The debt pit will grow

“Somewhere the president will have even more rights, but somewhere the parliament will have more rights. But the first and second chapters of the Constitution remained inviolable ”

(A. Makarkin, Deputy Chairperson, Center for Political Technologies, Professor, HSE)



On January 15, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a "message to the federal assembly." The first part of the “message” was devoted to social issues. In fact, the head of the Russian bourgeois state acknowledged the existence of a social crisis in the country, but disguised it in his words, calling it “demographic problems”.

In Russia, mortality exceeds birth rates, people cannot start and raise children because of poverty, but to admit these circumstances is tantamount to admitting the failure of their own policies, so it turned out to be easier to talk about the demographic crisis, silent about its causes. Although words were made about the significant inequality of Russians in comparison with Soviet times.

However, further proposals for the “solution” of demographic problems showed that President Putin and the government he formed intends to maintain a liberal economic course, only tinting it with social handouts to the population.

The main innovation of the social proposals made in the “message” was the indexation of “maternal capital” and its distribution to the first child in the family. What is “maternal capital”, by and large?

"Maternal capital" is difficult, almost impossible to legally cash out. For this reason, a significant part of families invests “matkapital” in “improving housing conditions,” that is, in mortgages, in paying off part of the debt on mortgage payments.

Thus, if we trace the path of budget money allocated to “matkapital”, it will be as follows: from the state budget, money — through a certificate for “matkapital” and registration of a mortgage — goes to commercial banks. Thus, the “matkapital” program is a program for transferring budget money to commercial banks.

But there are few budget funds. After all, “matkapitalom” can pay off only a smaller part of the mortgage. And most of the apartment you have to pay from your income to the family that got into the mortgage. Thus, “matkapital” not only transfers state money to banks, it also helps to bring families with children into debt mortgage bondage. Many people would not take an apartment on credit, on a mortgage, and for many years give part of their salary, but the likelihood of paying off part of this debt with a certificate on “matkapital” seduces and makes Russian families debtors.

If the authorities really cared about Russian families, they would give them apartments for free, and the money pledged to the “matkapital” would be given out in the form of salaries, allowances, etc. Then citizens would spend this money on the purchase of goods, which would multiply lead to an increase in industrial and agricultural production. But the authorities in Russia are not socialist or even “patriotically oriented,” their goal is to support “business sharks” from the banking sector. Therefore, government money is dissolved in commercial banks. And someone later acquires yachts, villas, castles and football teams abroad on them.

At the same time, apartments that people buy on mortgages in new buildings are of very low quality. The Internet is full of video recordings of cases where, somewhere, people cracked bricks from masonry with their hands - due to poor-quality work, the use of cheap cement, etc. Some experts believe that modern new buildings will begin to "crumble" in twenty years.

Well, the rest of the social promises in the "message" of the president were really very miserable handouts. How else to call the allowance at half the minimum wage (5.5 thousand rubles per child for the poorest families) or "hot meals" for younger students? Instead of paying normal salaries to people so that parents can feed their children well, it is proposed to nourish them with a "gang" of dubious products at prices set by dubious entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, today for many families, even such a “balance” will be a serious help in life - because of the poverty into which the Russian government plunged them with their policies.

Danila Sedoy


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A rally at the "Obelisk of Pyatigorsk Heroes" in Pyatigorsk

In the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Pyatigorsk for 155 days was under the occupation of Nazi Germany. The city of Pyatigorsk was liberated by the troops of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army from Nazi invaders on January 11, 1943 under the command of Major General Pyotr Mikhailovich Kozlov, Major General A.A. Filatov, Major General V.F. Sergatskov, lieutenant colonel N.E. Tereshkova.

     When the Nazi invaders retreated from the city, they destroyed a number of buildings and structures, several thousand civilians were killed, and about a thousand more were sent to the concentration camps by the Nazis. More than 12 thousand did not return from the front.

