(2022-01-01). [Comment] Offline: The origin story—towards a final resolution? thelancet.com WHO has been a particular casualty in the dispute about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Former US President Donald Trump's verbal attacks and his decision to defund the agency drew blood in Geneva—and the wounds are still visible. The allegation that WHO shared responsibility for the pandemic by adopting a policy of appeasement towards China has proven impossible to refute. As a member-state organisation, WHO's staff are constitutionally bound to heed the instructions of the governments they serve. Only former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland had the courage to defy countries when she was WHO Direc…
(2022-01-01). Argentina: Labor, Environmentalists, and Indigenous Unite to Defeat Mining (Canada Mining Corporations Again). orinocotribune.com By Marisela Trevin — Dec 28, 2021 | A zoning law would have opened up the southern Argentinian province of Chubut to large-scale mining by multinational corporations. | But the law was defeated in just five days by an alliance of environmentalists, workers, youth, and indigenous people. Their fight points the way forward for other movements around the world. | The people of the southern Argentinian province of Chubut are celebrating more than just the holidays this December. After a fierce struggle against a recently enacted zoning law that would have opened the province up to large-scale silver, copper, and…
(2021-12-31). 2021 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide Rises Again. dissidentvoice.org US policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean continued in a seamless transition from Trump to Biden, but the terrain over which it operated shifted left. The balance between the US drive to dominate its "backyard" and its counterpart, the Bolivarian cause of regional independence and integration, continued to tip portside in 2021 with major …
(2021-12-31). After The Wars In Iraq, 'Everything Living Is Dying'. popularresistance.org As far back as 2005, the United Nations had estimated that Iraq was already littered with several thousand contaminated sites. Five years later, an investigation by The Times, a London-based newspaper, suggested that the U.S. military had generated some 11 million pounds of toxic waste and abandoned it in Iraq. Today, the country remains awash in hazardous materials, such as depleted uranium and dioxin, which have polluted the soil and water. And extractive industries like the KAR oil refinery often operate with minimal transparency. On top of all of this, Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate ch…
(2021-12-31). Film Review: 'Don't Look Up' Uses Satire to Condemn U.S. Government on Climate Inaction. towardfreedom.org "Don't Look Up" uses satire to magnify the outrageous responses of fictional U.S. politicians, media, corporations and the population to a fictional comet that is about to collide with Earth and wipe out all life. But how it is any different than how real-life politicians have failed to address an impending climate catastrophe that can cost us our lives?
(2021-12-31). Killing Nature Must Be Treated as a Crime on a Par with Genocide and War Crimes. zcomm.org The time has come for drastic measures to protect the environment and save the world from a climate catastrophe…
(2021-12-31). Democracy Now! at 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Independent News on the Frontlines. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online. We celebrate 25 years of The War and Peace Report with an hour-long retrospective, including highlights from the show's early years, some of the most controversial interviews, and groundbreaking reports from East Timor, Standing Rock, Western Sahara and more.
(2021-12-31). Democracy Now! at 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Independent News on the Frontlines. democracynow.org Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online. We celebrate 25 years of The War and Peace Report with an hour-long retrospective, including highlights from the show's early years, some of the most controversial interviews, and groundbreaking reports from East Timor, Standing Rock, Western Sahara and more.
(2021-12-31). Looking forward to a new year of struggle in 2022: Join FRSO. fightbacknews.org As 2021 concludes and we look forward to a new year, it makes sense to survey the political landscape and discuss what's to be done. | Monopoly capitalism is a failed system. We need a revolutionary solution to our problems. And to achieve that goal, revolutionary organization is a requirement. Freedom Road Socialist Organization has the aim of overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with socialism. If that is what you want, it is time to join our ranks. | FRSO does not just talk about change. We are active in our unions, community organizations, anti-war, student, and many other groups. Our members are African…
(2021-12-31). War or peace in space? 2021 in review. liberationnews.org 
2021 has been a record setting year for space development, accompanied by relentless capitalist propaganda to shape how people relate to the increasing importance of the space industry worldwide.
(2021-12-31). Biden's 'Diplomacy Is Back' Falls Flat As 2021 Middle East Policy A Miserable Flop. popularresistance.org Despite President Joe Biden having claimed earlier this year that "diplomacy is back" and that he would end the war in Yemen, revive the Iran Nuclear Deal and settle several other issues, in reality his Middle East foreign policy has been just as detrimental to the region as was that of his predecessor. | "This war has to end…we're ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales," Biden said in early February during his first address to the U.S. public on his administration's foreign policy approach. It was a speech that saw him showered with the praise of…
(2021-12-31). Pressure Grows On Biden To Shut Down Trump-Era Medicare Privatization Scheme. popularresistance.org Calls are mounting for President Joe Biden to terminate an under-the-radar Trump-era pilot program that—if allowed to run its course—could result in the complete privatization of traditional Medicare by the end of the decade. | A petition recently launched by Physicians for a National Program (PNHP) has garnered more than 10,000 signatures as doctors and other advocates work to raise public awareness of the Medicare Direct Contracting program, which the Trump administration rolled out during its final months in power.
