(2019-08-25). Max Blumenthal: US sanctions on Venezuela are 'sociopathic'. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses his heated exchange with a former Obama official and a member of Venezuela's far-right opposition…
(2019-08-25). Venezuela: Major Natural Gas Explosion Act of 'Sabotage'. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says an investigation will immediately begin regarding the explosion of a natural gas-filling plant located in Miranda State on Saturday evening that forced some 6,500 residents of Ocumare del Tuy to temporarily leave their homes. | RELATED: | Maduro: #NoMoreTrump Petition Hits 5 Million | Venezuela's Minister of Popular Power of Oil and president of Petrol of Venezuela (PDVSA) tweeted that President Maduro is starting an investigation into the case, and has a…
(2019-08-25). Argentina: The Political Pendulum May be Swinging Left Again in Latin America. globalresearch.ca The primary vote in Argentina last August 11 indicated quite a strong rejection of neoliberal policies in a region that has seen a wave of right-wing governments coming to power in the last ten years. The current neoliberal president Mauricio …
(2019-08-25). Crisis in Brazil. truthdig.com …
(2019-08-25). #SaveTheAmazon: Action at Brazilian Consulate in Solidarity w/ Amazon's Indigenous Peoples. indybay.org Brazilian Consulate | 300 Montgomery Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94104…
(2019-08-25). Lack of Specialized Doctors Affects Care in Paraguay. telesurenglish.net The lack of specialized doctors to provide proper medical coverage is one of Paraguay"s most serious health issues, Public Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni has warned. | RELATED: | Paraguay Opposition Denounces 'Impunity Pact' Over Impeachment Rejection | The minister said the lack of resources keeps the system from providing integral and dignified health care throughout the country. 'We lack human resources and we are focused in training them,' added the official. | Maz…
(2019-08-24). Analysis and implications of the Argentine elections. uwidata.com 
The victory of Alberto Fernández in the PASO has generated a financial, social and political earthquake in Argentina. Who is Fernández, and what would his victory mean for the crisis-worn South American country? Argentina's internal political context Fernández' incumbent opponent, Mauricio Macri, was likely surprised that, after the economic and social disasters of left-wing Peronism …
(2019-08-24). Leaked documents show Brazil's Bolsonaro has grave plans for Amazon rainforest. nationofchange.org 
eaked documents show that Jair Bolsonaro's government intends to use the Brazilian president's hate speech to isolate minorities living in the Amazon region. The PowerPoint slides, which democraciaAbierta has seen, also reveal plans to implement predatory projects that could have a devastating environmental impact. | The Bolsonaro government has as one of its priorities to strategically occupy the Amazon region to prevent the implementation of multilateral conservation projects for the rainforest, specifically the so-called "Triple A" project. | "Development projects must be implemented on the Amazon basin to…
(2019-08-24). Amazon Crisis: Mass Protests Erupt Across Brazil. telesurenglish.net Demonstrations against the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and in defense of the Amazon rainforests lasted until late Friday night in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and dozens of cities throughout Brazil. The Brazilian security forces did not even try to prevent the mobilization of thousands who took to the streets. | RELATED: | Brazil: Bolsonaro Now Blames Governors for Fires at the Amazon | On Friday night, the former captain made a radio and television statement promising to fi…
(2019-08-24). Brazilian Troops Deploy to Fight Amazon Fires. truthdig.com RIO DE JANEIRO— Backed by military aircraft, Brazilian troops on Saturday were deploying in the Amazon to fight fires that have swept the region and prompted anti-government protests as well as an international outcry. | President Jair Bolsonaro also tried to temper global concern, saying previously deforested areas had burned and that intact rainforest was spared. Even so, the fires were likely to be urgently discussed at a summit of the Group of Seven leaders in France this weekend. | Some 44,000 troops will be available for "unprecedented" operations to put out the fires, and forces are heading to six Br…
(2019-08-24). US commander says navy ready for Venezuela intervention. wsws.org The threat by the head of the US Southern Command came as both Trump and Maduro confirmed that US and Venezuelan officials have been holding direct talks.
