(2022-02-18). U.S. Labor Against War opposes U.S. moves towards Ukraine combat. peoplesworld.org 
(2022-02-18). Venezuela Expresses Total Support for Russia on Ukraine Tensions. orinocotribune.com "Russia has the full support of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in the fight it is putting up to dispel the threats from NATO and the Western world," said the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, this Wednesday, February 16, during his meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Yuri Borisov. | During the meeting of the High-Level Intergovernmental Commission (CIAN), where strategic agreements were signed between both nations at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, the Venezuelan head of state stated his position, expressing his belief that Russia will continue to be a peaceful nation. | "
(2022-02-18). Headlines for February 18, 2022. democracynow.org Biden Claims Russia Is Plotting a "False Flag" Operation as Pretext for Ukraine Invasion, COVID-19 Cases Hit Record Highs in Asian Countries as Omicron Variant Surges, Donald Trump, Trump Jr. and Ivanka Ordered to Testify in New York Civil Fraud Probe, Florida Lawmakers Advance Bill to Ban Abortions After 15 Weeks, More Than a Quarter of World's Women Worldwide Have Experienced Domestic Violence, Haitian Sweatshop Workers Strike to Demand $15 a Day, Death Toll in Brazil Landslides Rises to 117, with 100+ Still Missing, Canadian Police Investigating Sabotage of Coastal GasLink Pipeline Worksite,…
(2022-02-18). Second Ukrainian tests positive for banned drug at Olympics. rt.com 
The bobsledder's Winter Olympics sample contained a steroid, doping chiefs announced in the wake of a Ukrainian skier testing positive for three banned substances | Strongwoman-turned-bobsledder Lidiia Hunko has become the second Ukrainian to fail a drugs test at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games this week, the International Testing Agency (ITA) has announced. | The 28-year-old, who is a former world champion deadlifter, was tested by the ITA during an in-competition anti-doping control check on Monday, when she finished 20th in the women's monobob. | A World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited (WADA) laboratory in B…
(2022-02-18). Video: SGP chairman condemns NATO's war preparations against Russia. wsws.org In this video Christoph Vandreier, the chairman of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP—Socialist Equality Party), condemns NATO's preparations for war against Russia and explains the need for an international anti-war movement.
(2022-02-18). Labor Solidarity, and Worker Victories, Across Borders. cepr.net NACLA See article on original site Book Review: International Solidarity in Action: The Relationship Between the United Electrical Workers (UE) and Frente Auténtico del Trabajo, by Robin Alexander On February 3, workers at a General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico, secured an important victory for organized labor when a huge majority voted to join the …
(2022-02-18). Rodney Reed ‚àí overturn his conviction and death sentence! workers.org 
Rodney Reed's birthday was Dec. 22. This was the 24th birthday and holiday season he has spent away from his children, his five brothers, his mother and his large loving family — while entombed in solitary confinement on death row in Texas. Rodney Reed in court, 2015. WW PHOTO: Gloria . . . |
(2022-02-18). Starbucks workers remain determined to unionize despite retaliatory firings. liberationnews.org 
The workers at the Poplar-Highland store who were fired have asserted that their termination is blatant retaliation against them for organizing a union.
(2022-02-18). Rally against union busting at Starbucks headquarters. workers.org 
Seattle Rally calling for rehiring of Memphis 7 outside Starbucks' headquarters in Seattle, Feb. 15. Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant called for holding actions across the country on Feb. 15 to protest Starbucks' firing of the Memphis 7. In front of Starbucks' national/world headquarters, 100 unionists, Starbucks workers and solidarity . . . |
(2022-02-18). Workers World message to 'The International' Marxist magazine. workers.org 
Workers World newspaper congratulates Progressive Thinkers for its first year of consistent monthly publication of "The International" (Internationalmagz.com) as an openly "not unbiased" communist magazine and blog. We salute the initiators of this endeavour, Debojit Banerjee, Shuvam Banerjee, Sourav Chakraborty and Gourab Ghosh, for creating a venue for members of . . . |
(2022-02-18). Unite for Feb. 26 — Workers Power Day! workers.org 
Solidarity with Starbucks, Amazon and all workers who are organizing and fighting back Fight against racism and all forms of oppression and exploitation — these struggles are part and parcel of the workers movement. Black Lives Matter! Unite our many struggles into one powerful force! Starbucks workers are leading an . . . |
(2022-02-18). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Baggage handlers hold three-day wildcat strike in Copenhagen Airport, Denmark over pay and conditions, ruled illegal and condemned by union; thousands of teachers in Belgium walk out over pay, conditions and class sizes; South African Clover food workers' strike over pay and job cuts continues into week twelve, tens of thousands of Sibanye-Stillwater gold miners vote to strike over pay…
(2022-02-18). USW pushes ExxonMobil deal to end Texas lockout: A warning to all oil workers. wsws.org ExxonMobil's latest ultimatum, which the United Steelworkers will bring to a vote on Monday, would set the precedent for the wholesale destruction of the jobs, wages, benefits and working conditions of workers throughout the entire oil industry.
