Monthly Archives: September 2020

2020-09-30: News Headlines

_____ (2020-09-29). Unfounded UN Report On Venezuela Used As Regime Change Tool. popularresistance.org The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a report* by the Independent Mission to Determine the Facts in Venezuela (Independent Mission), which accuses Venezuela of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment committed since 2014." The veracity, timing, and political intent of this report is best understood in the context of a campaign led by the U.S. to overthrow Venezuela's democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro and before him of Hugo Chávez. | Venezuela is a historically petroleum exporting nation and has consequently suffered from the crash in the international oil prices starting in 20…

W.T. Whitney Jr. (2020-09-29). Colombia-U.S. Axis: Hitting at Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Iván Duque, meeting in Bogotá on Sept. 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the

Jonah Raskin (2020-09-29). Chile at a Crossroads, Chileans on the Move. counterpunch.org "The oppressive state is a macho rapist." — Chilean feminst art collective, Lastesis Election Day this November rightly occupies the minds and hearts of American citizens, no matter what their political affiliations. The future of the republic itself is at stake. But the U.S. isn't the only country in the world with an upcoming election,

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-29). Cabinet crisis in Bolivia due to conflict within de-facto government. peoplesdispatch.org On September 28, Bolivian Ministers Oscar Ortíz of Economy and Public Finance, Oscar Mercado Céspedes of Labor, Employment and Social Security, and Abel Martínez of Productive Development and Plural Economy, left their posts. Ortíz, the minister of economy, was dismissed, while Mercado Céspedes and Martínez resigned. The crisis in the de-facto presidential cabinet occurs only 20 days before the general elections in the country. | In a press conference held on Monday morning, Ortíz said that he had been removed from office due to internal disputes. "I have not resigned, although they developed a false information…

WSWS (2020-09-29). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Protesting health care workers in Chile and teachers in Mexico faced police repression while call center workers in Cordoba, Argentina and transit workers in Recife, Brazil have launched strikes.

_____ (2020-09-29). Venezuela: Democracy Versus Blockade. popularresistance.org On December 6 there will be elections in Venezuela to elect all the deputies to the National Assembly (NA), an event of extraordinary political transcendence. But before going into that subject I will mention the elections that will be held in several Latin American countries in the coming months, all of them are very important in the dispute for our America between the right-wing and the popular forces. | On October 18, general elections in Bolivia, where Evo Morales' MAS is the favorite to win in the first round, but the big question remains whether the same oligarchic and racist group that, supported by Washin…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Nicolas Maduro: Venezuela's Truth. telesurenglish.net Your Excellency, President of the General Assembly, Mr. Volkan Bozkir, Your Excellency, SecretaryGeneral, Mr. António Guterres, Heads of State, Heads of Government Authorities participating in this 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly | First, I want to apologize for removing my face mask, which is necessary in this time of pandemic, and I want to greet all who watch and listen to us around the world. | Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on behalf of the Constitutional Government of Venezuela and the People of our Bolivarian Republic for assuming the Presidency of this 75th Session of…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Bolivia: New Attempts To Annul Socialist Presidential Binomial. telesurenglish.net Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) presidential candidate Luis Arce Sunday denounced that Bolivia's Supreme Court (TSE) is desperately seeking to proscribe the leftist movement from the elections through unconstitutional appeals. | RELATED: | His claim occurred after La Paz's Departmental Justice Tribunal (TDJ) admitted a legal appeal that seeks to force the TSE to annul MAS candidates. In July, lawmaker Carmen G…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Venezuela: President Maduro To Present Anti-Blockade Bill. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Sunday announced that he will present an Anti-Blockade Constitutional Bill to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). | RELATED: | During his intervention in the meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Control and Prevention of COVID-19, he informed about this initiative to fight the U.S. arbitrary sanctions. | "It is an Anti-Blockade Bill that has been created and studied…

Paul Dobson (2020-09-28). Attorney General Backs 'Restructuring' Venezuela's Controversial FAES Special Forces. venezuelanalysis.com Campesino leader and National Assembly candidate Isabel Granado was illegally arrested by the FAES on Thursday.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Colombia: Women Demand Safe Abortion From Constitutional Court. telesurenglish.net Colombia's feminist organizations Sunday demonstrated near the Palace of Justice in Bogota to demand the legalization of the abortion. | RELATED: | About 50 pro-abortion activists carried signs and shouted out slogans like "Here we are" and "We are the voice of those gone." | "We demonstrate for the right to decide. We have the freedom to decide about our bodies, our ovaries, about whether or not we want to have…