At the "Obelisk of Pyatigorsk Heroes" Pyatigorsk City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks held a solemn meeting in honor of the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Pyatigorsk by the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army from Nazi Germany.

Before the meeting, played songs about I.V. Stalin, songs of Victory. Were displayed: “Standard of the AUCPB”, a red flag with a mirror image of the leaders of V.I. Lenin and I.V. Stalin, red flags with a hammer and sickle, banners: "I.V. Stalin ”,“ THE ALL-UNION COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOLSHEVIKS”,“ Bolsheviks — Marshals of Victory ”,“ Portraits of 30 Heroes of the USSR — Pyatigorsk with the State Emblem of the USSR ”,“ Victory Parade ”.

Flowers were laid at the Obelisk of Heroes - Pyatigorsk, the newspaper Bolshevik Sickle and Hammer was distributed, and campaign work was carried out.

The rally opened with a performance of the Stalin State Anthem of the USSR.

Before the meeting, N. Degtyarenko spoke - Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, made by George Landin, Lyudmila Kuzmenko and other comrades.

The rally statement was unanimously adopted.

The meeting closed with the performance of the Stalin State Anthem of the USSR.

A solemn meeting of the Pyatigorsk city party organization of the AUCPB took place, dedicated to the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Pyatigorsk by the Red Army from Nazi invaders.

North Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the AUCPB.

Remembering Lenin

January 21, 2020

    On January 21, 1924, 96 years ago, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, an outstanding theoretician of Marxism, the leader of the working people of the whole world, creator and leader of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP), the Communist Party of Bolsheviks of the revolutionary vanguard type, died in the Gorki of Leninsky on January 21, 1924. , organizer and leader of the Great October Socialist Revolution, founder of the world's first multinational state of workers and peasants, the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat - the USSR. Bolsheviks in different cities honored the memory of the great revolutionary on this mournful date.


In the city of Pyatigorsk at the monument to Lenin, the Pyatigorsk City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks held a picket in memory of the 96th anniversary of the death of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. The Bolshevik Hammer and Sickle and Hammer newspapers were distributed, and propaganda work was ongoing. At the foot of the monument to V.I. Lenin were laid flowers.

Before the meeting, N. Degtyarenko spoke - Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, delivered by Comrade L. Achkasova and other comrades.

Lenin is with us! He is with us forever!

He is in a tough fight ahead!

North Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the AUCPB

Who is the monument to Lenin in Chelyabinsk on the Revolution Square bothering?

Monument to Lenin in Chelyabinsk

Foreword

            “After Chelyabinsk spent 15 million rubles in 2019 on the incompetent repair of the Lenin monument on Revolution Square, many citizens asked themselves: is it not easier to demolish it?” - quote from the News-24 tape of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Komsomolskaya Pravda from 11/14 .2019 ... Earlier, on November 7, the day of the October Revolution, a proposal appeared in the Chelyabinsk segment of the Facebook social network to demolish or move the Lenin monument from the Revolution Square in the city of Chelyabinsk. The participants in the discussion, in the comments, in particular, suggested moving it to the territory of the Scarlet Field (a little-visited square in the center of Chelyabinsk) ...

       I invite the South Urals and all thinking and caring people to reflect on the issue of demolition (dismantling) of historical monuments. Why do modern authorities indulge those who believe that the Soviet period should be deleted from the heritage of our Motherland ?!

         Let's understand the concepts initially. Namely, what are the monuments for and what function do they have. Why some monuments should stand, others can not be a place on the territory of Russia. First of all, a monument (from the origin of the word “memory” itself) is a monument (usually some kind of structure), supporting the memory of citizens about something or about someone, related to historical events or personalities who have made their a contribution to the formation of the historical, cultural and heroic heritage of the Fatherland. So the Latin word monumentum means - "memory". Those. any sculpture, obelisk, memorial plaque or memorial complex that citizens living in the country identified or created (by the hands of the sculptor) as a monument so that future generations would see this and REMEMBER, is called a “MONUMENT”.