(2022-02-18). UK cost of living crisis hits millions as inflation reaches new record. wsws.org Many staples are now unaffordable for millions of people. Workers are not seeing their wages rise to compensate.
(2022-02-18). What $203 billion can buy. workers.org 
Oh, the trials and tribulations of centibillionaire Jeff Bezos — what to do with $203 billion? Go into space? Done that. Go into space a second time? Lost the thrill when Elon Musk, who took over your title as 'the world's richest man,' launched his own ship. Jeff Bezos asked . . . |
(2022-02-18). City Attorney Threatens Food Not Bombs; Emergency Meeting 5 PM Friday. indybay.org Today, Keith McHenry, local Food Not Bombs worker, forwarded me the following threatening letter from Deputy City Attorney Cassie Bronson. McHenry called my Free Radio-on-the-Net show to discuss the letter and announced an emergency meeting 5 PM tomorrow (5-18) at the Red Church.
(2022-02-18). New Zealand rail workers highlight unsafe conditions as COVID-19 surge continues. wsws.org While the media provides round-the-clock coverage of a small anti-vax protest outside New Zealand's parliament, there is growing anger and opposition to the Labour Party-led government's policy of allowing COVID-19 to spread.
(2022-02-18). United Steelworkers on strike at Sherwin-Williams. fightbacknews.org Pittsburgh, PA – 55 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14919 began an unfair labor practice strike against Sherwin-Williams on Saturday, February 5 at the company's facility in Bedford Heights, Ohio. | Negotiations started on October 26, 2021, and union members had been working without a contract since the previous agreement expired on November 20. Sherwin-Williams refused to enter into an extension agreement. | Terrell Williams, president of United Steelworkers Local 14919 states, "All we are asking for is a fair and just contract that keeps up with inflation and provides economic sustainability and sec…
(2022-02-18). Reject APWU sellout! Oppose Postal Reform Act robbery. wsws.org Postal workers are being asked to ratify a fraudulent tentative agreement imposing further drastic cuts and, to add further insult, freeing management and the APWU to rewrite its terms at their discretion.
(2022-02-18). Australia: Svitzer steps up pressure on workers to accept cuts to wages and conditions. wsws.org Determined to drive through a regressive new deal, Australia's largest tugboat operator is threatening to terminate the existing enterprise agreement covering workers.
(2022-02-18). Tuesday 2/22: Virtual Author Event: The Prophets with Robert Jones, Jr. indybay.org Online event, organized by Revolution Books, 2444 Durant Ave. Berkeley CA 94704…
(2022-02-18). Friday 2/18: Carl Dix speaks at Rev Bks NY Bringing Back Stop & Frisk and NYPD Street Crimes Units. indybay.org Revolution Books, 2444 Durant Ave. Berkeley CA 94704…
(2022-02-18). Chicago activists continue to call for killer cop to be fired, charged in death of Anthony Alvarez. liberationnews.org 
On what would have been Anthony Alvarez's 23rd birthday, dozens of activists gathered outside the 16th District police station in Chicago on Feb. 14 to celebrate Alvarez's life and to demand justice for him. The event was organized by members of Alvarez's family in coordination with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
(2022-02-18). Friday 2/18: Black History Month: Almost 2 years after the George Floyd uprising, what's at stake? indybay.org Virtual event. Register: bit.ly/struggle-continues…
(2022-02-18). Sunday 2/20: Red Books Day. indybay.org Bobby Hutton Park…
(2022-02-18). Mass strikes and protests continue in Puerto Rico against debt deal. wsws.org Mass protests are culminating in a general strike across the island following the imposition of a debt settlement deal dictated by Wall Street that will gut wages and pensions.