_____ (2020-09-28). US Sanctions Opposition Parties In Venezuela Ahead Of Elections. popularresistance.org Elections for Venezuela's National Assembly are fast approaching. But the United States does not want them to go ahead at all. Sanctions on Venezuela are nothing new. But yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the unusual step of sanctioning leaders of local opposition parties in an attempt to pressure them to pull out of the contest in December. | Remarkably, considering the well-documented flaws with the same problems in the U.S., Pompeo's statement dubiously claimed that Venezuelan voting machines are unreliable, that millions of voters remain unregistered, and that the country's supreme electoral counc…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Argentina Joins Treaty That Protects Environmental Defenders. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Congress Sunday approved the country's attachment to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters (the Escazu Agreement). | RELATED: | The project, which had been approved last August 13th in the Senate, was validated by the Congress with 240 positive votes, 4 negative votes, and 2 abstentions. | The Escazu Agreement is the world's first internat…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Uruguay's Ex-President Pepe Mujica Retires From Political Life. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's former President Jose Mujica (2010-2015) Sunday informed he will leave his place in the Senate and retire from politics due to health problems. | RELATED: | "I have a chronic immune disease… I love politics and I would not want to leave, but I love my life even more," he said. | Mujica emphasized that his difficulties to move anywhere and at any time would prevent him from being active in his duties as a senator and polit…

_____ (2020-09-28). Colombia: 'The Number One Demand On The Streets Is For Justice'. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, September 9, a video went viral in Colombia. It depicted a man repeatedly being beaten and tased by the police while he kept pleading "please, no more". In a few hours, the man, Javier Ordóñez, would be dead and thousands would be on the streets of Bogotá and across the country demanding justice for him. | Ordóñez, a lawyer and father of two, had stepped out with his friends when he was accosted by a group of police officers. As Ordóñez was being tortured, his friends begged the officers to lay off even while capturing their cruelty.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Bolivia Election: Women and Young Represent Majority of Voters. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's electoral roll has a female majority, as 51.07 percent of eligible voters in the national territory are women, according to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). | RELATED: | The registry shows that in the national territory, 7.031.294 people will vote in the October 18 elections. Abroad there are 30 nations where Bolivians can participate, but the governments have yet to confirm whether it will offer them this oppor…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Peru's Govt. Sued for Forced Sterilizations in Fujimori's Rule. telesurenglish.net Peru's government was sued before the United Nations (UN) for the forced sterilizations that thousands of women suffered under the government of Alberto Fujimori (1996-2001). | RELATED: | This is the first time that a complaint has been filed before the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to demand full reparation for the harm caused to the victims and their families. | "The government has not conduct…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Brazil: Traditional Parties Weaken Ahead of Municipal Elections. telesurenglish.net The campaigns for the Brazilian municipal elections began on Sunday amid forecasts announcing that traditional political organizations could lose their voters in big cities. | RELATED: | "In these municipal elections, it is expected that the Workers' Party (PT) and the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) movements weakened in major cities, as it occurred in 2018 elections," expert Emerson Cervi explained. | Ac…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Argentina: Latam's Largest Solar Park Starts Operations. telesurenglish.net Latin America's largest solar Park officially started its operations over the weekend as the Chinese built complex provided energy to Argentina's power grid. | RELATED: | The Cauchari Solar Park will provide a total of 300 megawatts of electricity for over 20 years. The stations, built by China Power Construction and the Shanghai Electric Power Construction Company, is located in Cauchari town in the Jujuy province.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Peru: 3,000 Volunteers Added To Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Tests. telesurenglish.net In Peru, the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) and the Cayetano Heredia University Sunday announced that some 3,000 volunteers joined the third phase of clinical studies of two inactivated COVID-19 vaccines prepared by the China Sinopharm company. | RELATED: | After the registration process, the Sinopharm researching team would determine the volunteers' eligibility and contact the ones who suit as candidates. | Research…

Christina Noriega (2020-09-28). Colombians Take On Their Militarized Police. thenation.com Colombians Take On Their Militarized Police…

_____ (2020-09-27). RIP Andre Vltchek: 'Western Imperialism Is World's Biggest Problem'. popularresistance.org André traveled relentlessly from one battle field to another, from one conflict zone to a war zone. He exposed innumerable atrocities committed around the world, mostly by western powers. He never wavered from revealing the truth. From Afghanistan to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan to Argentina, Chile, Peru to Hong Kong, to Xinjiang, the Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China — André was there.

