percent five years earlier. Unemployment is also high and Gazans have been pinning the blame not only on Israel, but also on the Islamist group that has been running the enclave since 2007.

Mei Mei Chan (2022-02-22). Oakland students, parents and teachers fight against school closures. liberationnews.org On Feb. 8 the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education voted to permanently close and merge seven schools that serve largely low-income and Black students over the next two years.

WSWS (2022-02-22). UK announces sanctions on Russian banks and oligarchs, as armed forces prepare anti-Russian provocations. wsws.org Britain is being dragged by the Tories and Labour into the vortex of a military conflict with Russia.

sputniknews (2022-02-22). Canada's Largest Trade Union Boycotts Nordic Flag Carrier SAS Over 'Unacceptable Labour Practices'. sputniknews.com In the course of the pandemic, the Scandinavian flag carrier SAS has pink-slipped 5,000 employees and, upon receiving several tranches from the Danish and Swedish states, embarked on a controversial reorganisation to alleviate the looming threat of bankruptcy.

_____ (2022-02-22). We Can't Just Keep Saying 'Pass The PRO Act'. popularresistance.org In January our movement got its annual punch in the gut from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose 2021 report shows 241,000 fewer union members than the previous year. Just 1 in 10 workers belongs to a union; in the private sector it's 1 in 16. | In 20 years the country gained 14 million workers—but unions lost 2 million members. | Poll after poll shows majority support for unions; "Striketober" gripped headlines for weeks. And yet our numbers keep going down. | The law is broken, the employers are aggressively resistant, the members are on defense—all true enough, but none is an answer to the crisis…

PAI (2022-02-22). Amazon Staten Island unionization vote set for March 25-30. peoplesworld.org STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PAI)—The second unionization recognition vote in Amazon's history has been set at the monster retailer-shipper's Staten Island, N.Y., JFK8 warehouse for March 25-30. In an election agreement between the independent grassroots Amazon Labor Union, represented by Eric Milner, and company officer Amber Rogers, it'll be an on-site vote in a tent in …

deweylaura (2022-02-22). Hershel Walker, civil rights and labor activist. cpusa.org Hershel Walker was an African American St. Louis, Missouri trade unionist and civil rights leader with an unparalleled degree of commitment to the struggles for peace and justice. He devoted his life to the movements for social transformation and joined workers across the world in the struggle for equality, workers' rights, peace, and socialism. …

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-22). Italian students demand dignified education and an end to precarious labor for all. peoplesdispatch.org Italian students have organized a series of mass protests in cities across the country in response to worsening conditions in their education and the recent deaths of two students in work-related accidents…

deweylaura (2022-02-22). Paul Robeson: "I must keep fightin', until I'm dyin'" cpusa.org Few can excel at two high-profile careers. It's almost unheard of to excel at four or five, so when someone can, you know they are gifted beyond measure. Paul Leroy Robeson was one such person. His immense talent, coupled with his strong support for civil rights, labor, and peace, made him a powerful figure …

WSWS (2022-02-22). Marathon Petroleum Corp: What are oil workers fighting against? wsws.org Marathon is a global corporation which rakes in profits through its globally-organized exploitation of workers, and through financial manipulation on Wall Street.

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-22). Thousands protest rising inflation amid government inaction in Morocco. peoplesdispatch.org Protests were held in Morocco on the anniversary of the February 20 movement of 2011 that was part of the popular Arab Spring uprisings in the region. The movement had led to the adoption of a new constitution and other political reforms in Morocco…

sputniknews (2022-02-22). German Chancellor Scholz Says He is Suspending Nord Stream 2 Certification. sputniknews.com The German Federal Grid Agency temporarily suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2 late last year, saying it would be impossible to approve the pipeline until the German-based portion of the infrastructure project and its employees were transferred to German jurisdiction.

teleSUR (2022-02-22). Biden to Ban Companies from Doing Business in Donetsk & Lugansk. telesurenglish.net On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that U.S. President Joe Biden will soon sign an executive order banning Americans from doing business in the two Ukrainian regions that Russia has recognized as independent states. | RELATED: | "President Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and Lugansk People's Repub…

WSWS (2022-02-22). Johnson government adopts "dying with COVID" strategy for the UK. wsws.org The super-rich view any public health response to the pandemic as a state-subsidised interruption of the flow of profits, which must end. Their "new normal" does not mean doing away with the virus, but with the victims of the virus who will be forcibly exposed in their workplaces.

WSWS (2022-02-22). Damning Auditor General report exposes failure of Canada's government to protect migrant farm workers from COVID-19. wsws.org The report is yet another exposure of the fraudulent "pro-migrant" pretensions of the Trudeau government, which has enabled big business to make massive profits during the pandemic while workers get sick and die from COVID-19.

Creede Newton (2022-02-22). Hard Right-Linked Clearview AI Asked NYPD to Woo Non-Profit. splcenter.org The founder of the controversial, hard right-linked facial recognition company Clearview AI sought to recruit the New York Police Department to endorse their services to an anti-child abuse non-profit, Hatewatch has learned.

Audrey Huff (2022-02-22). Richland, Wa. school board defies COVID regulations; community fights back. liberationnews.org On Feb. 15, the School Board of Richland, Washington voted to make masks optional for students and staff, in violation of Washington's statewide mask mandate.

Audrey Huff (2022-02-22). Richland, Wash., school board defies COVID regulations, community fights back. liberationnews.org On Feb. 15, the School Board of Richland, Washington voted to make masks optional for students and staff, in violation of Washington's statewide mask mandate.

_____ (2022-02-22). Nicaragua: Augusto Cesar Sandino's Rebellion Against The US. popularresistance.org While Sandino is not a household name in much of the world, as these others are, he was one of the most important and successful guerilla fighters of the 20th century, successfully driving the US Marines out of Nicaragua against nearly impossible odds. His image, with his iconic Tom Mix cowboy hat tilted to one side, continues to be the most ubiquitous symbol in Nicaragua — a country led by the Sandinista Front, named in his honor. | Unlike the aforementioned revolutionaries, Sandino was not an intellectual and he was not a Marxist. Rather, he was a mechanic from a small town outside the town of Masaya, Nic…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-22). "Marxist" Parties Siding with the State Are Either in Error or Are Not Marxist. libya360.wordpress.com Don Debar Author's Note: Please see this before reading. I am trying to determine whether this is a giant error, or evidence of outright service to Langley or some other organ of the ruling class. It is incredible to me that a party aiming to be the vanguard of the working class can continuously side…

Newsclick (2022-02-22). Resource limits to US capitalism & the predator state today. peoplesdispatch.org James K. Galbraith discusses the shift of US capitalism from an industrial state to what he calls a predator state: a finance-led, military-centered corporate republic that continues to prevail…

WSWS (2022-02-22). IYSSE wins support at Australian university orientations from students opposed to war, "herd immunity" policies. wsws.org One first year student in the working-class city of Newcastle said: "Capitalism has some very obvious flaws, the 1 percent getting richer at the expense of everyone else. You end up looking for an alternative, and socialism is very enticing."

Víctor M. Toledo (2022-02-22). La contaminación química: Otra emergencia planetaria. globalizacion.ca La era industrial ha sido también un motor indetenible de producción de decenas de miles de nuevos materiales y sustancias químicas, desconocidos en la naturaleza, creados para distintos fines y cuyos efectos sobre la vida humana y no humana, los…

Editor (2022-02-22). Glenn Greenwald: The Neoliberal War on Dissent in the West. scheerpost.com Police in Canada deployed to dislodge the final truckers and protesters from downtown Ottawa, aimed at bringing an end to three weeks of demonstrations over Covid-19 health rules. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP) (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images) | By Glenn Greenwald / When it comes to dis…

WSWS (2022-02-22). The political and historical background to the US war drive against Russia. wsws.org In light of the major escalation Monday of the conflict between the United States and Russia, we are republishing excerpts from the 2016 statement of the International Committee of the Fourth International, "Socialism and the Fight Against War."

WSWS (2022-02-22). Democratic Socialists of America confront left-wing opposition to Biden by shifting further to the right. wsws.org Far from pressuring the Democrats to move to the left, leading DSA figures are preparing to move their organization even further to the right.