Further. In addition to the above, monuments are erected in crowded and visited places of settlements and are, among other things, also an element of the architectural ensemble in this place, being its integral part. But nevertheless, the main task of memorable sculptures is to convey to citizens, tourists, and, above all for the younger generation, the message of our ancestors about the great achievements and historical milestones of our state, which are fundamental in the formation, formation thereof, which express a patriotic and historical meaning the country in which we live. A fair amount of statues tells us about what kind of action should not be in principle (for example, the Khatyn memorial complex in Belarus), which contradicts human nature. Many of the existing monuments are not only historical, but also cultural heritage.

And now, in essence, the question of the demolition of the monument to Lenin V.I. on the Revolution Square in Chelyabinsk, which arose in someone’s inflamed brain. First historical background. November 5, 1957 on the Revolution Square in the city of Chelyabinsk, the laying of a monument to Lenin took place. A marble pylon was installed at the site of the future monument with the inscription: "A monument to the great founder of the Soviet state, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, will be erected on this site." Workers at the Monument Sculpture factory in Leningrad worked on the construction of the monument, which is very significant. It was opened on November 5, 1959. The opening was timed to the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. And two days later, the first Soviet national demonstration walked in front of the monument. Sculptors worked on the creation of the monument - they are also the authors of the project Lev Golovnitsky and Vitaliy Zaikov, as well as the architect Evgeny Alexandrov. The design of the monument passed a rigorous selection. Eighteen projects from Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk took part in the competition. But the fifteen-meter monument, ten of which was a stone pedestal and almost six - confidently forward bronze Vladimir Ilyich, was accepted for embodiment. It is worth noting that this project was not only one of the largest monuments to Vladimir Ilyich in history, but also the first in its present form. And the successfully implemented project of Chelyabinsk made it possible to accept this image of a monument to Lenin for execution already in other cities of the entire immense Soviet Union. Under the monument on a granite pedestal there is a symbolic inscription: “To V.I. Lenin from the workers of Chelyabinsk”. FROM WORKERS !!! Not from power, not from patrons, not from oligarchs! And from the working people !!! Like everything in the Soviet Union, from shoes to rockets, this monument was created for centuries and therefore has undergone serious repairs only three times in all time. In the early 70s, when it was decided to expand the stone platform of polished red granite around the monument, which, in fact, is rather a reconstruction, not a repair. In the early 2000s, after more than forty years of service and the construction of the Nikitinsky underground shopping complex in the mid-nineties, the construction of which literally tickled the soles of Vladimir Ilyich. Transformation of the cultural and historical center of a large cityYes, a private flea market, albeit an underground one, was not part of the plans of the Soviet state, and who knows, maybe this repair could have been avoided. There was another major repair in 2019, but, as it should be in the private capitalist Derzh-Kholbaysky worldview and, as a result of the announcement of the tender, where the one who cheaper to do the work wins, the repair was made with huge violations, which not only did not help the monument to become tidier, but also, on the contrary, made it worse. And now the monument again needs restoration in the amount not less than the initially declared at the tender, namely 15 million rubles. In this case, it is clear why it costs the authorities so much. The cause is capitalist profitable-minded thinking. But as the wise Russian proverb says, "Avaricious pays twice." The monument itself, as was said earlier, has been made for centuries, you only need to properly honor the memory of the people, taking care of its cultural heritage, whose Soviet page is an integral part of it. From 2001 to the present, the monument is included in the list of cultural heritage of Russia with the direct assistance of the governor of the Chelyabinsk region, at that time, Peter Ivanovich Sumin, who was a Soviet strong business executive and a native of the Chelyabinsk region. This was done after trying to "move" the monument to another part of the city.

