Monthly Archives: December 2021

2021-12-17: News Headlines

ecns.cn (2021-12-17). U.S. military should account for killings globally: Chinese FM spokesperson. ecns.cn The U.S. military should be held accountable for its war crimes of killing innocent civilians worldwide, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.

David Swanson (2021-12-17). Video: U.S. Senate Passes Colossal $770 Billion Military Bill. warisacrime.org By

Filmon Zerai (2021-12-17). How the Left Can Get Ethiopia Right: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with #NoMore. towardfreedom.org In the last few months, the left media outlets from various camps, in their sincere attempts to demonstrate solidarity and spotlight conflict in the Horn of Africa and internal developments in Ethiopia, got it wrong. They have been uncritically centering active ideological players on two opposing camps, writes blogger Filmon Zerai.

G. Dunkel (2021-12-17). Ethiopia: U.S. sanctions create misery and division. workers.org Washington plans to impose sanctions on the central government in Ethiopia starting Jan. 1. The sanctions remove Ethiopia's Special Trade Status, which enables Ethiopian goods to be sold in the U.S. free of import duty. Ethiopia's government is involved in a civil war with forces based in Tigray that had . . . |

_____ (2021-12-17). They Won't Ever Find Us Because Our Love Is Bound to the Rocks. popularresistance.org At the US State Department's Summit for Democracy (9—10 December), US President Joe Biden announced a range of initiatives to 'bolster democracy and defend human rights globally'. These measures are to be funded by $424.4 million from the United States. This money will go towards the same institutions that have — for the past sixty years — intervened to undermine the sovereignty of democratic processes from Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954) to Honduras (2009) and Bolivia (2019). The US focuses on falsely portraying governments that are unwilling to accept US leadership as corrupt — as was w…

Rainer Shea (2021-12-17). Terror, Destabilization, Genocide: India's Imperialist Proxy Role. orinocotribune.com By Rainer Shea — Dec 10, 2021 | As the U.S. empire has continued intensifying its hybrid asymmetrical warfare against China, and has caused the world to divide between the U.S. and Sino blocs, I've been

_____ (2021-12-17). Tel Aviv Insists on a Radical Solution to Iran's Nuclear Program. journal-neo.org On December 10, at the annual Israeli-American Council (IAC) National Summit in Miami, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with senior US functionaries about a radical solution to Iran's nuclear program. He warned his American counterpart Lloyd Austin, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces or the …

John Potash (2021-12-17). Oliver Stone's New JFK Revisited Disproves Official Story: Reveals U.S. Intelligence Involvement in Assassination. covertactionmagazine.com Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone has come out with a new documentary film, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, which …

Newsroom (2021-12-17). Cyprus: More awareness of Armenian and Cypriot Maronite Arabic languages. moderndiplomacy.eu State authorities in Cyprus continue to support minority language speakers by funding existing cultural institutions and establishing new sports facilities where their languages can be used, according to a new report by the Committee of Experts for the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. (see executive summary in Greek) The Charter had entered into …

WSWS (2021-12-17). German Chancellor Scholz's first speech: Praising Merkel, threatening Russia and committing to mass infection. wsws.org The new Chancellor's remarks confirmed the assessment of the WSWS that the programme of the so-called traffic light coalition of SPD (red), Liberals (FDP, yellow) and Greens is a declaration of war on the working class.

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-17). Climatologist award and medicinal cannabis: News from the College. imperial.ac.uk Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.

Editor (2021-12-17). The Supreme Court, Abortion, and the New Dred Scott. scheerpost.com Photograph Source: John Ramspott — By David Schultz / Should the US Supreme Court next year overturn Roe v. Wade and limit abortion rights the decision will be the new Dred Scott, damaging both the remaining thread of legitimacy and respect the Court has, as well as propelling American politics into a divide it has not seen since the Civil War. | Dred Scott v. Sanford is the infamous 1857 Supreme Court decision which…

WSWS (2021-12-17). Scientists warn of looming catastrophe as Omicron spreads globally. wsws.org The most serious and principled scientists are issuing increasingly stark warnings of the coming tidal wave of infections, hospitalizations and deaths as winter approaches in the Northern Hemisphere.

