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2023-12-25: News Headlines

ecsorinoco (2023-12-25). Cuba To Implement a Macroeconomic Stabilization Plan. orinocotribune.com On Thursday, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero presented the macroeconomic stabilization program that will be implemented to boost the Cuban economy in 2024. | This program includes measures aimed at increasing foreign exchange income by promoting exports of goods and services and increasing the participation of foreign investment, especially in the production of food and energy. | Cuban authorities will reduce tariffs on intermediate products and increase tariffs on final products to promote the competitiveness of local industries. | Among the measures to reduce the budget deficit, it is proposed to update fue…

Strike Debt Bay Area (2023-12-25). Saturday 1/13: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Feminist Subversion of the Economy. indybay.org Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite.

The Independent (2023-12-25). Better jobs mean better development. independent.co.ug Governments must learn how to enhance productivity and employment in labour-intensive service sectors COMMENT | DANI RODRIK | Conventional economics has always had a blind spot when it comes to jobs. The problem goes back to Adam Smith, who placed consumers, rather than workers, on the throne of economic life. What matters for well-being, he …

ecns.cn (2023-12-25). Dalian committed to opening-up, economic vitality. ecns.cn Dalian, Liaoning province, is committed to expanding high-level opening-up and forging new frontiers for cooperation, the city's annual economic work conference, which concluded on Saturday, emphasized.

Roger Harris (2023-12-24). How the Campaign to Free Political Prisoner Alex Saab Succeeded. counterpunch.org Alex Saab and President Maduro, Youtube screengrab. | Alex Saab was freed from US captivity in what Venezuelan Prof. Maria Victor Paez described as "a triumph of Venezuelan diplomacy." The diplomat had been imprisoned for trying to bring humanitarian supplies to Venezuela in legal international trade but in circumvention of Washington's illegal economic coercive measures, also known as sanctions. | To read this article, log in If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, ch…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2023-12-25). We can either have billionaires or democracy. Not both. indybay.org Political debate on wealth redistribution is a fight for fairness | Call it socialism – as the wealthy GOP does – or call it progressive taxation or economic justice. It doesn't matter; the nation's fiscal conservatives will demonize any idea of redistributing wealth and try to stoke unfounded fears of creeping communism no matter what specific language we use around fairness.

Staff (2023-12-25). A Tribute to Blacklisted Lyricist Yip Harburg: The Man Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz. democracynow.org His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Today, we take a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Harburg always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty. A lifelong socialist, Harburg was blacklisted and hounded throughout much of his life. We speak with Harburg's son, Ernie Harburg, about the music and politics of his father. T…

Chris Hedges, The Real News Network. (2023-12-25). Charlie Chaplin's Enduring Legacy. popularresistance.org Few individuals did more to shape modern cinema than the actor, director, and producer Charlie Chaplin. One of the greatest of all comic mimes, he also pioneered cinematic techniques and storytelling. His films with his iconic role as the beleaguered Little Tramp with baggy trousers, mustache, cane, and bowler hat were not only comic masterpieces, but unflinching looks at poverty, unemployment, capitalism, exploitation, the callousness of authority, the search for meaning and dignity in a hostile world, and the yearning for love and acceptance. | He argued that drama should be derived from the close observation o…

Jake Johnson (2023-12-25). Iowa's Republican Governor Opts Out of Summer Food Program for Kids. truthout.org Iowa's Republican-led government sparked outrage late last week by declining to participate in a federal program that would have provided low-income residents with $40 a month in additional food assistance during the coming summer. Created by the U.S. Congress late last year, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for Children program aims to boost nutrition benefits for families with… |

UMMID (2023-12-25). Owning home still a dream for majority in United States. ummid.com Owning a home is still a dream for majority of the families in the United States this even as prices have gone down, a latest survey result released Thursday December 21, 2023 showed.

ecns.cn (2023-12-25). E-commerce gives recovery solid momentum. ecns.cn The rapid evolution of technologies and innovations has made e-commerce, which was initially a convenient tool to buy low-priced household goods, personal accessories or services like food delivery, integral to consumption in recent years, experts said.

ecns.cn (2023-12-25). Demand for foreign brands drives consumption upgrading. ecns.cn Chinese consumers are demanding high-quality, foreign brands in keeping with changing lifestyles, fueled by enhanced logistics efficiencies and preferential policies such as lower tariffs and an expanded list of imported goods, experts said.

ecns.cn (2023-12-24). E-commerce gives recovery solid momentum. ecns.cn The rapid evolution of technologies and innovations has made e-commerce, which was initially a convenient tool to buy low-priced household goods, personal accessories or services like food delivery, integral to consumption in recent years, experts said.

ecns.cn (2023-12-24). Demand for foreign brands drives consumption upgrading. ecns.cn Chinese consumers are demanding high-quality, foreign brands in keeping with changing lifestyles, fueled by enhanced logistics efficiencies and preferential policies such as lower tariffs and an expanded list of imported goods, experts said.

infobrics (2023-12-25). BRICS in Global Financial System: The Need to Level the Playing Field. infobrics.org The nations of BRICS have repeatedly called for the enhancement of their role and status within the current global financial system, which was long overdue…

EcoWaste Coalition (2023-12-25). EcoWaste Coalition Cites 10th Year of Groundbreaking Chemical Control Order Banning Toxic Lead in Paints. pressenza.com 23 December 2023, Quezon City. The EcoWaste Coalition, a non-profit environmental health organization, lauded the Chemical Control Order (CCO) banning lead — a potent neurotoxin causing irreversible damage to children's brains — in the production of paints as the groundbreaking regulation marks its 10th anniversary today. | Issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources — Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) on December 23, 2013, the group, in a statement released 10 years ago, described the broadly supported regulation as "a splendid Christmas gift to our children." | Als…

_____ (2023-12-25). Climate Profiteers Exploit Somali Suffering. transcend.org 20 Dec 2023 – NGOs and other climate profiteers treat Somalia as a poster child for global warming.

Horacio Rovelli (2023-12-25). Capitalismo salvaje y de la peor especie: El no-régimen de Milei. globalizacion.ca Tras dos semanas de gobierno, no queda duda de que, por más que el ahora Presidente de la República diga que las medidas que se imponen no son "business friendly" (favorables a los negocios), sino que son market friendly (amigables…

teleSUR -JCM (2023-12-25). A 13 se eleva cifra de muertos tras explosión en una fábrica en Indonesia>. telesurtv.net Tras el incidente, los trabajadores fallecidos y heridos fueron trasladados de inmediato al centro médico ubicado dentro del parque industrial.

teleSUR, JDO (2023-12-25). Presidente de Bolivia envía mensaje navideño de paz y unidad. telesurtv.net Destaca el valor de la solidaridad y la inclusión, y de aplicar la política de industrialización como pilar fundamental del modelo económico, social, comunitario y productivo.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-25). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

Javier Tolcachier (2023-12-25). Will Argentina fail in 2024? pressenza.com Between 2019 and 2020 massive social uprisings shook the political scene in Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. The drops that overflowed the glass of popular (in)patience were the increase in the cost of public transport, the price of fuel and a tax reform. | Beyond the cathartic explosion, the generalised rage was unleashed against the continuity of neoliberal policies sustained for decades in Chile and Colombia and adopted by the electoral betrayal of Lenin Moreno in Ecuador. It's not thirty pesos, but 30 years, was one of the main slogans of the Chilean "cabros", who, like their Colombian and Ecuadorian generational…

thecommunists (2023-12-25). Joti Brar: The essential lessons of October. thecommunists.org The speech above was delivered at our recent meeting celebrating the 106th anniversary of the October Revolution at Bolivar Hall in central London. ***** In this brief speech, Comrade Joti Brar sums up some of the essential lessons of October, highlighting the fact that it changed the world forever by opening a new historical era …

Freedom Socialist Party (2023-12-25). Wednesday 1/31: Reading Circle: The Palestinian Struggle for Self-Determination. indybay.org New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St (near Ellis), SF | Also on Zoom | Register: bit.ly/PalestinianStruggleReadingCircle (or scan QR code in the image)…

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2023-12-24: News Headlines

Strike Debt Bay Area (2023-12-24). Saturday 1/13: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Feminist Subversion of the Economy. indybay.org Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite.

Staff (2023-12-23). Milei declares war on Argentine working class with presidential decree. peoplesdispatch.org The Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) 70/2023 announced by President Javier Milei on Wednesday December 20, proposes significant changes to the country's labor regime, amid the proposed modification of more than 300 regulations. In addition, it advances a profound deregulation of the economy, proposes a "shock stabilization plan," and aims to advance the privatization …

Pavel López Lazo (2023-12-23). DPRK newspaper calls U.S. as exporter of wars. plenglish.com Pyongyang, Dec 23 (Prensa Latina) North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun described the United States as exporter of wars, and also condemned that the foundation of its economy is the war industry, ACNC agency reported Saturday.

dzorinoco (2023-12-23). Economic Costs of War: a Lesser Misfortune for 'Israel'. orinocotribune.com Al-Carmel Editorial Team — Dec 17, 2023 | Since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7, 2023, economic experts anticipated a substantial impact of the war on the "Israeli" economy. Indeed, figures released by "Israeli" newspapers and media revealed significant economic losses compared to previous wars waged by the enemy. However, this wasn't surprising. | The negative economic indicators of the occupying entity are deemed "natural consequences," as markets and economic estimations are affected by general conditions in any country, especially during periods of instability, whether financial, se…

Redacción Chile (2023-12-23). "We are hopeful, but we are not naàØve", artisanal fishermen react to the draft new fishing law. pressenza.com Artisanal fishermen from CONDEPP reacted to the presentation of the draft of the new fishing law by President Gabriel Boric accompanied by the Minister of Economy Nicolás Grau, this morning in the cove of Quintay. | For Hernán Cortés, president of the council for the defence of the fishing heritage A.G. CONDEPP, the presentation responds to artisanal fishermen's desire for a decade. "From the beginning, we denounced that the fishing industry had links with parliamentarians in the fisheries commission that approved the Longueira law, that is why we appreciate that the government fulfills its commitment to present…

Strike Debt Bay Area (2023-12-23). Saturday 1/13: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Feminist Subversion of the Economy. indybay.org Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite.

Pablo Rafael Fuentes (2023-12-24). Putin se reunirá con el Consejo Económico Supremo Euroasiático. radiohc.cu La Habana, 24 dic (RHC) El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, participará el 25 de diciembre en la reunión del Consejo Económico Supremo Euroasiático con sede en San Petersburgo, informó hoy el servicio de prensa del Kremlin.

Roger Harris (2023-12-24). How the Campaign to Free Political Prisoner Alex Saab Succeeded. counterpunch.org Alex Saab was freed from US captivity in what Venezuelan Prof. Maria Victor Paez described as "a triumph of Venezuelan diplomacy." The diplomat had been imprisoned for trying to bring humanitarian supplies to Venezuela in legal international trade but in circumvention of Washington's illegal economic coercive measures, also known as sanctions. Negotiated prisoner exchange In […] | To read this article, log in If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of y…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2023-12-24). We can either have billionaires or democracy. Not both. indybay.org Political debate on wealth redistribution is a fight for fairness | Call it socialism – as the wealthy GOP does – or call it progressive taxation or economic justice. It doesn't matter; the nation's fiscal conservatives will demonize any idea of redistributing wealth and try to stoke unfounded fears of creeping communism no matter what specific language we use around fairness.

presstv.ir (2023-12-24). German economic adviser calls for higher taxes to fund Ukraine war. presstv.ir A German economic adviser has proposed a tax increase to fund the proxy war in Ukraine.

Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. (2023-12-23). Transnational Corporations Provoke A Single Scream Of Horror. popularresistance.org Within the United Nations, there is a little-known debate about the status of global tax regulation. In August 2023, UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a draft document called 'Promotion of Inclusive and Effective International Tax Cooperation at the United Nations'. This document comes out of a long debate led by the Global South about the unregulated behaviour of transnational corporations (especially the ways in which they avoid taxation) and about the fact that discussions regarding regulations have been dominated by Global North countries (notably those in the Organisation for Economic Cooperatio…

Patricia Harrity (2023-12-23). Experts Warn — WEF's Net Zero Goals Will Kill 4+ Billion People. expose-news.com The World Economic Forum (WEF) and its fellow unelected globalist leaders are pushing for governments around the world to phase out fossil fuels. Leading experts have spoken out against their plans and …

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-23). WEF's deep involvement in a nefarious LGBT agenda. expose-news.com "Working together, restoring trust" was the theme of the 52nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum ("WEF") held in 2022. Ironically, during this meeting, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis verified WEF's …

Staff (2023-12-23). Nation in ruins, Cadillac, Aircraft, and Lincoln in view: Jinnah's leadership examined. muslimmirror.com By Nasim Yousaf Since 1947, Pakistan has faced a tumultuous history marked by political upheavals, economic difficulties, corruption, and instability, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah serving as the inaugural Governor General. The nation was not given a sound foundation, and its challenges can be attributed to Jinnah's lack of foresight, limited governance experience, dictatorial tendencies, and …

The Independent (2023-12-23). Africa is steadily marching toward gender parity. independent.co.ug Africa is making significant strides towards closing gender gaps across key areas: economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment, according to the World Economic Forum. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Namibia is among a select group of nine nations globally that have successfully closed over 80% of their gender gap, marking a significant stride …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2023-12-23). Video: Fake Pandemic Triggers Worldwide Economic and Social Collapse. Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca

Sonali Kolhatkar (2023-12-23). We can either have billionaires or democracy. Not both. indybay.org Political debate on wealth redistribution is a fight for fairness | Call it socialism – as the wealthy GOP does – or call it progressive taxation or economic justice. It doesn't matter; the nation's fiscal conservatives will demonize any idea of redistributing wealth and try to stoke unfounded fears of creeping communism no matter what specific language we use around fairness.

Labour Against The Arms Trade, World Beyond War, Socialist Project. (2023-12-23). Toronto Picketers At Military Contractor Pratt And Whitney. popularresistance.org On Tuesday morning of December 12, more than two hundred workers and union members from across the Toronto area picketed the Mississauga manufacturing plant of defence contractor Pratt & Whitney Canada. As Israel pursues its deadly assault on Gaza for a third month, the picket lines interrupted business as usual at an aerospace giant that makes engines for aircrafts that the Israeli military is using to carry out its bombing campaign against Palestinian lives and infrastructure. Encountering banners that read "Stop Arming Apartheid" and "Arms Embargo on Israel Now" as they arrived for morning shift, cars wer…

WSWS (2023-12-23). The New Zealand National Party-led government's agenda of war and austerity, and how to fight it. wsws.org The opposition that is already emerging to the National Party-NZ First-ACT coalition government's agenda of austerity and war must be transformed into a conscious socialist movement, in opposition to Labour and its allies which are seeking to suppress and divide the working class.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-24). Clinical trial finds cell therapy improves quality of life in advanced heart failure. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Stem cell-based therapy improved quality of life for patients with advanced heart failure, Mayo Clinic researchers and international collaborators discovered in a late-stage multinational clinical trial. In one of the largest studies of cell intervention after a heart attack, patients reported their daily hardship lessened when stem cells optimized for heart repair supplemented standard of care. This clinical study further documented lower death and hospitalization rates among those treated with cell therapy….

Staff (2023-12-24). Campaign for Voter ID preparation for minorities. muslimmirror.com By Dr. Danish Lambe Mumbai: Rahman Foundation in collaboration with Star Foundation, two prominent organizations in Maharashtra, are leading a comprehensive campaign in key minority areas with the objective of assisting individuals from minority communities in obtaining their voter IDs. This initiative represents a significant step towards enabling active and empowered participation of these communities …

Staff (2023-12-24). Campaign for Voter ID preparation for minorities. muslimmirror.com By Dr. Danish Lambe Mumbai: Rahman Foundation in collaboration with Star Foundation, two prominent organizations in Maharashtra, are leading a comprehensive campaign in key minority areas with the objective of assisting individuals from minority communities in obtaining their voter IDs. This initiative represents a significant step towards enabling active and empowered participation of these communities …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-24). Mayo Clinic hits milestone of 1 million YouTube subscribers. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The channel's success is driven by the collaboration of teams from Mayo Clinic's Center for Digital Health, Marketing, IT and Communications, along with staff members across Mayo Clinic who share their expertise to help others. ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic's YouTube channel recently surpassed 1 million subscribers. Mayo Clinic started its YouTube channel in 2006, before the streaming platform became a household name. Over the past 17 years, the channel has grown steadily, delivering Mayo…

ecns.cn (2023-12-24). Agricultural universities urged to act. ecns.cn Agricultural universities are being urged to report to market regulators suspected unauthorized advertising of snacks in order to safeguard their reputations. The move comes after a number of colleges denied any involvement with popular snacks sold online that falsely claimed collaboration with the institutions.

teleSUR, JDO (2023-12-24). FBI investiga por malversación a colaboradores de Juan Guaidó. telesurtv.net Sospecha que gran parte de fondos dirigidos a Venezuela terminaron en poder de Carlos Méndez y su canal EVTV Miami, que Guaidó intentó usar para sustituir a teleSUR.

teleSUR, MS (2023-12-24). 35 muertos por inundaciones registradas en el sur de India. telesurtv.net El Secretario General de Gobierno de Tamil NAdu, Shiv Das Meena, indicó que ya las labores de rescate culminaron por lo que 35 es el saldo final de muertos registrados oficialmente.

teleSUR, SH (2023-12-24). Nicaragua reporta el rescate de 22 personas de un naufragio. telesurtv.net La Fuerza Naval del Ejército de Nicaragua envió al sitio del accidente un grupo de lanchas rápidas para colaborar en las acciones de rescate.

WSWS (2023-12-23). Australia: Labor government representatives promoted at Gaza vigil in Newcastle. wsws.org The promotion of Labor MPs is a warning of the attempts to subordinate opposition to the genocide to the very government backing it.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Clinical trial finds cell therapy improves quality of life in advanced heart failure. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Stem cell-based therapy improved quality of life for patients with advanced heart failure, Mayo Clinic researchers and international collaborators discovered in a late-stage multinational clinical trial. In one of the largest studies of cell intervention after a heart attack, patients reported their daily hardship lessened when stem cells optimized for heart repair supplemented standard of care. This clinical study further documented lower death and hospitalization rates among those treated with cell therapy….

ecns.cn (2023-12-23). Agricultural universities urged to act. ecns.cn Agricultural universities are being urged to report to market regulators suspected unauthorized advertising of snacks in order to safeguard their reputations. The move comes after a number of colleges denied any involvement with popular snacks sold online that falsely claimed collaboration with the institutions.

ARG Medios (2023-12-23). Milei declares war on Argentine working class with presidential decree. peoplesdispatch.org Milei pushed forward more than 11 labor laws and modified 20 aspects of the Labor Contract Law. It will now be cheaper to fire, protests are restricted if not banned, and precariousness will be the order of the day.

WSWS (2023-12-23). Los Angeles County doctors and dentists set to strike December 27. wsws.org To undercut doctors' militancy, the UAPD is pursuing the AFL-CIO's treacherous script of Unfair Labor Practice strike action.

WSWS (2023-12-23). 2,000 attend Labor for Palestine rally in Oakland, California. wsws.org The militant mood of workers attending Saturday's demonstration stood in contrast to the official speakers from local unions and the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America.

Josh Crowell, Tamara Dowell, Labor Notes. (2023-12-23). Amazon Goes Into Union-Busting Overdrive. popularresistance.org Our union campaign at Amazon's "superhub" air cargo center, KCVG in Northern Kentucky, is taking off. And not surprisingly that's prompting the company to go into union-busting overdrive. | In the last two months of 2023, we've organized three marches on the boss—demanding translation rights for workers who are English language learners, and also challenging the company when they gave out "final written warnings" to 11 of us for union tabling activities, even though they were outside of work areas. | The video of our first march on the boss got over 5 million views on Tik Tok.

Sybil Davis, Jason Koslowski, Left Voice. (2023-12-23). The Hollywood Strikes Showed A New Class Consciousness Is Growing. popularresistance.org As 2023 draws to a close, one of the biggest stories of the year was the "hot labor summer" and the overall rise of labor activity. The most significant of these strikes was the UAW strike, which began in mid-September and lasted until mid-October. | The Hollywood strikes of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) probably generated fewer high-profile headlines. But they deserve some special attention for a few reasons. The strikes ground a highly lucrative industry to a halt, and they cost California and other production-heavy…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Mayo Clinic hits milestone of 1 million YouTube subscribers. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The channel's success is driven by the collaboration of teams from Mayo Clinic's Center for Digital Health, Marketing, IT and Communications, along with staff members across Mayo Clinic who share their expertise to help others. ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic's YouTube channel recently surpassed 1 million subscribers. Mayo Clinic started its YouTube channel in 2006, before the streaming platform became a household name. Over the past 17 years, the channel has grown steadily, delivering Mayo…

Staff (2023-12-23). Nota informativa del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. cubadebate.cu El Consejo de Ministros ha decidido disponer el receso laboral con pago del salario, el miércoles 3 de enero de 2024, como justo reconocimiento al esfuerzo realizado por nuestro pueblo en el año 2023 y con el objetivo de propiciar el descanso de los trabajadores.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-23). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (2023-12-23). As billionaire wealth surges, US faces record homelessness. wsws.org The latest "point-in-time" survey from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed a staggering 12 percent jump in homelessness in 2023, one of many indicators of severe social distress in capitalist America.

Famine Early Warning System Network (2023-12-23). Burundi – Food Security Outlook Update: High food and fuel prices likely to drive Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes in east, December 2023. reliefweb.int

UMMID (2023-12-23). Owning home still a dream for majority in United States. ummid.com Owning a home is still a dream for majority of the families in the United States this even as prices have gone down, a latest survey result released Thursday December 21, 2023 showed.

JANET (2023-12-23). New York City: Monday global strikes for Palestine. iacenter.org By Toni Arenstein December 22, 2023 New York City The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has called for global strikes to take on Mondays until the Zionist aggression and genocide against the Palestinian people ends. They stated, "The duty today for all the free people of the world, especially the sons and daughters of the Arab nation, is to escalate pressure and protest using all means of struggle and its forms and tools, to strike the interests of the forces of aggression, besiege their embassies and bases and prevent financial and military support to the Zionist entity that slaughters and bes…

Larry Johnson (2023-12-23). Simon Kuper Wins The Ben Hodges Award for Ukraine Fabulism. sonar21.com Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels | No. That is not Simon Kuper hanging with Def Fàºhrer. This is Simon Kuper. | Simon Kuper | He is a "columnist" for the Financial Times. I think a more accurate title is, "fabulist." For those whose native tongue is other than English the word, "fabulist", is a polite synonym for LIAR. And boy did he lie in his latest column, "

presstv.ir (2023-12-23). US, Europe plan to seize Russia's $300 billion in assets: Report. presstv.ir The Biden administration is showing favor in seizing over $300 billion in assets the Russian central bank has set aside in Western financial institutions.

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2023-12-24). Day 77 roundtable: Gaza's Christians; Craig Mokhiber on genocide. electronicintifada.net Why does the UN fail to stop Israel's slaughter?

Brandon Soderberg, Andrew Friedman, The Real News Network. (2023-12-24). Here We Go Again. popularresistance.org It was about to get dark. | In the summer of 2003, Devin was 19 years old and living in West Baltimore with his mom and two brothers, just a few blocks away from the Western District Baltimore Police station. Every night around 9 or 10 p.m., Baltimore cops patrolled the area heavily. They drove in marked and unmarked cop cars searching for signs of disorder, ready to round up people for mass arrest. It was all part of a policing strategy introduced in the late '90s called "zero tolerance." | "It always happened around sundown," Devin told The Real News. "The police see you out with even just one or two people and…

The Independent (2023-12-24). Japan OKs FY 2024 budget, defense spending reaches new high. independent.co.ug TOKYO | Xinhua | The Japanese government on Friday adopted a draft budget of 112.07 trillion yen (about 787 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal year 2024, with defense spending hitting an all-time high for the 10th straight year. The figure approved by the cabinet for the fiscal period from April 2024 to March 2025 marked …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-24). Mayo Clinic Q and A: Mindfulness and mental health. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've been hearing a lot about mindfulness meditation lately and how it can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being. But I'm a bit skeptical and don't really understand how sitting still and doing nothing can make such a big difference. I have a busy and active lifestyle, and the idea of spending time just focusing on my breath or thoughts sounds boring. Are there real benefits of mindfulness meditation and how…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Mayo Clinic Q and A: Mindfulness and mental health. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've been hearing a lot about mindfulness meditation lately and how it can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being. But I'm a bit skeptical and don't really understand how sitting still and doing nothing can make such a big difference. I have a busy and active lifestyle, and the idea of spending time just focusing on my breath or thoughts sounds boring. Are there real benefits of mindfulness meditation and how…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-24). Mayo Clinic makes transformative $22 million investment in local communities. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Twenty-one nonprofits will receive support to help those in need ROCHESTER, Minn. ‚Äï Mayo Clinic cares for its patients, communities and each other, and Mayo's Bold. Forward. strategy supports this care through work to Cure, Connect, and Transform healthcare for all. As this strategy successfully unfolds, this year Mayo Clinic is able to invest an additional $22 million in community organizations addressing pressing needs related to housing, food insecurity, access to healthcare, and safe places…

ecns.cn (2023-12-24). Investment in power grid rises 1.8% to $78b. ecns.cn Investment in China's power grid has remained relatively stable in recent years, with total investment in national grid construction projects in 2022 reaching 500.6 billion yuan ($78.22 billion), up 1.8 percent year-on-year, according to the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Mayo Clinic makes transformative $22 million investment in local communities. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Twenty-one nonprofits will receive support to help those in need ROCHESTER, Minn. ‚Äï Mayo Clinic cares for its patients, communities and each other, and Mayo's Bold. Forward. strategy supports this care through work to Cure, Connect, and Transform healthcare for all. As this strategy successfully unfolds, this year Mayo Clinic is able to invest an additional $22 million in community organizations addressing pressing needs related to housing, food insecurity, access to healthcare, and safe places…

ecns.cn (2023-12-23). Investment in power grid rises 1.8% to $78b. ecns.cn Investment in China's power grid has remained relatively stable in recent years, with total investment in national grid construction projects in 2022 reaching 500.6 billion yuan ($78.22 billion), up 1.8 percent year-on-year, according to the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.

JANET (2023-12-23). Migrants wage 7th hunger strike at Tacoma detention center. iacenter.org By Jim McMahan December 22, 2023 Tacoma, Washington Detainees at the NorthWest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma are waging their seventh hunger strike against intolerable conditions this year. The migrant workers are imprisoned at a facility owned by the huge Geo corporation, which operates prisons for profit. Outside the Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma, Washington, Dec. 17, 2023. Credit: Jim McMahan Strikers at the NWDC have numbered from a few to over 100, and as of this writing they are in their 37th day! They are demanding to be released, although that often means deportation. Demonstrators outside are de…

The Independent (2023-12-24). Museveni backs European Union ban of coffee linked to deforestation. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has expressed support for the European Union's regulations aimed at only accepting coffee exports from registered farmers and those grown on non-deforested lands. Recently, the European Parliament approved a landmark deforestation law banning imports into the European Union of coffee, beef, soy, and other commodities if …

Michaela Herrmann, Clare Carlile, DeSmog. (2023-12-23). Animal Pharma Industry Resists Curbing Overuse Of Antibiotics. popularresistance.org Two years after landmark European Union legislation designed to curb the overuse of antibiotics on farms came into force, new analysis from DeSmog reveals eight key narratives the veterinary medicine and farming lobbies deploy to defend the billion-dollar market for the drugs. | Aiming to combat the emergence of deadly treatment-resistant bacteria in humans, known in medical jargon as "antimicrobial resistance," or AMR, the new rules are the world's most rigorous legislation governing farm antibiotics. The regulations banned the "routine" use of antibiotics on farms for whole herds of healthy animals, including o…

Michaela Herrmann, Clare Carlile, DeSmog. (2023-12-23). Animal Pharma Industry Resists Curbing Overuse Of Antibiotics On Farms. popularresistance.org Two years after landmark European Union legislation designed to curb the overuse of antibiotics on farms came into force, new analysis from DeSmog reveals eight key narratives the veterinary medicine and farming lobbies deploy to defend the billion-dollar market for the drugs. | Aiming to combat the emergence of deadly treatment-resistant bacteria in humans, known in medical jargon as "antimicrobial resistance," or AMR, the new rules are the world's most rigorous legislation governing farm antibiotics. The regulations banned the "routine" use of antibiotics on farms for whole herds of healthy animals, including o…

WSWS (2023-12-23). Argentina's ultra-right government declares war on working class. wsws.org On December 20, Argentina's ultra-right President Javier Milei signed a decree to downsize the government, scrap regulations and strip the working class of existing social, wage, retirement and welfare benefits.

Pete Dolack (2023-12-24). So Long, and Thanks for All the Hamburgers. counterpunch.org Image by Li-An Lim. | It's not true that humanity is committing suicide, as exemplified by the COP28 farce of a climate summit. The world's industrialists and financiers are committing humanity to ecocide. More than ever, it's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. | Death by capitalism. That phrase has a certain catchy feeling to it. But it's no joke, is it? No, no joke at all. | To read this article, log in If you are logged in but can't read CP+ ar…

Editor (2023-12-23). Capitalist contradictions and revolutionary struggle: An introduction. mronline.org Hearing or reading about the "contradictions of capitalism" in an article or at a rally might be intimidating, like a foreign language or a term only a certain group can understand.

teleSUR -JCM (2023-12-24). A 13 se eleva cifra de muertos tras explosión en una fábrica en Indonesia>. telesurtv.net Tras el incidente, los trabajadores fallecidos y heridos fueron trasladados de inmediato al centro médico ubicado dentro del parque industrial.

teleSUR, SH (2023-12-24). Explosión en un parque industrial de Indonesia deja 12 muertos. telesurtv.net Entre los fallecidos por el incendio en la fábrica de níquel se encuentran siete ciudadanos indonesios y cinco extranjeros.

