US Venezuelan embassy protectors denied right to fair trial
The Grayzone | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-17
Four US activists protecting Venezuela's embassy in Washington, DC face prison time after the Trump administration illegally arrested them. And now…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/16/venezuelan-embassy-defenders-denied-right-fair-trial/
Colombia and the Revolutionary Process
Nino Pagliccia | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-17
In order to have a revolutionary process, it is necessary to go through revolutionary stages. First, what's needed is a raised consciousness that may trigger some outrage by a sector of society which may subsequently grow into sustained protests. The protests might gather a critical mass with the support of the general population and turn…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/17/colombia-and-the-revolutionary-process/
Bolivian trade union confederation enters far-right coup regime
wsws.org | 2019-12-17
Following massacres of workers and peasants and amid the continued hunting down of protest leaders and indigenous people, the COB's decision is a criminal betrayal of the working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/17/boli-d17.html
Reuters Shields OAS Over False Claims That Sparked Bolivia Coup
Joe Emersberger | fair.org | 2019-12-17
by Joe Emersberger Reuters ( 12/4/19) highlights the findings of the Organization of American States–while omitting the criticism of those findings. | Organization of American States (OAS) election monitors published a "final report" on December 4– 22 days later than promised–on Bolivia's October 20 presidential election, won by President Evo Morales. The tardy…
fair.org/home/reuters-shields-oas-over-false-claims-that-sparked-bolivia-coup/
Nestlé and the Privatization of Water: A Tale of Many Cities
Franklin Frederick | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-17
On November 14th the Canadian group Wellington Water Watchers organized the "All Eyes on Nestlé" conference in the city of Guelph, Ontario, bringing together indigenous' peoples and citizens' movements fighting Nestlé's water takings from Canada, the US, France and Brazil. …
globalresearch.ca/water-new-colonial-powers-tale-many-cities/5697982
Sà£o Paulo Ford plant closure exposes Brazilian union as agent of capitalist "restructuring"
wsws.org | 2019-12-17
The Ford plant closure follows a series of similar union-imposed defeats that have radically changed the Brazilian auto industry.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/17/ford-d17.html
Colombian Ambassador to US Admits He Tried to Overthrow Maduro
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-17
The Colombian Ambassador to the United States, Francisco Santos, said on Monday that he 'underestimated' the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, and his ability to stay in power, and acknowledged that they miscalculated his departure from the government. | RELATED: | Colombians Launch National Cacerolazo Against Tax Reform | While at the Colombian Embassy in Washington,, among a small group of journalists, Santos said that "we underestimated the ability of Maduro to stay in power a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombian-Ambassador-to-US-Admits-He-Tried-to-Overthrow-Maduro-20191217-0002.html
Defendamos levantamientos populares de América Latina
Editor | workers.org | 2019-12-17
Las manifestaciones y huelgas populares y masivas contra el gobierno han desafiado a los regímenes corruptos y antipopulares que gobiernan varios países de América Latina, comenzando en diferentes momentos durante los últimos seis meses. Estos países incluyen Puerto Rico, Haití, Ecuador, Chile y Colombia. Cómo los regímenes locales y sus . . . | Continue reading Defendamos levantamientos populares de América Latina at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/12/44921/
Chile: Piñera May Face 20 Years for Crimes Against Humanity
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-17
The 7th Court of Guarantees of Santiago Tuesday admitted a complaint about crimes against humanity presented by the Upper House's Human Rights Commission president Alejandro Navarro against Chile's President Sebastian Piñera. | RELATED: | Chilean NGO Detects Caustic Soda in Water Used by Riot Police | "He will be punished with imprisonment in any of its g…
telesurenglish.net/news/Chile-Pinera-May-Face-20-Years-for-Crimes-Against-Humanity-20191217-0007.html
One month of fascist coup in Bolivia
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2019-12-17
The civic-military, right-wing, US-backed coup d'état against the democratically elected Bolivian President Evo Morales, which installed a fascist and racist dictatorship of the right-wing usurper Jeanine Añez, completed a month on December 10. In this video, we explain the developments that have occurred in Bolivia after the coup.