For most Chelyabinsk citizens, the monument to Lenin is a symbol not only of the Soviet Union, which they perfectly remember and, most of which, of course, remember with warmth and tenderness, but also a symbol of the city itself. You say - “Revolution Square” - in the head a monument to Lenin, you say a monument to Lenin - the image of the “square” pops up in your head. One is inseparable from the other and this is understood not only by those residents who remember the Soviet GOST to taste, both literally and figuratively, but also by the younger generation.

Now back to the question, who benefits from deleting the great historical past of our state from our minds. Our history is inextricably linked with the USSR and its first leader Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin). What kind of holding mords want to destroy the monument ?! And these are those who, driving their "Mercedes" past the central square of Chelyabinsk, every time they see Lenin, startle and become covered with cold sweat. These are those who, for 30 years of endless theft and corruption of lawlessness, on the 7th of November, flee to church to atone for sins. These are those over whom the sword of retribution of the indignation of the indignation of those workers, their sons and grandchildren, with whose hands this monument was erected, inevitably begins to rise!

LET MEMORATE THE PEOPLE'S IMAGE OF THE SOVIET UNION THROUGH THE MONUMENTS BUILT BY OUR FATHERS AND GRANDFATHERS FOR ITS DESCENTS - FOR US FOR ALL (and not for a handful of officials spending public money).

Orlov S.A., Bogdanov I.S.

P.S .: the next repair of the monument began exactly on November 5-6 of this year, emphasizing the hint by the authorities that there was no celebration of the 102nd anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution on the main square in front of the monument to V.I. Lenin will not and cannot be.

LENIN

January 21 - 96 years (1924), Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) died - the leader and teacher of the world proletariat, the creator of the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet state, the organizer of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the most brilliant of the geniuses of mankind.

- He was a man whose whole life and all thoughts were devoted to scientific research and the struggle for a better social order, the man who in the end received the greatest opportunity that the apostles of progress ever had - the opportunity to lead a huge, so far oppressed and backward state . I believe that Lenin’s wide, comprehensive and clear understanding of what is needed and what can be done with a huge country occupying one sixth of the world, a country which, as a result of tsarist tyranny, hundreds of years behind the economic and social standard of living and the scientific progress of modern her America and Europe - most attracted and will always attract the attention of the whole world. It was necessary not only to overthrow the old, despotic regime, but also to find among the people of this country people and means to create such a social system that would be fair and at the same time practically feasible. For, satisfying the urgent needs of the masses, it was necessary at the same time to overcome all the prejudices generated by tyranny, fears and religious superstitions that still weigh on people. It was even more difficult to make these people feel all the significance for themselves of what was required of them.

When I was in Russia in 1927 and 1928, I happened to see on the remote outskirts of the country, united by the spirit of Lenin, peasants and workers, men and women who reverently bowed or bared their heads in front of a bust of Lenin and, as I understand it, saw him (and , in my opinion, quite rightly) of his savior. Now there is a gigantic struggle between those who seek to enslave the masses, and those masses who no longer want to be slaves. They now know that the ruling classes want to live in luxury and idleness, that they want their children and the children of their children to live like that. The French Revolution, the American Civil War, and the Russian Revolution taught the masses a lot.

The Russian people, liberated by Lenin, will never allow to be turned into a slave again. He will fight, imbued with the spirit of Lenin. I have no doubt about the outcome of this struggle. Lenin, his Soviet state will triumph. Whatever the immediate outcome of this struggle, Lenin and his Russia, the humanity and justice that he contributed to governing the country, will ultimately prevail. For, although Lenin is no longer alive, the social system that he created and which his comrades-in-arms and successors have since led to current power and greatness will forever remain for future generations.

- I am especially grateful to the Soviet revolution for the first time that it sharply raised the question of the haves and have-nots on a global scale. The Soviet Union in 1917 began a great campaign in defense of the poor. This is the world significance and the triumph of Marxism. Using labor, agriculture, industry, natural wealth, technology, human knowledge, human power over nature, using all this for the benefit of all working people, in order to provide everyone with a prosperous and cultural life, is the lesson the Soviet revolution teaches the rest of humanity . I hope that I will live to see the day when I see the triumph of Marxism in all countries of the world.