Editor (2023-12-23). How Israel Buys Support From Celebrities & Influencers (w/ Lee Camp). scheerpost.com By Lee Camp / BreakThrough News Why have so many celebrities, politicians, and influencers come out to strongly support Israel? The two word answer: the "Israel lobby." But it's much deeper than that. Comedian Lee Camp reveals the gruesome and often hidden details of how the Israel Support Industrial Complex's sausage is made.

Pavel López Lazo (2023-12-23). Italy's foreign trade with non-EU nations scaled down in December. plenglish.com According to the National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) ¥s latest report, this monthly decline in exports impacted on industrial power groups as well as both intermediate and non-durable consumer goods, by dropping 31.0; 3.4 and 2.5%, respectively. | However, ISTAT's experts, foreign sales of consumer durables experienced a growth of 2.6% at that stage. | Regarding imports, there were cyclical declines in all groups, with a 7.5% drop in energy and 4.5% in consumer durables but purchases of capital goods grew by 1.7%. | In November 2023, Italy ¥s trade balance with non-EU countries was positive for an amoun…

Last Real Indians. (2023-12-23). Hoopa Valley Tribe Reclaim Over 10,000 Acres. popularresistance.org The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced today the acquisition of 10,395 acres of land bordering the western boundary of the Tribe's Reservation. The return of the Hupa Mountain property brings the Tribe's landholdings to a total of over 102,000 acres. When the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation was created, the Hupa people lost access to and use of more than two-thirds of their ancestral lands. The Tribe's $14.1 million purchase of the land rightfully returns management, conservation, and use of the land to Hupa People. | "Today is a day of intense celebration for our Tribe," said Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Joe Davis.

Ann Brown (2023-12-23). U.S. Government: Atlanta Attorney Fraudulently Took $7 Million In PPP Loans, Purchased Barbie-Color Bentley. moguldom.com Georgia attorney and former City of Atlanta police officer Shelitha Robertson has been convicted of a fraudulent scheme to obtain over $7 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Robertson, a 62-year-old Atlanta resident, conspired to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf …

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-24). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-23). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

teleSUR, MS (2023-12-24). Aprueban amparo contra los decretos neoliberales de Javier Milei. telesurtv.net Dicho amparo será inscrito en el Registro de Procesos Colectivos, planteando ser el escenario para incluir otras presentaciones en el mismo expediente penal contra las medidas tomadas desde la Presidencia.

Freedom Socialist Party (2023-12-24). Wednesday 1/31: Reading Circle: The Palestinian Struggle for Self-Determination. indybay.org New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St (near Ellis), SF | Also on Zoom | Register: bit.ly/PalestinianStruggleReadingCircle (or scan QR code in the image)…

WSWS (2023-12-23). "Stop the Gaza genocide! Build a socialist anti-war movement!"—SEP (Australia) holds well-attended public meeting. wsws.org More than 150 workers and young people joined the meeting to discuss the way forward for the working class in the fight to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza.

WSWS (2023-12-23). "Helen Halyard's patience and kindness have nurtured an entire generation of socialists" wsws.org The following tributes to Helen Halyard were read out to an international memorial meeting held on December 3.

Freedom Socialist Party (2023-12-23). Wednesday 1/31: Reading Circle: The Palestinian Struggle for Self-Determination. indybay.org New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St (near Ellis), SF | Also on Zoom | Register: bit.ly/PalestinianStruggleReadingCircle (or scan QR code in the image)…

Ajamu Baraka, Black Agenda Report. (2023-12-24). Ajamu Baraka: Report Back From Peace Delegation To China. popularresistance.org On the issue of Chinese diplomacy, it is important to note that the Chinese approach is a significant departure from the crisis oriented, zero-sum diplomacy that is characteristic of diplomacy emanating from the West. | This was a particularly important element that we addressed in our discussions with members of Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament, various specialists on China and in a meeting with representatives from the Chinese Communist Party. | What is clear is that on the issue of diplomacy there is a fundamental divergence in core values. The principles articulated by President Xi Jinpi…

thecommunists (2023-12-23). Defeat in war deepens the cracks in Ukraine and its backers. thecommunists.org The imperialist proxy war against Russia is now dead in the water, with the much-lauded Ukrainian 'offensive' stuck in the mud and all the previous claims of imminent victory ringing hollow. Attempts to soften the blow of defeat by rebranding it as a 'stalemate' fool nobody: there is neither an equality of rival forces nor …

2023-12-24 21:01:38 | 21:01 EST | tr | 77 | 4 | 48 | 27 | 0 

2023-12-23: News Headlines

Staff (2023-12-23). Milei declares war on Argentine working class with presidential decree. peoplesdispatch.org The Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) 70/2023 announced by President Javier Milei on Wednesday December 20, proposes significant changes to the country's labor regime, amid the proposed modification of more than 300 regulations. In addition, it advances a profound deregulation of the economy, proposes a "shock stabilization plan," and aims to advance the privatization …

Pavel López Lazo (2023-12-23). DPRK newspaper calls U.S. as exporter of wars. plenglish.com Pyongyang, Dec 23 (Prensa Latina) North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun described the United States as exporter of wars, and also condemned that the foundation of its economy is the war industry, ACNC agency reported Saturday.

Redacción Chile (2023-12-23). "We are hopeful, but we are not naàØve", artisanal fishermen react to the draft new fishing law. pressenza.com Artisanal fishermen from CONDEPP reacted to the presentation of the draft of the new fishing law by President Gabriel Boric accompanied by the Minister of Economy Nicolás Grau, this morning in the cove of Quintay. | For Hernán Cortés, president of the council for the defence of the fishing heritage A.G. CONDEPP, the presentation responds to artisanal fishermen's desire for a decade. "From the beginning, we denounced that the fishing industry had links with parliamentarians in the fisheries commission that approved the Longueira law, that is why we appreciate that the government fulfills its commitment to present…

dzorinoco (2023-12-23). Economic Costs of War: a Lesser Misfortune for 'Israel'. orinocotribune.com Al-Carmel Editorial Team — Dec 17, 2023 | Since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7, 2023, economic experts anticipated a substantial impact of the war on the "Israeli" economy. Indeed, figures released by "Israeli" newspapers and media revealed significant economic losses compared to previous wars waged by the enemy. However, this wasn't surprising. | The negative economic indicators of the occupying entity are deemed "natural consequences," as markets and economic estimations are affected by general conditions in any country, especially during periods of instability, whether financial, se…

Strike Debt Bay Area (2023-12-23). Saturday 1/13: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Feminist Subversion of the Economy. indybay.org Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite.

Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. (2023-12-23). Transnational Corporations Provoke A Single Scream Of Horror. popularresistance.org Within the United Nations, there is a little-known debate about the status of global tax regulation. In August 2023, UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a draft document called 'Promotion of Inclusive and Effective International Tax Cooperation at the United Nations'. This document comes out of a long debate led by the Global South about the unregulated behaviour of transnational corporations (especially the ways in which they avoid taxation) and about the fact that discussions regarding regulations have been dominated by Global North countries (notably those in the Organisation for Economic Cooperatio…

Patricia Harrity (2023-12-23). Experts Warn — WEF's Net Zero Goals Will Kill 4+ Billion People. expose-news.com The World Economic Forum (WEF) and its fellow unelected globalist leaders are pushing for governments around the world to phase out fossil fuels. Leading experts have spoken out against their plans and …

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-23). WEF's deep involvement in a nefarious LGBT agenda. expose-news.com "Working together, restoring trust" was the theme of the 52nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum ("WEF") held in 2022. Ironically, during this meeting, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis verified WEF's …

The Independent (2023-12-23). Africa is steadily marching toward gender parity. independent.co.ug Africa is making significant strides towards closing gender gaps across key areas: economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment, according to the World Economic Forum. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Namibia is among a select group of nine nations globally that have successfully closed over 80% of their gender gap, marking a significant stride …

Staff (2023-12-23). Nation in ruins, Cadillac, Aircraft, and Lincoln in view: Jinnah's leadership examined. muslimmirror.com By Nasim Yousaf Since 1947, Pakistan has faced a tumultuous history marked by political upheavals, economic difficulties, corruption, and instability, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah serving as the inaugural Governor General. The nation was not given a sound foundation, and its challenges can be attributed to Jinnah's lack of foresight, limited governance experience, dictatorial tendencies, and …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2023-12-23). Video: Fake Pandemic Triggers Worldwide Economic and Social Collapse. Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca

Sonali Kolhatkar (2023-12-23). We can either have billionaires or democracy. Not both. indybay.org Political debate on wealth redistribution is a fight for fairness | Call it socialism – as the wealthy GOP does – or call it progressive taxation or economic justice. It doesn't matter; the nation's fiscal conservatives will demonize any idea of redistributing wealth and try to stoke unfounded fears of creeping communism no matter what specific language we use around fairness.

The Independent (2023-12-23). Nakasongola district council kicks security commitee out of tender awards. independent.co.ug Nakasongola, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Nakasongola District Council has passed a resolution banning the Security Committee from recommending applicants for the award of tenders to collect dues from the cattle markets. The District Security Committee recently resolved to screen applicants before they are selected by the Procurement Officer for tenders to collect revenue from …

Labour Against The Arms Trade, World Beyond War, Socialist Project. (2023-12-23). Toronto Picketers At Military Contractor Pratt And Whitney. popularresistance.org On Tuesday morning of December 12, more than two hundred workers and union members from across the Toronto area picketed the Mississauga manufacturing plant of defence contractor Pratt & Whitney Canada. As Israel pursues its deadly assault on Gaza for a third month, the picket lines interrupted business as usual at an aerospace giant that makes engines for aircrafts that the Israeli military is using to carry out its bombing campaign against Palestinian lives and infrastructure. Encountering banners that read "Stop Arming Apartheid" and "Arms Embargo on Israel Now" as they arrived for morning shift, cars wer…

WSWS (2023-12-23). The New Zealand National Party-led government's agenda of war and austerity, and how to fight it. wsws.org The opposition that is already emerging to the National Party-NZ First-ACT coalition government's agenda of austerity and war must be transformed into a conscious socialist movement, in opposition to Labour and its allies which are seeking to suppress and divide the working class.

WSWS (2023-12-23). Australia: Labor government representatives promoted at Gaza vigil in Newcastle. wsws.org The promotion of Labor MPs is a warning of the attempts to subordinate opposition to the genocide to the very government backing it.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Clinical trial finds cell therapy improves quality of life in advanced heart failure. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Stem cell-based therapy improved quality of life for patients with advanced heart failure, Mayo Clinic researchers and international collaborators discovered in a late-stage multinational clinical trial. In one of the largest studies of cell intervention after a heart attack, patients reported their daily hardship lessened when stem cells optimized for heart repair supplemented standard of care. This clinical study further documented lower death and hospitalization rates among those treated with cell therapy….

ARG Medios (2023-12-23). Milei declares war on Argentine working class with presidential decree. peoplesdispatch.org Milei pushed forward more than 11 labor laws and modified 20 aspects of the Labor Contract Law. It will now be cheaper to fire, protests are restricted if not banned, and precariousness will be the order of the day.

Sybil Davis, Jason Koslowski, Left Voice. (2023-12-23). The Hollywood Strikes Showed A New Class Consciousness Is Growing. popularresistance.org As 2023 draws to a close, one of the biggest stories of the year was the "hot labor summer" and the overall rise of labor activity. The most significant of these strikes was the UAW strike, which began in mid-September and lasted until mid-October. | The Hollywood strikes of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) probably generated fewer high-profile headlines. But they deserve some special attention for a few reasons. The strikes ground a highly lucrative industry to a halt, and they cost California and other production-heavy…

WSWS (2023-12-23). Los Angeles County doctors and dentists set to strike December 27. wsws.org To undercut doctors' militancy, the UAPD is pursuing the AFL-CIO's treacherous script of Unfair Labor Practice strike action.

WSWS (2023-12-23). 2,000 attend Labor for Palestine rally in Oakland, California. wsws.org The militant mood of workers attending Saturday's demonstration stood in contrast to the official speakers from local unions and the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Mayo Clinic hits milestone of 1 million YouTube subscribers. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The channel's success is driven by the collaboration of teams from Mayo Clinic's Center for Digital Health, Marketing, IT and Communications, along with staff members across Mayo Clinic who share their expertise to help others. ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic's YouTube channel recently surpassed 1 million subscribers. Mayo Clinic started its YouTube channel in 2006, before the streaming platform became a household name. Over the past 17 years, the channel has grown steadily, delivering Mayo…

ecns.cn (2023-12-23). Agricultural universities urged to act. ecns.cn Agricultural universities are being urged to report to market regulators suspected unauthorized advertising of snacks in order to safeguard their reputations. The move comes after a number of colleges denied any involvement with popular snacks sold online that falsely claimed collaboration with the institutions.

Staff (2023-12-23). Nota informativa del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. cubadebate.cu El Consejo de Ministros ha decidido disponer el receso laboral con pago del salario, el miércoles 3 de enero de 2024, como justo reconocimiento al esfuerzo realizado por nuestro pueblo en el año 2023 y con el objetivo de propiciar el descanso de los trabajadores.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-23). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (2023-12-23). As billionaire wealth surges, US faces record homelessness. wsws.org The latest "point-in-time" survey from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed a staggering 12 percent jump in homelessness in 2023, one of many indicators of severe social distress in capitalist America.

Famine Early Warning System Network (2023-12-23). Burundi – Food Security Outlook Update: High food and fuel prices likely to drive Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes in east, December 2023. reliefweb.int

UMMID (2023-12-23). Owning home still a dream for majority in United States. ummid.com Owning a home is still a dream for majority of the families in the United States this even as prices have gone down, a latest survey result released Thursday December 21, 2023 showed.

JANET (2023-12-23). New York City: Monday global strikes for Palestine. iacenter.org By Toni Arenstein December 22, 2023 New York City The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has called for global strikes to take on Mondays until the Zionist aggression and genocide against the Palestinian people ends. They stated, "The duty today for all the free people of the world, especially the sons and daughters of the Arab nation, is to escalate pressure and protest using all means of struggle and its forms and tools, to strike the interests of the forces of aggression, besiege their embassies and bases and prevent financial and military support to the Zionist entity that slaughters and bes…

Larry Johnson (2023-12-23). Simon Kuper Wins The Ben Hodges Award for Ukraine Fabulism. sonar21.com Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels | No. That is not Simon Kuper hanging with Def Fàºhrer. This is Simon Kuper. | Simon Kuper | He is a "columnist" for the Financial Times. I think a more accurate title is, "fabulist." For those whose native tongue is other than English the word, "fabulist", is a polite synonym for LIAR. And boy did he lie in his latest column, "

presstv.ir (2023-12-23). US, Europe plan to seize Russia's $300 billion in assets: Report. presstv.ir The Biden administration is showing favor in seizing over $300 billion in assets the Russian central bank has set aside in Western financial institutions.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Mayo Clinic Q and A: Mindfulness and mental health. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've been hearing a lot about mindfulness meditation lately and how it can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being. But I'm a bit skeptical and don't really understand how sitting still and doing nothing can make such a big difference. I have a busy and active lifestyle, and the idea of spending time just focusing on my breath or thoughts sounds boring. Are there real benefits of mindfulness meditation and how…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-23). Mayo Clinic makes transformative $22 million investment in local communities. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Twenty-one nonprofits will receive support to help those in need ROCHESTER, Minn. ‚Äï Mayo Clinic cares for its patients, communities and each other, and Mayo's Bold. Forward. strategy supports this care through work to Cure, Connect, and Transform healthcare for all. As this strategy successfully unfolds, this year Mayo Clinic is able to invest an additional $22 million in community organizations addressing pressing needs related to housing, food insecurity, access to healthcare, and safe places…

ecns.cn (2023-12-23). Investment in power grid rises 1.8% to $78b. ecns.cn Investment in China's power grid has remained relatively stable in recent years, with total investment in national grid construction projects in 2022 reaching 500.6 billion yuan ($78.22 billion), up 1.8 percent year-on-year, according to the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.

nationofchange.org (2023-12-23). The profiteers of war: Companies fueling the Israeli assault on GazaThe U.S. government has facilitated the transfer of an immense array of weaponry to Israel. In the initial month-and-a-half following the October 7 declaration of war, over 15,000 bombs and 50,000 artillery shells made their way into Israeli hands. The secrecy shrouding these transfers highlights the sensitive nature of this support, a topic often left out of public discourse and congressional oversight.

JANET (2023-12-23). Migrants wage 7th hunger strike at Tacoma detention center. iacenter.org By Jim McMahan December 22, 2023 Tacoma, Washington Detainees at the NorthWest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma are waging their seventh hunger strike against intolerable conditions this year. The migrant workers are imprisoned at a facility owned by the huge Geo corporation, which operates prisons for profit. Outside the Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma, Washington, Dec. 17, 2023. Credit: Jim McMahan Strikers at the NWDC have numbered from a few to over 100, and as of this writing they are in their 37th day! They are demanding to be released, although that often means deportation. Demonstrators outside are de…

Michaela Herrmann, Clare Carlile, DeSmog. (2023-12-23). Animal Pharma Industry Resists Curbing Overuse Of Antibiotics On Farms. popularresistance.org Two years after landmark European Union legislation designed to curb the overuse of antibiotics on farms came into force, new analysis from DeSmog reveals eight key narratives the veterinary medicine and farming lobbies deploy to defend the billion-dollar market for the drugs. | Aiming to combat the emergence of deadly treatment-resistant bacteria in humans, known in medical jargon as "antimicrobial resistance," or AMR, the new rules are the world's most rigorous legislation governing farm antibiotics. The regulations banned the "routine" use of antibiotics on farms for whole herds of healthy animals, including o…

WSWS (2023-12-23). Argentina's ultra-right government declares war on working class. wsws.org On December 20, Argentina's ultra-right President Javier Milei signed a decree to downsize the government, scrap regulations and strip the working class of existing social, wage, retirement and welfare benefits.

Editor (2023-12-23). Capitalist contradictions and revolutionary struggle: An introduction. mronline.org Hearing or reading about the "contradictions of capitalism" in an article or at a rally might be intimidating, like a foreign language or a term only a certain group can understand.

Editor (2023-12-23). How Israel Buys Support From Celebrities & Influencers (w/ Lee Camp). scheerpost.com By Lee Camp / BreakThrough News Why have so many celebrities, politicians, and influencers come out to strongly support Israel? The two word answer: the "Israel lobby." But it's much deeper than that. Comedian Lee Camp reveals the gruesome and often hidden details of how the Israel Support Industrial Complex's sausage is made.

Pavel López Lazo (2023-12-23). Italy's foreign trade with non-EU nations scaled down in December. plenglish.com According to the National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) ¥s latest report, this monthly decline in exports impacted on industrial power groups as well as both intermediate and non-durable consumer goods, by dropping 31.0; 3.4 and 2.5%, respectively. | However, ISTAT's experts, foreign sales of consumer durables experienced a growth of 2.6% at that stage. | Regarding imports, there were cyclical declines in all groups, with a 7.5% drop in energy and 4.5% in consumer durables but purchases of capital goods grew by 1.7%. | In November 2023, Italy ¥s trade balance with non-EU countries was positive for an amoun…

Last Real Indians. (2023-12-23). Hoopa Valley Tribe Reclaim Over 10,000 Acres. popularresistance.org The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced today the acquisition of 10,395 acres of land bordering the western boundary of the Tribe's Reservation. The return of the Hupa Mountain property brings the Tribe's landholdings to a total of over 102,000 acres. When the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation was created, the Hupa people lost access to and use of more than two-thirds of their ancestral lands. The Tribe's $14.1 million purchase of the land rightfully returns management, conservation, and use of the land to Hupa People. | "Today is a day of intense celebration for our Tribe," said Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Joe Davis.

Ann Brown (2023-12-23). U.S. Government: Atlanta Attorney Fraudulently Took $7 Million In PPP Loans, Purchased Barbie-Color Bentley. moguldom.com Georgia attorney and former City of Atlanta police officer Shelitha Robertson has been convicted of a fraudulent scheme to obtain over $7 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Robertson, a 62-year-old Atlanta resident, conspired to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf …

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-23). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (2023-12-23). "Stop the Gaza genocide! Build a socialist anti-war movement!"—SEP (Australia) holds well-attended public meeting. wsws.org More than 150 workers and young people joined the meeting to discuss the way forward for the working class in the fight to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza.

WSWS (2023-12-23). "Helen Halyard's patience and kindness have nurtured an entire generation of socialists" wsws.org The following tributes to Helen Halyard were read out to an international memorial meeting held on December 3.

Freedom Socialist Party (2023-12-23). Wednesday 1/31: Reading Circle: The Palestinian Struggle for Self-Determination. indybay.org New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St (near Ellis), SF | Also on Zoom | Register: bit.ly/PalestinianStruggleReadingCircle (or scan QR code in the image)…

thecommunists (2023-12-23). Defeat in war deepens the cracks in Ukraine and its backers. thecommunists.org The imperialist proxy war against Russia is now dead in the water, with the much-lauded Ukrainian 'offensive' stuck in the mud and all the previous claims of imminent victory ringing hollow. Attempts to soften the blow of defeat by rebranding it as a 'stalemate' fool nobody: there is neither an equality of rival forces nor …

2023-12-23 22:45:46 | 22:45 EST | tr | 50 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 0 

2023-12-21: News Headlines

Dean Baker (2023-12-21). The National Debt, Tax Farming and Patent Monopolies. counterpunch.org It increasingly looks like the Fed and the Biden administration have nailed the notoriously difficult soft landing, with inflation rapidly falling towards the Fed's 2.0 percent target and the unemployment rate still under 4.0 percent. All the signs are that the economy will continue to grow and create jobs at a healthy pace in 2024

teleSUR (2023-12-21). Argentines Reject President Milei's Economic Deregulation. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday night, thousands of Argentinians protested against the state downsizing policies, privatization of public assets, and economic deregulation proposed by President Javier Milei. | RELATED: | Through an "urgent" decree, Milei reformed over 300 laws to establish "the foundations for the reconstruction of the Argentine economy." | Among other things, his decree transforms all state-owned enterprises into…

Martin Hacthoun (2023-12-21). Argentine President announced economic deregulation and privatization. plenglish.com Buenos Aires, Dec 20 (Prensa Latina) Today, the Argentine President, Javier Milei, announced that he signed a Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) to deregulate the economy with more than 300 reforms, including the privatization of public companies and the selling of land and natural resources to foreign individuals and companies.

Martin Hacthoun (2023-12-21). Cuba forecasts 2% economic growth for 2024. plenglish.com Havana, Dec 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuba is projecting for 2024 a gross domestic product (GDP) growth, at constant prices, of around two percent, Deputy Prime Minister and head of Economy and Planning, Alejandro Gil, said.

Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-20). Despite Biden's Claims, Gaza Health Ministry Death Toll Is Accurate. popularresistance.org The death toll of Israel's war on Gaza reported by the Palestinian health ministry is accurate, according to two peer-reviewed studies by scientific experts published in top medical journal The Lancet. | As of December 18, Israel had killed 19,453 Palestinians in Gaza, the ministry reported. Two-thirds of the deaths were children (7,729) and women (5,153). | United Nations bodies, human rights organizations, and major media outlets have often used these statistics, because they have a history of being accurate. | "International organizations including the United Nations usually rely on these same figures as they…

Matt Bruenig (2023-12-20). What About Wages? peoplespolicyproject.org This is my fourth entry into the "is the economy good" debate ( The di…

F. William Engdahl (2023-12-20). "The Great Reset" Is Here: Follow the Money. "Insane Lockdown" of the Global Economy, "The Green Agenda" globalresearch.ca The top-down reorganization of the world economy by a technocratic cabal led by the group around the Davos World Economic Forum— the so-called Great Reset or UN Agenda 2030— is no future proposal. It is well into actualization as the world remains in insane lockdown for a virus…

Dongsheng Collective (2023-12-20). The Third Wave of Socialism. dongshengnews.org After the end of the Cold War, socialism suffered significant global setbacks. Despite this, a new wave of socialism has gradually emerged. Through decades of reform and opening up, China has incorporated a market economy into its socialist system. China's rise has generated tremendous interest in the country's path of development and the socialist market economy. As capitalism faces its most severe crisis in a century, there are opportunities for a new wave of socialist development.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). Officials: 2023 GDP goal well within reach. ecns.cn China is confident and capable of reaching this year's GDP growth target of around 5 percent, and policymakers have ample tools to stabilize the economy next year, officials and experts said on Tuesday.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). Economists share confidence in Chinese economy's further growth. ecns.cn There's still room for the Chinese government to make macroeconomic policies stronger next year, economists said at a seminar of the China Macroeconomy Forum, Securities Times reported on Wednesday.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). NDRC to revise PPP mechanism to boost private investment. ecns.cn China's top economic planner on Tuesday vowed to expedite the implementation of a new mechanism for public-private partnership (PPP) projects and revise the rules for operating licenses involving infrastructure facilities and public utilities.

Pressenza New York (2023-12-20). Bangladesh: Remittance inflow surges in the second half of December: Positive for the economy. pressenza.com A recent increase in remittances, touching $1.07 billion during December 1-15, 2023, underlines significant support for our foreign exchange reserves. This significant increase not only indicates promising growth but also reveals a resilient pattern in remittance flows. As Bangladesh navigates through economic transitions and global challenges, the robustness shown in remittance flows serves as a beacon of hope, promising resilience and prosperity in the times ahead. | The information provided by the Balance of Payments (BOP) Department and Statistics Department is not just a numerical update; It is a narrative o…

Pressenza New York (2023-12-20). Offshore wind power can help reduce greenhouse gases. pressenza.com All emerging nations, not just our own, struggle with electricity. And the straightforward explanation that electricity is either not available or not available by demand, etc., is often given. Scientists have taken the initiative to develop a new device that uses the temperature differential between the European deep sea and the surface to create power, to avert this electrical crisis. They have achieved a completely sustainable and continuous electricity supply by addressing climate change. For the benefit of the free market economy, there is a growing demand for and use of alternative fuels, particularly as th…

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). China, Nicaragua upgrade bilateral ties to strategic partnership. ecns.cn China and Nicaragua announced on Wednesday they agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to the strategic partnership, vowing to expand bilateral trade and bring their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) into force as soon as possible.

nosihle (2023-12-20). Government refurbishes Wolwekloof Nature Reserve project to attract tourists. sanews.gov.za Government refurbishes Wolwekloof Nature Reserve project to attract tourists | Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille has handed over the multimillion rand refurbished Wolwekloof Nature Reserve Project in the Witzenberg Municipality to CapeNature in the Western Cape. | The multimillion rand infrastructure maintenance project was funded by the Department of Tourism with the intension to stimulate demand by investing in tourist attractions to build and diversify the country's tourism offerings. | "Tourism is a key sector in our economy, injecting billions into the economy each year and providing much needed jobs f…

Brian Berletic (2023-12-20). US Races to Provoke Conflict Over Taiwan Before China's Irreversible Military and Economic Rise. thealtworld.com — The US is provoking China over the island province of Taiwan by placing troops on the island, arming the administration in Taipei, and increasingly encouraging separatism; | — The US officially recognizes China's sovereignty over Taiwan through its "One China" policy, yet unofficially undermines its at every juncture; | — Upcoming elections in Taiwan are subject to US political interference, which is extensive and undermines claims of Taiwan's "political independence;" | — Taiwan's economy depends heavily on the rest of China for continued prosperity and future opportunities the US is incapa…

Daniel Costa, Samantha Sanders, Economic Policy Institute. (2023-12-21). Congress And President Biden Should Not Trade Away Human Rights. popularresistance.org The Senate, House, and White House are embroiled in down-to-the-wire negotiations to trade harmful changes to the asylum system and draconian immigration enforcement measures in exchange for approving a one-time defense supplemental funding package. We urge members of Congress and the White House to reject any such deal. | If Congress passes the one-time defense supplemental, the money will likely run out in just a few months. But the major anti-immigrant policy changes that Congress and the White House are reportedly considering will be permanent.

infobrics (2023-12-21). Colorado court blocks Trump from running for president because of "Bidenomics" failure. infobrics.org US citizens blame Biden for not having good economic prospects, finds new poll.

Roger D. Harris (2023-12-21). How the Campaign to Free Venezuelan Political Prisoner Alex Saab Succeeded. dissidentvoice.org Alex Saab was freed from US captivity in what Venezuelan Prof. Maria Victor Paez described as "a triumph of Venezuelan diplomacy." The diplomat had been imprisoned for trying to bring humanitarian supplies to Venezuela in legal international trade but in circumvention of Washington's illegal economic coercive measures, also known as sanctions. Negotiated prisoner exchange In …

Gabriel Vera Lopes (2023-12-21). Thousands take to the streets in Argentina in the first mobilization against Milei's government. peoplesdispatch.org Thousands of Argentines demonstrated, this Wednesday December 20, "against the economic austerity measures" implemented by Javier Milei's government. The day was marked by high tension early on, following a major police operation carried out at the main entrances to the city of Buenos Aires. | The Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, announced that she would debut her "anti-picketing protocol", presented last Friday December 15, and threatened that they would not allow the demonstration to take place. However, the call to mobilization managed to overcome the fear that the government tried to install. | The pe…

Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. (2023-12-21). Americans Abandoning Neighborhoods Due To Rising Flood Risk. popularresistance.org As flooding becomes more common due to the shifting and strengthening weather patterns and sea-level rise associated with climate change, so does climate migration. | New research by the First Street Foundation (FSF) has combined historic population change trends with flood risk data to reveal climate migration patterns happening in areas with high flood risk across the United States. | "Much of the world's population is exposed to some kind of extreme weather event exacerbated by climate change. These events have been directly connected to impacts on human systems including economic, social, and political crises…

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-21). WEF and UN join forces to initiate the next global crisis — water. expose-news.com Water's global moment has arrived, the World Economic Forum joyously declares on its Global Water Initiative page referring to the upcoming United Nations Water Conference. The website must be out of date …

ecns.cn (2023-12-21). UN official: Climate change an important part of regional cooperation. ecns.cn "Countries must speed up implementing their commitment to achieving national net zero targets, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and low carbon technology,and foster regional and international cooperation," said Armida Alisjahbana, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Steven Ganot (2023-12-21). Houthis Target Israeli-Linked Ships, Yemenis Worry About Economic Fallout. themedialine.org

Lana Ikelan (2023-12-21). War Takes an Economic Toll on Israeli Businesses and Employees. themedialine.org

Martin Hacthoun (2023-12-21). Prime Minister announces actions for Cuba's economic recovery. plenglish.com Havana, Dec 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced today a group of actions aimed at increasing foreign currency income, increasing national production, and reducing the budget deficit.

teleSUR, odr, YSM (2023-12-21). Realizan marcha contra medidas de ajuste económico en Argentina. telesurtv.net En la marcha estuvieron presentes al menos 100 organizaciones sociales, políticas, sindicales, estudiantiles y de derechos humanos (DD.HH.).

