INTERNATIONAL
Although journalism was always a loose extension of establishment power, something has changed in recent years. Dissent tolerated when I joined a national newspaper in Britain in the 1960s has regressed to a metaphoric underground as liberal capitalism moves towards a form of corporate dictatorship. This is a seismic shift, with journalists policing the new “groupthink”, as Parry called it, dispensing its myths and distractions, pursuing its enemies. johnpilger.com/
Ever since President Donald Trump (like Barack Obama before him) embraced the Saudi-led coalition as this country’s righteous knight errant in the Middle East, the fight against impoverished Yemen’s Houthi rebels — who have, in turn, been typecast as Iran’s cats-paw — has only grown fiercer. Meanwhile, the al-Qaeda affiliate there continues to expand. counterpunch.org/
One article of faith among liberals and the corporate media is that Trump’s presidency stands alone as a house or horrors, unprecedented in its fascistic authoritarianism, crazy pronouncements, and ideological blend of xenophobia, racism, sexism, and sheer extremism. Obama, it turns out, was among the most militaristic White House occupants in American history, taking the imperial presidency to new heights. counterpunch.org/
I, like many others, fully supported Kaepernick’s silent, symbolic protest against American racism and policy brutality through his “taking a knee” during the national anthem at football games, I also sympathized with his career sacrifice to stand for his beliefs. Now, I find myself seemingly stranded on a desert island in my denunciation of his disappointing turn. There is nothing heroic in endorsing a multinational corporation. counterpunch.org/
This Building Bridges podcast discusses McDonald’s workers who have voted to stage a one-day strike at restaurants in 10 cities to pressure management to take stronger steps against sexual harassment in the workplace. Elmer Labog, Chairperson of a Filipino labour federation, also shares the repression of unions by the Duterte regime. Thirty.labour leaders have been killed since Duterte became president. archive.org/
 The country formerly known as Swaziland set to hold elections but democracy activists question fairness of poll system. With a wide range of powers allowing the king to summon and dissolve parliament or declare a state of emergency, Eswatini, home to some 1.4 million people, is ranked among the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies. aljazeera.com/
Private schools in Rwanda are on the verge of closing down due to low patronage. Desperate proprietors who face closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor students in private schools at public rates. newspeakonline.com/
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