(2023-04-13). The Heat: IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings. america.cgtn.com 
As the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank hold their meetings, what can we expect for the global economy? They happen twice a year; The International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings. The spring meeting is now underway here in Washington. And the IMF …
(2023-04-13). China, Serbia announce official launch of FTA negotiations: MOFCOM. ecns.cn The FTA between Serbia and China will create a favorable environment and provide a strong guarantee for the development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
(2023-04-12). France's Macron opposes US cold war on China, wants independent Europe — but is it just rhetoric? geopoliticaleconomy.com 
France's President Emmanuel Macron told Xi Jinping that he opposes the US war drive against China and wants an independent Europe with "strategic autonomy". But he has made comments like this before, and failed to challenge Washington's hegemony.
(2023-04-12). Geopolitical Game Changer: China's Iran-Saudi Peace Deal Is Big Blow to Petrodollar and US Economic Hegemony. orinocotribune.com 
By Ben Norton — Mar 17, 2023 | China's peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a big blow to the petrodollar that undergirds US economic hegemony. Both countries are top oil producers that are discussing selling energy in other currencies. They also applied to join BRICS, and are members of the Belt and Road Initiative. | China surprised the world on March 10, announcing that it had successfully sponsored peace talks between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. | Four days of secret negotiations in Beijing led to a historic agreement in which the two West Asian nations normalized relations, following seven tens…
(2023-04-12). Inflation registers 18-month low as supplies stable, production resumes. ecns.cn China's consumer inflation eased in March to an 18-month low, leaving room for further macroeconomic policy stimulus in the coming months, analysts said on Tuesday.
(2023-04-12). Full RCEP agreement implementation to expand trade, investment. ecns.cn The full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership pact will help expand trade and investment between China and other RCEP signatory countries, said China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.
(2023-04-12). IMF and World Bank spring meetings underway in Washington, D.C. america.cgtn.com 
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring meetings are underway in Washington, D.C. The IMF warns the global economy can expect headwinds in the year ahead. CGTN's Jim Spellman reports.
(2023-04-12). Syria claims US forces are continuing to loot its oil. peoplesdispatch.org The Syrian economy—destroyed by over a decade of war, unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and its allies, and the recent devastating earthquake—is suffering from the loss of revenues from oil, which it alleges is being looted from the country by the occupation forces…
(2023-04-12). IMF report: Threat of a financial crisis hangs over slowing global economy. wsws.org The IMF has forecast "feeble and uneven" global growth of just 2.8 percent this year, compared to 3.4 percent last year, with the major economies expanding by only 1.3 percent.
(2023-04-12). China makes solid progress in developing computing power. ecns.cn The scale of China's computing power industry has expanded at an annual rate of nearly 30 percent in recent years, amid the country's push to develop its digital economy, official data showed.
(2023-04-12). Yiwu plans to build digitalized global trade center of small commodities. ecns.cn The China Commodities City Group Co in Zhejiang announced on Wednesday plans to build a global digitalized free trade center in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, aiming to integrate digital technologies and digital infrastructure with the small commodities sector in the province.
(2023-04-13). Investing in apartheid Israel: Ideology or economic interest? bdsmovement.net 
(2023-04-13). A review of "White Malice: The CIA and the Covert Recolonization of Africa" by Susan Williams. mronline.org 
Africa has long been looked at by outsiders as a continent that is hopelessly mired in corruption and incapable of social and economic development.
(2023-04-13). When Humble Pie-Eating Macron Visits Xi. strategic-culture.org It is a centuries-old rule in politics that if you do not fare well politically within your own country, you should try and redirect the public gaze somehow onto the foreign policy. | Given that the German Chancellor did not wish to take him along on his trip to China with his official delegation for economic diplomacy last November, the French President Emmanuel Macron set off on a journey to China with his own respective economic delegation in the beginning of April this year. Though not exactly on his own but accompanied by a 'supervisory body' in the shape and form of the scrawny-looking President of European…
(2023-04-13). In Numbers: China-Brazil ties set to open a new chapter. ecns.cn Data reflect that China-Brazil in comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation is steadily advancing, covering areas such as manufacturing, energy, and agricultural infrastructure. There is enormous potential for cooperation between the two sides in many fields, and China-Brazil economic and trade cooperation will become diversified.
