2020-02-07: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-07). Latin America free to make own policy choices — Russia's FM Lavrov on US threats & 'humiliating' Monroe Doctrine. rt.com Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hit back at threats from Washington over Moscow's support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, insisting Caracas and its neighbors deserve the option not to be US vassal states. | "I have heard the threats from Washington about punishing all those who work with Venezuela," Lavrov confirmed during a press conference in Mexico City on Thursday. "But we are used to that. We are used to American officials saying that yes, Washington is still true to the Monroe Doctrine." | Russia was merely offering Venezuela and its neighbors in the region a second option, beyond the sta…

RT (2020-02-07). Russia's largest oil company's shares fall after reports of new US sanctions. rt.com Rosneft stock slumped nearly five percent during Friday trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange after reports claimed that the US wants to slap the Russian oil giant with new sanctions over its cooperation with Venezuela. | As of 2: 49pm Moscow time (11: 49am GMT) Rosneft shares were trading at 453.5 rubles (US$7.1) per share, down 4.65 percent from the previous session. | Read more | | The drop came less than two days after the Trump administration announced that it w…

teleSUR (2020-02-07). Bolivia's Coup-Born Regime Arrests Socialist Lawmaker Torrico. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Special Force for the Fight Against Crime (FELCC) Thursday arrested Movement for Socialism (MAS) lawmaker Gustavo Torrico in La Paz as he was leaving home to work. | RELATED: | The coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez accuses Torrico of sedition and terrorism. This has caused outrage among human rights defenders who have been denouncing that the Bolivian government persecutes social activists who dissent. | "This is totally illegal. I appeared…

Staff (2020-02-07). Headlines for February 7, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Lashed Out at "Evil" Lawmakers Who Voted to Impeach Him, Sanders and Buttigieg Virtually Tied with 100% of Iowa Precincts Reporting, Buttigieg Campaign Moves to Cut Ties with Head of Data Company That Contracts with ICE, Chinese Doctor Who Raised Alarm of Coronavirus Has Died, Trump Says Pentagon Killed Leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Israeli Forces Kill 3 More Palestinians Amid Growing Protests, Canadian Police Raid Indigenous Wet'suwet'en Protest Camp, 20 Miners Trapped in Underground Mine in Zimbabwe, Brazilian Judge Declines to Pursue Charges Against Glenn Greenwald, El Salvador Says It Is…

Ajamu Baraka (2020-02-07). Venezuela "Embassy Protectors" Will Not be Able to Tell Jury that Coup Leader Juan Guaido Is "Not President", or Mention International Law. globalresearch.ca On February 4, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell issued a ruling on what the jurors will be allowed to be told in the trial of the Embassy Protectors scheduled to begin on February 11. She granted most of the government's …

teleSUR (2020-02-07). Venezuela: Sergei Lavrov Met National Dialogue Representatives. telesurenglish.net Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday met with the "National Dialogue" representatives in Caracas where he stressed that the U.S. sanctions against Venezuela are unacceptable and illegal. | RELATED: | "Unfortunately, the crisis Venezuela is going through comes from a campaign led by the United States to overthrow the legitimate government chaired by President Nicolas Maduro," L…

teleSUR (2020-02-07). Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister to Meet President Maduro. telesurenglish.net Russia's RELATED: | After visiting Cuba and Mexico, Lavrov arrived in Caracas on Thursday ni…

yenisafak (2020-02-07). Amazon's pink dolphins threatened by end of fishing ban. yenisafak.com The Amazon river dolphin is an intelligent and friendly mammal that appears to grin and flush like a human blushing when it gets excited.But some are concerned about the world's largest freshwater dolphin coming under threat again in Brazil, where fishermen hunt and kill it illegally to make bait for a catfish called piracatinga.A legal moratorium on fishing the piracatinga ended last month, prompting calls for its renewal from environmentalists and researchers such as biologist Vera da Silva, who has worked to preserve the so-called pink river dolphins for 25 years."I never stop being amazed by them. They are fa…

Venezuela Analysis (2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.

teleSUR (2020-02-06). Evangelical Missionary Leads Brazil Office for Isolated Tribes. telesurenglish.net The government of ultra-right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed on Wednesday the appointment of an evangelical missionary to head the office responsible for Brazil's uncontacted Indigenous peoples. | RELATED: | Despite an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the nomination from national and international organizations, the Indigenous Affairs Agency (

