(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Organised crime: the missing link in drug policies. thelancet.com Illegal drugs and their effect on public health were discussed in a 2019 Lancet Series.1 However, the Series authors did not report how a global criminal enterprise, the drug—abuse industrial complex,2 is the origin of the problem. This global network of organised crime, corrupt politicians, money laundering, and distribution systems perpetuates this public health crisis. We have reason to believe the drug trade is now expanding under the guise of legal cannabis and cannabidiol, especially in North America, with outreach to other markets in South America, Europe, and Asia.
(2020-07-10). Headlines for July 10, 2020. democracynow.org Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Claim of Absolute Immunity, Court Says Much of Oklahoma Remains Indian Country in Landmark Indigenous Sovereignty Case, Hospitals Face Surge as U.S. Reports Record 65,000 New Coronavirus Cases, Surge in Cases Directly Tied to Early Reopenings in Florida, Arizona, Texas, Bolivia's Interim President Tests Positive; India, S. Africa & Mexico Report New Record Highs, 1.3 Million More File for Unemployment as GOP Rejects Extending Jobless Aid, Biden Unveils $700 Billion "Buy American" Economic Recovery Plan, St. Louis Police Break Up City Hall Protest Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…
(2020-07-10). Imperial Blind Spots and a Question for Obama. counterpunch.org 
The biggest of the many moral blind-spots that mar the politics of the Democratic Party is American imperialism. Biden Helped Lead the Charge into Iraq Look at the Inauthentic Opposition Party's[1] presumptive presidential nominee. Biden recently chided Donald Trump in not-so veiled terms for failing to overthrow the democratically elected socialist Maduro government of Venezuela?
(2020-07-10). The Tremendous But 'Secret' Success Of Socialist Vietnam. popularresistance.org Some twenty years ago, when I moved to Hanoi, the city was bleak, grey, covered by smog. The war had ended, but terrible scars remained. | I brought my 4WD from Chile, and insisted on driving it myself. It was one of the first SUVs in the city. Each time I drove it, it was hit by scooters, which flew like projectiles all over the wide avenues of the capital. | Hanoi was beautiful, melancholic, but clearly marked by war. There were stories, terrible stories of the past. In "my days", Vietnam was one of the poorest countries in Asia. | Many great heritage sites, including the My Son Sanctuary in Central Vietnam, we…
(2020-07-10). Brazilian Epidemiologist Slams Bolsonaro's COVID Response as Far-Right President Tests Positive. democracynow.org 
As Brazil faces the world's second-worst COVID-19 outbreak after the United States, Trump ally and far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive, after months of downplaying the severity of the pandemic. Brazil has gone almost two months with no health minister. "Bad political leadership is a major risk factor for the spread of the pandemic," says leading Brazilian epidemiologist Cesar Victora, who coordinates the International Center for Equity in Health at the Federal University of Pelotas.
(2020-07-10). VenezolanosConBiden And MAGAzuela: Two Sides Of The Same Coin. popularresistance.org The Biden campaign held an online event on Wednesday, July 8 pitched as the former Vice President's "vision for Venezuela and Venezuelans in the U.S." Spoiler alert: his vision for Venezuela barely differs from President Trump. This event, which didn't merit an appearance from Biden himself, was aimed at getting Venezuelan-Americans to volunteer for "Uncle Joe", as Representative Darren Soto (D-Fl) called him. It was an hour and a half of shilling for votes and influence, and it demonstrated that when it comes to Venezuela, policies of regime change, sanctions and a refusal to engage in dialogue unite Venezolanos…
(2020-07-10). Brazilian Democracy Is at a Stalemate. zcomm.org Interview on the need for a broad front coalition to defeat Bolsonarismo…
(2020-07-10). US Plans to Invade Venezuela Through Colombia. globalresearch.ca Colombia is under a pro-Washington government. The country's current president, Iván Duque Márquez, has been noted for a series of policies of alignment with the United States, continuing the legacy of his predecessor, former president Juan Manuel Santos, …
(2020-07-10). [UPDATED] Venezuela: Oil Minister, PSUV Vice President Test Positive for COVID-19. venezuelanalysis.com The senior Chavista figures made the announcement on Twitter.