Theodore Dreiser

Overview of the labor movement in the second half of December 2019

 Strike in Kostroma

On December 18, 2019, a protest rally was held at a local shipyard. It was organized by workers who, by the time the strike began, did not receive a salary for October and November.

The director justified himself by the fact that delays in the issuance of earnings are connected "with the reorganization of the company."

Earlier, the shipyard authorities already had great debts to the workers. Then, only after the intervention of the prosecutor’s office, a part of the detained money was paid.



Workers' strike in the Altai Territory

On December 24, stokers organized a strike at the Blagoveshchensk regional center. The workers took extreme measures - they lowered the temperature of the coolant to the minimum values ​​(about +15 ° C) due to the fact that for six months already Altaiteploservice delayed the payment of wages.

“We have a CEO, but he is in Pavlodar. He promises us that he will come, he will pay, but already from December 6 he’s going, he still won’t get there. The district administration is aware of the situation, but does not take any measures, ”one of the stokers explained.

According to local authorities, Altayteploservice's debt to employees by the time the strike began was about 400 thousand rubles.



"Italian" strike in Leningrad

On December 17, a week has passed since the protest rally of tram drivers began. They decided to comply with all requirements and instructions as much as possible - thereby holding an "Italian strike." The protest rally led to serious disruptions in traffic.

Employees of Gorelektrotrans were forced to start a strike due to tightening of the rules. Drivers installed continuous video surveillance. Any, even minor misconduct is fraught with loss of premium. Moreover, the rules themselves are absurd and contradict each other. “We carry out flights not only for our salaries, but also for the benefit of the city, the enterprise and the transport committee. And only we are to blame for all the misfortunes. Therefore, we decided to play by their rules and lose revenue mutually, ”said one of the activists.

The main requirement of the strike participants is to change the approach to pay. Now the salary of workers depends on the number of flights completed. Such a system forces drivers to race around the city, which leads to accidents and accidents.

In 2019, 12 people were killed under the wheels of trams and trolleybuses. Drivers have blame for this, but often the reasons are related to decisions of the leadership and city authorities, the union said.

“People should not die under wheels, especially public transport. Our main goal is to organize the work in such a way that the employee has a chance not to always be extreme and guilty, and there is no fear for losing his salary. A tram should not run around the city just because the size of the driver’s wages depends on it, ”said the chairman of the union.



Picket of Moscow workers

On December 23, a protest rally was held near the entrance of the Karacharovsky Mechanical Plant. The workers had numerous questions for the bosses. Employees of the enterprise opposed its forced bankruptcy and further liquidation.

A scandalous situation unfolds around the elevator factory. The bankruptcy case, the lawsuit of which was filed in July 2019, has not only not been terminated for five months, but has also grown by another creditor bank. The company ended 2018 with a multi-million dollar loss, and the chair of the general director cannot be divided between two people, which also does not add stability.

Today the plant provides jobs for over 1 thousand people. Some people do not like this, and therefore attempts are being made to destroy another Russian industrial enterprise and reduce the number of working class representatives in Moscow.



Abroad

In France, crowded protests against pension reform continue

On December 23, 2019, transport workers actively joined the strike against the authorities' plans. As a result, the number of flights of high-speed trains connecting major cities of the country was more than halved. In the Paris metro on Monday, only two lines operated stably.

Protests against the pension reform project have been ongoing in France since early December.



In Chile, large-scale protests against the country's president do not cease

On December 21 and 22, in many cities, people again took to the streets to once again express their indignation with the policies of the authorities.

During one of the demonstrations, a doll depicting President Pinhera, who enjoys the support of US ruling circles, was publicly burned.