Yves Engler (2020-02-06). Trudeau Government's Effort to Overthrow Venezuelan Government. dissidentvoice.org What's more likely to shape Canadian policy in the Hemisphere: human rights and democracy or bankers' bottom-line? Last week Venezuelan politician Juan Guaidó was fêted in Ottawa. The self-declared president met Canada's Prime Minister, international development minister and foreign minister. Trudeau said, "I commend Interim President Guaidó for the courage and leadership he has shown …

teleSUR (2020-02-06). Maduro: 'the US Does Not Appoint President in Venezuela'. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's RELATED: | "In Venezuela, the president is not appointed by the U.S. president; the People choose him through elections,…

teleSUR (2020-02-06). US and Colombia Carrying out Military Exercises in Cartagena. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Special Operations Command South spokesperson Cesar Santiago reported that Colombia and his country are developing joint military exercises in Cartagena. | RELATED: | "This exercise will help build interoperability between the armies of the U.S. and Colombia, ensuring that we are ready to respond quickly in support of our partners in case of a crisis," Santiago said, as reported by local media RCN. | On…

teleSUR (2020-02-06). Aida Merlano: Ivan Duque Persecutes Me to Assassinate Me. telesurenglish.net The former Colombian congresswoman, Aida Merlano, said Thursday that Colombian President Iván Duque is chasing her to assassinate her. | "I apologize for entering the country like this, illegally," Merlano said during her statement at a special hearing held at the Palace of Justice, in Caracas, where she said she was set up by the leaders of the country's traditional political machine. | RELATED: | She stressed that t…

teleSUR (2020-02-06). Guyana: Global Witness Accuses Exxon of 'Exploitative' Contract. telesurenglish.net Guyana loses $55 billion with its current oil license deal with Exxon shows an analysis of the international human rights and anti-corruption group Global Witness. | RELATED: | The group urged the Guyanese government to renegotiate the deal as they found that the rushed deal left the country with a lower profit share from Exxon's Stabroek oil license than countries generally get from such negotiations. | The investig…

Ariela Ruiz Caro (2020-02-06). The Dramatic Fall of Chile as Latin America's Neoliberal Role Model. zcomm.org The popular uprising in Chile has unmasked the image of well-being in Chilean society that the international establishment has been selling…

teleSUR (2020-02-06). Evo Morales Warns of US Threats Against Him. telesurenglish.net Forner Bolivian president RELATED: | "The United States is targeting me, and I clearly remember what happened in Libya and Iraq. That is one of the reasons why I thought of being a candidate for le…

Staff (2020-02-06). Headlines for February 6, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Senate Acquits Trump of Two Impeachment Charges, Iowa Caucus: Sanders & Buttigieg Virtually Tied with 97% of Precincts Reporting | , Newborn Baby Becomes Youngest Person Diagnosed with Coronavirus as Death Toll in China Hits 560, Human Rights Watch: 138 Salvadoran Asylum Seekers Killed After Being Deported from U.S., DHS: New York Residents Can No Longer Participate in Trusted Traveler Programs | , Jair Bolsonaro Introduces Bill to Clear Way for Mining, Oil Extraction in Brazilian Amazon | , Nicolás Maduro: Trump Taking U.S. Toward "High-Level Conflict with Venezuela" | , Thousands Protest in Algeria for 50t…

teleSUR (2020-02-05). People With HIV Are "an Expense" for Brazil: Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday that citizens with HIV are a severe problem, and generate a high "expense" for the country, sparking outrage among the popular sectors of the South American nation. | RELATED: | "A person with HIV, in addition to having a serious problem, is an expense for everyone here in Brazil," the far-right president of Brazil said. | The head of state expressed his discriminatory c…

Alan Macleod (2020-02-05). SOTU: Democratic "Resistance" Give Trump's Venezuela Aggression a Standing Ovation. mintpressnews.com Perhaps the loudest applause heard during Trump's State of the Union Address was reserved for Venezuala's Juan Guaidó, as Democrats and Republicans rose as one to salute the self-declared president.

teleSUR (2020-02-05). Russian FM Lavrov Starts Latin America Tour in Cuba. telesurenglish.net Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Cuba as part of a Feb. 5 to 8 tour of Latin America that will include visits to Mexico and Venezuela. | RELATED: | Lavrov's meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez will take place in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajarova said. | The spokeswoman also said that among the issues to be discussed between…

