(2021-12-19). US Air Wars Killed Thousands of Civilians, Including Children, NY Times Reports. truthout.org 
Thousands of previously hidden Pentagon documents show that the U.S. air wars in the Middle East have been marked by "deeply flawed intelligence" and have killed thousands of civilians, many of them children, The 5-year Times investigation received more than 1,300 reports examining airstrikes in Iraq an…
(2021-12-19). Anti-Chinese Sentiment Continues in South Korea. journal-neo.org 
We have mentioned more than once how anti-Chinese sentiments are nurtured in today's South Korea, and although according to conservative circles, Moon Jae-in's administration pursues a pro-Beijing course, an incitement of hatred towards China comes not only from below but also from above. According to a joint survey conducted in June 2021 by the daily …
(2021-12-19). Venezuela and Belarus Sign Bilateral Agreements in Strategic Areas. orinocotribune.com This Friday, December 17, the governments of Venezuela and Belarus signed several agreements at the closing event of the Eighth Meeting of the Venezuela-Belarus high level mixed commission, in order to consolidate strategies for the benefit of both nations and for strengthening cooperation relations. At the Simón Bolivar room of the Miraflores Palace, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, stressed that Venezuela "is taking a successful step in the right direction, with the pace, speed and intensity that is needed," by signing agreements that will allow the development of different sectors of the national ec…
(2021-12-19). Venezuela: Oil Output Continues Upward Swing as Iran Calls for Greater Cooperation. venezuelanalysis.com Oil revenues will reportedly fund 61 percent of Venezuela's 2022 budget following a recent hike in crude production and exports.
(2021-12-19). Pakistan-Bangladesh: Need to move forward. moderndiplomacy.eu History tells that countries, at daggers drawn for centuries, progressed by leaps and bounds once they buried the hatchet. Europe is a case in point. They first general agreement on trade and tariffs to to remove kinks and wobbles in free flow of goods and services. And , then joined the European Union. Thus they …
(2021-12-19). Kite Line: Carceral Nonprofits. itsgoingdown.org Long-running abolitionist radio show Kite Line looks at the impact of carceral non-profits who steer radical change towards liberal reform under the guise of decarceration. We are sad to report that Russell Maroon Shoatz, who was recently granted compassionate release after his decades in prison, has passed away. This week, we return to the final…
(2021-12-19). Mr. Blue and Maria: A Musical Dream. dissidentvoice.org 
Sixty years ago in the late fall and early winter, a seventeen-year-old blue-eyed Bronx boy went by himself to see an afternoon showing of West Side Story on Fordham Road in the north Bronx. He took the bus to the theater but walked the few miles home in a romantic daze, in love with Maria …
(2021-12-19). The U.S. Military Is Registering 15-Year-Olds for the Draft. warisacrime.org 
By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 18, 2021 Most U.S. states still have excuses when asked to make voter registration automatic, but in various states — including here in Virginia — draft registration is automatic even for 15-year-olds who want a learner's permit to drive a car. (This is still only for males, as …
(2021-12-19). Why Russia vetoed at the U.N. the U.S.-proposed inclusion of climate-change as a 'National Security' issue. moderndiplomacy.eu The United States Government wants to persuade the gullible global public that that Government takes seriously the global-warming threat. The only way actually to stop global warming — if it still can be stopped — is to outlaw, even if in only one major country (such as the U.S.), purchases of stocks and bonds in …
(2021-12-19). Venezuela Has Carried Out Largest Drug Seizure in 10 Years. orinocotribune.com This Saturday, December 18, Venezuelan National Anti-Drug Superintendent, Richard López Vargas, highlighted that Venezuela has seized 51 tons of illicit drugs so far in 2021, the highest amount in the last 10 years. | "A significant quantity, 51 tons, were seized in 5,334 procedures by law enforcement agencies," he informed. "The last time this figure was superceded was in 2011; which means that today represents the largest seizure in the last 10 years." The superintendent explained this during the first edition of the 2021 Citizen Security Expo, which is being held in the Military Circle, Los Próceres, in Caraca…
(2021-12-19). Venezuela: What Country Will it Be? orinocotribune.com By Marco Teruggi — Dec 8, 2021 | The economic and financial catastrophe that relentlessly devastated the Venezuelan population during the last few years seems to be easing, while the government of Nicolás Maduro encourages the return of the old entrepreneurial forms of accumulation. Harassed by the imperial powers, the recent elections revealed a decrease in the hard core of the Chavista hardliners and at the same time revealed the fragmentation of the opposition. From Caracas, a chronicle brimming with questions, about the country that mocks forecasts and closed conclusions. | "This was the richest country,…
(2021-12-18). Spectre of War is Haunting Europe. globalresearch.ca A fateful week is ending today for international security with the Russian Foreign Ministry releasing the two documents on security guarantees that Moscow had proposed to Washington as the basis for discussions to ease the tensions over NATO's eastward expansion …
(2021-12-18). [World Report] Russia—Ukraine tensions hampering health-care access. thelancet.com Humanitarian groups warn that medical care for civilians is being jeopardised amid a military standoff. Sharmila Devi reports…
(2021-12-18). Hedges: The Execution of Julian Assange. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Dec 13, 2021 | He committed empire's greatest sin. He exposed it as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, callous disregard for human life, rampant corruption and innumerable war crimes. And empires always kill those who inflict deep and serious wounds. | Let us name Julian Assange's executioners. Joe Biden. Boris Johnson. Scott Morrison. Theresa May. Lenin Moreno. Donald Trump. Barack Obama. Mike Pompeo. Hillary Clinton. Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett and Justice Timothy Victor Holroyde. Crown Prosecutors James Lewis, Clair Dobbin and Joel Smith. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser.
