(2022-03-03). Russia Prevents Washington from Unleashing Biological Warfare. journal-neo.org 
In view of the unrest that US intelligence services have been actively initiating lately, whether in Central Asia, Transcaucasia or other areas bordering Russia and China, the risk of a biological disaster from multiple secret military biological laboratories deployed by the US in potentially politically and socially unstable regions is objectively increasing. In this regard, …
(2022-03-03). London Stock Exchange bars Russian firms from trading. rt.com 
Companies blacklisted and accused of close ties to Russia | The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has announced it is blocking trading in 27 corporations with close ties to Russia. The targeted firms include EN+, Gazprom, Lukoil, Rosneft and Sberbank. | The step, which comes into effect immediately and follows similar actions from other bourses, comes as part of Western efforts to cut Russia off from the international financial markets in response to Moscow's military operation in Ukraine. | Russian miners Polymetal and Evraz have also been ejected from the FTSE 100 after heavy share price losses following Western s…
(2022-03-03). Australian Education Union's record of agreement sell-outs. wsws.org Desperate to ram through its deal with the Victorian Labor government, the AEU has launched a misinformation campaign to bury the real details of its latest sell-out.
(2022-03-03). Gas prices in Europe smash previous day's record. rt.com 
Energy costs surge to an all-time high on Ukraine-related supply fears | European prices for natural gas spiked to nearly $2,280 per 1,000 cubic meters on Thursday for the first time in market history, as Russia's military offensive in Ukraine continues. | Russia provides about 40% of the continent's gas supplies, while Ukraine is a major transit country for Russian gas. With the conflict now in its eighth day, supply shortage concerns are pushing prices ever higher. | The April futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands soared to around $2,279 per 1,000 cubic meters, or over €200 per megawatt-hour in hous…
(2022-03-03). Kazakhstan supports neither Russia nor Ukraine. rt.com 
Ally of Russia in Central Asia refuses to take sides in Ukraine conflict | Kazakhstan is not taking sides in the armed conflict between its close ally Russia and Ukraine, a senior military official said on Thursday. "We support neither side. This is not up for discussion," Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Sultan Kamaletdinov told journalists. | Foreign Minister Shakhrat Nuryshev made remarks to the same effect earlier this week. | Kazakhstan went through a period of extreme turmoil in January, with mass street protests, triggered at first by a sharp spike in fuel prices, quickly escalating into rioting. The go…
(2022-03-03). Japan to freeze assets of Russian businessmen. rt.com 
Assets of four additional banks to be frozen from April 2, finance minister says | Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki announced on Thursday that Tokyo will freeze the assets of four additional Russian banks from April 2, raising to seven the total number of financial institutions slapped with sanctions. | The Prime Minister's cabinet accepted the decision to freeze the assets of VTB Bank, Sovcombank, Novikombank and Otkritie, according to the Ministry of Finance. The move will be effective from April 2, the ministry said. | The measure is in line with the EU decision to disconnect seven Russian banks fro…
(2022-03-03). F1 chiefs terminate Russian Grand Prix contract. rt.com 
Formula 1 has ended its Russian relationship in the wake of the Ukraine conflict | Days after it was revealed that this season's Sochi Grand Prix was to be shelved following Russia's conflict in Ukraine, Formula 1 chiefs have announced that they have terminated their contract in Russia after determining that racing in the country is no longer viable. | The Russian Grand Prix was due to move to St. Petersburg in 2023, with this no longer happening despite it reportedly being one of the most financially lucrative races on the F1 annual calendar. | Russian President Vladimir Putin was key in establishing the race…
(2022-03-03). Fed will move "aggressively" on interest rates if inflation persists. wsws.org Fed chair Powell made clear in testimony to Congress that decisions on interest rates will be determined by the extent to which workers push for higher wages in the face of rapidly rising inflation.