(2023-04-12). Cuba and the New International Economic Order. libya360.wordpress.com Dr. C José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez Fidel Castro at the United Nations Fidel Castro comes from the future to tell us once again: "Let the philosophy of dispossession disappear and the philosophy of war will have disappeared! Let the colonies disappear, let the exploitation of countries by monopolies disappear, and then humanity will have reached…
(2023-04-12). Why Did Inflation Slow Down in Venezuela Last Month? orinocotribune.com 
By Mision Verdad — Apr 11, 2023 | In March, inflation in Venezuela experienced a significant slowdown, reaching around 4%, according to unofficial data published by the Venezuelan Finance Observatory, which represents a cut-off point with respect to the rate of price variation registered in the first two months of 2023, which was at least double digits. | The year 2023 began with signs of a slowdown in economic activity, dragging the negative effects of the depreciation of the exchange rate registered in the last quarter of last year, whose main impact was expressed on the consumption of the population. | Th…
(2023-04-12). AI will fail… but not why you think | With Aunindyo Chakravarty. peoplesdispatch.org Artificial intelligence tools have been in the news in recent times due to a vast variety of creative tasks they seem capable of. Yet, AI is bound to fail and the reason is one word – Capitalism. Economic analyst and journalist Aunindyo Chakravarty explains the logic…
(2023-04-12). April 2002 Coup: When the People Defended Chávez and the Revolution. orinocotribune.com By Randolph Borges — Apr 11, 2023 | Twenty-one years have passed since the failed coup against Hugo Chávez's government, and today very few insist on denying it was a coup. The weight of each one of the events that took place between April 10 and 14, 2002, leaves the testimony of a bloody forced displacement of the constitutional president from power. | In the structure of the planning and perpetration of the coup, there are several political and economic actors, headed by the United States Embassy and seconded by political and business sectors, the media and a lot of hatred. | This hatred began to grow in N…
(2023-04-12). Filipino Activist Condemns U.S. Military Drills, Warns That War with China Would Devastate Philippines. democracynow.org 
Protesters in the Philippines have been speaking out against the growing U.S. military presence in the country as nearly 18,000 troops from both countries take part in a massive military drill in the South China Sea. This comes as tension is escalating between the United States and China over espionage, economic competition and the war in Ukraine. The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, recently agreed to give the Pentagon access to four more of its military bases, including two located in the northern province of Cagayan about 250 miles from Taiwan. Ties between Washington and Manila have been growing closer sinc…
(2023-04-12). Exploring Italian Social Cooperatives. popularresistance.org Last week's seminar with guest speaker Professor Vera Zamagni explored the various forms of value generated by Italian social cooperatives. Zamagni, an expert in economic history, particularly in the field of Italian social cooperatives, outlined the history and current prevalence of cooperatives in Italy, which are active in multiple sectors, including retail, distribution, agriculture/-food, housing, credit, and the production of goods and services. She noted that cooperatives were strengthened in Italy following World War II as a result of a provision in the country's Constitution that mandates assistance for…
(2023-04-13). Mexican fine chocolate producers seek entry into China's market. america.cgtn.com 
A Mexican fine organic chocolate has won top prizes in some of Europe's most prestigious competitions. Now, the creators are opening new markets in the U.S. and China. Find out more.
(2023-04-12). Australian central bank applies "painful squeeze" to working-class households. wsws.org A Reserve Bank of Australia report demonstrates the class war character of its interest rate hikes, which are particularly targeting low-income households in order to slash their spending, drive up unemployment and suppress wages further.