Robert Koehler (2021-12-17). Mass murder: New victims, same old questions. zcomm.org What I fear is that, socially speaking, we're afraid of change. We're not afraid to wage war; we're not afraid to kill. But we're afraid of change…

Fight Back (2021-12-17). Strikers at Battle Creek Kellogg's stand strong, Bernie Sanders to join Friday rally. fightbacknews.org Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg's workers are continuing the fight after a rejection of a proposed contract last week. At the Battle Creek headquarters, there is determination to hold the line despite the company's plan to permanently replace 1400 workers. | Jason Rose, a mechanic who has worked at Kellogg's for 15 years, said the company is going to have a difficult time filling all the positions. In Battle Creek, the plant's downward trend in working conditions is well known. "They had a hard enough time hiring people in the first place," said Rose. | The strikers are asking to abolish the two-tier system of hiring…

teleSUR (2021-12-17). Attack on The Electric System Prompts Blackout In Venezuela. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Public Infrastructure and Services Vice Minister Nestor Reverol denounced that the Guri electrical complex was attacked in the early hours of Friday. | RELATED: | "We are at the forefront of actions to restore service. We ask for support from the Venezuelan people to overcome this vile and criminal attack, "he said, adding that the experience of the workers of the National Electric System (SEN) will allow to recov…

David Swanson (2021-12-16). U.S. Hypocrisy Exposed As It Massacres Civilians Abroad. warisacrime.org By By Any Means Necessary, December 16, 2021 In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by David Swanson, activist, journalist, radio host, Executive Director of World BEYOND War and author of the new book "Leaving World War II Behind" to discuss the recently revealed "Talon Anvil" …

_____ (2021-12-16). The UN's Human Rights Failure. strategic-culture.org Will the UN assume responsibility for failing to protect civilians as governments waged war and plunder? | On the occasion of International Human Rights Day which was marked on December 10, the UN pledged to accelerate the implementation of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), without taking into consideration the various global inequalities which make generic implementation impossible. | The UN's "Common Agenda Framework" which was published in September 2021 is one example of how the UN glosses over the international law violations emanating from within its institutions to portray a deceptively humanitaria…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-16). Stand up for Assange, stand up for press freedom. peoplesdispatch.org On December 10, Human Rights Day, a British court delivered a verdict that clears the way for the extradition of journalist and publisher Julian Assange to the United States. If the extradition goes through, Assange will face criminal prosecution in the US, including under the infamous Espionage Act, and if convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in jail. | Julian Assange and his organization WikiLeaks published vital information received from whistleblowers such as Chelsea Manning that chronicled US war crimes and atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan. These include 'Collateral Murder,' the horrifying video…

Matt Sedlar (2021-12-16). Inflation Fears Shouldn't Be a Pretext for Class War. cepr.net The specter of inflation is being invoked to obstruct vital social programs in the Build Back Better bill. That's a recipe for economic ruin.

WSWS (2021-12-16). "His freedom is a political question"—Australian SEP supporters demand Assange's release. wsws.org "The US, UK and Australian governments are all implicated in the crimes published by WikiLeaks. As a result, they are all playing a role in destroying an award-winning journalist right before the world's eyes."

_____ (2021-12-16). Labor Activists Want To Know Why Workers Were Left To Die. popularresistance.org In the aftermath of a rare string of December tornadoes last Friday night that left 80 people dead across six states, labor activists are questioning why employees at two large worksites in the path of destruction were left exposed to danger. | A candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky was totally destroyed after sustaining a direct tornado hit with 110 workers inside. At least eight people died and dozens more were severely injured. At the same time, an Amazon delivery station in Edwardsville, Illinois was also hit by a tornado during a shift change, causing the roof to fly off and part of an exterior wall to colla…

Michael Moore (2021-12-16). Report exposes dangerous conditions at Minnesota's Amazon warehouses. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minn. (PAI)—Amazon workers this week echoed the findings of a new report that paints a troubling picture of labor conditions and inequities at the retailer's Minnesota warehouses, prompting one state lawmaker to pledge action in the coming legislative session. In analyzing data from six Amazon facilities, researchers from the National Employment Law Project …

Editor2 (2021-12-16). Black Alliance for Peace Condemns the US National Guard Deployment to Horn of Africa. orinocotribune.com December 10, 2021 — The US Africa Command,

_____ (2021-12-16). Neocons Bent On Starting Another Disaster In Ukraine. popularresistance.org If anything, Washington's neoconservatives have an unerring instinct for survival. Having brought about multiple disasters in the two decades since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, from the Iraq war to the twin debacles in Libya and Syria, the neocons seem to have perfected the art of failing up. | Harvard University's Stephen Walt once quipped that "Being a Neocon Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry." And in this regard, the story of the Kagan family is instructive. | Robert Kagan, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of pseudo-his…

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-16). Zelensky invites NATO warships, warplanes, troops for more exercises in Black Sea. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukraine wants to boost number of international exercises in Black Sea "Ukraine initiated a negotiation process with partners in the Black Sea region to step up confidence-building measures, increase the number of exercises and training activities," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, …

ecns.cn (2021-12-16). Xi meets with role models for building peaceful China. ecns.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday afternoon met with representatives of a meeting commending role models in implementing the country's Peaceful China initiative in Beijing.

ecns.cn (2021-12-16). China-Russia cooperation contributes to world peace, stability. ecns.cn Following the video meeting on Wednesday between the leaders of China and Russia, experts shared their views on China-Russia cooperation, saying that their relations play an important role in sustaining world peace and stability.

