(2024-12-08). Al-Qaeda-Linked 'Rebels' In Syria Say They 'Love Israel'. popularresistance.org The United States spent billions over years arming and training militants in Syria, many linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. | Current US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted back in 2012 that "AQ [Al-Qaeda] is on our side in Syria". | In late November 2024, armed extremists took over Syria's second-biggest city, Aleppo, in an operation sponsored by NATO member Turkey. | Some of the Al-Qaeda-linked "rebels" that rule the Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Idlib told the Israeli media that they "love Israel". They vowed to establish a new pro-Western regime in Syria.
(2024-12-08). SMEs tipped on succeeding in the digital economy at Glovo's E-commerce Day. independent.co.ug 
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were given valuable insights into thriving in the digital economy at Glovo's recent e-commerce day. The event, held in Kampala, aimed to empower businesses to leverage technology to reach a wider market and increase sales. Experts at the event highlighted the importance of a strong …
(2024-12-08). Indonesia pioneers B40 Biodiesel Programme to cut carbon emissions by 40 million tonnes. tvbrics.com 
The new scheme sets a compelling example for other countries seeking to balance economic growth with environmental responsibilit…
(2024-12-08). Over 250 days without load shedding. sanews.gov.za Over 250 days without load shedding | Eskom has now reached more than 250 days without implementing load shedding — resulting in year-on-year diesel cost savings of nearly R17 billion. | "The investment in the Generation Recovery Plan continues to yield consistent results, with load shedding suspended for 254 consecutive days since 26 March 2024. | "This achievement reflects the ongoing success of comprehensive structural improvements within the coal-fired fleet, reinforcing Eskom's commitment to providing a reliable energy supply, enabling economic growth, and promoting long-term sustainability," Eskom sa…
(2024-12-08). India expands global access for MSMEs with post office export centres. tvbrics.com 
This scheme aims to simplify access to international markets for artisans, weavers, and craftsmen…
(2024-12-08). More than 16 million people in poverty in UK, including one in three children. wsws.org The Social Metrics Commission's data is more accurate and detailed than the UK government's current definition of poverty, which measures only average income and housing costs.
(2024-12-08). Two parents working full time cannot even meet the bare minimum standard of living, CPAG finds. thecanary.co A couple with two children working full time on the minimum wage are still £138 short per week of a basic standard of living, research has revealed. The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has released its annual report on the 'Cost of a Child' that shows, for the first time since research started in 2008, […] | By
(2024-12-08). #SwindonsSundaySermon: 19 relaunches later and we're still none the wiser… thecanary.co If you cast your mind back to when Keir Starmer was leader of the opposition, as painful as it might be, you will be absolutely familiar with these relaunch things the failing Prime Minister likes to unravel whenever the shit hits the fan. These repetitive relaunches — his NINETEENTH since becoming leader of the Labour […] | By
(2024-12-08). Wicked: pitch-black satire about life under an increasingly authoritarian Labour government. thecanary.co I went to see Wicked yesterday. Sure, it's frothy entertainment, with great songs and performances. It may also be read as a pitch-black satire about life under an increasingly authoritarian Labour Party government, with Keir Starmer as The Wizard Of Oz: the world's biggest fake. Something wicked this way comes Wicked sees a humourless shadowy […] | By
(2024-12-08). Rising Tensions: Suspected Arson at Melbourne Synagogue Sparks Debate. devdiscourse.com Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labeled the suspected arson at a Melbourne synagogue as an act of terror. This comes amid criticism from Israel's PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, who suggested the Labor government's policies fueled the attack.
