Daily Archives: July 14, 2020

2020-07-14: News Headlines

Patrick Cockburn (2020-07-14). Boris Johnson Should not be Making New Global Enemies When His Country is in a Shambles. counterpunch.org Antagonising China may not be wise, particularly as it's clear that dysfunctional leaders like Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro could not control an outbreak of acne.

Anya Parampil (2020-07-13). Exclusive: Bill Richardson undertakes private mission after State Dept abandons families of mercenaries detained in Venezuela invasion. thegrayzone.com The brother of Luke Denman, a former Green Beret detained after a failed invasion of Venezuela told The Grayzone ex-US…

Staff (2020-07-13). Headlines for July 13, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. & World Mark Record Number of New COVID-19 Cases, Trump Accuses CDC of Lying & Attacks Dr. Anthony Fauci , COVID-19 Death Toll at San Quentin State Prison Reaches Nine, JBS Meat Processing Workers Stage Wildcat Strike, 300 Workers Infected, 4 Die at Los Angeles Apparel Factory, Mexico's COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 35,000, Surpassing Italy as World's Fourth Highest, India, Hong Kong, Colombia Reimpose Lockdowns Amid New Surges, Trump & DeVos Threaten to Cut Funding If Schools Stay Closed During Pandemic, Trump Commutes Sentence of Friend & Adviser Roger Stone, Washington Rdskns to Change Name; Will the Chiefs Be…

Jamal Rich (2020-07-13). The right to be radical: Uplifting the life of Claudia Jones. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The Claudia Jones School for Political Education and Black Women Radicals came together virtually on the evening of July 3rd to co-host an event uplifting the life and work of Black Communist Claudia Jones. Over 300 attendees from around the world attended the event, including scholars and s from Kenya, Toronto, London, Brazil, the Caribbean, …

Staff (2020-07-13). What's Behind Brazil's COVID-19 Disaster? therealnews.com Indigenous, poor, and working-class communities in Brazil are all under threat from COVID-19. One man is largely to blame for the country's pandemic disaster: President Jair Bolsonaro, who has just tested positive for the virus.

W. T. Whitney (2020-07-13). Oil Comes First in Peru, Not Coronavirus Danger, Not Indigenous Rights. counterpunch.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 probably far greater, especially in Peru's Amazonian region. Indigenous inhabitants there, isolated from medical care, suffer from the pandemic and from an environment poisoned by oil extraction. Canadian oil company Frontera

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-13). Why has coronavirus exploded in Brazil and seems controlled in Argentina? peoplesdispatch.org While in Bolsonaro's Brazil, the death toll is counted in the thousands, in Argentina Fernández's administration took drastic, timely measures and seems to have controlled the cases. Prioritizing economy or health, two political approaches that lead to very different outcomes.