Joe Emersberger (2020-09-27). Latest UN report on Venezuela is not remotely honest (Part 1). zcomm.org On September 15, UN investigators published a 411 page report about the human rights situation in Venezuela. They were not granted access to Venezuela but conducted hundreds of interviews with opponents of the Maduro government. Venezuela's Foreign Minister Arreaza assailed the report for being done "remotely". It was done separately from the office of Michele

teleSUR (2020-09-27). Uruguay: Broad Front Keeps Montevideo in Departmental Elections. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's center left Broad Front (Frente Amplio) party has maintained the capital Montevideo according to early projections by local media outlets and consulting firms as 84 percent of the population participated to elect representatives of the 19 departments and 125 municipalities, according to the Electoral Court. | RELATED: | teleSUR's correspondent Mateo Grille reported that the new departmental head of Montevideo is Carolina Co…

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Colombian Lawmakers Demand Defense Minister's Resignation. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Lawmakers Gustavo Petro and Jorge Robledo Friday demanded the Defense Minister Carlos Holmes' resignation for his political responsibility in the face of police brutality. | RELATED: | "Holmes has not apologized for his tolerant attitude towards the killing of citizens by the National Police," Petro tweeted. | The Minister "is a liar. He should resign because of the serious acts of excessive force and murders…

2020-09-29: News Headlines

_____ (2020-09-29). Unfounded UN Report On Venezuela Used As Regime Change Tool. popularresistance.org The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a report* by the Independent Mission to Determine the Facts in Venezuela (Independent Mission), which accuses Venezuela of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment committed since 2014." The veracity, timing, and political intent of this report is best understood in the context of a campaign led by the U.S. to overthrow Venezuela's democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro and before him of Hugo Chávez. | Venezuela is a historically petroleum exporting nation and has consequently suffered from the crash in the international oil prices starting in 20…

Jonah Raskin (2020-09-29). Chile at a Crossroads, Chileans on the Move. counterpunch.org "The oppressive state is a macho rapist." — Chilean feminst art collective, Lastesis Election Day this November rightly occupies the minds and hearts of American citizens, no matter what their political affiliations. The future of the republic itself is at stake. But the U.S. isn't the only country in the world with an upcoming election,

_____ (2020-09-29). Venezuela: Democracy Versus Blockade. popularresistance.org On December 6 there will be elections in Venezuela to elect all the deputies to the National Assembly (NA), an event of extraordinary political transcendence. But before going into that subject I will mention the elections that will be held in several Latin American countries in the coming months, all of them are very important in the dispute for our America between the right-wing and the popular forces. | On October 18, general elections in Bolivia, where Evo Morales' MAS is the favorite to win in the first round, but the big question remains whether the same oligarchic and racist group that, supported by Washin…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Nicolas Maduro: Venezuela's Truth. telesurenglish.net Your Excellency, President of the General Assembly, Mr. Volkan Bozkir, Your Excellency, SecretaryGeneral, Mr. António Guterres, Heads of State, Heads of Government Authorities participating in this 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly | First, I want to apologize for removing my face mask, which is necessary in this time of pandemic, and I want to greet all who watch and listen to us around the world. | Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on behalf of the Constitutional Government of Venezuela and the People of our Bolivarian Republic for assuming the Presidency of this 75th Session of…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Bolivia: New Attempts To Annul Socialist Presidential Binomial. telesurenglish.net Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) presidential candidate Luis Arce Sunday denounced that Bolivia's Supreme Court (TSE) is desperately seeking to proscribe the leftist movement from the elections through unconstitutional appeals. | RELATED: | His claim occurred after La Paz's Departmental Justice Tribunal (TDJ) admitted a legal appeal that seeks to force the TSE to annul MAS candidates. In July, lawmaker Carmen G…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Venezuela: President Maduro To Present Anti-Blockade Bill. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Sunday announced that he will present an Anti-Blockade Constitutional Bill to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). | RELATED: | During his intervention in the meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Control and Prevention of COVID-19, he informed about this initiative to fight the U.S. arbitrary sanctions. | "It is an Anti-Blockade Bill that has been created and studied…

Paul Dobson (2020-09-28). Attorney General Backs 'Restructuring' Venezuela's Controversial FAES Special Forces. venezuelanalysis.com Campesino leader and National Assembly candidate Isabel Granado was illegally arrested by the FAES on Thursday.

