Monthly Archives: April 2021

2021-04-11: News Headlines

teleSUR (2021-04-11). Live: Ecuador Hits the Polls in Decisive Runoff Election. telesurenglish.net Candidates Guillermo Lasso, a 65-year-old elite banker; and Andres Arauz, a 36-year-old progressive former Central Bank official have very different visions of how to lead Ecuador out of the pandemic and the current economic recession, but also on the role of international banking, regional banking, extractivism and more. | 8: 00 AM EST – Election observers harassed by police after meeting with correista lawmaker Fausto Jarrin Teran | The electoral observation mission of the U.S. human rights organization CODEPINK currently in Ecuador to observe today's presidential elections was accosted by police as it were l…

teleSUR (2021-04-11). Live: Long Lines During Ecuador's Presidential Runoff Elections. telesurenglish.net Candidates Guillermo Lasso, a 65-year-old elite banker, and Andres Arauz, a 36-year-old progressive former Central Bank official, have very different visions of how to lead Ecuador out of the pandemic and the current economic recession, but also on the role of international banking, regional integration, extractivism and more. | 3: 00 PM EST – Lasso rejoices in democratic celebration while analysts fear early victory decalaration | Conservative banker and candidate for the CREO coalition Guillermo Lasso celebrated the democratic celebration of Sunday's presidential runoff elections, stating his hopes to achiev…

China Dialogue (2021-04-11). Why Activists have Launched a Fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. juancole.com By Isabella Kaminski | — ( China Dialogue ) A fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty (FFNPT) initiative was formally launched last September by a coalition of academics, lawyers and activists. It's modelled on the landmark UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons agreed in the 1960s, and is built around the same three pillars: non-proliferation, …

teleSUR (2021-04-11). Election Bolivia: Four Out of Nine Departments Decide Today. telesurenglish.net Bolivia decides on Sunday the local governmental authorities in the departments of La Paz, Tarija, Pando, and Chuquisaca as the parties go to a second round in these regions following a landslide victory of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) on March 7. The ruling party seeks to consolidate its power in some of Bolivia's most important regions. | RELATED: | On March 7, the ruling party MAS won outright 240 seats…

teleSUR (2021-04-11). Bolivia Sees Peaceful Second-Round of Departmental Elections. telesurenglish.net Bolivia has seen on Sunday a peaceful election day concerning biosecurity measures. Thus far, there have been no significant irregularities reported as people in the departments of La Paz, Tarija, Pando, and Chuquisaca decide on its representative. After a landslide victory of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) on March 7, the ruling party seeks to consolidate its power in some of Bolivia's most important regions. | teleSUR's correspondent in Bolivia, Freddy Morales, reports there have been no irregularities in La Paz but a low voter turnout in several polling stations. | On the other hand, after casting his…

Arundhati Roy (2021-04-11). "Capitalism has Become a Weapon of Mass Destruction" zcomm.org Interview on India, nationalism, literature and politics…

MEE, agencies (2021-04-11). Egypt train crash: Prosecutor says driver 'was not at controls' during incident. middleeasteye.net Egypt train crash: Prosecutor says driver 'was not at controls' during incident | Investigation disputes suspects' claims they were in the train's cabin at the time of crash | Sun, 04/11/2021 – 14: 59 | The March 26 crash killed at least 20 people and left 199 injured near Sohag in southern Egypt (AFP) | Egypt's prosecutor said the driver and his assistant were not at the controls at the m…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-11). Houthis Attack Warplanes Shelters In Saudi Jizan Airport and King Khalid Air Base. southfront.org Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing | On April 11, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) attacked two airfields in the southern region of Saudi Arabia with suicide drones. | Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Yemeni group, announced that two Qasef-2K drones had been launched at Jizan Regional Airport in the province of Jizan and King Khalid Air Base in the province of 'Asir. The drones targeted warplanes shelters. | The spokesman claimed that the attack was successful. According to him, the attack was a res…

ecns.cn (2021-04-11). New issue of Boeing 737 MAX to put some jets grounded. ecns.cn Boeing announced on Friday that the company has recommended to 16 carriers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes before further operations.