(2020-07-10). Iran reports 142 more deaths due to coronavirus. yenisafak.com Iran on Friday confirmed 142 more fatalities caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide death toll to 12,447.A further of 2,262 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 252,720, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.A total of 215,176 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 3,319 patients remain in critical condition, the official said.Across the world, COVID-19 has claimed over 555,500 lives in 188 countries and regions since emerging in China last December.Nearly 12.3 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the US, Brazil,…
(2020-07-09). Meet the Venezuelan Coup Regime's 'UK Ambassador,' a Pampered U.S. Heiress Who Threatens Journalists. strategic-culture.org 
Juan Guaidó's UK representative, a jet-setting US socialite named Vanessa Neumann, has threatened journalists with FBI investigations for reporting on her unhinged behavior. The coup-plotting heiress made her name spinning out conspiracies at neoconservative think tanks. | Ben NORTON | Since the United States initiated a coup attempt against Venezuela's elected, internationally recognized government in January 2019, the gang of far-right opposition activists the Donald Trump administration recognized as the country's unelected representatives have racked up a series of embarrassing scandals. | Top aides of the
(2020-07-09). The Impact Of The Economic War On Venezuela. popularresistance.org It would be impossible to count each and every one of the ways in which the war on Venezuela declared by imperialism has harmed the country. The aggressions that we, the Venezuelans, have experienced since 1999 have been not only economic; they have been psychological as well. There is no way to measure the consequences of the hate planted by the anti-democratic opposition, with its anti-socialist propaganda; it has extended to the point of burning people alive for being Chavistas. The outrage felt by the Venezuelan people when they see those who have sold out their native land while calling themselves Venezuelan…
(2020-07-09). Meet the Venezuelan coup regime's 'UK ambassador,' a pampered US heiress who threatens journalists. thegrayzone.com Juan Guaidó's UK representative, a jet-setting US socialite named Vanessa Neumann, has threatened journalists with FBI investigations for reporting on…
(2020-07-09). Biden's vision for Venezuela is virtually indistinguishable from Trump's. thegrayzone.com A campaign event demonstrated that when it comes to Venezuela, policies of regime change, sanctions, and refusal to engage in…
(2020-07-09). Headlines for July 9, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Posts Another Record Daily High in New Coronavirus Cases, Anthony Fauci Absent from Coronavirus Task Force Briefing After Drawing Criticism from Trump, Trump Attacks CDC Guidance on School Reopenings During Pandemic, Hundreds Test Positive for COVID-19 at Arizona For-Profit Immigration Jail, Tulsa, OK Health Official Links Explosion of Coronavirus Cases to Trump Rally, HHS Secretary Claims Medical Workers "Don't Get Infected" After 95,000 Test Positive for Coronavirus, COVID-19 Cases Spike in Africa, While Melbourne, Australia, Is Placed Back on Lockdown, Bolivians Buried in Mass Graves as Hospitals "Collaps…
(2020-07-09). UK Commits 'Highway Robbery' of Venezuelan Gold, Says Academic. globalresearch.ca When it comes to Venezuela, Britain is suffering from split personality disorder. While the UK Foreign Office reportedly maintains 'full, normal and reciprocal diplomatic relations' with legitimately elected President Maduro's government, and with Maduro's UK ambassador, the British government has …
(2020-07-09). Venezuela is on a Path to Make Colonialism Obsolete. counterpunch.org On June 29 the European Union (EU) slapped new sanctions against 11 Venezuelan individuals. Immediately President Nicolas Maduro responded by ordering the expulsion of the EU ambassador to the country. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that Brussels would retaliate against Caracas over its decision and announces that it will summon Maduro's ambassador to
(2020-07-09). Biden and Trump on Venezuela: Two Sides of the Same Coin. commondreams.org A January 2015 meeting between Venezuelan President Nicol√°s Maduro and Vice President Biden—unlikely to be repeated if Biden wins the presidency. (Photo: AP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/biden_maduro.jpg …
(2020-07-09). Guaido representative threatens FBI investigation into journalists exposing her dealings. mronline.org 
Juan Guaido's UK "ambassador" claims that she is working with the FBI in an investigation exposing a "transnational criminal network" of journalists and outlets, including Venezuelanalysis.
