Daily Archives: October 24, 2020

2020-10-24: News Headlines

_____ (2020-10-24). After Socialist Victory In Bolivia, Media Still Whitewash Coup. popularresistance.org Bolivia's Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party won a decisive victory in the country's presidential elections on Sunday, with its candidate Luis Arce apparently winning by a large enough margin to avoid a runoff, likely achieving an absolute majority. The leading opposing candidate, neoliberal Carlos Mesa, and the right-wing unelected President Jeanine àÅñez congratulated Arce on his victory. | Some in US corporate media, however, failed to describe what was really going on in the country. | When the Wall Street Journal (10/19/20) reported on the MAS victory, for example, it kept to the usual line…

Fight Back (2020-10-24). Commentary on Bolivia: How a coup failed. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On November 10, 2019, a hastily-assembled coalition of generals, middle class liberals and fascist paramilitaries overthrew the democratic government of Evo Morales in Bolivia. Coming on the heels of a coup attempt in Venezuela and the vicious repression of a people's uprising in Chile, it seemed to many that the continental struggle against U.S. imperialism had reached a tipping point in the empire's favor. | Today, not even a year later, the official results for Bolivia's presidential elections were announced. Evo's comrade and successor Luis "Lucho" Arce received a resounding 55% of the vote…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-24). Rouhani felicitates Bolivian counterpart on election win. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 24 (MNA) — Congratulating the new Bolivian President on his election, President Rouhani expressed Iran's readiness to revive bilateral relations and expand cooperation with the Bolivian government in all fields.

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Maduro Asks National Assembly to Consider Same-Sex Marriage. telesurenglish.net Regarding the support given by Pope Francis to civil unions between same-sex couples in the documentary "Francesco," released this Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, entrusted the next National Assembly (NA), which will be elected on December 6, with the discussion of the issue of equal marriage. | RELATED: | The Head of State said during a meeting…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-10-23). Protests Against President Iván Duque Increase in Colombia. globalresearch.ca In Colombia, popular dissatisfaction with President Iván Duque's policies is growing day after day. Popular protests started late last year and peaked between September and October this year. During this period, the number of claims increased significantly, mainly due …

IndustriALL (2020-10-23). Organizaciones sociales de Colombia marchan en apoyo a Sintracarbón. peoplesworld.org Bajo el llamado "Kato'u Wajira" ("Despierta Guajira" en lengua originaria) marcharon decenas de personas pacíficamente por las calles de Riohacha de la capital de La Guajira el 9 de octubre. El objetivo fue mostrar el apoyo de la comunidad a la huelga del Sindicato nacional de los trabajadores de la industria del carbón (Sintracarbón, afiliado …

Jake Johnston (2020-10-23). Data from Bolivia's Election Add More Evidence That OAS Fabricated Last Year's Fraud Claims. counterpunch.org The MAS Received More Votes in Almost All of the OAS's 86 Suspect Precincts in 2020 than in 2019 On Sunday, October 20, Bolivians went to the polls and overwhelmingly elected Luis Arce of the MAS party president. Private quick counts released the night of the vote showed Arce receiving more than 50 percent of

RT (2020-10-23). Take a bite out of this: Atletico striker Luis Suarez buys 1,000 Big Macs for children's charity event. rt.com Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez bought and donated 1,000 Big Macs for children in his native Uruguay as part of a charity event. | The 33-year-old spent €4.75 ($5.63) on each of the burgers – which he donated to children in a youth league in Pando, a small city north west of Uruguayan capital Montevideo – raising a McDonald's Uruguayan Twitter account thanked…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Bolivia's TSE Declares Luis Arce the Elected President. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Electoral Supreme Court (TSE) declared Luis Arce, the elected president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia and David Choquehuanca as vice-president on Friday after the official vote counting showed that Arce's party, the Movement Towards Socialism, reached a landslide victory of 55.10 percent of the votes. | RELATED: | About 6.483.893 Bolivians out of the 7.332.926 registered went to the polls, re…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Ex-FARC Members March Over Selective Killings Against Them. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas marched from the municipality of Mesetas, in Meta Department, to protest against the targeted killing of 234 of their fellow FARC party members since the signing of the Peace Agreement. | RELATED: | The march for "Life and Peace" was organized by members of the Revolutionary Alternative Forces of the Commons (FARC), which became a legal political party after their dem…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Bolivia Reaches 100% of Vote Count, MAS Reinforces Its Victory. telesurenglish.net The Bolivian Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Friday reached 100 percent of the electoral count, which ratified the victory of Luis Arce's Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) with over 55 percent of the votes in favor. | RELATED: | The MAS got a distance of over 26 points against the right-wing Citizen Community Party (CC), presided by Carlos Mesa. CC accumulated 29 percent of the votes. | W Believe Party, Luis Cam…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Chile: 'Approve' Supporters Close Campaign With Massive Flag-Waving. telesurenglish.net A flag-waving of the 'Approval' supporters in the plebiscite that will take place next Sunday was held in front of La Moneda Palace, headquarters of Chile's government. | RELATED: | Over 1,000 people and leaders of all the opposition parties took to the streets to demand that a new constitution be written to replace the one made during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). | "After months of police repression…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Ecuador: Police Crack Down On Peaceful Protest in Quito. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Police officials Thursday dispersed with tear gas a demonstration called by the Workers' United Front (FUT) to protests against the economic situation and President Lenin Moreno's mismanagement of the crisis. | RELATED: | Dozens of police officers on motorcycles stormed into the crowd and dispersed hundreds of demonstrators while a helicopter flew over the area. | Amid the disturbances, the mobilized…