(2019-08-24). Bolivia: Supertanker Makes 'Successful' 2nd Pass in Chiquatania. telesurenglish.net The Bolivian government says its efforts to douse the major fire in the country's Chiquitania region was "successful", after the Boeing 747 'Supertanker', the largest of its kind in the world, made a second round Saturday to help extinguish the fires across the 700,000 hectares of forest in the nation's arid southeastern. | RELATED: | Brazil: Bolsonaro Blames the Amazon Fires on Environmentalists | Minister of the Presidency Juan Ramon Quintana said the tanker focused on the area around Taperas, a savannah-like zone located between the mountain ranges of San Jose and Ipias. | Quintana said the plane, will…
(2019-08-24). Argentina: IMF Meets Macri and Opposition Fernandez. telesurenglish.net Members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrived Saturday in Argentina to meet with officials from the current administration and the Peronist opposition leading in the presidential polls set to take place October 27. | RELATED: | Argentina's Peso Collapses as Markets Fear Progressive Victory | Authorities from the ministry of finance will meet with the IMF in Buenos Aires on Saturday and Sunday. In a Friday-released statement the IMF said the meetings will "analyze rec…
(2019-08-24). G7 Summit Starts Amid Discontent with Amazon Fires, Trade Wars. telesurenglish.net The European Council (EC) President Donald Tusk said on Saturday that it is difficult to imagine the European Union (EU) approving a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Mercosur as long as Brazil does not stop the Amazonian fires. | RELATED: | 'Counter-G7 Summit' Rejects Cynicism of Developed Nations | "The burning Amazon rainforest has become another depressing sign of our times. Of course we stand by the EU-Mercosur agreement … but it is hard to imagine a harmonious process of ratific…
(2019-08-24). Brazil Isn't the Only Far-Right Government Destroying the Planet. progressive.org As the Amazon burns, the terrifying parallels between the U.S. and Brazilian governments highlight the damage authoritarian leaders are doing.
(2019-08-23). Bolivian Mine Workers Strike Against one of World's Largest Mining Corporations. therealnews.com 
The Japanese Sumitomo corporation runs one of the world's largest zinc, copper, and lead mines in Bolivia, where it has been denying workers overtime pay, despite a court order to pay them. We talk to the mine workers' union president, Henry Cayo…
(2019-08-23). Pre-elections indicate defeat for pro-imperialist Macri. workers.org 
It is rare that primary elections hit the news cycle like a thunderclap. Yet political observers across Latin America see the Aug. 11 primary in Argentina as indicating a continental shift, reversing the right-wing wave in that region. Some even call it a setback for Donald Trump. Mauricio Macri had . . . | Continue reading Pre-elections indicate defeat for pro-imperialist Macri at Workers.org
(2019-08-23). Argentina's Economic Crisis Deepens as Macri Applies IMF Measures. therealnews.com 
President Macri is trying to blame his predecessor and likely successor in office, Cristina Fernandez and Alberto Fernandez for Argentina's steep economic crisis. However, the IMF plan he is applying lays out very clearly where the real blame lies, says CEPR's Mark Weisbrot…
(2019-08-23). Bolsonaro May Send Army to Fight Massive Amazon Fires. truthdig.com 
France accuses the Brazilian leader of lying over his commitment to save the rainforest, which is seen as crucial to slowing global warming.
(2019-08-23). Hybrid wars are destroying Democracies. mronline.org 
In Brazil recently, I gave an interview to Brasil de Fato, which was born in 2003 as the weekly magazine of the World Social Forum. It is now one of the most important windows into Brazil's political world. The newsletter this week carries the text of most of the interview. | Source
(2019-08-23). Climate change, Amazon fires come to France with G7 protests. peoplesworld.org 
BIARRITZ, France—The continuing controversy over international action — or lack of it — to deal with climate change, and the latest big threat to the environment, the massive Brazilian Amazonian wildfires, will descend on the G7 summit here this weekend. The object: To force the leaders of the world's top industrialized nations to do something …
(2019-08-23). Venezuela's Maduro Confirms Secret Trump Talks as US Navy 'Ready' For Action. venezuelanalysis.com US Southern Command chief said US Navy will "do what needs to be done."