Khalil Harb, The Cradle. (2023-12-20). From The River To The (Red) Sea: The US Is Forming A New Naval Task Force. popularresistance.org Instead of pressuring Israel to stop its brutal assault on the Gaza Strip, the Biden administration is now mobilizing Arab and western fleets – and perhaps an Israeli one as well – to safeguard Tel Aviv's economic, political, and military interests. | Amid heightened naval operations carried out against Israel-bound vessels by Yemen's Ansarallah-aligned armed forces, this US mobilization is taking place under the guise of upholding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. | Officially, Washington claims it is doing its utmost to prevent Israel's war from expanding into a regional confrontation, and…

WSWS (2023-12-20). North Korea conducts ICBM test launch amid increasing US-led provocations. wsws.org The greatest destabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region is US imperialism, which is seeking to maintain its political and economic hegemony through any means, including nuclear war.

infobrics (2023-12-20). Latest China-EU summit exposes Brussels' complete lack of sovereignty. infobrics.org Xi Jinping's and Li Qiang's attempts to nudge the talks more toward economic topics were ignored by von der Leyen and Michel. Virtually every Chinese offer of cooperation was not only rejected, but was also met with completely unreasonable demands that had nothing to do with economic relations. Political considerations were the only thing the EU was interested in.

The Independent (2023-12-20). Museveni Hails Bishop Zziwa's Wealth Creation Gospel. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commended Joseph Anthony Zziwa, the Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese for working with the government in fighting poverty through socio-economic development programs. "Thank you for your slogan and those projects. I have been telling you that yes be religious but hardworking, so I am very happy about …

Mauro Ramos, People's Dispatch. (2023-12-20). 95% Of Trade Between China And Russia No Longer Done In US Currency. popularresistance.org On a recent visit to China, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov stated that this year the use of the Russian ruble and Chinese yuan in trade between the two countries has already reached 95%. | At the same time, from January to October, 68% of all Russian trade was carried out in the two countries' currencies, according to Russian Minister of Economic Development Maksim Reshetnikov. | The yuan has also been used by Russia in commercial transactions with Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan, Tajikistan, and Singapore.

Jordan Atwood (2023-12-20). Biden's approval wanes amidst economic challenges and Israeli policy scrutiny. nationofchange.org

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-20). Schwab's warnings to Globalists about Black Swan events. expose-news.com In 2013, Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, began predicting "Black Swan" events threatening global security. He predicted them again in his book 'Covid-19: The Great Reset' released in July …

Aram Aharonian (2023-12-20). Argentina: not to be mistaken for a nightmare, this is reality. pressenza.com Argentina's cities are rapidly losing their traditional vertigo. A strident, lethargic, lethargic silence survives. The euphoria of winning the World Cup is over, although the media still insist that the Argentinians "are world champions". | The people are aware that nothing will ever be the same again. They have kept deep within their interior those ideas of equality, solidarity, fraternity, smiles and hugs. Now it's every man for himself for almost everyone, except for those who already had everything… and are going for more. | It is not an economic shock — to which citizens are accustomed -, it is not a…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2023-12-20). Video: Fake Pandemic Triggers Worldwide Economic and Social Collapse. Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca

The Independent (2023-12-20). Oil and Gas is a Matter of 'Life and Death'-Kasaija. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Matia Kasaija, the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has underscored the importance of Uganda's oil and gas exploration, emphasizing an unwavering commitment to the project's seamless progression. During a visit to the Kingfisher Development Area (KFDA) in Buhuka village, Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube district on Tuesday evening, Kasaija reasserted …

Gabisile (2023-12-20). Thousands of jobs created in tourism, clothing sectors in W Cape. sanews.gov.za Thousands of jobs created in tourism, clothing sectors in W Cape | Targeted skills programmes run by the Western Cape's Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), in partnership with the private sector, resulted in 2 772 jobs for previously unemployed young people between April and November 2023. | The province said there has been "notable" post-pandemic growth in the tourism sector. | According to the latest data, between 2021 and 2022, 154 442 tourism jobs were created in the province, bringing the total to 214 909 jobs. | "In just three sectors in the Western Cape, we have seen the creation of n…

Sean Mathews (2023-12-20). War on Gaza: Why the oil market isn't freaking out about Houthi Red Sea attacks. middleeasteye.net War on Gaza: Why the oil market isn't freaking out about Houthi Red Sea attacks | The Houthis have refrained from targeting vessels carrying Saudi, Russian and Qatari energy, potentially keeping oil markets subdued | Wed, 12/20/2023 – 20: 05 | Forces loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels hold Palestinian flags as they march in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians on 15 October 2023, in Sanaa (Mo…

Government of the Philippines (2023-12-21). Philippines: DSWD, UN agency strengthen food security system through Digital Mapping System. reliefweb.int Country: Philippines | Source: Government of the Philippines | In line with the anti-hunger initiatives of the government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the United Nations — Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) launched on Wednesday (December 20) the Digital Mapping System (DMS), an innovation designed to strengthen food security systems in the country. | The DMS is an initiative under the DSWD Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Convergence Program that aims to strengthen the capacities of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and small-holder farme…

Peoples Dispatch (2023-12-20). Eugene Puryear on Sudan, 5 years since the December revolution. peoplesdispatch.org Five years after Sudan's December revolution, the country is facing a devastating humanitarian crisis. A raging civil war has left hundreds of thousands displaced, facing hunger and poverty.

WSWS (2023-12-20). UN Special Rapporteur denounces extreme poverty in UK for second time. wsws.org Referencing his predecessor's visit five years ago, Olivier De Schutter said, "The warning signals that Philip Alston gave five years ago were not acted upon… Things have got worse."

Martin Hacthoun (2023-12-21). Cuba to implement additional payments to health and education worke. plenglish.com Havana, Dec 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuba's Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced today that as of 2024 the country will implement measures aimed at making additional payments to improve the income of workers in the health and education sectors.

Martin Hacthoun (2023-12-21). Cuba to raise fuel prices and electric tariff in 2024. plenglish.com Havana, Dec 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced today a raise of fuel prices and an increase in electricity rates for high-income consumers in the residential sector, among other measures for 2024.

Eric Toussaint (2023-12-20). "Developing Countries" are Trapped in a New Debt Crisis : How Can This be Explained? counterpunch.org The latest World Bank report on the debts of "developing countries", published on December 13, 2023 [1], reveals an alarming fact: in 2022, developing countries as a whole spent a record US$ 443.5 billion to pay for their external public debt. The 75 low-income nations that are eligible for loans from the International Development Association (IDA),

WSWS (2023-12-21). Colorado Supreme Court rules Trump coup attempt disqualifies him as candidate. wsws.org The Democratic Party and the Biden administration, however, will take no serious action against the fascist ex-president. They seek collaboration with the Republicans on a shared agenda of war in Ukraine and Gaza.

Barbara Madeloni, Labor Notes. (2023-12-21). Teachers Push For Ceasefire, With Education, Agitation, Resolutions. popularresistance.org When Becky Pringle, president of the 3-million-member National Education Association (NEA), the largest union in the country, tweeted, "We join our partner organizations along with Jewish and Muslim leaders across the globe in an urgent call for an end to the violence," it was one more step in the growing movement among union activists demanding a ceasefire in Palestine. | Teachers unions including the Chicago Teachers Union, the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Professionals, and the Massachusetts Teachers Association were some of the first unions to sign on to a ceasefire resolution spearheaded by t…

David Bacon (2023-12-21). Biden Is Paying Growers to Replace Farmworkers With Bracero Contract Labor. truthout.org On September 22, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would begin paying growers to use the notorious H-2A contract foreign labor (or guestworker) program. Tapping into $65 million from the American Rescue Act, the USDA will pay between $25,000 and $2 million per application to defray the expenses of recruiting migrant workers from three Central American countries… |

Neal Resnikoff (2023-12-21). International Migrants Day: How To Change the System? orinocotribune.com By Neal Resnikoff — Dec 18. 2023 | The UN General Assembly proclaimed December 18 International Migrants Day in 2000. It took into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world. It aimed to further the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. | The Convention recognizes the human rights of migrant workers and promotes their access to justice as well as to humane and lawful working and living conditions. It provides guidance on the elaboration of national migration policies and for international cooperation based on…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-21). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

Workers World Party (2023-12-21). PDF of December 21 issue. workers.org Download the PDF. U.S.-led armada threatens Yemen, Iran Resistance forces defy imperialist fleet Labor solidarity with Palestine grows Download the PDF. More PDF back-issues here. |

WSWS (2023-12-21). Another Labor state or territory leader quits suddenly in Australia. wsws.org In the fourth such exit since June, Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles abruptly resigned this week, pointing to a developing political crisis of the Labor governments across the country.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-20). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

Dennis Broe (2023-12-20). The (television) season of our discontent: Streaming and striking in 2023. peoplesworld.org The year in the TV business can be broken into three parts. It began, following last year's market doubting of the profitability of streaming, with retrenchment as the studios cut back on both product and labor in an attempt to show solvency and address back debt. On both fronts, these cutbacks amounted to an attack …

Joseph Grosso (2023-12-20). A New Hope: The UAW Victory and Beyond. counterpunch.org If there has been a constant theme to Left discourse in the U.S. it has been that a labor revival is always just around the corner. While this has proved to be quite elusive, it can be said that this year has put workers rights squarely in the spotlight. There has been the continuing organizing

Martha Grevatt (2023-12-20). Labor solidarity with Palestine grows. workers.org Labor solidarity with Palestine continues to grow — even in the U.S. where the leadership of organized labor has historically been pro-Zionist. Thousands of union activists and allies rallied in Oakland, California, on Dec. 16, to voice solidarity with Palestinian workers. Called by Bay Area Labor for Palestine, the demonstration . . . |

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-20). Ten Predictions for Labor in 2024. inthesetimes.com

Stuart Littlewood (2023-12-20). Palestinians' Superior Right to Self-defence is Ignored, as Usual. dissidentvoice.org The UK's leaders are tying themselves in knots in their desperate attempt to defend the indefensible. In a debate on Israel and Palestine in Parliament last week, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs Leo Docherty got up and said: There is no scenario in which Hamas can be allowed to control Gaza …

ecns.cn (2023-12-21). Shanghai Disneyland opens world's first Zootopia-themed attraction. ecns.cn Prices of anti-influenza drug soars, doctors give warnings…

Hank Pellissier (2023-12-20). Friday 12/22: CeaseFire in Gaza Now – Protest in San Francisco. indybay.org 456 Montgomery in the Financial District of San Francisco – Israel Consulate…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh, Mondoweiss. (2023-12-20). 'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood' Day 74: Hamas Tells Israel It 'Arrived Too Late'. popularresistance.org The atrocities Israel committed in the Gaza Strip may need a UN special tribunal, said Martin Griffiths, the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. | Griffiths told The Financial Times in an interview that he has dealt with conflicts and natural disasters in Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, and Sudan, and yet the situation in Gaza, where 136 UN workers have been killed in Israeli bombardment, is by far the worst. | "None of the normal, sound foundations you see across the world for humanitarian operations in places like Syria and Afghanistan exist for us in Gaza.

infobrics (2023-12-20). Ukraine weapons fund will run out on December 30, Pentagon claims. infobrics.org Kiev will hold out for 'a couple of months' without financial support from the West — IMF.

NEOB (2023-12-20). SAA, SunExpress sign MoU. sanews.gov.za SAA, SunExpress sign MoU | South African Airways (SAA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SunExpress for four aircrafts to support the national carrier's operations in the 2024/25 financial year. | According to SAA, the MoU is an add-on to the two airlines' current six-month damp lease agreement, which includes "the lease of two Boeing 737-800s, as well as maintenance and cockpit crew". | "In addition to plans to increase the number of damp lease aircraft, SAA and SunExpress are currently exploring options for a multi-year reciprocal capacity support and further cooperation with regards to mainte…

The Media Line Staff (2023-12-21). Turkey's Central Bank Hikes Policy Rate to 42.5% Amid Inflation Battle. themedialine.org

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2023-12-21). Day 74 roundtable: Tech and genocide. electronicintifada.net Yemen engages in humanitarian intervention.

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams. (2023-12-21). 80+ Groups Descend On DC, Demand Gaza Cease-Fire, Migrant Rights. popularresistance.org Activists from more than 80 advocacy groups took to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to protest what they called the Israeli genocide in Palestine and "cruel" immigration policies here in the United States. | The demonstrators demanded a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, an end to American military aid for Israel, and protection for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. | "As the Biden administration and Senate Democrats indicate a willingness to advance cruel immigration proposals in order to pass a spending package that will send billions of dollars to Israel to continue its genocide in Gaza, we come toget…

L. Randall Wray (2023-12-21). MMP Blog #10: Keeping Track of Stocks and Flows: The Money of Account. realprogressives.org We will go through the details of keeping track of stocks and flows in the money of account. That will also lead us into a discussion of the relation between "money" and "spending"—how do we "pay for" things?>

Staff (2023-12-20). "This Is a Colonial War": Historian Rashid Khalidi on Israel, Gaza & the Future of Palestine. democracynow.org Historian Rashid Khalidi discusses the pending United Nations Security Council vote on suspending fighting in Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and the future of Palestine. The Biden administration reportedly delayed the U.N. vote and pushed other countries to water down the language. This comes as Israel and Hamas leaders have signaled they are open to another truce and hostage exchange. Israel's relentless assault on Gaza has now killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and displaced over 90% of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people. "The situation in Gaza is unspeakable," says Khalidi…

infobrics (2023-12-20). Cabinet Greenlights PetroSA Partnership with Gazprombank to Restart WC Refinery. infobrics.org Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has defended the move, saying it would lower the price of fuel and was based on South Africa's partnership with BRICS nations to increase trade and investment between them…

National Homelessness Law Center (2023-12-20). Law Center Statement on 12% Increase in Homelessness. indybay.org Point in Time results must drive housing investments, not despair…

Joel Stein (2023-12-20). LEFT WONDERING: How Can You Invest In An Ethical Fashion? levernews.com Welcome to a new edition of Left Wondering with Joel Stein, our advice column for paid subscribers of The Lever on how to lead an ethical life in an increasingly unethical world.
Dear Left Wondering,: We are trying to invest funds in the U.S. in an ethical fashion and are running into roadblocks.Can you help?Thanks,Nancy BolanDear Nancy,: Roadblocks are indeed an interesting area for investment, since they're ripe for disruption. Those orange-striped sawhorses and cones haven't changed since I was a kid. One challenge I bet you're having is that your ethics are different from other people's ethi…

repost (2023-12-21). Speak Out at SF Civil Service Commission on Layoffs at Tenderloin Neighborhood Development. indybay.org Terminated workers at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) and community members protested the layoff at the "non-profit". The City of San Francisco does no oversight of these agencies which are contracted out do do public work with private non-profits with self appointed boards.

repost (2023-12-20). Speak Out at SF Civil Service Commission on Layoffs at Tenderloin Neighborhood Development. indybay.org Terminated workers at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) and community members protested the layoff at the "non-profit". The City of San Francisco does no oversight of these agencies which are contracted out do do public work with private non-profits with self appointed boards.

Joel Warner (2023-12-20). Hope Amid The Hooligans. levernews.com

Mark Gruenberg (2023-12-20). Is slavery back in Alabama? peoplesworld.org BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Is slavery back in Alabama? Adam Obernauer, organizing director for the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union—one of five organizations, including the AFL-CIO, now suing to stop it—says "yes." And, of course, the profit motive is behind all of it: Alabama reaps $450 million annually in fees from private firms. It lets them use …

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-20). UK Parliament debates IHR amendments: If sovereignty is knowingly and deceitfully forfeited by government there are specific laws for dealing with that, says Andrew Bridgen. expose-news.com On Monday, the UK House of Commons debated the World Health Organisation's ("WHO's") proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations ("IHR"). The debate was held in response to a petition to the …

NEOB (2023-12-20). NERSA welcomes imprisonment of criminals damaging Transnet infrastructure. sanews.gov.za NERSA welcomes imprisonment of criminals damaging Transnet infrastructure | The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has welcomed the arrest and successful prosecution of criminals tampering with the Transnet pipeline to steal petrol and diesel. | In two separate matters, a thief was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for damaging essential infrastructure, while in another, two men were sentenced to 10 and 15 years, respectively, for theft of fuel. | Regulator Member Primarily Responsible for Petroleum Pipelines Regulation at NERSA, Muzi Mkhize, said: "We commend the law enforcement agencies for the…

Bruce Lerro (2023-12-21). Yankee Micro Social Psychology Part I. dissidentvoice.org Orientation Developing a Marxist social psychology is a very important aspect of explaining what is going on within the individual in relation to society as well as what is going on in small group interactions between themselves. What we find when we examine social psychology in Yankeedom is what you might suspect, and that is …

A Guest Author (2023-12-20). Europe's military drift and the attack on social services. workers.org By Manuel Raposo Lisbon, Portugal Raposo is a Marxist analyst and editor of the Portuguese web periodical found at jornalmudardevida.net, where this article was published on Dec. 16, 2023. Translation: John Catalinotto. Demonstration in Lisbon, February 2023. For a fair life, not a penny more for NATO. Judging by recent . . . |

Mansa Musa, The Real News Network. (2023-12-20). The 13th Amendment Legalizes Slavery; Many States Have Their Own Version. popularresistance.org The 13th Amendment of the US Constitution makes an exception to the abolition of slavery in order to permit the use of "involuntary servitude" as punishment for a crime. The modern system of mass incarceration depends on this exception to justify paying millions of incarcerated people subminimum wages that many advocates say is virtually indistinguishable from forms of slavery. Various US states also have their own constitutional "exception clauses" that mirror the language of the 13th Amendment, providing an additional layer of legal justification for the exploitation of prisoners.

Kathleen Wallace (2023-12-20). Suffer the Young Women. counterpunch.org t's not your imagination. Life is definitely getting harder for almost all Americans, whether we are speaking of those tightrope walking as they balance escalating costs of living and stagnant wages or for those who have fallen off the rope completely, descending into an ever widening homeless population. The very subjective nature of "it's just

Paul Street (2023-12-20). The Four Horsemen of the Capitalist-Imperialist Apocalypse. counterpunch.org Followers of my writing have I hope noticed me repeatedly arguing that capitalism produces four mutually reinforcing and multiplying apocalyptic horsemen: ecocide, pandemicide, potentially terminal nuclear war, and fascism. Capitalism at the Dark Taproot I want to dig into this formulation here, explaining how capitalism generates each of these apocalyptic menaces and how the "four

WSWS (2023-12-20). Nippon Steel acquires US Steel for $14.9 billion. wsws.org The takeover of US Steel is a further sign of the decades-long decline of American capitalism and the loss of its industrial dominance.

Dongsheng Collective (2023-12-20). The New Forms of Socialism in the Twenty-First Century. dongshengnews.org The world has come a long way since the mid-nineteenth century, when scientific socialism emerged in Europe. Contrary to initial expectations, socialism did not emerge in the developed capitalist countries, but in the underdeveloped colonies and semi-colonies, such as China. Faced with challenges that could not be answered by classical theories of socialism, China had to develop its own solutions. Having attained significant achievements in modernisation, China must now reach a higher level of socialist development and surpass capitalism.

A A (2023-12-20). Crisis humanitaria y colapso del capitalismo. strategic-culture.su El presente estudio parte de la necesidad de entender la crisis humanitaria como expresión del colapso del capitalismo [2] Para ello aborda ciertos mitos y creencias ?que conllevan a la inconsistencia y vulnerabilidad ideológica?, para configurar una desconexión entre el común y el pensamiento 'crítico' de los intelectuales. En la indagación se encontraron cuatro grandes leyendas: el mito del yo, el mito del Estado y la creencia en el derecho, el mito del sujeto revolucionario, el mito de la justicia, –se puede adicionar– en quinto lugar el mito de la izquierda y la derecha.

Staff (2023-12-21). Industriales asegura cupo a semifinal de la Liga Élite. cubadebate.cu Industriales regresa este jueves a La Habana para concluir su calendario regular con la tranquilidad de haber clasificado para la semifinal de la Liga Élite del Béisbol Cubano. Los Leones se impusieron el miércoles a Sancti Spíritus con pizarra de 4-2.

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-20). Israel's Decision To Push Industrial Settlement WHERE?! youtube.com

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-21). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-20). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-21). Australian Senator for Queensland says Drain the Swamp. expose-news.com Australian Senator for Queensland, Gerard Rennick, joined Club Grubbery to discuss the state of the Liberal National Party and politics in general in Australia. "We need to clean out the bureaucrats … …

Juan Carlos Junio (2023-12-21). Argentina — Otra vez el "ajuste doloroso" junto al "estatuto del orden" globalizacion.ca El nuevo ciclo ultraconservador en la Argentina ha comenzado, sustentado en una viscosa mezcla ideológica: el discurso fundacional de Martínez de Hoz, el menemismo de los 90 con su interregno delarruista de fin de siglo, y el neoliberalismo privatizador macrista…

Editor (2023-12-20). Dec 20, 2023. sitrepworld.info Arise Donbass! (–í—Å—Ç–∞–≤–∞–π –î–æ–Ω–±–∞—Å—Å!) Donetsk 'Tis the Season for War, by Bill Astore No Plan B: The Western Elites Didn't Plan for China, Russia and Iran Remaining Independent, by Roger Boyd Yuri Bezmenov: Interview with NS Lyons, author of The Upheaval, about "The China Convergence" The Terror Watchlist Prepared the Way to Tyranny, by Paul Craig Roberts Is neoliberalism really dead? Or does it live on like a zombie? V…

Liam Crisan (2023-12-21). Lessons From One Unequal Society to Another. counterpunch.org This past Sunday, Chileans voted once again on a new constitution, opting to reject — for the second time in two years — an attempt at constitutional revision. Rejecting a highly conservative text, voters chose to keep the dictatorship-era constitution for the time being. A political saga that began amid immense hope has now devolved

Liam Crisan, Inequality. (2023-12-20). Lessons From One Unequal Society To Another. popularresistance.org This past Sunday, Chileans voted once again on a new constitution, opting to reject — for the second time in two years — an attempt at constitutional revision. Rejecting a highly conservative text, voters chose to keep the dictatorship-era constitution for the time being. A political saga that began amid immense hope has now devolved into a dismal disarray that's left countless Chileans tired and frustrated. | Here in the United States, we face an equally bleak political outlook. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 25 percent of U.S. adults feel that neither of the nation's two major par…

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-20). Lessons From One Unequal Society To Another. popularresistance.org

WSWS (2023-12-21). Sri Lankan SEP General Secretary Deepal Jayasekera discusses international socialist program in TV interview. wsws.org Jayasekera explained that the working class need to take matters into their own hands to fight for a socialist and internationalist solution to their burning social and democratic issues.

Yvan Ysmael Yonaha (2023-12-20). From Associational to Institutional Power: the Case of Platform Workers in the Philippines. socialistproject.ca

Peoples Dispatch (2023-12-20). Italian workers resist Salvini's strike breaking methods. peoplesdispatch.org Trade unions and left-wing groups in Italy are organizing to resist recent attempts by deputy prime minister and transport minister Matteo Salvini to break strikes and workers' protests. Workers in the transport sector in the local bus, subway, and tram services joined 24-hour strikes in major cities of the country on December 15. | Trade unions and left-wing groups like the Communist Youth Front (FGC) also organized demonstrations in various cities protesting Salvini's attack on workers' rights. Protesters are also calling out the apathy of the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni towards workers' demands…

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). CPC allocates 100 million yuan to quake-hit areas. ecns.cn China's main Communist Party of China personnel management and Party building body has allocated 100 million yuan ($14 million) from the Party funds to northwestern China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces to support rescue, relief and rebuilding work in quake-stricken areas.

2023-12-21 13:13:07 | 13:13 EST | tr | 102 | 3 | 66 | 40 | 0 

2023-12-20: News Headlines

Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-20). Despite Biden's Claims, Gaza Health Ministry Death Toll Is Accurate. popularresistance.org The death toll of Israel's war on Gaza reported by the Palestinian health ministry is accurate, according to two peer-reviewed studies by scientific experts published in top medical journal The Lancet. | As of December 18, Israel had killed 19,453 Palestinians in Gaza, the ministry reported. Two-thirds of the deaths were children (7,729) and women (5,153). | United Nations bodies, human rights organizations, and major media outlets have often used these statistics, because they have a history of being accurate. | "International organizations including the United Nations usually rely on these same figures as they…

Staff (2023-12-20). Despite Biden's claims, Gaza health ministry death toll is accurate, say peer-reviewed scientific studies. geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com Subscribe now The death toll of Israel's war on Gaza reported by the Palestinian health ministry is accurate, according to two peer-reviewed studies by scientific experts published in leading medical journal The Lancet. As of December 18, Israel had killed 19,453 Palestinians in Gaza, the ministry reported. Two-thirds of the deaths were children (7,729) and …

F. William Engdahl (2023-12-20). "The Great Reset" Is Here: Follow the Money. "Insane Lockdown" of the Global Economy, "The Green Agenda" globalresearch.ca The top-down reorganization of the world economy by a technocratic cabal led by the group around the Davos World Economic Forum— the so-called Great Reset or UN Agenda 2030— is no future proposal. It is well into actualization as the world remains in insane lockdown for a virus…

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). Officials: 2023 GDP goal well within reach. ecns.cn China is confident and capable of reaching this year's GDP growth target of around 5 percent, and policymakers have ample tools to stabilize the economy next year, officials and experts said on Tuesday.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). Economists share confidence in Chinese economy's further growth. ecns.cn There's still room for the Chinese government to make macroeconomic policies stronger next year, economists said at a seminar of the China Macroeconomy Forum, Securities Times reported on Wednesday.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). NDRC to revise PPP mechanism to boost private investment. ecns.cn China's top economic planner on Tuesday vowed to expedite the implementation of a new mechanism for public-private partnership (PPP) projects and revise the rules for operating licenses involving infrastructure facilities and public utilities.

Pressenza New York (2023-12-20). Offshore wind power can help reduce greenhouse gases. pressenza.com All emerging nations, not just our own, struggle with electricity. And the straightforward explanation that electricity is either not available or not available by demand, etc., is often given. Scientists have taken the initiative to develop a new device that uses the temperature differential between the European deep sea and the surface to create power, to avert this electrical crisis. They have achieved a completely sustainable and continuous electricity supply by addressing climate change. For the benefit of the free market economy, there is a growing demand for and use of alternative fuels, particularly as th…

Dongsheng Collective (2023-12-20). The Third Wave of Socialism. dongshengnews.org After the end of the Cold War, socialism suffered significant global setbacks. Despite this, a new wave of socialism has gradually emerged. Through decades of reform and opening up, China has incorporated a market economy into its socialist system. China's rise has generated tremendous interest in the country's path of development and the socialist market economy. As capitalism faces its most severe crisis in a century, there are opportunities for a new wave of socialist development.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). China, Nicaragua upgrade bilateral ties to strategic partnership. ecns.cn China and Nicaragua announced on Wednesday they agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to the strategic partnership, vowing to expand bilateral trade and bring their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) into force as soon as possible.

Ben Norton (2023-12-19). Despite Biden's claims, Gaza health ministry death toll is accurate, say peer-reviewed scientific studies. geopoliticaleconomy.com US President Biden criticized Gaza's health ministry, but its statistics on Israel's killings of Palestinians are accurate, according to peer-reviewed articles in top medical journal The Lancet.

F. William Engdahl (2023-12-19). "The Great Reset" Is Here: Follow the Money. "Insane Lockdown" of the Global Economy, "The Green Agenda" globalresearch.ca The top-down reorganization of the world economy by a technocratic cabal led by the group around the Davos World Economic Forum— the so-called Great Reset or UN Agenda 2030— is no future proposal. It is well into actualization as the world remains in insane lockdown for a virus…

Joel Richards (2023-12-19). Latin America economy wrap up 2023. america.cgtn.com The International Monetary Fund expects global growth will rise about three percent in 2024, despite inflation and concerns about the conflict in Ukraine. The nations of Latin America, with some exceptions, grew more than predicted in 2023 as the region faces challenges and opportunities in the coming year. | Joel Richards looks back on 2023.

Samir Saul, Michel Seymour (2023-12-19). 2023 in Review: Reality Makes a Forceful Comeback. pressenza.com Three major issues dominated 2023: the conflict in Ukraine, the economy and the conflict in Palestine. The first two upheavals began in 2022, the third in 2023. In all three cases, developments brought about a head-on collision with largely concealed realities. A mental universe built on myths, fantasies, fables, "alternative facts", and "narratives", not to mention crass ignorance, self-delusion, and conceit, smashed against the reef of the real world. The shock was brutal, akin to a hard landing, and devastating for the storytelling in which the West has become accustomed to wallowing. It has now become harder…

Dan Collyns (2023-12-19). Bolivia commercially taps its lithium reserves. america.cgtn.com Bolivia, which has the world's biggest untapped reserves of lithium, has officially opened its first industrial-scale lithium plant. The initiative kicks off what the country hopes is a lithium export boom and move its economy forward. | Dan Collyns shares the latest.

Dean Baker (2023-12-19). The National Debt, Tax Farming, and Patent Monopolies. cepr.net It increasingly looks like the Fed and the Biden administration have nailed the notoriously difficult soft landing, with inflation rapidly falling towards the Fed's 2.0 percent target and the unemployment rate still under 4.0 percent. All the signs are that the economy will continue to grow and create jobs at a healthy pace in 2024 …

ecns.cn (2023-12-19). China purchases 90 million tons of autumn grain to strengthen food security: NDRC. ecns.cn China is stepping up autumn grain purchase, with state-owned enterprises in the country's major grain-producing areas buying over 90 million tons of grain as of December 15.