Editor2 (2021-12-16). 20th ALBA-TCP Summit Declaration. orinocotribune.com "17 years defending Latin American and Caribbean integration and peace" | The Heads of State and Government and the Heads of Delegations of the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America — Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), meet in Havana, Cuba, on December 14, 2021 to commemorate the 17th Anniversary of the Alliance. In signing this Declaration, we renew our commitment to strengthen this mechanism of political coordination based on the principles of solidarity, social justice, cooperation and economic complementarity, a result of the political will of its founders, the Commanders Fid…

Staff (2021-12-16). Steve Coll on How the U.S. Pursued Withdrawal Over Peace in Afghanistan & Let the Taliban Take Over. democracynow.org As Afghanistan spirals into a humanitarian crisis after the abrupt U.S. withdrawal earlier this summer, we look at years of failed U.S. diplomacy that allowed the Taliban to seize power and leave the small nation in a state of disrepair. A New Yorker magazine investigation shows how the U.S. repeatedly undermined the Kabul-based government in a rush to leave the country. "I've been reporting in general and around Afghanistan for a long time. I was still shocked by the degree of cynicism that the United States often brought to this endeavor to seek peace, particularly during the Trump years," says New Yorker staff…

Newsroom (2021-12-16). Greenpeace Demands immediate return of German plastic waste. moderndiplomacy.eu Greenpeace, Basel Action Network (BAN), Zero Waste Europe and other organizations are calling for illegally exported waste to be returned to Germany. On December 2, the environmental groups prevented 37 containers with German plastic waste from being loaded in the port of Piraeus (Greece), and the customs authorities there confiscated the containers. In a letter …

Paul Wang (2021-12-16). Ethical faults in U.S. approach to the Beijing Winter Olympics. moderndiplomacy.eu Since 1924, the first Olympic Winter Games have carried on the legacy of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which embraces the idea of "building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal". Now as an integral part of the work of the organization, its strategic roadmap further aims to turn challenges into …

Newsroom (2021-12-16). 'Restraint, de-escalation and dialogue' needed to stem war in Yemen. moderndiplomacy.eu Yemen is teetering on a new "fragmented and bloody" chapter of war as military escalation and conflict escalates, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Tuesday, calling for "restraint, de-escalation and dialogue". "Even as the conflict parties all profess to me their desire for peace, their focus remains on military options…[which] will not …

teleSUR (2021-12-16). Russian Proposals for Dialogue Have Had No Answer From NATO. telesurenglish.net After numerous proposals by Russia's government for a security dialogue sent to NATO, it has not given a single answer, said Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday. | RELATED: | "We know what security issues are. This is why we are creating armed forces, calling on our Western partners to engage in talks on ways to make the world a safer and a more stable place, prevent conflicts and resolve issues peacefully," stated the Spokeswoman. | "Ho…

In Defense of Liberation! (2021-12-16). How Can We Expect Things to Change?>. anchor.fm In this episode I discuss the practical ways in which we can expect the world to change based on the ways in which it has historically changed; through people taking control of their circumstances and building a new tomorrow. However it comes, we know that a new tomorrow must come, but if we want that new tomorrow to lead us towards an actually better society, then we need socialism. So how do we get there? Well, let's discuss!

_____ (2021-12-16). Going To Work Shouldn't Be A Death Sentence. popularresistance.org On Friday night, at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, an alarm sounded with a tornado warning. One employee, Elijah Johnson, approached his manager. "I asked to leave and they told me I'd be fired." "'Even with the weather like this, you're still going to fire me?'" he asked the manager. The manager replied, "Yes." | Workers who took shelter in hallways and bathrooms were ordered back to work. The bosses took a roll call to see if anyone had left. Three hours after the warning sirens began — more than enough time to send all employees home to seek shelter — the building was leveled by a tornado…

_____ (2021-12-16). How The OPCW's Syria Probe Censored Science. popularresistance.org Senior OPCW officials doctored the original report; erased the conclusions of expert toxicologists who ruled out chlorine gas as the cause of death; and thwarted the key investigate area of forensic pathology, which could have helped determine how the dozens of civilian victims in Douma lost their lives. Instead of explaining the extensive suppression, OPCW Director General Fernando Arias has avoided questions; offered false excuses; and smeared the veteran scientists who challenged the cover-up from within. | Guest: Dr. Piers Robinson. Co-Director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies, and convenor of the W…

