2020-09-07: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-07). Absent Appeals to the Left, Biden Faces Challenge to Win Over Latinx Voters. truthout.org Though she couldn't vote in past elections, Lucia Allain has spent over a decade in direct-action politics, advocating for immigrants and Latinxs. In November, Allain, who was born in Peru, will vote for the first time since becoming a United States citizen. The communications manager for the influential immigrant-rights organization The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), Allain is as passionate about politics as anyone in this country; she's serious about r…

Paul Dobson (2020-09-07). Venezuela's Constituent Assembly: No New Constitution on the Way. venezuelanalysis.com ANC President Diosdado Cabello claimed there is not enough time to rewrite the magna carta before the body dissolves itself in December.

WSWS (2020-09-07). Brazilian postal workers wage bitter strike against wage cuts, privatization. wsws.org The state-owned postal service's criminal negligence amid the COVID-19 pandemic has led to thousands of workers contracting the deadly virus and 120 reported deaths.

_____ (2020-09-07). China Backs Venezuela's Right To Safeguard Sovereignty. popularresistance.org Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and Venezuela share basically similar views on safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, jointly supporting multilateralism, and improving global governance. | China stands with the Venezuelan people in their fight against COVID-19 and upholds the Venezuelan government's right to safeguard national sovereignty, and national dignity and development, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday. | Wang made the remarks while holding talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza via video link.

Center for Biological Diversity (2020-09-07). Environmental Groups Ask Ecuador ¥s Highest Court to Protect Los Cedros. indybay.org Jane Goodall, 1,200 Other International Scientists Urge Mining Halt in Ecuadorian Protected Forest…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). US Activist and Friend to Venezuela Kevin Zeese Passes Away. telesurenglish.net U.S. lawyer, advocate, writer, activist-organizer and comrade, Kevin Zeese, passed away on Sunday morning. | RELATED: | Zeese, alongside his partner Margaret Flowers, was the Co-director of Popular Resistance, an online resource providing news and information, which brings together movements for peace and economic, racial and environmental justice. | He sat on the advisory board of Courage Foundation defending Julian Assange, Edward Snow…

Ben Norton (2020-09-06). U.S. govt-linked PR firm ran fake news networks for right-wing Latin American regimes. thegrayzone.com A Washington, DC-based PR firm linked to the US government and Democratic Party, CLS Strategies, ran a fake news network on Facebook and Instagram, spreading propaganda for Bolivia's coup regime and the right-wing opposition in Venezuela and Mexico. By Ben Norton major US PR firm located just a few blocks from the White House has …

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Venezuela to Inaugurate Simon Bolivar Institute for Peace. telesurenglish.net Venezuela will virtually inaugurate Saturday the Simon Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among the Peoples which seeks to promote the work of Latin American Liberator, Simon Bolivar. | RELATED: | The Institute's main objective is to gather international support with the Bolivarian Revolution in the face of constant threats by the government of the U.S. President Donald Trump. | According to the Institute's offic…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Colombia: Another Social Leader Killed in Nariño. telesurenglish.net Indigenous organizations Saturday denounced the murder of Juan Pablo Prado, a social leader who was killed in the Municipality of Tumaco, Nariño Department. | RELATED: | According to Colombia's Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), the social leader was killed near the school where he worked on September 6 by unidentified men who shot him at least three times. | Francisco Cortez Guanga, governor of the Piguambí Palangana coun…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Venezuela: 14,400 Candidates Will Run in Parliamentary Elections. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sworn in eight new ministers, six of whom are women. | RELATED: | During a session with the Presidential Commission for the Control and Prevention of COVID-19, the Head of State recognized the work of the eight outgoing ministers who will be participating in the electoral arena, in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Likewise, he acknowledged the announcement of the Preside…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Minors Killed by Paraguayan Army Were 11-Years-Old, Report Says. telesurenglish.net A forensic analysis carried out this Saturday found that the minors killed in an operation by the Paraguayan Armed Forces were both 11 years old. | RELATED: | The exams were carried out one day after the Argentine Foreign Ministry requested the Paraguayan government information on the girls killing. The minors were both of Argentine nationality. | Forensic expert Pablo Lemir conducted an anthropological and denta…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Bolivia: MAS candidate Luis Arce Leads Surveys Towards Elections. telesurenglish.net A survey conducted by Ciesmori Company Sunday showed that the candidate of the Movement Towards Socialism party, Luis Arce, has 26.2 percent of the intended votes for the next elections in Bolivia, nine points more than his rival Carlos Mesa, who has 17.1 percent. | RELATED: | According to the survey, 32 percent of those interviewed did not indicate for whom they would vote or had not decided on their position. | In third place is c…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Ecuador: Pichincha Prefect Denounces Political Persecution. telesurenglish.net In Ecuador, the prefect of Pichincha, Paola Pabon denounced once againpolitical persecution from the government of Lenin Moreno against her. | RELATED: | In an interview on Sunday, Pabon denounced that the Prosecutor's office is receiving pressure from the government. | "They are being pressured by the government of Lenin Moreno, and for that reason, they are not acting under the law, but per political interests of…