Staff (2022-02-22). US imposes sanctions on Donbass republics. rt.com Washington reacts to Moscow's decision to recognize the DPR and LPR | US President Joe Biden has announced sweeping new sanctions on the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, following the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize them as independent and sovereign states. | The text, published to the White House's website on Monday evening, seeks to economically stifle the two Donbass republics. | "The Russian Federation's purported recognition of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) or Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) regions of Ukraine contradicts Russia's commitments under the Mins…

teleSUR (2022-02-22). Biden to Ban Companies from Doing Business in Donetsk & Lugansk. telesurenglish.net On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that U.S. President Joe Biden will soon sign an executive order banning Americans from doing business in the two Ukrainian regions that Russia has recognized as independent states. | RELATED: | "President Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and Lugansk People's Repub…

TASS (2022-02-22). Biden signs decree on sanctions over Russia recognizing Donbass sovereignty. tass.com The US president's executive order prohibits "new investment in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine or such other regions of Ukraine, as may be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, by a United States person wherever located"

Staff (2022-02-22). Global stocks sink on fears of full-blown conflict between Russia, Ukraine. rt.com The worsening armed standoff has put pressure on investor sentiment | Global stock markets tumbled on Tuesday on concerns of a possible military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, after President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would "immediately" recognize the two republics in the breakaway Donbass region and send a military peacekeeping force to the area. | European shares hit a seven-month low, with Germany's DAX and the CAC 40 in Paris sliding around 2%. The benchmark index of Britain's leading companies, the FTSE 100, fell by 1.5% in early trading in London. | The plunge in Europe followed a shares…

TASS (2022-02-22). US embassy's financial support for Ukraine's Maidan hit $1 mln a day, says Putin. tass.com Additional large sums "were brazenly transferred to the bank accounts of opposition leaders, which involved tens of millions of US dollars, Putin said…

TASS (2022-02-22). Biden to sign decree on sanctions, investment bans, trade with DPR, LPR. tass.com This will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine, the statement noted…

WSWS (2022-02-22). The political and historical background to the US war drive against Russia. wsws.org In light of the major escalation Monday of the conflict between the United States and Russia, we are republishing excerpts from the 2016 statement of the International Committee of the Fourth International, "Socialism and the Fight Against War."

sputniknews (2022-02-22). Price of April Futures for Brent Oil Exceeds $99 Per Barrel First Time Since September 2014. sputniknews.com Between mid-2014 and early 2016 the global economy saw one of the most drastic declines in oil prices in modern history, witnessing a price drop of 70 percent. It was driven by a growing supply gut as well as the growth of US shale oil production, which sparked a rivalry with traditional oil producers.

sputniknews (2022-02-22). Nothing to Lose? Gazans Vent Anger Against Hamas in Rare Twitter Campaign. sputniknews.com In 2021, the poverty rate in the Gaza Strip saw a dramatic spike, reaching 59 percent, compared to 43 percent five years earlier. Unemployment is also high and Gazans have been pinning the blame not only on Israel, but also on the Islamist group that has been running the enclave since 2007.

sputniknews (2022-02-22). Canada's Largest Trade Union Boycotts Nordic Flag Carrier SAS Over 'Unacceptable Labour Practices'. sputniknews.com In the course of the pandemic, the Scandinavian flag carrier SAS has pink-slipped 5,000 employees and, upon receiving several tranches from the Danish and Swedish states, embarked on a controversial reorganisation to alleviate the looming threat of bankruptcy.

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-22). Italian students demand dignified education and an end to precarious labor for all. peoplesdispatch.org Italian students have organized a series of mass protests in cities across the country in response to worsening conditions in their education and the recent deaths of two students in work-related accidents…

Karina Huber (2022-02-22). High cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. america.cgtn.com Prices for of all kinds of goods are skyrocketing in the U.S. putting a pinch on the budgets of many Americans. One of the greatest financial burdens is the high cost of prescription drugs, which are many times higher in the U.S. than in …

Staff (2022-02-22). Switzerland could be blacklisted as money-laundering state. rt.com The financial hub is dealing with the fallout from a huge leak of Credit Suisse banking data | The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political grouping in the European Parliament, called for a review of Switzerland's banking practices on Monday, and for the country to be included on the EU's dirty-money blacklist after leaked Credit Suisse documents revealed the bank's dealings with shady clientele. | The Swiss banking giant has reportedly served a motley client roster for decades, which included heads of state and spy chiefs, as well as human rights abusers and sanctioned individuals. | "The 'Swiss S…

WSWS (2022-02-22). Marathon Petroleum Corp: What are oil workers fighting against? wsws.org Marathon is a global corporation which rakes in profits through its globally-organized exploitation of workers, and through financial manipulation on Wall Street.

sputniknews (2022-02-22). German Chancellor Scholz Says He is Suspending Nord Stream 2 Certification. sputniknews.com The German Federal Grid Agency temporarily suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2 late last year, saying it would be impossible to approve the pipeline until the German-based portion of the infrastructure project and its employees were transferred to German jurisdiction.

WSWS (2022-02-22). Damning Auditor General report exposes failure of Canada's government to protect migrant farm workers from COVID-19. wsws.org The report is yet another exposure of the fraudulent "pro-migrant" pretensions of the Trudeau government, which has enabled big business to make massive profits during the pandemic while workers get sick and die from COVID-19.

WSWS (2022-02-22). Johnson government adopts "dying with COVID" strategy for the UK. wsws.org The super-rich view any public health response to the pandemic as a state-subsidised interruption of the flow of profits, which must end. Their "new normal" does not mean doing away with the virus, but with the victims of the virus who will be forcibly exposed in their workplaces.

Audrey Huff (2022-02-22). Richland, Wa. school board defies COVID regulations; community fights back. liberationnews.org On Feb. 15, the School Board of Richland, Washington voted to make masks optional for students and staff, in violation of Washington's statewide mask mandate.

WSWS (2022-02-22). IYSSE wins support at Australian university orientations from students opposed to war, "herd immunity" policies. wsws.org One first year student in the working-class city of Newcastle said: "Capitalism has some very obvious flaws, the 1 percent getting richer at the expense of everyone else. You end up looking for an alternative, and socialism is very enticing."

WSWS (2022-02-22). Democratic Socialists of America confront left-wing opposition to Biden by shifting further to the right. wsws.org Far from pressuring the Democrats to move to the left, leading DSA figures are preparing to move their organization even further to the right.

Fight Back (2022-02-22). Condemn the Armed Forces of the Philippines for killing of children. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following February 22 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. |
| Last February 8, counterinsurgency operating troops belonging to the Philippine Army's 20th Infantry Battalion fired their weapons indiscriminately on a group of peasants tending their coconut kiln (koprahan) in Barangay Roxas, Catubig, Northern Samar. Two children, including a 12-year old, Grade 6 student, were killed by soldiers. Another child was wounded. |
| The soldiers were part of a 30-man unit of the 20th IB that was conducting operations against a unit of the New People's…

TASS (2022-02-21). US plans to impose restrictions on international transactions of Russian banks — Reuters. tass.com The final list of banks subject to sanctions is yet to be formed…

sputniknews (2022-02-21). US Preparing Sanctions That Would Target Russian Banks, Reports Say. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The administration of US President Joe Biden could block US financial institutions from processing transactions for Russian banks as part of a sanctions package that will be implemented if Moscow decides to "invade" Ukraine, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources.

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-21). With Its Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Calls for Escalating US Aggression against Russia. transcend.org 15 Feb 2022 – Citing the Atlantic Council, the US-based think tank for NATO, the Bulletin explains that the sanctions they advocate would cause the Russian economy to "experience significant chaos." Instead of supporting peaceful measures in the Ukraine, it has become a cheerleader for Washington. From an organization run by scientists, the current governing board of the Bulletin has hardly a scientist in sight.

Paul Haeder (2022-02-21). There will be blood, and, yes, we do need stinkin' badges. dissidentvoice.org This is a little soft-shoe pissed off blathering from me, so apologies up front. No big news on the Ukraine Invasion front, or the Gates Owning All the Farms front, or the Climate-Wall Street-Chronic Illness front. Nothing related to the MICIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-MEDIA-Academia-Think-Tank) front. Just plain old burnt toast and spilled milk from a radical who …

Staff (2022-02-21). Iran nuclear deal overshadows Russia worries on oil market radar. rt.com Oil prices have made their first weekly drop since the beginning of the year before recovering on Monday | Global crude prices dropped for the week ending Sunday for the first time this year. The slide came amid reports of a US-Russia summit on Ukraine and hopes of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. Both Russia and Iran are major global energy suppliers. | However, the price drop was short-lived as global benchmark Brent crude gained on Monday to trade above $93 per barrel by 10: 00 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading around $91 per barrel. | Both benchmarks reached multiple-year highs las…

TASS (2022-02-21). Russia ready to show what true de-communization means for Ukraine – Putin. tass.com Present-day Ukraine was wholly created by Communist Russia, Putin said…

Staff (2022-02-21). Ukraine crisis spurs demand for world's oldest asset. rt.com Gold is set for the third straight week of gains as traders assess the geopolitical risks | The price of gold has risen to a nearly eight-month high of $1,902.20 per ounce, driven by safe-haven demand from nervous investors amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. | The precious metal is set for a third straight weekly gain, which is its longest run this year. The prices fell to $1,897 per ounce later on Monday on the news of an expected meeting between Russian and US presidents this week to halt the escalation of tensions in Ukraine. | Data from Refinitiv Lipper shows investors put m…

TASS (2022-02-21). TikTok joins Russia's higher educational institutions to bolster linguistic diversity. tass.com Users will be offered to learn more about multilingualism in Russia in an interactive form…

teleSUR (2022-02-21). Cuba Announces Manufacture of High-Voltage Electricity Pylons. telesurenglish.net On Monday, the Cuban industrial sector disclosed the plans for manufacturing towers for high voltage power lines, a significant achievement for the Island's economic development. | RELATED: | Mecánica Fabric Aguilar Noriega company, from the Villa Clara province, alongside other factories of the Island, have programmed the production of 131 steel towers for high-voltage power transmission lines in the current year, facilitating…

Adriaan Alsema (2022-02-21). ELN announces economic shutdown throughout Colombia. colombiareports.com Guerrilla group ELN announced its first economic shutdown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The "armed strike" that will begin on Wednesday, the ELN said on a guerrilla website…

Staff (2022-02-21). Australia urged to stop 'maliciously spreading disinfo'. rt.com Canberra claimed that Beijing's vessel directed a laser at an Australian aircraft | Beijing has accused Australia of spreading fake news after Canberra claimed that a Chinese vessel had directed a military laser at an Australian warplane within the latter's exclusive economic zone. | Speaking in a regular press briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the country's ship was abiding by international law and had not committed any wrongdoing against the Australian warplane. | "The Chinese vessel sailing in the high seas complies with relevant international law and international…

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-21). 'Politics as Usual' Will Never Be a Solution to the Current Climate Threat (or to Nuclear War). transcend.org 17 Feb 2022 – There is an ever-growing consensus that the climate crisis represents humanity's greatest problem. Indeed, global warming is more than an environmental crisis — there are social, political, ethical and economic dimensions to it. (Commentary added by Roger Kotila)…

Labor Video Project (2022-02-21). CA SEIU Tops Pushing Union Busting 2 Tier "Non-Profits" Like HealthRight360 Harming Workers. indybay.org Top SEIU California officials are pushing a statewide privately run "non-profit" health system called HealthRight 360 which is undermining thousands of SEIU public healthcare workers. They are supporting a two tier healthcare system with lower wages and benefits than those in the public sector. They are doing the same work as public worker with lower pay, benefits and rights.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-21). Oakland ILWU. OEA, Students & Community Rally To Stop Privatization & Union Busting. indybay.org Hundreds of ILWU Longshoreman, OEA teachers, students, labor and community activists rallied against the privatization of the Port Of Oakland Howard Terminal to the GAP A's billionaire owner John Fisher for a stadium and 3,000 condos and also against the closure of public schools in Oakland.

Lucho Ramirez (2022-02-21). Eco-Justice, People Power, Documentary Premiere- "We Still Here" indybay.org CubaCaribe announces a special community screening of We Still Here / Nos Tenemos, the latest documentary by award winning filmmaker by Eli Jacobs-Fatauzzi in collaboration with Defend Puerto Rico, FistUpTV and Clenched Fist Productions. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Bay Area filmmakers Eli and Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi along with a dynamic live music and dance performance by Aguacero.

_____ (2022-02-21). New Data Shows US Government Has Been Bought For $14 Billion. popularresistance.org There are a lot of reasons so many people hate the two corporate parties, but one of the biggest ones might be just how thoroughly they are bought off by the "One Percent." (And no, I don't mean the percentage of people who like Trident's new Indian Curry Explosion‚Ñ¢ chewing gum.) I'm referring to the One Percent who are disgustingly wealthy — people who own ponies for their children to play with and children for their ponies to play with. Those individuals essentially own all our politicians. (Also for their children to play with. … Which explains why Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibra…

_____ (2022-02-21). A Growing Wave Of Litigation Spurs Climate Action. popularresistance.org In France, three non-governmental organizations sued the oil company Total over alleged "inadequate" environmental and human rights assessments of its oil project in Uganda and Tanzania. In Australia, a student filed a consumer complaint with Ad Standards against the financial services organization HSBC for claiming to support the protection of the Great Barrier Reef despite its links to fossil fuel operations. In South Africa, three civil society organizations launched a case alleging that the government's plans to obtain new coal power threaten various constitutional rights. | These are just a handful of the hu…

Kevin Mwanza (2022-02-21). Inflation: Walmart Locks Up $20 Ribeye Steaks To Prevent Theft. moguldom.com Walmart has started locking up $20 packs of ribeye steaks behind metal cages as some retail and law enforcement lobbyists cite eye-popping figures for rising retail theft rates across the U.S. A 12-second video that went viral on TikTok showed a $20.83 pack of ribeye steaks chained up with wire and an electronic security lock …

ecns.cn (2022-02-21). Surging inflation could hurt Biden in lead up to U.S. midterm elections. ecns.cn With many Americans having difficulty making ends meet when food, housing and gasoline have risen substantially, the incumbent U.S. president could feel the pain in this year's congressional midterm elections.

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2022-02-21). Canadian teacher sues Israel lobby group. electronicintifada.net Javier Davila fights back against B'nai Brith's false accusations of anti-Semitism.

Chris McGreal (2022-02-21). Students Say Yale, Stanford and MIT's Fossil Fuel Investments Are Illegal. truthout.org Students at five leading universities have filed legal complaints accusing their colleges of breaking a little-known law by investing in the fossil fuel companies responsible for the climate emergency. | The students from Yale, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Vanderbilt wrote to the attorneys general of their respective states on Wednesday asking authorities to investigate breaches of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, which requires universities to invest in a manner consiste…

sputniknews (2022-02-21). Credit Suisse Slams 'Concerted Effort to Discredit Bank' by Failed Due Diligence Claims in Data Leak. sputniknews.com The massive trove of data on more than 18,000 bank accounts, opened between the 1940s and the 2010s, was leaked by a self-described whistleblower to the German newspaper Sàºddeutsche Zeitung, which shared it with a nonprofit journalism group, the Organsed Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Fight Back (2022-02-21). What is Marxism-Leninism? Introducing a new series on The Science of Revolution. fightbacknews.org This is the beginning of a new series on Marxist-Leninist theory. Fight Back! News is publishing this series of short articles in the interest of furthering the critical task of fusing Marxism with the workers' movement. Marx stressed that the purpose of theory is to understand the world so as to change the world, and this series hopes to help give activists in the people's struggles a better grasp of these theoretical tools. But let's begin with an overview: when we say we are Marxist-Leninists, what does that mean? What is Marxism-Leninism, and why is it important? | In the essay Three Sources and Three Compone…

Editor (2022-02-21). Where did the Dependency Approach go? mronline.org Capitalism, it seems, had been deemed too messy a concept to provide much use to researchers in explaining phenomena.

Ann Brown (2022-02-21). Co-Founder Of Top Crypto Exchange: Bitcoin Won't See Another Bull Market Until 2024 Or 2025, Here's Why. moguldom.com Bitcoin may not see a bull market until late 2024 or the beginning of 2025, predicted Du Jun, co-founder of top cryptocurrency exchange Huobi. Huobi is a Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange that was founded in China in 2013. Du's prediction is contrary to what others said during the recent bull market. Some crypto experts predicted that Bitcoin …

Lee Camp (2022-02-21). Lee Camp: New Data Shows US Government Has Been Bought For $14 Billion. mintpressnews.com No wonder the latest polls show both corporate parties are thoroughly disliked. It's time to acknowledge that our system has been 100% purchased by the One Percent, and that even the best candidate on their best day is still no better than a Zungenwurst.

Party for Socialism & Liberation (2022-02-21). Friday 2/18: Black History Month: Almost 2 years after the George Floyd uprising, what's at stake? indybay.org Virtual event. Register: bit.ly/struggle-continues…

William W. Sales, Jr. (2022-02-21). Malcolm's Growing Socialist, Anti-imperialist, Anti-Zionist and Pan-African Outlook Made Him Target of the "Deep State"—Like So Many Others Under COINTELPRO. covertactionmagazine.com Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has now cleared Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam who were wrongfully convicted of Malcolm's …

rqorinoco (2022-02-21). Cuba's Díaz-Canel: 'We All Have a Moral Obligation to Provide Haiti Substantial and Unconditional Cooperation'. orinocotribune.com Statement by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, and President of the Republic of Cuba, during the International Conference for the Financing of the Reconstruction of the Southern Peninsula of Haiti, February 16, 2022, Year 64 of the Revolution. | (Transcript: Presidency of the Republic) | His Excellency Ariel Henry, Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti; | Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; distinguished guests: Once again, what brings us together here is the human drama Haiti is facing, the poorest nation in…

Staff (2022-02-21). Ukraine crisis spurs demand for world's oldest asset. rt.com Gold is set for the third straight week of gains as traders assess the geopolitical risks | The price of gold has risen to a nearly eight-month high of $1,902.20 per ounce, driven by safe-haven demand from nervous investors amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. | The precious metal is set for a third straight weekly gain, which is its longest run this year. The prices fell to $1,897 per ounce later on Monday on the news of an expected meeting between Russian and US presidents this week to halt the escalation of tensions in Ukraine. | Data from Refinitiv Lipper shows investors put m…

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-21). With Its Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Calls for Escalating US Aggression against Russia. transcend.org 15 Feb 2022 – Citing the Atlantic Council, the US-based think tank for NATO, the Bulletin explains that the sanctions they advocate would cause the Russian economy to "experience significant chaos." Instead of supporting peaceful measures in the Ukraine, it has become a cheerleader for Washington. From an organization run by scientists, the current governing board of the Bulletin has hardly a scientist in sight.

sputniknews (2022-02-21). US Preparing Sanctions That Would Target Russian Banks, Reports Say. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The administration of US President Joe Biden could block US financial institutions from processing transactions for Russian banks as part of a sanctions package that will be implemented if Moscow decides to "invade" Ukraine, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources.