teleSUR (2020-07-13). COVID-19: Global Cases Reach 13 Million. telesurenglish.net Global COVID-19 cases reached 13 million on Monday according to data registered by the John Hopkins University. | RELATED: | As worldwide death toll ascended to 570,776 fatalities, United States; Brazil; India; Russia, and Peru are among the hardest-hit countries. | Today Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), remarked during a press briefing that "too many countries are headed in the wrong direction." | The officia…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Chile: Miners To Strike On July 15. telesurenglish.net Chile Antofagasta's Miners Union N ∞1 Friday announced a general strike on July 15, after rejecting Zaldivar Mining Company's contractual offer in a negotiation process. | RELATED: | "If the company does not recognize our contribution and sacrifice, it will face an extensive strike that will completely halt production," the union stated in a communiqué. | Over 95 percent of miners rejected Zaldivar Mining…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Mapuche Leader Calls to Keep Fighting for the Indigenous Rights. telesurenglish.net Mapuche's people spiritual advisor (Machi) Celestino Cordova Saturday called for not stopping the fight for Indigenous rights in Chile, even if he does not survive his hunger strike. | RELATED: | "If I die, don't let your guard down. Keep fighting until our ancestral Mapuche territory is returned to us," said Cordova after over 70 days of hunger strike. | After a two-months strike, he has lost over 20 kilograms of weight and suffers from bradycardia and permanent hypo…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Colombia: Capital Enters Quarantine After COVID-19 Cases Rise. telesurenglish.net Starting on Monday, Bogotá enters a phased quarantine until August 23 due to an accelerated rise in COVID-19 cases. | RELATED: | Mayor Claudia Lopez said to the press that the government had evidence that "practically one out of three tests in any neighborhood today is positive" so "the speed at which the pandemic | is spreading in Bogota is alarming", the official added. | Local authorities issued an Orange Alert,…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Colombia: Another Two Former Combatants Killed, Tally at 218. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Alternative Revolutionary Force of the Common (FARC) political party Monday denounced the murder of another two former combatants. | RELATED: | "Almost every day there is a murder, in addition to the 15 forced disappearances. We denounce the extermination plan against our party and we raise our voice of anger and impotence against the State for not stopping these events," FARC tweeted. | One of the vict…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Ecuador: New Arrests in COVID-19 Supplies Corruption Case. telesurenglish.net An Ecuadorean judge Monday ordered the preventive detention of five people to investigate the alleged sale of drugs that were donated to Guayaquil city during the pandemic. | RELATED: | The State Attorney General's Office tweeted that Judge Marco Guerra ordered preventive prison for "Abraham and Moises M., and Alvaro P., Victor Ch. and Erick P. for the alleged organized crime to commercialize COVID-19 medicines," which were…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Peruvian Amazon Indigenous People Threatened By COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Peru's Interethnic Association for the Development of the Forest (Aidesep) Monday confirmed five COVID-19 positive cases among the Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. | RELATED: | "First it (the virus) was installed in the communities, and now it has also reached the villages in initial contact in Ucayali and is threatening those living in voluntary isolation," Aidesep tweeted. | Local health authoriti…

WSWS (2020-07-13). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Members of Actors Equity at Disney World in Florida have been locked out over their demand for COVID-19 testing while doctors in Peru are among those ing inadequate response to the pandemic…

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Venezuela Updates its Electoral Roll Amidst Health Protocols. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) Monday kicked off a voters register's update process to set up the elections whereby 277 lawmakers will be elected on Dec. 6. | RELATED: | CNE president Indira Alfonzo detailed that to this end were established 551 active locations in each Regional Electoral Offices (REO). | The electoral body deployed 1,232 agents in each REO to ensure compliance with the h…

Leonardo Flores (2020-07-13). VenezolanosConBiden and MAGAzuela: Two sides of the same coin. mronline.org The Biden campaign recently held an event outlining the presidential hopeful's "vision for Venezuela." Spoiler alert: it barely differs from President Trump's.

Michael Lebowitz (2020-07-13). Popular protagonism in Venezuela's transition to socialism. zcomm.org Capitalism, which destroys human beings and nature, must be ended, but you can not build socialism without the protagonism by which people change themselves…

Paul Dobson (2020-07-13). Venezuela Begins Election Preparations as More Parties Confirm Participation. venezuelanalysis.com Hard-right Popular Will Party has announced it will run, while the Communist Party has unveiled an alternative revolutionary alliance.

yenisafak (2020-07-13). What you need to know about the coronavirus right now. yenisafak.com Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Fourth in the world for most new casesFlorida reported a record increase of more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Sunday, as the Trump administration renewed its push for schools to reopen and anti-mask s were planned in Michigan and Missouri.If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth worldwide for the most new daily cases, after the United States, Brazil and India, according to a Reuters analysis.Health officials have pleaded with the public to wear masks to limit the virus spread, but the issue has become politically divisi…

Yanis Iqbal (2020-07-12). The Ravages of Lithium Extraction in Chile. dissidentvoice.org In Chile, the Covid-19 pandemic is raging with an unprecedented speed. There are more than 300,000 confirmed cases with one of the highest per capita infection rates of 13,000 cases for every 1 million people. The economy is severely experiencing the repercussions of Coronavirus-caused restrictions and the historically high national unemployment rate of 11.2% is …

RT (2020-07-12). In biggest daily increase among ALL states since start of Covid-19 epidemic, Florida confirms over 15,000 new infections. rt.com The US state of Florida reported a record spike in coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, officials announced on Sunday, as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms a record rise in global cases as well. | The US reported a massive 66,500 new cases in 24 hours, and, in Florida, 15,299 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Sunday. | Florida's record figure, the highest among all states reported since the start of the epidemic, would rank it fourth in the world after the US, Brazil and India, if it were a country. | The state's daily new cases have also passed the highest recorded daily rate…

RT (2020-07-12). WHO reports over 230,000 new infections of Covid-19, marking a new record daily rise. rt.com The World Health Organization has registered a record increase in coronavirus cases worldwide. The confirmed-cases number has jumped by nearly a quarter million over the past 24 hours. | The record increase of 230,370 was registered by the global health watchdog on Sunday, with the largest number of new cases coming from the US, Brazil, India, and South Africa. It is the highest daily spike since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. | The first three countries, which contributed most to the spike, amount to nearly half of all the cases registered worldwide. The US remains by far the worst-hit nation, with m…

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Petition to UN on Afro-Bolivian Union Leader Elena Flores. telesurenglish.net A recent petition to the United Nations has called for attention to the political imprisonment and human rights abuses against Afro-Bolivian union leader Elena Flores. | RELATED: | Flores is the President of the Departmental Association of Coca Producers (Adepcoca) union of coca growers in her home territory of Yungas, where she's been a labour organizer since her youth. | The leader has been held as a political p…

Brasil de Fato (2020-07-12). Victims of reopening in Brazil: Stories of those who contracted COVID-19 going back to work. peoplesdispatch.org "It makes me cry to talk about this, we were so careful, took so much care and the person comes back to work and gets COVID-19 the first week." 37 year old Vânia da Silva Feitoza, vents about how her husband spent a week in the ICU being treated for the disease he contracted upon returning to work, amid the Alberto da Silva Feitoza, is a 38-year-old steel worker and was under social isolation for three…

Nathalia Santos Ocasio (2020-07-12). Chilean Arpilleras Sustain Political Momentum During Lockdown. zcomm.org As Covid-19 interrupts months of mass mobilizations in Chile, women continue creating political tapestries to resist state violence and systemic inequalities.

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Colombia: Another FARC ex-Combatant Killed in Meta. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Revolutionary Alternative Force of the Common (FARC) political party Saturday announced the murder of another ex-combatant in the municipality of La Uribe, department of Meta. | RELATED: | "We denounce another murder. Fredy Fajardo Avila was killed in La Uribe, Meta. With this comrade, 217 signatories have been murdered in the last years," the political party announced on its Twitter account. | FARC deman…

Fight Back (2020-07-12). For his 70th birthday, we demand 'Free Simón Trinidad!'. fightbacknews.org Colombian revolutionary and political prisoner of the U.S. empire, Simón Trinidad, will have his 70th birthday in solitary confinement in a federal Supermax prison. Simón Trinidad, born Ricardo Palmera, is languishing in the Florence, Colorado Supermax prison after a bogus extradition to the United States in 2004, convicted on trumped-up charges, and sentenced to 60 years. | Organizers with the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera are asking people to email their birthday greetings for Simón to before his birthday on July 30. On…

_____ (2020-07-12). Bolivia's Struggle To Restore Democracy After OAS Instigated Coup. popularresistance.org Today, Bolivia stands at a crossroads. In June 2020, popular calls were mounting for new elections and the restoration of democracy, despite the ongoing repression. In response to this pressure, on June 22, àÅñez signed off on legislation to hold new elections in September. Former president Carlos Mesa (2003-2005) of the right-wing Citizens Community Party would face off against the MAS candidate, former Minister of Finance (2006-2019), Luis Arce. àÅñez's decision drew the ire of Minister of Government, Arturo Murillo, who characterizes the most popular political party in the country as narco-terroris…

