Candace Baker (2024-02-02). Why WIC Matters. counterpunch.org When my grandmother was raising my cousins and me, she taught us to work hard and go after what we wanted. I didn't know it at the time, but we were in poverty. Scared of judgment and bureaucracy, my grandmother refused to apply for assistance programs. But that meant she had to work several jobs,

Gabisile (2024-02-01). Mashatile engages business leaders. sanews.gov.za Mashatile engages business leaders | Deputy President Paul Mashatile has held an interactive session with more than 50 business leaders at a Sandton event organised by The European House — Ambrosetti, a leading global think tank. | According to the Deputy President's Office, Wednesday's event was convened to strengthen the strategic relationships between industry and governments and promote growth through a multi-stakeholder approach. | Discussions touched on various topics, including economic priorities and reforms, tackling unemployment and poverty, building investor confidence in South Africa, and drivin…

W. T. Whitney (2024-02-02). U.S. Drug War Arrives in Ecuador, with Baggage. counterpunch.org Joined by other U.S. officials, Laura Richardson, commander of the U.S. Army's Southern Command, was in Ecuador January 22-25 to confer with government leaders there about U.S. military assistance. They included recently elected, and very wealthy, President Daniel Noboa. She mentioned to reporters an "investment portfolio…worth $93.4 million including not only military equipment … [but also] humanitarian assistance and

Independent Media Institute (2024-02-01). How Media Companies Can Meet Their Climate Commitments—and How Readers Can Help. pressenza.com A few simple strategies for recipe curation can help newsgroups achieve their own climate goals. | By Laura Lee Cascada | The global shift toward plant-forward diets, particularly in wealthy countries, is consistently Given the significant influence media wields in shaping cultural norms, news outlets have a unique opportunity to promote plant-based eating, mainly through the recipes they offer their audiences. Through several simple behavioral nudges, news out…

albawaba (2024-02-01). Mark Zuckerberg's wealth soars making him 5th richest person globally. albawaba.com ALBAWABA – The fortune of Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, saw a significant increase in 2023, with an addition of $84 billion. This propelled him to become the fifth richest person in the world, with a total net worth of $139.1 billion, according to Forbes' real-time billionaire list.Despite the challenges of the past year, this surge, estimated at around $9.6 million per hour or nearly $230.6 million per day, reflects the recovery of Meta's stock, approaching its all-time high. This reinforces investors' confidence in the company's long-term vision, transforming Facebook into more than just a social media platform.

CADTM International (2024-02-02). CADTM International supports the general strike in Argentina on 24 January 2024 and the popular uprising against debt. cadtm.org

Eric Toussaint, Maxime Perriot (2024-02-02). Is there a debt crisis in the South and what is recommended by the CADTM? cadtm.org Maxime Perriot: In an article published in December 2023 you claimed in the wake of a World Bank report that "developing countries" were trapped in a new debt crisis, yet the Financial Times and other sources point out that in the first two weeks of 2024 several so-called developing countries managed to easily refinance their debt. What is actually the situation?
| The three developing countries that managed to sell sovereign bonds all produce oil and gas
| Éric Toussaint: The three countries (…) | – |

Eric Toussaint (2024-02-02). Early conflicts between the UN and the World Bank/IMF tandem. cadtm.org In July 2024, the World Bank and the IMF will be 80 years old. 80 years of financial neo-colonialism and the imposition of austerity policies in the name of debt repayment. 80 years is enough! The Bretton Woods institutions must be abolished and replaced by democratic institutions serving an ecological, feminist and anti-racist bifurcation. To mark these 80 years, we are republishing a series of articles every Wednesday until July, looking in detail at the history and damage caused by these (…) | – | / |

Eric Toussaint (2024-02-02). SUNFED versus World Bank. cadtm.org In July 2024, the World Bank and the IMF will be 80 years old. 80 years of financial neo-colonialism and the imposition of austerity policies in the name of debt repayment. 80 years is enough! The Bretton Woods institutions must be abolished and replaced by democratic institutions serving an ecological, feminist and anti-racist bifurcation. To mark these 80 years, we are republishing a series of articles every Wednesday until July, looking in detail at the history and damage caused by these (…) | – | / |

Eric Toussaint (2024-02-02). The WB assists those in power in a witch-hunting context. cadtm.org In July 2024, the World Bank and the IMF will be 80 years old. 80 years of financial neo-colonialism and the imposition of austerity policies in the name of debt repayment. 80 years is enough! The Bretton Woods institutions must be abolished and replaced by democratic institutions serving an ecological, feminist and anti-racist bifurcation. To mark these 80 years, we are republishing a series of articles every Wednesday until July, looking in detail at the history and damage caused by these (…) | – | / |