teleSUR (2020-09-06). Bolivia: Political Campaigns Begin Ahead of Elections. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) announced that political organizations and parties will begin their campaigns ahead for the elections of May 3. | RELATED: | "According to the Electoral Calendar approved by the TSE, the organizations and political alliances will start their campaigns from Sunday, September 6," the TSE stated. | Candidates could begin their political campaigns but they will have to maintain the health authorities recom…

Ariel Dorfman (2020-09-06). The Meaning of Allende's Triumph. zcomm.org I danced in the streets after Allende's victory in Chile 50 years ago. Now I see its lessons for today…

teleSUR (2020-09-05). 50 Years Since Unidad Popular & Allende Triumph in Chile. telesurenglish.net The Communist Party of Chile marked the anniversary of the victory of Salvador Allende on September 4, 1970 with the "50 years after the victory of Popular Unity" international seminar. | RELATED: | Politicians of Latin America's left-wing, intellectuals and social and union organization leaders were among the panelists who carried a two-day discussion on the historical significance of the Allende's victory in Chile and on his legacy. | Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro a…

_____ (2020-09-05). Venezuelan Businessman Arrested And Tortured At US Direction. popularresistance.org The businessman àÅlex Saab has said through a letter that he is being tortured daily by agents paid by the United States to make false statements against the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and to sign his "voluntary" extradition to the North American country. | The Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported this Wednesday, September 2, that he had "exclusive" access to a letter written by Saab from the cell where he is being held irregularly on the African island of Cape Verde, a country that detained him at the request of the United States without respecting his diplomatic immunity and legal international…

teleSUR (2020-09-05). Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela Meet on Combating Crime. telesurenglish.net Venezuela and neighboring Trinidad and Tobago have activated a mixed commission to combat crime on their borders. | RELATED: | Security authorities of both countries met via teleconference on Friday to strengthen cooperation, as instructed following a recent call between President Nicolas maduro and Prime Minister Keith Rowley. | The meeting was led by Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol and Minister of National Security of Trinidad and…

teleSUR (2020-09-05). Colombia: New Massacre in El Cauca Leaves 3 People Dead. telesurenglish.net Local authorities confirmed Saturday a new massacre in Colombia's Cauca Department where three men were killed in the rural zone of the municipality of El Tambo. | RELATED: | The killing took place in the Serengue area, on the boundary between the municipalities of El Tambo and Cajibio, in the west of the department of Cauca. | According to local authorities, the bodies of the three men were found by locals with t…

RT (2020-09-05). Facebook bans AMERICAN accounts for interfering in foreign politics — a DC lobby group helped topple govts in Bolivia & Venezuela. rt.com When Facebook talks about busting foreign influence campaigns, Russia is usually painted as the villain. But the social media giant recently wiped out a host of pages interfering in Latin American politics — from Washington, DC. | CLS Strategies is one of many PR and lobbying groups that call the 'swamp' of Washington, DC their home. According to the company's own website, it "helps clients win where it matters most — in the halls of government, the marketplace, and the court of public opinion." | But behind the website's corpo-speak, CLS Strategies lobbies lawmakers on behalf of foreign politician…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-05). Venezuela: Operation Gedeon Organizers Arrested in Colombia. venezuelanalysis.com The four Venezuelan citizens helped prepare the failed paramilitary incursion in May.

Wayne Madsen (2020-09-05). A Silver Lining in the Rise of Neo-Fascism. thealtworld.com The only benefit from the rise of neo-fascist leaders in heretofore democratic nations is that the various fascist, neo-Nazi, racial and religious supremacists, and far-right terrorists have reared their ugly heads to the degree where it is now easier to identify them and their circle of contacts and organizations. When the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Poland, Turkey, and other similarly afflicted nations return to political normalcy, the forces of the far-right, already self-identified, can be rolled up, stripped of their weaponry and access to the Internet as threats to public safety. These resurgent Nazis…

teleSUR (2020-09-05). Colombia: Prosecutor's Office Denies Request for Uribe's Release. telesurenglish.net The Colombian Attorney General's Office Friday rejected the freedom request presented by the defense of former president Alvaro Uribe, who is under house arrest on charges of alleged bribery and fraud. | RELATED: | "The prosecutor in charge of the investigation rejected the request because it should only be approved by a judge of control of guarantees in preliminary hearings," the Attorney General's Office stated.

WSWS (2020-09-05). Brazilian governor suspended for COVID-19 emergency contracts fraud. wsws.org Brazil's high court has suspended Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel, pending a trial and impeachment on charges of fraud in COVID-19 relief contracts.

_____ (2020-09-05). UAE, Oman And UK Tell Court US Seized Their Oil. popularresistance.org Shippers based in the UAE, Oman and the UK told a US court today they hold title to the cargoes seized by the US aboard four tankers that allegedly were transporting petroleum products from Iran to Venezuela. | The US Justice Department on 14 August said it took custody of 1.16mn bl of Iranian product aboard four Greek-owned, Liberia-flagged tankers — the Bella, the Bering, the Luna and the Pandi. The vessels were carrying cargoes — interchangeably described by US attorneys as gasoil, gasoline and refined oil — from Iran to Venezuela, the US said. The three companies said they had the right to "

teleSUR (2020-09-05). Venezuela: CNE Rejects Unilateral Sanctions Imposed by the US. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) Saturday issued a statement to reject the unilateral and coercive measures imposed by the U.S. government, which seek to sabotage the parliamentary elections scheduled for December 6. | RELATED: | CNE president Indira Alfonzo Izaguirre condemned the U.S. government institutions for subrogating absolutely "irresistible and non-existent" powers by trying to impose coerci…

Luca Valera, Paulina Ramos, Marcelo Barrientos, Fernando Altermatt, Sergio Ruiz, Rommy von Bernhardi, Mauricio Cuello (2020-09-05). [Correspondence] Clinical research in Chile: do not block the way of inquiry. thelancet.com Clinical research in Chile has grown rapidly during the past 20 years because of various research studies that were conceived and done by Chilean researchers, or through multicentre clinical trials. Nevertheless, clinical research in the areas of neurodegenerative diseases, dementia, or those involving people with mental disabilities has been impeded by the enactment of Law 20.584 in 2012.1 This law regulates people's rights and duties concerning actions associated with their health care. Article 28 of this law states: "No person with a mental or intellectual disability, and who cannot express his or her will, ma…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-04). [UPDATED] Venezuelan Government Invites Int'l Observers as Opposition Splits Over Elections. venezuelanalysis.com Opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Henrique Capriles have traded accusations in recent days.

teleSUR (2020-09-04). Ecuador: Arauz Questions the Rejection of Correa's Candidacy. telesurenglish.net The Union for Hope (UNES) presidential candidate Andres Arauz Thursday questioned the decision of the National Electoral Council (CNE) to reject Rafael Correa as a candidate for the vice presidency in the February 2021 elections. | RELATED: | The 35-year-old leftist leader argued that the electoral authorities have both Correa's electronic signature for his registration as a candidate and his indubitable acceptance of that…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-04). Forced disappearance in Argentina: The case of Facundo Astudillo Castro. peoplesdispatch.org Finally it was confirmed that the body that was found days back, is Facundo Astudillo Castro who was disappeared four months ago. Questions remain of how and where he died and all evidence points to police involvement…

WSWS (2020-09-04). Threat of a US-led military intervention in Venezuela grows as Guaidó's coalition splits. wsws.org The danger of a devastating US military intervention has escalated as a result of the domestic political crisis of the Trump administration and growing divisions within the US-backed opposition in Venezuela.

WSWS (2020-09-04). India sets world record for daily coronavirus infections. wsws.org With India now recording more than 75,000 new cases on average each day, it will soon overtake Brazil as the country with the world's second-highest number of COVID-19 infections.

teleSUR (2020-09-04). Chile: Left-Wing Party Presents Bill to Prevent Police Brutality. telesurenglish.net Chile Democratic Revolution (Revolución Democrática) political party and the Foundation Eyes of Chile (Ojos de Chile) on Friday presented a bill to the Lower House to prevent Chilean Police (Carabineros) from using bullets and pellets, as well as sound and tear guns. | RELATED: | "We have presented this bill so that the tragedy of human rights violations that we saw recently and that five international reports ac…

teleSUR (2020-09-04). China Backs Venezuela's Right To Safeguard Sovereignty: FM. telesurenglish.net China stands with the Venezuelan people in their fight against COVID-19 and upholds the Venezuelan government's right to safeguard national sovereignty, and national dignity and development, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday. | Wang made the remarks while holding talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza via video link. | RELATED: | Noting that Latin America is one of the "epicenter…