(2021-12-31). A Lesson from Simón Bolívar: 'To Hesitate is to Perish'. orinocotribune.com By Atilio Borón — Dec 20, 2021 | Speech in remembrance of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Anniversary of the Liberator Simón Bolívar's passage to immortality, on December 17, 1830, celebrated at Rivadavia Park in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, at the foot of the monument to Simón Bolívar. | Simón Bolívar advanced the ideals of the unity of Our America, the same ideals he shared with José Gervasio Artigas and José de San Martín. It went further in this endeavor because he strategically organized his entire struggle to advance with tenacity and coherence towards the creation of the Patria Grande (Great…
(2021-12-31). A Lesson from Simón Bolívar: 'To Hesitate is to Persih'. orinocotribune.com By Atilio Borón — Dec 20, 2021 | Speech in remembrance of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Anniversary of the Liberator Simón Bolívar's passage to immortality, on December 17, 1830, celebrated at Rivadavia Park in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, at the foot of the monument to Simón Bolívar. | Simón Bolívar advanced the ideals of the unity of Our America, the same ideals he shared with José Gervasio Artigas and José de San Martín. It went further in this endeavor because he strategically organized his entire struggle to advance with tenacity and coherence towards the creation of the Patria Grande (Great…
(2021-12-31). A Lesson from Simón Bolívar: 'To Hesitate is to Perish'. orinocotribune.com By Atilio Borón — Dec 20, 2021 | Speech in remembrance of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Anniversary of the Liberator Simón Bolívar's passage to immortality, on December 17, 1830, celebrated at Rivadavia Park in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, at the foot of the monument to Simón Bolívar. | Simón Bolívar advanced the ideals of the unity of Our America, the same ideals he shared with José Gervasio Artigas and José de San Martín. It went further in this endeavor because he strategically organized his entire struggle to advance with tenacity and coherence towards the creation of the Patria Grande (Great…
(2021-12-31). A Lesson from Simón Bolívar: 'To Hesitate is to Persih'. orinocotribune.com By Atilio Borón — Dec 20, 2021 | Speech in remembrance of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Anniversary of the Liberator Simón Bolívar's passage to immortality, on December 17, 1830, celebrated at Rivadavia Park in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, at the foot of the monument to Simón Bolívar. | Simón Bolívar advanced the ideals of the unity of Our America, the same ideals he shared with José Gervasio Artigas and José de San Martín. It went further in this endeavor because he strategically organized his entire struggle to advance with tenacity and coherence towards the creation of the Patria Grande (Great…
(2021-12-31). Neoliberalism, fascism, or socialist breakthroughs? cpusa.org 
The Trump administration's fascistic response to the 2020 #BlackLivesMatter uprising, the U.S. government's deadly, incompetent response to COVID, and the sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan reflect a long-term structural crisis in U.S. imperialism and democratic legitimacy. Over the past two decades, that crisis has been marked by general economic decline, the failures of endless war, …
(2021-12-31). Leaked Files Expose Syria Psyops Veteran Astroturfing BreadTube Star to Counter Covid Restriction Critics. orinocotribune.com 
By Kit Klarenberg and Max Blumenthal — Dec 21, 2021 |
(2021-12-31). In Remembrance of Chuck Kaufman, Anti-Imperialist, International Solidarity Organizer. orinocotribune.com Tucson, AZ — It is with heavy heart that the news of the passing of longtime anti-imperialist organizer Chuck Kaufman reached communities on December 28. Born in a small Indiana town, Chuck's life saw travels to numerous countries, most notably in the Latin American countries most firmly in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialism. | In 1987, as Reagan's illegal Contra War against Nicaragua ravaged the country in an attempt to kill the successful Sandinista Revolution, Chuck answered the call for solidarity. He gave up his advertising business and joined thousands of other U.S. solidarity activists to help in the…
(2021-12-31). We Dance Into The New Year Banging Our Hammers And Swinging Our Sickles. popularresistance.org Bittersweet is the passage of this year. There have been some immense victories and some catastrophic defeats, the most terrible being the failure of the Global North countries to adopt a democratic attitude towards confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and creating equitable access to key resources, from life-saving medical equipment to vaccines. Tragically, by the end of this pandemic, we will have learnt the Greek alphabet from the variants named after its letters (Delta, Omicron), which continue to emerge. | Cuba leads the world with the highest vaccination rates, using its indigenous vaccines to protect its popu…
(2021-12-31). Another Nail in the U.S. Empire's Coffin… Biden Signs $770 Billion War Budget. strategic-culture.org Three decades after the Cold War officially ended, the U.S. is setting a new record high for annual expenditure on its armed forces. | As this year ends, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law military spending of $770 billion. That's just for the next year alone. The scale of wastefulness and bloated corruption is eye-watering. It eclipses what the United States is willing to invest for overhauling its badly neglected civilian infrastructure and for combating the coronavirus pandemic that has killed far more people in the U.S. than in any other nation. | If there is one thing that portends a historic collapse…
(2021-12-31). White House lies about child hospitalizations amid Omicron surge. wsws.org Even as COVID-19 cases surge across the country and child hospitalizations and deaths hit one record after another, the entire US political establishment is pressing forward with the imminent reopening of schools.