The Independent (2024-02-02). Developing countries need debt relief. independent.co.ug To act on climate change, the gap between their short-term debt and long-term investment must be closed COMMENT | ISHAC DIWAN & VERA SONGWE | If developing economies found it hard to manage their debts in 2023, they are likely to face even more formidable challenges this year. Though most possess relatively small debt stocks …

CADTM International (2024-02-01). CADTM International supports the general strike in Argentina on 24 January 2024 and the popular uprising against debt. cadtm.org

Eric Toussaint, Maxime Perriot (2024-02-01). Is there a debt crisis in the South and what is recommended by the CADTM? cadtm.org Maxime Perriot: In an article published in December 2023 you claimed in the wake of a World Bank report that "developing countries" were trapped in a new debt crisis, yet the Financial Times and other sources point out that in the first two weeks of 2024 several so-called developing countries managed to easily refinance their debt. What is actually the situation?
| The three developing countries that managed to sell sovereign bonds all produce oil and gas
| Éric Toussaint: The three countries (…) | – |

Eric Toussaint (2024-02-01). Early conflicts between the UN and the World Bank/IMF tandem. cadtm.org In July 2024, the World Bank and the IMF will be 80 years old. 80 years of financial neo-colonialism and the imposition of austerity policies in the name of debt repayment. 80 years is enough! The Bretton Woods institutions must be abolished and replaced by democratic institutions serving an ecological, feminist and anti-racist bifurcation. To mark these 80 years, we are republishing a series of articles every Wednesday until July, looking in detail at the history and damage caused by these (…) | – | / |

Eric Toussaint (2024-02-01). SUNFED versus World Bank. cadtm.org In July 2024, the World Bank and the IMF will be 80 years old. 80 years of financial neo-colonialism and the imposition of austerity policies in the name of debt repayment. 80 years is enough! The Bretton Woods institutions must be abolished and replaced by democratic institutions serving an ecological, feminist and anti-racist bifurcation. To mark these 80 years, we are republishing a series of articles every Wednesday until July, looking in detail at the history and damage caused by these (…) | – | / |

Eric Toussaint (2024-02-01). The WB assists those in power in a witch-hunting context. cadtm.org In July 2024, the World Bank and the IMF will be 80 years old. 80 years of financial neo-colonialism and the imposition of austerity policies in the name of debt repayment. 80 years is enough! The Bretton Woods institutions must be abolished and replaced by democratic institutions serving an ecological, feminist and anti-racist bifurcation. To mark these 80 years, we are republishing a series of articles every Wednesday until July, looking in detail at the history and damage caused by these (…) | – | / |

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2024-02-01). Global Coup d'État and the "Great Reset". Global Debt and Neoliberal "Shock Treatment" globalresearch.ca

Sarah Lazare, In These Times. (2024-02-02). The UAW Strike Saved Their Shuttered Plant. popularresistance.org Belvidere, Illinois‚Äâ—‚ÄâIt's been almost five months since JC Bengtson, an autoworker for 24 years, lost his job. "I miss working," says the 55-year-old father of three daughters, all adults. "Right now I am unemployed and waiting to hear back." | We are sitting in the union hall of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1268, in Belvidere, Ill., not far from the sprawling Belvidere Assembly Plant. Bengtson worked there for 10 years before he was officially laid off in September 2023, right before his union went on strike. The auto giant…

WSWS (2024-02-02). Break the stranglehold the Verdi union! Build independent action committees! wsws.org Calling the first nationwide public transit strike since 1992, Verdi is reacting to the growing anger of transport workers over intolerable working conditions and low wages. But the union is doing all it can to sabotage the strike.

WSWS (2024-02-02). Court challenge exposes Canada's decade-long xenophobic anti-Muslim adoption ban. wsws.org In a chauvinist attack on the democratic rights of all working people, the Harper Conservative and Trudeau Liberal governments have enforced a punitive ban on adoptions from Muslim countries.

Ed Rampell (2024-02-01). Perfect Days: An Interview with Wim Wenders. progressive.org In two new films, the renowned German director dramatizes working class life in Japan and documents an antifascist artist from Germany.