Paul Haeder (2022-02-21). There will be blood, and, yes, we do need stinkin' badges. dissidentvoice.org This is a little soft-shoe pissed off blathering from me, so apologies up front. No big news on the Ukraine Invasion front, or the Gates Owning All the Farms front, or the Climate-Wall Street-Chronic Illness front. Nothing related to the MICIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-MEDIA-Academia-Think-Tank) front. Just plain old burnt toast and spilled milk from a radical who …

Staff (2022-02-21). Iran nuclear deal overshadows Russia worries on oil market radar. rt.com Oil prices have made their first weekly drop since the beginning of the year before recovering on Monday | Global crude prices dropped for the week ending Sunday for the first time this year. The slide came amid reports of a US-Russia summit on Ukraine and hopes of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. Both Russia and Iran are major global energy suppliers. | However, the price drop was short-lived as global benchmark Brent crude gained on Monday to trade above $93 per barrel by 10: 00 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading around $91 per barrel. | Both benchmarks reached multiple-year highs las…

TASS (2022-02-21). US plans to impose restrictions on international transactions of Russian banks — Reuters. tass.com The final list of banks subject to sanctions is yet to be formed…

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-21). 'Politics as Usual' Will Never Be a Solution to the Current Climate Threat (or to Nuclear War). transcend.org 17 Feb 2022 – There is an ever-growing consensus that the climate crisis represents humanity's greatest problem. Indeed, global warming is more than an environmental crisis — there are social, political, ethical and economic dimensions to it. (Commentary added by Roger Kotila)…

Adriaan Alsema (2022-02-21). ELN announces economic shutdown throughout Colombia. colombiareports.com Guerrilla group ELN announced its first economic shutdown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The "armed strike" that will begin on Wednesday, the ELN said on a guerrilla website…

Staff (2022-02-21). Australia urged to stop 'maliciously spreading disinfo'. rt.com Canberra claimed that Beijing's vessel directed a laser at an Australian aircraft | Beijing has accused Australia of spreading fake news after Canberra claimed that a Chinese vessel had directed a military laser at an Australian warplane within the latter's exclusive economic zone. | Speaking in a regular press briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the country's ship was abiding by international law and had not committed any wrongdoing against the Australian warplane. | "The Chinese vessel sailing in the high seas complies with relevant international law and international…

Labor Video Project (2022-02-21). CA SEIU Tops Pushing Union Busting 2 Tier "Non-Profits" Like HealthRight360 Harming Workers. indybay.org Top SEIU California officials are pushing a statewide privately run "non-profit" health system called HealthRight 360 which is undermining thousands of SEIU public healthcare workers. They are supporting a two tier healthcare system with lower wages and benefits than those in the public sector. They are doing the same work as public worker with lower pay, benefits and rights.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-21). Oakland ILWU. OEA, Students & Community Rally To Stop Privatization & Union Busting. indybay.org Hundreds of ILWU Longshoreman, OEA teachers, students, labor and community activists rallied against the privatization of the Port Of Oakland Howard Terminal to the GAP A's billionaire owner John Fisher for a stadium and 3,000 condos and also against the closure of public schools in Oakland.

Lucho Ramirez (2022-02-21). Eco-Justice, People Power, Documentary Premiere- "We Still Here" indybay.org CubaCaribe announces a special community screening of We Still Here / Nos Tenemos, the latest documentary by award winning filmmaker by Eli Jacobs-Fatauzzi in collaboration with Defend Puerto Rico, FistUpTV and Clenched Fist Productions. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Bay Area filmmakers Eli and Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi along with a dynamic live music and dance performance by Aguacero.

ecns.cn (2022-02-21). Surging inflation could hurt Biden in lead up to U.S. midterm elections. ecns.cn With many Americans having difficulty making ends meet when food, housing and gasoline have risen substantially, the incumbent U.S. president could feel the pain in this year's congressional midterm elections.

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2022-02-21). Canadian teacher sues Israel lobby group. electronicintifada.net Javier Davila fights back against B'nai Brith's false accusations of anti-Semitism.

sputniknews (2022-02-21). Credit Suisse Slams 'Concerted Effort to Discredit Bank' by Failed Due Diligence Claims in Data Leak. sputniknews.com The massive trove of data on more than 18,000 bank accounts, opened between the 1940s and the 2010s, was leaked by a self-described whistleblower to the German newspaper Sàºddeutsche Zeitung, which shared it with a nonprofit journalism group, the Organsed Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Fight Back (2022-02-21). What is Marxism-Leninism? Introducing a new series on The Science of Revolution. fightbacknews.org This is the beginning of a new series on Marxist-Leninist theory. Fight Back! News is publishing this series of short articles in the interest of furthering the critical task of fusing Marxism with the workers' movement. Marx stressed that the purpose of theory is to understand the world so as to change the world, and this series hopes to help give activists in the people's struggles a better grasp of these theoretical tools. But let's begin with an overview: when we say we are Marxist-Leninists, what does that mean? What is Marxism-Leninism, and why is it important? | In the essay Three Sources and Three Compone…

Lee Camp (2022-02-21). Lee Camp: New Data Shows US Government Has Been Bought For $14 Billion. mintpressnews.com No wonder the latest polls show both corporate parties are thoroughly disliked. It's time to acknowledge that our system has been 100% purchased by the One Percent, and that even the best candidate on their best day is still no better than a Zungenwurst.

William W. Sales, Jr. (2022-02-21). Malcolm's Growing Socialist, Anti-imperialist, Anti-Zionist and Pan-African Outlook Made Him Target of the "Deep State"—Like So Many Others Under COINTELPRO. covertactionmagazine.com Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has now cleared Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam who were wrongfully convicted of Malcolm's …

Party for Socialism & Liberation (2022-02-21). Friday 2/18: Black History Month: Almost 2 years after the George Floyd uprising, what's at stake? indybay.org Virtual event. Register: bit.ly/struggle-continues…

rqorinoco (2022-02-21). Cuba's Díaz-Canel: 'We All Have a Moral Obligation to Provide Haiti Substantial and Unconditional Cooperation'. orinocotribune.com Statement by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, and President of the Republic of Cuba, during the International Conference for the Financing of the Reconstruction of the Southern Peninsula of Haiti, February 16, 2022, Year 64 of the Revolution. | (Transcript: Presidency of the Republic) | His Excellency Ariel Henry, Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti; | Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; distinguished guests: Once again, what brings us together here is the human drama Haiti is facing, the poorest nation in…

_____ (2022-02-20). Documents: US Government Spent $22M Promoting Anti-Russia Narrative. popularresistance.org Kiev, Ukraine — Amid soaring tensions with Russia, the United States is spending a fortune on foreign interference campaigns in Ukraine. Washington's regime-change arm, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has spent $22.4 million on operations inside the country since 2014, when democratically-elected President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown and replaced by a successor government handpicked by the U.S. Those operations included propping up and training pro-Western political parties, funding pliant media organizations, and subsidizing massive privatization drives that benefit foreign multinational c…

TASS (2022-02-20). Ukraine's Western partners made billions on military hysteria – Ukrainian oppositioner. tass.com According to Viktor Medvedchuk, the media campaign of fake reports about an imminent Russian invasion cost $12 billion to the economy of Ukraine…

Benjamin Norton (2022-02-20). West fueling Ukraine crisis to justify 'painful' sanctions on Russia. multipolarista.com US and European leaders are preparing "painful" sanctions on Moscow, which could include sabotaging Germany's Nord Stream 2 pipeline and hitting Russian gas giant Gazprom. Putin says the Ukraine crisis is being used as an excuse for the economic attack.

