(2020-02-20). 'Journalism is not a crime': Australian MP says charges against Assange must be dropped after visiting him in UK prison. rt.com 
Continued persecution of the WikiLeaks co-founder is a "crazy situation," Australian lawmaker George Christiansen told RT, adding that Julian Assange did not commit any crime aside from running afoul of US elites. | Christiansen, a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, questioned the integrity of the legal process against Assange, who is now facing the possibility of extradition to the US over "unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense." | The journalist was hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his asylum was revoked in April 2019, an…
(2020-02-19). 'Throat of fire' volcano signalling imminent, devastating COLLAPSE. rt.com 
Scientists are warning that the Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador is showing early signs of impending catastrophic collapse, after satellite data showed substantial internal damage from ongoing magma activity. | Tungurahua, has been persistently active since 1999 so wear and tear was inevitable, especially given that the 'Throat of fire,' or 'Black giant' as the Quechua indigenous people named it, has already collapsed twice before thousands of years ago. | | Tungurahua erupting on November 2nd, 1999. © US Geological Survey | "Using satellite data we have observed very rapid deformation of Tungurahua's west…
(2020-02-19). Venezuela slams US sanctions on Russia's Rosneft as an attempt at grabbing control of global oil market. rt.com 
Russian oil giant Rosneft's investments and commercial activities in Venezuela are legal, says state energy firm PDVSA, pledging to provide the necessary support for the producer's "operational and commercial continuity." | The PDVSA statement follows Washington's blacklisting of a Rosneft subsidiary on Tuesday over its trade ties with Venezuela. The US accused the oil brokerage subsidiary of handling over 70 percent of Venezuela's exports, in circumvention of US sanctions. It has also given the companies doing business with Rosneft Trading 90 days to disentangle those arrangements. | COMUNICADO OFICIAL…
(2020-02-19). Evo Morales Cannot Be a Candidate for Senator in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net After a debate that lasted until midnight Tuesday, Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) decided that RELATED: | Up to last Monday, the TSE had to verify the documentation submitted by the p…
(2020-02-19). Peronism leans on the pseudo-left FIT-U to implement IMF austerity in Argentina. wsws.org Facing growing popular anger, the Peronist parties and unions are relying on the Left Workers Front-Unity (FIT-U) to prevent workers from mobilizing independently against IMF austerity.
(2020-02-19). Brazil Court Rules in Favor of Fired Petrobras Workers on Strike. telesurenglish.net Parana's regional labor court temporarily suspended Tuesday the lay-off of more than 1,000 workers of the fertilizer factory Fafen-PR until at least March 6, following a collective strike that RELATED: | The strike against the Petrobras executive board started in pro…
(2020-02-19). Open Letter to Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Lima Group Meeting. counterpunch.org Re: "Lima Group" meeting of February 20, 2020 in Gatineau, Quebec 18 February 2020 Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: I am addressing you as a concerned Canadian regarding Canada's foreign policy position vis-à -vis Venezuela. Your government has announced a meeting of the so-called Lima Group on February 20, 2020 for the reported purpose of "build[ing]
(2020-02-19). Guaido is a "Fake President". "Lima Group" to Meet in Canada: Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. globalresearch.ca Re: "Lima Group" meeting of February 20, 2020 in Gatineau, Quebec | 18 February 2020 | Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: | I am addressing you as a concerned Canadian regarding Canada's foreign policy position vis-à -vis Venezuela. | Your government has announced a …
(2020-02-19). Spanish Parliament Rejects Juan Guaido as Venezuelan President. telesurenglish.net The National Executive in Spain rejected a motion to acknowledge Juan Guaido as the leader of Venezuela on Tuesday. The legal request faced the opposition of 190 parliamentary officials. | RELATED: | The left-wing parties, such as Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) and Unidas Podemos, expressed their rejection of the motion, arguing that political parties like VOX, Ciudadanos, Foro Asturias and Navarra Suma, are usi…
(2020-02-18). Chile: 3,765 Injured,10,000 Detained Protesters Since October. telesurenglish.net Four months of protests in Chile against the neoliberal policies of Sebastian Piñera's government has resulted in more than 3,700 people injured, 951 filed complaints of torture and 195 for sexual violence, according to updated figures released Tuesday by the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH). | RELATED: | According to the agency, from Oct. 17 to Feb. 18, some 3,765 people were injured, of whom 445 suffered eye inj…
(2020-02-18). Chile: Rise in Public Transport Fares May Boost Social Protests. telesurenglish.net Chilean authorities warn of a possible increase in the price of public transport in the capital, four months after a similar decision triggered the social crisis in that Latin American country. | RELATED: | A rise in the Transantiago fare, which had been frozen since the beginning of the protests in Chile last October, could happen if the operating costs of that public transport increase, Chilean Transport Mini…
(2020-02-18). Evo Morales Calls for MAS Unity in Next Bolivian Elections. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's former President Evo Morales expressed his desire for unity amongst his political party, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), for the upcoming general elections on May 3. | RELATED: | Morales made these statements at a meeting with MAS presidential candidate Luis Arce and the nation's Secretary of International Relations Juanita Aniceta at the Bauen Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. | After the meeting, Morales a…
(2020-02-18). Colombia: 46 Social Leaders, 10 Ex-FARC Members Killed in 2020. telesurenglish.net The systematic killing of social leaders and former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) continues with impunity in Colombia, as two brothers – human rights defenders and campesino leaders – were killed Sunday in the southwest department of Cauca, raising the tally to 46 murdered in 2020. | RELATED: | "The aggression was carried out by several armed men. After this, it was already confirmed that th…
(2020-02-18). Russia Rejects US Sanctions Against Rosneft Trading S.A. telesurenglish.net The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Treasury Department announced Tuesday sanctions against Russian oil company Rosneft Trading S.A., for trading and transporting Venezuelan oil and against its president of the Board of Drectors Didier Casimiro. | RELATED: | "Our position on sanctions is well known, Russia categorically rejects unilateral restrictions. With them, the United States seeks to a…
(2020-02-18). Afro-Venezuelan socialist youth leader's message to the people of the U.S. fightbacknews.org In January, Fight Back! reporters participated in the World Anti-Imperialist Gathering in Caracas, Venezuela. While there, they interviewed delegates from Venezuela and from several other countries. In this interview, Ender Sabalsa, a leader of the youth sector and the Afro-descendent sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), gives his message to the people of the United States. | Ender Sabalsa: Revolutionary greetings to everyone reading this and to all the peoples of the world. My name is Ender Sabalsa. I'm a member of the youth sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). I'm also…
(2020-02-17). Mistrial Is Another Blow to US Coup In Venezuela. dissidentvoice.org 
Last week we, along with Adrienne Pine and David Paul, were unsuccessfully prosecuted by the Trump administration for our protection of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC from April 10 to May 16, 2019. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision and so we remain innocent of the charge of interfering with the …
(2020-02-17). Mistrial in Trump admin's biased case against Venezuelan embassy protectors is win for sovereignty. mronline.org The Trump administration's case against Venezuelan embassy protectors was severely biased, but ended up with a hung jury. The mistrial is a victory for sovereignty and democracy, and another failure in the coup attempt. |
(2020-02-17). Un mensaje al pueblo estadounidense de un joven venezolano afrodescendiente socialista. fightbacknews.org En enero unos periodistas de °Lucha y Resiste! participaron en el Encuentro Mundial Antiimperialista en Caracas, Venezuela. Allí hicieron entrevistas con delegados de Venezuela y de varios otros países. Esta es una entrevista con Ender Sabalsa, un líder de la Juventud PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) y del sector afrodescendiente en que él comparte un mensaje al pueblo de los Estados Unidos. | Ender: Un saludo revolucionario a todos los que nos están viendo y a todos los pueblos del mundo. Mi nombre es Ender Sabalsa, milito en la juventud del Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, del sector afro…
(2020-02-15). Mistrial declared in case of anti-coup activists arrested in DC police raid on Venezuelan Embassy. rt.com 
Jurors who heard the case of four activists who were invited by Caracas to protect the Venezuelan Embassy in the US capital — only to be nabbed in a police raid on the compound — failed to reach a verdict due to a hung jury.
(2020-02-14). One Billion Rising: Eve Ensler & Taína Asili Mark V-Day and Campaign to End Sexual Violence. democracynow.org 
This Valentine's Day, people around the world are taking to the streets to protest violence against women and girls. From the Philippines to India to Italy to Bolivia, thousands of women in more than 100 countries will reclaim public space through dance and performance as part of a global movement called One Billion Rising. The movement takes its name from the shocking statistic that one in three women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. One Billion Rising started on Valentine's Day 2012 and has continued to grow every year since. Participants say they won't stop dancing until violence…
(2020-02-14). Holocaust survivors rebuild lives and traditions in Rio de Janeiro. news.un.org With millions of people displaced from their homes worldwide, a UN ceremony celebrating Holocaust survivors in Brazil, has provided a stark reminder that throughout the 75 years of the Organization's existence, the plight of refugees has been an ever-present theme.
(2020-02-14). Mistrial Declared in Kafkaesque D.C. Trial of Venezuela Embassy Protectors. mintpressnews.com Judge Beryl Howell has declared a mistrial following a hung jury in the case of the four Venezuela Embassy Protectors charged with "interfering with the protective function of the State Department."
(2020-02-13). FRSO calls for the immediate release and repatriation of political prisoner Facundo Molares. fightbacknews.org Facundo Molares Schoenfeld is an Argentinian photojournalist who was illegally arrested by the Bolivian dictatorship, and who is currently held in terrible conditions in a Bolivian prison. His life is in danger, as he does not receive adequate medical attention for a life-threatening condition. | This photojournalist was on assignment, for the Argentinian left-wing magazine El Centenario, in Bolivia to document the election of Evo Morales and its aftermath in October, 2019. Bolivia suffered a coup d'état by fascist elements and the military, with the support of the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, on November 10, 2019. A…
(2020-02-12). Headlines for February 12, 2020. democracynow.org Bernie Sanders Wins New Hampshire Primary, Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet Drop Out of Presidential Race, Federal Prosecutors Quit Roger Stone Case Amid Fight with DOJ Officials, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Rejects Trump's Middle East Plan in U.N. Speech, Trump Conditionally Approves Peace Deal with the Taliban, WHO Warns Coronavirus Poses "Grave Threat" to World, Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Heckled and Protested Upon Return to Venezuela, Report: 40% of Guatemalan, Honduran & Salvadoran Migrants Fled After Relatives Killed, WSJ: ICE & CPB Use Cellphone Location Data from Games, Apps to Arrest Immigrants,…
(2020-02-12). Did Venezuelan coup leader Ricardo Hausmann stage fake IDB resignation to keep cushy Harvard job? thegrayzone.com Caught in a conflict of interest with his employer at Harvard, Ricardo Hausmann publicly resigned his job as Guaido's Inter-American…
(2020-02-12). Media Presents Anger and Jeers Against Juan Guaido as Hometown Hero's Welcome. mintpressnews.com Upon his return to Venezuela, Juan Guaido was greeted by an enraged mob hectoring, jeering and manhandling him, kicking his car and covering him in water and other liquids.
(2020-02-12). Left Media and Venezuela: An Exchange. fair.org 
Critique, Solidarity and Movement Building: A Reply to Lucas Koerner: | by Gabriel Hetland FAIR.org ( Lucas Koerner's recent piece for Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, "How Western Left Media Helped Legitimate US Regime Change in Venezuela" (
(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.
(2020-02-02). Why aren't Americans rising up like the people of Chile and Lebanon? zcomm.org The tinder for a revolutionary movement is everywhere…
(2019-12-20). Notes on a private TV newscast in Bolivia. The contrast with Venezuela is clear as day. zcomm.org In August, I took detailed notes a news broadcast on one of Venezuela's largest TV networks. I summarized these notes in an interview I did with the Real News Network making the point that Venezuela's private media (which reaches 60-90% of households) is remarkably free — most especially when you consider the US is openly
(2019-12-16). Francisco Rodriguez answers some questions I asked about Venezuela. zcomm.org Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez, formerly of Torino Economics, answered a few questions of mine about his country. He was the economic adviser to Henri Falcon, the second place finisher in the May 2018 presidential election. His updated estimate for 2019 is that Venezuela's real GDP will contract by 25% . That's horrific, but less severe
(2019-12-15). 128 Reuters articles on Bolivia since October 20, 2019 election with no mention of expert criticism of OAS audit UPDATED. zcomm.org Bolivia ¥s foreign minister says Mexico appeal to International Court 'a mistake' Bolivia's YPFB strikes transition deal with Petrobras to extend natural gas exports Bolivia is not a Mexican colony, acting foreign minister Longaric tells El Pais Mexico says Spanish diplomats' cars blocked by Bolivia at La Paz embassy Mexico appeals to international court as diplomatic