_____ (2020-09-28). US Sanctions Opposition Parties In Venezuela Ahead Of Elections. popularresistance.org Elections for Venezuela's National Assembly are fast approaching. But the United States does not want them to go ahead at all. Sanctions on Venezuela are nothing new. But yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the unusual step of sanctioning leaders of local opposition parties in an attempt to pressure them to pull out of the contest in December. | Remarkably, considering the well-documented flaws with the same problems in the U.S., Pompeo's statement dubiously claimed that Venezuelan voting machines are unreliable, that millions of voters remain unregistered, and that the country's supreme electoral counc…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Argentina: Latam's Largest Solar Park Starts Operations. telesurenglish.net Latin America's largest solar Park officially started its operations over the weekend as the Chinese built complex provided energy to Argentina's power grid. | RELATED: | The Cauchari Solar Park will provide a total of 300 megawatts of electricity for over 20 years. The stations, built by China Power Construction and the Shanghai Electric Power Construction Company, is located in Cauchari town in the Jujuy province.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Brazil: Traditional Parties Weaken Ahead of Municipal Elections. telesurenglish.net The campaigns for the Brazilian municipal elections began on Sunday amid forecasts announcing that traditional political organizations could lose their voters in big cities. | RELATED: | "In these municipal elections, it is expected that the Workers' Party (PT) and the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) movements weakened in major cities, as it occurred in 2018 elections," expert Emerson Cervi explained. | Ac…

_____ (2020-09-28). Colombia: 'The Number One Demand On The Streets Is For Justice'. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, September 9, a video went viral in Colombia. It depicted a man repeatedly being beaten and tased by the police while he kept pleading "please, no more". In a few hours, the man, Javier Ordóñez, would be dead and thousands would be on the streets of Bogotá and across the country demanding justice for him. | Ordóñez, a lawyer and father of two, had stepped out with his friends when he was accosted by a group of police officers. As Ordóñez was being tortured, his friends begged the officers to lay off even while capturing their cruelty.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Bolivia Election: Women and Young Represent Majority of Voters. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's electoral roll has a female majority, as 51.07 percent of eligible voters in the national territory are women, according to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). | RELATED: | The registry shows that in the national territory, 7.031.294 people will vote in the October 18 elections. Abroad there are 30 nations where Bolivians can participate, but the governments have yet to confirm whether it will offer them this oppor…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Peru: 3,000 Volunteers Added To Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Tests. telesurenglish.net In Peru, the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) and the Cayetano Heredia University Sunday announced that some 3,000 volunteers joined the third phase of clinical studies of two inactivated COVID-19 vaccines prepared by the China Sinopharm company. | RELATED: | After the registration process, the Sinopharm researching team would determine the volunteers' eligibility and contact the ones who suit as candidates. | Research…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Colombia: Women Demand Safe Abortion From Constitutional Court. telesurenglish.net Colombia's feminist organizations Sunday demonstrated near the Palace of Justice in Bogota to demand the legalization of the abortion. | RELATED: | About 50 pro-abortion activists carried signs and shouted out slogans like "Here we are" and "We are the voice of those gone." | "We demonstrate for the right to decide. We have the freedom to decide about our bodies, our ovaries, about whether or not we want to have…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Argentina Joins Treaty That Protects Environmental Defenders. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Congress Sunday approved the country's attachment to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters (the Escazu Agreement). | RELATED: | The project, which had been approved last August 13th in the Senate, was validated by the Congress with 240 positive votes, 4 negative votes, and 2 abstentions. | The Escazu Agreement is the world's first internat…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Peru's Govt. Sued for Forced Sterilizations in Fujimori's Rule. telesurenglish.net Peru's government was sued before the United Nations (UN) for the forced sterilizations that thousands of women suffered under the government of Alberto Fujimori (1996-2001). | RELATED: | This is the first time that a complaint has been filed before the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to demand full reparation for the harm caused to the victims and their families. | "The government has not conduct…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Uruguay's Ex-President Pepe Mujica Retires From Political Life. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's former President Jose Mujica (2010-2015) Sunday informed he will leave his place in the Senate and retire from politics due to health problems. | RELATED: | "I have a chronic immune disease… I love politics and I would not want to leave, but I love my life even more," he said. | Mujica emphasized that his difficulties to move anywhere and at any time would prevent him from being active in his duties as a senator and polit…

Christina Noriega (2020-09-28). Colombians Take On Their Militarized Police. thenation.com Colombians Take On Their Militarized Police…

_____ (2020-09-27). RIP Andre Vltchek: 'Western Imperialism Is World's Biggest Problem'. popularresistance.org André traveled relentlessly from one battle field to another, from one conflict zone to a war zone. He exposed innumerable atrocities committed around the world, mostly by western powers. He never wavered from revealing the truth. From Afghanistan to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan to Argentina, Chile, Peru to Hong Kong, to Xinjiang, the Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China — André was there.