(2021-12-18). The US Fears Chinese Model's Impact In The Middle East. popularresistance.org Notwithstanding that China is a relatively "shy participant" in Middle Eastern policy, the US hegemony, which claims exclusivity among the most "obedient" Arab countries (those which fall into its strategic sphere of influence), is threatened by it. The worrying aspect for the US is that Beijing seeks to present a different model that integrates and takes advantage of the US's failed military experiences in many wars and direct political interference attempts over the past decades. | China hopes for a non-aggressive economic-political breakthrough in the Middle East through a less ferocious and less explicit mode…
(2021-12-18). US Cold War with China — first stop, Equatorial Guinea. zcomm.org Right out of the playbook: hype the threat of a potential Chinese naval base facing the Atlantic, get more funding for military operations…
(2021-12-18). Rising Food Prices Could Spark Famine, War, And Revolution In 2022. popularresistance.org Washington — Already dealing with the economic fallout from a protracted pandemic, the rapidly rising prices of food and other key commodities have many fearing that unprecedented political and social instability could be just around the corner next year. | With the clock ticking on student loan and rent debts, the price of a standard cart of food has jumped 6.4% in the past 12 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the cost of eating out in a restaurant similarly spiking, by 5.8% since November 2020. | The most notable change has been in the price of meat, with beef costing 26.2% more th…
(2021-12-18). [Correspondence] The global oral health workforce — Authors' reply. thelancet.com In response to our Comment,1 Gargi Sarode and Sachin Sarode point out the crucial role of human resources for oral health as well as the predominance of the private practitioner model to deliver oral health care. Frank Lobbezoo and Ghizlane Aarab suggest strengthening dental—medical integration as an additional strategy to address oral diseases. These are notable aspects to consider in the context of a future WHO global oral health strategy and country-level reforms of health-care systems towards universal oral health coverage.
(2021-12-18). Questions raised over U.S. construction. america.cgtn.com 
Questions are being raised about the construction of big-box warehouses after six people died when a tornado whipped through an Amazon delivery center in the U.S. state of Illinois last week. It's not the first time a building like that has collapsed during a …
(2021-12-18). 2021 Arctic Report Card Tells a Human Story of Cascading Climate Disruption. truthout.org 
The Arctic has long been portrayed as a distant end-of-the-Earth place, disconnected from everyday common experience. But as the planet rapidly warms, what happens in this icy region, where On Dec. 14, 2021, a team of 1…
(2021-12-18). Leaked email exposes union-management conspiracy to defeat Kellogg's strike as Sanders attempts to deflect anger towards Mexico. wsws.org The entire bargaining committee should be kicked out in light of this exposure, and a new bargaining committee elected consisting of the most trusted rank-and-file workers from the shop floor.
(2021-12-18). "Four Meals from Anarchy": Rising Food Prices Could Spark Famine, War, and Revolution in 2022. libya360.wordpress.com Alan Macleod WASHINGTON — Already dealing with the economic fallout from a protracted pandemic, the rapidly rising prices of food and other key commodities have many fearing that unprecedented political and social instability could be just around the corner next year. With the clock ticking on student loan and rent debts, the price of a…
(2021-12-18). Scientists warn Canada's health care system could collapse within weeks as Omicron infections explode in Ontario and Quebec. wsws.org Amid dire warnings of a surging toll of mass infection and death over the coming weeks and months, Canada's official pandemic death toll surpassed the horrendous figure of 30,000 Thursday.