(2022-03-03). Stellantis CEO complains of worker "absenteeism" in US following massive 2021 profit report. wsws.org What was left unstated in Tavares's comments are the disastrous conditions which have driven absences from work, above all, the explosive spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
(2022-03-03). Climate change is triggering a humanitarian crisis, UN report finds. wsws.org The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report is an indictment of global capitalism's utter failure to address climate change.
(2022-03-03). Chelsea boss Tuchel comments on Abramovich situation. rt.com 
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says it's 'very hard' to think of Chelsea without Roman Abramovich | Roman Abramovich's decision to sell Premier League team Chelsea will take some time to sink in, says the club's German boss Thomas Tuchel. | It was confirmed on Wednesday evening that the London team is officially on the market after Abramovich opted to sell the club some 19 years after he purchased it, a decision hastened by a wave of UK government sanctions being levied at Russian billionaires in the wake of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. | And speaking after Chelsea's 3-2 FA Cup win against Luton Town on Wednes…
(2022-03-03). The threat of world war looms: Take up the fight against imperialism and for international socialism! wsws.org The IYSSE (Australia) meeting at 4 p.m. (AEDT) Saturday, March 12 will discuss the urgent need to build an international anti-war movement of youth, students and workers as the danger of nuclear war heightens amid the escalating crisis in Ukraine.
(2022-03-02). Russia and Ukraine Await New Round of Negotiations. telesurenglish.net As the first round of negotiations produced no tangible results, delegations from Russia and Ukraine are expecting the second round of peace talks, which reportedly could take place on Wednesday. | RELATED: | While the two sides agreed to continue their negotiation process, the world is overwhelmed with handling the spillover from the military conflict, amid the sharp rising prices of gold, oil and agricultural futures, among others. | In the f…
(2022-03-02). Seattle says 'No' to war with Russia! fightbacknews.org Seattle, WA — Braving the freezing cold and rain, around 70 to 80 people gathered at Westlake Park, February 26, to demand no more U.S. wars. The rally, hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Seattle alongside several endorsing organizations, featured speakers calling for an end to U.S. intervention and military action in Ukraine as events in the region unfold at a breakneck pace. | The rally was endorsed Party for Socialism and Liberation, About Face Veterans, Serve the People Tacoma, Anakbayan Seattle, Cascadian Workers Association and Party of Communists USA. Along with FRSO, these organiza…
(2022-03-02). U.S.-instigated conflict threatens humanity. workers.org 
Tens of thousands of essential workers lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many were exposed when they were put in harm's way to do the work providing the goods and services, so that corporate owners could continue to gather their billions of dollars in profits. Demonstration against NATO, Chicago, . . . |
(2022-03-02). For African and Colonized Peoples, to understand Ukraine: De-center Europe and focus on imperialism. mronline.org 
The Black Alliance for Peace emphatically declares that the conflict in the Ukraine emerges from the ceaseless and single-minded drive of the U.S., NATO, and the European Union for global economic and political dominance.
(2022-03-02). US and NATO intensify "economic warfare" measures against Russia, weapons transfers to Ukraine. wsws.org The measures come as Russian forces continue to approach the Ukrainian capital of Kiev and amid widespread reports in the US and European press of intensified shelling of urban areas.
(2022-03-02). NATO's proxy war on Russia and the death of the Corbynite "left" wsws.org The rump of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs died on their knees, cowering before party leader Sir Keir Starmer's pro-NATO witch-hunt aimed at silencing anti-war sentiment in the working class.