Ines Schwerdtner (2021-04-11). Neoliberalism prevents forward-looking policies. indybay.org Never learned! Not only since 30 years, please, it is round about 200 years since Rockefeller and Standard Oil. Today now we have to bitterly accept that the planet is not a factory and not a limited company. Capitalism is not an option for life!

teleSUR (2021-04-10). Ecuador: an Election With Global Impact on Banking and Tax Heavens. telesurenglish.net Candidates Guillermo Lasso, a 65-year-old elite banker; and Andres Arauz, a 36-year-old progressive former Central Bank official have very different visions of how to lead Ecuador out of the pandemic and the current economic recession, but also on the role of international banking, he says in an article published by rebelion.org. | RELATED: | "In 2016, the Panama Papers leak exposed the extent to which the worl…

_____ (2021-04-10). Truth Commission Details Horrible Crimes Akin To Native American Genocide And Slavery. popularresistance.org With a new Cold War heating up between the U.S. and Russia and China, Witness for Peace Southwest, Addicted to War and CodePink organized a Truth Commission on the original Cold War on March 21st, which brought together the testimony of historians, activists and others who lived through the period. | Following a hearing three years ago, the Zoom event was hosted by Frank Dorrel, publisher of the popular anti-war text Addicted to War, and Rachel Bruhnke, a high school Spanish teacher and member of Witness for Peace Southwest. In her opening remarks, Bruhnke emphasized that the Cold War should rank as one of three…

Brenton Brookings (2021-04-10). Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant faces rightwing recall campaign. liberationnews.org "The recall is a sign that the ruling class is deeply fearful of the growth of peaceful protest and workplace actions that are coming as the crisis of capitalism escalates," Sawant said to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at a rally in Seattle's Cal Anderson Park on April 3.

Liberation Staff (2021-04-10). The Real Story: When U.S. Empire Waged War vs. Socialism in Afghanistan: 1978-1990s. liberationnews.org The United States has been intervening in Afghanistan since 1979. Trump and now Biden promise to end U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan war. But imperialist domination in the country continues.

Antonio Lorca Siero (2021-04-10). Las constituciones se tambalean. globalizacion.ca En el modelo político establecido por el capitalismo, que vino a sustituir al absolutismo, las constituciones pasaron a ser el documento jurídico que ponía límites al poder personalista de la antigua minoría dominante. | Sirvieron para dignificar a los individuos comunes…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-10). US Helicopters Transported Logistics, Weapons From Iraq To Northeastern Syria — Report. southfront.org A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew chief scans below near Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, on June 9. (Capt. Brian Harris/ Army) | US military helicopters have transported logistics and weapons from Iraq to northeastern Syria, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported on April 10."Helicopters of the American occupation forces coming from Iraq transported containers containing logistical materials, weapons, ammunition and medical materials to their base in al-Shaddadi city in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah," a local sour…

VOA (2021-04-10). Russia Seen Advancing SE Asian Ambitions Through Myanmar Generals — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Luke Hunt | Analysts say Russia is increasing arms sales to Myanmar's military and steadfastly standing by Myanmar's coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, an alliance they say will further Moscow's foreign policy ambitions across Southeast Asia through future weapons sales. | Meanwhile, leaders of at least 10 of ethnic rebel groups have declared their support for the country's anti-coup movement. | Anthony Davis, a security analyst with the Jane's Group in Bangkok, said Moscow "very clearly" wants to further its ties with Myanmar's military, known as Tatmadaw, through sales, primarily to its air force and,…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-10). Developed Blood Test For Depression, Bipolar Disorder. eurasiareview.com Worldwide, 1 in 4 people will suffer from a depressive episode in their lifetime. | While current diagnosis and treatment approaches are largely trial and error, a breakthrough study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on the biological basis of mood disorders, and offers a promising blood test aimed at a precision medicine approach to treatment. | Led by Alexander B. Niculescu, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at IU School of Medicine, the study was published in the high impact journal Molecular Psychiatry . The work builds on previous research conducted by Niculescu and his c…