(2023-04-12). Highest U.S. Marginal Tax Rate is Too Damn Low. cepr.net With Tax Day just around the corner, it is a good time to put post-WWII top marginal tax rate into context. Many find it hard to believe that the top rate was 91% during the Eisenhower years. No, that didn't mean that high earners paid a 91% tax on all of their income. Take the …
(2023-04-12). April 2002 Coup: When the People Defended Chávez and the Revolution. orinocotribune.com By Randolph Borges — Apr 11, 2023 | Twenty-one years have passed since the failed coup against Hugo Chávez's government, and today very few insist on denying it was a coup. The weight of each one of the events that took place between April 10 and 14, 2002, leaves the testimony of a bloody forced displacement of the constitutional president from power. | In the structure of the planning and perpetration of the coup, there are several political and economic actors, headed by the United States Embassy and seconded by political and business sectors, the media and a lot of hatred. | This hatred began to grow in N…
(2023-04-12). Filipino Activist Condemns U.S. Military Drills, Warns That War with China Would Devastate Philippines. democracynow.org Protesters in the Philippines have been speaking out against the growing U.S. military presence in the country as nearly 18,000 troops from both countries take part in a massive military drill in the South China Sea. This comes as tension is escalating between the United States and China over espionage, economic competition and the war in Ukraine. The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, recently agreed to give the Pentagon access to four more of its military bases, including two located in the northern province of Cagayan about 250 miles from Taiwan. Ties between Washington and Manila have been growing closer sinc…
(2023-04-12). Exploring Italian Social Cooperatives. popularresistance.org Last week's seminar with guest speaker Professor Vera Zamagni explored the various forms of value generated by Italian social cooperatives. Zamagni, an expert in economic history, particularly in the field of Italian social cooperatives, outlined the history and current prevalence of cooperatives in Italy, which are active in multiple sectors, including retail, distribution, agriculture/-food, housing, credit, and the production of goods and services. She noted that cooperatives were strengthened in Italy following World War II as a result of a provision in the country's Constitution that mandates assistance for…
(2023-04-13). Mexican fine chocolate producers seek entry into China's market. america.cgtn.com A Mexican fine organic chocolate has won top prizes in some of Europe's most prestigious competitions. Now, the creators are opening new markets in the U.S. and China. Find out more.
(2023-04-12). Australian central bank applies "painful squeeze" to working-class households. wsws.org A Reserve Bank of Australia report demonstrates the class war character of its interest rate hikes, which are particularly targeting low-income households in order to slash their spending, drive up unemployment and suppress wages further.
(2023-04-12). Highest U.S. Marginal Tax Rate is Too Damn Low. cepr.net With Tax Day just around the corner, it is a good time to put post-WWII top marginal tax rate into context. Many find it hard to believe that the top rate was 91% during the Eisenhower years. No, that didn't mean that high earners paid a 91% tax on all of their income. Take the …
(2023-04-13). UK: Criminalisation of homelessness escalates under Conservative and Labour law-and-order agenda. wsws.org Freedom of Information responses from 29 police forces in England and Wales reveal that 1,173 people sleeping out or begging on the streets have been arrested under the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act since 2021.
(2023-04-13). AmCham head bullish on Sino-U.S. opportunities. ecns.cn There will be abundant opportunities for collaboration between U.S. and Chinese companies in the coming years, especially in the areas of healthcare, manufacturing and information and communication technology.
(2023-04-13). Rusia halla 240 agentes patógenos en laboratorios de Ucrania. telesurtv.net Ministerio de Defensa trabaja en el análisis de cuatro laboratorios de EE.UU. y la OTAN. La mayoría de los patógenos hallados en ellos se vinculan al ántrax y el cólera.
(2023-04-13). Rinden homenaje a ministra Tibisay Lucena en Venezuela. telesurtv.net El jefe de Estado destacó la labor y el legado que dejó Lucena, calificándola como un ejemplo para todos los venezolanos.
(2023-04-13). Australia: Right-wing figures vent racialist opposition to indigenous Voice plan. wsws.org The line-up at the Tamworth meeting brought together elements from the Labor Party to the Nationals and Senator Pauline Hanson's One Nation, which has a long record of inflammatory slurs against indigenous people.