Joe Emersberger (2020-09-27). Latest UN report on Venezuela is not remotely honest (Part 1). zcomm.org On September 15, UN investigators published a 411 page report about the human rights situation in Venezuela. They were not granted access to Venezuela but conducted hundreds of interviews with opponents of the Maduro government. Venezuela's Foreign Minister Arreaza assailed the report for being done "remotely". It was done separately from the office of Michele

teleSUR (2020-09-27). Uruguay: Broad Front Keeps Montevideo in Departmental Elections. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's center left Broad Front (Frente Amplio) party has maintained the capital Montevideo according to early projections by local media outlets and consulting firms as 84 percent of the population participated to elect representatives of the 19 departments and 125 municipalities, according to the Electoral Court. | RELATED: | teleSUR's correspondent Mateo Grille reported that the new departmental head of Montevideo is Carolina Co…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-26). Oil Companies Wind Down Venezuela Dealings as Washington Ramps Up Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The State Department has threatened foreign companies with secondary sanctions.

teleSUR, ce (2020-09-26). International Peace Forum Opposes US-Led New Cold War on China. telesurenglish.net Peace activists from China, the US, Britain, South Africa, India, Morocco, Bolivia and Belgium have come together for an international forum to discuss the US-led New Cold War and how to oppose it. | RELATED: | The event, organized by the No Cold War campaign, was chaired by Vijay Prashad, Director of the Tricontinental Institute and Kate Hudson, General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. | Deputy General Se…

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Peru to Resume International Flights on October 5. telesurenglish.net Peru's Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Rocío Barrios has announced the resumption of international flights on October 5th, following a six month cease on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "The Ministry of Transport has been coordinating with the private sector and with the airline operators. A survey has been carried out on the demand that would exist and the need for the number of flights to be ope…

WSWS (2020-09-26). Brazilian educators call strikes against homicidal reopening of schools. wsws.org The efforts of Brazil's ruling elite to reopen schools amid the catastrophic spread of COVID-19 are being met with a growing wave of resistance.

_____ (2020-09-26). Venezuela: From 'Magical Realism' To Parliamentary Elections. popularresistance.org Elliott Abrams, White House Special Envoy for Venezuela, recently referred to [far right politician] Maria Corina Machado's foreign intervention appeals as "unwise" and "magical realism." In so doing he made the US military intervention scenario less likely, at least for now, and he unwillingly left the electoral route as the only politically viable option. Meanwhile, Abrams himself has been pushing to escalate the blockade which has now generated a critical fuel shortage situation, with all its implications in terms of food supply and healthcare.

teleSUR, ce (2020-09-26). US Accuses Its Own Informant in Venezuela Case of Lying to Feds. telesurenglish.net United States federal law enforcement has accused a key informant on the trumped up case targeting Venezuela's Minister Tareck El Aissami of lying and stealing US $140,000. | RELATED: | The Associated Press reports that Venezuelan-born businessman and pilot Alejandro Marin was arrested on September 19th in Miami on three counts of knowingly making false statements to U.S. federal agents, according to court filings.

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Colombian Lawmakers Demand Defense Minister's Resignation. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Lawmakers Gustavo Petro and Jorge Robledo Friday demanded the Defense Minister Carlos Holmes' resignation for his political responsibility in the face of police brutality. | RELATED: | "Holmes has not apologized for his tolerant attitude towards the killing of citizens by the National Police," Petro tweeted. | The Minister "is a liar. He should resign because of the serious acts of excessive force and murders…

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Chilean Police Brutally Repress Health Workers' Peaceful Protest. telesurenglish.net Chilean Police (Carabineros) Friday repressed a demonstration called by health workers in the Chilean capital, Santiago, to demand that the government recognize their careers in the Health Code. | RELATED: | Health System's technical nursing staff (TENS) demonstrated in Plaza Baquedano, known as Plaza de la Dignidad, after several weeks demanding their professional recognition. | The demonstration was peaceful until t…

WSWS (2020-09-26). Killing by Colombian military escalates protests against state violence. wsws.org The wave of unrest is merging with opposition to the devastation caused by the state's counter-insurrectionary war, which has killed more than 200,000 civilians.

