(2021-10-31). Why the troubled US empire could quickly fall apart. asiatimes.com 
The US wars lost in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed imperial overreach beyond what even 20 years of war could manage. That the defeats were drawn out for so many years shows that domestic politics and the funding of the domestic military-industrial complex were, more than geopolitics, the key drivers of these wars. Empires can die …
(2021-10-31). Israel reactivates administrative detention for Kayed al-Fasfous, who is on hunger strike. peoplesdispatch.org Kayed al-Fasfous, who has been on hunger strike for 108 days, will be in detention until December 14 at least. His health has deteriorated considerably and organizations have warned his life is in danger…
(2021-10-31). Xi urges G20 inclusiveness, solidarity amid COVID-19 at Rome summit. ecns.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday addressed the Group of 20 (G20) leaders' summit via video link, calling on its members to shoulder due responsibilities and uphold openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation for forging a community with a shared future for mankind.
(2021-10-31). Sudan coup: Protest strike after nationwide demonstrations. middleeasteye.net 
Sudan coup: Protest strike after nationwide demonstrations | Tensions remain high in Khartoum a day after mass protest against military power was violently repressed | Sun, 10/31/2021 – 12: 44 | A Sudanese anti-coup protester waves the national flag during a gathering in the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman on 30 October 2021 to express support for the country's democratic transiti…
(2021-10-31). SF Protest Against BlackRock & The Destruction of The Climate By Corporations & Government. indybay.org Healthcare workers, teachers, students and community activists protested against BlackRock in San Francisco because of their investments in fossil fuels. Many painted murals on the streets surrounding the $8 trillion hedge fund.
(2021-10-31). Workers of Attorney General's Office in Paraguay begins one-month strike. peoplesdispatch.org The workers of the Attorney General's Office are protesting the budget cuts announced in the ministry for 2022. The unions have condemned that the reduction in budget will affect various areas of its competence in addition to its daily functioning…
(2021-10-31). Capitalism is Not Your Friend. dissidentvoice.org 
The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force. — Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The German Ideology, (1932) If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull …
(2021-10-31). Syria air defense downs 2 missiles fired by Israeli regime. en.mehrnews.com Syrian air defense systems shot down two missiles fired by Israeli F-16 fighters near the Golan Heights, as a result of the strike, two Syrian soldiers were wounded, said Vadim Kulit on Saturday.
(2021-10-31). Xi denounces stigmatization of COVID-19 virus, politicization of origins tracing. ecns.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday said that stigmatization of the COVID-19 virus and politicization of origins tracing run counter to the spirit of solidarity against the pandemic.
(2021-10-30). Billionaire Reveals Virtual Reality Experience Called 'Mainstream Media'. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "We're calling it Mainstream Media, or MSM for short," Bezos told viewers. "MSM will allow users to interface with an alternate world of the imagination where capitalism is working fine for everyone, constant military expansionism is normal and desirable, Washington's enemies are all bloodthirsty monsters, and billionaires are just harmless job creators. Let's check it out." | Bezos explained that his 2013 purchase of The Washington Post ensured that consumers will remain psychologically plugged in to a virtual reality in which the sociopolitical status quo upon which his Amazon empire is b…
(2021-10-30). News on China | No. 73. dissidentvoice.org China breaks the US-led blockade to assume its UN seat 50 years ago. A 10% drop in magnesium production has occurred. China accounts for 85% of global magnesium production. Pang Jianwei and collaborating scientists have established the first integrated quantum communication network, an "unhackable" network.
(2021-10-30). Diplomat Alex Saab Will Plead Not Guilty to Charges Brought by the US. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who was kidnapped by the United States from Cape Verde on October 16, will plead not guilty to the charges of "money laundering" of which he is accused of by the US. This was informed by his defense attorney Henry Bell on Thursday, October 28. | With this decision by Saab, made public through a press release from the diplomat's legal defense, the claims of certain "sources" and mainstream media that Saab was "collaborating" and negotiating with the US government have been proved false. | Saab was illegally detained in Cape Verde on June 12, 2020, when the plane in which he was trave…
(2021-10-30). Australian government deepens assault on democratic rights with voter ID bill. wsws.org This bill to disenfranchise thousands of working-class voters underscores the reactionary content of the party deregistration laws that were passed with the opposition Labor Party's backing in August.