_____ (2021-12-16). How The US Government Segregated America. popularresistance.org For many years, I worked in Boston public housing with teams of residents, community organizations, public housing staff and other professors on reducing and removing the many asthma triggers that caused the highest rates of asthma and asthma attacks in the city. Living and working in the heart of the city neighborhoods, I was keenly aware of the apartheid nature of public and residential housing (black Roxbury, white South Boston, white gentrification overtaking Boston's mixed-income interracial neighborhoods, and white suburbs) | I had been familiar with the mid-20th century pattern of "white flight" from urban…

_____ (2021-12-16). Wage Inequality Continued To Increase In 2020. popularresistance.org Newly available wage data from the Social Security Administration allow us to analyze wage trends for the top 1.0% and other very high earners as well as for the bottom 90% during 2020. The upward distribution of wages from the bottom 90% to the top 1.0% that was evident over the period from 1979 to 2019 was especially strong in the 2020 pandemic year, yielding historically high wage levels and shares of all wages for the top 1.0% and 0.1%. Correspondingly, the share of wages earned by the bottom 95% fell in 2020. | Two features of the pandemic economy distorted wage patterns in 2020 and led to faster wage growth…

Eric A. Gordon (2021-12-16). It's high time for a new United Front Against Fascism. peoplesworld.org So many Americans, from lukewarm liberals to many on the left, and even some of the few honest conservatives that remain on the playing field, are in a mood of despair right now. We sense that the slow coup ushering in fascism is already in full swing and is inevitable. The United States, as well …

Kit Klarenberg (2021-12-16). Meet Edward Isaacs, the student waging a campus war for Israel. electronicintifada.net Bristol Jewish Society president helped get academic David Miller fired.

Brian Dolinar (2021-12-16). Illinois Sets National Precedent in Banning Immigration Detention. truthout.org A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the Illinois Way Forward Act on December 6, 2021, making immigrant detention illegal in the state after the new law takes effect in the new year. The suit was filed by McHenry and Kankakee Counties, which were holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at their local jails. Pending any further court action, the counties will need to end their contracts with ICE by the end of this year. | Johannes Favi spent 10 months and two weeks inside the J…

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-16). 89-10: Senate sends record-high $768 billion war budget authorization to White House. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The Senate vote was 89-10.The House vote was 363-70.It's the highest-ever Pentagon budget in current dollars and the largest since World War II in constant dollars. Russian military spending for 2020 was an estimated $61.7 billion, less than 1/12 of next year's U.S. defense spending. Senate Passes $768 Billion Defense Bill, Sending It to Biden …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-16). Libya: Military Mobilization in Sebha and the Looming Threat of War. libya360.wordpress.com The head of the Supreme Council of Tribes and Cities of Fezzan, Ali Misbah Abu Sbeiha, confirmed the presence of intensive military mobilizations in a number of locations in the city of Sebha by the General Command of the Army and the 166th Brigade of the Presidential Council led by Masoud Gedo. Abu Sbeiha said …

April Lanuza (2021-12-16). Amazon workers and families recover and mourn after deadly tornado. america.cgtn.com Families and friends have started to say their last goodbyes to their loved ones who died when a tornado tore through an Amazon warehouse in the U.S. state of Illinois last week. CGTN's Toni Waterman spoke to the mother of one of those victims — …

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-16). Russian official says Third World War underway in cyberspace. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Full-blown warfare in cyberspace in progress, says Russian diplomat Full-scale military activities are unfolding in cyberspace, Special Russian Presidential Representative for International Cooperation in Cybersecurity and Director of the Foreign Ministry International Security Department Andrey Krutskikh said at the 9th All-Russian congress of political scientists held at MGIMO University on Thursday. "The war [in cyberspace] …

Staff (2021-12-16). "No Food Available": Afghanistan Faces Catastrophe as Donors Cut Humanitarian Aid to Taliban Gov't. democracynow.org Afghanistan under the new Taliban government faces a humanitarian catastrophe this winter as the United States and other donors have cut off financial aid. The United Nations warns nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan — or more than half the population — face potentially life-threatening food shortages, with nearly 9 million already on the brink of famine. In addition, people face lack of proper healthcare, unemployment and housing shortages. "The international aid organizations, for them, it's just another country … where they take pictures and make their careers out of it," says Pashtana Durran…

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-16). Video: U.S.-led NATO battle group in Poland. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Video: enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Poland Comprised of units from four Allied nations: Croatia, Romania, the UK and US, NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Poland is a key asset….in the [NATO] eastern flank. As part of their mission, Battlegroup Poland is continuously executing training exercises to enhance their readiness and ability to operate as …

