2020-03-21: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-21). Birthday to forget: Brazil icon Ronaldinho turns 40 while languishing in Paraguayan jail… and could be there for 6 more months. rt.com Former Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho turned 40 on Saturday, but it will likely be a birthday the World Cup winner wants to forget as he remains in a Paraguayan prison. | Ronaldinho and his brother are still behind bars in a maximum security facility on the outskirts of Asuncion after being The ex-Barca star was warned could face at least 6 more months in jail while the case is resolved, after he had an appeal to be m…

RT (2020-03-21). Russia delivers over 100,000 Covid-19 test kits to 13 states, including Iran, North Korea. rt.com The testing tools for coronavirus were delivered to 13 countries, including Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states Iran and North Korea, Russia's public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Saturday. | The equipment manufactured in Russia can conduct over 100,000 tests for Covid-19, and has already been used to track down the first cases of the disease in Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Moscow is due to ship the equipment to Serbia, as well as to Egypt and Venezuela. | Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said earlier this week that Russia has no shortage of testing kits. A government…

Fight Back (2020-03-21). U.S. Teamsters get warm welcome at Venezuela's Canaima laptop plant. fightbacknews.org Caracas, Venezuela – A Freedom Road Socialist Organization labor delegation toured the Canaima laptops and tablets factory in Caracas, Venezuela on March 12. The Canaima plant is located within walking distance of the bridge where U.S. puppet Juan Guaido launched a failed coup d'état April 30, 2019. Upon arrival, leading representatives of the Canaima assembly plant greeted the American Teamsters with genuine smiles and warm handshakes. | A Venezuelan educator and Canaima spokesperson, Oscar Martinez, explained the assembly plant's purpose, "Our goal is to produce a laptop or tablet for every school-aged child i…

teleSUR (2020-03-21). Bolsonaro's Hospital Must Disclose Covid-19 Positives List. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Federal judge Raquel Soares Chiarelli ordered the Armed Forces Hospital (HFA) to present the list of people who turned out to be Covid-19 positives, among whom President Jair Bolsonaro could be. This order responds to the hospital's refusal to release data to the Federal District Health Department. | RELATED: | "Proper identification of Covid-19 cases is essential for defining public policies to contend with the pandem…

Aaron Maté (2020-03-20). Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal. thegrayzone.com Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…

Nino Pagliccia (2020-03-20). Sanctions: Unilateral Coercive Measures for Regime Change in Venezuela. globalresearch.ca In discussing the issue of "sanctions" there are two main points that need to be made. One is the use of the correct terminology when referring to the government actions that the US, Canada and the EU take in order …

Zero Hedge (2020-03-20). 15 Among Brazilian Delegation that Met with Trump Now Have Coronavirus. globalresearch.ca It's been eleven days since the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his delegation met with Trump and many White House staffers at Mar-a-Lago on March 7. First it was Nestor Forster, Brazil's Chargé d'Affaires in Washington, and Nelsinho Trad, …

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Guyana: The Carter Center Withdraws Its Experts. telesurenglish.net The Carter Center has participated as an observer in the electoral process, but due to circumstances has decided to pull its experts from the ground. Their statement reads in full: | After careful consideration, The Carter Center has withdrawn its electoral experts and international observers from Guyana. The Center remains committed to promoting democracy and constitutional reform in Guyana and is willing to return when the electoral process resumes, assuming international travel is feasible. | The Carter Center made the difficult decision to have the team leave Guyana earlier today after weighing a combinati…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Colombia: President Duque Faces Investigation for Vote Buying. telesurenglish.net Congress' Investigation Chamber Thursday presented the first inquiry document of the accusation process against Colombia's President Ivan Duque due to vote-buying accusations. | RELATED: | This ‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äãact officially initiates the preliminary investigation against him after former congressw…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Latin American Leaders Demand Continent's Debt to Be Condoned. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's former President Rafael Correa, Bolivia's former Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera, Colombia's former presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, and other progressive intellectuals Friday called on the international community to make multilateral financial institutions and other private creditors sensitive to the ongoing economic situation and forgive the Latin American countries' sovereign external debt. | RELATED: |