(2021-10-30). [Articles] Global, regional, and national mortality among young people aged 10—24 years, 1950—2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. thelancet.com Variation in adolescent mortality between countries and by sex is widening, driven by poor progress in reducing deaths in males and older adolescents. Improving global adolescent mortality will require action to address the specific vulnerabilities of this age group, which are being overlooked. Furthermore, indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to jeopardise efforts to improve health outcomes including mortality in young people aged 10—24 years. There is an urgent need to respond to the changing global burden of adolescent mortality, address inequities where they occur, and improve the availa…
(2021-10-30). We Want Our Jobs Back! Thousands Of Unite HERE2 Workers March In San Francisco For Jobs. indybay.org Thousands of San Francisco Unite HERE Local 2 hotel workers marched in San Francisco to demand their jobs back and a contract.
(2021-10-30). La alianza Cuba-Venezuela es un puente de solidaridad. cubadebate.cu Con total apego a la ética y al sentido del deber, más de 255 000 colaboradores de la Isla han prestado servicios en la República Bolivariana a través del Convenio Integral de Colaboración Cuba-Venezuela que este 30 de octubre celebra su vigésimo primer aniversario de existencia y evoca las firmas históricas de los Comandantes Fidel y Chávez.
(2021-10-30). Beneath Striketober Fanfare, The Lower Frequencies Of Class Struggle. popularresistance.org As the rich and comfortable stayed indoors and rode out the worst months of the pandemic on their Peloton bikes, workers around the country shifted into a different gear. Ten thousand farming equipment workers in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, and Georgia walked out of their jobs, joining 1,400 cereal workers at Kellogg's plants in Nebraska, Michigan, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, as well as 1,100 coal miners at Warrior Met Coal in Alabama and nurses in New York and Massachusetts. And thousands more are waiting in the wings—from workers in academia, to health care workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon, C…
(2021-10-30). IOM and Venezuela Agree on Mechanisms for Protection of Migrants. orinocotribune.com 
Venezuela's Ombudsman's Office and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have agreed on cooperation and protection mechanisms for Venezuelan migrants. | In a meeting between the Venezuelan Ombudsman, Alfredo Ruiz, and the IOM representative in Venezuela, Jorge Vallés, an agreement was reached to train workers of Venezuelan State institutions on the human rights of migrants. | The training of workers and officials of public institutions will be focused on the development of the tasks that they must fulfill, especially for the care and protection of migrants in border areas, in order to guarantee that…
(2021-10-30). Thousands of New Brunswick public sector workers strike against poverty wages. wsws.org The Canadian Union of Public Employees has refused to say if the strike will continue into next week, let alone advanced any strategy to counter Premier Higgs' vow to outlaw the stoppage.
(2021-10-30). Philadelphia transit union calls off strike, announces deal with cuts to real wages. wsws.org The tentative agreement, which contains wage increases well below the rate of inflation, came after a unanimous strike authorization vote by SEPTA workers, who set a strike deadline for November 1.
(2021-10-30). As UAW and Deere maintain information blackout, workers voice determination to fight: "We have a unique opportunity to win" wsws.org Wall Street is exerting immense pressure on Deere to meet extraordinarily high earnings targets, and so hold the line on workers' demands for significant improvements to wages and benefits.
(2021-10-30). Striking workers rally at Kellogg's headquarters in Michigan. fightbacknews.org Battle Creek, MI – Over 200 striking workers and supporters rallied outside the Kellogg's headquarters in downtown Battle Creek on October 27. As Kellogg's corporate bosses looked down from their offices, striking workers and their families listened to energetic speeches. | "This worker exploitation by big corporations must stop now!" shouted Trevor Bidelman, the president and business agent for the union waging the strike, the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco workers, and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM) Local 3-G. | Bidelman called for solidarity between the 20 or more unions gathered, as the strike heads towards its…
(2021-10-30). UAW announces "new" tentative agreement with Deere, seeking to ram through vote on Tuesday. wsws.org Workers must oppose this blatantly undemocratic effort to stampede them into accepting a contract they know nothing about.
