Saudi oil giant Aramco has announced a record profit of $161.1bn (£134bn) for 2022.

The name “Department of Defense” is itself a gross distortion since there is not an inch of American soil that needs to be defended against an external enemy. The US government maintains a global military presence without precedent in history, with more than 700 US bases worldwide.

The USA unveiled a $1 trillion budget for the 2024 fiscal year, the largest ever proposed spending on the military. 

Besides $842 billion for the Pentagon, which will undoubtedly be pushed even higher in Congress, there is $24 billion for the Department of Energy, which maintains the US nuclear arsenal, and $20 billion for military-related programs in the State Department, CIA and other agencies, bringing the total official military spending to $886 billion. The $842 billion requested for this year could rise past the $900 billion mark once Congress and lobbyists for the weapons manufacturers have their say.

To this must be added the real cost of the war in Ukraine, which is listed as only $6 billion for the 2024 fiscal year, which begins October 1. In the previous fiscal year, the Biden administration requested $6.9 billion but ended up spending $114 billion. 

The Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon are among nearly 200 signatories to a letter calling on governments to “never again” allow “profiteering and nationalism” to come before the needs of humanity, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The letter urges world leaders to support a pandemic accord that is currently under negotiation at the WHO and treat publicly funded medicines as “global common goods … used to maximise the public benefit, not private profits”.

Current and former presidents and ministers, Nobel laureates, faith leaders, heads of civil society organisations and health experts say Covid-19 vaccines and treatments had been developed with public funding but that pharmaceutical companies had exploited them to “fuel extraordinary profits”. Instead of distributing vaccines, tests and treatments based on need, companies sold doses to the “richest countries with the deepest pockets”, the letter says.

This inequity led to 1.3m preventable deaths worldwide – one every 24 seconds – in the first year of the Covid vaccine rollout alone, according to analysis based on a study published in the Lancet. “That those lives were not saved is a scar on the world’s conscience,” the letter continues.

Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand said even though publicly funded science had contributed to the success of Covid-19 vaccines, they weren’t treated as global common goods. “Rather, nationalism and profiteering around vaccines resulted in a catastrophic moral and public health failure which denied equitable access to all.”

President José Manuel Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste said: “In the Covid-19 pandemic, those of us in low- and middle-income countries were pushed to the back of the line for vaccines and denied access to the benefits of new technologies. Three years on, we must say ‘never again’ to this injustice that has undermined the safety of people in every country.”

 Even today, many low-income countries cannot access affordable treatments or tests. They say it is reminiscent of the response to the HIV and Aids epidemic, where millions died as expensive treatments were unaffordable for people in much of the world.

The letter calls for the removal of intellectual property barriers that prevent the sharing of scientific knowledge and technology and for governments to support and invest in research and development. 

It also calls on governments to provide support for the WHO’s mRNA hub, which is sharing vaccine technology with producers in 15 low- and middle-income countries.

‘Profiteering’ of Covid pandemic must never be repeated, world figures warn | Global development | The Guardian

 The number of shoplifting crimes in Poland increased by almost a third in 2022, newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported on Thursday, citing police data.

Statistics showed that the number of thefts increased by as much as 31.1% on an annual basis, to over 32,000 cases. Out of 16 Polish regions, only Lublin reportedly did not record an increase in such crimes.

The rise in theft is “a clear signal of trouble on the market,” the president of the Polish Trade and Distribution Organization Renata Juszkiewicz was quoted as saying. Soaring prices have been pushing people to commit such crimes, she suggested, adding that it is “a huge challenge” for stores while prompting further increases in operating costs.

The report indicated that food was stolen most of all, followed by luxury items such as expensive perfumes and spirits, as well as small electronics.

The Polish economy slowed in 2022 amid soaring inflation and a plunge in consumer spending brought on by the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine and the impact of sanctions on Russia. Official statistics show that inflation accelerated in the beginning of 2023, with consumer prices jumping 17.2% in January from a year ago. Economists are forecasting that inflation will continue to rise, with Poland projected to have one of the EU’s highest rates this year.

The governor of Poland’s central bank, Adam Glapinski, said he expects the country to avoid a recession, although there may be temporary fluctuations in the first quarter of the year.