(2020-07-09). Peru ranks oil production over pandemic threat and Indigenous rights. peoplesworld.org 
As of July 7, 10,772 people had died of COVID 19 infection in Peru, which is the 8th most severely affected country in the world. The actual toll is assumed to be far greater, especially in Peru's Amazonian region. Indigenous inhabitants there, isolated from medical care, are vulnerable both to environmental abuses at the hands …
(2020-07-09). The Heat: COVID-19 surges in United States and Brazil. america.cgtn.com 
The United States and Brazil lead the world with the highest number of coronavirus cases. The U.S. now topping three million infections — just what's behind the surge?
(2020-07-09). India records almost 25,000 new coronavirus cases. thecanary.co 
India has reported nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections as the disease continues to spread through the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people.The virus is showing no signs of slowing in the worst-affected countries — the United States, Brazil and India.The three nations account for more than 60% of new cases, according to recent tallies from Johns Hopkins University.The US reported nearly 59,000 new daily cases, just short of the record 60,000 cases set a day earlier, as president Donald Trump insisted that schools reopen in the autumn.President Donald Trump said schools should reopen in the autumn (Evan Vu…
(2020-07-09). Bolsonaro Will Politicize His "Alleged" Coronavirus Infection to Regain Lost Popularity. globalresearch.ca It is only natural for many people to think Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro testing positive for COVID-19 is a karma for his insistence on minimizing the risks of the disease and a near non-existent management of the pandemic that has …
(2020-07-09). The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team and Nicaragua — Science or Injustice? globalresearch.ca The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, EAAF1, created in the mid-1980s, is a very prestigious human rights organization in Argentina and Latin America2 for, among other things, having found the mortal remains of the founder of the Mothers …
(2020-07-09). Bolivia's Crisis: Hospital Will No Longer Receive Patients. telesurenglish.net La Paz City's Obrero Hospital director Raul Villanueva Wednesday confirmed that his institution will no longer receive COVID-19 patients because its ability to offer services has collapsed. | RELATED: | "There is no more capacity. The coronavirus patients area is collapsed. We have 80 people there," Villanueva told local outlet Pagina Siete. | "We don't have enough reagents. We do not have human resources because…
(2020-07-09). Bolivia: Interim President àÅñez Tests Positive for COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's de facto president Jeanine àÅñez Thursday announced via her Twitter account that she had tested positive to COVID-19 while other members of her team are infected as well. | RELATED: | "I feel well, I feel strong, I am going to keep working remotely from my isolation, and I want to thank all the Bolivians who are working to help us in this health crisis," àÅñez said as COVID-19 cases have spiked in the…
(2020-07-09). Ecuador's foreign minister José Valencia resigns. peoplesdispatch.org On the afternoon of July 8, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, José Valencia, resigned from his position. Through a virtual press conference, Valencia, who had been in office for two years, explained that he presented his resignation "due to an entirely personal reason." | "I have the feeling, the perception, that I have already fulfilled the task that I had to carry out as the head of the Foreign Ministry," said Valencia in the conference. | Valencia was the second foreign minister of President Lenín Moreno's government so far. He was appointed in June 2018, after the resignation of María Fernanda Espin…
(2020-07-09). Over 70 Percent of Paraguayan Fear Contagion, Unicef Says. telesurenglish.net Paraguay's Unicef Office Thursday disclosed the results of a survey about Covid-19, conducted in May. The polling intended to assess population risk perception and useful knowledge about the pandemic. | RELATED: | According to Unicef, about 1,409 families from rural and urban regions and different living standards participated in the study. The responses were collected by phone and through a website. | Paraguayans…
(2020-07-09). Peru: 7 Victims Found After Helicopter Crash. telesurenglish.net Peru's Air Force (FAP) located on Thursday the remains of the seven people disappeared after a helicopter crashed over the Amazon region on Tuesday. | RELATED: | On Wednesday the FAP resumed search operations that were suspended due to bad weather and found that the four people crew of the M-17 helicopter, as well as three passengers, had lost their lives. | "The Peruvian air force has ordered the immediate activation…