Staff (2022-02-20). Researcher reveals dangers of Ukraine's proposed nuclear weapons program. rt.com Acquiring an arsenal by Ukraine risks setting off a chain reaction in proliferation, an expert told RT | Kiev has recently hinted that it may try to get its own nuclear weapons amid tensions with Russia. However, not even Ukraine's allies in the West would support this move, Ilya Kramnik, a researcher at the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), told RT on Sunday. Ukraine can be considered a nuclear threshold state, however, meaning it has the potential to build its own nuclear weapons, he said. | "Ukraine has the industry that, in theor…

Staff (2022-02-20). EU warns of Russia sanctions blowback. rt.com Brussels will have to pay a heavy price for imposing new sanctions on Moscow, says senior Eurocrat | Brussels is committed to imposing new sanctions on Moscow if Russia attacks Ukraine, even though there would be an enormous cost for EU nations, the president of the European Council said on Sunday. | Speaking to the Munich Security Conference, Charles Michel admitted that economic measures imposed on the Kremlin would not be painless for EU citizens. | "One thing is certain: if there is further military aggression, we will react with massive sanctions. The cost for Russia must be, and will be, severe. But let'

Rebekah Entralgo (2022-02-20). Campaign Seeks to Abolish the Subminimum Wage in 25 States by 2026. truthout.org As the economy recovers from a global pandemic, many business owners are pointing to labor shortages caused by the "Great Resignation" as a source of frustration. | The term refers to the more than

_____ (2022-02-20). Peru Is Engaged In A Political War. popularresistance.org The political landscape in Peru is pretty complicated these days. The country has been living a political crisis for years due to the desire of a small minority to control the country both economically and politically. From 2016 until today, five people have occupied the presidential chair. All of them have faced tremendous resistance from Congress, which impeached two of them and threatened to do it with the other two, including the current President Pedro Castillo. | The last remarkable event of these tireless attempts by Congress to impeach Castillo was unveiled by the weekly "Hildebrandt en sus Trece". Accord…

Shane Burley (2022-02-20). Border Militias Set Up Fake Humanitarian Stations in the Desert to Trap Migrants. truthout.org The growth of the militia movement the past several years has left many of our communities reeling from intimidation, harassment and violence. Donald Trump's tacit endorsement of the far right "patriot" subculture has given it a pass to grow and recruit, often manipulating the dispossession that many rural and blue-collar workers are facing in our current economic tumult. Trump's rhetoric about immigration, particularly the conspiratorial fear-mongering around the border, has played to a…

scorinoco (2022-02-20). National Lawyers Guild Calls for the Immediate Release of Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab (Statement). orinocotribune.com By National Lawyers Guild International Committee — Feb 16, 2022 | The National Lawyers Guild International calls for the immediate release of Venezuelan Special Envoy Alex Saab, imprisoned in a Miami federal prison by the United States in a violation of diplomatic norms and protections. The arrest, extradition and continued imprisonment of Saab is a reflection of the extent to which the US government will go in order to enforce its unilateral coercive measures and economic sanctions against Venezuela, Iran and other targeted nations. | Illegal Detention and Extradition (Kidnapping) of Alex Saab | The US gov…

Editor2 (2022-02-20). Venezuela Pulls Plug on Lie that Alex Saab is DEA "Informer" orinocotribune.com Venezuela has pulled the plug on a false claim which circulated Wednesday that diplomat Alex Saab is working as an "informer" or "collaborator" of the United States and specifically of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). | President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodríguez When asked by a reporter following a press conference, Rodríguez called it strange that the United S…

Staff (2022-02-20). Venezuela Offers Brazil Assistance for Petrópolis Disaster. orinocotribune.com On Friday, February 18, the government of Venezuela expressed solidarity with Brazil for the catastrophe caused by torrential rains in the city of Petrópolis (southeast), in which 138 people have been reported dead so far. | The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that the Venezuelan government is ready to collaborate with the Brazilian authorities in whatever way possible in order to help the people affected by the disaster. | El Presidente Nicolás Maduro Moros, en nombre del Gobierno de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela manifiesta su absoluta solidaridad con el hermano pueblo del Brasil (1/4)…

_____ (2022-02-20). On Contact: John Brown, Abolitionist. popularresistance.org The painter Jacob Lawrence, in his 22-piece series 'The Legend of John Brown', first exhibited in 1941, chronicles in each of his panels a seminal stage in the life of the abolitionist John Brown. The first panel depicts Brown as Christ nailed to a cross, blood flowing from his nailed feet to the ground. The next scenes portray Brown as a man of exceptional religious conviction, willing to suffer financial failure and hardship in his fight for abolition. The middle compositions tell the story of Brown's plans to free slaves, including his raids that massacred pro-slavery settlers in Kansas, his failed attack on t…

Andy Kroll (2022-02-20). Is the Press Too Big to Fail? tomdispatch.com Everyone knows this story, though fewer and fewer read it on paper. There are barely enough pages left to wrap fish. The second paper in town has shut down. Sometimes the daily delivers only three days a week. Advertising long ago started fleeing to Craigslist and Internet points south. Subscriptions are dwindling. Online versions don't bring in much ad revenue. Who can avoid the obvious, if little covered question: Is the press too big to fail? Or was it failing long before it began to falter financially? In the previous century, there was a brief Golden Age of American journalism, though what glittered like gol…

Staff (2022-02-20). Chinese currency share in global payments rising. rt.com The yuan ranks as the world's fourth most popular currency in cross-border payments | China's national currency, the yuan, retained its position as the fourth most actively used currency for global transactions in January, according to data from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT). | Payments using the yuan soared to a record 3.2% of market share, breaking through its previous high set in 2015 and ranking behind the US dollar, the euro, and the British pound. | The dollar, which kept the top spot in January, saw a drop in market share, declining to about 39.9% from 40.5% re…

_____ (2022-02-20). European Union Prefers Corporate Profits Over Global Health. popularresistance.org As the summit between the African Union and European Union (EU-AU summit) came to a close on February 18, the EU's dedication to ensuring equitable access to Covid-19 products remained murky. While Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated that the two unions had a very constructive discussion on the TRIPS waiver, the meeting resulted in little more than a tepid statement and a new deadline for reaching an agreement on intellectual property rights during the pandemic. Von der Leyen also stated, "We share the same goal. We have different ways to reach that goal." | In reality, it would see…

Aditi Ramaswami (2022-02-20). WEEKEND READER: Profit-Driven Health Care Will Not Save Us. dailyposter.com

Staff (2022-02-20). SNB 61: Cocodrilos de Matanzas mandan otra vez. cubadebate.cu En una jornada donde los bates bajaron la temperatura en la mayoría de los estadios, los Cocodrilos matanceros se volvieron a apoyar en sus lanzadores para escalar otra vez a la cima de esta Serie Nacional, aprovechando el resbalón de las Avispas en patio ajeno. Altas presiones se ubicaron esta tarde-noche encima del estadio Latinoamericano, para que los Huracanes de Mayabeque soplaran con fuerza y arrastraran por la arcilla a los Industriales de la capital, hasta rendirlos 6-4.

Editor2 (2022-02-20). Venezuela Pulls Plug on Lie that Alex Saab is DEA "Informer" orinocotribune.com Venezuela has pulled the plug on a false claim which circulated Wednesday that diplomat Alex Saab is working as an "informer" or "collaborator" of the United States and specifically of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). | President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodríguez When asked by a reporter following a press conference, Rodríguez called it strange that the United S…

Staff (2022-02-20). Venezuela Offers Brazil Assistance for Petrópolis Disaster. orinocotribune.com On Friday, February 18, the government of Venezuela expressed solidarity with Brazil for the catastrophe caused by torrential rains in the city of Petrópolis (southeast), in which 138 people have been reported dead so far. | The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that the Venezuelan government is ready to collaborate with the Brazilian authorities in whatever way possible in order to help the people affected by the disaster. | El Presidente Nicolás Maduro Moros, en nombre del Gobierno de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela manifiesta su absoluta solidaridad con el hermano pueblo del Brasil (1/4)…

Chris Hedges (2022-02-19). Hedges: Democrats, the More Effective Evil. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Feb 14, 2022 | The US is a de facto one-party state where the ideology of national security is sacrosanct, unsustainable debt props up the empire and the primary business is war. | When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are les…

WSWS (2022-02-19). Biden threats over Ukraine roil markets. wsws.org There have been warnings of a "perfect storm" that could hit, resulting from a combination of rising geo-political conflicts and increased interest rates.

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-19). Morning Commute: 2-19-2022 #NoWarWithRussia #NoWarWithChina. anchor.fm In this episode I discuss the ongoing Geo political situation between the US, United Nations, European Union, NATO, Russia, China, and other nations across the world. I discuss the historical development of and my definition of imperialism as well as its connection to capitalism and its natural development from capitalism. We have to illuminate the ruling class structure and oppressive organizations which hold the working and exploited people down. We need power in the hands of the oppressed masses, long live the revolution!

