(2022-02-18). U.S. Labor Against War opposes U.S. moves towards Ukraine combat. peoplesworld.org 
(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…
(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.
(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. …
(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). 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.
(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 …
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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 . . . |
(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.
(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.
(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). 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.
(2022-02-18). Sunday 2/20: Red Books Day. indybay.org Bobby Hutton Park…
(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…
(2022-02-17). Conflict with Russia is Raising your Gasoline Bill; an Electric Car is the Answer. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Reporters pressed White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Wednesday about the likelihood that any Russian military engagement in Ukraine will raise petroleum prices further. Ensuing US sanctions on Russia would keep some of its petroleum off the market, as has already happened to Iran, at a time when demand is …
(2022-02-17). US warns of 'global fallout'. rt.com 
The world economy will pay a heavy price if the West imposes new sanctions on Moscow, the US Treasury warns | If Russia launches an invasion of Ukraine, the global economy will suffer an inevitable fallout as a result of newly unleashed Western sanctions on Moscow, the US Treasury secretary warned on Wednesday. | Speaking to French news agency AFP, Janet Yellen explained that the US and its European allies are preparing a "very substantial package of sanctions that will have severe consequences for the Russian economy." | However, despite Washington wanting the highest cost to fall on Moscow, she admitted that…
(2022-02-17). Why Is China Fanning the Flames of Ethnic Politics in the Balkans? independentmediainstitute.org The fragile geopolitical nature of the Balkans has allowed Russia to consistently undermine Western integration attempts in the region. While foreign interference is nothing new in Europe's underbelly, it has historically been limited to regional powers and the U.S. But China's recent collaboration with Russia in supporting ethnic separatism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reveals …
(2022-02-17). Putin tells Kishida about Russia's talks with US, NATO on security guarantees. tass.com The Russian president and the Japanese prime minister also discussed some current issues of bilateral relations and reaffirmed mutual interest in their constructive development based on existing agreements, including in trade and economic areas…
(2022-02-17). Kalashnikov Helps Boost Russia's Prestige on the International Stage. journal-neo.org 
Internationally, Russia has traditionally been seen as one of the leading suppliers of technology, especially in such areas as the arms and military hardware markets. Many countries, all over the world, purchase Russian-made military equipment, including anti-aircraft missile systems, fighter jets battleships, etc. But, globally, the most widely sold and well-known Russian weapon is the …
(2022-02-17). Marco Rubio Threatens Honduras' President (+Venezuela). orinocotribune.com During a US Senate hearing regarding the nomination of Laura Farnsworth as new US ambassador to Honduras, US extreme-right Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he hoped the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, would not follow the example of her husband, former President Manuel Zelaya, and align Honduras with Cuba and Venezuela. | "I hope that the new president Xiomara Castro follows that path, and not the example that her husband provided when he was president and sympathized with Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Raúl Castro in Cuba," said the anti-communist senator. Analysts surmise that Zelaya's drift to the left…
(2022-02-17). Biden's $7 Billion Afghan Heist. popularresistance.org With his Executive Order redefining Afghanistan's Fiscal Reserve as a slush fund to be disbursed on his whim and with the stroke of his pen, President Biden has taken what may well be the final step in an experiment gone amok. The U.S. first attempted to make Afghanistan into a Western democracy, instead installed a kleptocracy, made Afghans endure 20 years of violence and then left in a whirlwind of chaos. With Biden's latest move to deprive Afghanistan of its monetary reserves, the nation is likely to come full circle, turning once again into a failed state that, in the absence of economic recovery, will become…
(2022-02-17). Pessimism rife ahead of Colombia's elections. colombiareports.com Colombia's government is preparing elections amid widespread pessimism and distrust in public institutions, a pollster revealed Tuesday. The country's adult population is particularly pessimistic about economic insecurity, corruption and public…
(2022-02-17). Ingenious Venezuelan Inventor Proposes to Make Biofuel from Poisonous Tuber Waste. orinocotribune.com 
For more than a decade, the technologist José Gregorio Jiménez has been working on this alternative that could reduce the costs of gasoline production by up to 70%, in the midst of the privations caused by the economic blockade. | Curiosity led a Venezuelan to become interested in a fetid and poisonous liquid that emerged from the pressing of cassava, a tuber native to South America and popular in traditional cuisine. After experimenting in his laboratory, Jiménez verified that he could obtain biofuel from this substance, which is usually discarded. | José Gregorio Jiménez is a grassroots inventor who was born in…
(2022-02-17). Sanders Rips Into Billionaires for Creating "Oligarchic" Society in US. truthout.org 