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2021-04-10). Friday 4/16: Fighting Racism at Home and Imperialism Abroad. indybay.org Virtual forum | Register at bit.ly/education4thepeople…

Updated: 2021-04-12 00:35 | 20:35 EST | 19 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0

2021-04-10: News Headlines

Brenton Brookings (2021-04-10). Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant faces rightwing recall campaign. liberationnews.org "The recall is a sign that the ruling class is deeply fearful of the growth of peaceful protest and workplace actions that are coming as the crisis of capitalism escalates," Sawant said to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at a rally in Seattle's Cal Anderson Park on April 3.

Liberation Staff (2021-04-10). The Real Story: When U.S. Empire Waged War vs. Socialism in Afghanistan: 1978-1990s. liberationnews.org The United States has been intervening in Afghanistan since 1979. Trump and now Biden promise to end U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan war. But imperialist domination in the country continues.

_____ (2021-04-10). Truth Commission Details Horrible Crimes Akin To Native American Genocide And Slavery. popularresistance.org With a new Cold War heating up between the U.S. and Russia and China, Witness for Peace Southwest, Addicted to War and CodePink organized a Truth Commission on the original Cold War on March 21st, which brought together the testimony of historians, activists and others who lived through the period. | Following a hearing three years ago, the Zoom event was hosted by Frank Dorrel, publisher of the popular anti-war text Addicted to War, and Rachel Bruhnke, a high school Spanish teacher and member of Witness for Peace Southwest. In her opening remarks, Bruhnke emphasized that the Cold War should rank as one of three…

Antonio Lorca Siero (2021-04-10). Las constituciones se tambalean. globalizacion.ca En el modelo político establecido por el capitalismo, que vino a sustituir al absolutismo, las constituciones pasaron a ser el documento jurídico que ponía límites al poder personalista de la antigua minoría dominante. | Sirvieron para dignificar a los individuos comunes…

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2021-04-10). Friday 4/16: Fighting Racism at Home and Imperialism Abroad. indybay.org Virtual forum | Register at bit.ly/education4thepeople…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-10). US Helicopters Transported Logistics, Weapons From Iraq To Northeastern Syria — Report. southfront.org A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew chief scans below near Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, on June 9. (Capt. Brian Harris/ Army) | US military helicopters have transported logistics and weapons from Iraq to northeastern Syria, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported on April 10."Helicopters of the American occupation forces coming from Iraq transported containers containing logistical materials, weapons, ammunition and medical materials to their base in al-Shaddadi city in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah," a local sour…

The Socialist Program (2021-04-09). Biden is Funneling Trillions to the Capitalists and Calling it an Infrastructure Program. liberationnews.org Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the Biden administration's next big priority — passing an infrastructure plan his administration says will create a huge number of jobs.

Jim Hightower (2021-04-09). The End of Trickle-Down Economics. counterpunch.org The past year proves that a lot of conventional economic wisdom is neither true nor wise. For example: 1) "We don't have the money." The power elites tell us it would be nice to do the big-ticket reforms America needs, but the money just isn't there. Then a pandemic slammed into America, and suddenly trillions

Kenn Orphan (2021-04-09). How the Pandemic Laid Bare the Cruelties of Capitalism. counterpunch.org One thing this pandemic has demonstrated in stark terms is class struggle. Those people deemed essential, though often applauded in public, have been treated as expendable. In truth, they were always treated this way. But this last year has made this struggle visible for anyone paying attention. The medical staff, grocery clerks, janitors, sanitation workers,

WSWS (2021-04-09). As US Department of Labor reports 896,000 combined unemployment claims last week, states move to impose new restrictions. wsws.org As millions of people continue to look for steady, safe work amid the latest deadly surge in the pandemic, states are moving forward with reimposing unemployment restrictions and processing evictions.

