2020-03-01: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-01). Guaido says Venezuelan government tried to ASSASSINATE him after gunman spotted at opposition rally. rt.com Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has accused the government of trying to murder him, after a masked gunman was photographed at his rally and motorcycle-riding attackers reportedly shot up his motorcade. | The incident took place at an opposition rally in the city of Barquisimeto in Venezuela's northwestern Lara state on Saturday. Though no videos of the confrontation are available, a few photos from the scene were provided to the media by Guaido's team. They show an unidentified dark-clad man in a helmet pointing a gun toward a group of opposition activists and politicians, including Guaido. The gunman…

Roger D. Harris (2020-03-01). Venezuela Embassy Protectors on Trial. dissidentvoice.org Judicial proceedings are taking place in DC federal court where the judge has ruled inadmissible the question whether the democratically elected Nicolás Maduro or the Trump-chosen Juan Guaidó is the legitimate president of Venezuela. Like an emperor of yore appointing regents of vassal states, US President Trump tapped then recently seated head of the suspended …

teleSUR (2020-03-01). Closing Rallies Ahead of Elections in Guyana. telesurenglish.net The two main political parties — the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC)— closed their campaigns Saturday, each with its final rally, marking the end of a fierce political battle between them. | RELATED: | Guyana will go to the polls on Monday in a pivotal election in one of South America's poorest nations, where a coming oil boom is set to reshape a…

teleSUR (2020-02-29). Ecuador Confirms First Case of Coronavirus Imported From Spain. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's Health Minister Carolina Andramuño Saturday confirmed that an Ecuadorian citizen, who returned from Madrid, is affected by the Covid-19. | RELATED: | The patient is a 70-year-old woman who arrived in Guayaquil city on Feb. 14. Upon entering the country, she had no symptoms of the disease; at this time, however, she is in critical condition. | Ecuadorian authorities also reported that about 80 people who had…

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-02-28). If Venezuelan Embassy Protectors Are Retried, Jury Should Hear About US Crimes. globalresearch.ca On February 28, federal prosecutors will announce whether they plan to retry four people who spent 37 days in the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C.,

Alan Macleod (2020-02-28). Months After Supporting a Deadly Coup, WaPo Admits Bolivia's Elections Were Clean. mintpressnews.com The Washington Post published an

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Brazil: Bolsonaro's Businessmen Behind Actions Against Congress. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Folha de Sao Paulo journalist Monica Bergamo Thursday revealed that entrepreneurs from the Brazil 200 Institute would be related to the media attacks that the far-right has undertaken against the Legislative Power. | RELATED: | On Wednesday,

teleSUR (2020-02-28). New Murder of Ex-Guerrilla Fighter Denounced in Colombia. telesurenglish.net The president of the Colombian party Common Alternative Revolutionary Force (FARC) Rodrigo Londoño denounced Friday, the murder of a former guerrilla; the fourteenth ex-combatant killed so far this year. | RELATED: | "Holman Fabio Montes Sánchez, 38, was shot dead in the municipality of San Vicente del Caguán, in the southern department of Caquetá," FARC President Rodrigo Londoño, known as "Timochenko" because of…

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Colombian Movement Defends UN Report Against Govt's Attacks. telesurenglish.net Human rights group Defendamos la Paz movement on Friday defended a RELATED: | The movement, which includes high-profile politicians such as Humb…

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Guyana Goes to the Polls Hoping to End Its Political Crisis. telesurenglish.net Guyana's oil boom will influence the results of the March 2 elections, which are called to end the long period of political instability and stagnation that the South American country has been experiencing since 2018. | RELATED: | The Guyanese people have been waiting for this day since their president David Granger received a motion of no confidence against him, which was validated by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ…

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Añez Criticized for Sexist Stereotypes In Presidential Spot. telesurenglish.net Bolivian de facto president Jeanine Añez is under public scrutiny these days after releasing her presidential candidacy through a video that not few have considered full of sexist stereotypes. | RELATED: | In the video, she represented Bolivia as an abandoned house, which she and her people rebuilt. Besides the twisted and fake representation of her administration, Añez has been the target of criticism for replicating soci…

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Mexico: OAS Must Clarify Audit of Electoral Fraud in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net Mexico will demand the Organization of American States (OAS) "clarify and explain the deficiencies in its report," in which it affirmed the existence of alleged irregularities during the elections of Bolivia in Oct. 2019. This action follows a report revealed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which states that there is no "statistical evidence" of electoral fraud. | RELATED: | On Tuesday, research…

John Curiel — Jack R. Williams (2020-02-28). Analysis of the 2019 Bolivia Election: No Evidence of Irregular Trends or Fraud. counterpunch.org Disclosure: In December 2019, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) contracted with the authors to see if the numerical and statistical results of CEPR's November 2019 study could be independently verified. Any analysis and interpretation of findings in this report express the sole views of the authors, researchers at MIT Election Data and

news.un (2020-02-25). One in three Venezuelans not getting enough to eat, UN study finds. news.un.org Hyperinflation in Venezuela means that roughly one-third of the population — more than nine million people — do not get enough to eat and are in need of assistance, according to estimates published on Tuesday by the World Food Programme (WFP).

Ben Norton (2020-02-24). Chile's US-backed gov't is shooting anti-austerity protesters, blinding and maiming by the thousands. thegrayzone.com Chile has responded to anti-neoliberal protests with brutally violent repression. 10,365 people have been detained; 3765 treated for wounds in…

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.

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…

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