(2022-03-02). Over 200 academics from across Latin American call for boycott of Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Calling Israel an apartheid state, academics from over 15 countries in the Latin American region demanded that their governments and institutions end all collaboration with the government and institutions of Israel…
(2022-03-02). Russia's low-cost war can endure Western sanctions. asiatimes.com 
With a unity unseen since the days of apartheid South Africa, the Western world, and the wider global community, are bringing weighty pressure to bear upon Russia, but the critical metric remains a grim one for the defenders of Ukraine. But calculations about the surprisingly modest operational costs that the world's 11th largest economy is …
(2022-03-02). Some Economic Consequences Of The War In Ukraine. popularresistance.org The global capitalist economy today is highly integrated: In the flow of real goods and services; in money capital flows between financial markets; in currency relative exchange rates; and in banking systems and interest rates—to name but the most obvious. The Ukraine war's economic consequences will impact all the three economies—Russia's, Europe's and America's. The impacts may be relatively different qualitatively and quantitatively. But actions taken against one have their inevitable economic reverberations on all. | Inflation due to escalating oil and commodity price inflation will negatively imp…
(2022-03-02). People's Action: The State of the Union Isn't Strong for All of UsÔøº. peoplesaction.org Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605 WASHINGTON, D.C.—People's Action today released a statement by Campaigns Director Sondra Youdelman in response to President Biden's State of the Union address: "Tonight, President Biden pushed to tax the rich, grow the economy, and get costs down for families, and we agree—this economy has been rigged against the people who …
(2022-03-02). People's Action: The State of the Union Isn't Strong for All of Us. peoplesaction.org Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605 WASHINGTON, D.C.—People's Action today released a statement by Campaigns Director Sondra Youdelman in response to President Biden's State of the Union address: "Tonight, President Biden pushed to tax the rich, grow the economy, and get costs down for families, and we agree—this economy has been rigged against the people who …
(2022-03-02). Russia sanctions could backfire on EU economy — European Commission. rt.com 
The bloc's economic growth and energy supplies are likely to be negatively affected | The war in Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions against Russia could harm Europe's energy supplies and stall its economic growth, European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni warned on Wednesday. | Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, he said Europe may encounter problems in the supply of energy resources — more precisely, the supply of Russian gas — and needs to be ready for such an outcome. | "Russia's invasion of Ukraine will likely impact growth negatively, including through repercussions on financial m…
(2022-03-02). Biden's Economic Plans Are Solid, But We Need Action. otherwords.org The word "jobs" came up 15 times in President Joe Biden's That's hardly surprising, since job creation is a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy time for the United States and the world. The U.S. economy created over 6.5 million new jobs in 2021 — more than in any year in history. | But this stat alone is not enough to calm American families' economic angst. Inflation is taking a big bite out of paychecks, and the war in Ukraine could cause even m…
(2022-03-02). Delta bounceback helps Australia's GDP bounce back. asiatimes.com 
Australia's economy bounced back a welcome 3.4% in the December quarter of 2021, more than reversing the 1.9% lockdown-related decline in the September quarter. It was the sixth-biggest increase in the 60 years the figures have been compiled. Australian quarterly gross domestic product The economy grew by 4.2% over the year to December, making it …
(2022-03-02). West Intensifies Economic Warfare Against Russia. popularresistance.org Delivering his annual state of union address, US president Joe Biden announced the decision to close its airspace for all Russian flights on Tuesday, March 1. He accused Russia of rejecting "efforts of diplomacy" and called president Vladimir Putin's decision to send armies to Ukraine a "badly miscalculated" move. However, Biden also announced that the US will not fight against Russia directly. | The announcements of sanctions against Russia and its boycott by various countries and individual corporations continued on Tuesday. Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, announced its withdrawal from the European market foll…
(2022-03-02). Misogyny again exposed in U.S. sports. workers.org 
Misogyny rooted in patriarchy has permeated every aspect of U.S. society from the time the butcher Christopher Columbus and his ilk arrived in the Americas hundreds of years ago. Women and gender-nonbinary people have been viewed as less than cisgender men, when it comes to economic and political equality. Sports . . . |
(2022-03-02). Sanctions produce chaos in Russian financial system. wsws.org French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said yesterday that the financial sanctions imposed by the EU and the US were being used to wage "total economic war against Russia."
(2022-03-02). ECO member states Council of Rep. meeting kicks off in S Iran. en.mehrnews.com The meeting of Council of Permanent Representatives of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)'s member states kicked off in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan province on Wednesday.