On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) gave a powerful speech on the Senate floor, excoriating billionaires and CEOs for accumulating unfathomable amounts of wealth while millions of Americans struggle to get by. | Since the start of the pandemic, millions of Americans have struggled economically, gotten ill or died — but for billionaires, "this moment has never been better,"
(2022-02-17). Why the US trade war on China has been an economic disaster for Americans. rt.com 
Trump hailed his 2020 deal with Beijing as "transformative" for the US. He was right — it's made ordinary US citizens much poorer | At the end of January, the US-China 'phase one' trade deal made under Donald Trump expired. The agreement, struck in January 2020 at the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and before ties with Beijing fell off a cliff, stipulated that China would purchase (ludicrously) over $200 billion in agricultural products from the US per annum in order to end Trump's trade war. It was more like a one-sided extortion, placing huge demands on Beijing with very little compromise on t…
(2022-02-17). U.S. Sanctions on Afghanistan Could Be Deadlier Than 20 Years of War. juancole.com By Mark Weisbrot | — (Foreign Policy in Focus ) — Originally published in Inside Sources. Economic sanctions have, in recent years, become one of the most important tools of U.S. foreign policy. There are currently more than 20 countries subjected to various sanctions from the U.S. government. But if more Americans knew how many …
(2022-02-17). Cuba rechaza ante la ONU bloqueo económico y político de EE.UU. telesurtv.net Ya desde abril de 2019 hasta marzo de 2020, el bloqueo había causado pérdidas a Cuba en el orden de los 5.5 billones de dólares…
(2022-02-17). Bigger than bomb threats: The political violence of national oppression. fightbacknews.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…
(2022-02-17). Growing fears over what interest rate hike will produce. wsws.org It is a sign of the fragility of the financial markets and their total dependence on the flow of ultra-cheap money that what were once regarded as small incremental rises in the US Fed's base interest rate are now viewed with some trepidation.
(2022-02-17). The Gains of Nicaraguan Women During the Second Sandinista Government. orinocotribune.com By Stansfield Smith — Feb 14, 2022 | Women, particularly those in the Third World, often find themselves with limited ability to participate in community organizations and political life because of the bondage poverty and their traditional sex role imposes on them. On them falls sole responsibility to care for their children and other family members, especially when sick; they maintain the home, cook the meals, wash the dishes, the clothes, bathe the children, clean the house, mend the clothes. This labor becomes unending manual labor when households have no electricity (consequently, no lights, no refrigera…
(2022-02-17). Puerto Ricans rise up against US-imposed austerity, protest poverty wages. multipolarista.com Puerto Rican public workers are protesting the neoliberal policies imposed by the US government's unelected Financial Oversight and Management Board. A professor speaks about their demands for higher wages and better social programs.
(2022-02-17). Inquest into deadly construction accident convenes 12 years after four workers fell to their deaths in Toronto. wsws.org The interminable delay in the hearings reflects the perennially low priority assigned to cases of unsafe working conditions in Canadian labour jurisprudence.
(2022-02-17). How Volkswagen plays off temporary workers against each other and the permanent workforce. wsws.org Volkswagen, its contract labour subsidiary Autovision , and service subsidiary Volkswagen Group Services (VGS) employ a treacherous and sophisticated system to divide workers amongst themselves.
(2022-02-17). The UK anti-vax movement is not an "ally" against Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. wsws.org The people confronting Starmer were in London that day on a protest "to end all the jab mandates and the jab programmes in the United Kingdom and the world… to end all the COVID regulations," in the words of their leader Piers Corbyn.
(2022-02-17). From Puerto Rico To Minnesota, Teachers Are Rising Up Again. popularresistance.org In the last two weeks, teachers in both Puerto Rico and Minnesota have taken to the streets. Though separated by thousands of miles, and a temperature difference of about 60 degrees, their demands are in many ways very similar: Like the teachers who went on strike in 2018, they are marching for better pay, better benefits, and greater funding for schools. However, these struggles are taking place in a period very different from 2018. The pre-pandemic strike wave was driven by decades of austerity and rising rank-and-file militancy born of frustration with do-nothing labor bureaucrats. The pandemic has since galva…
(2022-02-17). Progressives in Zurich protest spike in neo-Nazi manifestations in the city. peoplesdispatch.org Progressive sections in the Swiss city of Zurich have intensified their campaign against the spike in neo-Nazi activities in the city. On February 12, on the call of several groups including the Movement For Socialism (BFS), Feminist Strike Collective in Zurich and Swiss Party of Labor (PdA), thousands marched in Zurich denouncing the increasing presence of neo-Nazi groups in civil life in the city and across the country. The protesters stated, "We've had enough! We are many and we are angry! We will not tolerate the presence of Nazis on our streets!" A petition initiated by the GRA Foundation against Racism and…
(2022-02-17). Reconoce presidente cubano trabajo de la Fiscalía General de la República. cubadebate.cu Un reconocimiento por la manera en que se crecieron el pasado año y la exhortación a seguir perfeccionando su labor en 2022, hizo el Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido y Presidente de la República, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, a las trabajadoras, trabajadores y dirigentes de la Fiscalía General de la República (FGR).