(2021-10-30). The Court of Protection and Criminal Law. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Re C [2021] EWCA Civ 1527 This is an appeal from Hayden J's judgment in Re C [2021] EWCOP 25. The appeal was allowed on the basis that care workers making arrangements to secure the services of a sex worker for C would place the care workers in peril of committing an offence contrary to section 39 of …
(2021-10-30). Health Care Workers Sound Off About Solidarity and Why They're Ready to Strike. zcomm.org "We can't survive doing the work that we're asked to do, the way that we're being asked to do it with the lack of support we're being asked to do it with"
(2021-10-30). Caravan challenges Mexico's complicity in US assault on immigrants. wsws.org Chanting "We are not criminals, we are workers, we are immigrants" and "Libertad, Libertad," at least 2,000 migrants marched out of Tapachula, Mexico on October 23.
(2021-10-30). AMLO Wants Clarification of the Colosio Murder Case. orinocotribune.com In February, Mario Aburto, who was convicted of assassinating presidential candidate Colosio in 1994, requested that his case be reopened so that "the society knows the truth." | On Thursday, October 28, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) offered State protection to Mario Aburto, who has claimed that the had police tortured him and forced him to plead guilty for the murder of the Institutionalist Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio in 1994. | "If it can be proved that he was tortured, he was threatened, and he has kept silent because of it… the Mexican sta…
(2021-10-30). An unrealized political possibility: remembering the Grenada Revolution. mronline.org 
The United States overthrow of the Grenada Revolution in 1983 initiated a vicious and unrelenting regime of neoliberalism that has gutted the Caribbean nation. But revolutionary Grenada showed the world a radical alternative to capitalism and neocolonialism is possible.
(2021-10-30). El nuevo fantasma ruso en América Latina. globalizacion.ca A mediados del siglo XIX Marx y Engels escribieron que el fantasma del comunismo recorría Europa. En el siglo XX ese mismo fantasma recorrió el mundo. Ahora, en el siglo XXI, la comunicación es el nuevo fantasma que acecha. Esto…
(2021-10-30). Scranton: Teachers Will Go On Strike. popularresistance.org Scranton, Pa.—The Scranton Federation of Teachers, which represents more than 800 teachers and paraprofessionals, announced today that it will set up picket lines and go on strike at 12: 01 a.m., Nov. 3. The union has been working under a contract that expired in 2017. | "We've reached the end of the line and our patience with the Scranton School District. The district has refused to address our concerns about the slash-and-burn budget cuts that are significantly affecting the quality of education," said Scranton Federation of Teachers President Rosemary Boland. "Strikes are always the last resort. We held o…
(2021-10-30). G20 urged to take joint actions to tackle global challenges. ecns.cn On the eve of the 16th Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit in Rome, leaders of several multinational organizations called on the Group comprising 19 countries plus the European Union (EU) to strengthen joint efforts to address global challenges.
(2021-10-30). Ahead of COP26, African Countries Reject EU Trying to Back Out of Climate Finance Talks. towardfreedom.org With its climate pact and a climate law, the European Union is often viewed as progressive when it comes to dealing with the climate crisis. But positions that both EU countries and the EU bloc have taken in the run-up to the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26), the largest annual climate-change conference, paint a different picture.
(2021-10-30). "Switzerland (with the World Economic Forum) is a longstanding, valued partner for NATO" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO Deputy Secretary General visits the Swiss Confederation On the first day of his visit, the NATO Deputy Secretary General [Mircea GeoanƒÉ] met with high-level officials from international organisations and other relevant international stakeholders, including Mr Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Ms. Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission …
(2021-10-30). 800 Educators in Scranton Prepare for Strike After 4 Years Without a Contract. truthout.org 
After working four years without a contract, 800 teachers and paraprofessionals in the Scranton Federation of Teachers are preparing to strike. If an agreement isn't reached between the union and district management, a strike would start November 3. | The SFT's leadership made the announcement about striking after four years of working without a contract or a pay raise — and just after the Scranton School Board approved a budget that does not include any pay raise for teachers. When…
(2021-10-30). Finns being conditioned for war with Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com I hope the irony isn't missed that Finns born during or shortly after the Winter War of 1939 and World War II are the least anti-Russian, and those born after the collapse of the Soviet Union are the most. NATO operatives have done their job well. NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg Says Door Remains Open For …
(2021-10-30). U.S. interceptor-missile warship, F-15s, NATO strike group enter Black Sea for "collective defense of Europe" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US Sixth Fleet, NATO allies begin operations in Mediterranean and Black Seas US Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO staff begin operations in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. This was announced by the US Sixth Fleet. In particular, the US Navy's command ship USS Mount Whitney will participate in joint maneuvers in …
(2021-10-30). The Glasgow summit, climate change, and the case for socialism. wsws.org The past two years have seen a series of escalating climate disasters in all regions of the globe, including massive wildfires from the Australian bush to the American west, devastating flooding in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and deadly heatwaves the world over.