Peoples Health Dispatch (2021-12-16). Health workers hang up their lab coats in protest. peoplesdispatch.org More than 300 health workers in Konjic in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina decided to hang up their lab coats at the entrance of Konjic General Hospital on 15 December, in protest against a financial crisis that the town's health institutions have been struggling with for months on end. Nurses, doctors, and other health workers warned the authorities that this was their last warning before they quit en masse, a move that would cause the collapse of health services in the area. | The protest is the latest in a series of workers' actions since late November this year. Until now, workers have engaged in striking…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-16). Why Cuba Does Not Have an Anti-Vaccine Movement. libya360.wordpress.com Marc Vandepitte, Toon Danhieux Increasingly, large sectors of the European population, and in the US to a lesser extent, openly express their distrust towards their government's policies to combat COVID-19. The reaction of the traditional policy is one of panic and is characterized by paternalism and repression: general obligation to vaccinate and restricting freedom of…

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2021-12-16: News Headlines

David Swanson (2021-12-16). U.S. Hypocrisy Exposed As It Massacres Civilians Abroad. warisacrime.org By By Any Means Necessary, December 16, 2021 In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by David Swanson, activist, journalist, radio host, Executive Director of World BEYOND War and author of the new book "Leaving World War II Behind" to discuss the recently revealed "Talon Anvil" …

_____ (2021-12-16). The UN's Human Rights Failure. strategic-culture.org Will the UN assume responsibility for failing to protect civilians as governments waged war and plunder? | On the occasion of International Human Rights Day which was marked on December 10, the UN pledged to accelerate the implementation of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), without taking into consideration the various global inequalities which make generic implementation impossible. | The UN's "Common Agenda Framework" which was published in September 2021 is one example of how the UN glosses over the international law violations emanating from within its institutions to portray a deceptively humanitaria…

WSWS (2021-12-16). "His freedom is a political question"—Australian SEP supporters demand Assange's release. wsws.org "The US, UK and Australian governments are all implicated in the crimes published by WikiLeaks. As a result, they are all playing a role in destroying an award-winning journalist right before the world's eyes."

_____ (2021-12-16). Neocons bent on starting another disaster in Ukraine. popularresistance.org If anything, Washington's neoconservatives have an unerring instinct for survival. Having brought about multiple disasters in the two decades since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, from the Iraq war to the twin debacles in Libya and Syria, the neocons seem to have perfected the art of failing up. | Harvard University's Stephen Walt once quipped that "Being a Neocon Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry." And in this regard, the story of the Kagan family is instructive.

ecns.cn (2021-12-16). Xi meets with role models for building peaceful China. ecns.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday afternoon met with representatives of a meeting commending role models in implementing the country's Peaceful China initiative in Beijing.

ecns.cn (2021-12-16). China-Russia cooperation contributes to world peace, stability. ecns.cn Following the video meeting on Wednesday between the leaders of China and Russia, experts shared their views on China-Russia cooperation, saying that their relations play an important role in sustaining world peace and stability.

Editor2 (2021-12-16). 20th ALBA-TCP Summit Declaration. orinocotribune.com "17 years defending Latin American and Caribbean integration and peace" | The Heads of State and Government and the Heads of Delegations of the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America — Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), meet in Havana, Cuba, on December 14, 2021 to commemorate the 17th Anniversary of the Alliance. In signing this Declaration, we renew our commitment to strengthen this mechanism of political coordination based on the principles of solidarity, social justice, cooperation and economic complementarity, a result of the political will of its founders, the Commanders Fid…

Monica Cruz (2021-12-16). Hawaiians demand justice after pollution of water source from navy facility. peoplesdispatch.org On December 10, the Hawaii Department of Health announced that the Navy found gasoline and diesel-range hydrocarbons in the Red Hill shaft. For eight decades, the Navy has stored upwards of 200 million gallons of fuel only about 100 feet above an underground aquifer…

WSWS (2021-12-16). US Congress approves massive $770 billion war budget. wsws.org The strategic orientation of the huge military bill is to prepare for war against Russia, China or both. Coupled with Tuesday's vote to raise the debt ceiling, congressional Democrats have satisfied their two main constituencies: the Pentagon and Wall Street.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Tokyo considers boycott of Beijing Olympics. wsws.org As Japan fully embraces the war drive being led by the United States against China, Tokyo is increasing pressure on Beijing on a number of fronts. These moves are highly provocative and can only push Northeast Asia further towards the brink of armed conflict.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Biden presses forward with February 2022 resumption of student loan repayments. wsws.org The Biden administration is insisting that federal student loan repayments must be restarted on February 1, 2022, after being paused for nearly two years, despite the continuing spread of the pandemic.