peoplesdispatch.org/2019/12/17/one-month-of-fascist-coup-in-bolivia/
Argentina to Freeze Gas and Electricity Rates
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-17
The Government of Alberto Fernández sent the draft law on Social Solidarity and Productive Reactivation to Congress on Tuesday morning, which, among other matters, plans to freeze gas and electricity rates for six months. | RELATED: | Argentina New Gov't Presents 1st Major Set of Economic Measures | The bill also contemplates a "reduction of the real tariff burden on households and businesses by the year 2020", a policy that will reverse the tariffs imposed since the Mauricio M…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-to-Freeze-Gas-and-Electricity-Rates–20191217-0009.html
Central banks in most countries are 'magic money machines for politicians' — RT's Keiser Report
rt.com | 2019-12-17
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said last month that he may not seek an $11 billion loan from the IMF, promising instead to "try to revive the economy." | RT's Keiser Report talks to Nick Giambruno of CaseyResearch.com about the relative calm in Buenos Aires among the populace, despite the ongoing currency and debt crises. | Argentina has gone through a number of financial crises in the past 100 years and it looks like it is on the cusp of another one, Giambruno says. | According to him, the South A…
rt.com/business/476116-central-banks-money-machines-politicians/
Why Elliott Abrams is Smurf villain Gargamel
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-16
Trump Administration Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abram is not only the spitting image of Gargamel; the Smurfs are a…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/16/elliott-abrams-smurf-villain-gargamel/
Chilean NGO Detects Caustic Soda in Water Used by Riot Police
teleSUR, jg | telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
Chile's Association of Doctors, Pharmaceutical Chemists, and the 'Health Resistance Movement' (Movimiento Salud en Resistencia) reported Monday that traces of caustic soda and pepper spray compounds has been found in a sample of water launched by riot police against demonstrators. | RELATED: | Chilean President's Disapproval Rating Jumps to 79 Percent | The report says that the compound is "highly corrosive to direct contact" and is "outside any legal norm regarding the use of riot…
telesurenglish.net/news/caustic-soda-used-to-suppress-protests-in-chile-msr-reported-20191216-0016.html
Viral Chilean feminist anthem reveals powerful international sentiment against sexual violence
Candice Yanez | liberationnews.org | 2019-12-16
The protest song was first performed for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 20 in Valparaíso, Chile.
liberationnews.org/viral-chilean-feminist-anthem-reveals-powerful-international-sentiment-against-sexual-violence/
Social Unrest Turns Santiago's Walls Into Open-Air Museum
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
The walls of Chile's capital Santiago are bearing witness to the biggest wave of protests in the country's democratic history, becoming makeshift canvasses for dozens of artists looking to reflect the social discontent through the medium of street art. | RELATED: | 'Concert for Dignity' Marks 8 Weeks of Social Unrest in Chile | An interpretation of Pablo Picasso's Guernica on the outer wall of the Veracruz Church in the Lastarria neighborhood of the capital is among the murals tha…
telesurenglish.net/news/Social-Unrest-Turns-Santiagos-Walls-Into-Open-Air-Museum-20191216-0014.html
Colombians Launch National Cacerolazo Against Tax Reform
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
Thousands participated in a pot-banging protest in Bogota on Monday afternoon in the Plaza de Bolivar, in order to demand the burying of a tax reform bill in the Congress of the Republic, as it lowers duties on businesses. | RELATED: | Colombians Protest Against Tax Reform in Front of Congress | Colombia's National Strike Committee, comprised of major unions and student organizations, called this Monday for a national 'cacerolazo' (pot-banging protest) in rejection of the tax refor…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombians-Launch-National-Cacerolazo-Against-Tax-Reform-20191216-0007.html
2019 Latin America in Review: Year of the Revolt of the Dispossessed
Roger D. Harris | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-16
2019 has not been an entirely bullish year for US imperialism, notwithstanding the hard turns to the right in Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Powerful winds against neoliberalism are gusting in Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, and even in the US "Commonwealth" of Puerto Rico.