(2021-10-30). Scranton Teachers Will Go on Strike. zcomm.org The Scranton Federation of Teachers, representing more than 800 teachers and paraprofessionals, announced today that it will set up picket lines and go on strike at 12: 01 a.m., Nov. 3…
(2021-10-30). San Antonio Symphony on strike for over a month in response to attacks by management. wsws.org Symphony management is attempting to massively reduce pay and to cut full-time positions by half.
(2021-10-30). Turkish Combat Drone, Artillery Target SDF Positions In Syria's Raqqa. southfront.org 
File image. | The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies continue to harass the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in what appears to be an attempt to start a military confrontation in Syria's northeastern region. | On October 30 afternoon, a Turkish combat drone, reportedly a Bayraktar TB2, carried out an airstrike on a checkpoint of the SDF near the town of Ain Issa in the northern countryside of Raqqa, according to Syrian opposition sources. No losses were reported. | A few hours after the airstrike,…
(2021-10-30). CrowdStrike one of Russiagate's 'biggest culprits': ex-House investigator. thegrayzone.com Former Congressional investigator Kash Patel, who helped expose the Steele dossier fraud, on the overlooked, suspicious role of another Clinton campaign contractor, CrowdStrike, which accused Russia of hacking the DNC. As a top investigator on the House Intelligence Committee, Kash Patel helped uncover the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and the FBI's extensive and deceptive reliance on it. Patel joins Aaron Maté to discuss Steele's new attempt to defend his discredited work via a softball interview with ABC …
(2021-10-30). Military Situation In Yemen On October 30, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 180 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On October 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 18 airstrikes on the Sarwah district | On October 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Jubah district | On October 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Markha district | On October 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes…
(2021-10-30). NYC taxi drivers go on hunger strike against debt. peoplesdispatch.org Taxi drivers in New York have been protesting demanding debt relief. Many drivers are highly indebted with over 900 having filed for bankruptcy over the past few years…
(2021-10-30). People are Dying Worldwide: "Foreign Aid" to Finance 1.8 Billion Vaccine Doses. Western Governments, Billionaires and Big Pharma Come to the "Rescue of the Poor Countries" globalresearch.ca What is happening today is the outright "Criminalization of the state apparatus" whereby politicians, senior government officials are bribed, coopted or threatened to abide by a diabolical project which is destroying people's lives Worldwide.
(2021-10-30). Philippines: Condemn Philippine National Police massacre of peasants in Masbate. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Oct. 25 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). | The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns in the strongest terms the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the massacre of at least five peasants yesterday early morning in Barangay Bugtong, Mandaon town in Masbate province. | Contrary to the PNP's claims in their press releases, the victims were not members of the New People's Army (NPA). The PNP identified one of the victims as Eddie/Arnold Rosero, a local resident. | According to the NPA's Regional Operational Command in Bicol,…
(2021-10-30). It is the Israeli Occupation of the Stateless Palestinians that is the settler Colonial State, and, yes, Apartheid. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Apologists for Israeli policy have taken umbrage at the characterization of Israel as a settler colonial state that practices Apartheid. They argue that Israel is unlike the settler colonial societies (the United States, French Algeria, Brazil, Mexico and all of Latin America, Australia, South Africa, Rhodesia) in that it established …
(2021-10-30). [Comment] Offline: Living in an Age of Indecency. thelancet.com Political leaders will declare COP26 a success—an important staging post, although not UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's promised "turning point for humanity", on the way to decarbonising the planet's energy use. Historians will most likely look back and judge COP26 in Glasgow, UK, as a graveyard of opportunities. To be fair, the target set for COP26 was narrowly drawn—to keep alive the 2015 Paris Agreement. That landmark agreement committed nations to "holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 ∞C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperat…