Europe
Ukraine, austerity and gas
The IMF imposes austerity on Ukraine as Russia jacks up gas prices. Meanwhile, the global industry exploits the crisis to fast-track exports of fracked gas as a "lever against Russia."
Tag: crisis of capitalism
Southern Cone
Argentina: piqueteros press wage, service demands
Unemployed and contingent worker groups are again blocking roads, just as they did in the run-up to Argentina's 2001 economic collapse.
Southern Cone
Brazil: 230 arrested in World Cup protest
Brazilian police are continuing with mass arrests against youthful protesters, while lawmakers are planning to fight protests with an "anti-terrorism" law.
Europe
‘Fascism’ and the Ukraine protests
The Ukrainian protesters are demonized as “fascists,” exploiting far-right elements in their ranks—but there is a far greater case that the Yanukovich regime is truly “fascist.”
Mexico
Mexico: US planned bailout before NAFTA vote
US officials and media insisted that Mexico's economy was sound as they pushed NAFTA in 1993; meanwhile, they were getting ready to bail out the peso.
Southern Cone
Brazil: fare protesters open turnstiles in Rio
Police and protesters battled in Rio de Janeiro's central train station, and commuters got a brief experience of a no-fare transit system—but with tear gas.
The Caribbean
Puerto Rico: bonds are junked despite ‘reforms’
Puerto Rican officials followed Wall Street's instructions for austerity, and Wall Street rewarded them by reducing the island's bonds to junk status.
Greater Middle East
Turkey: street clashes over cyber freedom
Riot police in Istanbul used water cannons against demonstrators in the latest protest against a bill that would increase government control over the Internet.
Europe
Anti-austerity protests rock Bosnia
Unemployed workers in Bosnia-Herzegovina set fire to government buildings, in the worst unrest the country has seen since the end of the 1992-95 war.
Southern Cone
Brazil: 143 arrested as World Cup protests continue
Brazilians continue to protest the government's funding of soccer events at the expense of social services, but the actions are much smaller than last year's giant marches.
Southern Cone
Argentina: peso falls as emerging markets weaken
The Argentine peso had its worst week since the 2001-2002 financial crisis, but analysts are divided on the reasons for the fall.
Europe
Burgos and Gezi Square: contradiction?
Protesters in Burgos, Spain, defeated a redevelopment plan that included replacing traffic lanes with greenways—a contrast to the struggle to save Istanbul's Gezi Park.