Fight Back (2020-02-05). Free Bolivian political prisoner Facundo Molares! fightbacknews.org Bolivia suffered a vicious coup d'état on November 10, 2019 that was provoked by right-wing gangs rampaging in the street, traitorous police and military officers, the old guard political elite, and, of course, supported by the United States Embassy. As soon as Evo Morales was elected to a fourth term as president of Bolivia on October 20, with almost 47% of the vote, right-wing elements, centered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, started a campaign to destabilize the progressive government headed by Evo. | Directly after the results announcing that Morales won in the first round of the presidential election, reactiona…

teleSUR (2020-02-05). Ecuador: CNE Starts Planning 2021 General Elections. telesurenglish.net The National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE) introduced the new Democracy Code ahead of 2021 general elections for both President and assembly. | RELATED: | Among the main changes in the code, there is gender parity in the formulation of electoral lists and the creation of a new computer system for the control of campaign spending. | Furthermore, the Contentious Electoral Tribunal does not have the power to dismi…

news.un (2020-02-04). Bolivia: UN underlines support for 'credible, transparent and inclusive' election. news.un.org With Bolivia this week reaching a "decisive stage" in its electoral process, the United Nations "will do everything possible" to support the country in holding a vote that is credible, transparent and inclusive, envoy Jean Arnault has said.

Oliver Vargas (2020-02-03). The Old Puppets Return: Meet Bolivia's Corrupt Washington-Backed Candidates. mintpressnews.com Elections are looming in Bolivia. Despite closing ranks to force out Evo Morales' left-indigenous government, the different factions of Bolivia's pro-coup right have fallen out with each other less than three months into their rule. The crisis boiled over on January 26, when Jeanine Anez, the self-declared 'interim' president, declared that she would stand as a candidate, However, the problem facing the Bolivian right is much larg…

Staff (2020-02-03). ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. democracynow.org The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea. The expansion is expected to affect more than 350 million people. Democrats say they will…

Medea Benjamin (2020-02-02). Why aren't Americans rising up like the people of Chile and Lebanon? zcomm.org The tinder for a revolutionary movement is everywhere…

Staff (2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…

Anya Parampil (2020-01-30). US government censorship? Social media giants disappear accounts of Iranian and Venezuelan academics, journalists. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi's Facebook and Instagram…

Max Blumenthal (2020-01-29). Ciudadano estadounidense detenido e interrogado por agentes del DHS sobre la solidaridad con Venezuela del movimiento antiguerra. thegrayzone.com Un ciudadano estadounidense que participó en el Colectivo de Protección de la Embajada de Venezuela fue detenido, registrado e interrogado…

Luiz ignacio lula Da silva (2019-12-28). Prison gave me a greater will to fight. zcomm.org Interview on the reality that Brazil is experiencing and the social protests that have occurred in several Latin American countries…

The Real News (2019-12-28). Chileans Demand New Constitution as Protests Continue. zcomm.org For two months, Chileans have been protesting all over the country on a daily basis…

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-20). Notes on a private TV newscast in Bolivia. The contrast with Venezuela is clear as day. zcomm.org In August, I took detailed notes a news broadcast on one of Venezuela's largest TV networks. I summarized these notes in an interview I did with the Real News Network making the point that Venezuela's private media (which reaches 60-90% of households) is remarkably free — most especially when you consider the US is openly

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-16). Francisco Rodriguez answers some questions I asked about Venezuela. zcomm.org Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez, formerly of Torino Economics, answered a few questions of mine about his country. He was the economic adviser to Henri Falcon, the second place finisher in the May 2018 presidential election. His updated estimate for 2019 is that Venezuela's real GDP will contract by 25% . That's horrific, but less severe

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-15). 128 Reuters articles on Bolivia since October 20, 2019 election with no mention of expert criticism of OAS audit UPDATED. zcomm.org Bolivia ¥s foreign minister says Mexico appeal to International Court 'a mistake' Bolivia's YPFB strikes transition deal with Petrobras to extend natural gas exports Bolivia is not a Mexican colony, acting foreign minister Longaric tells El Pais Mexico says Spanish diplomats' cars blocked by Bolivia at La Paz embassy Mexico appeals to international court as diplomatic

WSWS (2019-02-07). More killed as poll shows half of Chile has joined protests. wsws.org The demonstrations last week, as well as the ongoing walkouts at high schools signal a still latent social explosion.