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-23). Mexico at the OAS General Assembly: Almagro undermined the OAS Charter and Damaged Bolivia's Democracy. cepr.net This week in Washington, D.C. the Organization of American States (OAS) held their 50th Regular Session of the General Assembly. In these meetings the General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the OAS, is tasked with debating the organization's course of action for the next year, as well as setting the standards of governance for …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-23). It's official: Movement Towards Socialism wins landslide victory in Bolivia. peoplesdispatch.org With 100% of the votes counted, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) presidential ticket of Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca has won 55.1% of the votes, with a lead of 26.27% over their nearest rival Carlos Mesa…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Chile: A Plebiscite and a Promise. telesurenglish.net For Chilean people, October 25th could mark a political pivotal turn, and start the path for a new political landscape of cooperation and popular power. It is a long time promise to be finally accomplished. | RELATED: | 32 years between plebiscites | October and a historic vote. That is what Chile experienced in 1988 and that this 2020 is ready to repeat. Although 32 years separate these votes, both are intimately lin…

Liza Featherstone (2020-10-23). Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed at Fifty. zcomm.org The Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's book, first published in English 50 years ago, urges viewing students as interlocutors or partners in the learning process…

Bree Busk (2020-10-23). Chileans mobilize in advance of a historic plebiscite. zcomm.org After seven months in quarantine, protesters have returned to the streets to reawaken the uprising they initiated the previous October…

_____ (2020-10-23). Movement Towards Socialism Wins Landslide Victory In Bolivia. popularresistance.org After 11 months of being ruled by a repressive coup-regime, Bolivians have finally recovered democracy. After five days of counting, the official results of the Bolivian presidential elections are finally in. The Movement Towards Socialism's (MAS) presidential ticket with Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca won 55.1% of the vote share while Carlos Mesa's Citizen Community party won just 28.83% of the vote share. The MAS also won the parliamentary elections, bagging 73 out of the 130 seats in the lower house of parliament and 21 of the 36 seats in the Senate.

_____ (2020-10-23). A New Revolutionary Alternative For The People Of Venezuela. popularresistance.org For many on the left in Britain and within the heart of the global capitalist system, Venezuela has been an example of staunch opposition to US and Nato imperialism, with a broad collection of revolutionaries fending off multiple coups, mercenary attacks and resisting an imperialist blockade of late. | This vision of defiance and tenacity has painted a very particular idea of what the experience is in Venezuela, which ultimately makes the formation of the Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR), a new bloc of left wing groups without the ruling PSUV, quite a remarkable surprise.

sputniknews (2020-10-23). Shh We're Debating!; MAS Fights for Peace in Bolivia; Nigeria on Fire. sputniknews.com Biden, Trump hold final, quieter debate; Nigerian civil unrests leaves 50+ dead; Will Sanders serve as Labor Secretary in Biden's cabinet?

Kit Klarenberg (2020-10-23). Leaked emails suggest shocking US mercenary plot in Bolivia. thecanary.co Bombshell leaked communications indicate scores of US military and intelligence veterans have been secretly recruited for wide-ranging covert action of an indeterminate nature in Bolivia. | The private correspondence, which has already been

Anya Parampil (2020-10-22). How Bolivia fights fascism — It takes more than the ballot box. thegrayzone.com Anya Parampil speaks with journalist Ollie Vargas in La Paz, Bolivia about the historic victory of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party in the October 18 elections. Video by Ben Norton Parampil and Vargas discuss the role of Bolivia's social movements in overturning the coup regime that came to power in 2019, as well as the expectations of average people as the new government of Luis Arce takes power.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-22). Venezuela: Trump Administration Pushed Regime Change in Secret Meeting. venezuelanalysis.com The White House wanted Maduro to step down before the US presidential elections.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-22). Colombia witnesses massive national strike. peoplesdispatch.org On October 21, tens of thousands of workers, peasants, teachers, students, Indigenous and Afro-descendant people took part in a new national strike in Colombia to protest against the social and economic policies of President Iván Duque. Several peaceful demonstrations were held throughout the country in rejection of the economic crisis, rising unemployment, police repression, the increase in massacres, assassination of social leaders, armed group activity, among other issues. | In the capital Bogotá, hundreds of workers from diverse sectors hit the streets and marched towards the Plaza Bolívar, demanding a guaran…

_____ (2020-10-22). Colombia: National Strike Joins The Minga As Mobilization Grows. popularresistance.org Colombia woke up on Wednesday with a new national strike in the country's main cities, amidst the coronavirus crisis and the increase in the numbers of massacres and murders of social leaders and former members of the then Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP). | The president of the Central Workers Union (CUT), Diógenes Orjuela, explained that the strike would clarify the position of absolute rejection of the massacres and murders that have occurred in the country in recent months, as well as the repression exercised by the police.