(2022-02-18). CAS finds WADA explanations about Valieva doping test delays unconvincing. tass.com The Panel also did not find compelling the fact that the Stockholm laboratory blamed the processing delay on staffing problems caused by the pandemic…
(2022-02-18). Miami demands 'Free Alex Saab'. fightbacknews.org Miami, FL – 20 activists gathered at the Federal Courthouse here, to demand the release of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who has been detained in Miami since October when the United States government kidnapped him from Cape Verde. Saab's supporters brought banners and signs with messages of solidarity, chanted "Free Alex Saab" and answered questions from reporters who converged on the courthouse. | Eminent Puerto Rican freedom fighter and longtime political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera delivered a powerful speech to the crowd. He explained ,"The Venezuelan people as well as the Puerto Rican people are fighting f…
(2022-02-18). Thursday 2/17: Black Solidarity Week Opening Ceremony. indybay.org Mandela Pkwy and Dr. Huey P. Newton WayOakland, CA…
(2022-02-18). Ski superstar Gu hails being a 'biracial young woman' after making Olympic history. rt.com 
The Chinese-American triple medalist says she has helped to lessen male dominance in extreme sports | Former Team USA star Eileen Gu won her third medal for China at the Winter Olympics — and the Chinese-American sensation said her history-making triumph at the Beijing Games is a triumph for "representation and sporting equity" that she hopes will inspire future generations. | California-born Gu, who has an American father, a grandfather from Shanghai and a grandmother from Nanjing and switched teams as a 15-year-old in 2019, added halfpipe gold to her big air triumph and slopestyle silver, capping an exc…
(2022-02-18). The path toward an Official California Juneteenth Paid Holiday. indybay.org The legacy of "Chattel Slavery of people of African Descent" in California may originate in legendary battles with Queen Califia. Spanish Military led by Hernan Cortez, with ships full of Conquistadors including reinforcements of over 300 free and enslaved men of African Descent in 1535 began a new paradigm along western coast of the Pacific Ocean.
(2022-02-17). Donetsk reports Ukrainian artillery barrages, impending assault with U.S. landing craft. globalresearch.ca A Report from Donetsk News Agency: | February 17, 2022 | Ukrainian armed formations delivered strikes at the areas of nine settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics within two hours on Thursday morning, …
(2022-02-17). 2,000 U.S. troops, 600 pieces of equipment head to Slovakia for drills 190 miles from Ukraine border. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ReutersFebruary 16, 2022 U.S. troops heading from Germany to Slovakia for planned NATO drills The first part of a planned contingent of 2,000 U.S. troops and hundreds of vehicles entered the Czech Republic from Germany on Tuesday en route eastwards to Slovakia for NATO's Saber Strike military drills…. Slovakia borders Ukraine to the east but …
(2022-02-17). Ex-U.S. Ambassador to USSR: Ukraine Crisis Stems Directly from Post-Cold War Push to Expand NATO. democracynow.org 
U.S. officials are accusing Russia of sending more forces to the Ukrainian border just days after Moscow announced it was pulling some troops back. This comes as Ukrainian authorities and Russian-backed separatists are both accusing the other side of violating a ceasefire in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. For more on the history behind the present crisis in Ukraine, we speak with one of the last U.S. ambassadors to the Soviet Union prior to the collapse of the USSR, Ambassador Jack Matlock, who says the U.S.-led expansion of NATO following the end of the Cold War helped lay the groundwork for the current s…
(2022-02-17). Turkish Drone Strike Hit Kurdish Fighters Near Russian Base In Northeastern Syria. southfront.org 
File image. | On February 17, a Turkish drone strike targeted fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who were manning a post located only 20 meters away from a key base of the Russian Military Police near the town of Tell Tamer in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah. | In a statement, the SDF's Tell Tamer Military Council said that two of its fighters were wounded as a result of the drone strike. | Following the strike, the Turkish military and its proxies shelled the villages of Tell Shinan…
(2022-02-17). Why Is China Fanning the Flames of Ethnic Politics in the Balkans? independentmediainstitute.org The fragile geopolitical nature of the Balkans has allowed Russia to consistently undermine Western integration attempts in the region. While foreign interference is nothing new in Europe's underbelly, it has historically been limited to regional powers and the U.S. But China's recent collaboration with Russia in supporting ethnic separatism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reveals …
(2022-02-17). EU's "Alternative" to China's Belt and Road Initiative. newatlas.report February 17, 2022 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — The European Union unveiled what it is touting as an "alternative" to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Called the "Global Gateway," the EU claims it will deliver better alternatives consisting of "high standards, good governance, and transparency," in a rollout almost indistinguishable from the vague and …
(2022-02-17). Canada's ruling elite applauds Trudeau's use of emergency powers against far-right Freedom Convoy. wsws.org If the ruling class is ready to use emergency powers to supress small far-right protests, how will it respond to the eruption of mass working class opposition to its criminal pandemic policy or a new round of capitalist austerity?
