(2020-03-31). Coup plan B! US tells Guaido he may renounce his Venezuela 'presidency' claim — but they'll still support him. rt.com 
The US State Department magnanimously agreed that opposition politician Juan Guaido may not actually be president of Venezuela, but insisted he still has to be part of a transition government if Caracas wants sanctions relief. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put forth a "democratic transition framework" on Tuesday, under which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would set up a power-sharing interim government with Guaido, that would arrange for elections in six months to a year. | According to Pompeo, the proposal "protects the interests and equities of all Venezuelan people who desperately seek a resolution…
(2020-03-31). Attempted coup & assassinations: Venezuelan prosecutors subpoena Guaido as 'among main perpetrators' in US-backed regime-change op. rt.com 
Venezuela's prosecutors have summoned Juan Guaido over his role in the "attempted coup d'etat," as well as in alleged assassination attempts. Guaido is the main figure in US-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro. | The move was The move comes after a cache of weaponry, said to be smuggled into Venezuela, was seized in neighboring Co…
(2020-03-31). Russia sets up new oil company to potentially take over operations in Venezuela. rt.com 
A company specializing in the production and transportation of oil and gas has been set up in Russia, according to the state registry data. The new firm could take over projects in Venezuela after Rosneft sold its assets there. | Roszarubezhneft, which is owned by the Federal Agency for Government Property Management, will have an authorized capital of 322.7 billion rubles (over $4 billion). | The company was registered in Moscow on March 28, after Russia's oil major Rosneft announced the sale of its assets in Venezuela. On Saturday, Rosneft signed an agreement with the newly established government-run company…
(2020-03-31). Southcom boosts US military presence in Latin America, citing China, Russia 'threats'. thegrayzone.com Southern Command is ramping up the US military presence in Latin America to counter China, Russia, and Venezuela, after signing…
(2020-03-31). Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians. thegrayzone.com In comments ignored by English language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro…
(2020-03-31). Brazil: National Security Force Engages in COVID-19 Actions. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Justice Minister Sergio Moro Monday authorized the National Public Security Force (FNSP) to participate in the control of the pandemic even by taking coercive action. | RELATED: | Created in 2004, the FNSP, which is made up of elite groups of civilian and military police f…
(2020-03-31). Beyond Chutzpah: US Charges Venezuela With Nacro-Terrorism. counterpunch.org According to the parable, the ungrateful son takes out a life insurance policy on his parents, murders them to collect, and is caught and found guilty. At his sentencing, the judge asks if he has anything to say on his behalf. The son replies: "Have mercy upon me because I am an orphan." That's chutzpah.
(2020-03-31). US military veterans who fought as mercenaries for Ukrainian fascists indicted on double murder charges. wsws.org Alex Zwiefelhofer and Craig Lang are accused of orchestrating the double murder and robbery of Serafin and Deana Lorenzo to finance a trip to Venezuela for the purpose of killing "communists."
(2020-03-31). Pompeo Calls on Maduro and Guaido to Step Aside for New Venezuela Elections. sputniknews.com The US secretary of state also said that the two men need to establish a transitional government to arrange the polls.
(2020-03-31). 'Massachusetts Is Not Happy': Warren Condemns Trump for Outbidding States, Seizing Key Medical Supplies. commondreams.org Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanded to know Monday why the Trump administration seized at least two shipments of badly-needed medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic after her state of Massachusetts ordered the equipment. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/warren-bolivia_0.jpg …
(2020-03-30). Twitter REMOVES posts by Brazil's Bolsonaro in crackdown on information that 'may increase risk' of Covid-19 spread. rt.com 
In an unprecedented move, Twitter has yanked two posts by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in which he took aim at coronavirus lockdowns as part of his controversial campaign to avoid a shutdown of the economy. | Bolsonaro has become the first ever head of state to have his tweets censored by the platform under recently-updated guidelines, requiring users to remove content that defies "global or local health authorities recommendations" aimed at halting the spread of the deadly disease that has already taken hold in the Latin American country. | I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure these two tweets from…
(2020-03-30). Beyond Chutzpah: the Hypocrisy of US Nacroterrorism Charges Against Venezuela. mintpressnews.com 
This latest escalation of the US hybrid war against Venezuela takes place amid a global pandemic, which the US apparently sees as an opportunity to further attack a people made more vulnerable by the health crisis.
