Portside

· The broad protest movement of the masses against the dictatorial regime of Iran must be expanded and organised through progressive and national slogans, towards the developing of a united action of various social strata; from the workers and working people to the militant youth, student and women.

A new global CEO pay comparison, the most dramatic yet, demolishes the standard-issue corporate rationale for America's over-the-top executive compensation.

The good news for 2018 is that with the defeat of Isis, the barbarous wars that have torn apart Iraq since 2003 and Syria since 2011 may finally be coming to an end. And now the winners and losers are emerging who will shape the region for decades.