(2022-03-02). Virginia preschool teacher shares her story with the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org Jodie describes an uphill battle in her efforts to protect herself and the lives of her students, in opposition to the policies imposed by the state government, the CDC and powerful economic interests demanding parents return to work.
(2022-03-02). Biden outlines plan to tackle surging inflation in State of Union address. ecns.cn President Joe Biden on Tuesday night outlined a plan to tackle the persistently high inflation in his first State of the Union address, touting the administration's economic achievements and pushing his economic agenda.
(2022-03-02). West intensifies economic warfare against Russia as military operation in Ukraine enters second week. peoplesdispatch.org The Russian forces have announced safe passage for civilians after claiming that they are closing in on three major cities of Ukraine – capital Kiev, the second largest city Kharkiv, and the southern port city of Mariupol…
(2022-03-02). Book donation opens opportunity for Kenyans to learn Chinese culture. ecns.cn Kenyans will now get an opportunity to learn and understand the rich Chinese culture as well as its technological, economic and political development after the launch of a Chinese Corner at the Kenya National Library Service's main branch in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
(2022-03-02). "Soft Power": Will the West Stand? journal-neo.org 
For many decades, the states of the European Union (EU) have been considered the sphere of the US influence. American troops occupied a considerable part of them during the Second World War, and after it ended, they never left. The military presence combined with the strongest economic dependence on the United States, in which these …
(2022-03-02). Iran-Iraq trade capacity at $30bn: TPOI. en.mehrnews.com The Director-General of Arab and African Department of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) is of the opinion that capacities of trade and economic cooperation between Iran and Iraq is at least $30 billion.
(2022-03-02). Bandar Abbas has special status in intl. trade: ECO SG. en.mehrnews.com Referring to special capacity of Hormozgan province in southern Iran, Secretary-General of Economic Cooperation Organization said Bandar Abbas is of special importance in international trade field due to access to free waters.
(2022-03-02). Russia's largest bank leaves EU. rt.com 
The announcement comes as a number of the country's financial institutions become subject to heavy sanctions | Russia's key state bank has revealed that it will pull out of the European Union's financial markets, citing threats to the safety of employees and its branches in the wake of Moscow's attack on Ukraine. | In a statement on Wednesday, Sberbank announced that the decision had been made as a result of its subsidiary banks facing "an abnormal outflow of funds." The financial giant also claimed that its employees and branches were under threat. | "Due to the instruction of Russia's Central Bank, Sberbank…
(2022-03-02). My Family Came to Seek Asylum, But Found Danger Instead. aclu.org One year ago, as part of a lawsuit, I was permitted to cross a bridge into the United States with my husband and three daughters — after more than 16 months living in danger and poverty, just beyond the Southern border. Our family is still trying to overcome the trauma of this ordeal. But now, the U.S. government has restarted the policy that caused us so much suffering, expelling asylum-seekers back into the cartel-controlled city of Matamoros, Mexico, and putting more families in danger. | The so-called "Migrant Protection Protocols" (MPP), first introduced by President Trump, required families like ou…
(2022-03-02). A Different "Fight for 15:" Haiti Garment Industry Workers Strike. libya360.wordpress.com Marymah Prosper Garment worker protesting in Port au Prince, February 17, 2022 Reuters: Ralph Tedy Erol The garment workers' strike in Haiti can't be separated from that nation's history. Continued US interference on behalf of oligarchic rule keeps workers in poverty. On February 16, 2021, thousands marched from the SONAPI park down the Toussaint Louverture Boulevard…
(2022-03-02). More than 120,000 COVID cases in New Zealand. wsws.org Hospitals are under intense pressure as Omicron spreads throughout schools, universities and workplaces. The Labour Party-led government is responding by further easing public health restrictions.