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Brazil: Politician Shot Dead After Denouncing Corruption. telesurenglish.net Cassio Remis, the candidate for the Brazilian city of Patrocinio's council, in Minas Gerais State, was shot dead after doing a live broadcast to denounce a corruption case. | RELATED: | Remis was killed allegedly by the Public Works' municipal-secretary Jorge Marra, while the politician was denouncing irregularities in a public work's construction. | According to local media, Marra interrupted Remis' broadcast as he took the cell phone aw…

Rebeccah Slater, Fiona Moultrie, Ralph Bax, John van den Anker, Aomesh Bhatt (2020-09-26). [Comment] Preterm health: time to bridge the evidence gap. thelancet.com Despite the development of revolutionary life-sustaining advances in neonatal medicine, medications are frequently administered in an ad-hoc and suboptimal way. Most drugs prescribed in neonatal care have not been submitted to the stringent regulatory processes of drug licensing that are standard in adult medicine.1 Although clinical research and licensing regulations differ between countries, the scarcity of licensed medications and inevitable use of off-label drugs in neonates are universal problems1 (countries reporting these issues include the USA, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Australia, India, and Brazil).

Ricardo Ayala, Bernardo Alarcon (2020-09-26). [Correspondence] The social contract and health care in Chile. thelancet.com Francisca Crispi and colleagues' plea for public health in Chile to be rebuilt,1 although thought-provoking, sets the private against the public. As much as we agree that inequalities in Chile have increased since the neoliberal turn, the social contract2 is far from dismantling. In fact, the concept is based on a liberal doctrine that seeks to protect individual freedom and private property.3 Crispi and colleagues' plea is therefore contradictory. Banning discrimination is the one basic condition for the tacit contract between citizens and the state.

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Bolivia: TSE Officially Leaves Jeanine Añez Aside From Elections. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) Friday approved the request to dissolve the Alliance Together (Alianza Juntos) through which coup-born regime's leader Jeanine Añez intended to run for president. | RELATED: | "From this moment on, all Alliance Together candidacies are void," TSE stated as it explained that their candidates cannot run for the presidency, vice presidency, senate, and national assembly. | How…

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Uruguay: LGBTQ Community March to Demand Rights. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's LGBTQI community marched on Friday to demand their rights and to demand the accurate implementation of the Integral Law for Trans People. | RELATED: | Convoked by the Coordinator of the March for the Diversity of Uruguay, thousands of marchers gathered on El Libertador Avenue, carrying the rainbow flag and shouting out slogans like "Pride is to fight" and "The oppressive state is a rapist male." | The pride march had a pa…

W. T. Whitney (2020-09-25). Hitting at Venezuela: the Colombia/US Axis. counterpunch.org Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Ivan Duque, meeting in Bogota on September 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the State Department. A Cuban observer insists they explored "when to begin military actions and sabotage in Venezuela." Elliott Abrams, the White House

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-25). Trump Regime War on Cuba by Other Means. globalresearch.ca Unlawful US sanctions on nations, entities and individuals are weapons of war by other means. | Since taking office in January 2017, Trump imposed sanctions on numerous countries extrajudicially, including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba….

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-25). Argentina rejects Bolivian de-facto president's statements at the UN assembly. peoplesdispatch.org On September 23, during her speech before the 75th United Nations General Assembly, the de-facto president of Bolivia, Jeanine àÅñez, attacked the progressive government of Argentine president Alberto Fernández, accusing the neighboring nation of exercising "systematic and abusive harassment" against Bolivia. She also accused the Argentine government of "interfering in Bolivia's internal affairs" and "supporting a violent conspiracy by (former Bolivian president) Evo Morales against Bolivian democracy." | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, on behalf of the national government, rejected the statem…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-25). Ecuadorian court orders the arrest of Rafael Correa. peoplesdispatch.org Ecuador's National Court of Justice (CNJ), on September 23, ordered the police authorities to "immediately locate and arrest" former president Rafael Correa and other former government officials and businessmen convicted in

teleSUR (2020-09-25). Brazil: Volkswagen Acknowledges Persecution, Torture of Workers. telesurenglish.net Volkswagen announced that it agreed with the State of Sà£o Paulo to compensate its former workers for the damages it caused them during the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985. | RELATED: | The German company pledged to grant US$6.5 million to promote initiatives related to the defense of human rights and the investigation of crimes committed during the dictatorship. Just over US$3 mi…