WSWS (2022-02-19). Germany increases military spending for war against Russia. wsws.org Germany is playing an increasingly provocative‚ÄÜrole in NATO's aggression against Russia which poses ever more clearly the threat of a third world war.

WSWS (2022-02-19). Biden administration and Republicans use war crisis to push phony "national unity" wsws.org The foreign policy aim is to accomplish American imperialism's decades-long goal of subjugating Russia. The domestic aim is to protect corporate profits and suppress social opposition amid the country's political crisis.

Staff (2022-02-19). British MP has Russia & China warning. rt.com The remarks come as Moscow and Beijing emphasize their deepening ties amid an impasse in eastern Europe | If the US and its partners in Europe hit Moscow with crippling embargoes, Russia could seek more economic and political cooperation with Beijing and form a pact with China against the West, a leading British lawmaker has warned. | Speaking to Sky News from Kiev on Thursday, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood set out his view on the standoff between the two eastern European nations and what impact punitive measures could have in the event of a Russian incursion. | "Any sanctions that are imposed onto Russia, th…

Staff (2022-02-19). Russians have hacked American military-industrial complex — US. rt.com The purported cyber attacks are said to date back at least two years | Russian government-backed hackers have been stealing "sensitive" information from American weapons companies for several years, a recent announcement by US security agencies has claimed. | The FBI, National Security Agency, and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a report on Wednesday alleging that since at least January 2020, the hackers have been collecting information that is unclassified but contains "significant insight into US weapons platforms development and deployment timelines." | The attacks appare…

G. Dunkel (2022-02-19). Haitian workers demand: 'Triple the minimum wage!'. workers.org Haiti faces a crisis of government legitimacy. The only elected officials in the country at any level whose terms have not expired are 10 senators. The date for the expiration of the term of Haiti's President Jovenel MoàØse would have been Feb. 7, 2022 — before he died by assassination . . . |

Staff (2022-02-19). Over 1000 people already support #Palestine2022 campaign in France. samidoun.net In just a few weeks after its launch, the #Palestine2022 campaign, highlighting Palestine in the French presidential elections, has already received the support of more than 1000 people for its demands and its objectives. The campaign aims to denounce the collaboration of French governments with Israeli apartheid and introduce the subject of the Palestinian cause …

Abdul Rahman (2022-02-19). European Union prefers corporate profits over the health of people across the world. peoplesdispatch.org By showing reluctance on the patent waiver on COVID-19-related products even after the majority of its population is vaccinated, the EU leadership has once again taken the side of Big Pharma and perpetuated vaccine apartheid…

_____ (2022-02-19). Brown University Faculty Reject Push For Koch-Funded Scholarship. popularresistance.org More than 60% of Brown University faculty members voted Tuesday to postpone a vote on the creation of a new academic center until next month, giving professors more time to assess whether administrators have adequately strengthened the institution's gift policy to ensure that wealthy right-wing donors are not bankrolling science-denying, corporate-friendly research. | The proposed Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) would absorb and expand programs from the Political Theory Project (PTP), which has received funding from the Koch Foundation led by fossil fuel billionaire and GOP mega-donor Charles…

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2022-02-19). Colombia Wants Only 'Wealthy and Educated' Venezuelan Migrants. orinocotribune.com The Vice President of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez, has complained about the "less wealthy and unskilled" Venezuelans who stay in Colombia as migrants. That group of vulnerable Venezuelans is at the center of the smear campaign and hybrid war against Venezuela, led by the US with its regional allied governments. | The Colombian vice president made the classist comment against migrants who are in a vulnerable economic situation or who do not have a considerably "high" academic level, during the regular session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of States Americans (OAS) this week. | "Colombia has not be…

Joel Richards (2022-02-19). China-Argentina mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. america.cgtn.com 2022 has been declared the "Year of Friendly Cooperation" between China and Argentina as the two countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. The anniversary comes as the two nations are expanding economic ties, formalized during the recent presidential meeting between Alberto Fernandez and Xi Jinping in China. CGTN's Joel Richards reports.

Binoy Kampmark (2022-02-19). Tapping Fortress Australia: Priti Patel's Border Force Review. dissidentvoice.org When in opposition, Alexander Downer, destined to become Australia's longest serving foreign minister in the conservative government of John Howard, was easy to savage. The Australian Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating was particularly keen to skewer an establishment individual prone to donning fishnet stockings and affecting a plummy disposition. Never, he suggested, had there been …

Hadley Willow (2022-02-19). Education workers fight for justice. workers.org Education workers are adding to a recent surge of worker organizing across the country and around the world, a surge that is energizing the solidarity of the working class. This surge is reminding the capitalists that they are dependent on the labor of workers and that decent wages and safe . . . |

Peoples Health Dispatch (2022-02-19). Health workers in Slovenia go on strike. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers and members of trade unions in the health and care sector in Slovenia, including the Trade Union of Health and Social Security and the Nurses' Trade Union — Florence, organized a one-day strike on February 16. Physiotherapists, nurses, pharmacists, and auxiliary workers in publicly-owned health institutions all over the countries stopped their work as the government has betrayed its 2018 pledge to engage in negotiations for enhancing workers' rights in healthcare. | While several ministers, including those of health and labor, denied the unions' allegations and insisted that the government had…

Labor Video Project (2022-02-19). Oakland ILWU. OEA, Students & Community Rally To Stop Privatization & Union Busting. indybay.org Hundreds of ILWU Longshoreman, OEA teachers, students, labor and community activists rallied against the privatization of the Port Of Oakland Howard Terminal to the GAP A's billionaire owner John Fisher for a stadium and 3,000 condos and also against the closure of public schools in Oakland.

Lucho Ramirez (2022-02-19). Eco-Justice, People Power, Documentary Premiere- "We Still Here" indybay.org CubaCaribe announces a special community screening of We Still Here / Nos Tenemos, the latest documentary by award winning filmmaker by Eli Jacobs-Fatauzzi in collaboration with Defend Puerto Rico, FistUpTV and Clenched Fist Productions. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Bay Area filmmakers Eli and Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi along with a dynamic live music and dance performance by Aguacero.

WSWS (2022-02-19). Crisis-wracked Australian government ramps up war drumbeating. wsws.org This fortnight's dysfunctional parliamentary session saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison virtually accuse Labor Party leaders of being treasonous agents of China.

_____ (2022-02-19). Island States Meet To Discuss Suing Global North Over Climate Change. popularresistance.org Leaders of small island nations met on Tuesday to discuss suing countries in the Global North for the damage caused by emissions. | This week's discussion, convened by the Commonwealth Foundation, was the first major meeting of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, a body formed to help small island developing states (SIDS) bring legal action against major carbon-emitting countries. | The commission, announced last year at COP26 by Antigua and Barbuda with Tuvalu, has now called for as many countries as possible to join. | Kausea Natano, the prime minister of Tuvalu, said…

WSWS (2022-02-19). California's "endemic plan" sets the stage for unending COVID-19 infections and deaths. wsws.org The propaganda campaign is driven not by science, but by the demands of the corporations and financial elite. The aim is to fabricate a narrative that COVID-19 is harmless in order to maximize profits under the guise of a "return to normalcy."

Lutfi Camli (2022-02-19). Turkish health workers intensify protests amid soaring inflation and poor working conditions. peoplesdispatch.org The Turkish Medical Association (TMA) and other health workers' organizations organized country-wide industrial actions on February 8. This is part of a wave of workers' uprisings against rising living expenses and soaring inflation…

Alan MacLeod (2022-02-19). 1 in 3 Big Defense Contractors Profit from US Prisoner Suffering. orinocotribune.com By Alan MacLeod — Feb 14, 2022 | There exists a situation whereby prisoners earning pennies per hour are making multimillion-dollar weapons fired by individuals being paid barely $20,000 per year at civilians who might not make that much in their lifetimes. | America's largest arms companies are increasingly finding lucrative new ways of profiting from the

_____ (2022-02-19). National Day Of Strikes And Protests In Puerto Rico. popularresistance.org Teachers and government workers carried out a national day of strikes and protests in Puerto Rico Friday. There were marches and rallies across the US territory. A mass demonstration took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital city. The marchers demanded just wages and pensions and an end to the privatization of schools and government services. Despite a morning attempt by San Juan police to block a section of marchers, the protests were peaceful and high-spirited. | In San Juan, in the early morning hours demonstrators began congregating in the Hiram Bithorn baseball stadium before marching toward the headquar…

WSWS (2022-02-19). Strikes, protests engulf Haitian capital as workers demand higher wages, better conditions. wsws.org The strikes are an indication of growing working class opposition to the regime headed by Prime Minister Henry and backed by US corporations.