(2023-04-13). Good Friday at Livermore Lab: A call for a nuclear weapon-free future. peoplesworld.org 
LIVERMORE, Calif.—On this Good Friday, as nuclear disarmament, peace, and justice advocates gathered in person and virtually at the gates of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for their annual Interfaith Service of Worship and Witness, the theme—taken from Dr. Martin Luther King's 1967 book of the same name—was, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or …
(2023-04-12). Art and Anarchy Against the Settler State: "The Blue Agave Revolution," New and Original Work from Indigenous Anarchist Political Prisoner Oso Blanco. itsgoingdown.org The following is a selection from the upcoming book, The Blue Agave Revolution: Poetry of The Blind Rebel, from anti-colonial political prisoner Oso Blanco. The Blue Agave Revolution: Poetry of The Blind Rebel is a collaboration among radical author, indigenous freedom-fighter, and political prisoner Oso Blanco (aka Byron Shane Chubbuck, aka Robin The Hood) and…
(2023-04-12). Closely Watched CPI Report Shows Persistent High Inflation, Should Keep Rate Hikes In Play. moguldom.com Prices rose 5 percent in the year ending in March, down from the 6 percent inflation rate in February and the smallest 12-month increase since May 2021, according to new data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. March prices rose 0.1 percent compared to February prices, driven by steep rent costs. Falling energy prices …
(2023-04-12). Selected Articles: Hello "Project Icebreaker", Goodbye Financial Freedom. The Dangers of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). globalresearch.ca 
By In a cashless society people would be dependent on digital products for exchanging goods and labor, and this would …
(2023-04-12). This Deceptive ICE Tactic Violates the Fourth Amendment. aclu.org 
There's a knock at your door. It's the police. They say they are investigating a crime and would like to ask a few questions. It's alarming, but you want to help, so you let them in. | But what if these officers are not who they say they are? | For years, agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have impersonated the police and used other deceptive tactics to gain warrantless entry into people's homes, or lure them out — a practice that the ACLU, in collaboration with others, has challenged in court as a violation of the Fourth Amendment. | ICE's goal is to arrest and deport undocumented immig…
(2023-04-12). The 1st Amendment, Defense Security Cooperation Agency & the Henry A. Kissinger Connection. indybay.org Attached please find the article, "Kissinger's Culpability," published this month in The Progressive magazine. The story admirably fleshes out the already decorated U.S. federal national security and human rights whistleblower's arguably most important disclosures regarding a far-right and/or neo-Nazi cabal and a systemic pattern of self-protecting reprisal running through National Defense University (NDU) and Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) decisions against an already decorated national security whistleblower; efforts sustained by collaborationist kapos of the U.S. Merit System Protection Board (MSPB…
(2023-04-12). Continuing Chávez's legacy means dismantling Monroe Doctrine politics. peoplesdispatch.org Chavez's stance conflicted with the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which laid the groundwork for the use of US military force and other forms of intervention to oppose any government, be it foreign or regional, that jeopardized US interests. The Monroe Doctrine became the ideological basis for US hegemony in the region, justifying the violation of the rights of nations of self-determination, as was the case for Venezuela in 2002 and since then. | With Washington's backing, Venezuela's pro-Washington elite, high-ranking military officials, leaders of the traditional labor organizations, the Catholic Church hierarchy, an…
(2023-04-12). Cancer-free and embracing new adventures thanks to Mayo's collaborative care. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org In January 2021, after being in remission from melanoma for almost a decade, Christina Armendariz began to feel unwell. The 42-year-old mother went to the emergency room at a hospital near her Orlando, Florida, home. After several imaging tests, Christina was told her cancer had returned. She had a mass under her arm and multiple soft tissue tumors throughout her body. Although she began treatment locally, Christina's condition worsened over time. She experienced significant cognitive…
(2023-04-12). New York Pre-K Workers Fight For Their Jobs, In Spite Of Their Union. popularresistance.org New York City, New York – Just days before school started last fall, 400 early childhood education workers in New York City were told they were being "excessed," leaving their students in limbo. | The workers sprang into action, and in January they won a short-term reinstatement. But they're still fighting for long-term job stability as the administration of Mayor Eric Adams slowly dismantles his predecessor Bill De Blasio's signature program, universal pre-kindergarten. | And not only are they fighting the city—they've also had to fight their union, the United Federation of Teachers. | With 180,000 members…
(2023-04-12). Albanese condemns refugees detained offshore to no future. greenleft.org.au Labor voted against a Green's motion to bring around 130 refugees from Papua New Guinea and Nauru to safety in Australia. Paul Gregoire reports.
