(2020-03-19). 'Inhumane & reckless': Twitter silences Venezuela's anti-coronavirus chief as IMF denies emergency loan. rt.com 
Amid crushing US sanctions and IMF rejection already making Venezuela's struggle with Covid-19 difficult, Twitter now seems to have hobbled the country's vice-president and head of coronavirus response, Delcy Rodriguez. | Both the personal and the official Twitter account belonging to Rodriguez were "temporarily restricted" on Thursday over "unusual activity," with old tweets still visible to those who choose to view them, but no new tweets available after Wednesday. | Foreign Minister Jorge
(2020-03-19). Gone-zalo! Juventus star Gonzalo Higuain 'breaks Italian quarantine' to return home to Argentina. rt.com 
Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain has reportedly escaped Italy's nationwide lockdown to return to his homeland Argentina to visit his seriously ill mother. | The player managed to break the quarantine, obligatory for the entire Juventus squad after two teammates tested positive for coronavirus. | All the players and staff members have been ordered to stay i…
(2020-03-19). Brazil begs for Cuban doctors — after expelling them. zcomm.org Brazil's far-right government requested the return of thousands of Cuban doctors to help fight the coronavirus. Months ago, President Jair Bolsonaro smeared the doctors as "terrorists" and expelled them…
(2020-03-19). Covid-19 Updates: First Death in Peru, First NFL Case + More. telesurenglish.net Update 5: 30 AM: | More than 200 Argentines and Chileans trapped in Colombia by the coronavirus: Argentine and Chilean travelers are protesting at the El Dorado airport this Thursday in Bogotá (Colombia). More than 200 foreigners, between Argentines and Chileans, denounced this Thursday at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport that they have been trapped for several days in the Colombian capital because their flights have been canceled due to the crisis by COVID-19. | Peru reports the first death in the country from the coronavirus: A 78-year-old man, who suffered from hypertension, became the first person t…
(2020-03-19). Protests Against the "Bolsonaro Virus" Spread in Brazil. telesurenglish.net For the second day in a row, ultra-right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro was the subject of protests in several Brazilian cities, local media reported Wednesday. | RELATED: | The protests began in the country on Tuesday, after residents of some communities in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, from windows and balconies, shouted and pot-banging for Bolsonaro's resignation. | After the call went viral on Twitter, the protests rea…
(2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…
(2020-03-19). IMF denies loan to Venezuela as it braces for COVID-19. wsws.org The loan request is only the latest appeal by the Maduro government for foreign finance and signal to world finance capital that it will defend profit interests.
(2020-03-19). Cargo Arrives in Venezuela With Medical Aid From China. telesurenglish.net A special medicine and medical supplies shipment arrived in Venezuela from China on Thursday, March 19th, as the Asian nation continues to provide assistance to the Bolivarian Republic. . | RELATED: | Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, announced that the cargo arrived and assured it would allow thousands to be tested for possible Covid-19 cases and diagnose the positive ones. | The mandatary explained that so f…
(2020-03-19). "Maximum-pressure March": US hybrid war on Venezuela heats up. counterpunch.org The first quarter of 2020 has seen the Trump administration escalate its rhetoric against Venezuela. At the State of the Union, President Trump promised to "smash" and destroy the Venezuelan government. This was followed by a renewed threat of a naval blockade on the country, which is an act of war under U.S. and international
(2020-03-19). Economists Demand Trump Immediately Lift Iran, Cuba, Venezuela Sanctions. truthout.org A group of economists and policy experts on Wednesday
(2020-03-19). Bolivia: Senkata and Sencaba Events Under Investigation. telesurenglish.net Bolivian Legislative Commission announced on Thursday that they will investigate the Senkata and Sencaba events in the El Alto province that took place in November 2019. | RELATED: | According to Victor Broda, Movement to Socialism (MAS) party deputy and Special Mix Legislative Commission's president, the inquiring process would not be a simple data collection, but a determination on both intellectual and material…
(2020-03-19). Colombia: Senators Ask Duque for More Decision to Halt Covid-19. telesurenglish.net More than 60 Colombian lawmakers and senators Thursday asked President Ivan Duque to take more forceful measures in the face of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19. | RELATED: | They argued that while reconnecting water to thousands of homes is fine, Colombians need four things that the government is not doing. | Mandatory isolation is the most effective measure. However, for people to stay at home, the government mu…
(2020-03-19). Covid-19's Effects Put Argentina on the Verge of a Debt Default. telesurenglish.net Argentina's risk premium rose to 4,044 basis points on Wednesday amid the financial markets crisis prompted by the economic implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Buenos Aires, stock market activity decreased by more than 12 percent and the value of Argentine shares listed on Wall Street fell by almost 27 percent. | RELATED: | The combined effect of these events makes Argentina's public debt, which was already unsustai…
(2020-03-19). Rio's Favelas Seen as Potential Coronavirus Breeding Grounds. telesurenglish.net "How am I going to isolate a family member who gets the illness if four of us share the same room in my house?" Maria, a resident of a Brazilian metropolis' jam-packed Tavares Bastos favela, asks rhetorically about the potential spread thereof the novel coronavirus. | RELATED: | The inhabitants of Rio's densely populated favelas (shantytowns), where four or five people share small individual residences on average, have…
(2020-03-19). Brazil: Sao Paulo Police Capture Nearly Half of Escaped Inmates. telesurenglish.net Brazilian Police captured more than 500 of the 1400 inmates who escaped from Sao Paulo's penitentiary institutions. | RELATED: | The massive escape occurred on March 16 in three prisons located in Managua, Mirandopolis, and Taubate. The inmates started fires, riots, and took guards as hostages after authorities announced several departures and visiting restrictions as a measure to prevent Covid-19 spreading in Brazilian territo…
(2020-03-19). Ecuador: Guayaquil Prevents Plane From Landing Due to COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Guayaquil authorities blocked the airstrip of the airport in this Ecuadorian city on Wednesday to prevent the arrival of a plane from Spain on the suspicion that it was carrying passengers infected with COVID-19. | RELATED: | The Airbus of Iberia, which had departed from Madrid with 11 passengers, intended to land on the runway of the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil; however, it was preve…
(2020-03-19). IMF Refuses Aid to Venezuela in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis. counterpunch.org 
On March 16, 2020, the chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva wrote a blog post on the Fund's website; it represents the kind of generosity necessary in the midst of a global pandemic. "The IMF stands ready to mobilize its $1 trillion lending capacity to help our membership," she wrote. Countries with
(2020-03-18). Why sanctions against Iran and Venezuela during a pandemic are cruel. mronline.org 
The numbers of those infected rises, as do the numbers of those who have died. Hands are being washed, tests are being done, and social distance has become a new phrase. It is unclear how devastating this pandemic will be. |
(2020-03-18). IMF rejects Venezuela coronavirus loan request over U.S. claims Maduro isn't president. peoplesworld.org 
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rejected Venezuela's request for a $5 billion emergency support package to help strengthen the country's health system in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. President Nicolas Maduro wrote to the global financial organization earlier this week asking for support as the country struggles to cope with crippling U.S. economic …
(2020-03-18). In Ecuador, Coronavirus Threatens the Survival of Street Vendors. telesurenglish.net Indigenous women with their children in tow or Venezuelan migrants whose livelihood is as street vendors, cannot follow the measures adopted in Ecuador to tackle the novel coronavirus as they do not have other means of support. | RELATED: | Among them is Jairo Arteaga, who offers a parking service arranged by the city council, and has to go out every day to look for cars that want to park on the street. | "O…