_____ (2022-02-19). City Denies Controversial Metal Scrapper Southside Recycling's Permit. popularresistance.org East Side, Chicago — The city's health department Friday rejected the final permit needed for a controversial metal scrapper to open on the Southeast Side, a victory for local activists who spent years organizing to block the industrial facility's move from the North Side. | Southside Recycling, owned by Reserve Management Group, will not be permitted to move troubled scrapper General Iron's assets and employees to 11600 S. Burley Ave. in East Side. | Reserve Management Group spent $80 million in anticipation of a permit for the facility at the Burley Avenue campus, where the Ohio-based firm operates four o…

Party for Socialism & Liberation (2022-02-19). Sunday 2/20: Red Books Day. indybay.org Bobby Hutton Park…

Chris Hedges (2022-02-19). Hedges: Democrats, the More Effective Evil. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Feb 14, 2022 | The US is a de facto one-party state where the ideology of national security is sacrosanct, unsustainable debt props up the empire and the primary business is war. | When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are les…

WSWS (2022-02-19). Biden threats over Ukraine roil markets. wsws.org There have been warnings of a "perfect storm" that could hit, resulting from a combination of rising geo-political conflicts and increased interest rates.

Staff (2022-02-19). Russians have hacked American military-industrial complex — US. rt.com The purported cyber attacks are said to date back at least two years | Russian government-backed hackers have been stealing "sensitive" information from American weapons companies for several years, a recent announcement by US security agencies has claimed. | The FBI, National Security Agency, and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a report on Wednesday alleging that since at least January 2020, the hackers have been collecting information that is unclassified but contains "significant insight into US weapons platforms development and deployment timelines." | The attacks appare…

WSWS (2022-02-19). Germany increases military spending for war against Russia. wsws.org Germany is playing an increasingly provocative‚ÄÜrole in NATO's aggression against Russia which poses ever more clearly the threat of a third world war.

Staff (2022-02-19). British MP has Russia & China warning. rt.com The remarks come as Moscow and Beijing emphasize their deepening ties amid an impasse in eastern Europe | If the US and its partners in Europe hit Moscow with crippling embargoes, Russia could seek more economic and political cooperation with Beijing and form a pact with China against the West, a leading British lawmaker has warned. | Speaking to Sky News from Kiev on Thursday, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood set out his view on the standoff between the two eastern European nations and what impact punitive measures could have in the event of a Russian incursion. | "Any sanctions that are imposed onto Russia, th…

Staff (2022-02-19). Over 1000 people already support #Palestine2022 campaign in France. samidoun.net In just a few weeks after its launch, the #Palestine2022 campaign, highlighting Palestine in the French presidential elections, has already received the support of more than 1000 people for its demands and its objectives. The campaign aims to denounce the collaboration of French governments with Israeli apartheid and introduce the subject of the Palestinian cause …

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2022-02-19). Colombia Wants Only 'Wealthy and Educated' Venezuelan Migrants. orinocotribune.com The Vice President of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez, has complained about the "less wealthy and unskilled" Venezuelans who stay in Colombia as migrants. That group of vulnerable Venezuelans is at the center of the smear campaign and hybrid war against Venezuela, led by the US with its regional allied governments. | The Colombian vice president made the classist comment against migrants who are in a vulnerable economic situation or who do not have a considerably "high" academic level, during the regular session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of States Americans (OAS) this week. | "Colombia has not be…

Binoy Kampmark (2022-02-19). Tapping Fortress Australia: Priti Patel's Border Force Review. dissidentvoice.org When in opposition, Alexander Downer, destined to become Australia's longest serving foreign minister in the conservative government of John Howard, was easy to savage. The Australian Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating was particularly keen to skewer an establishment individual prone to donning fishnet stockings and affecting a plummy disposition. Never, he suggested, had there been …

WSWS (2022-02-19). Crisis-wracked Australian government ramps up war drumbeating. wsws.org This fortnight's dysfunctional parliamentary session saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison virtually accuse Labor Party leaders of being treasonous agents of China.

Lucho Ramirez (2022-02-19). Eco-Justice, People Power, Documentary Premiere- "We Still Here" indybay.org CubaCaribe announces a special community screening of We Still Here / Nos Tenemos, the latest documentary by award winning filmmaker by Eli Jacobs-Fatauzzi in collaboration with Defend Puerto Rico, FistUpTV and Clenched Fist Productions. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Bay Area filmmakers Eli and Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi along with a dynamic live music and dance performance by Aguacero.

Labor Video Project (2022-02-19). Oakland ILWU. OEA, Students & Community Rally To Stop Privatization & Union Busting. indybay.org Hundreds of ILWU Longshoreman, OEA teachers, students, labor and community activists rallied against the privatization of the Port Of Oakland Howard Terminal to the GAP A's billionaire owner John Fisher for a stadium and 3,000 condos and also against the closure of public schools in Oakland.

WSWS (2022-02-19). California's "endemic plan" sets the stage for unending COVID-19 infections and deaths. wsws.org The propaganda campaign is driven not by science, but by the demands of the corporations and financial elite. The aim is to fabricate a narrative that COVID-19 is harmless, in order to maximize the production of profits under the guise of a "return to normalcy."

WSWS (2022-02-19). Strikes, protests engulf Haitian capital as workers demand higher wages, better conditions. wsws.org The strikes are an indication of growing working class opposition to the regime headed by Prime Minister Henry and backed by US corporations.

Party for Socialism & Liberation (2022-02-19). Sunday 2/20: Red Books Day. indybay.org Bobby Hutton Park…

PAI (2022-02-18). U.S. Labor Against War opposes U.S. moves towards Ukraine combat. peoplesworld.org

Staff (2022-02-18). Second Ukrainian tests positive for banned drug at Olympics. rt.com The bobsledder's Winter Olympics sample contained a steroid, doping chiefs announced in the wake of a Ukrainian skier testing positive for three banned substances | Strongwoman-turned-bobsledder Lidiia Hunko has become the second Ukrainian to fail a drugs test at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games this week, the International Testing Agency (ITA) has announced. | The 28-year-old, who is a former world champion deadlifter, was tested by the ITA during an in-competition anti-doping control check on Monday, when she finished 20th in the women's monobob. | A World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited (WADA) laboratory in B…

WSWS (2022-02-18). Video: SGP chairman condemns NATO's war preparations against Russia. wsws.org In this video Christoph Vandreier, the chairman of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP—Socialist Equality Party), condemns NATO's preparations for war against Russia and explains the need for an international anti-war movement.

TASS (2022-02-18). Demand for Russian grain growing in Iran — business council. tass.com "Fruits and vegetables of high quality from Iran are slowly but steadily consolidating their hold on shelves of stores, competing increasingly with products from Turkey, Egypt and Azerbaijan," Vladimir Obydenov said…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-18). Was the Hacking of Ottawa Trucker Convoy Donors a US-Canadian Intelligence Operation? libya360.wordpress.com Kit Klarenberg Aubrey Cottle, the hacker claiming credit for stealing convoy donor info, has boasted of work with the FBI and Canadian law enforcement. The data was published by DDoSecrets, an anti-Wikileaks non-profit which has targeted states in the crosshairs of US intelligence. On February 13th, the names and personal details of almost 100,000 individuals…

_____ (2022-02-18). The Revolutionary Power Of The Real Circular Economy. popularresistance.org Most of us are familiar with the social and environmental impacts of life under the Capitalocene ('the age of capital' — the historical era shaped by the endless accumulation of capital): inequality, commodification, imperialism, racism, and much more are already causing intragenerational suffering and ecological collapse. We are bombarded weekly with publications that assess the dire state of the world — and while I don't want to focus on this, a brief reminder is in order. | There is extensive literature portraying the social and ecological degradation of our times (e.g. Intergovernmental Panel on C…

_____ (2022-02-18). The Political Violence Of National Oppression. popularresistance.org Jacksonville, FL – Throughout the months of January and February, there were over 20 bomb threats directed towards historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Black churches, most of which were in the South. These concentrated actions over the last few months are a microcosm of the extensive history of racism and national oppression that Black people have faced within the United States, particularly its southern region. | In general, all Black communities within the United States face systemic racism. The evidence is in the economically depressed ghettos of every city (big and small), riddled with de…

_____ (2022-02-18). Opioids are Americans' "Comfort" for the Authorities' Failed Social Policies. journal-neo.org Drug addicts are commonly seen as marginalized people with a tourniquet around their arm who get hooked on drugs because of social and economic dislocation, personal problems, and an inability to fulfil themselves. But today, America is also suffering from a massive opioid crisis, which has already been declared an "emergency situation" by the authorities. …

Fight Back (2022-02-18). United Steelworkers on strike at Sherwin-Williams. fightbacknews.org Pittsburgh, PA – 55 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14919 began an unfair labor practice strike against Sherwin-Williams on Saturday, February 5 at the company's facility in Bedford Heights, Ohio. | Negotiations started on October 26, 2021, and union members had been working without a contract since the previous agreement expired on November 20. Sherwin-Williams refused to enter into an extension agreement. | Terrell Williams, president of United Steelworkers Local 14919 states, "All we are asking for is a fair and just contract that keeps up with inflation and provides economic sustainability and sec…

