Welcome back to the bulletins website! My protracted people’s war with the character limit flared up once again this year when the website died, forcing me to have obnoxious 5-part comment threads. From now on, these long weekly threads will go on this website. I made a decision a couple months ago to pretty much only post the headlines, both to cut down the size of the posts a little, and to give myself a little more time every day to do other things in my not-incredibly-bountiful free time, such as reading and contributing to ProleWiki. This, plus some other minor time-saving improvements I’ve made to my workflow, has substantially decreased the amount of time it takes to put these out.

Sometimes a headline is basically all there is to an article, or tells you “Oh, I really don’t want to fucking read this garbage.” However, posting mere headlines isn’t really that great for more nuanced and complicated articles, which warrant more discussion, and have more interesting information, than the headline provides. Therefore, a few days ago, I relaunched daily… updates, bulletins, briefings, whatever you want to call them, reminiscent of how the news megathreads started out a few decades ago in spring-summer 2022. These are, however, much smaller and thus reasonably readable, containing some of the articles I found in the last 24-48 hours that I found interesting but didn’t necessarily warrant entire separate comments about them like pertinent leftist analysis - or a really fucking bad article from the mainstream media - would. These will generally be posted every day except on Sundays, as Sundays are when I put the weekly posts together (and there’s generally fewer articles published on the weekends anyway).

I am tentatively switching to the world-systems analysis model for the weekly posts. You probably know it even if you haven’t explicitly seen that name used for it - the concept of imperial core countries and an exploited periphery and so on. I’ve essentially used the world map in the unarchived version of article I just linked to, with a couple minor changes (I made South Korea a core country, put Venezuela on the periphery, and Iran in the semi-periphery) but I’m sure there’s going to be a few more countries to set straight. Countries will still be grouped together by region inside these broader categories so it’s not a huge mess, but I always found it a little grating to have two entirely different countries in entirely different economic situations (e.g., Ukraine and the United Kingdom) be right next to each other merely because they’re in the same overall region. It also means that if you are a die-hard “another kkkrackkker down unlimited genocide on the first world” fan, you can just skip past the Imperial Core category entirely. Not that there’s even much to say about it nowadays other than “It’s going downhill rapidly and committing massive and obscene atrocities as it falls.”

The Imperial Core

International:

Geopolitical Rivals Are Key Suppliers of West’s Green Energy Materials^NC
Farmer and peasant organisations from Europe and South America unite against the “modernisation” of the EU-Chile Free Trade Agreement^B
EU’s 35 bcm target for biomethane ‘unrealistic’, campaigners say;^E EU mission to cut packaging waste riles ‘every industry’;^FT Europe’s buildings are off track to climate neutrality;^E The EU Overhauls Its Law Covering Environmental Crimes, Banning Specific Acts and Increasing Penalties;^ICN Climate aid to poorer nations should not rely on 1992 calculations, EU insists.^E
€800 million to jolt the market: Europe’s hydrogen boosters activate.^E
The EU’s Desperate Need for a New Economic Framework^MH

Alleged plot to assassinate Sikh separatist complicates US-India ties^FT

National:

Finland closes all but one border crossing with Russia;^BNE Russia Regrets Finland’s Plans to Shut Border Crossings^TS
Lithium mine project draws hope, anxiety in French region hit by deindustrialisation^E
Germany considers suspending debt brake as coalition cracks show^E
Nigeria and Germany agree deal on gas and renewables;^DW Germany pledges to invest €4 billion in green energy projects in Africa;^DW Rome, Berlin plan massive hydrogen pipeline to Africa^E
Steaming cracks in Iceland fishing village after weeks of small volcanic earthquakes^EN
Geert Wilders: Far-right populist wins big in Dutch election;^DW Far-Right Geert Wilders Won the Dutch Election Because the Establishment Indulged Him^J
Spain’s Sánchez forms ‘iron dome’ government to withstand stiff opposition from PP, Vox^E Very poor choice of words.
Tesla strikes in Sweden are ‘insane’, says Elon Musk^FT
British household debt to double in three years – report^RT
Number of teachers in England and Wales retiring early jumps by 40%^FT