(2024-12-08). Brief reflections on the long period of socialist orientation of the Syrian Arab Republic, 1971 — 2024. uwidata.com By Davide Rossi The history of Syria for over half a century has been marked by a clear socialist orientation and in its first twenty years, also of strong cooperation and collaboration with the Soviet Union. This went to the point that Muhammad Ahmed Faris was the first Arab cosmonaut, participating in the Intercosmos space …
(2024-12-08). Unions Brace Themselves as Trump Prepares to Defang Labor Board. truthout.org In November, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) sided with Amazon workers in ruling that it is illegal to force workers to attend mandatory anti-union propaganda sessions, upending a doctrine of U.S. labor law that has existed since 1948. The anti-union propaganda sessions, which are formally referred to as "captive audience meetings" are a controversial practice that has long been… |
(2024-12-08). Protest Of State Board Of Investment Demands Divestment From Israel. popularresistance.org St. Paul, MN — On December 5, 45 people protested outside of the Minnesota Senate Building in 15-degree weather to demand that members of the board vote to divest the state of Minnesota from investments in Israel. The protest, held ahead of the board's December 10 meeting, was organized by the Free Palestine Coalition. | Andrew Josefchak, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, spoke to the crowd, "Minnesota's State Board of Investment invests $5.4 billion of our money in genocide and apartheid. That's $5.4 billion of a pension fund that union workers across Minnesota bargained for, fought hard for, waged st…
(2024-12-08). IFAD: Scaling up agricultural financing with private sector. independent.co.ug 
Kampala, Uganda | Patricia Akankwatsa | The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) convened a high-level workshop on alternative financing for agricultural development, spotlighting innovative approaches to scaling private sector engagement. Held under the theme "Scaling Up Engagements with the Private Sector through the Yield Uganda Investment Fund Model," the workshop brought together stakeholders from the …
(2024-12-08). How did Left parties achieve major victories in India's Indigenous regions? peoplesdispatch.org Two major left parties in India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, recorded significant electoral advances in the country's Indigenous dominated region in recent state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. | The left parties won three seats (one in Maharashtra and two in Jharkhand) in total, despite hostile and adverse conditions created by the ruling Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), through the alleged misuse of institutions and money. | CPI(M)'s candidate Vinod Nikole won from Dahanu in Maharashtra. CPI(M) was contesting just…
(2024-12-08). Made in Ethiopia—or anywhere else in the world. wsws.org Shot over four years before and during the pandemic, Made in Ethiopia shows the impact of this first industrial park that hosts 103 companies producing cement, ceramics, aluminium, and fast fashion and employs 20,000 people, at a time of profound crisis.
(2024-12-08). SAA expected to return to 100% flight schedule. sanews.gov.za SAA expected to return to 100% flight schedule | South African Airways' (SAA) flight schedule is expected to be back to 100% from today following a strike at the State-owned airline. | Flights were disrupted this week when a reported 100 pilots embarked on industrial action — demanding a higher salary increase. | Now, the airline said negotiations had reached a resolution, with a total salary increase of 9.47% agreed to. | Interim SAA Chief Executive, John Lamola ,said: "As part of the agreement that broke the deadlock in wage negotiations, engagements on a continuous enterprise improvement programme will c…
(2024-12-08). Godongwana welcomes IDC CEO appointment. sanews.gov.za Godongwana welcomes IDC CEO appointment | Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has expressed confidence in the appointment of Mmakgoshi Lekhethe as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). | Lekhethe is currently the Deputy Director-General of Asset and Liability Management at the National Treasury and will become the IDC's first female CEO. | She first joined National Treasury in 1996. | "Ms Lekhethe is an accomplished public servant and a proven leader. She has a proven track record and is without a doubt a benefit to any organisation. She has served the National Treasury for…
(2024-12-08). Biden Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion in Weapons for Ukraine. news.antiwar.com On Saturday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the US would be providing Ukraine with a new weapons package worth nearly $1 billion. The package, which is worth $988 million, is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the US to purchase weapons for Ukraine. The According to the Pentagon, the weapons …
(2024-12-08). Brief reflections on the long period of socialist orientation of the Syrian Arab Republic, 1971 — 2024. unitedworldint.com
(2024-12-08). Secular-Socialist & Nehru-Mujib: Identical Stance by Rulers in Dhaka and Delhi. orinocotribune.com By Amal Sarkar — 2024 | The rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh is harmful for India, but for Hindutva forces it may prove beneficial. | On November 25, the Supreme Court dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the inclusion of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the preamble to the Constitution of India. These petitions were filed in 2020 i.e., after 44 years of addition of these words in the Constitution. | The petitioners challenged the authority of the government to amend the Preamble to the Constitution. Among the petitioners, the two prominent ones are Subramanian Swamy and advoca…
(2024-12-08). The Conflicted Transformation of CAW-Unifor: A Review of Shifting Gears. socialistproject.ca 
(2024-12-08). Foiled Abductions & Arms Seizure: A Militant's Arrest in Manipur. devdiscourse.com Manipur Police successfully disrupted an abduction attempt in Imphal's Thangal Bazaar, detaining a militant linked to the Kangleipak Communist Party (Taibangnganba). Two individuals were rescued in the operation, highlighting the effective response of local forces.