(2022-02-17). Internationalist 360 Salutes Those Who Report the Facts and Speak the Truth. libya360.wordpress.com From #Ottawa with love. [On the ground in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Feb 16, 2022, close to midnight.]#FreedomConvoyCanada#freedomconvoy22 #TruckersForFreedom#ClassWar pic.twitter.com/OPVha3wa7p — Cory Morningstar (@elleprovocateur) February 17, 2022 Staying w/ Canadian Frontline Nurses. We share our shower w/ truckers/workers who sleep in trucks/cars. Last night I met Mike from Manitoba. He has a family back home. 2…
(2022-02-17). Ottawa cops crack down on protesters. rt.com 
Police put up fencing and bring in reinforcements in bid to break anti-mandate Freedom Convoy protest | Police have started to erect fencing around the Freedom Convoy protest in downtown Ottawa, Canada, and have brought in extra officers in a push to clear the demonstration. The move comes after the truckers were threatened with arrest under emergency powers enacted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. | Video footage captured on Thursday showed busloads of police arriving in downtown Ottawa, and officers purportedly holding crowd control drills. Meanwhile, workers were seen putting up metal fencing near the demo…
(2022-02-17). Marco Rubio Threatens Honduras' President (+Venezuela). orinocotribune.com During a US Senate hearing regarding the nomination of Laura Farnsworth as new US ambassador to Honduras, US extreme-right Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he hoped the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, would not follow the example of her husband, former President Manuel Zelaya, and align Honduras with Cuba and Venezuela. | "I hope that the new president Xiomara Castro follows that path, and not the example that her husband provided when he was president and sympathized with Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Raúl Castro in Cuba," said the anti-communist senator. Analysts surmise that Zelaya's drift to the left…
(2022-02-17). Puerto Ricans rise up against US-imposed austerity, protest poverty wages. multipolarista.com Puerto Rican public workers are protesting the neoliberal policies imposed by the US government's unelected Financial Oversight and Management Board. A professor speaks about their demands for higher wages and better social programs.
(2022-02-17). Leaked Audio Shows Amazon Official Threatening Workers Over Union Election – Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An Amazon union avoidance official threatened workers with minimum wage and warned that things might get worse if they unionize and enter negotiations with the company, Vice reported on Thursday, citing a leaked audio from an Amazon meeting that it obtained.
(2022-02-17). How Volkswagen plays off temporary workers against each other and the permanent workforce. wsws.org Volkswagen, its contract labour subsidiary Autovision , and service subsidiary Volkswagen Group Services (VGS) employ a treacherous and sophisticated system to divide workers amongst themselves.
(2022-02-17). Inquest into deadly construction accident convenes 12 years after four workers fell to their deaths in Toronto. wsws.org The interminable delay in the hearings reflects the perennially low priority assigned to cases of unsafe working conditions in Canadian labour jurisprudence.
(2022-02-17). Outsourced Facebook content moderators face trauma, exploitation and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we look at an investigation by TIME into the condition of workers at Facebook's outsourced content moderation office in Nairobi, Kenya; the UN's urgent funding appeal to address the severe crisis in Yemen as fighting escalates; the imprisonment of activist and head of the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, Khitam Sa'afan, by an Israeli military court; and the arrest of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez in an extradition appeal filed by the U.S. on charges related to drug trafficking.
(2022-02-17). Sri Lanka unions betray health workers' indefinite strike. wsws.org Health Minister Rambukwella told the media that the government "strategically used the law courts" and convinced union leaders to stop the strike, without him agreeing to any major demand.
(2022-02-17). Energy, transport and municipal service worker strikes in Kazakhstan. wsws.org Strikes across several industries broke out on Tuesday in Mangystau oblast, a region which contains the country's oil producing Caspian coast.
(2022-02-17). Welcome To The Cryptoverse: A Conversation With The Blockchain Socialist. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Written by Dr. Leon Tressell | On 3 January 2009 the genesis block of the Bitcoin blockchain was mined. Satoshi Nakmoto, the creator of Bitcoin, coded a message within the genesis block. It contained a headline from the Times newspaper, "Chancellor on brink of second bail out for banks". | This new digital currency represented a rejection of the failed capitalist system that in 2008 brought the world to the brink of complete financial meltdown. Since then, Bitcoin has gr…
(2022-02-17). In New Yorker interview, Ocasio-Cortez defends Biden and Pelosi, urges readers not to lose "hope" in reforming two-party system. wsws.org The New York congresswoman urges readers not to lose "hope" in reforming the two-party system, while disclaiming the label socialist.