South Korea suspends military agreement with North;^DW DPRK suspends 2018 military accord with ROK;^CGTN DPRK’s Kim views U.S. military installation photos taken from space^CGTN
Legal challenge to Australian government’s new laws to impose inhuman conditions on released refugees^WSWS
Australia: First Nations push for water rights in extended Murray Darling Basin plan^GL
Far-right government formed in New Zealand^WSWS
New surge in New Zealand COVID-19 cases and deaths^WSWS

Understanding America’s Post-Industrial Economy^MH Michael Hudson, Glenn Diesen, and Mercouris.
New semiconductor factories are rising in US, but billions in Chips Act money has yet to flow^SCMP
Thanksgiving travel fuels latest COVID-19 wave amid collapse of public health;^WSWS What I’m Reading: Pushing back on pandemic revisionism.^IM ‘Jarring Wake-Up Call’: Hunger Surges in US After Food Aid Cuts^SP
Only 40% of Americans believe the US President is doing a good job, with 34% backing his handling of the Hamas-Israel conflict^RT
Foreign buyers moving away from US debt – WSJ^RT
On top of billions in USDA pandemic aid, farmers got $5.8 billion in PPP loans;^IM Who’s Buying Nebraska? Corporations, investors grabbing giant chunks of Nebraska farmland^IM
As New York Officials Push Clean Hydrogen Project, Indigenous Nation Sees a Threat to Its Land^ICN After a long defeat, Labor is rising from the ashes^MR
Union Pacific Fired Him Rather Than Heed His Warnings of Dangerous Rail Condition;^PP Fire extinguished after train derailment sparks chemical spill in Kentucky^CGTN
Dirty Water and Dead Rice: The Cost of the Clean Energy Transition in Rural Minnesota;^ICN Pumped Storage Hydro Could be Key to the Clean Energy Transition. But Where Will the Water Come From?;^ICN Conservation programs offer solutions to climate threats, but are vastly underfunded;^IM What Happened to the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Boom?^ICN
UPS opens huge automated warehouse, where robots outnumber people 15 to 1^WSWS
U.S. Navy plane overshoots runway and goes into a bay in Hawaii^CGTN
The end of American Thanksgivings: A cause for Universal rejoicing^MR
Profits, paycheques and the financialization of Canada’s grocery chains^CD

The Manitoba NDP’s promise to not raise taxes will delay the progress we desperately need^CD
Building grassroots tenant power in Toronto’s Oakwood-Vaughan;^CD 420,000 Quebec public sector workers launch three-day strike;^WSWS “There is not enough staff and wages are low”: Striking Quebec healthcare worker speaks out on deteriorating public services and Gaza genocide.^WSWS

The Semi-Periphery

International:

Russia-China de-dollarization almost complete – deputy PM;^RT Russia-China trade to hit $300 billion;^RT Xi Jinping: China ready to work with Russia to deepen bilateral ties^CGTN

National:

Polls: Greek socialists overtake the Left ranking second^E
Irish government proposes dramatic reform of military policy^EN
Riots hit Dublin after five, including children, injured in knife attack^CGTN

34 people arrested in Dublin after protests sparked by stabbings^CGTN
Moldova’s grain harvest is stuck in the global food bottleneck due to Ukrainian land transportation of grain.^EN

Moldova halved natural gas consumption since 2021^BNE Hostile takeover: NATO’s annexation of Montenegro^GZ
Polish industrial production returns on growth path in October^BNE Polish producer prices deepen fall in October^BNE Polish farmers to join Ukraine blockade – Bloomberg^RT Romania slashed one fifth of coal use in less than two years^BNE
New Slovak government wins confidence vote^BNE
Disinformation experts are leaving Fico’s government in Slovakia^E
Slovak PM suspends ‘all communication’ with major media^E
Slovak premier says he is suspending communication with liberal media.^BNE
Slovenian banks, companies to help finance post-flood reconstruction^E

