(2021-12-04). At Democracy Summit, US Will Urge Countries to Use Sanctions. news.antiwar.com At the upcoming Summit for Democracy hosted by President Biden, the US will urge other countries to start using sanctions against government officials Washington deems to be "corrupt," Citing unnamed Biden administration officials, the report said the US will slap sanctions on foreign-government officials and other people the US accuses of corruption and human rights abuses ahead of the virtual summit that will be held on Thursday and Friday. | "Over the course of the week, Treasury will take a series…
(2021-12-04). 2021: Political Turning Point in Central America and the Caribbean. orinocotribune.com 
By Mision Verdad — Dec 1, 2021 | With the background noise of migration to the United States and the recent victory of Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, Central America and the Caribbean are at a turning point that will play an important role in the years to come in Latin America and the Caribbean. | The region comes from processes of civil wars, historical colonization and systematic impoverishment; however, the facts are woven with this historical thread in which democracy and human rights are used in the interest of the hegemonic narrative to intervene and capture geostrategic resources. Three of the multiple pro…
(2021-12-04). Burned-out Forests Are Not Re-Growing. dissidentvoice.org Trees are not re-growing in burned-out forests. This strange occurrence is becoming more frequent as global warming turns verdant flora into flammable tinder, causing more and bigger wild forests fires. This article will examine the science behind failure of trees to regrow in burned-out forests. Additionally, and as a collateral issue, this puts one more …
(2021-12-04). Twitter Removes 277 Venezuelan Accounts for Supporting Nicolás Maduro (Social Media Censorship). orinocotribune.com 
Twitter is back at the center of the global controversy over freedom of expression. On this occasion, the US company undertook the task of censoring thousands of accounts for their supposed security violations and breach of regulations and for an alleged "disclosure of state-linked information." | Hay un dataset de 277 cuentas de Venezuela.
(2021-12-04). Israeli 'Pegasus' Spyware Used to Hack Phones of 11 US Diplomats – Reports. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Pegasus spyware developed by Israeli company NSO Group was used to hack the iPhones of 11 US diplomats in recent months, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing alerts from Apple to the impacted individuals.
(2021-12-04). An Obscure Agency Is Threatening To Hand Medicare Over To Wall Street. popularresistance.org In the face of massive support for Medicare for All and the failure of the U.S.'s for-profit health care system, the inevitable fall of the medical-industrial complex can be predicted, if not with precision, with certainty. Everyone is aware of the impending demise, none more so than those in charge of the for-profit health care system and their supporters in Congress, as evidenced by the frenetic activity at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to transfer the traditional Medicare program to the insurance industry as fast as humanly possible. Given this urgency, physicians representing Physicians…
(2021-12-04). Airstrikes Kill Over 90 Houthis in Yemen's Maarib. news.antiwar.com The Saudi-led coalition reported Friday that airstrikes launched in 13 operations have The statement claims eight pieces of military equipment were destroyed in the attacks. They are vague on that point, but this usually refers to random destroyed vehicles that they've decided has some military use. | The Houthis have surrounded Maarib City, though there has as of yet been no siege. Despi…
(2021-12-04). Video: Workers must oppose Australian ruling elite's homicidal response to Omicron variant. wsws.org SEP Assistant National Secretary Max Boddy warns: "There is no viable way to stop the pandemic and save lives, other than a strategy of global elimination."
(2021-12-04). [World Report] Calls for international solutions to EU—Belarus border crisis. thelancet.com Humanitarian organisations warn that thousands of migrants are stuck, with many unable to access medical care, food, and water. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2021-12-04). Peru and the Washington Summit. orinocotribune.com By Gustavo Espinoza Montesinos — Nov 24, 2021 | The White House usually has two attitudes towards elected governments in Latin American countries. When it comes to "friendly governments," that is, the ones genuflecting to the Empire's mandate, it extends its hand, offers them support, and guarantees them permanent assistance. | When, on the contrary, oppositional administrations arise, it rejects and disqualifies them, as is happening right now with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, or Bolivia. In the Peruvian case, a special phenomenon occurred. | It may be remembered here that in November last year, in the elect…
(2021-12-04). The US Wants South Korea to Help Take on the Chinese Military. news.antiwar.com The US and South Korea are preparing to update their plans for a potential war with North Korea to reflect what Washington says is an advance in Pyongyang's military capabilities. But now that the US is so focused on China, the new war plans Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his South Korean counterpart, Suh Wook, in Seoul on Thursday. In a joint statement, the two military leaders noted "the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," marking the first time Taiwan was ment…
(2021-12-04). #NoMore Censorship of Africa's Roving Digital Army of Peace. popularresistance.org At approximately 5 am PST on November 29th, I awoke to an almost uninterrupted buzz of text messages from my cell phone. I turned to my nightstand, put my glasses on and quickly learned through concerned friends that my Twitter account had been taken down. Naturally, I logged on to Twitter. From one account to the next, including my "burners", I received an error message indicating that each account had been suspended. I was given no explanation. How could Twitter take down all my accounts without any explanation? What did I do to deserve such an honor? It didn't take long for me to discover that I wasn't alone.