Abhinav Mehrotra (2021-12-16). Regional Mechanisms of Human Rights: The Way Forward: Case of South Asia. moderndiplomacy.eu Long debates have evolved since the 1948 UDHR as to whether human rights should always be perceived as universal, or whether they need to be regarded as contextual on regional and local cultures. If we look at Art. 2 of the UDHR the rights apply "with no distinction given to their race, colour, sex, language, …

In Defense of Liberation! (2021-12-16). How Can We Expect Things to Change?>. anchor.fm In this episode I discuss the practical ways in which we can expect the world to change based on the ways in which it has historically changed; through people taking control of their circumstances and building a new tomorrow. However it comes, we know that a new tomorrow must come, but if we want that new tomorrow to lead us towards an actually better society, then we need socialism. So how do we get there? Well, let's discuss!

Jennifer Bendery (2021-12-16). Elizabeth Warren Announces Support For Expanding The Supreme Court. zcomm.org "I come to this conclusion because I believe the current court threatens the democratic foundations of our nation," the senator said in an op-ed.

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-16). Video: U.S.-led NATO battle group in Poland. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Video: enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Poland Comprised of units from four Allied nations: Croatia, Romania, the UK and US, NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Poland is a key asset….in the [NATO] eastern flank. As part of their mission, Battlegroup Poland is continuously executing training exercises to enhance their readiness and ability to operate as …

_____ (2021-12-16). The Chaotic Evacuation From Afghanistan Has Distracted From the UK's Deeper Failures During the War. strategic-culture.org By Patrick COCKBURN | They shall not return to us, the strong men coldly slain | In sight of help denied from day to day: | But the men who edged their agonies and chid them in their pain, | Are they too strong and wise to put away? | Shall we only threaten and be angry for an hour? | When the storm is ended shall we find | How softly but how swiftly they have sidled back to power | By the favour and contrivance of their kind? | Their lives cannot repay us — their death could not undo — | The shame that they have laid upon our race. | But the slothfulness that wasted and the arrogance that slew, | Sha…

WSWS (2021-12-16). Governments refuse to take action as Omicron variant surges throughout the world. wsws.org As the official death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has exceeded 800,000 in the United States, public health officials are warning of a "tsunami" of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks and months.

Tom Engelhardt (2021-12-16). Tomgram: Alfred McCoy, On the Most Fundamental of All Human Rights: Survival. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Yes, it's far more extreme and happening far faster than anyone imagined possible. From Australia to China, Germany to Greece, Canada to the U.S. and beyond, the planet is already being devastated by climate change. And no, I …

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-16). 89-10: Senate sends record-high $768 billion war budget authorization to White House. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The Senate vote was 89-10.The House vote was 363-70.It's the highest-ever Pentagon budget in current dollars and the largest since World War II in constant dollars. Russian military spending for 2020 was an estimated $61.7 billion, less than 1/12 of next year's U.S. defense spending. Senate Passes $768 Billion Defense Bill, Sending It to Biden …

Staff (2021-12-16). 'Fascists Out of the University': Students at Madrid's Complutense University Reject Leopoldo López. orinocotribune.com The widespread international rejection of fugitive from Venezuelan justice Leopoldo López was evident last Monday, December 13, in Madrid, where students received him at the Complutense University with slogans of "fascists out of the university," prior to López's participation in an event alongside Yunior García, fugitive from Cuba. | "Fascists out of the university!," "López, murderer!", and "out with the Miami coup plotters" were among the slogans written on banners and shouted by students in the political science faculty of Complutense University of Madrid. | Numerous students gathered on the campus to reject…

teleSUR (2021-12-15). UN Report Raises Concern Over Human Rights Crisis In Colombia. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) published a report demonstrating that the Colombian State must urgently reform its way of handling protests so as to avoid massive human rights violations. | RELATED: | The report entitled "The 2021 National Strike: Lessons for the Exercise of the Right of Peaceful Assembly in Colombia" exhaustively analyzes the behavior of security…

Staff (2021-12-15). Cuba Hosts 20th ALBA-TCP Summit to Promote Regional Unity. orinocotribune.com The 20th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) was inaugurated this Tuesday in Havana, Cuba, on the occasion of its 17th anniversary, to reaffirm regional unity and solidarity, and reject US interference in regional affairs. | Among other topics to be discussed are the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the alliance's action program for the coming year. Its objective is to defend the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, approved in Havana in accordance with the 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbea…

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-15). 37 military offices, wars in Ethiopia, Libya, Western Sahara: Turkey edges Russia out of African arms market. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Armed with drones, Turkey explores African arms sales Armed with battle-tested drones, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been deepening defence ties with African countries ahead of a major gathering of the continent's leaders in Istanbul. The two-day Turkey-Africa partnership summit starting Friday comes fast on the heels of a top-level business forum in October …

Strategic Culture Foundation (2021-12-15). Biden's 'Summit for Democracy' is a vile circus for new Cold War. nationofchange.org The biggest enemy of the basic democratic rights is the U.S. government—and yet we have this Biden conference declaring support for democracy.