mintpressnews.com/2019-latin-america-review-year-revolt-dispossessed/263494/
UN Accuses Brazil's Bolsonaro of Violating Anti-Torture Pact
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
The United Nations in Geneva accused Monday the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for failing to comply with the international pact against torture. | RELATED: | Brazil's Amazon Deforestation Rises Over 100% Year-Over-Year | A report written by the U.N. Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture denounced the dismantling of the National Mechanis…
telesurenglish.net/news/un-accuses-bolsonaro-of-violating-anti-torture-pact-20191216-0018.html
New Bolivian Gov't Leading Country to Bankruptcy: Evo Morales
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
Bolivian President Evo Morales, who is now an asylum seeker in Argentina after the coup d'etat against him, warned that the de-facto government is leading the South American country "to bankruptcy" because "they have paralyzed the productive apparatus and halted public investment." | RELATED: | De-Facto Bolivian President to Issue Arrest Warrant for Morales | Using his Twitter account on Monday, the democratically elected President tweeted that the main issue of the economic r…
telesurenglish.net/news/New-Bolivian-Govt-Leading-Country-to-Bankruptcy-Evo-Morales-20191216-0005.html
°Manos de Estados Unidos fuera de Venezuela!
Editor | workers.org | 2019-12-16
En la reunión del Tratado Interamericano de Asistencia Recíproca (TIAR) en Bogotá, Colombia, el 3 de diciembre, unos 15 países tomaron medidas contra el gobierno bolivariano de Venezuela. Restringieron los viajes de los principales miembros del gobierno venezolano, incluidos su presidente y vicepresidente. Este paso hostil de estos países, cuyos . . . | Continue reading °Manos de Estados Unidos fuera de Venezuela! at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/12/44915/
ALBA Summit: Venezuela Promises to Relaunch PetroCaribe in 2020
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-16
Heads of state also pledged to bolster various regional social programs including the Miracle Mission and Latin American Medical Schools.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14745
Venezuela Allocates 76 Percent of Budget to Social Investment
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
The Venezuelan government will allocate 75.9 percent of the 2020 budget to social investment, which places the country as a benchmark in the search for protection and the fair distribution of income, Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said on Monday. | The Venezuelan official presented this Monday to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) and other authorities to the draft national budget for 2020, which provides 404 development projects. | "It will be a social protection budget, focused on the National System platform, a social equality budget," she said. | In addition, she said that thanks to the 20…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Allocates-76-Percent-of-Budget-to-Social-Investment-20191216-0006.html
Bolivia's New US-Backed Interim Gov't Wastes No Time Privatizing Economy
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-16
It has been barely one month since the administration of Jeanine Añez seized power in a military coup in Bolivia, but it has wasted no time in attempting to transform the economy and society. Its latest move is aimed at privatizing the country's economy. A government spokesperson confirmed the fears of many, claiming that "I believe the government should reduce its own size" and a protagonistic role should be given to private enterprises. In case that was not clear enough, he emphasized, "Yes, I'm talking a…
mintpressnews.com/bolivia-interim-government-privatizing-economy/263529/
Argentines Celebrate Inauguration of New Center-Left Government
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-16
As President Alberto Fernandez and VP Cristina Fernandez take over in Argentina, expectations are high that the new government will reverse the neoliberal policies of the previous government and emphasize progressive social policies.