Azerbaijan: Journalists arrested as state media signal hunt for “U.S. spies”^EN
Azerbaijan accuses France of stoking ‘new wars’ in Caucasus^E
Iran’s barring of nuclear inspectors is serious blow to IAEA’s work, Grossi says^E
China, Saudi Arabia sign currency swap agreement^CGTN
Turkey: Europe’s rubbish dump^ET
Türkiye’s Quake Survivors Yearn for Permanent Housing^TS
Turkey beats market expectations with another 500bp rate hike;^BNE Turkey hikes interest rate to 40% in bid to curb double-digit inflation^EN
Erdogan set to push Scholz for Eurofighter jet sales in Berlin meeting^BNE

Pneumonia clusters among children in China. A new disease, or a bunch of old ones?^IM The second.
Beijing again tops Nature Index global science city rankings^CGTN
China’s ‘best defence’ is poultry vaccine as bird flu spreads from Europe, Africa^SCMP
Rubbish in, rubbish out: China university study finds methane emissions hole in climate change models^SCMP
China launches world’s fastest internet with 1.2 terabit per second link, years ahead of forecasts^SCMP
China is king of these critical metals. The battle over their supply has ensnared Southeast Asia^CNA Rare earths.
China demand hopes drive copper prices to two-month peak^SCMP
China supply-chain expo: Apple, Amazon and other ‘enthusiastic’ industry giants to see how self-reliant China has become^SCMP
Absorbing pressure: Bodily ‘tension’ in a changing Himalayan world^DE

South Africa, Colombia and others are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs^AN
S.Africa seeks to tempt disaffected voters back to elections^AN
Russian metals major Nornickel selling stake in Nkomati JV in South Africa to African Rainbow Minerals^BNE

Inside the secretive network of pro-choice activists on the US-Mexico border^OD
Cadence Minerals Plc – Sonora lithium investment update – Request for treaty negotiations with Mexico^B
The Far-Reaching Implications of Javier “the Wig” Milei’s Election Victory in Argentina^NC
On foreign policy, Argentina’s Milei leans neoconservative, not libertarian^RS
Chinese official warns Milei it would be a mistake to cut ties^MP
Decoupling with China impossible amid Argentina’s economic woes, but ties likely to enter trial period with far-right Milei’s election win: experts^GT
Brazil and Argentina not so confrontational after all, Itamaraty/O’Globo report^MP
Argentina is no longer joining Brics, says top aide to Javier Milei, right-wing presidential winner^SCMP
Milei plans to privatize Paraná-Paraguay Waterway^MP
Argentina’s Javier Milei backs away from dollarisation as central bank pick rejects role^FT
Who chooses Argentina’s next cabinet? Not Milei apparently^MP
Uruguay, China deepen bilateral ties^MP
China, Uruguay eye deepening ties as Lacalle starts China visit^GT

The Periphery

International:

China releases 10-year vision, action plan for BRI, focusing on green, digital development and supply chain^GT
Experts Call for BRI Cooperation, Africa Industrialization^TS
China seeks cooperation in aerospace and aviation with BRI partner countries^CGTN
China targeted by climate campaigners over controversial East Africa oil pipeline project^SCMP
Comparing How the West and China Offer Loans to Developing Countries^NC

Capitalism, war and plunder in the Horn of Africa^ROAPE
Palestine’s challenge to Africa^ROAPE
The three-stage process through which African resource sovereignty was ceded to foreign mining corporations^ROAPE
In Africa, demands for slavery reparations grow louder^DW
Malaria: Shipments to African countries herald final steps toward broader vaccination - WHO^AN
More than 40% of African financial institutions want single African currency – survey^B Apparently relatively biased poll, but an interesting article regardless of the title’s accuracy.
Angola and Nigeria are reportedly requesting that OPEC+ allows them to produce more oil.^RT

Amazon region hit by trio of droughts in grim snapshot of the century to come^TC

National:

Russian And Chinese Focus Alights On Iraq’s Strategically Vital Akkas Project^NC
US reviewing possible ‘terrorist’ designations for Yemen Houthis^E

Afghanistan to establish more cervical cancer centers: health official^PD
Chinese-built road paves way to better life for Afghans^PD
Afghanistan announces permanent closure of embassy in India^CGTN
Uzbekistan’s president urges UN Central Asia summit to “not leave Afghanistan alone with its problems”^BNE
EU, Kazakhstan vow to ‘go beyond’ raw materials-based relationship^E
Kazakhstan: Authorities to gingerly allow LPG prices to rise^BNE
Kazakhstan introduces digital national currency^EN
Kazakhstan: Government tackles personal debt mountain, but not everyone is happy^BNE
Central Asia: All roads seem to lead to Mongolia^EN Just like old times.
Pakistan applies for BRICS membership – envoy^RT
The inhumanity of Pakistan’s forced deportation of Afghan refugees^CD
The ruble’s share in Russia’s trade with Tajikistan topped 80% during the first half of 2023^RT
EDB considering allocating resources to Tajikistan’s Rogun hydropower mega project^BNE
Uzbekistan’s attack drone fleet unveiled^BNE

US confident Arab states will not weaponise oil, says Biden adviser^FT Probably true, at this point. At least, no more than it already has been. Although, you could bring a weapon TO the oil…
Maldives issues military demand to India to withdraw equipment^RT

Is Myanmar’s Armed Resistance on the Verge of Victory against a Brutal Military Junta?^NC
Burning Coal To Survive Climate Change^N An interesting look into coal energy generation in Bangladesh, and what people there think about it.

Burkina Faso: more than 350 deaths from dengue fever in a month^AN
Chad struggles with soaring refugee crisis^AN
Chad opposition leader urges reconciliation with military regime^AN
Chad: is Succès Masra being rejected by the opposition?^AN
The crisis of displaced persons in eastern DR Congo is giving life to new forms of solidarity^ET
DR Congo: UN mission to withdraw peacekeepers^AN
DRC: Fear mounts among residents as M23 rebels claim to capture new town in the east^AN
DRC: campaigning for presidential elections officially launched^AN
Struggles Persist in Remote Areas as DR Congo’s Election Approaches^AN
Work on Egyptian nuclear power plant ahead of schedule - Rosatom^RT
Ethiopia, Somalia wars weave debt wobble^BNE
Ghana’s flood victims blame government for overflowing dam destruction^CCN
Ghana bauxite deposits in Ashanti region 50% higher than historic estimate, MRE shows^BNE
Liberian President George Weah concedes election defeat^RT
Who is President-elect Joseph Boakai, political veteran set to lead Liberia?^AN
Liberia: Boakai officially elected president, Weah’s elegance praised^AN
Madagascar: opposition plans to “reject” presidential election results^AN
Mali: Minusma hands over 9th base to authorities^AN
Mali: Niger’s military leader makes first foreign visit to Bamako^AN The ASS is coming together, or it will otherwise spread apart.
Russia to build gold refinery in Mali^RT
Nigeria to join BRICS in next two years – FM^RT
Nigeria: clashes between jihadists, more than 60 deaths feared^AN
Senegal: polarized public opinion in Sonko case^AN
Senegal: opposition leader Sonko ends hunger strike^AN
Somalia floods: provisional death toll reaches 50;^AN Flooding crisis exacerbates food insecurity in east Africa^AN
After seven months of war, Sudan faces risk of collapse^AN
Sudan: Darfuri rebels split as RSF offensive on al-Fasher looms^MEE
32 dead in attacks in disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan^AN
Zambia’s Hichilema in Italy to strengthen bilateral ties^AN
Zimbabwean mining group Kuvimba earmarks $220mn for lithium mine development^BNE
Zimbabwe: banking sector faces 75% job decrease Since 2000^AN
Zimbabwe: Cholera, Authorities Call for Hygiene Practices^TS