There are certainly a number of highly political and socioeconomic insights about the Trump catastrophe, and here I offer some psychoanalytic ideas about Trump and his hold on some of the public. The psychological term "holding environment" refers to the provision of safety and security provided in earliest life. It is often depicted as holding with loving hands 
Ensuring sustainable economic and social well-being of citizens will be the key topic of discussion…
Angela Bishop has been struggling with what she describes as "the cost of everything lately." Groceries are one stressor, although she gets some reprieve from the free school lunches her four kids receive. Still, a few years of the stubbornly high cost of gas, utilities, and clothing have been pain points. | "We've just seen the prices before our eyes just skyrocket," said Bishop, who is 39. She moved her family to Richmond, Virginia from California a few years ago to stop "living paycheck to paycheck," but things have been so difficult lately she's worried it won't be long before they are once again barely ge…
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The cumulative investments in the oil and gas sector stood at over 7.5 billion dollars by the end on 2023 says the Petroleum Authority of Uganda. Peninah Aheebwa , the Director Economic and National Content Monitoring at the Petroleum Authority Uganda (PAU) reveals that as 2024 comes to the end, …
ROAPE's Peter Dwyer interviews the South African socialist David Hemson. Hemson was a leading labour militant and trade unionist during the mass working class uprising and strikes in Durban in 1973. In this introduction to the videoed interviews, Peter Dwyer discusses working class politics and the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, a history often forgotten or marginalised in popular accounts.
Nudutdol demonstrates at South Korean Consulate, New York City, Dec. 4, 2024. The labor unions and mass organizations of the people of South Korea deserve the support of everyone who wants to struggle against war and dictatorship. They are fighting at this time — Dec. 4, 2024 — to rid . . . | 
This initiative signals a renewed focus on fostering sustainable solutions through regional partnerships…
The decision to divest comes after the fund's ethics watchdog, the Council on Ethics, adopted a new, tougher interpretation of ethics standards for businesses that aid Israel's operations in the occupied Palesti…
A delegation from Qatar will be hosted by 
New York — New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued a consumer alert warning New Yorkers about the rise of package theft and providing tips to protect consumers from porch pirates, or those who steal packages from people's homes. Package theft increases during the holiday season, and Attorney General James encourages all New Yorkers to take steps to protect their deliveries and report instances of theft to local law enforcement. "Package and mail theft can be heartbreaking and put New Yorkers' personal and financial information at risk," said Attorney General James. "As package theft spikes duri…
The new head of the Tom Fletcher, a longtime British diplomat who took up the UN post last month, said his agency is asking for less money in 2025 than this year. | He said it wants to show "we will focus and target the resources we have," even as crises grow more numerous, intense and long-lasting. | His agency, the UN Office…
The African Energy Week (AEW) was held in Cape Town…
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament has approved a sweeping overhaul of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector by passing the much-anticipated TVET Bill. The legislation, which now awaits presidential assent, promises to streamline the coordination, regulation, and promotion of TVET in the country. The bill passed on Tuesday after a heated …
Across Canada and internationally, we are seeing a marked rise in violent repression of the Palestine solidarity movement. Independent Jewish Voices condemns the mounting criminalization of Palestine solidarity activism, and the use of excessive force by police to intimidate and harass activists. | On October 15, 2024, the Canadian government listed the group Samidoun, also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, as a "terrorist entity" under the Criminal Code, in response to months of pressure by pro-Israel lobby groups, a few Liberal MPs and the opposition Conservatives. On November 14, 2024, a…
Sasha Yaropolskaya and Philippe Alcoy interviewed LeftEast editor Volodymyr Ishchenko, a Ukrain…
"During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the US economy almost completely collapsed," historian Dana Frank writes in her new book, 
However, stakeholders emphasize the need to tackle challenges in taxation, technology, and skills development to unlock the sector's full potential Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda's oil and gas industry is reshaping the nation's economy, presenting unparalleled opportunities for local businesses and individuals. However, stakeholders emphasize the need to tackle challenges in taxation, technology, and …