Protests and clashes with police began in Santiago on October 14, when authorities decided to increase the cost of the metro. Later demonstrations swept other cities. The unrest led to the introduction of an emergency in several regions of the country, the dismissal of individual ministers.



Belgium daily strike

On December 20, a massive 24-hour strike began in the country. CarsShy and other railroad workers took part in a protest rally demanding higher salaries and better working conditions. Belgian specialized unions demanded an increase in employee earnings by 1.1 percent. Among other requirements are the provision of a greater number of specialists with permanent contracts, the introduction of a uniform wage structure for all employees and the preservation of a 36-hour work week.



Mass riots in India

On December 23, at least 139 people were detained over the past day by police in central New Delhi for attempting to rally against new amendments to the Citizenship Law.

According to these data, most of the detainees are women. All of them were released by the evening of the same day. Police justified themselves by the fact that detention was a necessary measure, since a ban on mass gatherings and demonstrations was introduced.

In addition to the capital, protests against the new citizenship law, which is fraught with aggravation of interethnic relations in the country, continued in other cities of India.

American Workers Have No Fight With Iranian Workers, No Blood For Trump’s Posturing!

In the late hours of January 2nd, news broke that the US had executed an unsanctioned murder of leading Irani military figure Qassim Soleimani by drone bombing. It comes only days after a protest shattered windows at the US embassy in Iraq, a protest itself in response to a US airstrike in Iraq against the Popular Mobilization Forces, the second largest group in the Iraqi Parliament, which the Iraqi government saw as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.  In the aftermath of the embassy protest, Trump claimed it would be his “anti-Benghazi,” and  with the murder of Soleimani it has become a chance for Trump to dangle death and war for his nationalist base.

The Trump Administration is attempting to use the mobilization of popular forces among the Iraqi citizenry as an excuse to go into Iran with a full-blown war machine just as  9/11 was used as justification for the occupation of Iraq. Now as the Iraqi population begins to mobilize against the brutal imperialist occupation of their own country, the Trump administration sees an excuse to blame and attack Iran, beginning already with a strike killing Soleimani, a ranking Iranian general in the Revolutionary Guard. 

In such circumstances, many in the US are quick to forget the Iranian people, and many liberals and social democrats have already painted the specter of war as a budgetary threat, a distraction from impeachment, or a threat to American military lives. Let us be clear: we will not play the game of “Soleimani was a murderer, but this will be bad for America,” as democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren did in the immediate aftermath of the assassination. This is the logic that led to the liberal-sanctioned destruction Libya, the rise of ISIS, and the murder of over 100,000 Iraqi civilians. As it has always been, the rich will talk, secure their interests, and the poor will die. An imperialist invasion of Iran will be to the ruin of the Iranian people, who will feel the full fury of the American military industrial complex. This must be our first concern as internationalists and working class people. The destruction of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, and the empowerment of Islamic Fundamentalist forces that followed the wake of the American interventions there, stands as a dreadful example—and underlines the urgent need for all left forces in the United States to resuscitate and embolden the anti-war movement to stop once and for all the internationally malignant American military-industrial complex.

But, of course, as American working class people and activists, we should not disregard the domestic implications of this brazen assassination. It is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to place the beating heart of american political life outside the lives of actual Americans. While the opioid crisis deepens, health insurance premiums increase, workers increasingly require more than one job with stagnant wages to afford skyrocketing rent, communities of color suffer under increasingly militarized and uncountable police bodies, the rich get wealthier via tax breaks while the poor pay more, and fascist violence scars and divides the country, Trump murders and saber rattles a foreign power to avoid “another benghazi” and “losing face”  among his base. We have been presented with yet another scapegoat for economic and national stagnation. It is time that the 19% of Americans, predominantly wealthy, old, and white, who voted for Donald Trump, stop dictating the future and world of American workers struggling to pay for shelter, healthcare, food, and education.

The American Party of Labor stands opposed to imperialist intervention in Iran, the region, and the world. When the time comes for the reactionary government of Iran to fall it must not be from imperialist bombs but the will of the Iranian people.