RT 11\3\23

Dave C

 The number of shoplifting crimes in Poland increased by almost a third in 2022, newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported on Thursday, citing police data.

Statistics showed that the number of thefts increased by as much as 31.1% on an annual basis, to over 32,000 cases. Out of 16 Polish regions, only Lublin reportedly did not record an increase in such crimes.

The rise in theft is “a clear signal of trouble on the market,” the president of the Polish Trade and Distribution Organization Renata Juszkiewicz was quoted as saying. Soaring prices have been pushing people to commit such crimes, she suggested, adding that it is “a huge challenge” for stores while prompting further increases in operating costs.

The report indicated that food was stolen most of all, followed by luxury items such as expensive perfumes and spirits, as well as small electronics.

The Polish economy slowed in 2022 amid soaring inflation and a plunge in consumer spending brought on by the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine and the impact of sanctions on Russia. Official statistics show that inflation accelerated in the beginning of 2023, with consumer prices jumping 17.2% in January from a year ago. Economists are forecasting that inflation will continue to rise, with Poland projected to have one of the EU’s highest rates this year.

The governor of Poland’s central bank, Adam Glapinski, said he expects the country to avoid a recession, although there may be temporary fluctuations in the first quarter of the year.

RT 11\3\23

Dave C

 The appeal is obvious. We can all be “carbon neutral” and offset our CO2 emissions, cancelling out the damage we do to the planet by protecting a threatened rainforest.

The claim is often based on carbon credits approved by Verra, the world’s leading certifier for the $2bn (£1.6bn) voluntary offsets market. Disney, Gucci and Shell are just some of the names that use them, and they are presented as a “nature-based solution”. However, there are big questions about the ability of offsetting to play even a minor role in climate change and biodiversity loss mitigation.

Verra has said it will phase out and replace its rainforest offsets programme by mid-2025 after an investigation found it was flawed,  potentially allowing tens of millions of worthless carbon credits to be issued and sold to companies in the meantime.

The investigation indicated that many claims based on the rainforest credits, which are generated by predicting deforestation that would have happened in the absence of the conservation projects, were largely meaningless, putting organisations that buy the offsets at risk of greenwashing.

Biggest carbon credit certifier to replace its rainforest offsets scheme | Carbon offsetting | The Guardian

 Up until January 24th 2023.The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock stood at 100 seconds to midnight.

On that date it was changed to ninety seconds to midnight.

Brigadier General Ripper is an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union in,.

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film. 

 How many Brigadier General Jack D Ripper’s are there in the U S Military, or the State Department, or the White House in the present day? Or in the equivalent centres of power in other capitalist / state capitalist entities?

‘The US government will work to improve its nuclear forces, a senior military commander has said, pledging to bolster America’s arsenal on land, in the air, and at sea in response to “rogue” actions by North Korea.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Air Force General Anthony Cotton spoke of the need to strengthen the nation’s nuclear arsenal to meet “challenges” from the likes of Pyongyang and other rival states.

“North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of missile launches in 2022 and its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), referred to as KN-28, highlight that the security challenge continues to grow,” he said. “To ensure our continued ability to serve as the bedrock of integrated deterrence, we are recapitalizing every leg of the nuclear triad, and the nuclear command control and communication systems.”

The ‘triad’ refers to the three primary methods of delivery for US nuclear weapons, including land-based missile silos, long-range strategic bomber aircraft, and nuclear-armed submarines. 

Cotton went on to accuse North Korea of acting as a “rogue” nation which “poses a threat to the United States and our allies,” stressing that Washington must continue to improve its “effective and credible nuclear deterrent.”

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have soared over the last year, with the DPRK conducting a record number of weapons tests amid a flurry of joint US-South Korean war games. Military activity has continued into 2023, with Pyongyang firing off missiles as Washington and Seoul press on with multiple rounds of exercises, including a recent drill involving a US nuclear-capable bomber.

North Korea has repeatedly condemned such drills as rehearsals for an invasion, and insists it has every right to carry out missile launches and develop its own “deterrent” forces. However, US officials continue to press Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal, with State Department spokesman Ned Price vowing on Thursday to impose increased “costs” on the DPRK until it “changes its approach” and abandons its weapons. Though Price called for “dialogue and diplomacy” with North Korea, so far President Joe Biden appears to have made no effort to sit down with the country’s leadership or hold a new round of talks to deescalate the tensions.’