teleSUR (2020-09-04). Chile: Copper Workers Demand Rights Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Chile's Federation of Copper Workers (FTC) warned on Friday that they would take action to protect their jobs if Codelco's executives jeopardize them amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | The FTC said in a statement that "it will ensure the unrestricted defense of employment amid this pandemic," as tensions between the company's representatives and the miners have escalated in recent months over threats of massive layoffs and lac…

reenvia Red Latina sin fronteras (2020-09-04). Día Internacional de las Mujeres Indígenas: 5 septiembre. indybay.org Día Internacional de las Mujeres Indígenas: 5 septiembre | Bartolina Sisa Vargas – Guerrera Aymara | Bolivia 1750 -5 September- 1782.

sputniknews (2020-09-04). Russia Delivers 850,000 Packages of Insulin to Venezuela. sputniknews.com BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – A shipment from Russia containing 850,000 packages of insulin drugs produced by Geropharm company has arrived in Venezuela, the Latin American country's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-09-03). Amazon Rainforest and Brazil's Pantanal May Disappear Due to Illegal Deforestation and Arson. globalresearch.ca In Brazil, a serious environmental crisis is approaching. The Amazon Forest and the Brazilian Pantanal are suffering the direct consequences of deforestation and irregular exploitation of their natural resources, which are already beginning to threaten the very existence of these …

_____ (2020-09-03). US Determined To Make Assange Pay For Exposing The Cruelty Of Its War. popularresistance.org The hearing that Assange will face has nothing to do with the reasons for his arrest from the embassy of Ecuador in London on April 11, 2019. He was arrested that day for his failure to surrender in 2012 to the British authorities, who would have extradited him to Sweden; in Sweden, at that time, there were accusations of sexual offenses against Assange that were dropped in November 2019. Indeed, after the Swedish authorities decided not to pursue Assange, he should have been released by the UK government. But he was not. | The true reason for the arrest was never the charge in Sweden; it was the desire of the U.

teleSUR (2020-09-03). Colombia: Police Arrests Mercenaries Linked To Gedeon Operation. telesurenglish.net Colombian authorities announced on Thursday the capture of four Venezuelans directly involved in the failed coup plot, dubbed "Operation Gedeon," against President Nicolás Maduro. At the same time, Colombia's President Iván Duque tried to put a spin on the announcement by saying Maduro's government allegedly financed them. This to distort the evidence presented by Venezuela on Colombia's role in the coup attempt. | RELATED: |

teleSUR (2020-09-03). COVID-19 Cases in Brazil Surpass 4 Million. telesurenglish.net Brazil on Thursday said the country has more than 4 million cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, after tests detected 43,773 new cases in the previous 24 hours, raising the total caseload to 4,041,638. | RELATED: | According to the Ministry of Health, in the same 24-hour period, 834 more patients died, bringing the death toll to 124,614. | The number of new cases of COVID-19 has stopped growing in 70 per…

teleSUR (2020-09-03). Ecuador Continues To Contract Debt Amid Social Discontent. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno Wednesday announced that his country will receive a US$2 billion loan from China, besides the US$6.5 billion that was negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). | RELATED: | "During this year, we are also going to receive US$2 billion from the People's Republic of China," Moreno said and acknowledged that his administration reached a technical agreement with the IMF i…

WSWS (2020-09-03). In face of overwhelming popular opposition, Brazilian governments push criminal reopening of schools. wsws.org Brazilin states, including those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, have set dates to reopen schools between September and October,…

sputniknews (2020-09-03). Antisocial Traits Linked to Forgoing Masks, Social Distancing During Pandemic – Study. sputniknews.com A recent study by researchers in Brazil found that people with antisocial traits like low levels of empathy and higher levels of callousness, deceitfulness and risk-taking are less likely to comply with COVID-19 prevention measures, such as mask-wearing and social distancing.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-03). Chilean senators present bill to allow COVID-19 patients to vote in October plebiscite. peoplesdispatch.org Chilean senators Guido Girardi, of the Party for Democracy (PPD), and Pedro Araya, of the Christian Democratic Party (DC), on September 1, presented a reform bill that seeks to modify the recently-enacted the Safe Referendum Law, so that the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 are allowed to vote in the constitutional plebiscite scheduled for October 25. | Last week, on August 25, Chilean president Sebastián Piñera promulgated the Safe Referendum Law that gives special powers to the Electoral Service (SERVEL) to take necessary sanitary and security measures for holding safe elections. The law allows the…