(2023-04-12). Pentagon 'Leaks' — Elaborate Counterintelligence Op? southfront.org 
By Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst. | Approximately 2,500 years ago, Sun Tzu, the legendary Chinese polymath, military strategist and overall one of the most brilliant minds in human history, wrote that all warfare is based on deception. The ability to not only hide crucial information from the enemy, but also subtly convey fundamentally false data is one of the most difficult and yet critically rewarding accomplishments in warfare. Its importance stems from the strong possi…
(2023-04-12). Así nos ven desde Argentina: Cuba es un laboratorio de ingenio en la red global. cubadebate.cu En un mundo hiperconectado, ni el extenso bloqueo de Estados Unidos ni su condición insular, pudieron convertir a Cuba en un paria de la red global, Internet. Aun cuando su situación está lejos de ser ideal, de su deprimido sistema de telecomunicaciones y de ataques virtuales en masa que recibe desde plataformas en EE.UU., el país es un laboratorio.
(2023-04-12). Pentagon 'leaks' — elaborate counterintelligence op?>. infobrics.org Virtually the entire US propaganda machine has been disseminating the ‚Äûleaks" for days and neither the Pentagon nor the White House have pressed any charges or activated any emergency mechanism to prevent further revelations.
(2023-04-12). Matanzas: Continúan las labores de recuperación en la Central Termoeléctrica Antonio Guiteras. cubadebate.cu Entre las principales labores de recuperación en la CTE Antonio Guiteras, destacan la extracción del hollín que aún permanece en el interior de la chimenea y la limpieza del área alrededor de ese sector. Misbel Palmero director de la CTE explicó que una brigada labora en la zona, en la cual se produjo el desplome de una pared de división que ocasionó la muerte a dos obreros.
(2023-04-12). Chile reduce jornada laboral a 40 horas semanales. telesurtv.net El presidente chileno celebro la aprobación legislativa de la reducción de la jornada laboral de 45 a 40 horas semanales.
(2023-04-12). Billionaire Managing $120 Billion Real Estate Fund: America Is Headed Into A Serious Recession. moguldom.com Barry Sternlicht, who runs the real estate-focused private equity firm Starwood Capital Group, predicts that inflation is about to "drop hard" and the U.S. is headed for a serious recession thanks to falling rent and housing prices. But falling rents won't show up in inflation data until later this year Sternlicht predicted. Sternlicht has a …
(2023-04-12). Pan-African approach needed to tackle food insecurity arising from conflict and climate. indybay.org California Pan African Food and Ag Pavilion will explore the challenges and opportunities. External factors — the disruption of food systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent reduced purchasing power, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which led to an increase in world food, fuel and fertiliser prices — coupled with drastic weather changes, and continuation or intensification of conflict and insecurity have compromised an already fragile food chain.
(2023-04-12). Scotland, aiming at 40 GW of Offshore Wind, has just installed the Deepest Fixed-bottom Wind Turbine in the World. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The small country of Scotland, with a population of about 4.5 million, has forged ahead with renewable energy at a much faster pace and to greater effect than most other industrialized countries. Virtually all of its electricity consumption can now be met from wind, solar, or hydro, though because it …
(2023-04-13). Authorities in the dark over key area of financial system, IMF report shows. wsws.org Authorities supposedly in charge of the financial system have no real idea of its workings or any coherent plan for its regulation.
(2023-04-13). Brazil's Lula in Shanghai to Boost Ties With China. latinorebels.com Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Thursday as he looks to boost ties and win political support for attempts to mediate the conflict in Ukraine.
(2023-04-12). Renowned investor expects China to be stronger than most economies in 2023. ecns.cn Renowned investor and financial commentator Jim Rogers said on Wednesday that he expects China will be stronger than most economies in 2023.
(2023-04-12). News Dispatches from the Americas: Argentina & Brazil Rejoin UNASUR, Beating Inflation and U.S. Worker Injuries. towardfreedom.org
(2023-04-12). Latin American and Caribbean governments agree to join forces against inflation. greenleft.org.au Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service reports that the leaders of 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries took part in a virtual summit against inflation, on April 5, called by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).
(2023-04-12). Roger Waters takes legal action over canceled concert in Germany. electronicintifada.net Frankfurt city council smeared rock icon as anti-Semitic, escalating state repression of Palestinian rights supporters.