Fran Quigley, Scheer Post. (2024-02-01). Our Housing Crisis Is Literally Killing People. popularresistance.org Last week, my students and I worked with several unhoused persons who had been recently living in dangerous, unhealthy apartments or homes in our community of Indianapolis. One, a young mother of a toddler with another baby soon on the way, had just left a home where eight people across three generations were living. The house had no central heat, so space heaters were the only source of warmth during a month when the temperature dipped below zero for several days. Those heaters and everything else electrical in the house were linked to a complex web of extension cords connected to a solitary working outlet.

WSWS (2024-02-01). EMERGENCY ONLINE MEETING: Organize the rank and file to fight the job cuts at UPS! Unite with autoworkers, tech workers and the whole working class against layoffs! wsws.org The purpose of Sunday's meeting is to discuss the situation and lay the groundwork for a fight against the layoffs by the rank and file.

Ileana Ferrer Fonte (2024-02-01). ASEAN countries agree to unite efforts to fight cybercrime. plenglish.com During a bloc's digital ministers meeting, participants also pledged to draw up a code of ethics to control the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). | Thailand's Economy and Society Minister Prasert Chanthararuangthong said the 4th ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting agreed to set up cybersecurity and fight international cybercrime, besides formulating the so-called AI Governance and Ethics to control AI development. | Thailand proposed the establishment of a working group on anti-online scams in 2023.

NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, Security (2024-02-01). Iraq: Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: February 2024. reliefweb.int Countries: Iraq, Israel, occupied Palestinian territory, Yemen | Source: NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security | Please refer to the attached file. | For February, in which Guyana has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Iraq, Israel/Palestine and Yemen. | Iraq | In Iraq, political violence and hate speech has placed diverse women human rights defenders and

C.J. Polychroniou (2024-02-01). 2024 Will See Wave of Minimum Wage Hikes — But the Impacts Won't Be Felt Evenly. truthout.org On January 1, 2024, the minimum wage increased from coast to coast. Indeed, 22 states and more than 40 cities and counties experienced wage increases in 2024 — most of them approaching $15. More states will follow with minimum wage increases later in the year. Undoubtedly, this is mainly the result of underpaid workers organizing and fighting for a decent living wage over the past decade… |

Adam Mahoney, Black Agenda Report. (2024-02-02). An Upcoming Supreme Court Case Threatens To Criminalize Homelessness. popularresistance.org As America's affordable housing crisis grows, especially for those of retirement age, Black folks continue to be pushed into homelessness at a disproportionate rate. | Advocates argue that an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling may make it even more dire. | Earlier this month, the court announced that it would hear a case that will essentially decide if people experiencing homelessness can be issued jail time, tickets, and fines for sleeping on the streets — even if there are no shelter alternatives available for them. The case will be heard either this spring or in the fall.

Sonali Kolhatkar (2024-02-02). Airbnb Drives Up Housing Costs for Everyone: Time to Regulate It. counterpunch.org Americans have been on a vacation binge since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. In particular, the vacation rental company Airbnb is thriving. Late last year, the company posted its highest-ever profits. Meanwhile cities are seeing rising rents, unaffordable home prices, and increased homelessness. Authorities are now linking these crises in part to Airbnb — and some now

Beverly Law — William Moomaw (2024-02-01). Old Forests are Critically Important for Slowing Climate Change and Merit Immediate Protection From Logging. counterpunch.org Forests are an essential part of Earth's operating system. They reduce the buildup of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and land degradation by 30% each year. This slows global temperature increases and the resulting changes to the climate. In the U.S., forests take up 12% of the nation's greenhouse

Famine Early Warning System Network (2024-02-01). Kenya Key Message Update January 2024: Household access to food and income is expected to improve through at least May 2024. reliefweb.int Country: Kenya | Source: Famine Early Warning System Network | Please refer to the attached file. | Key Messages | In the pastoral areas, forage and water resources have significantly improved following the conclusion of the October to December 2023 short rains. Satellite-monitored waterpoints indicate that water levels across northern Kenya are greater than the long-term median water level during the pastoral lean season, keeping livestock in the wet season grazing areas and lowering domestic trekking distances for water. The good pasture and forage conditions support good to very good body conditions for…

isabella (2024-02-01). Foundation-to-DAF Conversions: Is It a Thing? inequality.org

Liam Crisan (2024-02-01). Sustaining Rosa Parks's Struggle For Transit Equity. inequality.org

WSWS (2024-02-01). Washington resumes imperialist sanctions after Venezuelan government disqualifies US-backed candidate. wsws.org Biden's actions continue the regime of imperialist piracy and sanctions launched under Obama and vastly intensified under Trump with the aim of subjugating Venezuelans through hunger, illness and mass suffering.