The Independent (2023-12-19). Vibrant consumption fuels China's economic recovery. independent.co.ug NANCHANG | Xinhua | Despite external pressure and internal difficulties, China's economy has achieved a recovery and made solid progress in high-quality development in 2023, noted the annual Central Economic Work Conference held last week. Among various factors propelling growth, consumer spending is playing an increasingly important role, accounting for 83.2 percent of economic growth …

noemail (2023-12-19). Union Pacific says closed rail bridges to Mexico account for about half of cross-border shipments. devdiscourse.com Union Pacific Corp said on Tuesday that El Paso and Eagle Pass rail bridges, which were closed on Dec. 18 by U.S. border officials, account for about 45% of its cross-border shipments and include goods critical to the U.S. economy. The railroad operator said it is working closely with multiple government agencies to reopen the two border crossings, but flagged that the Department of Homeland Security did not have an estimated time of reopening.

presstv.ir (2023-12-19). The need to free Iran's economy from bondage of dollar. presstv.ir Iran's parliament has already come up with a plan to reduce the dependence of the economy on the dollar and pivot to national currencies in foreign trade.

Khalil Harb, The Cradle. (2023-12-20). From The River To The (Red) Sea: The US Is Forming A New Naval Task Force. popularresistance.org Instead of pressuring Israel to stop its brutal assault on the Gaza Strip, the Biden administration is now mobilizing Arab and western fleets – and perhaps an Israeli one as well – to safeguard Tel Aviv's economic, political, and military interests. | Amid heightened naval operations carried out against Israel-bound vessels by Yemen's Ansarallah-aligned armed forces, this US mobilization is taking place under the guise of upholding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. | Officially, Washington claims it is doing its utmost to prevent Israel's war from expanding into a regional confrontation, and…

WSWS (2023-12-20). North Korea conducts ICBM test launch amid increasing US-led provocations. wsws.org The greatest destabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region is US imperialism, which is seeking to maintain its political and economic hegemony through any means, including nuclear war.

infobrics (2023-12-20). Latest China-EU summit exposes Brussels' complete lack of sovereignty. infobrics.org Xi Jinping's and Li Qiang's attempts to nudge the talks more toward economic topics were ignored by von der Leyen and Michel. Virtually every Chinese offer of cooperation was not only rejected, but was also met with completely unreasonable demands that had nothing to do with economic relations. Political considerations were the only thing the EU was interested in.

The Independent (2023-12-20). Museveni Hails Bishop Zziwa's Wealth Creation Gospel. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commended Joseph Anthony Zziwa, the Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese for working with the government in fighting poverty through socio-economic development programs. "Thank you for your slogan and those projects. I have been telling you that yes be religious but hardworking, so I am very happy about …

teleSUR (2023-12-20). Argentines March Against Milei's Economic and Security Policies. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, human rights defenders, social activists, workers, students, teachers, and retirees will march in Buenos Aires to reject President Javier Milei's economic adjustments and security protocol. | RELATED: | This marks the first major mobilization against the far-right administration and coincides with the anniversary of the 2001 social upheaval that led to the resignation of then-President Fernando de la Ru…

Mauro Ramos, People's Dispatch. (2023-12-20). 95% Of Trade Between China And Russia No Longer Done In US Currency. popularresistance.org On a recent visit to China, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov stated that this year the use of the Russian ruble and Chinese yuan in trade between the two countries has already reached 95%. | At the same time, from January to October, 68% of all Russian trade was carried out in the two countries' currencies, according to Russian Minister of Economic Development Maksim Reshetnikov. | The yuan has also been used by Russia in commercial transactions with Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan, Tajikistan, and Singapore.

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-20). Schwab's warnings to Globalists about Black Swan events. expose-news.com In 2013, Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, began predicting "Black Swan" events threatening global security. He predicted them again in his book 'Covid-19: The Great Reset' released in July …

The Independent (2023-12-20). Oil and Gas is a Matter of 'Life and Death'-Kasaija. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Matia Kasaija, the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has underscored the importance of Uganda's oil and gas exploration, emphasizing an unwavering commitment to the project's seamless progression. During a visit to the Kingfisher Development Area (KFDA) in Buhuka village, Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube district on Tuesday evening, Kasaija reasserted …

Aram Aharonian (2023-12-20). Argentina: not to be mistaken for a nightmare, this is reality. pressenza.com Argentina's cities are rapidly losing their traditional vertigo. A strident, lethargic, lethargic silence survives. The euphoria of winning the World Cup is over, although the media still insist that the Argentinians "are world champions". | The people are aware that nothing will ever be the same again. They have kept deep within their interior those ideas of equality, solidarity, fraternity, smiles and hugs. Now it's every man for himself for almost everyone, except for those who already had everything… and are going for more. | It is not an economic shock — to which citizens are accustomed -, it is not a…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2023-12-20). Video: Fake Pandemic Triggers Worldwide Economic and Social Collapse. Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca

infobrics (2023-12-19). BRICS Expansion and Economic Fairness in Focus. infobrics.org Policy makers and experts from several countries speaking at the Doha Forum 2023 highlighted the potential of the BRICS group to establish trade and investment alliances, fostering economic and social development in a multipolar world…

Mauro Ramos (2023-12-19). Dedollarization: 95% of trade between China and Russia is no longer done in US currency. peoplesdispatch.org On a recent visit to China, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov stated that this year the use of the Russian ruble and Chinese yuan in trade between the two countries has already reached 95%. | At the same time, from January to October, 68% of all Russian trade was carried out in the two countries' currencies, according to Russian Minister of Economic Development Maksim Reshetnikov. | The yuan has also been used by Russia in commercial transactions with Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan, Tajikistan, and Singapore. | The debate about the need for de-doll…

Roger D. Harris, Popular Resistance. (2023-12-19). Year 2023 In Review For Latin American And The Caribbean. popularresistance.org December 2 marked the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, which proclaimed US dominion over Latin America and the Caribbean. Left-leaning governments in the hemisphere have had to contest a decadent but still dominant USA. Challenges in the past year include a world economic slowdown, a continuing drug plague, and a more aggressive hegemon reacting to a more volatile and disputed world order. | The progressive regional current, the so-called Pink Tide, slackened in 2023 compared to the rising tide of 2022, which had been buoyed by big wins in Colombia and Brazil.

Paulo Cabral (2023-12-19). Temporary jobs spike in Brazil for holidays. america.cgtn.com Brazil is seeing a spike in temporary jobs this holiday season — at levels not seen in ten years. It's a positive development, and one driving hopes the country will see an upswing in overall economic performance in 2024. | CGTN's Paulo Cabral shares the story from Sao Paulo.

Adam Fishbein (2023-12-19). Statement: Final Merger Guidelines by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. cepr.net The Center for Economic and Policy Research applauds the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission for the Merger Guidelines it released yesterday. The guidelines provide a clear roadmap to antitrust agencies and courts to prevent further industry consolidation in markets already dominated by a few large firms. They address the twenty-first-century problem of …

ecns.cn (2023-12-19). China on way to meet 2023 economic growth targets. ecns.cn China is well-positioned to meet its annual economic growth targets for 2023, the country's top economic regulator said on Tuesday.

latintimes (2023-12-19). Argentina's Central Bank Changes Its Benchmark Interest Rate Amid Economic Crisis. latintimes.com The central bank's announcement follows President Javier Milei taking office on Dec. 10 and making the exchange rate 800 pesos per dollar, compared to the previous rate of 400 pesos per dollar.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2023-12-19). Video: Fake Pandemic Triggers Worldwide Economic and Social Collapse. Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca

Isaac Nellist (2023-12-19). Supermarket workers go on strike: 'All we want for Xmas is a living wage'. greenleft.org.au Workers at Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have ramped up their campaign for a living wage, secure jobs and safe workplaces with a Christmas #Superstrike. Isaac Nellist reports.

Peoples Dispatch (2023-12-20). Eugene Puryear on Sudan, 5 years since the December revolution. peoplesdispatch.org Five years after Sudan's December revolution, the country is facing a devastating humanitarian crisis. A raging civil war has left hundreds of thousands displaced, facing hunger and poverty.

The Independent (2023-12-20). ENERGY: d.light joins $148M off-grid solar grant initiative in Uganda. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Solar solutions company d.light is set to help government expand access to clean and affordable solar energy across homes, businesses, and public institutions lacking reliable energy sources in Uganda in a new $148milion grant deal. A global provider of solar solutions and financial access for low-income households, d.light is actively engaged …

Eric Toussaint (2023-12-20). "Developing Countries" are Trapped in a New Debt Crisis : How Can This be Explained? counterpunch.org The latest World Bank report on the debts of "developing countries", published on December 13, 2023 [1], reveals an alarming fact: in 2022, developing countries as a whole spent a record US$ 443.5 billion to pay for their external public debt. The 75 low-income nations that are eligible for loans from the International Development Association (IDA),

WSWS (2023-12-19). Clarence Thomas demanded more money just before receiving gifts from his ultra-rich supporters. wsws.org A new report from ProPublica says Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas campaigned publicly and privately for an increase in his salary and then suddenly dropped income complaints after he was showered with money and gifts from right-wing wealthy political supporters.

WSWS (2023-12-19). Record high for debt repayments by low-income nations. wsws.org Nearly half a trillion dollars was paid into the coffers of the banks and financial institutions, paid for by cuts in health, education and other vital facilities.

Aina J Khan (2023-12-19). UK: Labour Muslim Network pressures Starmer to cut ties with Israeli ambassador. middleeasteye.net UK: Labour Muslim Network pressures Starmer to cut ties with Israeli ambassador | Starmer urged to take 'no further engagements' with Tzipi Hotovely, after she said her country would not accept a two-state solution when the war in Gaza ends | Tue, 12/19/2023 – 15: 03 | Keir Starmer at the funeral service of former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedra…

Daniel Johnston (2023-12-19). Labour leftists looking for a win should embrace the big green elephant in the room. thecanary.co

Martha Grevatt (2023-12-20). Labor solidarity with Palestine grows. workers.org Labor solidarity with Palestine continues to grow — even in the U.S. where the leadership of organized labor has historically been pro-Zionist. Thousands of union activists and allies rallied in Oakland, California, on Dec. 16, to voice solidarity with Palestinian workers. Called by Bay Area Labor for Palestine, the demonstration . . . |

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-20). Ten Predictions for Labor in 2024. inthesetimes.com

Joseph Grosso (2023-12-20). A New Hope: The UAW Victory and Beyond. counterpunch.org If there has been a constant theme to Left discourse in the U.S. it has been that a labor revival is always just around the corner. While this has proved to be quite elusive, it can be said that this year has put workers rights squarely in the spotlight. There has been the continuing organizing

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-20). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (2023-12-19). SEP (Australia) holds speakout to promote meeting tomorrow in Sydney opposing Gaza genocide. wsws.org The meeting will discuss the need for a political struggle against the Labor government, which has backed the genocide, and the entire capitalist system that is responsible.

JANET (2023-12-19). PFLP calls for weekly global strikes on Mondays. iacenter.org December 18, 2023 The following statement was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Axis of Resistance on Dec. 17, 2023. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls for participation in the global strike, which was called for by forces in solidarity with our oppressed and struggling people for their freedom. The strike is scheduled for every Monday until the cessation of the aggression and genocide against our people. The Front invites labor unions, professional associations, progressive forces, and supporters of our people around the world to engage in every possible effort to make this strike succes…

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-19). Klaus Schwab wants to stop the retreat of globalisation and global governance with a new form of globalisation and global governance. expose-news.com Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret's book 'Covid-19: The Great Reset' identified "the global governance free fall" as an existential challenge and if we do not collaborate "we are doomed." "Nation states make …

Jenny Brown, Labor Notes. (2023-12-19). 2023 In Review: Big Strikes, Bigger Gains. popularresistance.org Strikes and threats of strikes extracted contracts ranging from good to excellent from employers across the country this year. Half a million U.S. workers walked out—machinists, teachers, baristas, nurses, hotel housekeepers, and auto workers—with much of the motion coming from unions led by reformers. | The year started out with a squeaker of an election victory that turned out to be momentous. In late 2022, the Members United slate swept most top offices at the Auto Workers (UAW) on a platform of "No Concessions, No Corruption, No Tiers." March saw a presidential runoff pitting the old guard incumbe…

Staff (2023-12-19). Colaboración entre Roswell Park y el CIM: Lo que aspiramos de las relaciones entre los pueblos de EEUU y Cuba. cubadebate.cu "Las posibilidades de intercambio científico, tecnológico, académico y cultural entre el pueblo cubano y el pueblo norteamericano tienen unas enormes potencialidades, y esta empresa es una expresión de ello", subrayó Díaz-Canel al recibir a varios directivos del Hospital Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, institución que junto al Centro de Inmunología Molecular de Cuba crearon la empresa mixta Innovative Immunotherapy Alliance SA (IIA).

Joseph Grosso (2023-12-19). A New Hope: The UAW Victory and Beyond. counterpunch.org If there has been a constant theme to Left discourse in the U.S. it has been that a labor revival is always just around the corner. While this has proved to be quite elusive, it can be said that this year has put workers rights squarely in the spotlight. There has been the continuing organizing

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-19). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

Labor Video Project (2023-12-19). Bay Area Unions & Thousands of Workers Rally & March for Palestine in Oakland. indybay.org Thousands of workers and unionists from throughout the Bay Area rallied in Oakland against the US supported Israel war on Gaza and the Palestinians. A growing number of unions are breaking from the pro-Zionist leadership including AFL-CIO president Liz Schuler and many of other union heads…

Stuart Littlewood (2023-12-20). Palestinians' Superior Right to Self-defence is Ignored, as Usual. dissidentvoice.org The UK's leaders are tying themselves in knots in their desperate attempt to defend the indefensible. In a debate on Israel and Palestine in Parliament last week, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs Leo Docherty got up and said: There is no scenario in which Hamas can be allowed to control Gaza …

It's Going Down (2023-12-19). "Feed the People, Eat the Rich!": Group Wearing Jeff Bezos Masks Ransacks Whole Foods. itsgoingdown.org On Friday, December 15th, "a "merry band of miscreants" entered a Whole Foods in NYC, lifted a bunch of groceries, and walked out in Jeff Bezos masks," reported independent journalist Talia Jane on Twitter/X. The journalist posted, "the action was in protest against corporate wealth alongside increased food insecurity & to call attention to Amazon's…

Ron Jacobs (2023-12-19). Rich Kid's Resurrection in Annapolis—A Thought Experiment. counterpunch.org Marc Estrin's newest fiction is titled Et Resurrexit. The title is shared with a chorus from Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor (H-moll in the original German). A slim text, it begins with a male heir of the Vanderbilts—a young man whose perception of the world is certainly shaped by his family's wealth—rising from

Famine Early Warning System Network (2023-12-19). Chad – Key message update: In the Sahel, food consumption deficit is exacerbated by declining harvests and atypical food price increases, November 2023. reliefweb.int

Mustafa Abu Sneineh, Mondoweiss. (2023-12-20). 'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood' Day 74: Hamas Tells Israel It 'Arrived Too Late'. popularresistance.org The atrocities Israel committed in the Gaza Strip may need a UN special tribunal, said Martin Griffiths, the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. | Griffiths told The Financial Times in an interview that he has dealt with conflicts and natural disasters in Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, and Sudan, and yet the situation in Gaza, where 136 UN workers have been killed in Israeli bombardment, is by far the worst. | "None of the normal, sound foundations you see across the world for humanitarian operations in places like Syria and Afghanistan exist for us in Gaza.

unitedEditor (2023-12-20). Georgia at the crossroads: EU process and NATO or the "3+3" format? uwidata.com The South Caucasus is expecting with important developments in terms of regional peace and stability. It is not possible for such an environment of peace and stability to exist without Georgia. We talked with Shota Apkhaidze, Georgian political scientist and expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, about Georgia's new …

infobrics (2023-12-20). Ukraine weapons fund will run out on December 30, Pentagon claims. infobrics.org Kiev will hold out for 'a couple of months' without financial support from the West — IMF.

World Bank (2023-12-19). Solomon Islands: World Bank Assistance Will Boost Solomons Islands' Public Financial Management, Private Sector Development, and Support Climate Resilience. reliefweb.int Country: Solomon Islands | Source: World Bank | WASHINGTON, December 19, 2023 —The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved a US$20 million grant to support the Government of Solomon Islands in improving financial management, strengthen the business environment, and improve emergency preparedness. | The First Solomon Islands Resilience Development Policy Operation with a Catastrophe Drawdown Option will support the Solomon Islands government to increase tax revenue through the government's Value Added Tax Bill and the introduction of a new nickel royalty based on the value of the metal containe…

latintimes (2023-12-19). Financial Entities Risk Missing on Billions if They Don't Approach Latino Savers and Businesses: McKinsey. latintimes.com

WSWS (2023-12-19). Junior doctors resume strikes in England: For a joint offensive of NHS workers against below inflation pay deals! wsws.org The extended walkouts testify to the determination of the BMA's junior members to win a 35 percent "pay restoration" increase. By the end of the January action, assuming it goes ahead, the doctors will have taken 34 days of action.

Toni Waterman (2023-12-19). Food bank demand soars in United States. america.cgtn.com Food banks across the U.S. are feeling the squeeze this holiday season. Demand for assistance is soaring as grocery, housing and overall living costs rise. But those same inflationary factors are also limiting people's ability to give, leaving donation centers scrambling to keep families fed at a time when food insecurity is rising in America. | Toni Waterman shares the story from Austin.

latintimes (2023-12-19). Mexican Food Retailers To Maintain Price Cap For Staples Like Corn: Official. latintimes.com The agreement was reportedly made to curb the impact of inflation in the country.

presstv.ir (2023-12-19). UK health crisis: Welsh junior doctors to go on strike amid 'grueling conditions'. presstv.ir Thousands of junior doctors in Wales will go on strike in January after being offered a below-inflation pay offer of 5 percent.

Ezio Boero (2023-12-19). Progress in the results of the strike of the workers of the large Californian hotels. pressenza.com Since the 4th of July holiday weekend, around sixty large hotels in Southern California, and especially in Los Angeles, have been affected by extensive strikes, mobile pickets and demonstrations. | 32,000 workers (room maids, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders and receptionists) are trying to renew their employment contracts which expired on June 30th. | They ask for an increase of 11 dollars in hourly wages over the course of the three-year contract (5 dollars/hour from the signing of the agreement), improvement of health care and pension benefits, reduction of workloads, possibility of access to work for people who…

Staff (2023-12-20). "This Is a Colonial War": Historian Rashid Khalidi on Israel, Gaza & the Future of Palestine. democracynow.org Historian Rashid Khalidi discusses the pending United Nations Security Council vote on suspending fighting in Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and the future of Palestine. The Biden administration reportedly delayed the U.N. vote and pushed other countries to water down the language. This comes as Israel and Hamas leaders have signaled they are open to another truce and hostage exchange. Israel's relentless assault on Gaza has now killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and displaced over 90% of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people. "The situation in Gaza is unspeakable," says Khalidi…

infobrics (2023-12-20). Cabinet Greenlights PetroSA Partnership with Gazprombank to Restart WC Refinery. infobrics.org Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has defended the move, saying it would lower the price of fuel and was based on South Africa's partnership with BRICS nations to increase trade and investment between them…

Joel Stein (2023-12-20). LEFT WONDERING: How Can You Invest In An Ethical Fashion? levernews.com Welcome to a new edition of Left Wondering with Joel Stein, our advice column for paid subscribers of The Lever on how to lead an ethical life in an increasingly unethical world.
Dear Left Wondering,: We are trying to invest funds in the U.S. in an ethical fashion and are running into roadblocks.Can you help?Thanks,Nancy BolanDear Nancy,: Roadblocks are indeed an interesting area for investment, since they're ripe for disruption. Those orange-striped sawhorses and cones haven't changed since I was a kid. One challenge I bet you're having is that your ethics are different from other people's ethi…

National Homelessness Law Center (2023-12-20). Law Center Statement on 12% Increase in Homelessness. indybay.org Point in Time results must drive housing investments, not despair…

National Homelessness Law Center (2023-12-19). Law Center Statement on 12% Increase in Homelessness. indybay.org Point in Time results must drive housing investments, not despair…

repost (2023-12-20). Speak Out at SF Civil Service Commission on Layoffs at Tenderloin Neighborhood Development. indybay.org Terminated workers at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) and community members protested the layoff at the "non-profit". The City of San Francisco does no oversight of these agencies which are contracted out do do public work with private non-profits with self appointed boards.

Anonymous Contributor (2023-12-19). Amazon Construction Site Disrupted by Pro-Palestine Activists in Central Point, Oregon. itsgoingdown.org Report back on solidarity action against Amazon in solidarity those in occupied Palestine. In Southern Oregon, anti-genocide activists disrupted work at an Amazon-owned construction site in solidarity with Palestine this morning. With messages of "Free Palestine," "Amazon Profits Off Genocide," and "Los Pueblos Unidos Jamás Serán Vencidos" the activists entered the construction site on Table…

repost (2023-12-19). Speak Out At SF Civil Service Commission On Layoffs At Tenderloin Neighborhood Development. indybay.org Terminated workers at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) and community members protested the layoff at the "non-profit". The City of San Francisco does no oversight of these agencies which are contracted out do do public work with private non-profits with self appointed boards.

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-20). UK Parliament debates IHR amendments: If sovereignty is knowingly and deceitfully forfeited by government there are specific laws for dealing with that, says Andrew Bridgen. expose-news.com On Monday, the UK House of Commons debated the World Health Organisation's ("WHO's") proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations ("IHR"). The debate was held in response to a petition to the …

A Guest Author (2023-12-20). Europe's military drift and the attack on social services. workers.org By Manuel Raposo Lisbon, Portugal Raposo is a Marxist analyst and editor of the Portuguese web periodical found at jornalmudardevida.net, where this article was published on Dec. 16, 2023. Translation: John Catalinotto. Demonstration in Lisbon, February 2023. For a fair life, not a penny more for NATO. Judging by recent . . . |

Mansa Musa, The Real News Network. (2023-12-20). The 13th Amendment Legalizes Slavery; Many States Have Their Own Version. popularresistance.org The 13th Amendment of the US Constitution makes an exception to the abolition of slavery in order to permit the use of "involuntary servitude" as punishment for a crime. The modern system of mass incarceration depends on this exception to justify paying millions of incarcerated people subminimum wages that many advocates say is virtually indistinguishable from forms of slavery. Various US states also have their own constitutional "exception clauses" that mirror the language of the 13th Amendment, providing an additional layer of legal justification for the exploitation of prisoners.

Ana Luisa Brown (2023-12-19). Guatemala's President announces minimum wage increase for 2024. plenglish.com Guatemala City, Dec 19 (Prensa Latina) Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei announced today an effective wage increase from January 1, 2024 of 6.6 percent for this department and 3.6 percent for the rest of the country.

Kathleen Wallace (2023-12-20). Suffer the Young Women. counterpunch.org t's not your imagination. Life is definitely getting harder for almost all Americans, whether we are speaking of those tightrope walking as they balance escalating costs of living and stagnant wages or for those who have fallen off the rope completely, descending into an ever widening homeless population. The very subjective nature of "it's just

Dongsheng Collective (2023-12-20). The New Forms of Socialism in the Twenty-First Century. dongshengnews.org The world has come a long way since the mid-nineteenth century, when scientific socialism emerged in Europe. Contrary to initial expectations, socialism did not emerge in the developed capitalist countries, but in the underdeveloped colonies and semi-colonies, such as China. Faced with challenges that could not be answered by classical theories of socialism, China had to develop its own solutions. Having attained significant achievements in modernisation, China must now reach a higher level of socialist development and surpass capitalism.

WSWS (2023-12-20). Nippon Steel acquires US Steel for $14.9 billion. wsws.org The takeover of US Steel is a further sign of the decades-long decline of American capitalism and the loss of its industrial dominance.

Paul Street (2023-12-20). The Four Horsemen of the Capitalist-Imperialist Apocalypse. counterpunch.org Followers of my writing have I hope noticed me repeatedly arguing that capitalism produces four mutually reinforcing and multiplying apocalyptic horsemen: ecocide, pandemicide, potentially terminal nuclear war, and fascism. Capitalism at the Dark Taproot I want to dig into this formulation here, explaining how capitalism generates each of these apocalyptic menaces and how the "four

Frank Cappello (2023-12-19). MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM: The Muppet Christmas Carol (w/ Wren Mack). levernews.com

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-20). Israel's Decision To Push Industrial Settlement WHERE?! youtube.com

Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. (2023-12-19). The Deadly Influence Of The Military Industrial Complex At COP28. popularresistance.org We hear about the growing influence of fossil fuel, nuclear and Big Agriculture corporations over the United Nations' Conference of Parties (COP) meetings, but hardly anything about the presence of weapons makers and NATO leaders. Clearing the FOG speaks with Canadian environmental lawyer and peace activist Tamara Lorincz, who reports about the meetings and outcomes of the recently-concluded COP28. She is part of an organizing effort to highlight the carbon footprint of Western militaries and the significant contributions of NATO countries to the climate crisis. Lorincz points out the great discrepancies between…

EcoWaste Coalition (2023-12-19). Single-Use Food Packaging from 17 Countries Contains PFAS "Forever Chemicals" pressenza.com 19 December 2023, Gothenburg City, Sweden/Quezon City Philippines. A study released today by the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and 18 IPEN member groups found toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals, including globally banned substances, in single-use, paper, cardboard, and plant-based molded fiber food containers and tableware purchased from 17 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. | PFAS chemicals have been linked to cancer, infertility, and endocrine disruption. Prior studies have shown that PFAS in food packaging can…

Ragip Soylu (2023-12-19). Northern Cyprus to restrict property sales after rumours of mass Jewish purchases. middleeasteye.net Northern Cyprus to restrict property sales after rumours of mass Jewish purchases | Media campaign has alleged that thousands of Israelis and Jewish Europeans had purchased land in the region, though Turkey's foreign minister denies this is the case | Tue, 12/19/2023 – 08: 12 | The Kyrenia mountain range, north of the divided Cypriot capital, with the flags of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of No…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-20). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-19). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

Editor (2023-12-20). Dec 20, 2023. sitrepworld.info Arise Donbass! (–í—Å—Ç–∞–≤–∞–π –î–æ–Ω–±–∞—Å—Å!) Donetsk 'Tis the Season for War, by Bill Astore No Plan B: The Western Elites Didn't Plan for China, Russia and Iran Remaining Independent, by Roger Boyd Yuri Bezmenov: Interview with NS Lyons, author of The Upheaval, about "The China Convergence" The Terror Watchlist Prepared the Way to Tyranny, by Paul Craig Roberts Is neoliberalism really dead? Or does it live on like a zombie? V…

Peoples Dispatch (2023-12-19). Celebrating its 30th anniversary, MVIWATA vows to strengthen peasant solidarity in Tanzania. peoplesdispatch.org MVIWATA or the National Network of Farmers Groups in Tanzania just concluded its 30th-anniversary celebration and 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM). Fraternal organizations from all over the world traveled to Njombe to participate in the meeting. MVIWATA was formed in 1993 for farmers to unite and face the challenges presented by neoliberalism. | During the meeting, members remembered the legacy of former socialist president Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who was instrumental in organizing the country's peasantry. | Stephen Ruvuga and Theodora Pius from the organization talk about the historical significance of MVIWATA.

Angela (2023-12-19). Saturday 12/30: Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal. indybay.org Zoom (Registration link is below)…

Liam Crisan, Inequality. (2023-12-20). Lessons From One Unequal Society To Another. popularresistance.org This past Sunday, Chileans voted once again on a new constitution, opting to reject — for the second time in two years — an attempt at constitutional revision. Rejecting a highly conservative text, voters chose to keep the dictatorship-era constitution for the time being. A political saga that began amid immense hope has now devolved into a dismal disarray that's left countless Chileans tired and frustrated. | Here in the United States, we face an equally bleak political outlook. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 25 percent of U.S. adults feel that neither of the nation's two major par…

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-20). Lessons From One Unequal Society To Another. popularresistance.org

Editor (2023-12-19). Lessons From One Unequal Society to Another. scheerpost.com

Liam Crisan (2023-12-19). Lessons From One Unequal Society to Another. fpif.org

WSWS (2023-12-19). The Israeli state's fascist ideology and the genocide in Gaza. wsws.org This lecture was given by World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman David North at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

ecns.cn (2023-12-20). CPC allocates 100 million yuan to quake-hit areas. ecns.cn China's main Communist Party of China personnel management and Party building body has allocated 100 million yuan ($14 million) from the Party funds to northwestern China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces to support rescue, relief and rebuilding work in quake-stricken areas.

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2023-12-19: News Headlines

Ben Norton (2023-12-19). Despite Biden's claims, Gaza health ministry death toll is accurate, say peer-reviewed scientific studies. geopoliticaleconomy.com US President Biden criticized Gaza's health ministry, but its statistics on Israel's killings of Palestinians are accurate, according to peer-reviewed articles in top medical journal The Lancet.

Samir Saul, Michel Seymour (2023-12-19). 2023 in Review: Reality Makes a Forceful Comeback. pressenza.com Three major issues dominated 2023: the conflict in Ukraine, the economy and the conflict in Palestine. The first two upheavals began in 2022, the third in 2023. In all three cases, developments brought about a head-on collision with largely concealed realities. A mental universe built on myths, fantasies, fables, "alternative facts", and "narratives", not to mention crass ignorance, self-delusion, and conceit, smashed against the reef of the real world. The shock was brutal, akin to a hard landing, and devastating for the storytelling in which the West has become accustomed to wallowing. It has now become harder…

The Independent (2023-12-19). Vibrant consumption fuels China's economic recovery. independent.co.ug NANCHANG | Xinhua | Despite external pressure and internal difficulties, China's economy has achieved a recovery and made solid progress in high-quality development in 2023, noted the annual Central Economic Work Conference held last week. Among various factors propelling growth, consumer spending is playing an increasingly important role, accounting for 83.2 percent of economic growth …

ecns.cn (2023-12-19). China purchases 90 million tons of autumn grain to strengthen food security: NDRC. ecns.cn China is stepping up autumn grain purchase, with state-owned enterprises in the country's major grain-producing areas buying over 90 million tons of grain as of December 15.