_____ (2020-07-12). How The FBI 'Toppled Presidents' In Brazil. popularresistance.org Natalia Viana, editor from the respected Brazilian investigative journalism site Agência Pública, recently published a 5 part series based on information shared from leaked Telegram conversations revealed by Intercept Brasil as part of the Vaza Jato scandal. | In the series, she shows how Lava Jato task force director, public prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, received financial compensation through an asset sharing scheme based on kickbacks from fines that the US Government collected from Brazilian companies and individuals. According to Viana, during a meeting in which they negotiated the asset sharing deal, Deltan r…

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.

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 …

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

teleSUR (2020-07-11). Venezuela Extends the State of Alarm to Prevent COVID-19 Spread. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Vicepresident Delcy Rodriguez Saturday announced the State of Constitutional Alert's extension for another 30 days to prevent the COVID-19 spread in the country. | RELATED: | "As Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro requested, we are extending the quarantine for another month, as we make a special call to the Caracas' citizens to stay at home and comply with all the precautionary measures," Rodriguez…

teleSUR (2020-07-11). Trump Plans To Meet With President Maduro, Bolton Says. telesurenglish.net U.S National Security's Former Advisor John Bolton Friday said President Donald Trump plans to meet Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro if the White House leader is re-elected in November. | RELATED: | Bolton assured Trump plans to meet Nicolas Maduro regardless of "the damage to the opposition" that this may cause. | "I believe he will continue to support the opposition until November's elections. It remains to…

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 …

teleSUR (2020-07-11). Chile: Deputies Seek to Speed up Approval of Pension Initiative. telesurenglish.net Chile's Socialist Party (PS) deputies Saturday will seek to accelerate the approval of a constitutional reform that will allow people to use their pension funds to face the economic crisis generated by the pandemic. | RELATED: | Although the reform was scheduled to be rediscussed next week, PS deputies have called to speed up the process. | "Our mission is to respond as soon as possible to the urgent needs of Chilean families,"

_____ (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…

Cindy Forster (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…

teleSUR (2020-07-11). Bolivia: Dialogue Table Agrees to End Blockade in K'ara K'ara. telesurenglish.net Cochabamba's Governor Esther Soria, Mayor Jose Maria Leyes, Ombudsman Office representative Nelson Cox, and the"self-convoked" neighbors of K'ara K'ara agreed this Saturday to lift the blockade in the area in conflict. | RELATED: | The local authorities agreed to meet the ers' demands, which include setting up another garbage dump in 30 days, installing a new crematory oven, and defending the three detainees during the p…

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…

teleSUR (2020-07-11). Venezuela Rejects U.S. Accusations About Drug Trafficking. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Interior and Justice Minister Nestor Reverol Saturday rejected the statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration which accused Venezuela of promoting drug trafficking. | RELATED: | "Venezuela has and will continue to fight against drug trafficking and will continue to ensure prevention and international cooperation," Reverol emphasized. | In the last 10 years, the tr…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-07-11). Trump Visits SOUTHCOM, Warns 'Something Will Happen' in Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The US president praised the "historic sanctions" imposed against Venezuela.

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.

teleSUR (2020-07-11). Colombia: March for Dignity Reaches Bogota to Condemn Violence. telesurenglish.net After 15 days of walking through several Colombian cities, the "March for Dignity" Friday arrived in Colombia's capital, Bogota, to demand the end of the social leaders' killings, the pandemic mismanagement, and U.S. troops presence in the Latin American country. | RELATED: | Indigenous leaders, women, farmers, African descendants, LGBTI community members, and workers' unions, arrived in the capital shouting the slogans,…

sputniknews (2020-07-11). Venezuela Receives Shipment of 840,000 Packages of Insulin Drugs From Russia. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A humanitarian shipment from Russia containing 840,000 packages of insulin drugs has arrived in Venezuela, the deputy health minister of the South American country Gerardo Briceno said during an appearance on the state-run VTV broadcaster on Saturday.

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,…

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.

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…