(2020-07-09). Venezuela: Diosdado Cabello Has Tested COVID-19 Positive. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's National Assembly (ANC) president Diosdado Cabello Thursday reported he has tested COVID-19 positive. | RELATED: | "Dear comrades, I would like to inform you that after taking the corresponding tests I have tested positive for COVID-19," Cabello tweeted. | Cabello suspended Wednesday broadcasts of his TV show "Con el Mazo Dando," alleging he had allergies. After testing results, he remains in isolatio…
(2020-07-09). Bolivian Interim President Says Tested Positive for Coronavirus. sputniknews.com The announcement comes just days after Bolivian Health Minister Eydi Roca tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
(2020-07-08). Headlines for July 8, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Begins Formal U.S. Withdrawal from World Health Organization, Brazil's Official Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 65,000 as Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive, U.S. Confirms Record 60,000+ Coronavirus Cases as Trump Demands School Reopenings, Houston Mayor Pleads with Republicans to Cancel Texas Convention Amid Coronavirus Surge, Prominent GOP Senators to Skip Republican National Convention Amid Pandemic, Serbian Anti-Lockdown Protesters Storm Parliament; Spanish Study Questions "Herd Immunity", Mexican President to Meet with Trump; Canadian PM Won't Attend over COVID Concerns, Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley…
(2020-07-08). Bolivian Polls Show Socialist Candidate To Win Elections In First Round. popularresistance.org The U.S.-backed, interim president Jeanine Añez only has 13 percent of the voting intention. | The Latin America Strategic Center for Geopolitics (CELAG) Tuesday published the results of a survey according to which the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) presidential candidate Luis Arce would get 41.9 percent of the votes in the upcoming elections in September. | This percentage of popular support would allow him to win the elections in the first round, far exceeding the Bolivian right-wing candidate, Carlos Mesa, who would barely get 26.8 percent of the vote.
(2020-07-08). The US and UK are a wrecking ball crew against the pillars of internationalism. peoplesdispatch.org Vijay Prashad writes on the imperialist actions led by the US and the UK against Venezuela and the emptiness of their commitment to international law…
(2020-07-08). Trump in 'free trade' talks with Brazilian right-wing authoritarian President Bolsonaro. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Even as he celebrates forcing one so-called "free trade" pact down Mexico's throat, President Donald Trump is pursuing another, with his right-wing Southern Hemisphere compadre, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Of course, the talks may have hit a medical snag: Bolsonaro, who's been even more outspoken than Trump in denouncing the coronavirus as a fabricated threat, …
(2020-07-08). Facebook bans accounts linked to Roger Stone, Proud Boys & Brazil's Bolsonaro in fight against 'coordinated inauthentic behavior'. rt.com 
Facebook has banned dozens of pages allegedly linked to ex-Trump adviser and Republican operative Roger Stone, as well as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in its relentless battle against political 'misinformation networks'. | The 100-account network said to be linked to Stone, a Florida resident, was discovered in the course of an investigation into the right-wing group Proud Boys, banned from Facebook years ago, the social media behemoth
(2020-07-08). NYT Acknowledges Coup in Bolivia—While Shirking Blame for Its Supporting Role. commondreams.org New York Times still hasn't acknowledged, let alone apologized for, the credulous reporting that gave it a leading role in bringing down an elected president and the violence that followed. (Photo: New York Times) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nyt-evo-morales-1024×512.jpg …
(2020-07-08). Uruguayans reject the approval of the Urgent Consideration Law. peoplesdispatch.org The Urgent Consideration Law (LUC) is a neoliberal legislation that promotes budget cuts in the public sector, supports the privatization of public companies and restricts the right to strike of the workers, among other setbacks…
(2020-07-08). US coronavirus cases top 3 million: study. yenisafak.com Maryland-based university's tally counted 3,009,611 confirmed infections and 131,594 fatalities, while 936,476 people have recovered from the disease.The US continues to be worst-hit country with the highest number of cases and deaths worldwide, followed by Brazil and the UK.Recent spikes in cases and hospitalizations forced many US states to pause their reopenings or reimpose new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.More than 36.8 million tests have been conducted so far.
(2020-07-08). At Least One Dead After Small Plane Crashes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. sputniknews.com According to preliminary information, the pilot on board died, while media reports say at least three people were injured by the aircraft as it crashed, catching fire.
(2020-07-07). 'Pattern' of Abuse by Colombian Soldiers Raises Questions Over US' Continued Funding for Forces. sputniknews.com The rapes of two young, Indigenous girls by soldiers in rural Colombia have shed light on the role that the US plays in expanding and training the Colombian military, two activists told Sputnik.
(2020-07-07). Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for Covid-19. thecanary.co 
Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro says he has tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) after months of downplaying the severity of the disease.Bolsonaro confirmed the test results while wearing a mask and speaking to reporters in the country's capital Brasilia."I'm well, normal. I even want to take a walk around here, but I can't due to medical recommendations," Bolsonaro said.People have protested over Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic (AP/Eraldo Peres)The president has often appeared in public to shake hands with supporters and mingle with crowds, at times without a mask. He has said that his history as an…
(2020-07-07). Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive for Covid-19. commondreams.org The announcement comes three days after the right-wing leader was photographed without a mask with the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12177721131_0.jpg …
(2020-07-07). Latin America under CoronaShock: Social crisis, neoliberal failure, and the People's Alternatives. mronline.org 
The first cases of COVID-19 were detected in December 2019 in Wuhan (China). In early March, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the rapidly expanding illness a pandemic.
(2020-07-07). South America's Covid-19 crisis has exposed the inequalities of the region & the lack of real progress addressing poverty. rt.com 
As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in South America, it is the poorest who are worst affected. The pandemic has highlighted the societal problems that countries have been unable to eradicate. | At roughly 7: 30am on July 6, a gasoline truck overturned on a perilous stretch of Colombia's Caribbean highway known for accidents. In this part of the world, a vehicle accident itself is generally not newsworthy. | But times are different. With Covid-19 ravaging South America, we can begin to understand why ten people lost their lives when the truck's cargo exploded, and around 50 are in a serious condition fr…
(2020-07-07). Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus. peoplesdispatch.org Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro affirmed on Tuesday July 7 that he tested positive for COVID-19. The information was confirmed by the Special Secretary of Social Communication. | "The result of the test of COVID-19 done by the President Jair Bolsonaro on the night of Monday July 7 presented a positive diagnosis. The president remains in good health and at this moment he is in the Alvorada Palace," said the government in a note. | Bolsonaro had already told his followers on Monday July 6, that he had symptoms such as a fever of 38 degrees and pain in his body. He has reported to be feeling well and with "clean…
(2020-07-07). Unprecedented Ruling For Indigenous Peoples. popularresistance.org On April 2, a ruling issued in Costa Rica by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights resounded strongly in the arid north of Argentina. For more than two decades, the original communities of the province of Salta had been awaiting the outcome of the case Lhaka Honhat Association (Our Land) vs. Argentina, a case sponsored by CELS since 1998. | After more than twenty years of litigation, the Court ordered the government of Argentina to cede an undivided deed to 4,000 km2 of ancestral territory to the Lhaka Honhat Association of Aboriginal Communities, located in the north of the country. Furthermore, the South Ame…
(2020-07-07). Guaido Representative Threatens FBI Investigation Into Journalists. popularresistance.org Vanessa Neumann, the U.K. ambassador of self-declared President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, claims that she is working closely with the FBI in an investigation exposing a "transnational criminal network" of journalists, including John McEvoy, Pablo Navarette, independent outlet Venezuelanalysis and former MintPress News contributor Camila Escalante. | From the Twitter account of her communications firm, Asymmetrica, Neumann said that the four sources were involved in a "criminal conspiracy" supporting Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodriguez. "There is a price on your head" she informed them, "welcome to the rule…
(2020-07-07). Vice-president of Ecuador Otto Sonnenholzner resigns. peoplesdispatch.org The vice president of Ecuador, Otto Sonnenholzner, on July 7, resigned from his post, which he had held since December 2018. According to the local media, his disagreements with various government officials led him to take the decision. | "A year and a half ago, without looking for it, I was presented with the opportunity to serve Ecuador from the vice presidency of the Republic and I accepted it. I will always thank the President for his trust and the National Assembly, which gave me the opportunity to serve my country from this institution in a constitutional way," said Sonnenholzner on national television in t…