Dean Baker (2023-12-19). The National Debt, Tax Farming, and Patent Monopolies. cepr.net It increasingly looks like the Fed and the Biden administration have nailed the notoriously difficult soft landing, with inflation rapidly falling towards the Fed's 2.0 percent target and the unemployment rate still under 4.0 percent. All the signs are that the economy will continue to grow and create jobs at a healthy pace in 2024 …

presstv.ir (2023-12-19). The need to free Iran's economy from bondage of dollar. presstv.ir Iran's parliament has already come up with a plan to reduce the dependence of the economy on the dollar and pivot to national currencies in foreign trade.

Radhika Desai, Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-18). Is Neoliberalism Really Dead? popularresistance.org Or does it live on like a zombie? Political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss neoliberalism, and the premature predictions about its demise.

Radhika Desai, Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-18). Is Neoliberalism Really Dead? popularresistance.org t's happening again. Reports of the death of neoliberalism are once again proliferating. Just take a look at the UK Guardian. In the UK Guardian website, there is a whole series of stories whether it is "Neoliberalism is Dying," "The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism," "Biden Just Declared the Death of Neoliberalism," "Is Neoliberalism Finally Over?," "Is Neoliberalism Finally Dead?" and "Is the Neoliberal Era Over Yet?" And of course there are also contrary views: "The National Institutes of Health Say Neoliberalism is Not Dead." And there is also a very interesting story in The Jacobin, which says "The Rumors are…

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). China unveils rules on supervision of non-bank payment institutions. ecns.cn China's State Council unveiled rules on the regulation of non-bank payment institutions on Sunday, in a move to prevent financial risks, regulate the industry's growth and protect consumers' interests amid the rapid development of the sector.

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Chinese economy to keep its growth momentum in 2024 despite facing challenges: official. ecns.cn China's economy faces more opportunities than challenges in 2024, with economic growth remaining on the recovery trajectory and more factors contributing to high-quality growth.

cameron orr (2023-12-18). Democracy, peace, and equality: today's anti-racist imperatives. cpusa.org The following report was presented by Eric Brooks on behalf of the African American Equality Commission to the December 3, 2023 CPUSA National Committee meeting. | Thank you comrades for the opportunity to present this report. | The African American Equality Commission (AAEC) welcomes the current upsurge in people's struggle in the U.S. The massive union struggles and huge marches demanding a ceasefire in Palestine reflect large segments of the U.S. population, including youth, rising up to defend human dignity and demand peace and a just economy. | Fascism thrives on racism, sexism, and xenophobia. It fosters…

presstv.ir (2023-12-18). Yemeni army's operations have left significant economic impact on Israel: Ansarullah. presstv.ir Ansarullah says the Yemeni army's attacks against vessels headed to the occupied Palestinian territories have taken a big toll on the Israeli economy.

infobrics (2023-12-19). BRICS Expansion and Economic Fairness in Focus. infobrics.org Policy makers and experts from several countries speaking at the Doha Forum 2023 highlighted the potential of the BRICS group to establish trade and investment alliances, fostering economic and social development in a multipolar world…

Mauro Ramos (2023-12-19). Dedollarization: 95% of trade between China and Russia is no longer done in US currency. peoplesdispatch.org On a recent visit to China, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov stated that this year the use of the Russian ruble and Chinese yuan in trade between the two countries has already reached 95%. | At the same time, from January to October, 68% of all Russian trade was carried out in the two countries' currencies, according to Russian Minister of Economic Development Maksim Reshetnikov. | The yuan has also been used by Russia in commercial transactions with Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan, Tajikistan, and Singapore. | The debate about the need for de-doll…

Roger D. Harris, Popular Resistance. (2023-12-19). Year 2023 In Review For Latin American And The Caribbean. popularresistance.org December 2 marked the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, which proclaimed US dominion over Latin America and the Caribbean. Left-leaning governments in the hemisphere have had to contest a decadent but still dominant USA. Challenges in the past year include a world economic slowdown, a continuing drug plague, and a more aggressive hegemon reacting to a more volatile and disputed world order. | The progressive regional current, the so-called Pink Tide, slackened in 2023 compared to the rising tide of 2022, which had been buoyed by big wins in Colombia and Brazil.

ecns.cn (2023-12-19). China on way to meet 2023 economic growth targets. ecns.cn China is well-positioned to meet its annual economic growth targets for 2023, the country's top economic regulator said on Tuesday.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2023-12-19). Video: Fake Pandemic Triggers Worldwide Economic and Social Collapse. Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca

infobrics (2023-12-18). BRICS Expansion and Economic Fairness in Focus. infobrics.org Policy makers and experts from several countries speaking at the Doha Forum 2023 highlighted the potential of the BRICS group to establish trade and investment alliances, fostering economic and social development in a multipolar world…

Benjamin Velasco (2023-12-18). Silent pandemic: Mental health issues among informal transport workers in the Philippines. peoplesdispatch.org Workers in the informal transportation sector in the Philippines faced an upsurge in mental health issues due to increased economic precarity during the COVID-19 lockdown…

Edward Lozansky, Consortium News. (2023-12-18). War In Ukraine And The 'Crisis Of Western Civilization'. popularresistance.org The war in Ukraine has become a crisis of Western civilization. | Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerard Baker writes that the West is "losing our soul, our sense of purpose as a society, our identity as a civilization. We in the West are in the grip of an ideology that disowns our genius, denounces our success, disdains merit, elevates victimhood, embraces societal self-loathing, and enforces it all in a web of exclusionary and authoritarian rules, large and small." | Baker nevertheless reminds us that "liberal capitalism has done more for human prosperity, health and freedom than any other economic or polit…

Observer R (2023-12-18). The End of Ukraine. sonar21.com According to many reports, the population of Ukraine has declined by more than half, from 40+ million to 20- million, with death, injury, and destruction widespread in the country since February 2014. Let's look at some of the stages where this outcome might have been prevented: | Stage One—The Ukraine administration of Yanukovych had negotiated a better economic deal with China and Russia than what the West was offering. China was very much interested in helping Ukraine increase agricultural production, thereby increasing exports to China. However, Yanukovych was overthrown in the 2014 Maidan revolut…

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Over 5,000 Chinese suspects of economic crimes fleeing overseas apprehended from over 100 countries and regions: Ministry. ecns.cn More than 5,000 Chinese suspects of economic crimes fleeing overseas have been caught and arrested from over 100 countries and regions by the public security organs across the country since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Roger D. Harris (2023-12-18). Year 2023 in review for Latin America and the Caribbean. dissidentvoice.org December 2nd marked the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, which proclaimed US dominion over Latin America and the Caribbean. Left-leaning governments in the hemisphere have had to contest a decadent but still dominant USA. Challenges in the past year include a world economic slowdown, a continuing drug plague, and a more aggressive hegemon reacting …

Ahmed Adel (2023-12-18). Devastating Economic and Social Crisis: A Majority of Germans Want A New Government and Early Elections. globalresearch.ca

Isaac Nellist (2023-12-19). Supermarket workers go on strike: 'All we want for Xmas is a living wage'. greenleft.org.au Workers at Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have ramped up their campaign for a living wage, secure jobs and safe workplaces with a Christmas #Superstrike. Isaac Nellist reports.

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Gold gains traction among country's investment options. ecns.cn Gold holdings will increase among Chinese high net-worth individuals next year as uncertainties loom in capital markets, experts said, as wealth preservation and security top their asset management priorities.

William Bourke (2023-12-19). Universal basic income for a more prosperous Australia. independentaustralia.net

WSWS (2023-12-19). Clarence Thomas demanded more money just before receiving gifts from his ultra-rich supporters. wsws.org A new report from ProPublica says Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas campaigned publicly and privately for an increase in his salary and then suddenly dropped income complaints after he was showered with money and gifts from right-wing wealthy political supporters.

WSWS (2023-12-19). Record high for debt repayments by low-income nations. wsws.org Nearly half a trillion dollars was paid into the coffers of the banks and financial institutions, paid for by cuts in health, education and other vital facilities.

Daniel Johnston (2023-12-19). Labour leftists looking for a win should embrace the big green elephant in the room. thecanary.co

Simon Hooper (2023-12-18). Jewish man expelled by Labour claims discrimination over antisemitism accusation. middleeasteye.net Jewish man expelled by Labour claims discrimination over antisemitism accusation | Stephen Marks, a Labour member for more than 40 years, says accusation of antisemitism is 'repellent' and ignored his Jewishness and anti-Zionist beliefs | Mon, 12/18/2023 – 09: 54 | Stephen Marks warned that Labour leader Keir Starmer's refusal to support a ceasefire in Gaza would have political consequences for…

Labour Against the Arms Trade (2023-12-18). Toronto Picketers at Pratt and Whitney. socialistproject.ca On Tuesday morning of December 12, more than two hundred workers and union members from across the Toronto area picketed the Mississauga manufacturing plant of defence contractor Pratt & Whitney Canada. As Israel pursues its deadly assault on Gaza for a third month, the picket lines interrupted business as usual at an aerospace giant that makes engines for aircrafts that the Israeli military is using to carry out its bombing campaign against Palestinian lives and infrastructure. Encountering banners that read "Stop Arming Apartheid" and "Arms Embargo on Israel Now" as they arrived for morning shift, cars were…

A A (2023-12-18). They Can Wait at Leisure, Whilst Netanyahu Labours — and Errs. strategic-culture.su

JANET (2023-12-19). PFLP calls for weekly global strikes on Mondays. iacenter.org December 18, 2023 The following statement was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Axis of Resistance on Dec. 17, 2023. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls for participation in the global strike, which was called for by forces in solidarity with our oppressed and struggling people for their freedom. The strike is scheduled for every Monday until the cessation of the aggression and genocide against our people. The Front invites labor unions, professional associations, progressive forces, and supporters of our people around the world to engage in every possible effort to make this strike succes…

WSWS (2023-12-19). SEP (Australia) holds speakout to promote meeting tomorrow in Sydney opposing Gaza genocide. wsws.org The meeting will discuss the need for a political struggle against the Labor government, which has backed the genocide, and the entire capitalist system that is responsible.

Jenny Brown, Labor Notes. (2023-12-19). 2023 In Review: Big Strikes, Bigger Gains. popularresistance.org Strikes and threats of strikes extracted contracts ranging from good to excellent from employers across the country this year. Half a million U.S. workers walked out—machinists, teachers, baristas, nurses, hotel housekeepers, and auto workers—with much of the motion coming from unions led by reformers. | The year started out with a squeaker of an election victory that turned out to be momentous. In late 2022, the Members United slate swept most top offices at the Auto Workers (UAW) on a platform of "No Concessions, No Corruption, No Tiers." March saw a presidential runoff pitting the old guard incumbe…

Rhoda Wilson (2023-12-19). Klaus Schwab wants to stop the retreat of globalisation and global governance with a new form of globalisation and global governance. expose-news.com Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret's book 'Covid-19: The Great Reset' identified "the global governance free fall" as an existential challenge and if we do not collaborate "we are doomed." "Nation states make …

Staff (2023-12-19). Colaboración entre Roswell Park y el CIM: Lo que aspiramos de las relaciones entre los pueblos de EEUU y Cuba. cubadebate.cu "Las posibilidades de intercambio científico, tecnológico, académico y cultural entre el pueblo cubano y el pueblo norteamericano tienen unas enormes potencialidades, y esta empresa es una expresión de ello", subrayó Díaz-Canel al recibir a varios directivos del Hospital Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, institución que junto al Centro de Inmunología Molecular de Cuba crearon la empresa mixta Innovative Immunotherapy Alliance SA (IIA).

Joseph Grosso (2023-12-19). A New Hope: The UAW Victory and Beyond. counterpunch.org If there has been a constant theme to Left discourse in the U.S. it has been that a labor revival is always just around the corner. While this has proved to be quite elusive, it can be said that this year has put workers rights squarely in the spotlight. There has been the continuing organizing

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-19). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

Labor Video Project (2023-12-19). Bay Area Unions & Thousands of Workers Rally & March for Palestine in Oakland. indybay.org Thousands of workers and unionists from throughout the Bay Area rallied in Oakland against the US supported Israel war on Gaza and the Palestinians. A growing number of unions are breaking from the pro-Zionist leadership including AFL-CIO president Liz Schuler and many of other union heads…

WSWS (2023-12-18). Australian protesters: "We need a general strike to stop the Gaza genocide!" wsws.org "The union leadership in this country is all led by the Labor Party, they all benefit from ties with Israel, they don't want to do anything that harms that."

WSWS (2023-12-18). Australian Labor government hails US passage of AUKUS legislation. wsws.org Beyond the issue of Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, the legislation seeks to consolidate a military block clearly aimed at preparing for war against China.

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Closer global collaboration urged to reach UN goals. ecns.cn Prospects of achieving the United Nations' 2030 sustainable development goals are bleak, and countries need to make a much more concerted effort if progress is to be made, a top United Nations official says.

Dave DeCamp (2023-12-18). US Airstrike Reported in Somalia for First Time in Months. news.antiwar.com The US launched an airstrike in southern Somalia on Sunday as part of an operation in collaboration with the Mogadishu-based government, Voice of America reported. The US-backed government claimed the operation killed a senior al-Shabaab commander. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the accuracy of the government's report to VOA, a US-state-funded media outlet, although AFRICOM …

WSWS (2023-12-18). Australian government tries to thwart High Court challenges to new detention laws. wsws.org The Labor government's manoeuvre underscores how far it is prepared to go, hand-in-hand with the Liberal-National Coalition, to override even the limited protections in the Australian Constitution against arbitrary detention by executive decree.

Julia Conley, Commondreams. (2023-12-18). Starbucks Ordered To Reopen 23 Stores. popularresistance.org Like its alleged intimidation tactics and firing of workers who have led unionization efforts, Starbucks' closure of at least 23 stores amid a nationwide workers' rights push last year did not go unnoticed by federal regulators, who ordered the global coffee chain to reopen the locations on Wednesday. | The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint saying that eight of the shuttered stores were among the more than 360 Starbucks locations that have voted to unionize, and that executives did not notify the union, Starbucks Workers United, about the closures ahead of time—robbing organizers of a…

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-18). The Fascist Movement's Biggest Threat: Labor Unions? inthesetimes.com

Mark Gruenberg (2023-12-18). UAW hits the gas on organizing effort at Honda, Hyundai, and Volkswagen. peoplesworld.org DETROIT—The United Auto Workers are stepping up their organizing drives at U.S. plants of foreign automakers Honda in Greensburg, Ind., Hyundai in Montgomery, Ala., and Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tenn., despite bosses' labor law-breaking and use of union-busters. "At the non-union automakers, it's a dictatorship," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a Facebook video. "The moment …

Binoy Kampmark (2023-12-18). Flirting With Nuclear Energy Down Under. counterpunch.org It was a policy that was bound to send a shiver through the policymaking community. The issue of nuclear energy in Australia has always been a contentious one. Currently, the country hosts a modest nuclear industry, centred on the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), nuclear medicine and laboratory products. But even this has created headaches in terms

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-18). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

Labor Video Project (2023-12-18). Bay Area Unions & Thousands of Workers Rally & March for Palestine in Oakland. indybay.org Thousands of workers and unionists from throughout the Bay Area rallied in Oakland against the US supported Israel war on Gaza and the Palestinians. A growing number of unions are breaking from the pro-Zionist leadership including AFL-CIO president Liz Schuler and many of other union heads…

Ron Jacobs (2023-12-19). Rich Kid's Resurrection in Annapolis—A Thought Experiment. counterpunch.org Marc Estrin's newest fiction is titled Et Resurrexit. The title is shared with a chorus from Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor (H-moll in the original German). A slim text, it begins with a male heir of the Vanderbilts—a young man whose perception of the world is certainly shaped by his family's wealth—rising from

_____ (2023-12-18). World Peace Is a Possibility. transcend.org Being on Earth is like being on a plane. We are all transients sharing a temporary flight. We may not have the best seats but will be landing somewhere else, so why quarrel? Those who have the best seats–fancy houses, wealth, prestige–will also have to give them up when the flight is over, at death.

Chauncey K. Robinson (2023-12-18). 'Wonka' review: A condemnation of wealthy elites the whole family can enjoy. peoplesworld.org Just in time for the holidays is a family movie that intertwines fun with a message targeting greed and capitalist monopoly. While the movie isn't shouting "Down with the system!" from the chocolate rooftops, dominant themes throughout Wonka are the battle against corrupt wealthy businessmen and the plight of the poor. The new musical fantasy …

Will Jones (2023-12-19). Audi Hits Brakes on Electric Vehicle Rollout as Demand Plummets. dailysceptic.org Audi will hit the brakes on its rollout of electric car models as consumer demand plummets in the face of high prices compared to petrol models.

WSWS (2023-12-18). German government finalizes its war budget. wsws.org Unlimited funds for war and armaments, cuts in social spending and higher energy prices—this is the core of the German government's 2024 budget.

Dean Baker (2023-12-18). Wages and Prices: Who Is Keeping Up with What? cepr.net Since President Biden took office, the media have run a constant stream of news stories about how high various prices were and telling their audiences that this has led to mass suffering. These stories appear less frequently now, although we still hear Republican politicians and people posting in social media that they are paying $5 …

Famine Early Warning System Network (2023-12-19). Chad – Key message update: In the Sahel, food consumption deficit is exacerbated by declining harvests and atypical food price increases, November 2023. reliefweb.int

Chloe Atkinson (2023-12-18). COP28 Agreement to Move Away From Fossil Fuels. counterpunch.org In what many see as a first-of-its-kind deal signaling the eventual end of the oil age, representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst impact of climate change. In a demonstration of global solidarity, negotiators joined together at the COP28 climate summit in

World Bank (2023-12-19). Solomon Islands: World Bank Assistance Will Boost Solomons Islands' Public Financial Management, Private Sector Development, and Support Climate Resilience. reliefweb.int Country: Solomon Islands | Source: World Bank | WASHINGTON, December 19, 2023 —The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved a US$20 million grant to support the Government of Solomon Islands in improving financial management, strengthen the business environment, and improve emergency preparedness. | The First Solomon Islands Resilience Development Policy Operation with a Catastrophe Drawdown Option will support the Solomon Islands government to increase tax revenue through the government's Value Added Tax Bill and the introduction of a new nickel royalty based on the value of the metal containe…

WSWS (2023-12-18). US financial system a "minefield of vulnerabilities" wsws.org The annual report by the Financial Stability Oversight Council has listed a wide range of potential problems in the financial system flowing from higher interest rates.

Ann Brown (2023-12-18). Fact Check: Millionaires Live In Relatively Smaller Houses, Only 2600 Square Feet, Mortgage Is Paid Off. moguldom.com When it comes to the lifestyles of millionaires, there are often misconceptions about their housing preferences and financial choices. A recent study conducted as part of the National Study of Millionaires done through Ramsey Solutions sheds light on where millionaires call home and how they manage their mortgages. Most don't have a mortgage. Millionaires—and even …

presstv.ir (2023-12-19). UK health crisis: Welsh junior doctors to go on strike amid 'grueling conditions'. presstv.ir Thousands of junior doctors in Wales will go on strike in January after being offered a below-inflation pay offer of 5 percent.

Ezio Boero (2023-12-19). Progress in the results of the strike of the workers of the large Californian hotels. pressenza.com Since the 4th of July holiday weekend, around sixty large hotels in Southern California, and especially in Los Angeles, have been affected by extensive strikes, mobile pickets and demonstrations. | 32,000 workers (room maids, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders and receptionists) are trying to renew their employment contracts which expired on June 30th. | They ask for an increase of 11 dollars in hourly wages over the course of the three-year contract (5 dollars/hour from the signing of the agreement), improvement of health care and pension benefits, reduction of workloads, possibility of access to work for people who…

Dave DeCamp (2023-12-18). White House Says US Can Only Fund One More Weapons Package for Ukraine. news.antiwar.com The White House said on Monday that a weapons package will be provided to Ukraine later this month, and after that, the US will be out of funds to arm Ukraine until Congress authorizes more spending on the proxy war. According to POLITICO, the Pentagon still has $4.4 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows …

National Homelessness Law Center (2023-12-19). Law Center Statement on 12% Increase in Homelessness. indybay.org Point in Time results must drive housing investments, not despair…

Chris Hedges, The Real News Network. (2023-12-18). 50 Years Of Mass Incarceration Has Devastated American Society. popularresistance.org Fifty years ago, the United States embarked on a path of mass incarceration that has led to a staggering increase in the prison population. Today, almost 2 million individuals—disproportionately Black Americans—are incarcerated in our nation's prisons and jails. The prison population has grown 500% since 1973, the year America began to sharply increase its prison population. "The social, moral, and fiscal costs associated with the large-scale, decades-long investment in mass imprisonment," The Sentencing Project notes, "cannot be justified by any evidence of its effectiveness. Misguided changes in sen…

Alasdair Baverstock (2023-12-18). Guanajuato: Mexico's industrial heartland. america.cgtn.com The world is living through what many are calling the Fourth Industrial Revolution. | Just as AI and modern technology are changing lives on an individual level, those advances are doing the same to industry and the assembly line. | CGTN's Alasdair Baverstock shows what this look like in Mexico's industrial heartland in Guanajuato state, in this first in a special series. | The state received more than $31 billion in foreign direct investment last year.

Alasdair Baverstock (2023-12-18). Mexico's Industrial Transformation. america.cgtn.com CGTN's Alasdair Baverstock brings us this special series of reports from Mexico's industrial heartland. | The world is living through what many are calling the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Just as AI and modern technology are changing lives on an individual level, those advances are doing the same to industry and the assembly line. CGTN's Alasdair Baverstock shows what this look like in Mexico's industrial heartland in Guanajuato state, in this first in a special series. The state received more than $31 billion in foreign direct investment last year.

National Homelessness Law Center (2023-12-18). Law Center Statement on 12% Increase in Homelessness. indybay.org Point in Time results must drive housing investments, not despair…

Derek Seidman (2023-12-18). These "Experts" Cheer on Gaza Siege Without Disclosing Ties to War Profiteering. truthout.org We might be in an age of social media, but cable news channels like Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN still have enormous influence in shaping mainstream narratives about war and U.S. foreign policy. Therefore, it's alarming that numerous "experts" that news channels bring on to explain war and conflict are actually — unbeknownst to news viewers — themselves cogs within the military-industrial complex… |

Sam Knight (2023-12-18). Build Back B.S. . levernews.com

Adriaan Alsema (2023-12-18). Colombia's ELN guerrillas agree to suspend kidnappings. colombiareports.com Colombia's largest guerrilla group, the ELN, agreed to suspend kidnapping people for profit in ongoing peace talks with the government. The agreement that was announced in Mexico comes days after…

Frank Cappello (2023-12-19). MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM: The Muppet Christmas Carol (w/ Wren Mack). levernews.com

The Independent (2023-12-18). Eating yogurt could reduce your risk of depression and anxiety, study finds. independent.co.ug ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | A new study in mice has found that the bacterium Lactobacillus helps the body manage stress, potentially preventing the onset of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. The results could pave the way for new therapies to treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Experts say these findings support a …

Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. (2023-12-19). The Deadly Influence Of The Military Industrial Complex At COP28. popularresistance.org We hear about the growing influence of fossil fuel, nuclear and Big Agriculture corporations over the United Nations' Conference of Parties (COP) meetings, but hardly anything about the presence of weapons makers and NATO leaders. Clearing the FOG speaks with Canadian environmental lawyer and peace activist Tamara Lorincz, who reports about the meetings and outcomes of the recently-concluded COP28. She is part of an organizing effort to highlight the carbon footprint of Western militaries and the significant contributions of NATO countries to the climate crisis. Lorincz points out the great discrepancies between…

Rick Sterling, MintPress News. (2023-12-18). The JFK Assassination Was Good For Zionist Israel. popularresistance.org President John F. Kennedy was assassinated sixty years ago. If he had lived and won a second term, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have evolved differently. Possibly, the path toward Israeli apartheid and genocide in Gaza could have been avoided. | In his short time in office, Kennedy significantly changed U.S. foreign policy. As documented in the book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Still Matters," JFK resisted the CIA and military-industrial complex in the policies he set regarding the Third World and the Soviet Union. The Vietnam War, the assassination of Indonesia's President Sukarno,…

_____ (2023-12-18). Regenerative Agroecology: The Necessary Solution to Counter Climate Change. transcend.org 12 Dec 2023 – Industrial agriculture sees the world as a machine, not as a self-organized living system, and has created devastation contributing to climate change. Our latest report, 'Regeneration is Life', presented at Cop28 in Dubai, analyzes the causes of climate change and the regenerative solutions vis-a-vis the false solutions by polluters.

EcoWaste Coalition (2023-12-19). Single-Use Food Packaging from 17 Countries Contains PFAS "Forever Chemicals" pressenza.com 19 December 2023, Gothenburg City, Sweden/Quezon City Philippines. A study released today by the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and 18 IPEN member groups found toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals, including globally banned substances, in single-use, paper, cardboard, and plant-based molded fiber food containers and tableware purchased from 17 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. | PFAS chemicals have been linked to cancer, infertility, and endocrine disruption. Prior studies have shown that PFAS in food packaging can…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-19). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-18). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

Editor (2023-12-18). Is Neoliberalism Really Dead? Or Does It Live on Like a Zombie? scheerpost.com

Angela (2023-12-19). Saturday 12/30: Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal. indybay.org Zoom (Registration link is below)…

_____ (2023-12-18). Merchants of Death… transcend.org are Making a Killing in Gaza, Ukraine, …

Angela (2023-12-18). Saturday 12/30: Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal. indybay.org Zoom (Registration link is below)…

Editor (2023-12-19). Lessons From One Unequal Society to Another. scheerpost.com

Liam Crisan (2023-12-19). Lessons From One Unequal Society to Another. fpif.org

isabella (2023-12-18). Lessons From One Unequal Society to Another. inequality.org

Sam Pizzigati (2023-12-18). In Our Deeply Unequal World, the Garbage Rises Ever Higher. counterpunch.org The summit of Mount Everest, in case you haven't heard, has become somewhat of a trash heap, a high-profile embarrassment that some have taken to calling the "world's highest garbage dump." A half-century ago, few would have expected this outcome. Back in 1976, Nepal, the Himalayan nation that counts Everest — Mount Sagarmatha — as

presstv.ir (2023-12-18). Iran: Palestinians definite winners of 'unequal battle' against Israel. presstv.ir The Iranian foreign minister said Israeli officials continue to commit crimes more heinous than those by Daesh.

WSWS (2023-12-19). The Israeli state's fascist ideology and the genocide in Gaza. wsws.org This lecture was given by World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman David North at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

WSWS (2023-12-18). The lioness, the oak tree, the matron: In loving memory of my mother, Helen Halyard. wsws.org We are publishing here the tribute to Helen Halyard given by her son, Jamal, to a memorial meeting for Comrade Helen held by the Socialist Equality Party (US) and the International Committee of the Fourth International on December 3.

2023-12-19 17:48:07 | 17:48 EST | tr | 95 | 0 | 60 | 41 | 0 

2023-12-18: News Headlines

Radhika Desai, Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-18). Is Neoliberalism Really Dead? popularresistance.org Or does it live on like a zombie? Political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss neoliberalism, and the premature predictions about its demise.

Radhika Desai, Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-18). Is Neoliberalism Really Dead? popularresistance.org t's happening again. Reports of the death of neoliberalism are once again proliferating. Just take a look at the UK Guardian. In the UK Guardian website, there is a whole series of stories whether it is "Neoliberalism is Dying," "The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism," "Biden Just Declared the Death of Neoliberalism," "Is Neoliberalism Finally Over?," "Is Neoliberalism Finally Dead?" and "Is the Neoliberal Era Over Yet?" And of course there are also contrary views: "The National Institutes of Health Say Neoliberalism is Not Dead." And there is also a very interesting story in The Jacobin, which says "The Rumors are…

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). China unveils rules on supervision of non-bank payment institutions. ecns.cn China's State Council unveiled rules on the regulation of non-bank payment institutions on Sunday, in a move to prevent financial risks, regulate the industry's growth and protect consumers' interests amid the rapid development of the sector.

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Chinese economy to keep its growth momentum in 2024 despite facing challenges: official. ecns.cn China's economy faces more opportunities than challenges in 2024, with economic growth remaining on the recovery trajectory and more factors contributing to high-quality growth.

Paul Craig Roberts (2023-12-18). The American Political Crisis. thealtworld.com The GEOFOR editorial board asked Paul Craig Roberts, Chairman of the Institute for Political Economy (USA), a PhD in Economics and US Undersecretary of Treasury in the Reagan administration, to give his assessment of the political situation in the US and whether a candidate other than Biden could result in a more reasonable US policy toward the rest of the world, and here is his reply. | American politics is in crisis. The evidence is overwhelming that Biden was not elected but was put into the presidency via a stolen election, and the evidence is overwhelming that Democrats and the Biden regime are attempting to…

presstv.ir (2023-12-18). Yemeni army's operations have left significant economic impact on Israel: Ansarullah. presstv.ir Ansarullah says the Yemeni army's attacks against vessels headed to the occupied Palestinian territories have taken a big toll on the Israeli economy.

infobrics (2023-12-18). BRICS Expansion and Economic Fairness in Focus. infobrics.org Policy makers and experts from several countries speaking at the Doha Forum 2023 highlighted the potential of the BRICS group to establish trade and investment alliances, fostering economic and social development in a multipolar world…

Edward Lozansky, Consortium News. (2023-12-18). War In Ukraine And The 'Crisis Of Western Civilization'. popularresistance.org The war in Ukraine has become a crisis of Western civilization. | Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerard Baker writes that the West is "losing our soul, our sense of purpose as a society, our identity as a civilization. We in the West are in the grip of an ideology that disowns our genius, denounces our success, disdains merit, elevates victimhood, embraces societal self-loathing, and enforces it all in a web of exclusionary and authoritarian rules, large and small." | Baker nevertheless reminds us that "liberal capitalism has done more for human prosperity, health and freedom than any other economic or polit…

Observer R (2023-12-18). The End of Ukraine. sonar21.com According to many reports, the population of Ukraine has declined by more than half, from 40+ million to 20- million, with death, injury, and destruction widespread in the country since February 2014. Let's look at some of the stages where this outcome might have been prevented: | Stage One—The Ukraine administration of Yanukovych had negotiated a better economic deal with China and Russia than what the West was offering. China was very much interested in helping Ukraine increase agricultural production, thereby increasing exports to China. However, Yanukovych was overthrown in the 2014 Maidan revolut…

Roger D. Harris (2023-12-18). Year 2023 in review for Latin America and the Caribbean. dissidentvoice.org December 2nd marked the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, which proclaimed US dominion over Latin America and the Caribbean. Left-leaning governments in the hemisphere have had to contest a decadent but still dominant USA. Challenges in the past year include a world economic slowdown, a continuing drug plague, and a more aggressive hegemon reacting …

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Over 5,000 Chinese suspects of economic crimes fleeing overseas apprehended from over 100 countries and regions: Ministry. ecns.cn More than 5,000 Chinese suspects of economic crimes fleeing overseas have been caught and arrested from over 100 countries and regions by the public security organs across the country since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The Independent (2023-12-18). 'Government setting URA targets that are hard to meet'. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development is proposing that the Uganda Revenue Authority raises almost 29.96 trillion Shillings in taxes next financial year, up from the current year's 29.67 trillion. However, this will prove a tall order for the tax body considering that it has not been …

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Gold gains traction among country's investment options. ecns.cn Gold holdings will increase among Chinese high net-worth individuals next year as uncertainties loom in capital markets, experts said, as wealth preservation and security top their asset management priorities.