(2019-08-23). US Navy "Ready" to "Restore Democracy" in Venezuela through Military Means? globalresearch.ca "I'm not going to detail what we're planning and what we're doing, but we're ready to implement policy decisions, and we're ready to act … | The United States Navy is the most powerful navy in the world. … | If there …
(2019-08-23). Bolivia Orders World's Largest Air Tanker to Combat Amazon Fires. globalresearch.ca Bolivia's President Evo Morales announced on Wednesday that Bolivia had contracted a Boeing 747 'Supertanker' to help extinguish huge forest fires in the Amazon that have that spilled over from Brazil. By Wednesday evening, the government confirmed that the tanker …
(2019-08-23). Brazil Faces Global Outrage as Massive Fires Spread in Amazon Rainforest. truthout.org | | The United Nations is calling for the protection of the Amazon amid fears that thousands of fires raging across Brazil and some parts of Bolivia are rapidly destroying the world's largest rainforest and paving the way for a climate catastrophe. The fires have spread a vast plume of smoke across South America and the Atlantic Ocean that's visible from space. They're unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle…
(2019-08-23). Mercosur-EFTA Sign Trade Accord After 20 Years of Negotiations. telesurenglish.net In a historic signing, countries within Mercosur and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) came to a free trade agreement Friday after 23 years of negotiations. | RELATED: | 'Brazil to Leave Mercosur if Cristina Wins', Minister Guedes | Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called the document, "another great victory for our commercial opening and diplomacy," who currently presides over the Mercosur bloc, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The head of state,…
(2019-08-23). GOP Lobbyists Help Brazil Recruit U.S. Companies to Exploit the Amazon. theintercept.com This summer, fires are being used to clear wide swaths of the Amazon at an unprecedented rate. One-fifth of the Amazon has already been destroyed in the past 50 years; further industrialization of the rainforest risks destroying another fifth, a loss that would be catastrophic for the global ecosystem. | The disaster is widely blamed on interests seeking to clear the world's largest rainforest for cattle ranching, mining, and export-focused agribusiness. Documents reveal that those interests a…
(2019-08-23). Brazil: From Global Leader to U.S. Lapdog. counterpunch.org Brazil recently gained the vaunted status of "Major Non-NATO Ally." This title symbolizes the new, preferential relationship that Brazil has been pursuing with the U.S. as a result of the continued efforts by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to inaugurate a new phase in Brazil's global role. Bolsonaro's presidency has initiated deep changes in Brazilian foreign More
(2019-08-23). Mura Indigenous Tribe Vows to Protect Sacred Amazon Land. telesurenglish.net A record number of wildfires have raged for weeks and are decimating the Brazilian Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest whose protection scientists say is critical to the fight against climate change. | The blazes have nearly doubled this year compared with the same period in 2018, according to Brazilian officials, prompting a global outcry. | The wildfires come against the backdrop of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who has railed against environmental fines for farmers and called for indigenous reserves and other protected areas to be opened up for development. | The Mura tribe has long had…
(2019-08-23). Amazon Fires Put the Planet at Risk. counterpunch.org In Brazil, the Amazon rainforest is now burning at a record rate. The greedy, short-sighted policies of Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro are jeopardizing indigenous peoples and countless plants and animals. Indeed, in the midst of a climate emergency, Bolsonaro's policies to slash environmental protections and develop the Amazon for mining, ranching and farming jeopardize More
(2019-08-23). The "Lungs of the Earth" Are Literally Being Burned Away as Unprecedented Wildfires Absolutely Ravage Our Planet. globalresearch.ca We have never seen anything quite like this. This week the skies above Brazil's largest city turned black in the middle of the afternoon due to the massive wildfires that are currently raging in that country. But the wildfires aren't …