The American Party of Labor stands opposed to the continued imperialist occupation of Iraq and the imperialist suppression of Iraqi popular forces mobilizing against it.

All power to the people of Iran!

All power to the people of Iraq!

All power to the people against imperialist aggression!


https://theredphoenixapl.org/2020/01/03/american-workers-have-no-fight-with-iranian-workers-no-blood-for-trumps-posturing/

Statement on behalf of the All India Anti-Imperialist Forum

Statement on the vile assassination of the US Iranian high-ranking military commander General Kassem Suleiman

On behalf of the All-India Anti-Imperialist Forum, Mr. Manik Mukkerji, Vice President, issued the following statement on January 6, 2020, about the heinous act of killing an Iranian general.

The All-India Anti-Imperialist Forum strongly condemns President Donald Trump, who ordered the assassination of senior Iranian military commander Kassem Suleiman at Baghdad Airport. This is another disgusting act of US robbery in the Middle East. After Iraqi militias entered the area of ​​the US embassy in Baghdad during the demonstration, President Trump, without any excuse, began to accuse Iran of organizing this event and announced that Iran would be punished for his actions. Earlier, the United States imposed draconian economic sanctions on Iran and has long threatened Iran with a military attack, because the latter refused to obey the American dictate. This is not the only case of US aggression against a sovereign country under a false pretext. We have already witnessed US attacks on Iraq and Libya and the assassinations of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi. The current heinous assassination of the Iranian military commander violates Iran's sovereignty and at the same time it is a serious threat to world peace. We urge all freedom-loving people of the world to rise in protest against US aggression and force the United States to stop its militant maneuvers in the Middle East.

Manik Mukkerji

Happy New Year, the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin, the year of the 75th anniversary of the great Victory of the Soviet people

Our dear comrades, friends! Members of the AUCPB and other friendly political parties and public organizations, our like-minded people abroad! We wish you all a Happy New Year, the year of the 150th anniversary of V.I. Lenin, the year of the 75th anniversary of the great Victory of the Soviet people under the leadership of Generalissimo I.V. Stalin over Nazi Germany. We wish you all good health, strength of spirit and courage in our common struggle for socialism, for the revival of our great multinational Motherland - the USSR!

We wish all of you greater cohesion of our communist ranks, the ranks of the fighters of the anti-imperialist and anti-fascist front. The truth of history is behind us, and therefore we will win!

Cuba: decades in the grip of the blockade

January 1, the Republic of Cuba marks the 61st anniversary of the victory of the revolution. More than six decades have passed since the insurgent army entered Havana, but the original enemies of the Cuban people - the United States - have not yet come to terms with the loss of the island from their influence. The American imperialists are doing their best to strangle Liberty Island, to prevent its economic development and the implementation of social programs in the country.

The economic pressure of US imperialism only intensified with the installation of Republican leader D. Trump in the White House.

The US authorities not only block the contacts of their companies with Cuba, but also impose sanctions on foreign firms cooperating with Liberty Island. So, in 2019, the Italian major bank UniCredit was forced to pay the Americans a “fine” of $ 1.3 billion for transactions that ignored US sanctions “against Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Myanmar.” UK-based Standard Chartered was required to pay a $ 1.1 billion "fine" for alleged violation of Cuba’s economic, trade, and financial blockade and sanctions "against Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Myanmar."

Billion-dollar fines are not uncommon for companies that have to pay the US budget for contacts with Cuba under the threat of even greater sanctions from America. Five years ago, French bank BNP-Paribas paid $ 8.9 billion by a decision of an American court and closed its offices in Havana.

To be subject to American sanctions, it is not necessary to have direct economic contacts with Cuba, but rather to have contacts with someone who collaborates with Cubans. So, in 2019, the US Treasury Department fined $ 2 million 718 thousand for the American company General Electric, when it turned out that the company's enterprises transferred payments to their client in Canada, who has economic ties “with the Cuban mining industry”.