(2021-12-04). Strike for Choice in Palo Alto. indybay.org Whole Foods Palo Alto called the police on peaceful pro-choice protestors the afternoon of Dec 1. The action was led by Raging Grannies Action League, who model how to interact with police. "We have no leader." "We don't talk to police." Video is 58 secs.
(2021-12-04). President Maduro Calls for Joint Effort to Improve Drinking Water Service. orinocotribune.com On Thursday, December 2, President Nicolás Maduro announced that, in the first semester of 2022, together with the newly elected governors and mayors, his government will commit to a series of maintenance works directed towards optimizing the drinking water services in all of Venezuela's communities. At an event held at the José Joaquín "Papá" Carrillo Sports Complex, in the state of Miranda, President Maduro declared that "we are going to solve the water issues so that it functions properly, at 100%, without any excuses, without bureaucracy, without indolence." | The president pointed out the need "to change eve…
(2021-12-04). Sunday 12/5: Uhuru Furniture Warehouse Sale. indybay.org Akwaaba Hall at the Uhuru House, 7911 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94605…
(2021-12-04). Meet the "Godfather of Vaccines" dissidentvoice.org 
"A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns." (Vito Corleone) Vaccinologists consider the Stanley A. Plotkin Award to be the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in their lucrative field. To qualify for this accolade, the nominee should be "an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of …
(2021-12-04). Marking World AIDS Day, Campaigners Warn 'History Is Repeating Itself With Covid'. zcomm.org "In Africa alone, it's estimated up to 12 million people died needlessly in the time it took to make HIV treatment universally available. We cannot allow it to happen again with Covid-19."
(2021-12-04). [World Report] Health warnings over UNRWA funding shortfall. thelancet.com Experts caution that health services for millions of Palestinian refugees are under threat. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2021-12-04). Urgent UN Action needed on Yemen Atrocities to end "Pandemic of Impunity" juancole.com Human rights Watch — (New York) — The United Nations General Assembly should act swiftly to establish an investigative mechanism to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war in Yemen, a coalition of more than 60 organizations said. Failure to act would not only be a …
(2021-12-04). [World Report] Hope for nutrition summit as global hunger spikes. thelancet.com As COVID-19, climate change, and conflict drive hunger and malnutrition, the health community looks towards the Nutrition For Growth Summit. John Zarocostas reports.
(2021-12-04). UK: Striking workers at B&Q distribution centre in Worksop determined to fight pay restraint. wsws.org The Unite union, with over 1 million members, has not organised any form of solidarity action—even at the other major B&Q hubs in Swindon and Doncaster in England and Cambuslang in Scotland—in defence of their co-workers in Worksop.
(2021-12-04). BLM and Partners Break Ground on Cotoni-coast Dairies Recreational Trails. indybay.org SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Coast Field Office and the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) have begun developing the initial 19 miles of multiple-use trails in the Cotoni-Coast Dairies unit of the California Coastal National Monument north of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz County.
(2021-12-04). Venezuela Supports CELAC-China Cooperation — President Maduro Calls CELAC Vanguard of Patria Grande. orinocotribune.com 
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Félix Plasencia ratified Venezuela's commitment to strengthening bi-regional cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean, to face current post-pandemic challenges. | During his speech at the Third Meeting of Ministers of the CELAC-China Forum this Friday, December 3, Plasencia highlighted the Asian giant's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a promoter of cooperation of China with Latin America and the Caribbean. | The Venezuelan foreign affairs minister stressed that it is essential to translate into concrete projects the special declaration of the Third Minist…
(2021-12-04). Washington Cartel: Clíver Alcalá No Longer a Drug Trafficker According to OFAC. orinocotribune.com This Thursday, December 2, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) withdrew from its list of drug traffickers the name of Clíver Alcalá Cordones, fugitive from Venezuelan justice, despite the fact that he is allegedly detained in the US on charges related to drug trafficking. | Clíver Alcalá was inserted into the OFAC list in 2011, after being accused of abusing his position in the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) to exchange arms for drugs with Colombian paramilitary and drug traficking gangs. | The US government had offered $10 million for the capture of Alcalá, who finally had to turn h…
(2021-12-04). CNE Discusses Procedure to Include Venezuelan Migrants in Electoral Registry. orinocotribune.com Ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela has started to discuss how to incorporate Venezuela's migrant population into the electoral registry. | At a conference held on Friday, December 3, CNE rector Roberto Picón explained that the incorporation of migrants into the registry involves a series of technical and political procedures ranging from the normalization of consular relations with some countries, and the updating of host country immigration records, to an actual voter registration. | In his opinion, the first step need to be taken within the political a…
(2021-12-04). Nick Estes In Conversation With Jorge Arreaza. popularresistance.org Jorge Arreaza is the Minister of Industries and National Production in Venezuela. Red Nation Podcast co-host Nick Estes spoke to him in Caracas in late November 2021.