(2021-12-31). December tornadoes cut swath of devastation through southeastern Missouri. wsws.org Ninety people have been confirmed killed by the storms across eight states, including eight workers at Mayfield Consumer Products in Mayfield, Kentucky and six Amazon workers at an Edwardsville, Illinois fulfillment center outside St. Louis.
(2021-12-31). Perpetual War is Capitalism's Hope for Surviving the 21st Century. libya360.wordpress.com Rainer Shea The ideology behind capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism is based around the idea that competition, rather than cooperation, is the natural state of humanity. That the species is destined to eternally be at odds with itself, both on an individual and civilizational level. This was the claim put forth by a faction of academic…
(2021-12-31). Fatah celebrates its 57th foundation day amid Israeli threats. peoplesdispatch.org 
Palestinian resistence movement Fatah celebrated its 57th launch day on Thursday, December 30 with a big rally in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The celebration was held despite the threats issued by the Israeli authorities. While the movement was formed in 1959, it commemorates its first attack against Israeli occupation. | Earlier in the day Fatah members were summoned by the Israeli authorities to warn them against any kind of public celebration, according to reports by Palestinian news agency Wafa. | Defying the Israeli orders, hundreds of members of the Fatah gathered in the center of Ramallah city in t…
(2021-12-31). Britain helped create the refugees it now wants to keep out. dissidentvoice.org The deaths of at least 27 people who drowned as they tried to cross the Channel in an inflatable dinghy in search of asylum have quickly been overshadowed by a diplomatic row engulfing Britain and France. As European states struggle to shut their borders to refugees, the two countries are in a war of words …
(2021-12-31). NATO's Cognitive Warfare and the Destruction of the Truth. libya360.wordpress.com Rainer Shea History is constrained by a series of laws. Empires fall, productive forces become obsolete after society gets ready to outgrow them, inequalities destroy societies when they get too big, the environment turns against civilizations when it's abused too much, and so on. These principles conflict with the ideology of the capitalist ruling class,…
(2021-12-31). 2021 in Review: The Only Way Out is Through. scheerpost.com 
We saw workers animated by a fresh sense of confidence, defiance, and being just plain fed up. Photos, clockwise from upper left: Jim West/jimwestphoto.com, Luis Feliz Leon, Northwest Carpenters, Teamsters United, SEIU 1199NW, Jim West/jimwestphoto.com, Monk Drapeaux-Stewart, UAW Local 838, CWA District 1 | By Alexandra Bradbury / 2021 reminds me of a riddle: What's worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm in your apple. What's scarier than a year of pandemic? A second year of pandemic. | We're…
(2021-12-31). Venezuelan Parliament Approves Supreme Court's Organic Law Reform. orinocotribune.com 
With the goal of consolidating the Venezuelan judicial system as an instrument at the service of the people, in its first discussion of the issue the National Assembly approved the partial reform project of the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), a proposal presented on December 22 by the president of the TSJ, Maikel Moreno. | During the session that took place this Thursday, December 30, in the last legislative meeting of 2021, the President of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, led the debate from which the approval by a qualified majority emerged. | In recent weeks, members of the Venezuelan Parliamen…
(2021-12-31). COVID-19 Deaths Continue to Decline in Venezuela. orinocotribune.com 
This Wednesday, December 29, was the 654th day of the pandemic in Venezuela, with a considerable drop in the number of deaths in the last 24 hours. In that span of time Venezuela reported 203 new COVID-19 infections—200 by community transmission and three imported, in addition to two deaths. This was reported by the Minister of Communication and Information, Freddy àëáñez, via Twitter. | With this update, Venezuela has 444,186 confirmed cases and 5,331 deaths overall during almost two years of pandemic. Of this total, 5,657 are active cases, 4,657 are being treated in the public health system, and 1,00…