Simon Hooper (2023-12-18). Jewish man expelled by Labour claims discrimination over antisemitism accusation. middleeasteye.net Jewish man expelled by Labour claims discrimination over antisemitism accusation | Stephen Marks, a Labour member for more than 40 years, says accusation of antisemitism is 'repellent' and ignored his Jewishness and anti-Zionist beliefs | Mon, 12/18/2023 – 09: 54 | Stephen Marks warned that Labour leader Keir Starmer's refusal to support a ceasefire in Gaza would have political consequences for…

Labour Against the Arms Trade (2023-12-18). Toronto Picketers at Pratt and Whitney. socialistproject.ca On Tuesday morning of December 12, more than two hundred workers and union members from across the Toronto area picketed the Mississauga manufacturing plant of defence contractor Pratt & Whitney Canada. As Israel pursues its deadly assault on Gaza for a third month, the picket lines interrupted business as usual at an aerospace giant that makes engines for aircrafts that the Israeli military is using to carry out its bombing campaign against Palestinian lives and infrastructure. Encountering banners that read "Stop Arming Apartheid" and "Arms Embargo on Israel Now" as they arrived for morning shift, cars were…

WSWS (2023-12-18). Australian protesters: "We need a general strike to stop the Gaza genocide!" wsws.org "The union leadership in this country is all led by the Labor Party, they all benefit from ties with Israel, they don't want to do anything that harms that."

WSWS (2023-12-18). Australian Labor government hails US passage of AUKUS legislation. wsws.org Beyond the issue of Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, the legislation seeks to consolidate a military block clearly aimed at preparing for war against China.

ecns.cn (2023-12-18). Closer global collaboration urged to reach UN goals. ecns.cn Prospects of achieving the United Nations' 2030 sustainable development goals are bleak, and countries need to make a much more concerted effort if progress is to be made, a top United Nations official says.

Julia Conley, Commondreams. (2023-12-18). Starbucks Ordered To Reopen 23 Stores. popularresistance.org Like its alleged intimidation tactics and firing of workers who have led unionization efforts, Starbucks' closure of at least 23 stores amid a nationwide workers' rights push last year did not go unnoticed by federal regulators, who ordered the global coffee chain to reopen the locations on Wednesday. | The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint saying that eight of the shuttered stores were among the more than 360 Starbucks locations that have voted to unionize, and that executives did not notify the union, Starbucks Workers United, about the closures ahead of time—robbing organizers of a…

WSWS (2023-12-18). Australian government tries to thwart High Court challenges to new detention laws. wsws.org The Labor government's manoeuvre underscores how far it is prepared to go, hand-in-hand with the Liberal-National Coalition, to override even the limited protections in the Australian Constitution against arbitrary detention by executive decree.

teleSUR, nbb, JGN (2023-12-18). teleSUR y Green Zone Foundation de Qatar firman convenio. telesurtv.net En días anteriores, teleSUR y la televisión pública brasileña EBC, así como el Instituto de Radiodifusión del Estado de Bahía, anunciaron un acuerdo de producción.

Binoy Kampmark (2023-12-18). Flirting With Nuclear Energy Down Under. counterpunch.org It was a policy that was bound to send a shiver through the policymaking community. The issue of nuclear energy in Australia has always been a contentious one. Currently, the country hosts a modest nuclear industry, centred on the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), nuclear medicine and laboratory products. But even this has created headaches in terms

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-18). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

Labor Video Project (2023-12-18). Bay Area Unions & Thousands of Workers Rally & March for Palestine in Oakland. indybay.org Thousands of workers and unionists from throughout the Bay Area rallied in Oakland against the US supported Israel war on Gaza and the Palestinians. A growing number of unions are breaking from the pro-Zionist leadership including AFL-CIO president Liz Schuler and many of other union heads…

msn.com (2023-12-18). Houthi attacks on commercial ships have upended global trade in vital Red Sea corridorThe attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels have scared off some of the world's top shipping companies and oil giants, effectively rerouting global trade away from a crucial artery for consumer goods and energy supplies that is expected to trigger delays and rising prices. | | Proofread, edit, APA 2¢/word! – Editing & proofreading service

WSWS (2023-12-18). German government finalizes its war budget. wsws.org Unlimited funds for war and armaments, cuts in social spending and higher energy prices—this is the core of the German government's 2024 budget.

Chloe Atkinson (2023-12-18). COP28 Agreement to Move Away From Fossil Fuels. counterpunch.org In what many see as a first-of-its-kind deal signaling the eventual end of the oil age, representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst impact of climate change. In a demonstration of global solidarity, negotiators joined together at the COP28 climate summit in

WSWS (2023-12-18). US financial system a "minefield of vulnerabilities" wsws.org The annual report by the Financial Stability Oversight Council has listed a wide range of potential problems in the financial system flowing from higher interest rates.

Chris Hedges, The Real News Network. (2023-12-18). 50 Years Of Mass Incarceration Has Devastated American Society. popularresistance.org Fifty years ago, the United States embarked on a path of mass incarceration that has led to a staggering increase in the prison population. Today, almost 2 million individuals—disproportionately Black Americans—are incarcerated in our nation's prisons and jails. The prison population has grown 500% since 1973, the year America began to sharply increase its prison population. "The social, moral, and fiscal costs associated with the large-scale, decades-long investment in mass imprisonment," The Sentencing Project notes, "cannot be justified by any evidence of its effectiveness. Misguided changes in sen…

The Independent (2023-12-18). Insurers need to embrace sustainability initiatives — IRA. independent.co.ug Embrace sustainable practices not just for today's bottom line, but as a strategic investment Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Insurance players have been urged to embrace the aspect of sustainability in their operations to positively impact communities, the environment, and related fields in their business. "In the realm of insurance, risk assessment extends beyond policies. …

National Homelessness Law Center (2023-12-18). Law Center Statement on 12% Increase in Homelessness. indybay.org Point in Time results must drive housing investments, not despair…

Derek Seidman (2023-12-18). These "Experts" Cheer on Gaza Siege Without Disclosing Ties to War Profiteering. truthout.org We might be in an age of social media, but cable news channels like Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN still have enormous influence in shaping mainstream narratives about war and U.S. foreign policy. Therefore, it's alarming that numerous "experts" that news channels bring on to explain war and conflict are actually — unbeknownst to news viewers — themselves cogs within the military-industrial complex… |

Sam Knight (2023-12-18). Build Back B.S. . levernews.com

Adriaan Alsema (2023-12-18). Colombia's ELN guerrillas agree to suspend kidnappings. colombiareports.com Colombia's largest guerrilla group, the ELN, agreed to suspend kidnapping people for profit in ongoing peace talks with the government. The agreement that was announced in Mexico comes days after…

The Independent (2023-12-18). Eating yogurt could reduce your risk of depression and anxiety, study finds. independent.co.ug ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | A new study in mice has found that the bacterium Lactobacillus helps the body manage stress, potentially preventing the onset of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. The results could pave the way for new therapies to treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Experts say these findings support a …

Rick Sterling, MintPress News. (2023-12-18). The JFK Assassination Was Good For Zionist Israel. popularresistance.org President John F. Kennedy was assassinated sixty years ago. If he had lived and won a second term, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have evolved differently. Possibly, the path toward Israeli apartheid and genocide in Gaza could have been avoided. | In his short time in office, Kennedy significantly changed U.S. foreign policy. As documented in the book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Still Matters," JFK resisted the CIA and military-industrial complex in the policies he set regarding the Third World and the Soviet Union. The Vietnam War, the assassination of Indonesia's President Sukarno,…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-18). Housing activists organise national day of action for public housing, rent controls. greenleft.org.au

Editor (2023-12-18). Is Neoliberalism Really Dead? Or Does It Live on Like a Zombie? scheerpost.com

Angela (2023-12-18). Saturday 12/30: Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal. indybay.org Zoom (Registration link is below)…

Sam Pizzigati (2023-12-18). In Our Deeply Unequal World, the Garbage Rises Ever Higher. counterpunch.org The summit of Mount Everest, in case you haven't heard, has become somewhat of a trash heap, a high-profile embarrassment that some have taken to calling the "world's highest garbage dump." A half-century ago, few would have expected this outcome. Back in 1976, Nepal, the Himalayan nation that counts Everest — Mount Sagarmatha — as

presstv.ir (2023-12-18). Iran: Palestinians definite winners of 'unequal battle' against Israel. presstv.ir The Iranian foreign minister said Israeli officials continue to commit crimes more heinous than those by Daesh.

WSWS (2023-12-18). The lioness, the oak tree, the matron: In loving memory of my mother, Helen Halyard. wsws.org We are publishing here the tribute to Helen Halyard given by her son, Jamal, to a memorial meeting for Comrade Helen held by the Socialist Equality Party (US) and the International Committee of the Fourth International on December 3.

thecommunists (2023-12-18). Heating and eating: the impoverishment of British workers. thecommunists.org It is clear to everyone that the standard of life for the vast majority of workers in Britain has been falling dramatically in recent years. What is not so clear is what is driving this decline. Variously attributed to the Covid pandemic, to wars abroad, to immigration, or to the activities of this or that …

thecommunists (2023-12-18). Grangemouth refinery workers' jobs at risk. thecommunists.org On the morning of Wednesday 22 November, 500 Grangemouth oil refinery workers received an email informing them that the nature of business at the site would change from refining and supplying 80 percent of Scotland's oil to simply being an import hub for finished fuel products. The email further informed them that this change would …

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2023-12-15: News Headlines

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Expansion of resources for non-SOEs high on agenda. ecns.cn China has strengthened financial support measures to promote the robust growth of the private economy, with expanding financing channels for private enterprises high on its work agenda.

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). World Bank, ADB project China GDP growth of 5.2% in 2023. ecns.cn The World Bank has predicted China's economy will have grown 5.2 percent in 2023, with momentum expected to stabilize in the near term, propelled by a gradual recovery of consumer sentiment and policy stimulus.

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). State Council approves development plan for Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone. ecns.cn China's State Council on Tuesday approved the development plan for the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, South China's Guangdong Province, further accelerating the integration of the Macao Special Administrative Region and Guangdong Province.

WSWS (2023-12-14). Argentina's Milei announces first batch of class war measures dictated by the IMF. wsws.org On Tuesday, Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced the first set of economic shock measures, which are supposed to set a new bar for attacks against living standards of workers everywhere.

WSWS (2023-12-14). Year-end job cuts spread across the US. wsws.org Job cuts are sweeping across the US economy as corporations purge their payrolls for the coming year.

Reza Javadi, Orinoco Tribune. (2023-12-14). Israeli Regime Turns To Western Mercenary Groups To Back Genocide. popularresistance.org Apart from the lavish military aid offered by the United States and Europe, the Israeli military is turning to Western mercenary groups in its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. | In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Pedro Diaz Flores, a notorious Spanish mercenary, revealed that the Israeli regime is recruiting Private Military Companies (PMCs) to achieve its interests in the besieged territory. | He revealed that "many" mercenary groups have joined Israel's army, which pays them "very well." | "So I came for the economy, for money. They pay very well, they offer good equipment and the work…

Dean Baker (2023-12-14). Nate Cohn Says People Don't Like Biden Because It's Harder to Do Things Today. cepr.net There is a clear disconnect between how people rate the economy (the general economy, not their own economic condition — which most say is good) and standard measures of economic performance. This disconnect has led to a "vibes" vs economic reality debate, with one side arguing that negative news coverage and social media have led …

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). China's economic activity picks up for 2023. ecns.cn The Word Bank has revised up its forecast for China's economic growth this year and next from its October estimates, expecting the world's second-largest economy to grow by 5.2 percent in 2023 and 4.5 percent in 2024.

imperial.ac.uk (2023-12-14). Imperial launches Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance. imperial.ac.uk Imperial is launching a new research centre to find ways to make the UK economy more productive and competitive.

Lawrence S. Wittner (2023-12-14). Replacing a Disastrous War with a Just Peace in Ukraine. fpif.org Although the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has captured the world's horrified attention, the war in Ukraine has had even more terrible consequences. Grinding on for nearly two years, Russia's massive military invasion of that country has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, created millions of refugees, wrecked Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and economy, and consumed enormous financial resources from nations around the world. | And yet, despite the Ukraine War's vast human and economic costs, there is no sign that it is abating. Russia and Ukraine are now bogged down in very bloody military stale…

teleSUR (2023-12-14). There Will Be Peace When We Achieve the Goals: Putin. telesurenglish.net During the television program "Direct Line", President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia has achieved economic growth despite all the aggressions and blockades imposed by the United States and its allies. | RELATED: | "The Russian economy has a sufficient safety margin not only to feel secure but also to progress. Public external debt decreased from US$46 billion to US$32 billion. Unemployment stands at 2.9 percent,…

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Realty foresees glad tidings next year. ecns.cn Real estate experts anticipate 2024 to be a pivotal year with fresh measures expected to resolve industry risks, reshape realty development framework and facilitate stable economic development.

presstv.ir (2023-12-14). Iran FM says US to blame for influx of refugees to West Asia, Europe. presstv.ir Iran's FM has blamed America's irresponsible actions and its coercive economic measures for the recent influx of refugees to West Asia and also Europe and elsewhere.

Black Alliance For Peace, Black Agenda Report. (2023-12-14). On Human Rights Day; The US Is The Greatest Violator Of Human Rights. popularresistance.org As the international community celebrates December 10th as International Human Rights Day, it is imperative that the world also affirm that violators of the fundamental human rights of peoples and nations will be held accountable. | From the war in Ukraine to mass incarceration of Black, Latino and Native Peoples in the U.S. to Obama's ongoing war in Yemen to murderous economic sanctions, coups, assassinations, war and abandonment of Afghanistan, international arms sales, commodification of COVID vaccines, illegal military occupations in Syria and Iraq, the pending invasion of Haiti and the resource wars in the D…

C.J. Polychroniou (2023-12-14). Don't Dismiss Marx. His Critique of Colonialism Is More Relevant Than Ever. truthout.org During the last couple of decades, we have been witnessing a resurgence of interest in the thought and work of Karl Marx, author of major philosophical, historical, political and economic works — and of course, of The Communist Manifesto, which is perhaps the most popular political manifesto in the history of the world. This resurgence is largely due to the devastating consequences of… |

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Raised forecast for China's economic growth. ecns.cn The Asian Development Bank has raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2023 to 5.2 percent from September's estimate of 4.9 percent as household consumption and public investment have driven up growth in the third quarter.

Irene Leon (2023-12-14). Guayana Esequiba: Geo-Economics of an Occupation. telesurenglish.net An air of bonanza has raised the projections of the Exxon Mobil corporation, which accumulated around 414 billion dollars in 2022, an unprecedented income in its history, which represents 44.8 percent more than the previous year. It is a gigantic increase if compared to its crisis in 2020, when its losses put its place in the stock market in jeopardy. | RELATED: | Also from the research of that American corporati…

Observer R (2023-12-14). DINNER WITH THE OLIGARCHS. sonar21.com This article is intended to help shed light on some of the reported murky dealings in both Russia and China as the communist system ran into serious trouble. American influence upended the old order in Russia during the period of Yeltsin and the same happened in China during the Jiang period, although to a lessor degree. In addition, many of the Western political, economic, and social ideas became fashionable in both countries. | Russia led the way in adopting Western ways, without stopping to investigate whether they were good or bad, or how to adopt them successfully. China made great efforts to avoid the…

Zoya Teirstein (2023-12-12). The hidden death toll of flooding in Bangladesh sends a dark signal about climate and health. peoplesworld.org In the summer of 2022, one of the worst monsoons on record turned swaths of Bangladesh, a low-lying country in South Asia, into huge, muddy lakes. When the brunt of the flooding finally eased, at least 141 people had died and millions of others throughout the region had been injured, impoverished, or displaced. The sheer scale of the destruction …

pbs.org (2023-12-14). Argentina's new president implements shock economic measures, devalues currency and cuts subsidiesArgentina on Tuesday announced a sharp devaluation of its currency and cuts to energy and transportation subsidies as part of shock measures new President Javier Milei says are needed to deal with an economic emergency.

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Ana Perdigón (2023-12-14). Venezuela's 2024 Budget Prioritizes Social Investment. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez presented the nation's budget for the year 2024 to the National Assembly earlier today. The budget earmarks 77% for social investment. | The budget totaled 729 billion bolívars (USD 20.5 billion). The vice president explained that ordinary income represents 38.8% of the budget, extraordinary income represents 47.8%, and represents debt 13.4%. It is estimated that assets will be allocated to development projects of the Homeland Plan (Plan de la Patria). | She said that, for the first time, the defense of Guayana Esequiba was included in the nation's budget, in compliance w…

Labor Video Project (2023-12-14). SEIU1021 SF General Hospital Workers & Healthcare Workers for Palestine Rally at Hospital. indybay.org San Francisco SEIU 1021 General Hospital workers rallied to prepare for their contract expiration and the growing attacks by Mayor London Breed who is cutting healthcare funds while wanting to increase the police budget by $300 million. They were joined by a contingent to Healthcare Workers For Palestine who called for more money for healthcare and not war.

Ruth Milka (2023-12-14). Behind bars and beyond burgers: Exposing Alabama's prison labor exploitation. nationofchange.org This lawsuit seeks not only to compensate those who have been exploited, but also to dismantle a system that generates an estimated $450 million annually from this coerced labor.

Santa Cruz News (2023-12-14). Monterey Bay Central Labor Council Calls for Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. indybay.org On December 6, the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council voted on a statement calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine to local, state, and federal electeds. The Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC) is the local body of the AFL-CIO. MBCLC serves as a coalition of the Labor Community in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, with over 80 affiliated unions, representing more than 37,000 union members and their families.

teleSUR, rzr, MS (2023-12-14). Protesta laboral paraliza servicios en hospital del sur de Haití. telesurtv.net Los manifestantes además exhortaron a las autoridades sanitarias de la nación caribeña a cumplir con sus reivindicaciones antes de que concluya el año 2023.

WSWS (2023-12-14). Australian government postures over ceasefire, but backs Israeli war machine. wsws.org While voting for the UN resolution, Labor signalled its support for an indefinite Israeli onslaught against Gaza, punctuated only by occasional "humanitarian pauses."

WSWS (2023-12-14). Australia Labor government unveils plans to slash disability funding. wsws.org NDIS Minister Bill Shorten outlined measures to block most children from the NDIS, and to use "assessors" to deny access to many adult applicants as well.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). Labor votes down Lidia Thorpe's bill to uphold First Nation's rights in law. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). Labor's new AUKUS bill declares Osborne in SA, Stirling in WA as nuclear zones. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). NDIS Review: Is Labor adopting the Coalition's cuts? greenleft.org.au

Binoy Kampmark (2023-12-15). Flirting With Nuclear Energy Down Under. dissidentvoice.org It was a policy that was bound to send a shiver through the policymaking community. The issue of nuclear energy in Australia has always been a contentious one. Currently, the country hosts a modest nuclear industry, centred on the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), nuclear medicine and laboratory products. But even this has …

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Managing differences amid collaboration stressed. ecns.cn President Xi Jinping has called on China and Vietnam to advance pragmatic cooperation and effectively manage their problems and differences.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Not even snow will stop Professor Ge from his passion. ecns.cn After the snowfall in Beijing on Monday, a netizen captured a touching scene on the campus of the University of Science and Technology Beijing: Professor Ge Changchun, 89, braving the cold to ride to the laboratory, reported Beijing Daily.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-14). Identifying new potential in cancer-killing T cells. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org When Joanina Gicobi began her Ph.D. degree five years ago at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, she was interested in thinking creatively about ways to improve cancer treatment. In particular, she was curious about the body's natural ability to fight tumors: Could that process be improved? In the laboratory of Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D., she joined efforts to learn more about the T cells that are part of an inherent cancer-killing immune response. Joanina Gicobi,…

teleSUR (2023-12-14). Africa CDC Delivers Cold Chain Equipment to Botswana. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), delivered cold chain equipment to Botswana's Ministry of Health on Wednesday to strengthen its healthcare system. | RELATED: | Speaking during the handover ceremony in Gaborone, Botswana's capital, Sethomo Lelatisitswe, the assistant minister of…

Editor (2023-12-14). The 'brain drain' is a symptom of how capitalism has failed the healthcare sector. mronline.org Every year, thousands of healthcare workers leave South Africa, in order to chase better opportunities, as wealthier countries exploit desperate working conditions faced by them. This brain drain is a direct result of neoliberal policies, especially austerity.

Dean Baker (2023-12-14). Dealing with Patent Monopolies and High Prices. counterpunch.org Government-granted patent monopolies have become pretty much sacred in the United States. In fact, when high drug prices become a political issue, most discussion, including from progressives, turns reality on its head. The standard story is that the market creates high drug prices, the issue is whether the government should intervene through some type of

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Boosting consumption high on 2024 agenda. ecns.cn China is likely to take more steps to revive consumer demand and boost spending appetites next year as it seeks to inject strong impetus into a consumption-led recovery amid pressure from subdued demand and property sector weakness.

Charlie Squire (2023-12-14). The Leftist Case for Collecting. progressive.org Collecting, as a practice of love and admiration, is the antithesis to over-consumption. Through collecting, progressives can cherish, dwell on, and live with the physical manifestations of our humanity.

Gustavo Figueroa (2023-12-14). "Financial confidence": the semantic field of seduction and repression. pressenza.com A communicational and decolonial analysis of Javier Milei's first speech as president | Javier Milei repeated the phrase "the adjustment is inevitable" four times in his first speech as president. He also quoted Roca, Sarmiento and Benegas Lynch (h). He invoked God and "the forces of heaven". He recalled the times of the Expeditionary Campaign to the Desert as the most productive in the country's history. He treated the pre-existing peoples as "barbarians" and indicated that a programme of shock is more efficient than one of gradualism. On the other hand, on a symbolic level, Milei greeted Mauricio Macri during t…

WSWS (2023-12-14). "This is a capitalist government that just wants to dismantle the system, then privatize it": Over half- a-million Quebec public sector workers complete sixth day on strike. wsws.org The workers are determined to win inflation-busting wage increases, put an end to punishing working conditions, and secure major reinvestments in public services.

Aram Aharonian (2023-12-14). Argentina was on the brink: did it step forward? pressenza.com The far-right Javier Milei is the new president of Argentina for the next four years: on taking office he ratified his "chainsaw" plan and said that the adjustment would fall on the state and not on the private sector, but acknowledged that it would hurt "activity, employment and wages". It is not a dream or a dystopia, it is real. | It was not a defeat of Peronism, or of Kirchnerism, it was a defeat of all progressivism, of the left, not only of Argentina but of all of Latin America. Milei will be another voice of the US and European neo-fascism in the region, a spearhead against China, the main trading partner,…

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2023-12-14). Israeli sniper kills "everyone who moves" in Gaza hospital. electronicintifada.net Physicians say situation is "unbearable" as health system collapses.

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2023-12-15). Day 69 roundtable: Is Israel losing the war? electronicintifada.net Israeli military attempts to craft an image of victory as it hides casualty figures.

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-14). Israeli sniper kills "everyone who moves" in Gaza hospital. electronicintifada.net

Dave DeCamp (2023-12-14). Senate Passes Massive $886 Billion National Defense Authorization Act. news.antiwar.com On Wednesday, the Senate passed the mammoth $886 billion 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which funds the Pentagon and military spending in other government agencies. The bill passed in a vote of 87-13, with six Democrats, six Republicans, and one Independent voting against it. This NDAA now heads to the House, where it's expected …

Editor (2023-12-14). Enslaved By Nonprofits: How NGOs Colonize Developing Countries. scheerpost.com

Kit Klarenberg, MintPress News. (2023-12-14). Enslaved By Nonprofits: How NGOs Colonize Developing Countries. popularresistance.org November 21 marked the 28th anniversary of the signing of the US-brokered Dayton Agreement, which brought an end to the proxy war in Bosnia after three years and eight months. It is an event few celebrate — although there was much cheering in Sarajevo two days later when Stuart Seldowitz, the man who led negotiations on Washington's side, was arrested for subjecting Muslim Americans to vile verbal abuse. | The war in Bosnia — encouraged, financed, armed, and prolonged at every step by the U.S. — tore apart a previously harmonious, inclusive and prosperous republic of Socialist Yugoslavia. In all…

Carlos L. Garrido (2023-12-14). Why Are Intellectuals Divorced from Working People? dissidentvoice.org This article is a transcript of a presentation for a panel on the subject, hosted by the International Manifesto Group, the Critical Theory Workshop, and the Midwestern Marx Institute, with other presentations from Gabriel Rockhill, Radhika Desai, Glenn Diesen, and Noah Khrachvik. The question we are exploring today, concerning the divorce of intellectuals and the …

Juan Pablo Cárdenas (2023-12-14). Chile: A left-wing government… pressenza.com When the left takes over the government, thanks to an electoral and democratic process, its rulers hasten to achieve their reforms before the forces of reaction manage to destabilise it and return to power. This has happened several times in our troubled regional history and the best-remembered case is that of the assassination of Salvador Allende. | Progressive leaders obviously will be willing to satisfy social demands such as, for example, improving workers' wages, resolving the high housing and health deficits, strengthening public education, and as promised, improving pensions for retirees. | To do this, sta…

WSWS (2023-12-14). Irish government seizes on far-right riot as pretext for state clampdown. wsws.org The numerically insignificant far-right draws strength because its agenda corresponds to the needs of the ruling class to destroy democratic rights, scapegoat the most vulnerable, drive down wages and conditions and prepare for war.

Stewart Lawrence (2023-12-14). Is Big Pharma Over-Selling Depression? counterpunch.org If you watch late-night television you've probably seen the ads for a new antidepressant drug called "Rexulti." It's billed as a break-through cure for people who've already been treated for depression but are still experiencing its symptoms. The manufacturer, Otsuka, is heavily promoting Rexulti just as it did its earlier controversial anti-depressant known as "Abilify."

Judy Haiven (2023-12-14). Censorship and Civic Terror in Canada: The Silencing of Palestinian Voices and Palestinian Supporters. socialistproject.ca

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi pays tribute to late leader Ho Chi Minh. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, on Wednesday to lay a wreath and pay his respects.

thecommunists (2023-12-14). Cuba to international meet: Never before has world peace been so threatened. thecommunists.org The following speech was made on behalf of the Communist Party of Cuba by the party's head of international relations Emilio Lozada Garcia at the 23rd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in Turkey on 20 October 2023. ***** Dear Kemal Okuyan, general secretary of the Communist party of Türkiye, Dear comrades, brothers and …

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2023-12-14: News Headlines

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Expansion of resources for non-SOEs high on agenda. ecns.cn China has strengthened financial support measures to promote the robust growth of the private economy, with expanding financing channels for private enterprises high on its work agenda.

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). World Bank, ADB project China GDP growth of 5.2% in 2023. ecns.cn The World Bank has predicted China's economy will have grown 5.2 percent in 2023, with momentum expected to stabilize in the near term, propelled by a gradual recovery of consumer sentiment and policy stimulus.

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). State Council approves development plan for Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone. ecns.cn China's State Council on Tuesday approved the development plan for the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, South China's Guangdong Province, further accelerating the integration of the Macao Special Administrative Region and Guangdong Province.

WSWS (2023-12-14). Argentina's Milei announces first batch of class war measures dictated by the IMF. wsws.org On Tuesday, Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced the first set of economic shock measures, which are supposed to set a new bar for attacks against living standards of workers everywhere.

WSWS (2023-12-14). Year-end job cuts spread across the US. wsws.org Job cuts are sweeping across the US economy as corporations purge their payrolls for the coming year.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). China's economy able to buffer short-term pressures, stands out on a global scale. ecns.cn China has ample space in macroeconomic policies to buffer short-term pressures, said Han Wenxiu, an official with the office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, on Wednesday.

Pavel López Lazo (2023-12-13). Cuba's resort hotels roll out circular economy. plenglish.com Ciego de Avila, Cuba, Dec 13 (Prensa Latina) A group of circular economy initiatives are being developed on today by workers and managers of the Iberostar Daiquirí Hotel in Cayo Guillermo, north of this central Cuban province, in order to contribute to the tourism sustainable development.

Staff (2023-12-13). Israeli Regime Turning to Western Mercenary Groups to Back Genocide In Gaza. orinocotribune.com By Reza Javadi — Dec 12. 2023 | Apart from the lavish military aid offered by the United States and Europe, the Israeli military is turning to Western mercenary groups in its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. | In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Pedro Diaz Flores, a notorious Spanish mercenary, revealed that the Israeli regime is recruiting Private Military Companies (PMCs) to achieve its interests in the besieged territory. | He revealed that "many" mercenary groups have joined Israel's army, which pays them "very well." | "So I came for the economy, for money. They pay very well, th…

WSWS (2023-12-13). Australian working class confronts deepening social and housing crisis. wsws.org Economists say Australian households and the economy have "hit the wall," with the Australian economy "almost" coming to a "standstill in the September quarter."