(2019-08-23). Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez' Malignant Tumor Confirmed. telesurenglish.net The president of Uruguay, Tabaré Vázquez, underwent surgery on Friday to confirm the extent of the pulmonary nodule that was diagnosed in recent days. | Medical tests revealed that the Uruguayan president has a malignant tumor in the right lung, local media reported. | "On this day (Friday) the planned diagnostic intervention was performed in which the presence of a malignant tumor was confirmed. The final report will be available in the next few days," said the medical statement. | La Presidencia de Uruguay publicó hace minutos un comunicado señalando que ya "se realizó la intervención diagnóstica prevista"
(2019-08-23). How Jair Bolsonaro Emboldened Brazilian Agribusiness to Torch the Amazon & Attack Indigenous People. democracynow.org 
The United Nations is calling for the protection of the Amazon amid fears that thousands of fires raging across Brazil and some parts of Bolivia are rapidly destroying the world's largest rainforest and paving the way for a climate catastrophe. The fires have spread a vast plume of smoke across South America and the Atlantic Ocean that's visible from space. They're unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. Indigenous people in Brazil have accused far-right President Jair Bolsonaro of encouraging the destruction. Bols…
(2019-08-23). The Latest Victim in the Crucifixion of Julian Assange. truthdig.com 
The case of Ola Bini, a Swedish data privacy activist and associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has been shrouded in mystery since his arrest in Quito, Ecuador, on April 11. He was detained on the same day Assange was forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in the United Kingdom, inevitably raising questions about whether Bini was being held because of his connection with Assange and whether the United States was involved in the case in some form. | Bini, who initially…
(2019-08-23). Sen. Merkley on the Dangers of a New Nuclear Arms Race & Why He Backs the Green New Deal. democracynow.org 
Fallout from the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is mounting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to prepare for what he called a "symmetrical response" after the U.S. tested what it said was a nonnuclear cruise missile earlier this week. The U.S. launch was the first test of its kind since the Trump administration withdrew from the INF. We speak to Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon about U.S. nuclear policy, as well as the Green New Deal, President Trump's wish to buy Greenland and more.
(2019-08-23). Headlines for August 23, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Calls for Protection of the Amazon as Rainforest Burns at Record Pace, Indigenous Communities Say Brazil's President Is Encouraging Destruction of Forests, Bernie Sanders Unveils Ambitious Green New Deal to Avert Climate Catastrophe, Democratic Leaders Reject Resolution Calling for Candidate Climate Debate, French Authorities to Crack Down on Protest as 13,000 Police Mobilize for G7 Summit, Syrian Forces Encircle Last Major Rebel-Held Stronghold in Hama Province, U.N.: Burmese Troops Had "Genocidal Intent" in Targeting Rohingya for Sexual Violence, Indonesia Deploys Troops to Quell Independence Protests in W…
(2019-08-22). Bolivarian revolution and Black liberation. workers.org 
Portland's Hands Off Venezuela PDX sponsored a Skype teach-in on Aug. 17 with Dr. Layla Brown-Vincent, an assistant professor of Africana Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, who spoke about the role of racism in Bolivarian Venezuela to a room of 25 Oregonians. She said, "Just as Haiti . . . | Continue reading Bolivarian revolution and Black liberation at Workers.org
(2019-08-22). FROM THE FIELD: Argentina Preserving Pristine Forests. un.org Thousands of species of animals and plants which are indigenous to a vast forest in Argentina could be saved thanks to a partnership between the United Nations and the South American country.