(2020-03-18). Brazil Demands Bolsonaro's Removal With a Wave of Protests. telesurenglish.net Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were hit by a wave of pot-bangings in their main neighborhoods on Tuesday to demand the removal of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. | RELATED: | "Bolsonaro out," shouted hundreds of people from their windows and balconies as they were pot-banging. | The call for the pot-banging came from the social networks, and they are the prelude to the demonstration to be held this Wednesday against the ultra-…
(2020-03-18). Chile Announces Strict Measures to Prevent Spread of COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The President of Chile, Sebastián Pinera, announced on Wednesday that starting at midnight, the State of Constitutional Exception for Catastrophe will govern for 90 days amid the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). | RELATED: | According to Pinera, who spoke from the Palacio de La Moneda, this move "aims to prepare us to face the stages that come in this pandemic well." | "The coronavirus has become the greatest…
(2020-03-18). Caricom Leaves Guyana as Court Suspends Vote Recount. telesurenglish.net The Caribbean Community (Caricom) announced Wednesday that its independent High-Level commission will leave Guyana after a court granted an injunction restraining the Elections Commission from recounting any ballots. | RELATED: | "The Caribbean Community has no other choice but to withdraw the High-Level Team," a statement read, warning that "it is clear that there are forces that do not want to see the votes recounted for whatever reason. Any Government…
(2020-03-18). Colombian and Venezuelan Ombudsmen Unite Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The Ombudsman offices of both Colombia and Venezuela announced on March 17 a collaborative working project to restrain the Covid-19 from spreading in both South American nations. | RELATED: | Both popular institutions confirmed their commitment to "promote fluid and constant dialogue with the purpose of watching over their common border, to prevent the virus from spreading and assume in an appropriate way the protection of people." In…
(2020-03-18). Twitter Restricts Profiles of Venezuelan Officials. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan VIce President Delcy Rodriguez denounced the restriction of the executive vice-presidency's official profile on Twitter this week. According to Rodríguez, the aforementioned account was used for informing citizens about the measures and actions against COVID-19. | RELATED: | "In the midst of the worst global pandemic, they are canceling an account where we are informing the population," Venezuelan Vice President…
(2020-03-18). Bolivia: Añez Uses Police to Enforce Measures Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Bolivian de facto president, Jeanine àÅñez, announced on March 17th that the police and millitary will use force to enforce the Covid-19 containment measures and prevent the illness from spreading across the Andean nation. | RELATED: | According to her Twitter, the mandatary informed her administration that she qualified these measures as severe. àÅñez requested the Bolivian people seek isolation until…
(2020-03-18). Colombia: 2 More Ex-FARC Members Killed, 18 so Far in 2020. telesurenglish.net Two former combatants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Army of the People (FARC-EP), Belle Carrillo and Irnel Florez were killed Tuesday in the department of Caqueta, in southwestern Colombia, marking 18 deaths so far in 2020. | RELATED: | "The extermination does not stop…The number of former combatants killed rises every day," Colombian Senator and former FARC leader Pablo Catatumbo said on Twitter. | Florez and Carrillo were signatories…
(2020-03-18). Spreading the Word of God and Coronavirus: Outrage Over Evangelical Group Trying to Contact Isolated Amazon Tribes Amid Pandemic. commondreams.org This uncontacted indigenous group in the Brazilian Amazon is clearly hostile to the helicopter hovering overhead. Photo credit: TravelingMan on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/3-768-1.jpg …
(2020-03-17). Italy and UK rely on help from Cuba, China, Venezuela to fight coronavirus — as US steps up brutal sanctions. thegrayzone.com Italy requested doctors from China, Cuba, and Venezuela to contain the coronavirus, while Cuba rescued a ship of British citizens….