(2021-12-03). Saudi Arabia extensively lobbied to derail war crimes probe in Yemen, says report. peoplesdispatch.org A report by The Guardian said that an extensive Saudi lobbying effort was one of the reasons behind the defeat of a resolution to extend the term of an independent war crimes investigation into human rights violations in Yemen…
(2021-12-03). Rights organizations call for renewed probe into possible war crimes in Yemen. peoplesdispatch.org The call by rights organizations comes a day after The Guardian revealed that Saudi Arabia had used a mixture of threats and inducements to persuade countries to vote down an extension of the probe into possible war crimes in Yemen…
(2021-12-03). ECDC warns Omicron variant to become dominant in Europe in a "few months" wsws.org European governments are refusing critical social distancing measures and relying exclusively on vaccinations, which the Omicron variant may largely evade.
(2021-12-03). Who Gains from Ethiopia Tigray War? dissidentvoice.org 
If you want to know who is likely to be at war, just look at who is given the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian (NATO) Parliament. Obama got it just days into office before he escalated the war in Afghanistan. Henry Kissinger got it in the 1970'S. And two years ago the Prime Minister …
(2021-12-03). Puebla Group Rejects US Harsh Policy Against Cuba. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Cuba's Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez welcomed that the Puebla Group condemned the U.S. smear campaign and economic blockade against his country. | RELATED: | "We appreciate the solidarity of the Puebla Group with our people, who suffer the consequences of coercive policies that go against international conventions and obey the anachronistic logic of the Cold War," Rodriguez stated. | The forum also condemned th…
(2021-12-03). Why Amazon Is Terrified of Its U.S. Workers Unionizing. independentmediainstitute.org The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has just ruled that a historic union vote held earlier this year among Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) was not valid. The highly publicized vote, which took place over several weeks in February and March 2021, resulted in a …
(2021-12-03). Israel's Illegal Occupation of the Golan Heights Remains an Obstacle to Peace. journal-neo.org 
During the period of the last Labor government in Australia, the general policy of that government, which was in power for six years from 2008 to 2014, was to abstain on votes in the United Nations critical of Israel. When the Liberal government has been in power, as it has continuously since 2014, the vote …
(2021-12-03). WA Labor's electoral reforms: one step forward, two steps back. greenleft.org.au Under the cover of applying "one vote, one value" to elections for the Legislative Council, last month WA Labor also pushed through legislation that disadvantages smaller political parties, writes Sam Wainwright.
(2021-12-03). Adani protester given suspended prison sentence, latest example of escalating repression. greenleft.org.au A new report by Greenpeace, Global Warning: the threat to climate defenders in Australia, has identified an alarming escalation in repression against climate activists. Fred Fuentes reports.