(2023-04-12). Macron surges French military budget while slashing pensions. wsws.org The hike in military spending, aiming to prepare for great-power conflict, is funded by sweeping pension cuts that have provoked explosive social opposition in France.
(2023-04-13). Major Italian companies to increase investments. ecns.cn Major Italian companies said since they strongly believe that China will continue to be a critical growth engine and global innovation hub, they will continue to increase investments in the country's massive market.
(2023-04-12). US Slaps Sanctions on Hungary Bank Over Russia Ties. news.antiwar.com The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a bank based in Hungary over its ties to Russia, a move that further strains ties between Washington and Budapest. According to Reuters, the sanctions targeted three top officials in the International Investment Bank in Budapest, two Russian nationals, and one Hungarian national. US Ambassador to Hungary David …
(2023-04-12). Rutgers Puts Wall Street Before Teachers. levernews.com 
(2023-04-13). Indiana fire disaster is the result of the impunity of capitalist industry to pollute and kill. wsws.org The killing and poisoning of workers and their families is seen as necessary by the capitalists in the pursuit of profit, and any resulting fines are factored in as the cost of doing business.
(2023-04-13). The Indiana fire disaster: Another case of US industry polluting and killing with virtual impunity. wsws.org The killing and poisoning of workers and their families is seen as necessary by the capitalists in the pursuit of profit, and any resulting fines are factored in as the cost of doing business.
(2023-04-12). China launches draft regulation for AI-generated content to nurture industry, ensure fair competition amid ChatGPT frenzy. ecns.cn China's cyberspace authority issued a content regulation draft for artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday, voicing clear support for innovation, promotion and application in AI algorithms and frameworks.
(2023-04-12). U.S. bank bailout benefited billionaires, exposing corruption: 'I understand why Americans are angry'. mronline.org 
Before it collapsed and its billionaire depositors were bailed out by the U.S. government, Silicon Valley Bank successfully lobbied Congress to remove regulations on it. A senator admitted, "I understand why Americans are angry, even disgusted".
(2023-04-12). 13 Groups Sue the EPA for Failing to Update Regulations on Water Pollution. truthout.org Industrial facilities produce millions of pounds of hazardous chemical waste every year and dump it directly into U.S. waterways. Environmental advocates say the government isn't doing enough to stop them. A coalition of 13 green groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has violated federal law by repeatedly failing to update regulations on water… |
(2023-04-12). Karl Marx Was No Leftist: The Most Important Attribute To Being A Scientist Is To Have A Constantly Open Mind About Everything. southfront.org 
Written by Eric Zuesse A scientist is reshaping his/her view every day and sometimes changes her mind as a result. For…
(2023-04-13). Report says wages gap for women expected to close in 30 years (if no reforms are made). greenleft.org.au The gender pay gap across Australia last year was 13.3% across full-time weekly earnings. As Joshua Adams reports at the current rate of change, the pay gap won't change for another 30 years.
(2023-04-13). Union Hotel Workers In NYC Suburbs Score Biggest Pay Raise In 100 Years. popularresistance.org A New York hotel union has reached a deal with hotel owners and operators that will boost the wages of hospitality workers by $7.50 an hour, the largest increase in the union's 100-year history. | The agreement covers 7,000 members of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council who work at 87 suburban hotels spanning from Princeton, N.J., to New York's Albany region and Long Island. The five-year pact has already been ratified by the employers and is expected to be ratified by workers this month, according to union President Rich Maroko. | The new contract doesn't include New York City hotels, where union members are als…
(2023-04-12). Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel workers say managers pocket half their tips. therealnews.com 
Despite the cold weather, dozens of workers and their supporters picketed outside the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore in February, as they had been doing—and have continued to do—for months. The workers are demanding better wages and working conditions, which they say they are owed on principle—but also because of the heavy public subsidies their employer receives. | Andre Eldridge Jr., who has worked at the Marriott Waterfront since 2017, said that many of his colleagues live paycheck to paycheck and have to take on second jobs to make ends meet. "That's just crazy," he told The Real…
(2023-04-12). Chilean Congress approves bill reducing work week to 40 hours. peoplesdispatch.org In addition to reducing working hours per week, the bill also establishes increased overtime wages or compensation with holidays, provides the possibility of reducing working days to four in a week, among other benefits…
(2023-04-12). Thousands of building workers protest across Australia over wages and anti-strike laws. wsws.org The real purpose of these events is to funnel every aspect of workers' anger into the safe channel of union-organised protests and away from any challenge to the political establishment.
