Chinese bosses now have ability to battle U.S. bosses economically
Foreign Affairs, 12/16/25–For much of the past year, China’s response to trade tensions has continually surprised hawks in Washington…the Biden administration imposed new export restrictions on advanced chips, Beijing immediately answered by banning exports of several metallic elements to the United States…after the Trump administration threatened huge tariffs on China, Beijing dug in, imposing strict export controls on seven rare-earth minerals vital to defense and clean energy manufacturing. In May, China stopped buying U.S. soybeans…Discarding the strategic restraint that had previously characterized its approach to the United States, China has shown it is ready to weaponize its supply chain dominance.
In Portugal, general strike forces bosses to compromise, but only slightly
Reuters, 12/17/2025–Portugal’s centre-right minority government has said it will amend labour reform legislation to appease trade unions following the country’s first general strike in more than a decade. The proposed overhaul of over 100 articles of the labour code is an important part of the government’s agenda to boost productivity and economic growth...After meeting the leadership of umbrella union UGT, Labour Minister Maria do Rosario Ramalho said the government was ready to reach a compromise…
Pro-Palestinian protesters in U.K. prison facing starvation
Al Jazeera, 12/18/25–Six remand prisoners affiliated with…Palestine Action who are on hunger strike are not receiving adequate healthcare and face an immediate risk of death…more than 800 doctors, nurses, therapists and carers wrote to Justice Secretary David Lammy to warn that “without resolution, there is the real and increasingly likely potential that young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been convicted of an offence”…The group are being held across five prisons over their alleged involvement in break-ins at the UK subsidiary of the Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in Bristol and a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Oxfordshire…
Trump not saying whether bombs and missiles will rain down on Venezuelan workers
The Guardian, 12/19/2025–In his NBC interview, Donald Trump declined to say whether removing Maduro was his ultimate goal, telling NBC News: “He knows exactly what I want.” “He knows better than anybody,” the US President added, referring to Maduro. The report did not elaborate. Maduro has alleged that the US action is aimed at overthrowing him and gaining control of the OPEC nation’s oil resources, which are the world’s largest crude reserves. Trump elaborated on his claim there would be additional seizures of oil tankers near Venezuelan waters, adding: “If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbours.”
European bosses work out finances to kill more Russian and Ukrainian workers
New York Times, 12/19/2025–European leaders agreed early on Friday morning to keep Ukraine funded for two years with a loan of 90 billion euros, or about $105 billion, though they failed to agree on their first-choice option of using Russian state assets frozen on the continent as backing for the loan. That ambitious frozen-asset plan was killed at the 11th hour as European heads of state and government met in Brussels — a show of division that risked making the European Union appear indecisive at a key moment. Instead, European leaders announced that they will funnel money to Ukraine with a loan backed by the E.U. budget…
National strike in Italy shows worker anger toward bosses’ plan
Associated Press, 12/12,2025–A national strike called on Friday by Italy’s largest trade union in protest against the government’s budget plans widely disrupted transportation, health and school services across the country. The protest, which targets the 2026 budget bill proposed by the conservative government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, comes just two weeks after another general strike organized by smaller trade unions, with the same motivations. The strike mainly hit railway transportation, with cancellations and delays registered for both long-distance and regional trains. Public schools across the country canceled classes…