Nanjing Bus No.100 BYD Electric Bus. DKMcLaren, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Director General of the External Security Organization (ESO), David Bwangamoe Pulkol says countries in East Africa not to restrict their citizens from interacting socially and economically. Pulkol, the Executive Director of the Africa Leadership Institute, interaction among the citizens of the regional economic bloc can help them to appreciate the core …
The project's strategic location in Kisumu, at the heart of the Great Lakes Region gives it access to markets in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan Kisumu, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | Africa's multi-lateral lender, African Export-Import Bank and Kenya-based Med Aditus Pharmaceutical Kenya Limited (Med Aditus) have signed a project preparation …
Recent actions at the 2024 International Association of Machinists (IAM) Grand Lodge National Convention in New York City point the way to increased labor movement leadership in combating climate change and creating a more just society. The IAM passed a resolution to include "Just Transition" in any actions oriented toward fighting climate change, creating new …
KAMPALA, Uganda | Xinhua | Uganda said on Tuesday that it registered another three mpox deaths, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed fatalities to four in the East African country. Henry Kyobe Bosa, incident commander at Uganda's Ministry of Health, told Xinhua over the phone that two deaths were recorded at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, …
"A fish rots from the head down." — Rumi By now, we have all heard rumblings of Empire's imminent collapse. Propaganda and government gaslighting can no longer hide the obvious fact that social, financial, cultural, and political systems have failed miserably. The advanced state of Empire's decomposition (rotting from the head down) caused by malevolent 
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda's retirement benefits sector is now worth sh25.40 Trillion, an 18.6% increment from UGX21.4 trillion in 2023. According to the latest figures by the Uganda Retirement Benefit regulatory Authority (URBRA), the sector's contribution to the national GDP has grown to 12.2%, up from 10% in 2023 . The Annual …
WICHITA, Kansas—Harold Schlechtweg, a former Directing Business Representative for Service Employees Local 513 in Wichita, Kansas, tells of the fate of a worker harmed by intense heat. "Several years ago, one of my members was seriously injured by heat stroke," Schlechtweg e-mailed in late November to the regulations comments section for the Occupational Safety and …
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Owners of Private schools and institutions have once again called on the government to address the challenges they face in delivering education. However, they remain firm in their opposition to any regulation on school fees. Under the National Private Education Institutions Association (NAPEIA), private school owners have highlighted the …
The decision was made during a meeting of the ministerial group on industrial development…
"To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law," Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation. | It wasn't immediately clear how the steps would affect the country's governance and democracy. | Yoon — whose approval ra…
The On Thursday, Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo confirmed that the Council of Ministers had authorised the move, allowing STC to raise its voting rights from 4.97 percent and appoint a representative to Telefónica's board. | The decision…
We will tell you what has happened in economics, politics, culture, science and education in the BRICS countries…
America is a country of undoubted vast strengths—technological, economic, and cultural—yet its government is profoundly failing its own citizens and the world. Trump's victory is very easy to understand. It was a vote against the status quo. Whether Trump will fix—or even attempt to fix—what really ails America remains to be seen.
The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) reported in a press release that the inflation for October 2024 recorded a 4.0% increase compared to September, resulting from the month-to-month variation of the National Consumer Price Index (INPC). However, comparing this figure with the inflation rates in October of all years since the INPC was established in 2008, the October 2024 inflation is lower than that of October 2023 (5.9%) and the lowest since October 2012 (1.7%). | Graph showing October inflation rates in Venezuela from 2008-2024. Photo: BCV. | The BCV reported that in the last four years (2021-2024), significant…
Ethiopia's companies involved in mineral exploration are making significant strides…
For years, large drillers in California sold unprofitable wells to smaller companies willing to wring the last drops of oil out of them. The process essentially kicked the cost of cleaning up oil fields — pumping concrete down well bores, removing tanks and pipelines — to operators with less ability to pay for the eventual cleanup. | Policymakers and advocates predicted that taxpayers — not the oil companies themselves — would ultimately have to pay billions for remediation once those oil and gas operations ran dry. Unplugged wells emit climate-warming methane and pose long-term hazards…