During 2019, right-wing coups occurred in Bolivia and Ecuador. Prostate governments have strengthened in these countries, who, at the behest of Washington, sent Cuban doctors who had previously worked in Ecuador and Bolivia in accordance with cooperation programs back to Liberty Island.

"We condemn the systematic actions of the US government aimed at discrediting and sabotaging Cuban international health cooperation in dozens of countries that have benefited millions of people, as well as the brutal pressure exerted on a number of governments to end their collaboration with Cuba to the detriment of the rights of their citizens for life and access to health services, "the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of America (ALBA) said in a statement.

One of the important sources of currency inflow in modern Cuba is the tourism industry. And here Trump did his best: in 2019, he introduced a series of prohibitive measures on trips of American tourists to the southern island. As a result, although the Cuban authorities predicted this year to increase the number of tourists to 5 million people. per year, the real figure was just over 4 million.

The threat of US sanctions leads many companies in the world to refuse beneficial cooperation with Cuba. And US submissive governments directly cut off economic ties with Liberty Island.

Under these conditions, Cuba is trying to build economic relations with countries that are least dependent on the United States - with Venezuela, China and others. The volume of annual trade between China and Liberty Island is about 1 billion 800 million.

It is noteworthy that trade between Russia and Cuba is 4.6 times less than Chinese and amounted to $ 387.9 million in 2018 (according to the Federal Customs Service).

According to the Cuban National Institute of Economic Research, for the years 1962-2017, the country's damage from the American blockade amounted to $ 130 billion. The amount continues to grow every year. These are the means that, with socialist development, could transform the island, turn it into a real paradise on earth. But freedom is not in vain, and for more than six decades, Cubans have been defending their independence by breaking through cobwebs of US sanctions.

Dar Vetrov

January 8th DPRK celebrates the birthday of comrade Kim Jong-un (1982)

Kim Jong-un is the Chairman of the Workers Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Council of the DPRK, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the DPRK. Thus, Kim Jong-un holds all the highest posts in the state for almost 9 years after the death of the Great Kim Jong Il. All these years have been marked by a tense confrontation between the DPRK and the USA. Several meetings with US President Donald Trump did not lead to a decrease in tensions between the two countries, but made it clear to everyone that the DPRK would firmly and steadily defend its sovereignty in the future. Attempts by the American president to somehow deceive the DPRK leader, to try to use his youth by false promises and promises of "peaceful" coexistence with the United States to eliminate the DPRK's nuclear potential (which D. Trump constantly insists on) turned out to be, as expected, untenable.

     We welcome the DPRK’s peaceful policy aimed at developing the country's economy and defense, and at further improving the well-being of the Korean people in the direction of building their own independent prosperous socialist state. In pursuance of the continuation of the sovereign course of building Socialism in the DPRK and the further development of the equipment of the DPRK Armed Forces, successful tests of a new type of weapon were carried out, which “puzzled” President Trump and made it useless to continue senseless attempts to somehow lull the vigilance of the Supreme Commander of the DPRK.

     Comrade Kim Jong-un enjoys the full support of his people. The unity of the Party, Leader and People is the key to the success of the country's development. DPRK has diplomatic relations with the vast majority of countries in the world. Korean athletes win medals in the world's largest competitions. And, of course, the painful question for the Korean nation about the reunion of Korean families separated by US fault does not go unnoticed. Comrade Kim Jong-un continues complicated diplomatic activities with the South Korean government, which is constantly hindered by aggressive US intervention. But, despite this, on the initiative of the DPRK, conditions were created for citizens of the Republic of Korea to visit their close relatives in the North of the Korean Peninsula.

       Congratulating Comrade Kim Jong-un on his birthday, we wish the DPRK leader good health for many years and further success in state and political activities for the benefit of the Korean people.

Central Committee of the AUCPB