WSWS (2021-04-09). Steelworkers nearing end of second week of strike at ATI. wsws.org The strike against ATI is part of a growing national and international movement of the working class, who have been devastated by mass unemployment and death during a pandemic to fuel the skyrocketing wealth of Wall Street billionaires.

Editor2 (2021-04-09). Car-Bombing Highlights State's Culpability in Colombia's Violence. orinocotribune.com On Friday, March 26, a car bomb in the town of Corinto in the Cauca department was detonated, leaving 43 people injured, including 11 public officials, and causing heavy damages. Diego Molano, recently appointed Defense Minister, accused the Molano Dagoberto Ramos Mobile Column, a dissident group of the FARC, of carrying out the attack. | Corinto, a town of about 35,000 residents, has become, according to authorities, a strategic area on a crowded drug and weapons route heading towards the southwestern part of the country. This has made it a much-disputed territory amongst armed groups. According to the Colombian…

Jeffrey Kaye (2021-04-09). New Revelations on Germ Warfare: It's Time for a Reckoning with Our History from the Korean War. counterpunch.org The New York Times, which for years has maintained that U.S. airmen's statements about use of biological weapons during the Korean War were "false confessions" obtained by Chinese and North Korean torture, never acknowledged the following submission sent to its opinion section in November 2020. I am publishing the article instead at CounterPunch, which is

Rob Urie (2021-04-09). Capitalism Versus Economic Democracy, Minimum Wage Edition. counterpunch.org The last time that the pay of the rich— corporate profits and gains on speculative wealth, failed to rise for a few months in a row, a revolution ensued. The revolutionary method, now called neoliberalism, was well under way by the time that Ronald Reagan was elected to the presidency in 1980. It emanated from

Berry Craig (2021-04-09). Public infrastructure jobs helped beat the Great Depression; they can do it again. peoplesworld.org President Joe Biden's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill "brings us one step closer to repairing, rebuilding, and restoring our country," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said a couple of weeks ago. "Repairing, rebuilding, and restoring" reminded me of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "three Rs" of the New Deal: "relief, reform, and recovery." New Deal public works programs …

teleSUR (2021-04-09). US: Biden Requests Over $700 Billion for 2022 Pentagon Budget. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Joe Biden plans to request a whopping $715 billion for his first Pentagon budget, signaling efforts to confront China and Russia by advancing hypersonic weapons and bolstering its War Fleet with ballistic missile submarines and unmanned ships. | This $715 billion for the Defense Department is 1.6 percent higher than the $704 billion approved for this year, but would amount to a decrease of about 0.4 percent in real, inflation-adjusted terms. The request is just the beginning of what is sure to be a vigorous debate in Congress over how much to spend on defense and how to finance it, according to…

alexander (2021-04-09). Religious Socialism: Religious groups join DSA to advocate for the PRO Act. dsausa.org The DSA's

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-09). Felony charges against activists seeking justice for Elijah McClain withdrawn. peoplesdispatch.org The three activists, members of the local chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), were among the six arrested and charged last year for organizing a protest at the Aurora police station near Denver in June and July 2020.

_____ (2021-04-09). The Enormous Impact Of Eroded Collective Bargaining On Wages. popularresistance.org A major factor depressing wage growth for middle earners and driving the growth of wage inequality over the last four decades has been the erosion of collective bargaining.1 Indeed, the only factor more responsible for weak wage growth for the typical worker is the excessive unemployment perpetrated by central bank policymakers' high interest rate policies and fiscal austerity.2 The share of workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement fell from 27.0% in 1979 to just 11.6% in 2019 (Hirsch and Macpherson 2020). The erosion of collective bargaining has been especially harmful to men's wages because men were…

Dean Baker (2021-04-09). A Vaccine Summit: Taking the Pandemic Seriously. cepr.net You might think that, after a year in which have seen millions of deaths and tens of millions of infections, and trillions of dollars in economic losses, our leaders would take the pandemic seriously. But apparently, that is too much to ask. To my view, taking the pandemic seriously means doing everything we can to …

Updated: 2021-04-10 23:23 | 19:23 EST | 20 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 0