Probably the most well-known coup staged by British intelligence since 1945 was the overthrow of Iran’s democratically-elected government in 1953 – an operation planned with the CIA. But the UK has been involved in at least 41 other attempts to overthrow governments since the end of the Second World War. 

These have ranged from intelligence-led to military-led operations, both overt and covert, with some being successful from Whitehall’s standpoint, while many have failed to achieve their objectives. 

MARK CURTIS

12 JANUARY 2023

Many remain little known, while others are shrouded in secrecy, with only a few details having emerged.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has proposed establishing a new international bloc involving Latin American and Caribbean countries that would have close ties to Russia and China.

During his annual speech at Venezuela’s parliament on Friday, Maduro said that he had recently spoken with the presidents of Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina about forming a new regional organization. According to Maduro, the time has come “to unite efforts and paths in Latin America and the Caribbean to advance in the formation of a powerful bloc of political forces, of economic power that speaks to the world.” 

The Venezuelan president went on to say that the bloc would create “new poles of power,” and would be allied to Russia and China, the leaders of which Maduro referred to as “elder brothers.” 

A naval attack group, which includes frigates, 3 submarines and the landing ship Pyotr Morgunov, left on January 11 from the Novorossiysk base. Washavianca-class submarines have been used to launch Kalibr cruise missile attacks on Ukraine. Subsequently, there was intense GPS jamming in the western Black Sea. NATO has decided to deploy 3 E-3 AWACS aircraft to Otopeni Air Base in Romania. This decision shows that something has started to go wrong in the Ukrainian AA defense early warning system based on information provided by NATO.

by Valentin Vasilescu

14th January 2023

Greta Thunberg joined protesters in the German village of Lützerath to condemn the building of a new coal mine.

Demonstrators have occupied the village for months but police began dragging some people away on Wednesday.

The village is owned by energy firm RWE and all the previous residents there are gone.

There are plans to expand the Garzweiler opencast mine which is on the village's doorstep.

Thunberg joins 'Pinky' and 'Brain' tunnel protest

The slogan of the yellow vests warns us: "If you don't go to the streets to defend your rights, you will go to sleep there".

Henri Krazucki, former secretary general of the CGT, enlightens us: “Nothing hurts workers more than class collaboration. It disarms them in the defense of their interests and provokes division. The class struggle, on the contrary, is the basis of unity, its most powerful motive. It was to carry it out successfully by bringing together all the workers that the CGT was founded. But the class struggle is not an invention, it is a fact. It is not enough to deny it for it to cease: to renounce carrying it out is equivalent for the working class to giving itself up bound hand and foot to exploitation and crushing."

Understood, the toothless and the sweaty, my brothers?

It had been a year since I last took a trip home to Russia. Back then, most people I met thought the prospects of a war with Ukraine were very remote, despite the massive troop build-up on the border. So I was curious to see how attitudes had changed since then.

Equally important was to see for myself how the war has changed life in Russia.

By Alexander Titov

Few Russians or Ukrainians will likely have heard of ‘The Block’. It's an Australian reality show in which couples compete against each other to renovate homes and sell them at auction for the highest possible price. This may have provided the perfect cover for Emese Fajk, a participant who fled the land Down Under after she attempted to buy a renovated property at great expense using fake bank slips, to join Kiev’s International Legion as its official spokesperson. 

Nazi authorities staged a violent pogrom (View This Term in the Glossary) upon Jews in Germany on November 9–10, 1938. This event is known as Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass). After the pogrom, the British government eased immigration restrictions for certain categories of Jewish refugees.

Mention the term “deep state” in polite company and most likely no one will want to speak to you the rest of the evening. The deep state is what Wikipedia calls “discredited,” something reeking of conspiracies, false accusations, and the substitution of fantasy for the truth.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters Thursday that he intends to release all the security footage from the January 6 Capitol riots.

“I want to be very thoughtful about it, but yes, I’m engaged to do that,” McCarthy told reporters when asked whether he would release footage from that day.

McCarthy continued:

In 2021 Democratic Party progressives asked those members of Congress who claimed to share their political priorities to stand up to their leadership, which meant standing up for the people. 

Those progressives knew that President Joe Biden promised to veto any legislation providing free, universal healthcare, known as Medicare for All. But they did what any political activist should do. They made the demand anyway. 

By Margaret Kimberly
Black Agenda Report

SINCE THE INVENTION OF THE "NATIONAL ART GALLERIES" IN THE WESTERN WORLD, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOME CONTROVERSY ABOUT WHICH ARTISTS SHOULD BE EXHIBITED IN THERE (SAY RODIN WAS IGNORED MOST OF HIS LIFE) AND WHO SHOULD PAY FOR IT. FREE ENTRY USUALLY MEANS SPONSORSHIP. SPONSORSHIP CAN MEAN CONTROVERSY.

In the first week of December, German officials told journalists that Berlin’s last year’s promise to raise their defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP will be missed not only this year (2023) but also the next year. This is a decision not just based on simple economics but on geopolitics. German decision also means that the possibility of procuring fighter jets from the US will also be delayed. As reports in the US media show, the purchase of 35 F-35 jets is in jeopardy.

BY Salman Rafi Sheikh

In their article “Neutrality must not undermine international law” in the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” of 14 December 2022, two members of the Pro Militia association call on Switzerland to review the stipulations of its perpetual neutrality. They state “after a careful analysis” that the Federal Council acted wrongly when it refused to accede to Germany’s request and waive the non-re-export declaration for procured war material.