Staff (2021-12-15). Headlines for December 15, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Tops 800,000 COVID Deaths as Officials Around the World Warn of Omicron's Rapid Spread, House Votes to Hold Mark Meadows in Contempt; D.C. Sues Oath Keepers, Proud Boys over Insurrection, Judge Dismisses Trump Attempt to Shield Tax Docs from House; NY Probe into Trump Org. Continues, Another GOP Rep. Attacks Ilhan Omar as House Passes Anti-Islamophobia Bill, Congress Votes to Increase Debt Ceiling by $2.5 Trillion, Averting Default, UAE Suspends Talks with U.S. on $23 Billion Arms Sale, Presidents Putin and Xi Meet Amid Mounting Tensions with U.S., Belarusian Opposition Leader Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison…

William Minter, Anita Plummer, Daniel Volman (2021-12-15). U.S. Cold War with China: First Stop, Equatorial Guinea. fpif.org In the first Cold War, the Last week's Democracy Summit,

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-15). Ukraine army employs eight years of Donbass war experience for conflict in Crimea. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian Army trains to repel tank attacks near occupied Crimea In the southern district, an exercise is underway for anti-tank artillery and engineering units, deployed along the de-facto border with the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. According to the Commander, servicemen participating in the exercise have mastered the relevant skills over …

Marzieh Rahmani (2021-12-15). Tehran reached a good agreement with IAEA. en.mehrnews.com The Iranian Foreign Minister said Wednesday that Tehran reached a good agreement with the IAEA last night, saying that this could respond to some of the alleged concerns about Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

David Swanson (2021-12-15). Reducing the Need for Poetry. warisacrime.org By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 15, 2021 Edward Tick's book, Coming Home in Vietnam, is made up of lovely and powerful poems. But I can't help wishing they weren't needed. Just as some members of Veterans For Peace talk about honoring veterans by ceasing to create any more veterans, I wish we could …

Marzieh Rahmani (2021-12-15). Tehran cannot stand interference in nuclear, defense program. en.mehrnews.com Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iran does not tolerate any interference in its peaceful nuclear and defense program, reiterating that the trio islands are the permanent and inseparable part of Iran.

_____ (2021-12-15). Columbia Student Workers Defy University's Strikebreaking Threats. popularresistance.org Last week saw a sharp escalation of the strike by 3,000 student workers at Columbia University in New York City, which continues in the face of strikebreaking threats by the administration. In an effort to shut down the walkout before finals, the university warned striking student workers that it might replace them in the Spring semester if they remained on strike beyond Friday, December 10. | Columbia workers rejected this attempt at economic blackmail and held out on the picket line. A poll conducted by the Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) bargaining committee found that 87 percent of union members and n…

_____ (2021-12-15). Kellogg's Strikers: We Want A Clear Path Out Of Two-Tier, Set In Stone. popularresistance.org In contract talks with its 1,400 workers this summer, Kellogg's proposed to remove the union logo from its cereal boxes. | It's an indication of the company's overall plan, said strikers on the Battle Creek, Michigan picket line this weekend. "Their long-term goal is to bust the union," said Michelle Fulcher, a warehouse crew leader at the company's flagship plant. | Kellogg's workers in four states have been on strike since October 5. Their top issue is the company's efforts to expand its two-tier system. | "Going into negotiations we had four things we were going to be hard-nosed on," Fulcher said: "Keep our pe…

C.J. Atkins (2021-12-15). 'Amazon won't let us leave': Tornado creates modern Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. peoplesworld.org

It's Going Down (2021-12-15). This Is America #154: Inflation, Class War, and MAGA Factions Jostle for Power. itsgoingdown.org photo: Detroit IWW Welcome, to This Is America, December 15th, 2021. On this episode we cover resistance news: from clashes in the streets with police, strikes, and recent calls for mutual aid and disaster relief. We then switch gears and discuss inflation and the ongoing push by the GOP into open fascist politics. All this…

David Swanson (2021-12-15). Audio: Cover-Up in Kabul Strike. warisacrime.org By Political Misfits, December 15, 2021 LISTEN HERE. David Swanson, activist, journalist, radio host and author of the book "Curing Exceptionalism," talks to us about how the Pentagon "cover-up" in the Kabul drone killing of a family continues, with the news that no US troops will be punished for deadly Kabul strike, how impunity is …