Reza Javadi, Orinoco Tribune. (2023-12-14). Israeli Regime Turns To Western Mercenary Groups To Back Genocide. popularresistance.org Apart from the lavish military aid offered by the United States and Europe, the Israeli military is turning to Western mercenary groups in its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. | In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Pedro Diaz Flores, a notorious Spanish mercenary, revealed that the Israeli regime is recruiting Private Military Companies (PMCs) to achieve its interests in the besieged territory. | He revealed that "many" mercenary groups have joined Israel's army, which pays them "very well." | "So I came for the economy, for money. They pay very well, they offer good equipment and the work…

Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-13). US Troops Are Occupying Syria's Oil Fields; Congress Rejects Withdrawl. popularresistance.org The US military has occupied Syrian sovereign territory since 2014, preventing Damascus from accessing its own oil and wheat fields. | A top Pentagon official has acknowledged that Washington's strategy is to starve Syria's central government of revenue it needs to rebuild, after a decade of war fueled by foreign powers devastated the country. | Former US President Donald Trump boasted in 2020: "They say, 'He left troops in Syria'. You know what I did? I left troops to take the oil. I took the oil. The only troops I have are taking the oil. They're protecting the oil. I took over the oil".

Joel Richards (2023-12-13). Milei makes major reforms to Argentine economy in first week of presidency. america.cgtn.com Argentina devalued its currency by more than 50 percent on Tuesday, part of an emergency economic plan announced by the new government of Javier Milei. | The country is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades. | Other measures announced this week include a reduction in subsidies for energy and transport. Imports will become more expensive and will hit industries and services. | CGTN's Joel Richards reports.

Dean Baker (2023-12-14). Nate Cohn Says People Don't Like Biden Because It's Harder to Do Things Today. cepr.net There is a clear disconnect between how people rate the economy (the general economy, not their own economic condition — which most say is good) and standard measures of economic performance. This disconnect has led to a "vibes" vs economic reality debate, with one side arguing that negative news coverage and social media have led …

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). China's economic activity picks up for 2023. ecns.cn The Word Bank has revised up its forecast for China's economic growth this year and next from its October estimates, expecting the world's second-largest economy to grow by 5.2 percent in 2023 and 4.5 percent in 2024.

imperial.ac.uk (2023-12-14). Imperial launches Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance. imperial.ac.uk Imperial is launching a new research centre to find ways to make the UK economy more productive and competitive.

Lawrence S. Wittner (2023-12-14). Replacing a Disastrous War with a Just Peace in Ukraine. fpif.org Although the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has captured the world's horrified attention, the war in Ukraine has had even more terrible consequences. Grinding on for nearly two years, Russia's massive military invasion of that country has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, created millions of refugees, wrecked Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and economy, and consumed enormous financial resources from nations around the world. | And yet, despite the Ukraine War's vast human and economic costs, there is no sign that it is abating. Russia and Ukraine are now bogged down in very bloody military stale…

teleSUR (2023-12-14). There Will Be Peace When We Achieve the Goals: Putin. telesurenglish.net During the television program "Direct Line", President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia has achieved economic growth despite all the aggressions and blockades imposed by the United States and its allies. | RELATED: | "The Russian economy has a sufficient safety margin not only to feel secure but also to progress. Public external debt decreased from US$46 billion to US$32 billion. Unemployment stands at 2.9 percent,…

teleSUR (2023-12-13). Argentina: Milei's Package Includes Sharp Currency Devaluation. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, President Javier Milei's administration announced that the official nominal value of the Argentine currency with respect to the U.S. dollar goes from 400 to 800 pesos per dollar. | RELATED: | In a prerecorded message, Economy Minister Luis Caputo presented the following 10 emergency measures: | 1. State labor contracts with less than one year of validity will not be renewed. | 2. Government national advertising in the media will…

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Realty foresees glad tidings next year. ecns.cn Real estate experts anticipate 2024 to be a pivotal year with fresh measures expected to resolve industry risks, reshape realty development framework and facilitate stable economic development.

presstv.ir (2023-12-14). Iran FM says US to blame for influx of refugees to West Asia, Europe. presstv.ir Iran's FM has blamed America's irresponsible actions and its coercive economic measures for the recent influx of refugees to West Asia and also Europe and elsewhere.

Alexis Sterling (2023-12-13). Unraveling the knot: The Biden administration's struggle for comprehensive student debt relief. nationofchange.org This article explores the multifaceted journey to reshape student debt relief, a journey that weaves through political, economic, and social intricacies.

Ju-Hyun Park, The Real News Network. (2023-12-13). Why Activists Shut Down The 2023 APEC Summit In San Francisco. popularresistance.org From Nov. 11-17, leaders from 20 nations across the Pacific Rim gathered in San Francisco for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. An activist coalition known as No to APEC greeted the visiting world leaders with a countersummit decrying APEC as a forum to advance the interests of transnational corporations at the expense of workers and the environment. While the Biden administration worked to construct a new free trade regime in the Pacific exclusive of China, known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), grassroots organizations in the No to APEC Coalition advanced an alternate vis…

Oraily Madruga Rios (2023-12-13). Cuba's PCC to analyze domestic priority issues. plenglish.com Havana, Dec 13 (Prensa Latina) The Central Committee of Cuba's Communist Party (PCC) will analyze issues in its 7th plenary session, on December 15-16, that are a current domestic priority in the economic, political and social areas, PCC Secretary Roberto Morales posted on X and explained that the Cuban people will be provided with broad information on those debates.

presstv.ir (2023-12-13). Iran FM says US to blame for influx of refugees to West Asia, Europe. presstv.ir Iran's FM has blamed America's irresponsible actions and its coercive economic measures for the recent influx of refugees to West Asia and also Europe and elsewhere.

Redacción Chile (2023-12-13). Human Rights and education. pressenza.com On 10 December, Human Rights Day (HRD) was celebrated all over the world, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris in 1948. This declaration was a very important historical milestone in human civilisation, in its articles it enshrines the inalienable rights that every person has as a human being, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political position, socio-economic status, nationality or any other condition. These are rights that must be promoted and protected throughout the world. | It is now 75 years and it is worth asking ourselve…

Tanupriya Singh (2023-12-13). ECOWAS to hold talks with Niger as Sahel states moves to expand ties. peoplesdispatch.org The West African regional bloc has decided to negotiate with Niamey for a "short transition roadmap" that can potentially lift sweeping economic sanctions. Meanwhile, Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, is strengthening regional integration…

Black Alliance For Peace, Black Agenda Report. (2023-12-14). On Human Rights Day; The US Is The Greatest Violator Of Human Rights. popularresistance.org As the international community celebrates December 10th as International Human Rights Day, it is imperative that the world also affirm that violators of the fundamental human rights of peoples and nations will be held accountable. | From the war in Ukraine to mass incarceration of Black, Latino and Native Peoples in the U.S. to Obama's ongoing war in Yemen to murderous economic sanctions, coups, assassinations, war and abandonment of Afghanistan, international arms sales, commodification of COVID vaccines, illegal military occupations in Syria and Iraq, the pending invasion of Haiti and the resource wars in the D…

C.J. Polychroniou (2023-12-14). Don't Dismiss Marx. His Critique of Colonialism Is More Relevant Than Ever. truthout.org During the last couple of decades, we have been witnessing a resurgence of interest in the thought and work of Karl Marx, author of major philosophical, historical, political and economic works — and of course, of The Communist Manifesto, which is perhaps the most popular political manifesto in the history of the world. This resurgence is largely due to the devastating consequences of… |

Shailly Gupta Barnes (2023-12-13). As We Look to 2024, Here's What Hope Looks Like. otherwords.org After a year of economic hardship, climate disasters, and war, few could be blamed for feeling like our leaders have let us down. As we look ahead to a new year, I find it helpful to remember examples of those who not only saw the problem clearly, but brought people together to find solutions. | In 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for a "radical redistribution of political and economic power" to address poverty, war, and racism. To do so, he turned to those who were on the frontlines of these crises, not those who perpetrated them. | He worked tirelessly to organize the original Poor People's Cam…

Tanupriya Singh (2023-12-13). ECOWAS to hold talks with Niger as Sahel states move to expand ties. peoplesdispatch.org The West African regional bloc has decided to negotiate with Niamey for a "short transition roadmap" that can potentially lift sweeping economic sanctions. Meanwhile, Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, is strengthening regional integration…

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Raised forecast for China's economic growth. ecns.cn The Asian Development Bank has raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2023 to 5.2 percent from September's estimate of 4.9 percent as household consumption and public investment have driven up growth in the third quarter.

Irene Leon (2023-12-14). Guayana Esequiba: Geo-Economics of an Occupation. telesurenglish.net An air of bonanza has raised the projections of the Exxon Mobil corporation, which accumulated around 414 billion dollars in 2022, an unprecedented income in its history, which represents 44.8 percent more than the previous year. It is a gigantic increase if compared to its crisis in 2020, when its losses put its place in the stock market in jeopardy. | RELATED: | Also from the research of that American corporati…

Observer R (2023-12-14). DINNER WITH THE OLIGARCHS. sonar21.com This article is intended to help shed light on some of the reported murky dealings in both Russia and China as the communist system ran into serious trouble. American influence upended the old order in Russia during the period of Yeltsin and the same happened in China during the Jiang period, although to a lessor degree. In addition, many of the Western political, economic, and social ideas became fashionable in both countries. | Russia led the way in adopting Western ways, without stopping to investigate whether they were good or bad, or how to adopt them successfully. China made great efforts to avoid the…

teleSUR (2023-12-13). Noboa's Bill To Forgive Debts to Large Ecuadorian Companies. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, the Workers' United Front (FUT) and the Ecuadorian Confederation of Free Union Organizations (CEOLS) criticized President Daniel Noboa's "Economic Efficiency and Job Generation Law," which was discussed in the first debate in the National Assembly. | RELATED: | Besides demanding the immediate payment of overdue salaries to public officials, the unions rejected the creation of free trade zones that undermine labor conditions and the forgive…

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Tech innovation critical to growth. ecns.cn China's latest efforts to develop new productivity boosters and speed up the construction of a modern industrial system through technological innovation are expected to inject strong impetus into the country's high-quality economic development and boost the country's core global competitiveness.

Zoya Teirstein (2023-12-12). The hidden death toll of flooding in Bangladesh sends a dark signal about climate and health. peoplesworld.org In the summer of 2022, one of the worst monsoons on record turned swaths of Bangladesh, a low-lying country in South Asia, into huge, muddy lakes. When the brunt of the flooding finally eased, at least 141 people had died and millions of others throughout the region had been injured, impoverished, or displaced. The sheer scale of the destruction …

pbs.org (2023-12-14). Argentina's new president implements shock economic measures, devalues currency and cuts subsidiesArgentina on Tuesday announced a sharp devaluation of its currency and cuts to energy and transportation subsidies as part of shock measures new President Javier Milei says are needed to deal with an economic emergency.

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WSWS (2023-12-13). Key central bank meetings as higher interest rates start to bite. wsws.org There is a veritable clamour in financial markets for rates to be cut motivated by both greed and fear.

Karen Dolan (2023-12-13). Celebrating the Resilience of Low-Income Women. otherwords.org It's been a difficult few years for poor people in this country. Just a year after the pandemic era safety net expansion saw poverty fall to its lowest level on record, we saw a historic Women and children have been among the hardest hit. In 2022, the last year we have data for, at least Despite that…

Bella DeVaan (2023-12-13). Like it or Not, Billionaires Are on Your Gift List This Holiday Season. otherwords.org It's high giving season in America. From Angel Trees and red buckets to year-end appeals, nonprofits and charities receive more donations during the five week holiday stretch than any other on the calendar. | Millions of people whose incomes are too low to take advantage of charitable tax deductions are still moved by the holiday spirit to give generously. | For Americans with enough income to itemize — less than

Ana Perdigón (2023-12-14). Venezuela's 2024 Budget Prioritizes Social Investment. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez presented the nation's budget for the year 2024 to the National Assembly earlier today. The budget earmarks 77% for social investment. | The budget totaled 729 billion bolívars (USD 20.5 billion). The vice president explained that ordinary income represents 38.8% of the budget, extraordinary income represents 47.8%, and represents debt 13.4%. It is estimated that assets will be allocated to development projects of the Homeland Plan (Plan de la Patria). | She said that, for the first time, the defense of Guayana Esequiba was included in the nation's budget, in compliance w…

Labor Video Project (2023-12-14). SEIU1021 SF General Hospital Workers & Healthcare Workers for Palestine Rally at Hospital. indybay.org San Francisco SEIU 1021 General Hospital workers rallied to prepare for their contract expiration and the growing attacks by Mayor London Breed who is cutting healthcare funds while wanting to increase the police budget by $300 million. They were joined by a contingent to Healthcare Workers For Palestine who called for more money for healthcare and not war.

Ruth Milka (2023-12-14). Behind bars and beyond burgers: Exposing Alabama's prison labor exploitation. nationofchange.org This lawsuit seeks not only to compensate those who have been exploited, but also to dismantle a system that generates an estimated $450 million annually from this coerced labor.

Santa Cruz News (2023-12-14). Monterey Bay Central Labor Council Calls for Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. indybay.org On December 6, the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council voted on a statement calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine to local, state, and federal electeds. The Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC) is the local body of the AFL-CIO. MBCLC serves as a coalition of the Labor Community in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, with over 80 affiliated unions, representing more than 37,000 union members and their families.

teleSUR, rzr, MS (2023-12-14). Protesta laboral paraliza servicios en hospital del sur de Haití. telesurtv.net Los manifestantes además exhortaron a las autoridades sanitarias de la nación caribeña a cumplir con sus reivindicaciones antes de que concluya el año 2023.

WSWS (2023-12-14). Australian government postures over ceasefire, but backs Israeli war machine. wsws.org While voting for the UN resolution, Labor signalled its support for an indefinite Israeli onslaught against Gaza, punctuated only by occasional "humanitarian pauses."

WSWS (2023-12-14). Australia Labor government unveils plans to slash disability funding. wsws.org NDIS Minister Bill Shorten outlined measures to block most children from the NDIS, and to use "assessors" to deny access to many adult applicants as well.

Comunicaciones teleSUR (2023-12-13). teleSUR y canales públicos brasileños firman acuerdo. telesurtv.net Este convenio se firma con el objetivo de fortalecer los lazos de amistad y colaboración que promoverá la diversidad y el pluralismo en la información.

dzorinoco (2023-12-13). An Extension of Nazism: How Did Zionism Collaborate With Hitler to Establish 'Israel'? orinocotribune.com By Mohammad Ali Fakih — Dec 8th, 2023 | One of the more significant outcomes of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation is that it has forced researchers in the history of the Zionist movement to confront the "phobia" of exposing historical facts that occurred during World War II, that would reveal their collaboration with Nazism. This movement, characterized by unethical tactics such as difficult-to-detect lies, exaggeration of facts, presenting opinion as truth, espousing contentious concepts as clear-cut, and fostering false connections and herd instinct, has long excelled in obfuscating the association between Zion…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-13). Labor votes down Lidia Thorpe's bill to uphold First Nation's rights in law. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-13). Labor's new AUKUS bill declares Osborne in SA, Stirling in WA as nuclear zones. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-13). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-13). NDIS Review: Is Labor adopting the Coalition's cuts? greenleft.org.au

Ileana Ferrer Fonte (2023-12-13). Cuban president calls for an end to genocide in Gaza. plenglish.com Havana, Dec 13 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for an end to the genocide being perpetrated by Israel, in collaboration with the United States, against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Labor Video Project (2023-12-13). SEIU1021 SF General Hospital Workers & Healthcare Workers for Palestine Rally at Hospital. indybay.org San Francisco SEIU 1021 General Hospital workers rallied to prepare for their contract expiration and the growing attacks by Mayor London Breed who is cutting healthcare funds while wanting to increase the police budget by $300 million. They were joined by a contingent to Healthcare Workers For Palestine who called for more money for healthcare and not war.

Staff (2023-12-13). 15-16 December 2023: #LaborShutItDown4Palestine: End All Complicity With Genocide—Stop Arming Israel! samidoun.net #LaborShutItDown4Palestine on D15-16, 2023 End All Complicity With Genocide—Stop Arming Israel! We welcome growing union calls for a permanent ceasefire to end the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza. Now, we call on our labor bodies to take the next step of fully embracing the Urgent Call from Palestinian Trade Unions: End all Complicity, Stop Arming …

Steven Greenhouse, In These Times. (2023-12-13). Starbucks' Offer To Resume Contract Talks Comes With Serious Fine Print. popularresistance.org Starbucks received lots of favorable press when it told its workers' union that it wanted to resume contract talks. The move was a much-needed PR boost for a company whose recent battles with the union have stirred bad press and contributed to sinking stock prices. A top Starbucks official wrote to the union's president on Friday saying the company wanted to end the bargaining impasse‚Äâ—‚Äâone caused by the coffee chain's refusal to hold any negotiating sessions for more than six months. As a result of that refusal, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has repeatedly…

The Labor | Health Reporter (2023-12-13). AMC Theatres Endanger Public Health. indybay.org As SAG-AFTRA strikes end — Adam Aron and AMC Movie Theaters, the largest chain in the world, endangers the public health with their treatment of sick employees in violation of OSHA and state sick leave laws.

Zahir Ebrahim (2023-12-13). The Great Taking and Central Banks. indybay.org Do you care about what's not in your pocket anymore, real money, real assets? What's actually jingling in your pockets and purses giving you the illusion of loose change is the insufferable debt. From personal debt to national debt is one big elite scam. Americans labor under the delusion more than Europeans and other nations from South America to Asia, that they are free. Yeah, free to be in perpetual debt slavery and happy or at least nonchalant about it. Have you ever stopped to ponder how the world's riches and man's sweat of the brow both have both fallen into a very very few wealthy hands who create greater…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). Labor votes down Lidia Thorpe's bill to uphold First Nation's rights in law. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). Labor's new AUKUS bill declares Osborne in SA, Stirling in WA as nuclear zones. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). Labor's new punitive refugee laws criticised. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-14). NDIS Review: Is Labor adopting the Coalition's cuts? greenleft.org.au

Santa Cruz News (2023-12-13). Monterey Bay Central Labor Council Calls for Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. indybay.org On December 6, the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council voted on a statement calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine to local, state, and federal electeds. The Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC) is the local body of the AFL-CIO. MBCLC serves as a coalition of the Labor Community in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, with over 80 affiliated unions, representing more than 37,000 union members and their families.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Managing differences amid collaboration stressed. ecns.cn President Xi Jinping has called on China and Vietnam to advance pragmatic cooperation and effectively manage their problems and differences.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Not even snow will stop Professor Ge from his passion. ecns.cn After the snowfall in Beijing on Monday, a netizen captured a touching scene on the campus of the University of Science and Technology Beijing: Professor Ge Changchun, 89, braving the cold to ride to the laboratory, reported Beijing Daily.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-14). Identifying new potential in cancer-killing T cells. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org When Joanina Gicobi began her Ph.D. degree five years ago at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, she was interested in thinking creatively about ways to improve cancer treatment. In particular, she was curious about the body's natural ability to fight tumors: Could that process be improved? In the laboratory of Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D., she joined efforts to learn more about the T cells that are part of an inherent cancer-killing immune response. Joanina Gicobi,…

teleSUR (2023-12-14). Africa CDC Delivers Cold Chain Equipment to Botswana. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), delivered cold chain equipment to Botswana's Ministry of Health on Wednesday to strengthen its healthcare system. | RELATED: | Speaking during the handover ceremony in Gaborone, Botswana's capital, Sethomo Lelatisitswe, the assistant minister of…

Mark Gruenberg, John Wojcik (2023-12-13). Poison pills in House money bill for labor too much to swallow. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON— House Republicans this week have put forward outrageous attacks on immigrant rights with their push for policies that will stop all efforts at meaningful immigration reform. They are busy impeaching President Biden with no evidence whatsoever and they have stepped up their now-temporarily halted drive to prevent workers from exercising their right to form …

Ann Brown (2023-12-13). American Credit Card Debt Is Over $1 Trillion: 5 Things To Know About Avoiding Making Credit Card Companies Rich, Black America Poor. moguldom.com Credit card debt in the United States has surged to over $1 trillion, with millions of Americans falling into the dangerous trap of revolving credit card balances. While credit cards can offer convenience, they can also lead to financial stress and wealth disparities, particularly in Black communities. Here are five things to know about credit …

Lerato Mthunzi Mthunzi (2023-12-13). The 'brain drain' is a symptom of how capitalism has failed the healthcare sector. peoplesdispatch.org Every year, thousands of healthcare workers leave South Africa, in order to chase better opportunities, as wealthier countries exploit desperate working conditions faced by them. This brain drain is a direct result of neoliberal policies, especially austerity…

Sarah Anderson (2023-12-13). In the World's Wealthiest Country, Housing Should Be a Human Right and a Community Builder. inequality.org Too many of us have to depend on sheer good luck to make it — especially when it comes to putting a roof over our heads. We grow up hearing that hard work alone will lift us above the hardships we're born into. But many of us also watched as our parents worked two and …

Editor (2023-12-14). The 'brain drain' is a symptom of how capitalism has failed the healthcare sector. mronline.org Every year, thousands of healthcare workers leave South Africa, in order to chase better opportunities, as wealthier countries exploit desperate working conditions faced by them. This brain drain is a direct result of neoliberal policies, especially austerity.

Dean Baker (2023-12-14). Dealing with Patent Monopolies and High Prices. counterpunch.org Government-granted patent monopolies have become pretty much sacred in the United States. In fact, when high drug prices become a political issue, most discussion, including from progressives, turns reality on its head. The standard story is that the market creates high drug prices, the issue is whether the government should intervene through some type of

Elliott Wallace (2023-12-13). Inflation still hitting Americans' pockets. america.cgtn.com Average Americans are having to spend thousands of dollars extra every year, just to maintain their standard of living. | U.S. government data shows that soaring inflation last year — to a 40-year-high — meant many households had to part with more cash to keep treading water. | Even as prices fall and the jobless rate reaches a two-decade low, people are still feeling the pinch. | CGTN's Benji Hyer reports.

ecns.cn (2023-12-14). Boosting consumption high on 2024 agenda. ecns.cn China is likely to take more steps to revive consumer demand and boost spending appetites next year as it seeks to inject strong impetus into a consumption-led recovery amid pressure from subdued demand and property sector weakness.

Charlie Squire (2023-12-14). The Leftist Case for Collecting. progressive.org Collecting, as a practice of love and admiration, is the antithesis to over-consumption. Through collecting, progressives can cherish, dwell on, and live with the physical manifestations of our humanity.

Gustavo Figueroa (2023-12-14). "Financial confidence": the semantic field of seduction and repression. pressenza.com A communicational and decolonial analysis of Javier Milei's first speech as president | Javier Milei repeated the phrase "the adjustment is inevitable" four times in his first speech as president. He also quoted Roca, Sarmiento and Benegas Lynch (h). He invoked God and "the forces of heaven". He recalled the times of the Expeditionary Campaign to the Desert as the most productive in the country's history. He treated the pre-existing peoples as "barbarians" and indicated that a programme of shock is more efficient than one of gradualism. On the other hand, on a symbolic level, Milei greeted Mauricio Macri during t…

teleSUR (2023-12-13). Namibia To Bolster Efficiency, Transparency of Trade Processes. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, the Bank of Namibia and the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) officially launched the country's first Trade Verification System (TVS). | RELATED: | According to the Financial Intelligence Center in the National Money Laundering, Terrorist and Proliferation Financing Risk Assessment Report of 2021, the TVS is expected to reduce the estimated 33 billion Namibia dollars (about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars) of pote…

WSWS (2023-12-14). "This is a capitalist government that just wants to dismantle the system, then privatize it": Over half- a-million Quebec public sector workers complete sixth day on strike. wsws.org The workers are determined to win inflation-busting wage increases, put an end to punishing working conditions, and secure major reinvestments in public services.

Aram Aharonian (2023-12-14). Argentina was on the brink: did it step forward? pressenza.com The far-right Javier Milei is the new president of Argentina for the next four years: on taking office he ratified his "chainsaw" plan and said that the adjustment would fall on the state and not on the private sector, but acknowledged that it would hurt "activity, employment and wages". It is not a dream or a dystopia, it is real. | It was not a defeat of Peronism, or of Kirchnerism, it was a defeat of all progressivism, of the left, not only of Argentina but of all of Latin America. Milei will be another voice of the US and European neo-fascism in the region, a spearhead against China, the main trading partner,…

Nora Barrows-Friedman (2023-12-14). Israeli sniper kills "everyone who moves" in Gaza hospital. electronicintifada.net Physicians say situation is "unbearable" as health system collapses.

krish-rad_ind (2023-12-14). Israeli sniper kills "everyone who moves" in Gaza hospital. electronicintifada.net

Dave DeCamp (2023-12-14). Senate Passes Massive $886 Billion National Defense Authorization Act. news.antiwar.com On Wednesday, the Senate passed the mammoth $886 billion 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which funds the Pentagon and military spending in other government agencies. The bill passed in a vote of 87-13, with six Democrats, six Republicans, and one Independent voting against it. This NDAA now heads to the House, where it's expected …

The Independent (2023-12-13). 'If we don't invest now, somebody from Europe, America or China will come to own what is ours'. independent.co.ug MARRAKESH, Morocco | THE INDEPENDENT | -Herbert Mensah, the newly elected President Rugby Africa, has said the continent's nations can continously be world beaters in the game, if the right investement is made. The President of the continental governing body made the remarks in an interview with African news channel Africa24 English during the Africa Investment …

teleSUR (2023-12-13). E-Commerce Strategy Launched in Kenya to Boost Online Commerce. telesurenglish.net Rebecca Miano, cabinet secretary for Investment, Trade and Industry, said the implementation of the strategy would stimulate domestic and cross-border trade, enabling Kenyan producers to respond to the international market and thus help address the trade imbalance between the country and others. | Kenya's National E-Commerce Strategy was launched this afternoon at Radisson Blu, UpperHill. Dec. 13, 2023.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Two countries capitalizing on their complementary industrial structures. ecns.cn Growing trade between the two countries, advantageous tariff rates resulting from free trade agreements, enhanced international capacity cooperation and surging Chinese corporate investment in Vietnam are creating many more opportunities.

Shealeigh (2023-12-13). California's Groundbreaking Investment in Education for Incarcerated Youth. projectcensored.org In an article for The Imprint News, Jeremy Loudenback and Sara Tiano dive into the details of California's June 30, 2023, signed budget, which incorporates investments in higher education for…

Editor (2023-12-14). Enslaved By Nonprofits: How NGOs Colonize Developing Countries. scheerpost.com

Kit Klarenberg, MintPress News. (2023-12-14). Enslaved By Nonprofits: How NGOs Colonize Developing Countries. popularresistance.org November 21 marked the 28th anniversary of the signing of the US-brokered Dayton Agreement, which brought an end to the proxy war in Bosnia after three years and eight months. It is an event few celebrate — although there was much cheering in Sarajevo two days later when Stuart Seldowitz, the man who led negotiations on Washington's side, was arrested for subjecting Muslim Americans to vile verbal abuse. | The war in Bosnia — encouraged, financed, armed, and prolonged at every step by the U.S. — tore apart a previously harmonious, inclusive and prosperous republic of Socialist Yugoslavia. In all…

Ex-Workers Collective, CrimethInc. (2023-12-13). Don't Stop: Continuing The Fight Against Cop City. popularresistance.org Starting in April 2021, people in Atlanta, Georgia set out to defend Weelaunee Forest, where politicians and profiteers are attempting to build a police training compound known as Cop City. Over the past two and a half years, this movement has given rise to one of the fiercest struggles in North America. Opponents of Cop City have repeatedly destroyed equipment and forced contractors to withdraw from the construction project, while the authorities have killed one forest defender and pressed outlandish racketeering charges against 61 more, including the members of a legal support collective.

splcenter (2023-12-13). Contracts Between Hungarian Nonprofit and Christopher Rufo, Others, Raise Foreign Agent Concerns: Expert. splcenter.org Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government has long courted international conservative and far-right movements. Hatewatch obtained contracts between Hungarian U.S. conservative figures that suggest they should register as foreign agents under U.S. law.

Laurent Ross (2023-12-13). Capitalism's rent-to-live society and the abolition of private property. peoplesworld.org Karl Marx quite famously says in The Manifesto of the Communist Party that "…the theory of the Communists may be summed up in a single sentence: Abolition of private property." This quote has been used over and over again by the capitalist class to scare workers away from contemplating socialism. After all, according to the …

Juan Pablo Cárdenas (2023-12-14). Chile: A left-wing government… pressenza.com When the left takes over the government, thanks to an electoral and democratic process, its rulers hasten to achieve their reforms before the forces of reaction manage to destabilise it and return to power. This has happened several times in our troubled regional history and the best-remembered case is that of the assassination of Salvador Allende. | Progressive leaders obviously will be willing to satisfy social demands such as, for example, improving workers' wages, resolving the high housing and health deficits, strengthening public education, and as promised, improving pensions for retirees. | To do this, sta…

WSWS (2023-12-14). Irish government seizes on far-right riot as pretext for state clampdown. wsws.org The numerically insignificant far-right draws strength because its agenda corresponds to the needs of the ruling class to destroy democratic rights, scapegoat the most vulnerable, drive down wages and conditions and prepare for war.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-13). Ecosocialist Bookshelf, December 2023. greenleft.org.au Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus presents eight important new books for rebels and revolutionaries on your gift list…

WSWS (2023-12-13). Three establishment candidates line up for Indonesian presidential election. wsws.org All three candidates are defenders of capitalism and, despite their populist electoral rhetoric, innately hostile to the interests of working people.

Stewart Lawrence (2023-12-14). Is Big Pharma Over-Selling Depression? counterpunch.org If you watch late-night television you've probably seen the ads for a new antidepressant drug called "Rexulti." It's billed as a break-through cure for people who've already been treated for depression but are still experiencing its symptoms. The manufacturer, Otsuka, is heavily promoting Rexulti just as it did its earlier controversial anti-depressant known as "Abilify."

teleSUR, JGN (2023-12-13). La COP28 acuerda iniciar transición que deje atrás industria de combustibles fósiles. telesurtv.net El texto de la COP28 busca limitar el aumento de la temperatura global en 1.5 grados celsius por encima de niveles preindustriales.