(2020-03-30). Chile: Young Fighter's Day Protests Begin Despite Curfew. telesurenglish.net Chilean police forces violently repressed protesters on Sunday night and early Monday as protesters took to the streets to commemorate Young Fighter's Day. | RELATED: | Social organizations decided to commemorate the date trough social networks due to Covid-19 prevention measures. Despite that, several groups of marchers started bonfires in barricades, cut the power and other disruptive actions. | The curfew,…
(2020-03-30). IMF Conditions Emergency COVID-19 Loan to Venezuela on Regime Change. mintpressnews.com Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) blocked a request from Venezuela for an emergency loan to deal with the COVID—19 pandemic on the grounds that President Nicolas Maduro "lacked recognition." "IMF engagement with member countries is predicated on official government recognition by the international community, as reflected in the IMF's membership. There is no clarity on recognition at this time," a spokesperson for the international banking organization
(2020-03-30). Brazil: Opposition Unites Against President, Demands His Removal. telesurenglish.net Brazilian leaders of opposition parties came together in an unprecedented effort and launched a petition urging for the removal of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro from office, due to his RELATED: | "Bolsonaro is more than…
(2020-03-30). Colombia: Violence Against Social Leaders Continues. telesurenglish.net Harassment and violence against social leaders in Colombia has continued, despite the ongoing quarantine that has been imposed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. | RELATED: Social and agricultural leaders comply with isolation in their homes as part of the restrictive measures for the spread of the virus. Because of this circumstance, they are easy targets for violent acts. | The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said on Twitter this week that the aggression against John Restrep…
(2020-03-30). Colombia: ELN Announces Ceasefire Over COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The National Liberation Army (ELN) announced a unilateral ceasefire in Colombia for the month of April. This is a humanitarian gesture by the organization facing the diffiult situation caused by Covid-19 in the South American nation. | RELATED: | In the communique, the paramilitary group denounced the lack of response in resources and action by the state concerning the virus spreading. It also criticizes Colombian President…
(2020-03-30). Chinese Specialists Arrive in Venezuela to Combat Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net On Monday morning, a HAINAN Airlines flight from Beijing arrived in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to deliver aid and transport several medical specialists to help fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. | RELATED: | According to reports, the HAINAN Airlines aircraft arrived in Caracas at 2: 30 A.M. (local time) on Monday. The aircraft reportedly transported a large amount of humanitarian aid and eight specialist. | "
(2020-03-30). Bolivia: Health Minister Reports First Death Due to Covid-19. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Health Minister Anibal announced on Sunday the first death due to Covid-19 in the Andean nation. So far, Bolivia registered 96 positive cases and 3 deaths. The, authorities have not offered information about the other two victims. | RELATED: | The deceased patient was an adult woman of 78-years-old from the Patacamaya municipality, in the region of Santa Cruz. The victim contracted the virus from a relative wh…
(2020-03-30). Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake Hits Colombia-Ecuador Border – US Geological Survey. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake was registered on Monday at the border of Colombia and Ecuador, the US Geological Survey said.
(2020-03-30). UK's Margaret Thatcher Prepared for Double Latin American Threat During Falklands War, Doc Reveals. sputniknews.com The Falklands War, a 10-week undeclared conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom, broke out in April 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic. However, it appears, the Argentinian threat was not the only one that Downing Street had to counter at the time.
(2020-03-29). U.S. Imperialism Pulls Desperate Move in Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). | For years, the criminal government of the United States has attempted to remove the democratically elected president of Venezuela and discredit the peoples' movement in that country that has been so successful in lifting millions of Venezuelans out of extreme poverty. Under the corrupt Trump administration alone, the United States has conducted multiple illegal attacks against President Nicolas Maduro and the people of Venezuela, including: failed assassination attempts by drone, poorly orchestrated mi…
(2020-03-29). Venezuela Never Part of US Drug Circuit: Ex-UN Anti-Drugs Chief. telesurenglish.net Former Vice Secretary of the United Nations and Former Executive Director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime Pino Arlacchi reminded Saturday that Venezuela has always been outside the main cocaine trafficking circuits between the world's main producer and consumer; Colombia and the United States. | RELATED: | "I have been dealing with the issue of drugs for forty years, and I have never encountered Venezuela. Before, durin…
(2020-03-29). Evo Morales Expresses Solidarity With Venezuela Amid US Attacks. telesurenglish.net Former Bolivian President Evo Morales said that with the most recent attack by the United States government against Venezuela, Washington intends to distract public opinion about the collapse of the country's health services in the face of Covid-19. | RELATED: | "The US is in a humanitarian crisis. The health services of its main cities are beginning to collapse," stressed the leader of the Movement to Socialism (MAS) o…
(2020-03-28). [World Report] Venezuelan migrants "struggling to survive" amid COVID-19. thelancet.com Humanitarian organisations are concerned that border closures and health-care shortages are amplifying the challenges posed by COVID-19. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.