RT 10\3\23

Dave C.

Constant capital, the means of production, considered from the standpoint of the creation of surplus-value, only exist to absorb labour, and with every drop of labour a proportional quantity of surplus-labour. While they fail to do this, their mere existence causes a relative loss to the capitalist, for they represent during the time they lie fallow, a useless advance of capital. And this loss becomes positive and absolute as soon as the intermission of their employment necessitates additional outlay at the recommencement of work. The prolongation of the working-day beyond the limits of the natural day, into the night, only acts as a palliative. It quenches only in a slight degree the vampire thirst for the living blood of labour. To appropriate labour during all the 24 hours of the day is, therefore, the inherent tendency of capitalist production.’  Karl Marx. Capital. Volume One.

                       https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch10.htm

Apple and its manufacturing supplier Foxconn have been involved in lobbying for a landmark liberalisation of labour laws in India, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources.

According to the report, the legislation authorised the introduction of 12-hour shifts in the southern state of Karnataka, as well as night-time work for women.

Foxconn reportedly stated that the legal change is crucial to building efficient manufacturing at scale, and that the possibility of running production around the clock using two 12-hour shifts will be a big step forward for the company.

The Taiwanese tech giant has been shifting production away from China due to the country’s strict Covid-related restrictions, which has disrupted the manufacturing of new devices. The move has also been seen as an attempt to avoid problems due to growing tensions between Beijing and Washington.

The Karnataka government announced a week earlier that Apple’s iPhones would soon be assembled in the state, specifying that a total of 300 acres have been set aside for a plant.

India aims to increase its work output and efficiency in order to become the next big manufacturing hub, according to an anonymous Indian government official cited by Mint.

RT 10\3\23

Dave C

American employers announced 77,770 job cuts in February, marking a 410% increase from the same month last year, executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas has revealed. 

According to the report issued earlier this week, February’s total was the highest for the month since 2009, when 186,350 job cuts were recorded. However, the figure was down 24% on the 102,943 cuts announced in January.

So far this year, employers have announced plans to eliminate 180,713 jobs, up 427% from the 34,309 cuts announced in the first two months of 2022, the study showed. It is reportedly the highest January-February total since 2009.

“Certainly, employers are paying attention to rate increase plans from the Fed. Many have been planning for a downturn for months, cutting costs elsewhere,” the company’s senior vice president, Andrew Challenger, stated. “If things continue to cool, layoffs are typically the last piece in company cost-cutting strategies.” 

The report indicated that technology companies axed the most jobs last month, with the figure hitting 21,387. The tech sector has announced 35% of all job cuts in 2023.

“Right now, the overwhelming bulk of cuts are occurring in technology. Retail and financial are also cutting right now, as consumer spending matches economic conditions. In February, job cuts occurred in all 30 industries Challenger tracks,” Andrew Challenger added.

Meanwhile, the study showed hiring was down, with companies having announced plans to recruit 28,830 workers in February, a decline of 87% in annual terms.

RT 11/3/23

Dave C

Seven cent cotton and forty cent meat

How in the world can a poor man eat

Flour up high and cotton down low

How in the world can we raise any dough

Clothes worn out, shoes urn down

Old slouch hat with a hole in the crown

Back nearly broken and fingers all sore

Cotton gone down to rise no more

Seven cent cotton and forty cent meat

How in the world can a poor man eat

Mules in the barn, no crops laid by

Corn crib empty and the cow’s gone dry

Well water low, nearly out of sight

Can’t take a bath on Saturdy night

No use talking, any man is beat

With seven cent cotton and forty cent meat

Seven cent cotton and eight dollar pants

Who in the world has got a chance

We can’t buy clothes and we can’t buy meat

Too much cotton and not enough to eat

Can’t help each other, what shall wo do

I can’t explain it so it’s up to you

Seven cent cotton and two dollar hose

Guess we’ll have to do without any clothes

Seven cent cotton and forty cent meat

How in the world can a poor man eat

Poor getting poorer all around here

Kids coming regular every year

Fatter our hogs, take ’em to town

All we get is six cents a pound 

Vety next day we have to buy it back

Forty cents a pound in a paper sac

Dave C