therealnews.com/stories/argentines-celebrate-inauguration-new-center-left-government
Argentina New Gov't Presents 1st Major Set of Economic Measures
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-16
Argentina's government will send its emergency economic bill to Congress Tuesday, which will include proposals to revise agriculture export, overseas transactions and personal property taxes, as new President Alberto Fernandez seeks funds to save a highly indebted and stalled economy. | RELATED: | Argentina to Declare Economic, Health, Social Emergencies | The '…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-New-Govt-Presents-1st-Major-Set-of-Economic-Measures-20191216-0012.html
While Evo's MAS party regroups, Bolivia's coup leaders are eating each other alive
Wyatt Reed | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-15
Humiliating scandals are destroying right-wing leader Luis Fernando Camacho and the right is fracturing as a more militant MAS party…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/15/mas-regroups-bolivia-coup-leaders-eating-alive/
Gobierno de EEUU retira los cargos falsos contra periodista Max Blumenthal
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-14
El gobierno estadounidense desistió la causa basada en falsas acusaciones de agresión contra el editor de The Grayzone Max Blumenthal…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/14/gobierno-eeuu-retira-cargos-max-blumenthal-venezuela/
Indigenous Bolivia Ready to go to War Against Fascism
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-12-14
Bolivia, December 2019, three weeks after the fascist coup. It is devilishly cold. My comrade's car is carefully navigating through the deep mud tracks. Enormous snow-covered mountain peaks are clearly visible in the distance. The Bolivian Altiplano; beloved, yet always somehow hostile, silent, impenetrable. So many times in the past I came close to death …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/12/indigenous-bolivia-ready-to-go-to-war-against-fascism/
Friday's Daily Brief: Yemen exclusive, India rights, Chile, Ebola updates
news.un.org | 2019-12-13
Our top stories for Friday include an exclusive UN News interview with Yemen Envoy Martin Griffiths; India's new "discriminatory" citizenship law; a milestone smallpox eradication anniversary; helicopters deployed in DR Congo Ebola fight; Mediterranean migrant latest, and Chile's deadly protests: UN report finds clear pattern of repression.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053541
COP25 Was Moved to Spain to Conceal Chilean Government's Human Rights Violations
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-13
The concept of "loss and damage" and carbon markets are a sticking point at the UN's climate summit, and protests are continuing in Chile, the original site of the talks. Oxfam's Nafkote Dabi and Gary Hughes of Biofuelwatch discuss the realities of COP25.
therealnews.com/stories/cop25-spain-chile-human-rights-violations
UN human rights report cites 'multiple root causes' of deadly Chile protests
news.un.org | 2019-12-13
During the recent mass protests which led Chile to declare a state of emergency, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report published on Friday that international human rights norms had been violated by both police and army personnel, which should be prosecuted.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053491
COP25: Developing Countries Charge Ahead with Bold Climate Plans as Rich Countries Drag Their Feet
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-13
As this year's United Nations climate summit wraps up in Madrid, Spain, many activists, scientists, indigenous and grassroots climate leaders say that rich countries most responsible for the climate emergency have spent the talks dialing back ambition and blocking progress. This comes as deadly droughts, flooding, cyclones and wildfires rage around the world. This week, more than 70 developing countries have announced they will accelerate their climate plans, and 72 countries have signed onto goals to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But major emitters Australia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia have…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/13/cop25_developing_countries_charge_ahead_with
Latin America says 'No to neoliberalism': Ecuador's ex-foreign minister talks uprisings and Assange
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-12
The Grayzone premieres its new show Red Lines with Anya Parampil with an interview with the former foreign minister of…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/12/latin-america-neoliberalism-ecuador-assange-guillaume-long/
Greta Thunberg Slams COP25, Says Response to Climate Crisis Is "Clever Accounting and Creative PR"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-12
At the U.N. climate summit in Madrid, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed world leaders Wednesday, hours after she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thunberg came to the talks after a trip to meet with climate leaders across North America in anticipation of the scheduled climate conference in Santiago, Chile, before the talks were abruptly moved to the Spanish capital. In her address, Thunberg warned that the planet's carbon budget is down to just eight years, and urged bold action. "I still believe that the biggest danger is not inaction. The real danger is when politicians…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/12/greta_thunberg_speech_cop_time_magazine
"We Want People Power Solutions": Activists Ousted from COP25 for Protesting Corporations at Summit
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-12