Carlos García Hernández (2023-12-13). Peace and Reindustrialization: Beyond Thatcher's Trauma. realprogressives.org The European left suffers from a post-traumatic stress disorder that has its origins in Margaret Thatcher's policies and does not know how to cope with it in a functional way.

teleSUR (2023-12-13). Russia Takes Part in Lithium Extraction Project in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Karla Calderon, the president of the state-owned company Bolivian Lithium Deposits (YLB), announced a two-year agreement with the Russian company Uranium One Group to establish a plant for lithium extraction. | RELATED: | "Let's continue advancing steadily, convinced that the industrialization of lithium is the path forward for the benefit of all," said Bolivian President Luis Arce during the launch event of this partnership i…

teleSUR (2023-12-13). COP28 Concludes With Agreement for Energy Transition. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, 198 countries approved the final declaration of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) through which it was agreed to advance an energy transition through the gradual abandonment of fossil fuels. | RELATED: | The COP28 text seeks to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To this end, deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas…

M. Reza Behnam (2023-12-13). The Moral Bankruptcy of U.S. Policy in Palestine. counterpunch.org

M. Reza Behnam (2023-12-13). The Moral Bankruptcy of U.S. Policy in Palestine. counterpunch.org Among the many memories I have of growing up in Tehran are of my elementary school days in Ms. Naji's class. On one occasion, she assigned a poem by the celebrated 13th-century Iranian poet and mystic, Saadi Shirazi. Our class was asked to write our reflections on Saadi's poem from his book, the Gulistan (flower land). Little did

Tina Renier (2023-12-13). Women's Rights and the Dominant Neoliberal Agenda: The Current Global Trajectory Is Far from Sustainable. globalresearch.ca

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi says upgrade of China-Vietnam ties sends signal of solidarity, joint development. ecns.cn Xi Jinping said Wednesday the announcement to build the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance sends out a positive signal of the two socialist countries' commitment to solidarity, friendship and joint development.

Peoples Dispatch (2023-12-13). After months of war and over 18,000 Gazans killed, US Senator Bernie Sanders calls for a ceasefire. peoplesdispatch.org The Senator, who repopularized socialism with an influential 2016 presidential campaign, had, until now, opposed the demand for a ceasefire…

teleSUR, dcdc, JCM (2023-12-13). China y Vietnam acuerdan construir comunidad de futuro compartido. telesurtv.net Xi Jinping manifestó que la causa de la construcción socialista en China y Vietnam avanzará de manera constante.

WSWS (2023-12-13). "The attack on the SEP members is an attack on the international working class": Will Lehman defends Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka. wsws.org William Lehman, the Pennsylvania Mack Trucks worker and socialist candidate for UAW president in last year's election, issued the following statement defending the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka.

WSWS (2023-12-13). "To mark Helen's life is to recognise her place of honour in the history of the Fourth International" wsws.org We are publishing here the tribute to Helen Halyard given by Chris Marsden, the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (UK), to a memorial meeting for Helen held December 3.

WSWS (2023-12-13). New Zealand pseudo-left group whitewashes unions' complicity in Gaza genocide. wsws.org The International Socialist Organisation cited mealy-mouthed statements by unions in New Zealand, the US and Australia calling for a ceasefire, while covering up the role of the unions in preventing strikes and other actions to stop the supply of weapons for Israel's war machine.

Judy Haiven (2023-12-14). Censorship and Civic Terror in Canada: The Silencing of Palestinian Voices and Palestinian Supporters. socialistproject.ca

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi meets Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, met on Wednesday with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi meets Vietnamese PM. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, met on Wednesday with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi meets chairman of National Assembly of Vietnam. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, met on Wednesday with Chairman of National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi says China, Vietnam should be alert to and oppose any attempts to mess up Asia-Pacific. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, said Wednesday that China, Vietnam should be alert to and oppose any attempts to mess up Asia-Pacific.

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). Xi pays tribute to late leader Ho Chi Minh. ecns.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, on Wednesday to lay a wreath and pay his respects.

thecommunists (2023-12-14). Cuba to international meet: Never before has world peace been so threatened. thecommunists.org The following speech was made on behalf of the Communist Party of Cuba by the party's head of international relations Emilio Lozada Garcia at the 23rd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in Turkey on 20 October 2023. ***** Dear Kemal Okuyan, general secretary of the Communist party of Türkiye, Dear comrades, brothers and …

thecommunists (2023-12-13). Britain using its Cypriot base to aid Israeli genocide in Gaza. thecommunists.org This statement is reproduced from the Union of Cypriots website, with thanks. ***** The Union of Cypriots stands unconditionally with the Palestinian people and supports their resistance. The Cypriot people have consistently expressed their unwavering solidarity with our neighboring Palestinian people. Both Cypriots and Palestinians have become victims of ongoing occupation, settler colonialism, and violations …

thecommunists (2023-12-13). Solidarity with Greek comrades under attack for anti-imperialist activities! thecommunists.org The CPGB-ML wishes to express its solidarity with communists in Greece, who were recently subjected to a cowardly attempt to terrorise a member of their organisation. According to a report from the Collective of Struggle for the Revolutionary Unification of Humanity in Athens: "On the eve of the anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising and the …

ecns.cn (2023-12-13). China, Vietnam agree to build community with shared future that carries strategic significance. ecns.cn General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a welcome ceremony held by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, Dec. 12, 2023.

2023-12-14 23:18:08 | 23:18 EST | tr | 125 | 1 | 82 | 62 | 0 

2023-12-11: News Headlines

Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. (2023-12-11). US Blocks Gaza Peace Proposal At UN For Third Time, Holds World Hostage. popularresistance.org The United States has used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council three times in less than two months to kill resolutions calling for peace in Gaza. | Meanwhile, Washington is sending billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel, directly assisting the country as it commits war crimes against Palestinian civilians. | On December 8, the Security Council voted on a resolution that called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" and the unconditional release of all hostages. | The United States was the only country on the 15-member council that voted against the measure.

ecns.cn (2023-12-11). Enormous potential in economic and trade cooperation between China and Vietnam. ecns.cn This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

ecns.cn (2023-12-11). In numbers: China's economy sustains good momentum of recovery. ecns.cn

John Teufel (2023-12-10). What's a Good Economy, Anyway? counterpunch.org Far from being an obviously good economy that only partisans and the brainwashed could question, by any more specific measurement than "jobs are good," the economy is in fact awful, and has relentlessly squeezed the average American for decades. Yes, on some level, it is better to have a job than not to have a job — but understandably, Americans seem to want a bit more from life than a place to clock in and clock out. | To read this article, log in If you are logged in but ca…

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). Renewable investment urged at COP28. ecns.cn China is indispensable for the world's green transformation, considering the remarkable achievements the country has made in the renewables sector, international experts said on the sidelines of the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). Digital sector roadmap to aid recovery. ecns.cn Tech firms urged to hike investments in basic research, strategic fields | China's efforts to boost its digital economy and platform companies, and speed up the integration of the digital and real economy will foster new growth drivers and inject strong impetus into the country's economic recovery amid downward pressure, experts and company executives said. | Highlighting that the digital economy has become a new driver in promoting industrial upgrade, they said Chinese tech enterprises should step up investments in state-of-the-art technologies, basic research and strategic forward-looking areas, as well as furt…

latintimes (2023-12-11). Argentina's Milei Warns Of 'Shock' Austerity As He Takes Office. latintimes.com Latin America's third-biggest economy is on its knees after decades of debt and financial mismanagement, with annual inflation at 140% and 40% of Argentines living in poverty.

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). Leadership sets tone for economic work. ecns.cn Solid steps will be taken to effectively enhance economic vitality, prevent and defuse risks and improve social expectations as part of the nation's efforts to promote reasonable economic growth in 2024, according to a key Party meeting on Friday.

ecns.cn (2023-12-11). Officials emphasize digitalization's role in low-carbon future, economic recovery. ecns.cn Officials have called for further efforts to tap the potential of digital transformation in promoting low-carbon transition and economic recovery amid the global climate crisis.

Edited (2023-12-11). 2024 California Black History Month – Pan African Presence in Early California History. indybay.org Pan Africans migrated to California in significant numbers. By 1790, they made up nearly 20 percent of California's population, or one out of every five residents. More importantly, the concept of "race" had far less significance in California than in the United States. While European-born Spaniards controlled California society, Afro-Latinos and mestizos did manage to gain political and economic influence during the Spanish and Mexican periods of California history. African Cuban, Danish Jewish first elected Treasurer of San Francisco, Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. and several other "hidden figure…

Javier Arana Villasusa (2023-12-11). Argentine government to carry out heavy cutbacks. plenglish.com Buenos Aires, Dec 11 (Prensa Latina) The cabinet of the Argentine President, Javier Milei, analyzed in its first meeting a reorganization of the State, the economic situation, a strong fiscal cut and the review of contracts, informed today the spokesman of the Casa Rosada, Manuel Adorni.

Staff (2023-12-11). Abu Saleh Shariff spearheads empowerment initiatives for minorities in Maharashtra. muslimmirror.com By Dr. Danish Lambe In a series of thought-provoking programs across Aurangabad, Beed, and Nanded, initiated by Abu Saleh Shariff, the esteemed economist and key member of the Sachar Committee, and organized under the leadership of Honorable Hussain Dalwai, President of Maulana Azad Vichar Munch, discussions were led on the economic and social challenges faced …

WSWS (2023-12-11). Reject the tentative agreement with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and expand the strike! wsws.org The United Steelworkers is attempting to betray the months-long strike of 1,700 nurses by imposing a contract that will not ensure safe staffing or meet the workers' most basic economic needs.

Edited (2023-12-10). 2024 California Black History Month – Pan African Presence in Early California History. indybay.org Pan Africans migrated to California in significant numbers. By 1790, they made up nearly 20 percent of California's population, or one out of every five residents. More importantly, the concept of "race" had far less significance in California than in the United States. While European-born Spaniards controlled California society, Afro-Latinos and mestizos did manage to gain political and economic influence during the Spanish and Mexican periods of California history. African Cuban, Danish Jewish first elected Treasurer of San Francisco, Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. and several other "hidden figure…

Independent Media Institute (2023-12-10). The Cradle of Humanity: Georges Bataille on the Birth of Art and of Humanity. pressenza.com Why should we explore caves and excavate fossils? Why should we seek more information about our origins? And what can the first women and men tell us about the human condition? Reading Georges Bataille (1897-1962) answers these questions profoundly. The French writer considerably influenced authors such as Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Jacques Lacan, and Julia Kristeva, with provocative novels and essays exploring love, grief, economic theories, social structures, and systems of beliefs. He was also fascinated by prehistoric art and culture, a topic he wrote about in many essays, reviews, and books, including…

The Independent (2023-12-10). Alcohol dealers cite loopholes in new bill. independent.co.ug The issue of alcohol has an economic, social and health impact on society and we must strike a balance in the bill Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Alcohol Industry Association has brought to the attention of the Minister of State for Investment Evelyn Anite and the Minister of State for Trade David Bahati …

_____ (2023-12-11). Socialism's Self-Criticism and Real Democracy. transcend.org 5 Dec 2023 – Democracy is incompatible with class-divided economic systems. Masters rule in slavery, lords in feudalism, and employers in capitalism. Whatever forms of government coexist with class-divided economic systems, the hard reality is that one class rules the other.

infobrics (2023-12-11). Nigeria Expresses Interest to Join BRICS Nations. infobrics.org Following the BRICS 2023 annual summit's announcement of a six-country expansion plan and Argentina's unexpected decline, Nigeria has expressed its ambition to join the economic alliance…

NEOB (2023-12-11). Business licensing policy up for public comment. sanews.gov.za Business licensing policy up for public comment | Cabinet has considered and approved the draft National Business Licensing Policy for public comments. | This is according to Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni who briefed the media on the outcomes of the Special Cabinet meeting held last Friday. | The Minister said the objectives of the policy are: | The provision of a fair, transparent and ethical allocation of business operating licenses in a manner that enables citizens to actively participate in an economic life. | The assertion and clarification of South Africa's sovereign right to determine the…

NEOB (2023-12-11). Operation Vulindela making "significant progress" sanews.gov.za Operation Vulindela making "significant progress" | The Presidency and National Treasury have released the third and fourth quarter progress report of Operation Vulindlela. | The report was released during a media briefing on Monday. | Operation Vulindlela was launched in 2020 and is an initiative between Treasury and the Presidency aimed at, among other things, accelerating the implementation of structural reforms and to support South Africa's economic recovery. | The five desired outcomes of Operation Vulindlela are: | Stabilising of the electricity supply | Reduce cost and increased quality of digital communic…

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). CPC leadership holds meeting on 2024 economic work, anti-corruption work, Party discipline. ecns.cn The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday held a meeting to analyze and study the economic work of 2024, arrange Party conduct and anti-corruption work, and review regulations on the CPC's disciplinary action.

The Independent (2023-12-10). Experts Concerned About Unutilised UGX 200b SME Recovery Funds. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Small and medium-scale enterprises are still experiencing an increase in the cost of production and inputs, even as COVID-19 is long gone. This is according to the results of a survey done by the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) meant to among others assess business resilience to the effects of …

latintimes (2023-12-11). Asian Markets Mixed Ahead Of US Inflation Data, Fed Decision. latintimes.com All three main indexes on Wall Street rose Friday but Asian traders struggled to extend the rally.

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). Work begins on underground oil storage project. ecns.cn Construction began in Zhejiang province on Saturday on China's largest commercial underground oil reserve project, further balancing domestic oil supply and demand, said its operator China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC.

Dean Baker (2023-12-11). Strong Job Growth Pushes Unemployment Rate Down to 3.7 Percent. counterpunch.org The rise in unemployment from the 3.4 percent low hit in April had some worried that a recession was looming. The Sahm Rule holds that a 0.5 percentage point rise in the unemployment rate presages a larger increase. (This is based on 3-month averages, not single month data.) The drop in unemployment to 3.7 percent

Talya Wintman (2023-12-10). Social Worker Shortage Looms If Field Keeps Relying on Unpaid Student Labor. truthout.org Anyone who has ever interacted with New York City's vast social welfare system has probably come into contact with a social work student. For those who haven't, it might come as a surprise that much of the case management, housing stabilization, crisis intervention and counseling services for people who are low-income, criminal legal system-involved, experiencing homelessness, or disabled… |

Saleem Samad (2023-12-10). Sheikh Hasina hints at dealing with sanctions after the election. pressenza.com Looming threats of sanctions on labour issues have raised eyebrows among the government, policymakers, garment entrepreneurs and industrial bodies. | Most ready-made garments (RMG) factories have failed or partially implemented international compliance and ethical practices, which has ignited labour unrest. | Recently, Bangladesh has witnessed intense labour unrest and violent protests related to wage disputes in the garment industry. The dispute on fair wages for RMG workers has sparked widespread protests demanding against the government's Wage Board decision to increase BDT 12,500 ($113) per month for garment…

WSWS (2023-12-10). Around 100,000 protest in London against US and UK support for Israel's genocide in Gaza. wsws.org Of sitting Labour MPs only Apsana Begum and John McDonnell were on the platform. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits as an Independent, again refused to even name Sir Keir Starmer or the Labour Party as supporters of genocide.

Chris Hedges, The Real News Network. (2023-12-11). The Weapons Israel Tests On Palestinians Will Be Used Against All Of Us. popularresistance.org The Palestinians are human laboratory rats to the Israeli military intelligence services and arms and technology industries. Israel's drones, surveillance technology including spyware, facial recognition software, and biometric gathering infrastructure, along with smart fences, experimental bombs, and AI-controlled machine guns are all tried out on the captive population in Gaza, often with lethal results. These weapons and technologies are then certified as "battle-tested" and sold around the world. | Israel is the tenth largest arms dealer on the planet and sells its technology and weapons to an estimated 130 n…

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). COP28 sets eyes on AI to fight climate change. ecns.cn The grand challenge was part of a high-level event organized by the UN Climate Change Technology Mechanism on Saturday in Dubai, in collaboration with the COP28 Presidency.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-11). Labor falls short on Robodebt royal commission measures. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-11). Labor votes down Lidia Thorpe's bill to uphold First Nation's rights in law. greenleft.org.au

teleSUR, rzr, SH (2023-12-11). Tornados en Tennessee, EE.UU. dejan al menos seis muertos. telesurtv.net Equipos de emergencia mantienen las labores de búsqueda y rescate para constatar la existencia de más víctimas, entre muertos o heridos.

The Labor | Health Reporter (2023-12-11). AMC Theatres Endanger Public Health. indybay.org As SAG-AFTRA strikes end — Adam Aron and AMC Movie Theaters, the largest chain in the world, endangers the public health with their treatment of sick employees in violation of OSHA and state sick leave laws.

WSWS (2023-12-11). Australian Greens offer no way forward in fight against Gaza genocide. wsws.org The Greens are trying to subordinate opposition to the barbarism to moral appeals to the Labor government that is fully committed to the mass slaughter.

WSWS (2023-12-11). Australia: Union bosses force unpopular Queensland Labor premier to quit. wsws.org Palaszczuk's tearful departure underlines a developing crisis of the political establishment as a whole nationally, and not just the Labor Party.

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-10). Labor falls short on Robodebt royal commission measures. greenleft.org.au

teleSUR, rzr, SH (2023-12-10). Tornados en Tennessee, EE.UU. dejan al menos seis muertos. telesurtv.net Equipos de emergencia mantienen las labores de búsqueda y rescate para constatar la existencia de más víctimas, entre muertos o heridos.

Xander Nieuws (2023-12-10). "Is the Virus Fictitious"? Laboratories in US Can't Find COVID-19 in One of 1,500 Positive Tests. globalresearch.ca

Chris Hedges, The Real News Network. (2023-12-11). Weapons Israel Tests On Palestinians Will Be Used Against All Of Us. popularresistance.org The Palestinians are human laboratory rats to the Israeli military intelligence services and arms and technology industries. Israel's drones, surveillance technology including spyware, facial recognition software, and biometric gathering infrastructure, along with smart fences, experimental bombs, and AI-controlled machine guns are all tried out on the captive population in Gaza, often with lethal results. These weapons and technologies are then certified as "battle-tested" and sold around the world. | Israel is the tenth largest arms dealer on the planet and sells its technology and weapons to an estimated 130 n…

Orinoco Tribune 2 (2023-12-11). Africans Should Expel all American Biolaboratories. orinocotribune.com By Batko Milacic — Dec 8, 2023 | In the early 21st century, new concerns about bioweapons being used to generate terror and also with a series of newly emerging or newly understood disease-causing microbes have resulted in infections and deaths of workers studying these microbes in the laboratory, generally to gain understanding and to develop treatments and vaccines. Here, five examples are summarized: 1) smallpox virus escaped from a UK laboratory where it was being maintained and stored, 2) the 2014 infections and deaths of five researchers who were isolating West African Ebola virus for deoxyribonucleic…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-11). Identifying new potential in cancer-killing T cells. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org When Joanina Gicobi began her Ph.D. degree five years ago at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, she was interested in thinking creatively about ways to improve cancer treatment. In particular, she was curious about the body's natural ability to fight tumors: Could that process be improved? In the laboratory of Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D., she joined efforts to learn more about the T cells that are part of an inherent cancer-killing immune response. Joanina Gicobi,…

Gabisile (2023-12-11). SA to celebrate Universal Health Coverage Day. sanews.gov.za SA to celebrate Universal Health Coverage Day | South Africa will on Tuesday, 12 December, join the global community in celecrating the progress made towards health for all. | According to the Department of Health, government will also observe the day by raising awareness of the necessity for resilient, equitable, and robust healthcare systems to achieve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC). | The Department of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) South Africa and other health sector stakeholders, will host a seminar to reinvigorate pledges to accelerate UHC efforts in South Africa.

Belinda Jones (2023-12-10). Funding for religious organisations favours those in Labor-held seats. independentaustralia.net

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2023-12-10). Identifying new potential in cancer-killing T cells. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org When Joanina Gicobi began her Ph.D. degree five years ago at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, she was interested in thinking creatively about ways to improve cancer treatment. In particular, she was curious about the body's natural ability to fight tumors: Could that process be improved? In the laboratory of Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D., she joined efforts to learn more about the T cells that are part of an inherent cancer-killing immune response. Joanina Gicobi,…

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). Economists call for more policy push. ecns.cn China's consumer prices dropped for the second consecutive month in November, indicating still-weak demand and backing the case for further policy support, including a likely reduction in the reserve requirement ratio for banks.

ecns.cn (2023-12-10). Envoy calls for more joint efforts on climate action. ecns.cn China will push for more financial support from developed countries for Global South nations amid the climate crisis, and rather than sharing in the support thus gained.

infobrics (2023-12-10). Expanding BRICS for Numerical Strength or Ensuring Qualitative Geopolitical Influence. infobrics.org As stipulated by the guidelines, Russia takes over BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] from January 2024. With the heightening of geopolitical tensions, Russia's priority focus is on the group's possible enlargement to counter U.S. hegemony. It plans to push seriously for critical reforms in the international financial architecture and create a solidified platform for building an equitable multipolar world order…

infobrics (2023-12-11). Expanding BRICS for Numerical Strength or Ensuring Qualitative Geopolitical Influence. infobrics.org As stipulated by the guidelines, Russia takes over BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] from January 2024. With the heightening of geopolitical tensions, Russia's priority focus is on the group's possible enlargement to counter U.S. hegemony. It plans to push seriously for critical reforms in the international financial architecture and create a solidified platform for building an equitable multipolar world order…

EDWIN (2023-12-11). Cabinet briefed on NSFAS preparations for 2024. sanews.gov.za Cabinet briefed on NSFAS preparations for 2024 | As part of ensuring readiness for the 2024 post-matric academic year, Cabinet has been briefed on measures that are being put in place to avoid the challenges that affected the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). | "As part of ensuring readiness when the 2024 academic year for post matric education begins, Cabinet was briefed on measures that are being put in place to avoid the challenges that bedevilled NSFSAS in the 2023 post-matric academic year," Cabinet said in a statement on Monday. | Last month, the scheme announced that applications for financial aid for…

UOFCHA (2023-12-11). World: UN launches 2024 global humanitarian appeal: $7.6 billion required to support 32.3 million people in dire need across West and Central Africa. reliefweb.int Countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, World | Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | In West and Central Africa, the number of people in need targeted under each country's 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan and the associated financial requirements are as follows: | ‚Ä¢ Burkina Faso: 3.8 million people targeted, US $935 million | ‚Ä¢ Cameroon: 2.3 million people targeted, US $376 million | ‚Ä¢ Central African Republic: 1.9 million people targeted, US $39…

Dave DeCamp (2023-12-10). Zelensky to Visit Washington Amid Congressional Negotiations on Ukraine Aid. news.antiwar.com Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington this week to push for more aid as Congress is still negotiating a massive spending package that includes over $60 billion for Ukraine. On Tuesday, Zelensky will meet with President Biden at the White House and hold talks with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). He was also invited …

Mat Schumer (2023-12-10). Pro-Israel PACs Gear Up for Significant Spending to Oust Progressive Congress Members in 2024. truthout.org A November house vote to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was the latest effort to counter members of the progressive "squad" by politicians backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The squad, a group of eight lawmakers, mainly women, has been critical of Israeli policy and is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Already one of the most influential political organizations in… |

Alina Ramos Martin (2023-12-11). Dominican farmers demand more investment in rural areas. plenglish.com Santo Domingo, Dec 11 ( Prensa Latina) Hundreds of small and medium Dominican agricultural producers demanded the government to increase investment in rural areas to prevent further migration to the big cities.

Brian H. Silverstein, Left Voice. (2023-12-11). University Of Michigan Administration Caves To Zionist Pressure. popularresistance.org Last week, the University of Michigan student body was set to vote on a resolution calling for the university to recognize the genocide in Gaza and to assess the ethics of the institution's investments, including investments in the State of Israel. The campaign has been led by the Tahrir Coalition, a broad and diverse group of over 60 student organizations. As the vote was underway, the university administration buckled to pressure from a coalition of off-campus Zionist organizations and canceled the vote, citing improper use of a university listserv to promote the vote. | Michigan Hillel, with the support of an…

The Independent (2023-12-10). MTN Uganda empowers 1,400 learners with special needs. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MTN Foundation's Digital Access for Inclusion program has opened the doors of technology to nearly 1,400 learners with disabilities across five schools in Uganda this year, marking a significant investment of Shs800 million. The impact of the program reverberates across different regions, with Salama School for the Blind and Masaka …

Freddy Brewster (2023-12-11). Largest U.S. Teachers Union Allows Private Equity To Prey On Educators. levernews.com

The Lever (2023-12-10). LEVER WEEKLY: "We're Talking Five Million People That Could Potentially Be Monitored" levernews.com

John Clarke (2023-12-11). 'Pharmanomics: How Big Pharma Destroys Global Health' — book review. mronline.org Pharmanomics is an important book that shows how Big Pharma's profit seeking damages health care globally, but the solution lies outside the current system, argues John Clarke…

_____ (2023-12-11). Genocide — The Gaze from the Abyss. transcend.org 7 Dec 2023 – In October, we discussed the corporate media invention of so-called 'disinformation experts'. Although journalists are 'working within profit-maximising, billionaire-owned, advertiser-dependent, government-subsidised media, they are nevertheless exposing "disinformation" without the slightest trace of bias'.

midwesternmarx (2023-12-11). Essequibo and ExxonMobil: A Tale of Imperialism and Undermining of the Bolivarian Revolution By: Lema Maiwand. midwesternmarx.com As a collective, we need to seriously re-evaluate the contexts in which we use the terms "sovereignty", "self-determination", and "imperialism", especially when it's devoid of historical analysis/context and in service of imperialist designs. We are at the point of the news cycle (again), where every two years or so, there is global denunciation and vilification of Venezuela, and even stronger calls for military intervention in the country. F …

midwesternmarx (2023-12-11). Why Are Intellectuals Divorced from Working People? By: Carlos L. Garrido. midwesternmarx.com This article is a transcript of a presentation for a panel on the subject, hosted by the International Manifesto Group, the Critical Theory Workshop, and the Midwestern Marx Institute, with other presentations from Gabriel Rockhill, Radhika Desai, Glenn Diesen, and Noah Khrachvik. ​The question we are exploring today, concerning the divorce of intellectuals and the working class, is fundamental for assessing the crisis we face in the subjective conditions for revolution. The first …

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-11). After years of struggle, NSW public sector wages cap is removed. greenleft.org.au

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-10). After years of struggle, NSW public sector wages cap is removed. greenleft.org.au

Javier Tolcachier (2023-12-11). Capitalismo y derechos humanos, dos términos incompatibles. globalizacion.ca Pensar en lograr un ejercicio pleno de los derechos humanos en el marco de un sistema capitalista es un error garrafal y una ingenuidad absoluta. Error de apreciación que no es espontáneo sino inducido intencionalmente por los detentores de la…

In Defense of Liberation! (2023-12-10). This Dread and Depression is on Purpose! Don't Fall Victim! Don't Blame Yourselves! podcasters.spotify.com In this episode, I talk about some of the difficulties with remaining positive through a very dehumanizing, morbid, draining, and existential moment that we are all living through today. Whether we are Palestinian, Congolese, Nicaraguan, Cuban, Jamaican, Chinese, indigenous, or so-called American, we are all dealing with the extremes of capitalist, exploitation, extermination campaigns, mass, incarceration, the preponderance of social media, hyper individualism, mental health and climate crisis, and just in general, having to go to school or go to work every day while the world is blowing up around us. What do we…

latintimes (2023-12-11). 'Not A Minute To Lose': Clock Ticks On Fossil Fuel Deal At Climate Summit. latintimes.com Simon Stiell urged countries to preserve the "highest ambition" to check warming at no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

marketing (2023-12-11). Putin, Netanyahu Discuss Gaza Over Phone #MENAFN #Bitcoin #LatestNews #BreakingNews. menafn.com (MENAFN – Nam News Network) | MOSCOW, Dec 11 (NNN-TASS) Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, during a …

marketing (2023-12-10). 133 Palestinians Killed By Israel's Attacks In Gaza In 24 Hours: Source #MENAFN #Bitcoin #LatestNews #BreakingNews. menafn.com (MENAFN – IANS) Gaza, Dec 11 (IANS) At least 133 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured on Sunday, as Israel's air and artillery attacks continued on the Gaza Strip, a …

marketing (2023-12-10). US Still Not Clear How The Israel-Hamas War Will End After Vetoing UNSC Resolution For Ceasefire #MENAFN #Bitcoin #LatestNews #BreakingNews. menafn.com (MENAFN – IANS) Washington, Dec 11 (IANS) The US government still has no clue as to how the Israel-Hamas war is going to play out till the end even after vetoing the UNSC resolution for a ceasefire …

Aram Aharonian (2023-12-10). From Alfonsín to Milei: 40 years of Argentinean democracy. pressenza.com In early 1982, when I was a correspondent for the Inter Press Service Agency in Argentina, I was asked by the head office to interview the leader of the Radical Civic Union, Raúl Alfonsín, whom I did not know personally. I replied, via telex, that it seemed more appropriate to interview another Radical, Luis León, senator of the Movimiento de Afirmación Yrigoyenista, a more combative leader. | They did not accept my suggestion and the new answer came by telephone: "Interview Raúl Alfonsín, who is going to be the next president: the Socialist International says so". | The interview was very cordial, in his law off…

greenleft.org.au (2023-12-10). Ballarat TLC says fascists will never co-opt Eureka Day. greenleft.org.au

ecsorinoco (2023-12-11). More Reflections on Multipolarity. orinocotribune.com By Hanna Eid — Dec 7, 2023 | An analysis of Samir Amin's four criteria in "National States: What is the Way Forward?" | The four criteria of a 'reliable' multipolar world, as posited by Samir Amin are as follows: Europe should chart an independent path from the Atlanticist one it has treaded for 400 years, China should redouble its efforts at socialist construction intentionally, the countries of the South should revive the Bandung legacy of a 'united front', and a reorganization of national and international systems of rights. | In this article, I hope to revisit these four criteria in light of new interna…

John Longhurst (2023-12-10). The exhausting pre-Christmas period of parties and socialising. independentaustralia.net

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