(2023-04-12). Great progress: FRSO fund drive nets $25,000 so far. fightbacknews.org In the two weeks since the announcement of Freedom Road Socialist Organization's $130,000 Spring Fundraising Drive, more than $25,000 has come in. More contributions are coming in every day. | FRSO Political Secretary Mick Kelly states, "We are off to a great start. FRSO is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth. We need to expand our capacity. This means we will be expanding our national office and bringing on more full-time staff. We will have more publications. And we will continue to send out organizers to build new districts of FRSO." | Kelly continued, "The decline of monopoly capitalism is accelerat…
(2023-04-12). CovertAction Bulletin: Racist Attacks on Democracy in Tennessee. covertactionmagazine.com The expulsion of two Black elected Representatives from Tennessee's state government continues a long, racist tradition of the removal of Black people in political power in the United States. From the founding of the country through the Reconstruction era and to the modern day, white supremacy and capitalism have used every weapon at their disposal to disenfranchise Black voters and legislators…
(2023-04-13). WA nurses and midwives still face huge fines, deregistration. greenleft.org.au The WA Industrial Relations Commission is still considering fining the Australian Nursing Federation WA $350,000 for taking strike action last November as part of its enterprise bargaining campaign. Chris Jenkins reports.
(2023-04-12). Universities and the AUKUS Military-Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca
(2023-04-12). IMF-World Bank spring meetings: Climate financing. america.cgtn.com 
The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement set a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. How to pay for making that a reality is a key topic at the IMF/WORLD bank spring meetings in Washington CGTN's Jim Spellman reports.
(2023-04-12). Seymour Hersh: the CIA Knows Ukrainian Officials Are Skimming US Aid. news.antiwar.com On Wednesday, Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a report on Substack that alleged the CIA was aware of widespread corruption in Ukraine and the embezzlement of US aid. The report said the Ukrainian government has been using US taxpayer money to purchase diesel from Russia to fuel its military. Hersh said Zelensky "has been buying …
(2023-04-12). Air traffic controllers outraged over union bureaucrats' junket to Hawaii. wsws.org Air traffic controllers took umbrage at the brazen misuse of their dues money for luxury travel by the union bureaucrats.
(2023-04-12). "France Insoumise": Mass Protest Movement against Neoliberalism. globalresearch.ca
(2023-04-13). Sri Lankan police attack rally to mark start of last year's popular uprising. wsws.org Notwithstanding the Socialist Equality Party's principled opposition to the pro-capitalist policies of protest organisers, we strongly condemn the violent government-ordered assault.
(2023-04-13). Why is Britain's Socialist Workers Party downplaying the no-confidence petition against the RCN nurses' union leadership? wsws.org SWP members on Unison's national executive are playing a central role in blocking a rank-and-file insurgency against the health unions' pay deal with the Tory government.
(2023-04-13). Xi inspects southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Wednesday inspected the city of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.
(2023-04-13). Chinese modernization has clear goals, plans, strategies: Xi. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Wednesday that Chinese modernization is based on the country's realities and conditions, and has clear goals, plans and strategies.
(2023-04-13). LGBTQ gains: Japanese Communist Party introduces marriage equality bill in parliament. peoplesworld.org 
TOKYO—The Japanese Communist Party on March 29 submitted to the House of Councillors a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the country. JCP Dietmembers Nihi Sohei, Kurabayashi Akiko, and Ito Gaku handed the proposed bill to the House secretary general. The bill, if enacted, will codify both heterosexual and same-sex marriages and will accordingly change …
(2023-04-12). Distinctive rural industries have broad prospects: Xi. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said distinctive rural industries have broad prospects.
(2023-04-12). Xi inspects southern Chinese city of Maoming. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Tuesday inspected the city of Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province.