(2021-12-18). The Sociopolitical and Economic Impact of the Pandemic. journal-neo.org 
Two years of the coronavirus pandemic have seriously changed the world around us economically and politically. The pandemic demonstrated that any mass epidemic is as much a generic challenge to society as war, a change in geological epochs, or economic stages. At this challenging time for everybody, all power structures and public institutions have faced …
(2021-12-18). [Correspondence] Another public health catastrophe. thelancet.com The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is considering prescription of e-cigarettes on the National Health Service.1 This consideration heralds the next big revenue stream for big tobacco, whose lobbyists have campaigned for the prescription of e-cigarettes as UK smoking rates dwindle. We absolutely disagree that "doctors, medical leaders and health campaigners welcomed the move".2…
(2021-12-18). Israel pushes U.S. into 'aggressive posture toward Iran that could spiral into war' — but mainstream press is indifferent. mronline.org 
Trump says, Netanyahu was 'willing to fight Iran to the last American soldier.' That ought to be big news, as Israel's defense minister gets unrivaled access in D.C. to threaten war and block the U.S. path to a new Iran deal.
(2021-12-18). [World Report] WHO and World Bank urge spending for UHC. thelancet.com Governments have been urged to strengthen public spending on health as COVID-19 stalls progress towards universal health coverage. John Zarocostas reports from Geneva.
(2021-12-18). [Editorial] COVID-19: where do we go from here? thelancet.com The end of 2021 brings a sense of uncertainty. Parts of the world are approaching a transition or a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The window for pursuing the elimination of SARS-CoV-2 has closed. Moving towards a so-called post-pandemic world will be far more complicated than scenarios such as "Zero COVID". The challenge now is to determine the level of COVID-19 that is acceptable for individual nations in a fundamentally interconnected world. In the first Lancet Editorial of 2021, we noted: "Countries might justifiably start to look inward to repair the damage after COVID-19.
(2021-12-18). The many faces of travel bans. peoplesdispatch.org After the discovery of omicron, several rich countries blocked air traffic to southern Africa, stalling the delivery of supplies needed for the pandemic response and showing their racist bias towards the Global South…
(2021-12-18). "Workers around the world suffer the same conditions": A former Kellogg's worker in Australia sends a message of solidarity to US strikers. wsws.org Warwick Dove, a member of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) and former Kellogg's worker, has a message for striking Kellogg's workers in the United States on the eve of their vote on another concessions contract this weekend.
(2021-12-18). Massive Blackout Affects Caracas and Several Regions of Venezuela, Labeled as New Attack — Service Restored 100%. orinocotribune.com 
Caracas, December 17, 2021 ( Several parishes in Caracas, as well as various parts of the states of Zulia, Mérida, Carabobo, Miranda, Lara, Aragua, Apure, Anzoátegui, Vargas, Bolívar, Nueva Esparta, Barinas, Trujillo, Sucre, Táchira, Falcón, Yaracuy, and Portuguesa were affected by the blackout. | The b…
(2021-12-18). Venezuela's Appeal to the UN about Refugees (+ Vuelta a la Patria). orinocotribune.com With the ratification of the Vuelta la Patria repatriation program as an effective measure to guarantee the safe return of refugees, the government of Venezuela urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the program which has already aided in the return of thousands of Venezuelan nationals from various countries. | Héctor Constant Rosales, Venezuelan representative to the UN and other international organizations based in Geneva, Switzerland, raised his concerns about the politicization of the migration issue during a high-level…
(2021-12-18). Only One Chávez and Only One Salvador. orinocotribune.com By Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein — Dec 15, 2021 | From Venezuela to Chile, from Caldera to Boric | The current situation in Chile seems to me more and more strikingly similar to that of the early 90's in Venezuela. At that time, here—just as in Chile today—30 years of post-dictatorship were being experienced. Both countries—at the time—were presented as a "model of democracy to follow" and "example for the world" based on the "success" of the two-party representative democracy system in which the economy was put at the service of a minority of the population. | "It is not thirty pesos,…
(2021-12-18). Tales of Resistance: Guaidó's Pie. orinocotribune.com By Jessica Dos Santos — Dec 14, 2021 | Venezuela Analysis columnist Jessica Dos Santos takes aim at self-proclaimed Juan Guaidó's antics and how his "circus" goes on. | A few days ago I was out grocery shopping when I heard a man tell his friend that Venezuela was the only country in the world with two presidents but where everything was still screwed up. | This has become a running joke among Venezuelans. However, some three years ago, when Juan Guaidó proclaimed himself "