(2022-02-17). Segunda edición de Biblioteca Abierta tendrá lugar el sábado 26 de febrero. cubadebate.cu La segunda edición de Biblioteca Abierta será el sábado 26 de febrero, a partir de las 8: 30 a.m. Durante toda la jornada la institución funcionará de una manera diferente a su labor cotidiana, para explicar a los interesados, mediante visitas guiadas, las funciones, usos y formas de inscripción de la Biblioteca, sus características y tesoros bibliográficos.
(2022-02-17). Thursday 2/17: Stop Privatization & Union Busting! DUMP A's Fisher Stadium Scam & OUSD School Closures. indybay.org Oakland City Hall/Oscar Grant Plaza | Oakland…
(2022-02-17). Sueño en Cuba de volar con alas propias (+ Fotos). cubadebate.cu El AR-9 es hoy más que el primer prototipo de avión ligero de dos plazas que se construye en Cuba, resulta también el sueño de volar con alas propias de su creador, el ingeniero mecánico Adolfo Rivera. Junto a él un pequeño grupo de colaboradores, en su mayoría veteranos jubilados de la Aeronáutica, pero no retirados, agrupados en el Club de Aviación de Cuba, que preside el Héroe de la República René González, piloto e instructor de vuelo.
(2022-02-17). Father sentenced in college admissions scandal, ordered to pay $200,000. rt.com 
A wealthy parent arrested as part of Operation Varsity Blues was convicted of bribing US schools with $1.2 million | The head of a private equity firm in Massachusetts was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for his involvement in a US college admissions scandal that also saw high-profile Hollywood celebrities including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman face time behind bars. | John Wilson was charged with using $1.2 million to bribe his three kids' way into college as Division I athletes, despite the fact that they were not athletes competing at such a high division. Wilson's arrest was par…
(2022-02-17). Big Food Producers Are Profiteering Off Inflation — and Bragging About It. truthout.org 
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Tuesday accused corporate executives of using inflation as a cover to jack up the cost of meat, vegetables and cleaning products and rake in record profits. | "Giant corporations are making record profits by increasing prices, and CEOs are saying the quiet part out loud: they're happy to help drive inflation," Warren "American families pay higher prices and corporate…
(2022-02-17). Welcome To The Cryptoverse: A Conversation With The Blockchain Socialist. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Written by Dr. Leon Tressell | On 3 January 2009 the genesis block of the Bitcoin blockchain was mined. Satoshi Nakmoto, the creator of Bitcoin, coded a message within the genesis block. It contained a headline from the Times newspaper, "Chancellor on brink of second bail out for banks". | This new digital currency represented a rejection of the failed capitalist system that in 2008 brought the world to the brink of complete financial meltdown. Since then, Bitcoin has gr…
(2022-02-17). Does the US really need to spend $800bn on its military? rt.com 
Joe Biden's likely request for a record-breaking defense budget shows America's priorities remain all wrong | President Biden is expected to ask Congress for a record-shattering military budget for the fiscal year 2023 that will exceed $770 billion and could reach $800 billion, according to a While the story has yet to be confirmed, there are many reasons to believe its veracity — and it…
(2022-02-17). America's racist prison society produces profits but not safety. peoplesworld.org 
The United States is infamous for its prison system. With less than 5% of the world's population, the U.S. houses 25% of the world's incarcerated people. Nearly seven million people live in prisons, jails, immigrant concentration camps, and related facilities. They are on probation or parole and subjected to scrutiny and surveillance that leaves them …
(2022-02-17). COVID cases surge in South Korea as virtually all public health measures ended. wsws.org The steps taken by the Moon Jae-in administration are meant to ensure big business will continue to make record profits.
(2022-02-17). Leaked Audio Shows Amazon Official Threatening Workers Over Union Election – Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An Amazon union avoidance official threatened workers with minimum wage and warned that things might get worse if they unionize and enter negotiations with the company, Vice reported on Thursday, citing a leaked audio from an Amazon meeting that it obtained.