Inside the halls of the U.N. climate summit, hundreds of activists gathered Wednesday to demand rich countries step up their efforts to finance climate action. The protest began just as Democracy Now! was finishing our live broadcast, and we spoke to some of the people there from around the world, including Rita Iyke-Uwaka of Friends of the Earth Nigeria; Angela Valenzuela of Fridays for Future in Santiago, Chile; Sandra Tukup of CONFENIAE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon); Amalen Sathananthar of Artivist Network; Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA; and Nina Gualinga, an indigenous lea…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/12/cop25_protesters_forced_out_of_summit
Venezuela Oil Production Continues Slow Recovery
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-11
According to state oil company PDVSA, production is again approaching one million barrels per day.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14744
"Shame!" Indigenous Leaders & Delegates from Global South Stage Dramatic Protest at COP25 in Madrid
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-11
Democracy Now! was broadcasting live from the United Nations climate summit in Madrid, Spain, when hundreds of climate advocates and people's movements at the U.N. climate action summit staged a protest inside the conference venue. As the demonstration unfolds, we speak with Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network; Karin Nansen, chair of Friends of the Earth International; Nigerian climate activist Nnimmo Bassey with Health of Mother Earth Foundation; and indigenous climate activist Daiara Tukano from Brazil.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/11/cop25_walkout_indigenous_leaders_global_south
Amazonian Forest Protectors Rally Outside COP25 Amid Death of Two Indigenous Chiefs
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-10
On Monday, indigenous activists from the Brazilian, Colombian and Ecuadorian Amazon rallied outside the COP25 venue to protest the targeting of indigenous forest protectors and the destruction of their lands, known as the "lungs of the Earth." Their protest came just days after two indigenous chiefs, Firmino Prexede Guajajara and Raimundo Guajajara, were gunned down in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Brazil.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/10/indigenous_organizers_of_brazilian_colombian_ecuadorian
'Sexy tricks': How journalists demonize Venezuela's socialist government, in their own words
Alan MacLeod | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-09
Journalists revealed to me the tactics they use to sell stories painting Venezuela as a socialist dystopia. One described himself…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/09/sexy-tricks-journalists-demonize-venezuela-anatoly-kurmanaev/
Venezuela's Civilian Militia Surpasses Target, Reaches 3.3 Million Members
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-09
The body is due to be legally incorporated into the Armed Forces as a "combat unit."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14742
Iran False Flag, Bolivia's Coup Gov Seeks Israel's Help, Israel's Been In Yemen 'Since Day One'
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-09
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/8/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/iran-false-flag-bolivias-coup-gov-seeks-israels-help-israels-been-in-yemen-since-day-one/
Venezuela: Guaido Embattled as Opposition Splits over New Corruption Scandal
Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-05
The latest scandal has further called into doubt Guaido's credibility as leader of the opposition.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14739
A Facade Drops in Chile
Maxine Lowy | progressive.org | 2019-12-05
The current social revolution is years in the making.
progressive.org/dispatches/facade-drops-chile-lowy-191205/
TIAR Countries Blacklist Top Venezuelan Officials as US Slaps New Sanctions
Lucas Koerner | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-04
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Venezuela of "hijacking" mass anti-neoliberal protests in "our own backyard."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14737
The Other Americans: Latin America's Uprising Against Neoliberalism
Jeff Abbott | progressive.org | 2019-12-04
Colombians join a wave of protest across the continent.
progressive.org/dispatches/latin-americas-uprising-against-neoliberalism-abbott-191204/
Red Cross Chief: Venezuela Aid Being Politicized to 'Destabilize the Country'
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-04
Francesco Rocca slammed the underfunding of aid programs as a problem of "political will."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14738
Massive Colombia strike hits neoliberal policies, repression
Cathy Rojas | liberationnews.org | 2019-12-04
All progressive people should stand in solidarity with all those advocating for the immediate end to the political persecution of human rights, social and political leaders in Colombia.
liberationnews.org/massive-colombia-strike-hits-neoliberal-policies-repression/
Venezuela's PDVSA Secures Temporary Lease Extension for Curacao Refinery
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-02
Despite the extension, refinery owners are looking to end the 34-year cooperation under pressure from US sanctions.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14736
ANSWER Statement at 50th Annual Day of Mourning
Kimberly Villafuerte Barzola | liberationnews.org | 2019-12-02
"We must recognize and defend the alternative that Evo and the people of the Bolivia worked so hard to build…"
liberationnews.org/answer-statement-at-50th-annual-day-of-mourning/