Presidents Maduro and Petro Strengthen Map of Strategic Cooperation^R
Ecuador’s new president Daniel Noboa was sworn in on Thursday^CGTN
Syria and Cuba Sign Diplomatic Cooperation Agreement^TS
Honduras is fighting back against corporate colonialism^B
Protests Against Mining Project Continue in Panama^TS
Violence Limits Medical Care in Haiti^TS
At least 27 die in Dominican Republic due to heavy rain^MP
Jamaica To Tighten Gun Control Law^TS

Global Institutions

The Other China Shock: How Surging Chinese Imports Transformed Global Agriculture^NC
Yuan outpacing euro as major trade-funding currency.^RT
Cheap yuan catapults China to second-biggest trade funding currency^R
The world economy is struggling under overwhelming stress caused by the unwise macroeconomic policies of some countries, Putin says at G20.^RT

The Second Cold War

Russia:

Diplomatically:

Turkey again spikes wheels of Sweden’s NATO bid.^BNE
Finland Is Hellbent on Positioning Itself as a Frontline NATO State Against Russia^NC
Poland’s De Facto Blockade Of Ukraine Is Its Outgoing Government’s Last Power Play^NC
Russia says co-existence not possible with Ukraine’s current ‘regime’^R

Economically:

Why US-led sanctions on Russia are a failure^RS
Greek shippers exit Russian oil trade to avoid US sanctions^E The article essentially concludes that the slack will be taken up by others, as it has been for the war so far.
Will Vostok Oil be able to survive under sanctions?^BNE
Israel’s largest banks block Russian assets – media^RT
Russian property buyers flooding back to EU^RT

Militarily:

Ukraine End Game: Putin and Medvedev Discuss Maps, Putting Kiev on the Menu^NC Article #384290523 from Naked Capitalism on the ever-approaching endgame.
A Look At Others’ Notes On Ukraine^MoA
Washington Post lifts the veil on CIA’s shadow war against Russia waged since 2014^MR
NATO plans ‘military Schengen’;^RT NATO’s Proposed “Military Schengen” Is a Thinly Disguised German Power Play Over Poland^NC
Switzerland approves tank returns to Germany; Kyiv to profit^DW
Foreign mercenaries abandoning Ukrainian army – officer^RT They’ve got a different conflict to go fight in.
Zelensky flags new military conscription drive^RT
Ukraine has lost over 13,000 troops this month – Moscow^RT
Russia launches biggest drone attack on Kyiv since start of the war^EN
UN: Civilian death toll in Russia-Ukraine conflict tops 10,000^CGTN
India and Russia hold naval drills together^RT

China:

Diplomatically:

South China Sea: pressure mounts on Beijing in region as Marcos says Philippines will never give an inch^SCMP
Foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea to meet on Sunday for first time in 4 years, Seoul confirms^SCMP

Economically:

Biden’s Economic Plan to Counter China’s Surging Economic Influence in Asia is Now at Death’s Door^CGS
Pentagon says Congress funding fights delay programmes to counter China^SCMP
Chinese envoy rejects EU’s allegations of EV overcapacity exports^CGTN
China’s US Treasury holdings hit 14-year low^TBS True, but moved into different holdings. On the whole, Chinese holdings of various bonds and shit isn’t significantly decreasing.

Militarily:

Fifth force: is China adding hypersonic ‘near-space command’ to its military for ‘precise and merciless’ attacks?^SCMP
Experts refute Australian charge claiming PLA destroyer’s use of sonar ‘unprofessional,’ question Australian frigate’s location, purpose in incident^GT

Palestine:

Diplomatically:

A paradigm shift in the hundred years’ war on Palestine?^MR
Why is Latin America so pro-Palestine?^RS
Israel in diplomatic row with Spain and Belgium over Gaza bombardment^FT
Israel-Hamas war strains Indonesia, Malaysia ties with West^DW
Morocco: normalization with Israel hampered by the war in Gaza^AN
Xi to attend BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on Palestinian-Israeli issue^CGTN
Israel-Gaza war: China to host foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries in search for end to conflict;^SCMP Chinese FM hosts Arab and Islamic counterparts in Beijing^CGTN
As BRICS leaders meet, Ramaphosa denounces “collective punishment of Palestinian civilians”;^AN South African lawmakers vote to shut Israel’s embassy;^DW Israel recalls envoy to South Africa^RT You can’t fire me, I quit!
Erdogan slams Israel as “terror state” as lieutenants file “genocide” case at world court^BNE
PFLP Nov. 18 Statement and Call for War Crime Trials^RC
The US Labor Movement’s Pro-Israel Consensus Is Starting to Crack^J
‘This is McCarthyism all over again’: NY court blocks union from voting on pro-Palestine resolution^RNN
Student groups calling for ceasefire and Palestine solidarity face repression by universities^PW
Overcoming police bans, Jews and Arabs unite for Tel Aviv ceasefire protest^PW

Economically:

State treasuries send money to fund the Israeli war on Gaza^PW
Israeli venture capital deals slow sharply since start of Hamas war^FT

Militarily:

U.S. Is Helping Israel To Commit And Hide War Crimes^MoA
Israel and Hamas agree to exchange prisoners as part of four day ’truce’^MEE
Israeli Ocuppation Forces Open Fire on Gazans Despite Truce^TS
Hamas-Israel Hostage Deal Only a Pause in Destruction of Gaza;^NC Israel’s Gaza “truce”: A pause to reload the guns for the next stage in the genocide against the Palestinians^WSWS
Israeli Occupation Forces Kill Two Al Mayadeen Journalists^TS Pre-ceasefire.
Israel strikes Lebanon’s southern city of Nabatieh for first time since 2006 war^CGTN Pre-ceasefire.
Israel-Palestine: Doctor recalls ‘indescribable’ al-Shifa siege and expulsion^MEE
Israeli Ships To Be Considered Military Targets: Houthis^TS
US embarks on proxy war against Iran^IP
Iran: New Battle Fronts If Gaza War Continues^TS

Left Critique:

Israel-Palestine war: This is not about Hamas. It’s a 75-year colonial war^MR
Time to stop settler colonialism under cloak of ‘victimhood’^MR
Why Palestine is a feminist and an anti-colonial issue^ROAPE
Walter Rodney and Palestinian Liberation^ROAPE
Palestinians have the right to resist.^GL

Miscellaneous Analysis

Environment:

Polio is on the brink of eradication. Here’s how to keep it from coming back.^N
Researchers are adapting bacteria that can isolate and purify rare earth elements in the absence of harsh chemicals.^N
SDS storms fed by sand and dust equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza, says UNCCD^BNE Sorry, I’m British - what’s that in Stonehenges?
Restoring forests can boost global carbon capture, major study finds^E
Record-breaking heat set to hit southern hemisphere as summer begins^N
Swathes of Earth are turning into desert — but the degradation can be stopped^N
World must rapidly cut emissions or see nearly 3 C warming^DW
Five Key Narratives to Watch For at COP28^DS
‘Loss and damage’ — the most controversial words in climate finance today;^N Climate loss-and-damage funding: a mechanism to make it work^N
Whatever the state of US-China relations, panda diplomacy must end^SCMP

Economics:

HM 2023: value, profit, technology and value again^MR
The Dystopian AI Future Some Fear Is the Present-Day Reality Others Live^FAIR

Dipshittery and Cope:

“France is in no way being driven out of Africa” says Foreign trade Minister^AN
Europe’s problem? It’s too attractive^FT

LGBTQIA+:

Content Warning - this is usually not good news.

Trans People Continue to Be Murdered at Extreme Rates as Republicans Push Transphobic Laws^A
Florida Bill Could Restrict All LGBTQ+ Nonprofits^A
Russia could ban adoption to pro-transgender countries^RT
Victims of anti-gay laws in France could be compensated under new bill^EN

I Love My Trans Comrades!