2020-07-11: News Headlines

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-11). Colombian social leaders walked 15 days and 600 km to demand the right to life. peoplesdispatch.org A group of social s and human rights defenders have been marching from the southwestern Colombia for the past 15 days to demand respect for the life, territory and human rights of minority groups in the country…

Marco Antonio Bessa, Ronaldo Laranjeira, David Martin (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.

Joe Emersberger (2020-07-11). Remembering the Venezuelan National Assembly vote lost by Guaidó in January 2019. zcomm.org The view of the US government and the pro-Guaidó faction of the opposition was summed up by a New York Times headline and subhead that on January 5 that said Venezuela's Maduro Claims Control of National Assembly, Tightening Grip on Power It was the last political institution in opposition hands. Now President Nicolás Maduro's has

Andre Vltchek (2020-07-11). The Tremendous but "Secret" Success of Socialist Vietnam. dissidentvoice.org Hue — full of public spaces 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 …

_____ (2020-07-11). The US And UK Are A Wrecking Ball Crew Against The Pillars Of Internationalism. popularresistance.org Over the past few decades, Western countries—such as the United Kingdom, but more so the United States of America—have flouted international laws and failed to even try to uphold the high-minded principles of the charter. Most recently, the United States has attempted to muzzle the International Criminal Court (ICC) as it has pursued a perfectly reasonable investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan; and the United Kingdom has denied Venezuela its sovereign right to gold held in the Bank of England. In both cases, the United States and the UK have undermined the sovereignty of nations and mutilated i…

Yanis Iqbal (2020-07-11). The hunger pandemic in Colombia. mronline.org The unchecked growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America is tearing apart the socio-economic fabric of the countrieslocated in that continent. One manifestation of this socio-economic rupture is the emergence of what David Beasley, the Executive Director of UN World Food Programme (WFP), has called a "hunger pandemic". According to WFP, "The socio-economic impact …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-11). Bolivia's interim president Jeanine àÅñez is waging a war on women pt. 2. peoplesdispatch.org In the second part of the series, Cindy Forster discusses the hypocrisy of àÅñez being celebrated as a 'pro-woman' leader as she has consistently governed against the interest of Bolivian women…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-11). 'Cradle of Silence' to go on screen at Itaúna FilmFest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — Iranian short 'Cradle of Silence', directed by Mostafa Mehraban, has made it into the competition program of the 2nd Itaúna Film Festival in Brazil.

Staff (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 Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…

Paul Street (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). 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…

Staff (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.

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Chile: Court Declares Admissible Lawsuit Against Piñera. telesurenglish.net Chile's judicial system Thursday admitted a lawsuit against President Sebastian Piñera for allegedly not having supervised the measures that his Health Ministry took to deal with the pandemic. | RELATED: | The complaint was filed by this South American nation's Human Rights Commission, the National Association of Fiscal Employees (ANEF), and the Democratic Federation of University Health Professionals (Fedeprus), and it was ruled…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Argentina: Government to Enforce An Anti-Femicides Plan. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Minister of Women, Gender, and Diversity Elizabeth Gomez Alcorta, Friday, stated the government's femicide reduction plan has multiple approaches to gender violence. | RELATED: | "We have to work on long-term prevention, which is the transformation of cultural patterns, and break with stereotypes," Gomez said. | Alongside instructional activities, the program would also extend financial aid to vulnerab…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Bolivia: Morales Denounces De Facto Gov't Hospitals Misuse. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's former president Evo Morales demanded on Friday that the coup-born government restart the El Alto hospital, given the sanitary emergency and clinics collapse due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. | RELATED: | "It is unforgivable that the de facto government does not allow the El Alto Sur hospital, built during our administration, to change the color of its walls when it could attend to Covid-19 patient…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Brazil: Amazon Deforestation Rises 25 Percent Over Last 6 Months. telesurenglish.net Deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon increased 25 percent from January to June 2020, compared to the same period last year according to preliminary data released on Friday. | RELATED: | Over the last six months, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) recorded deforestation alerts on 3,070 square kilometers in the Brazilian Amazon. | In June alone, alerts show that the devastation of the world's lar…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Brazil: Evangelical Pastor Appointed Minister Of Education. telesurenglish.net Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro designated Milton Ribeiro as the new Education Minister on Friday, following the resignation of the previous one last week. | RELATED: | According to the government website, Ribeiro has degrees in Education, constitutional law, and theology, and he is as well a pastor at an evangelical church in Sao Paulo state. | The former minister, Carlos Alberto Decotelli, resigned on July 1 afte…

José Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva (2020-07-10). Brazilian Democracy Is at a Stalemate. zcomm.org Interview on the need for a broad front coalition to defeat Bolsonarismo…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Chile: Indigenous People Face Discrimination Amidst Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Chile's head of indigenous health issues at Chile's Medical Union, Dr. Nelson Vergara, stated the government's pandemic-management strategy discriminates aboriginal people. | RELATED: | "The government said it was well prepared for the pandemic, but these preparations were designed for Euro-descendant urban populations," said Dr. Vergara. | Since the beginning of the pandemic, indigenous patients' data collection has not bee…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Colombia: Bogota to Start Strict, Rolling Two-Week Quarantines. telesurenglish.net Because of the increasing number of new COVID-19 cases, Bogota's Mayor Claudia Lopez decreed a strict quarantine for certain neighborhoods in periods of 14 days from next Monday. | RELATED: | "The city is on orange alert with a strict quarantine not to postpone the spike but to pass it … without the hospital system collapsing," Lopez announced on Friday. | So far, Bogota has 42,347 out of the 133,973 confirmed COVID-19…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (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, …

Thomas Linzey (2020-07-10). Rights of Nature: One Big Step for Nature, One Small Step for Humankind. commondreams.org A young girl plays with colorful rose petals during the Inti Raymi celebration in the village of Pesillo, Ecuador. The highland Indians, wearing beautiful costumes, dance, drink and sing with no rest. Colorful processions in honor of the God Inti (Sun) pass through the mountain villages giving thanks for the harvest and expressing their deep relation to the Mother Earth (Pachamama). (Photo by Jan Sochor/Latincontent/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-169948295.jpg

teleSUR (2020-07-10). China Suspends Ecuador's Shrimps Imports Over Covid-19 Fears. telesurenglish.net China is suspending shrimps imports from three Ecuadorian firms after detecting COVID-19 in its packaging, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced on Friday. | RELATED: | Although the frozen shrimp itself tested negative, samples from Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila SA, Empacreci SA, and Empacadora Del Pacifico Sociedad Anonima Edpacif showed six positive results as GAC warned that "there is a risk" it co…

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Uruguay: Workers to Fight the Effects of Neoliberal Act. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Friday enacted the Urgent Consideration Act (LUC), which was previously approved by Parliament on July 8. | RELATED: | The discussion of this controversial law, which contains 501 articles, began on April 23 when the executive branch sent a proposal to be processed in a period not exceeding 90 days. | Approved with the support of a coalition of conservative parties, the LUC introd…

Ricardo Vaz (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.

yenisafak (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,…

Staff (2020-07-10). Epidemiologist Slams Brazil's COVID Policy as Bolsonaro Tests Positive. truthout.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.

_____ (2020-07-09). 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 s the Donald Trump administration recognized as the country's unelected representatives have racked up a series of embarrassing scandals. | Top aides of the

Nino Pagliccia (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

Johanna Ross (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 …

Leonardo Flores (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). 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…

Alan MacLeod (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.

Ben Norton (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…

Leonardo Flores (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…

Paul Antonopoulos (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 …

W. T. Whitney Jr. (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 …

Mike Walter (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?

The Canary (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…

Staff (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…

Jorge Capelan (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 …

teleSUR (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…

teleSUR (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…

Peoples Dispatch (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…

teleSUR (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…

teleSUR (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…

teleSUR (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…

sputniknews (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). 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.