(2020-03-28). Trump's Narcoterrorism Indictment of Maduro Already Backfires. commondreams.org A U.S. Justice Department images displays charges against Venezuelan President Nicol√°s Maduro and other Venezuelan officials on March 26, 2020. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/charges-maduro-doj.jpg …
(2020-03-28). Federal Judge Bans Bolsonaro's 'Brazil Cannot Stop' Campaign. telesurenglish.net Federal Judge Laura Bastos Saturday ordered RELATED: | Bastos complie…
(2020-03-28). Russia Calls to Lift 'Genocidal' Sanctions Against Venezuela. telesurenglish.net Russia's Foreing Minister Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Friday reiterated her country's call to lift the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela, which they consider as a "genocide tool" in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "We will not tire of repeating our call to immediately cancel arbitrary unilateral sanctions that at the current juncture of the epidemic become almost a weapo…
(2020-03-27). Democracy in Brazil would not be normal, Bolsonaro threatens. mronline.org 
The far-right president hints that a regime more authoritarian than Chile's Augusto Pinochet dictatorship could be the "price to pay" due to the "chaos" that the "small flu" triggers.
(2020-03-27). We won't go back to normal, because normal was the problem. mronline.org 
It is hard to remember that just a few weeks ago, the planet was in motion. There were protests in Delhi (India) and Quito (Ecuador), eruptions against the old order that ranged from anger at the economic policies of austerity and neoliberalism to frustration with the cultural policies of misogyny and racism. Ingeniously, in Santiago …
(2020-03-26). As the World tackles the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. raises the pressure on Venezuela. mronline.org 
In a press conference on March 26, it was almost comical how little evidence the U.S. Department of Justice provided when it accused Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro and several of the leaders of his government of narco-trafficking. The U.S. offered $15 million for the arrest of Maduro and $10 million for the others. Maduro, U.S. …
(2020-03-26). Colombian prisoners ask for medical help and receive bullets. fightbacknews.org The National Prison Movement (Movimiento Nacional Carcelario) and other prisoner rights groups called a demonstration in Colombian prisons on March 21, to protest the lack of protection against the COVID-19 virus and the general lack of decent healthcare in the Colombian prisons. Twelve Colombian prisons answered the call for a 'cacerolazo,' a protest where one bangs on pots and pans to make enough noise so that the protest is heard. | The protest in the prison Carcel Nacional Modelo de Bogotá began at 9 p.m. on March 21. The prisoners were mostly on lockdown in their cells and began banging on their pots and pan…
(2020-03-25). Venezuela's Coronavirus Response Might Surprise You. mintpressnews.com 
Unlike in the United States where coronavirus treatment can cost up to $35,000 and where Trump seems more concerned about the economy than about peoples' lives, Venezuela is handling the crisis by placing value in health over profits.
(2020-03-25). "At the Mercy of a Deranged Lunatic" — How Jair Bolsonaro Is Endangering Brazil During COVID—19. mintpressnews.com Brazil's response has been so lackluster that in some areas, organized gangs are imposing their own curfews and lockdowns, saying "if the government won't do the right thing, organized crime will."
(2020-03-25). After expelling Cuban doctors, Brazil requests their help to fight COVID-19. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-25). Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty Toward Venezuela and Iran as Coronavirus Spreads. fair.org 
AP (New York Times, An Associated Press article (New York Times,
(2020-03-24). "Humanitarian Solidarity": Even Under U.S. Sanctions, Cuba Sends Doctor Brigade to Italy and More. democracynow.org 
As Italy's death toll soars past 6,000, Cuba has sent medical brigades to combat COVID-19. Cuba has also deployed doctors to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname and Grenada. "The arrival of a medical brigade from Cuba to Italy is pretty historic. You have a leading European nation accepting support in the form of a medical team from a small Caribbean island," says our guest, Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive at George Washington University. "It just goes to the history of Cuba's deep and long-lasting commitment to humanitarian solidarity with other cou…
(2020-03-23). Headlines for March 23, 2020. democracynow.org Global COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 15,000 as Italy Drafts Military to Enforce Lockdown, Angela Merkel to Self-Quarantine After Her Doctor Tests Positive for COVID-19, First COVID-19 Cases Reported in Occupied Gaza, War-Stricken Syria and Afghanistan | , Coronavirus Cases Mount Across Africa, Two Nigerians Overdose Self-Medicating with Chloroquine After Trump Praised Anti-Malaria Drug as Possible COVID-19 Treatment, Coronavirus Leads to Lockdowns, Travel Bans in Latin America, as a Colombian Prison Riot Turns Deadly | , Fate of Tokyo Olympics Still Unknown as Canada, Australia Refuse to Send Athletes | , India Lock…
(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…
(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,