(2020-03-17). Amid coronavirus pandemic, Bolsonaro's Brazil begs for Cuban doctors — after expelling them. thegrayzone.com Brazil's far-right government requested the return of thousands of Cuban doctors to help fight the coronavirus. Months ago, President Jair…
(2020-03-17). US ramps up sanctions devastating Venezuela's health sector as coronavirus spreads. thegrayzone.com Promising to "smash" Venezuela's government during a "maximum pressure March," Trump has imposed crushing sanctions that force Venezuela to spend…
(2020-03-17). Venezuela: American Teamsters tour printing factory. fightbacknews.org Maracay, Venezuela — The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation toured a large printing factory on March 13 in Maracay, Venezuela, about two hours outside Caracas. As the delegates bus pulled up to the factory gates, a huge sign welcomed them, "We don't speak ill of Chavez here!" The head of the factory and a group of workers excitedly gathered around to greet the American members of the Teamsters union. | In a bold and historic move, this factory was taken over by the workers themselves during the presidency of Hugo Chavez in 2005. The previously laid off workers formed a new team…
(2020-03-17). Facing a liquidity tsunami? Profit, risk, and discipline in emerging markets. mronline.org 
In April 2012, at the White House on her first visit to the United States since her election in 2010, Brazilian president Brazil Dilma Rousseff scolded advanced capitalist economies for unleashing a 'tsunami de liquidez', a 'liquidity tsunami', onto the developing world. |
(2020-03-16). Headlines for March 16, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Pandemic Death Toll Tops 6,500 Worldwide, About 170,000 Confirmed Cases, U.S. Coronavirus Cases Reach 3,600 as True Number of Infections Continues to be Unknown, Trump Tests Negative for Coronavirus After Being in Contact with Brazilian Official Infected with COVID-19, States Across U.S. Ramp Up Measures to Control Spread of Coronavirus, Including Massive School, Business Closures, Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule That Would Have Thrown 700,000 People Off Food Stamps, AOC Confronts ICE Agent at LaGuardia Airport as 6 Migrant Children Detained in Texas Were Relocated to New York, Sanders, Biden Faced Of…
(2020-03-15). Corporate Media Condone Destruction of Venezuela's Voting Machines. fair.org 
The vast majority of Venezuela's voting machines were incinerated on March 7 in a fire that engulfed the main warehouse of the National Electoral Council. Corporate outlets followed the familiar script of blaming the victim, repeating the US State Department talking point that the Venezuelan electoral system is "rigged" and floating outlandish conspiracy theories.
(2020-03-15). Accomplishments of Venezuela hailed on International Women's Day. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following speech by Sarah Martin. Martin is a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). | Happy Women's Day everyone. Our sisters in Venezuela have a lot to celebrate. Just over 20 years ago Hugo Chavez was swept into power on the backs of powerful movements fighting for a better way of life for the vast majority of Venezuelans. The wealth from this oil and mineral rich country was lining the pockets of the oligarchs inside and outside the country while the vast majority of people, mostly black and brown were desperately poor. | Venezuelan women fought in tha…
(2020-03-13). Headlines for March 13, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Infections Around the Globe Reach 135,000 People, Nearly 5,000 Dead, U.S. Coronavirus Infections Rise to 1,650 as Actual Number Believed to Be Higher | , Dow Jones Plummets 10% in Biggest Drop Since 1987 | , Trump Administration Faces Backlash for Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak, Testing | , Brazilian President Bolsonaro's Aide Tests Positive for COVID-19 Days After Meeting with Trump, Philippines President Duterte Orders Lockdown in Manila Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | , Advocates Afraid of Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Immigration Jails Plagued by Medical Neglect, Democratic Presidential Debate Relo…
(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,
(2020-03-10). Headlines for March 10, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 4,000 with Over 113,000 Confirmed Infections as Italy Goes into Nationwide Lockdown, Six States Head to Polls as Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden Battle for 352 Delegates , Women Strike in Mexico, Take to Streets in Chile and Argentina to Demand Equality and an End to Violence, U.S. Begins Afghan Troop Withdrawal Amid Political Leadership Crisis | , New Reports Find Boeing at Fault for Fatal Crashes of Boeing 737 MAX Jets, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Puerto Rican Revolutionary, Dies at 89 | , 2020 Izzy Awards Honor Journalist Matt Taibbi, News Inside and The Center for Investigative Journalism…
(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.