(2021-12-03). South Korean Dictator Dies, Western Media Resurrects A Myth. popularresistance.org General Chun Doo Hwan was the corrupt military dictator that ruled Korea from 1979-1988, before handing off the presidency to his co-conspirator General Roh Tae Woo. Chun took power in a coup in 1979, and during his presidency he perpetrated the largest massacre of Korean civilians since the Korean war. He died on November 23rd, in pampered, sybaritic luxury, impenitent and arrogant to the very last breath. | Many western media outlets have written censorious, chest-beating accounts of his despotic governance and the massacres he perpetrated (here, here, here, and here)– something they rarely bothered to do when…
(2021-12-03). Afghan Emirate's Challenge to the World. dissidentvoice.org What happened to news about Afghanistan? After their spectacular sweep of the entire country and overnight victory, there is no news now. And Taliban websites remain closed. Just human interest stuff about traitors/ cowards/ whatevers fleeing to the US or wherever. A convening of Afghan women parliamentarians, holding a mock Afghan parliament in exile (a …
(2021-12-03). Berkshire's Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett Partner: This Bubble is Crazier Than 2000 Dotcom Bust. moguldom.com Billionaire investor Charlie Munger is not here for the current state of global financial markets. The 97-year-old is the vice-chair of Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffet's closest confidante. He emphatically stated his position during the Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Conference in Sydney, Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. "The dotcom boom was crazier on …
(2021-12-03). 'It was once our home': Socialist Yugoslavia before the breakup. peoplesworld.org 
On November 29, 1943, in the midst of the Second World War, a beautiful, big, and strong socialist Yugoslavia was established in the town of Jajce in central Bosnia. It was established by the Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ), at its second session, as a state of equal nations and peoples …
(2021-12-03). Biden administration refuses to ban killer robots. rt.com 
US President Joe Biden has refused to sign a binding international agreement tightly regulating the use of "killer robots." Campaigners fear such devices will launch an unstoppable arms race toward "digital dehumanization." | The US prefers a "non-binding code of conduct" regarding Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS, aka killer robots), State Department official Joshua Dorosin said at a meeting in Geneva on Thursday. | His insistence on leaving the Pentagon's hands free to produce autonomous killer robots stands in line with years of US policy, which has long opposed a global moratorium on LAWS, denouncin…
(2021-12-03). Parents of Michigan school shooting suspect charged. rt.com 
Prosecutors have filed involuntary manslaughter charges against the parents of the suspect in a Michigan high school shooting that left four dead. A fugitive warrant was issued for the couple hours after charges were filed. | The charges were announced by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald on Friday. The parents of the suspect, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have each been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. | "While the shooter was the one who entered the high school and pulled the trigger, there are other individuals who contributed to the events on November 30 and it's my intention to…
(2021-12-03). Why Does Independent Media Matter? A Webinar on Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela, Honduras and the Black Liberation Struggle. towardfreedom.org Toward Freedom hosted a webinar December 2 to welcome new editor, Julie Varughese, who reported on her time covering Nicaragua's November 7 elections. Regular contributors Danny Shaw and Jacqueline Luqman discussed the Pink Tide in Latin America, Haiti and how Hollywood depicts the Black liberation struggle.
(2021-12-03). From Abortion Bans to Anti-Trans Laws, a Christian Legal Army is Waging War on America. democracynow.org 
As the Supreme Court looks poised to uphold Mississipi's 15-week abortion ban and possibly overturn Roe v. Wade we speak to The Nation's Amy Littlefield about her investigation into the Christian legal army behind the Mississippi law as well as anti-trans laws across the country. She also critiques the mainstream pro-choice movement's failure to center the poor and people of color. "There is a change coming within the movement because of its reckoning with these past missteps including, frankly, the failure to adequately protect Black women and to stand up for the safety of the people whose rights were eroded fir…
(2021-12-03). How Oregon is turning the page on America's disastrous drug war. nationofchange.org "Our immediate focus is to ensure every Oregonian knows these critical harm reduction and recovery services are being invested in and expanded so that they will be available to anyone who wants and needs them, and that they can feel comfortable and safe accessing them."
(2021-12-03). At Least 40 Democrats Are Now Calling for Boebert to Be Removed From Committees. truthout.org 
As Democratic leaders consider their options to punish Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) for her Islamophobic comments toward Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), the list of Democrats calling for Boebert to be removed from her committee assignments is growing. | On Thursday, 38 progressive lawmakers in the House
(2021-12-03). Why We Should Oppose the Democracy Summit. warisacrime.org 
By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 2, 2021 The exclusion of certain countries from the U.S. "democracy summit" is not a side issue. It is the very purpose of the summit. And excluded countries have not been excluded for failing to meet the standards of behavior of those that were invited or the one …
(2021-12-03). NSO Group: Israeli company spyware 'hacked US State Department phones'. middleeasteye.net 
NSO Group: Israeli company spyware 'hacked US State Department phones' | Reuters reports the hacks focused on US officials either based in Uganda or working on matters related to the East African country | Fri, 12/03/2021 – 17: 30 | State Department officials with foreign registered phones were targeted with spyware produced by Israeli cyber company (AFP) | The iPhones of at least nine US…
(2021-12-03). Referendum on direct election of UAW officers passes. wsws.org A little over 140,000 voted out of close to 1 million eligible active workers and retirees, a mere 14 percent turnout, reflecting the deep alienation felt by workers toward the UAW.
(2021-12-03). Gunmen Attack Four Libyan Election Centers. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) said that four of its election centers have been attacked by a group of gunmen. | RELATED: | Said Al-Qasabi, head of the main operations chamber of the HNEC, said that gunmen in civilian clothes launched the attacks on Wednesday, taking away 2,312 voter cards and damaging 69 others. Interior Minister Khaled Mazen on Tuesday warned that obstructing the…
(2021-12-03). The American prison system's war on reading. mronline.org 
This April, the Iowa Department of Corrections issued a ban on charities, family members, and other outside parties donating books to prisoners.