(2022-03-02). A Labor Movement To Challenge The Billionaires. popularresistance.org Veteran union negotiator and labor lawyer Joe Burns has issued a bracing challenge to the U.S. labor movement in his new book, Class Struggle Unionism, one that should be read by everyone in the labor movement, and everyone who is concerned about the power that the billionaire class exercises over our society. | In less than 200 pages, and in clear, accessible language, Burns lays out a strong case that the reason the labor movement in the U.S. has been on the defensive for the past half-century is its abandonment of the type of unionism practiced by UE — what Burns calls "class struggle unionism" and what…
(2022-03-02). 1,300 Hershey's workers in Virginia voting on unionization. peoplesworld.org 
STUART'S DRAFT, Va.—Despite rampant corporate labor law-breaking and insults to the union they seek to join, some 1,300 workers at the Hershey's chocolate plant in Stuart's Draft, Va., just southwest of Staunton, are voting on whether to join the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers. If the union wins, those workers, who make …
(2022-03-02). United Steelworkers president met with Biden to enforce sellout, block oil strike and back war drive against Russia. wsws.org Last Friday, the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the United Steelworkers union (USW) suddenly announced it had reached a tentative agreement for a new labor agreement to prevent a strike by 30,000 oil refinery and petrochemical workers.
(2022-03-02). Biden's Silence Throws 30 Million Uninsured People Under The Bus. popularresistance.org In his State of the Union address tonight, 1 Mar 2022, Joe Biden stayed consistent with his campaign pledge to bury universal healthcare, throwing 30 million uninsured Americans under the bus along with at least 40 million under-insured. | In tonight's speech Biden used the simplest of expedients: silence. Amid all the easy applause lines, the leader of the world's wealthiest nation whispered not a word about healthcare as a human right… …Nor a word about addressing America's shameful performance contrasted with peer nations, a gap that is growing. Average life expectancy in comparable nations has now risen…
(2022-03-02). Can wealthy nations stop buying Russian oil? asiatimes.com 
One option the US and other nations have for ratcheting up pressure on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine is reducing their Russian energy purchases. UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss has proposed that the G7 nations — the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — impose limits on their Russian oil …
(2022-03-02). Ukraine puts ASEAN in 'with us or against us' bind. asiatimes.com 
SINGAPORE AND PRAGUE — Singapore and Indonesia are so far the only Southeast Asian states to openly condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the wealthy city-state going as far as to announce sanctions on Moscow earlier this week. For the most part, however, analysts reckon most of the region's governments will aim to keep …
(2022-03-02). Middle East: Ukraine Conflict Sparks Concerns Over Food Supply. telesurenglish.net As the conflict continues between Russia and Ukraine, both the world's key wheat exporters, Middle East countries relying heavily on wheat imports are likely to face further food shortages and price hikes. | RELATED: | FOOD PRICES COULD GET HIGHER: | World food prices have remained high for years. Influenced by the pandemic, extreme weather and export restrictions by some countries, food prices surged 28 percent in 2021, marking the highest level i…
(2022-03-02). US and allies to tap oil reserves amid price spike. rt.com 
Over 30 countries announced the move as crude price surges due to the war in Ukraine | The US and 30 other member states of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday agreed to jointly release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves to keep prices from skyrocketing amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The move was announced by the US Department of Energy and is only the fourth such major step in the IEA's history. | About half of the planned release will come from the US oil reserves, while the shares of other IEA member countries in the release will be determined in the coming days, Japanese…
(2022-03-02). Gold will soar as China seeks US dollar alternatives. asiatimes.com 
China is looking for alternatives to the US dollar as a reserve currency after Western nations froze the foreign assets of Russia's central bank last week, former IMF chief economist Kenneth Rogoff told media on March 1. | The seizure of Russian sovereign assets has no precedent in postwar history, and sets a precedent for similar action against China in the event of hostilities over Taiwan. | "It's an absolutely radical measure to try to freeze assets at a major central bank. It's a break-the-glass moment," said Rogoff, now a professor at Harvard University. | "It's a major thing," Rogoff added. "I mean, if y…