(2019-08-22). Collusion in Brazil's judiciary brings the curtain down on the rule of law. greenleft.org.au 
corruption Tony RosenbergIssue 1234 Brazil Operation Car WashAugust 22, 2019Messages between Brazil's federal prosecutor, Deltan Dallagnol, who led Operaàßà£o Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash) and then-judge, Sergio Moro, have revealed that the evidence used…
(2019-08-22). Headlines for August 22, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration Proposes Jailing Migrant Families Indefinitely, Federal Budget Deficit to Top $1 Trillion in 2020, Satellite Data Show Brazilian Amazon Burning at Record Pace, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Blames Environmentalists for Amazon Fires, Wildfires Rage in Alaska, Canary Islands, Siberia and Greenland, Gov. Jay Inslee, Champion of Climate Fight, Drops 2020 Presidential Bid, Activists Disrupt Event Honoring House Speaker Pelosi to Demand Trump's Impeachment, Abdalla Hamdok Sworn In as Sudan's Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Mark Anniversary of Subway Attack, Mexico's Zapatistas Exp…
(2019-08-21). Washington intensifies its collective punishment of Venezuelans. mronline.org 
Despite previous sanctions leading to over 40,000 deaths in Venezuela over two years, the U.S. is escalating its economic offensive. | Source
(2019-08-21). Why the Democratic National Committee Must Change the Rules and Hold a Climate Debate. theintercept.com 
A girl holds a sign that reads "pull the emergency brake" at a ceremony to commemorate the Okjà∂kull glacier in Iceland, on Aug. 18, 2019. | recorded in human history. You are meeting on the same week that smoke from a record number of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest turned day into night in the Brazilian megapolis of Sà£o Paulo. And you are meeting just days after Iceland's prime minister led her country in its first (2019-08-21). Meet Alvaro Enciso, the Artist Placing Crosses in Sonoran Desert to Memorialize Migrant Deaths. democracynow.org 
More than 3,000 human remains have been found in the Sonoran Desert, most of them of migrants fleeing their home countries to embark on an uncertain and perilous journey to the United States. On a recent visit to the Arizona borderlands, Democracy Now! accompanied Tucson-based artist Alvaro Enciso into the desert at the site where he placed four unique markers to honor four immigrants killed in a car accident years ago as they fled from Border Patrol. In the past five years, Enciso, who is originally from Colombia, has built and installed over 900 crosses across the treacherous Sonoran Desert in Arizona as part o…
(2019-08-20). 40 rebuttals to the media's smears of Julian Assange — by someone who was actually there. thegrayzone.com A former diplomat who worked in the Ecuadorian embassy while Julian Assange lived there in asylum debunks 40 of CNN's…
(2019-08-20). Say no to the McCarthyite attack on Chicago teachers. fightbacknews.org As the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) find itself locked in tough contract negotiations and faces the possibility of a strike, corporate and right-wing media like the Chicago Tribune, Breitbart and others have launched a bizarre attack that seems like it is straight out of the 1950s red scare. Rather than addressing the real problems impacting teachers and students in Chicago schools, these reactionary pundits have decided the rant and rave about – of all things – a delegation of teachers that traveled to Venezuela earlier this summer. | Here are the facts of the matter. A group of teachers who are also members of…
(2019-08-20). Tuesday's Daily Brief: water quality crisis, Yemen and Libya updates, Venezuelan children appeal, ocean protection. un.org This Tuesday, we cover: new report on water quality worldwide; Yemen envoy briefs the Security Council on Aden; intensifying clashes in southern Libya; UNICEF appeals for increased aid for Venezuela youngsters; and UN negotiations continue over a new ocean protection agreement.
(2019-08-19). Sudan agreement, Hong Kong Protests, Venezuela and Trade War. uwidata.com Sudan Agreement The first agreements between military and civilians have been reached in Sudan following months of turmoil. According to the newly signed constitutional declaration, a sovereign council will become the highest authority in Sudan during the transition period pending upcoming elections. The console will include five representatives of the military and five civilian figures, …
(2019-08-19). Venezuela: Worker control vs. Trump's blockade. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Venezuela is a country where the dreams of the conscious workers of the world are being made real. It is a nation of 30 million people where, every day, the working class is becoming more conscious of its historic role in building socialism and taking steps to achieve it in the not so distant future. And in the face of an imperialist offensive that threatens them with starvation, where the threat of military invasion hangs over their heads like a storm cloud, they continue their struggle undeterred. | This past week, at the National Gathering of the Productive Worker Councils (CPTs), this stage of t…
(2019-08-19). Monday's Daily Brief: World Humanitarian Day, Afghan massacre aftermath, Venezuelans in Brazil, Yemen war update, and reconciliation in Mali. un.org Our main stories today: Women celebrated on World Humanitarian Day; Afghanistan bloodshed mars 100 years of independence; Brazil's 'exemplary' response to Venezuelans; UN urges Yemen's warring parties to down weapons; and UN expert calls for Mali reconciliation efforts.
(2019-08-19). Venezuela Oil Production Continues Slump as US Embargo Deters Foreign Trade. venezuelanalysis.com July's production was 740,000 barrels per day, 4 percent lower than in June.