_____ (2022-02-18). What Red Book Will You Read This Year On Red Books Day? popularresistance.org On 16 February 2015, Govind and Uma Pansare went for a morning walk near their home in Kolhapur, in the western state of Maharashtra, India. Two men on a motorcycle stopped them and asked for directions, but the Pansares could not help them. One of the men laughed, pulled out a gun, and shot the two Pansares. Uma Pansare was hit but survived the attack. Her husband, Govind Pansare, died in a hospital shortly thereafter on 20 February at age 82. | Raised in poverty, Govind Pansare was fortunate to go to school, where he encountered Marxist ideas. In 1952, at the age of 19, Pansare joined the Communist Party of Ind…

Chris Walker (2022-02-18). Child Poverty Increased by 41 Percent After Monthly Tax Credits Expired. truthout.org New data shows that the ending of the popular Child Tax Credit payment program due to objections from conservative Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (West Virginia) has resulted in a massive increase in the childhood poverty rate throughout the U.S. |

WSWS (2022-02-18). New Zealand rail workers highlight unsafe conditions as COVID-19 surge continues. wsws.org While the media provides round-the-clock coverage of a small anti-vax protest outside New Zealand's parliament, there is growing anger and opposition to the Labour Party-led government's policy of allowing COVID-19 to spread.

Dan Beeton (2022-02-18). Labor Solidarity, and Worker Victories, Across Borders. cepr.net NACLA See article on original site Book Review: International Solidarity in Action: The Relationship Between the United Electrical Workers (UE) and Frente Auténtico del Trabajo, by Robin Alexander On February 3, workers at a General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico, secured an important victory for organized labor when a huge majority voted to join the …

Martha Grevatt (2022-02-18). Black History Month — Heroes of Flint Sit-down Strike. workers.org February 11 marked the 85th anniversary of the victory in the Flint Sit-Down Strike. While this is one of the most famous battles in U.S. labor history, too little is said about the Black workers who helped bring about this victory. This graphic pays tribute to Black sit-down striker Roscoe . . . |

TASS (2022-02-18). CAS finds WADA explanations about Valieva doping test delays unconvincing. tass.com The Panel also did not find compelling the fact that the Stockholm laboratory blamed the processing delay on staffing problems caused by the pandemic…

Sharon Zhang (2022-02-18). Apple Store Employees Are Reportedly Unionizing. truthout.org Employees at at least eight Apple Stores in the U.S. are in various stages of unionizing efforts, according to new reporting According to anonymous sources, including at least one organizer, two stores are prepared to file a petition for unionization with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and have contacted major unions, while six other stores are in more nascent stages of organizing, The…

Staff (2022-02-18). Nuclear watchdog will get Fukushima water checked. rt.com Scientists in Austria and Monaco are to verify if samples from Japan's nuclear facility are safe | Some 50 liters of treated water used to cool down the Fukushima melted nuclear reactors will be sent for analysis to "independent" laboratories in Austria and Monaco, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a

Ann Brown (2022-02-18). Federal Reserve Member Bullard: Inflation Could Get Out Of Control In America. moguldom.com St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard is not sugarcoating the current inflation crisis as prices rise at the fastest pace in 40 years. Inflation could get out of control without action on interest rates, Bullard said. "We're at more risk now than we've been in a generation that this could get out of control," …

Janine Jackson (2022-02-18). 'Mega-retailers are using inflation as a cover to raise prices and turn record profits'. mronline.org CounterSpin interview with Rakeen Mabud on supply chain breakdown.

Dana Sanchez (2022-02-18). Removing The Kool-Aid? How The Federal Reserve Shrinking Its Balance Sheet Could Hurt Startup Valuations. moguldom.com For startup founders, the Federal Reserve's declared intent to end quantitative easing and shrink its balance sheet could mean the party's over when it comes to venture capital funding. The Fed's balance sheet, a weekly report that lists its assets and liabilities, has increased sevenfold since the 2008 financial crisis. Fed officials put plans into motion …

Sharon Zhang (2022-02-18). Sanders Calls to Cancel All Student Debt After Biden Axes $415 Millions' Worth. truthout.org After the Biden administration canceled $415 million of student debt for victims of for-profit colleges, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) called for all student debt to be canceled, a move that could relieve tens of millions of borrowers of what is often a huge financial burden. | On Wednesday,

WSWS (2022-02-18). UK cost of living crisis hits millions as inflation reaches new record. wsws.org Many staples are now unaffordable for millions of people. Workers are not seeing their wages rise to compensate.

Jake Johnson (2022-02-18). EU Chief Calls Patents "Precious" as Hundreds of Millions Lack Vaccine Access. truthout.org The head of the European Commission on Friday defended coronavirus-related intellectual property protections as "precious" after South Africa's president reiterated his support for a temporary patent waiver, arguing the step is necessary to ramp up vaccine production on the African continent. | Speaking at the E.U.-African Union summit in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued that instead of suspending vaccine-related intellectual property protections, world leade…

WSWS (2022-02-18). Australia's state and federal governments lifting handful of remaining COVID restrictions. wsws.org Governments are implementing profit-driven policies identical to those that resulted in the Omicron explosion over December—January.

Bruce Lerro (2022-02-18). The Mythology, Ritual, and Art of Romantic Socialism. dissidentvoice.org Introduction For the most part socialists and members of organized religion seem to be opposites. After all, didn't Marx say religion was the opium of the people, the heart of a heartless world? But has it always been this way? Socialists in the 19th century had very different ideas about the importance of mythology, ritual, …

Martha Grevatt (2022-02-18). Workers World message to 'The International' Marxist magazine. workers.org Workers World newspaper congratulates Progressive Thinkers for its first year of consistent monthly publication of "The International" (Internationalmagz.com) as an openly "not unbiased" communist magazine and blog. We salute the initiators of this endeavour, Debojit Banerjee, Shuvam Banerjee, Sourav Chakraborty and Gourab Ghosh, for creating a venue for members of . . . |

WSWS (2022-02-18). Australia: Svitzer steps up pressure on workers to accept cuts to wages and conditions. wsws.org Determined to drive through a regressive new deal, Australia's largest tugboat operator is threatening to terminate the existing enterprise agreement covering workers.

WSWS (2022-02-18). Mass strikes and protests continue in Puerto Rico against debt deal. wsws.org Mass protests are culminating in a general strike across the island following the imposition of a debt settlement deal dictated by Wall Street that will gut wages and pensions.

WSWS (2022-02-18). USW pushes ExxonMobil deal to end Texas lockout: A warning to all oil workers. wsws.org ExxonMobil's latest ultimatum, which the United Steelworkers will bring to a vote on Monday, would set the precedent for the wholesale destruction of the jobs, wages, benefits and working conditions of workers throughout the entire oil industry.

_____ (2022-02-18). Why We Need A Mau Mau In Amerikkka. popularresistance.org There is nothing left to do in the US but to organize and mobilize the masses. The US is a country made up of conservatives who are openly racist and imperialist, and liberals who are incoherent and inconsistent; only "inclusive" when it comes to upholding white supremacy and imperialism. They both give false hope to us, the colonized masses, lie after lie, broken promise after broken promise. We have come to see that the US has always resembled genocide, war, imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy, and so many other cancers that we as the colonized masses are infected with. To be cured, to be free, we must rid…

Aaron Sowers (2022-02-18). Chicago activists continue to call for killer cop to be fired, charged in death of Anthony Alvarez. liberationnews.org On what would have been Anthony Alvarez's 23rd birthday, dozens of activists gathered outside the 16th District police station in Chicago on Feb. 14 to celebrate Alvarez's life and to demand justice for him. The event was organized by members of Alvarez's family in coordination with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Grace Woods (2022-02-18). Organizers demand justice for man killed by NYPD, expansion of resources for mental health. liberationnews.org The Party for Socialism and Liberation convened a speakout in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn after Eudes Pierre, a 26-year-old Black man, was shot 10 times and killed in the neighborhood by NYPD officers…

_____ (2022-02-18). A Brand of "Portugal Socialism" May Overtake the World Soon. journal-neo.org During the Trump Administration we were introduced to the unsmiling figure of a certain Stephen Miller, senior adviser and speechwriter. According to a longstanding and far-fetched conspiracy theory, the world is run by a race of reptiles disguised as humans. The only reason Miller cannot be one of them is that, in his case, the …

Party for Socialism & Liberation (2022-02-18). Friday 2/18: Black History Month: Almost 2 years after the George Floyd uprising, what's at stake? indybay.org Virtual event. Register: bit.ly/struggle-continues…