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Covid-19 Updates: Colombia Declares Total Quarantine. telesurenglish.net Update 10: 22 PM: | Colombia declares total quarantine | Colombian President Ivan Duque declared a total quarantine on Friday night due to the danger posed by the new coronavirus, COVID-19. | The order will start from next Wednesday (March 25) and will be carried out for a period of 19 days. | "It is time to understand that our behavior saves lives," Duque said, who has been criticized for not assuming the relevant policies to confront the virus. | This week, the health unions had sent a letter to Duque assuring that, given the significant increase in cases of COVID-19 in the country (158 until this Friday), i…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Deserted Streets, Online Dancing as Argentina Goes in Lockdown. telesurenglish.net Argentina went RELATED: | On Thursday Presiden…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Bolivia: Coup-Born Regime Rejects Medical Cooperation From Cuba. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's coup-born president Jeanine Añez and her Health Minister Erwin Viruez rejected the Cuban health cooperation amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã | RELATED: | In an interview with local news media, Viruez affirmed that the Bolivian doctors have "the capacity to respond to this or any other contingency." | "Cuban doctors we…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Ecuador's CONAIE Asks President To Restore Relations with Cuba. telesurenglish.net The main Indigenous organization of Ecuador CONAIE issued a statement Thursday urging the right-wing government of Lenin Moreno to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba so the population could have access to Cuban medicines and expertise to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "In such a global crisis, the humanity requires that all governments cease ideological stances and cooperate for the well-…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Venezuela Guarantees Medicines to Fight Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net The President of Venezuela, After the national social quarantine was decreed, the Venezuelan authorities have highlighted the importance of complying with this measure to prevent new cases of contagion in the territory, which so far has reported 42 infected people. | "We have the treatments, we have all the medicines we need for the treatments, we have…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Africa, Latin America Fragile Targets for Coronavirus Spread. telesurenglish.net The West African nation of Mali has roughly one ventilator per 1 million people — 20 in all to help the critically ill with respiratory failure. In Peru, with more than 32 million people, about 350 beds in intensive care units exist. | RELATED: | Many of their nations are slamming shut borders and banning large gatherings in the hope of avoiding the scenes in wealthier countries such as Italy and the U.S., but…

Staff (2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…

teleSUR (2020-03-19). Colombia to Suspend Entry for All Travelers From Abroad. telesurenglish.net Colombia will block entry to everyone traveling from abroad from midnight on Monday to control the spread of coronavirus, President Ivan Duque said on Thursday, under pressure RELATED: | The Andean country earlier this week…

Staff (2020-03-19). Economists Demand Trump Immediately Lift Iran, Cuba, Venezuela Sanctions. truthout.org A group of economists and policy experts on Wednesday

Ben Norton (2020-03-17). Amid coronavirus pandemic, Bolsonaro's Brazil begs for Cuban doctors — after expelling them. thegrayzone.com Brazil's far-right government requested the return of thousands of Cuban doctors to help fight the coronavirus. Months ago, President Jair…

Ben Norton (2020-03-17). Italy and UK rely on help from Cuba, China, Venezuela to fight coronavirus — as US steps up brutal sanctions. thegrayzone.com Italy requested doctors from China, Cuba, and Venezuela to contain the coronavirus, while Cuba rescued a ship of British citizens….

Leonardo Flores (2020-03-17). US ramps up sanctions devastating Venezuela's health sector as coronavirus spreads. thegrayzone.com Promising to "smash" Venezuela's government during a "maximum pressure March," Trump has imposed crushing sanctions that force Venezuela to spend…

Fight Back (2020-03-17). Venezuela: American Teamsters tour printing factory. fightbacknews.org Maracay, Venezuela — The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation toured a large printing factory on March 13 in Maracay, Venezuela, about two hours outside Caracas. As the delegates bus pulled up to the factory gates, a huge sign welcomed them, "We don't speak ill of Chavez here!" The head of the factory and a group of workers excitedly gathered around to greet the American members of the Teamsters union. | In a bold and historic move, this factory was taken over by the workers themselves during the presidency of Hugo Chavez in 2005. The previously laid off workers formed a new team…

Staff (2020-03-16). Headlines for March 16, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Pandemic Death Toll Tops 6,500 Worldwide, About 170,000 Confirmed Cases, U.S. Coronavirus Cases Reach 3,600 as True Number of Infections Continues to be Unknown, Trump Tests Negative for Coronavirus After Being in Contact with Brazilian Official Infected with COVID-19, States Across U.S. Ramp Up Measures to Control Spread of Coronavirus, Including Massive School, Business Closures, Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule That Would Have Thrown 700,000 People Off Food Stamps, AOC Confronts ICE Agent at LaGuardia Airport as 6 Migrant Children Detained in Texas Were Relocated to New York, Sanders, Biden Faced Of…

Lucas Koerner (2020-03-15). Corporate Media Condone Destruction of Venezuela's Voting Machines. fair.org The vast majority of Venezuela's voting machines were incinerated on March 7 in a fire that engulfed the main warehouse of the National Electoral Council. Corporate outlets followed the familiar script of blaming the victim, repeating the US State Department talking point that the Venezuelan electoral system is "rigged" and floating outlandish conspiracy theories.

Staff (2020-03-13). Headlines for March 13, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Infections Around the Globe Reach 135,000 People, Nearly 5,000 Dead, U.S. Coronavirus Infections Rise to 1,650 as Actual Number Believed to Be Higher | , Dow Jones Plummets 10% in Biggest Drop Since 1987 | , Trump Administration Faces Backlash for Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak, Testing | , Brazilian President Bolsonaro's Aide Tests Positive for COVID-19 Days After Meeting with Trump, Philippines President Duterte Orders Lockdown in Manila Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | , Advocates Afraid of Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Immigration Jails Plagued by Medical Neglect, Democratic Presidential Debate Relo…

Joe Emersberger (2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,

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.