WSWS (2021-12-15). World Health Organization warns of Omicron "tsunami" wsws.org "Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Shane Quinn (2021-12-15). History of World War II: Did Mussolini's Fate Prompt Hitler to Kill Himself? globalresearch.ca First published on October 26, 2018 With Allied armies pushing ever northwards through the "tough old gut" of Italy, and German forces pulling out, Benito Mussolini took a long look at the situation before departing Milan on 25 April …

Global Research News (2021-12-15). Selected Articles: Towards Another Devastating Worldwide Crisis? The WEF's "Cyber Attack With Covid-like Characteristics". globalresearch.ca By In "normal" times, the practice of medicine has many challenges, some from within and some from outside the profession. If you let it, much of your daily practice …

WSWS (2021-12-15). "There is no reason people should have been scrambling last minute to get to shelter": Sister of worker killed in Amazon warehouse crushed by tornado speaks out on lack of safety. wsws.org Rachel Cope's brother, Clayton Lynn Cope, was killed in an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois while trying to alert his coworkers to seek cover as a tornado barreled down upon the facility.

Amjed Jaaved (2021-12-15). Some truths about the 1971 East-Pakistan war. moderndiplomacy.eu India is busy celebrating Swarni Vijay Parv (golden-victory festival) to commemorate its "victory" against Pakistan in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. India's defence minister Rajnath Singh thinks that this victory is even greater than the two world wars fought. It was "the most decisive" as the "Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 War changed the history …

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-15). Study of Antarctic ice's deep past shows it could be more vulnerable to warming. imperial.ac.uk Insights into how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet responded to a warmer climate millions of years ago could improve predictions of its future.

Margaret Kimberley (2021-12-15). Democratic Party betrayal, abortion, and the Supreme Court. mronline.org " What about the Supreme Court?" Those words are used to thwart any discussion which questions support for the Democratic Party.

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-15). NATO ready to activate Article 5 collective war clause over reported cyber attacks. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO looking at holistic path to boost cyber defense arsenal Setting a new threshold for Article V triggers The new NATO cyber policy released in June…affirms the alliance's decision to consider that certain "lower-level" malicious cyber attacks by the same threat actor can be as destructive as a single, large-scale cyber attack, and could, at …

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-15). Audacious Wargaming: NATO's U.S. command hosts Warfare Development conference for members, partners. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Alliance Warfare Development Conference 2021 Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, has hosted the inaugural Alliance Warfare Development Conference at NATO's Allied Command Transformation from 7-9 December 2021. The Alliance Warfare Development Conference replaces the Chiefs of Transformation Conference and is organised to bring together senior leadership from NATO nations responsible for warfare development …

WSWS (2021-12-15). The new West Side Story: A remaking of the Leonard Bernstein classic at war with itself. wsws.org The appearance of the new version is a much anticipated event. In the works for a number of years, Spielberg's film was shot and edited in 2019, but its opening was delayed a year by the pandemic.

Newsroom (2021-12-15). COP26 defined by 'reinvigorated multilateralism'. moderndiplomacy.eu The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), held last month in Glasgow, was defined by a "reinvigorated multilateralism", a top UN official said on Tuesday during an online discussion on how the summit's outcomes will impact climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "The Glasgow Climate Pact to keep global warming to 1.5C and the …

PAI (2021-12-15). Shuler, UMW's Roberts, Warren: Private hedge funds destroy workers and companies. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (PAI)—Continuing a decades-long record of predatory financial sector capitalism, multibillion-dollar hedge funds, accountable only to their secret investors, swoop in to devour companies, devastate workers, destroy jobs, and then escape with the profits. So say, in so many words, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sherrod …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-15). Declaration of the XX ALBA-TCP Summit in Commemoration of its XVII Anniversary. libya360.wordpress.com Final Declaration of the XX ALBA-TCP Summit Highlights Efforts Towards Real Latin American and Caribbean Integration Yoselina Guevara The XX ALBA-TCP Summit, held in Havana, Cuba, ended yesterday, December 14, with a declaration comprising 44 points. In the final document, it was once again stated that the Alliance is an international organization in which one…

Newsroom (2021-12-15). 6 Tips on Dressing the Best This Holiday Season. moderndiplomacy.eu Dressing your best doesn't always have to be reserved for the holiday season. However, it is nice to put a little bit more effort into your outfits when you have something to celebrate and look forward to. So, here are some tips to help you pick out some killer outfits this Christmas. You'll have everyone …

David Swanson (2021-12-15). Check Out the Check List to End Tyranny. warisacrime.org By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 15, 2021 Whether or not you're familiar (as everyone should be) with Peter Ackerman's book and film "A Force More Powerful" about successful nonviolent activism campaigns, or his other books and films on the same theme, if you have any interest in changing the world for the better …

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