Arnold August (2020-10-22). MAS Returns to Power in Bolivia One Year After US-backed Coup. counterpunch.org Despite a year of unbridled state repression, including massacres committed against supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who was deposed just weeks after being declared the victor in the country's October 2019 election, the left-wing Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) secured a resounding victory on October 18 for candidate Luis Arce, Morales's former finance minister.

Eds. (2020-10-22). The Bolivian right: Divided, without leadership. mronline.org here are still days of uncertainty until the new government is in office. What happened in Bolivia can be described as a counter-coup, in the face of a coup with strong international support that had not arrived to remain only one year in political power.

Morning Star (2020-10-22). Chilean Communists call for replacement of Pinochet constitution in Sunday vote. peoplesworld.org The Communist Party of Chile (CPC) has urged progressives in the country to unite behind calls for a new constitution ahead of the Oct.25 referendum on the issue. Victory in the poll would mark a decisive break with the current constitution, which was controversially introduced in 1980 under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. He …

Vijay Prashad (2020-10-22). Argentina's veteran ambassador makes a stand for the sovereignty of Latin America. mronline.org Alicia Castro does not shy away from her views. She came to diplomacy from the trade union movement, where she was a leader when she was a flight attendant with Aerolíneas Argentinas.

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-22). El MAS recibió más votos en 2020 en casi todos los 86 recintos sospechosos según la OEA en 2019. cepr.net In English El domingo 20 de octubre, los bolivianos acudieron a las urnas y, por abrumadora mayoría, eligieron como presidente a Luis Arce del partido MAS. Los conteos rápidos privados publicados la noche de la votación mostraron que Arce recibió más del 50% de los votos y tenía una ventaja de más de 20 puntos …

John Catalinotto (2020-10-22). Millions salute election victory in Bolivia. workers.org Supporters of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) in the streets Oct. 18 to celebrate the landslide victory of their candidate. Millions of people cheer with delight the landslide victory of the Movement toward Socialism (MAS) in the Bolivian elections. We join them. The rightists who came together for last November's . . . |

Reese Erlich (2020-10-22). Foreign Correspondent: What Bolivia Can Teach the United States About Fair Elections. progressive.org The South American nation sets an example of how to undo an attempted coup.

Uriel Araujo (2020-10-22). Major Oil Discovery Puts Suriname in Global Spotlight Amid Venezuela Crisis and US-China Trade War. globalresearch.ca Although Guyana's prospects have certainly changed tremendously — its …

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-22). El FMI impone más recortes para Ecuador, aunque predica lo contrario. cepr.net OpenDemocracy Ver artículo en el sitio original In English El FMI que se presenta en las reuniones anuales no es el mismo FMI que el que organiza los programas de préstamos, como se demuestra en el caso de Ecuador. En su discurso de apertura de las Reuniones Mundiales Anuales de este año, la Directora Gerente …

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-22). The OAS Helped Facilitate Last Year's Coup Against Evo Morales. Now It's Observing Today's Bolivian Elections. cepr.net Jacobin See article on original site Today, nearly one year after Evo Morales was ousted in a coup facilitated by the Organization of American States (OAS), Bolivia will finally vote in new elections. With Luis Arce, the candidate of Morales's Movement for Socialism—Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples (MAS) party leading in polls, …

_____ (2020-10-22). America Has No Allies, Only Hostages. strategic-culture.org The new president-elect of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has told the Spanish international news agency EFE that he intends to restore the nation's relations with Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. This reverses the policies of the US-backed coup regime which immediately began closing embassies, kicking out doctors and severing relations with those nations after illegally seizing power last year.

Susan Price (2020-10-22). Bolivia: The people defeat the coup. greenleft.org.au Bolivians have overwhelmingly voted the left-wing Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) back into office in a resounding reversal of last year's coup, writes Federico Fuentes.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-21). 8,000 Colombians march to Bogotá demanding to meet with president Duque. peoplesdispatch.org Nearly 8,000 Indigenous and Afro-descendant people, peasants, students and women from southwestern Colombia arrived in Bogotá on October 18 to meet President Iván Duque. They are still waiting for a response. Meanwhile, four indigenous leaders were killed in other parts of the country as mobilizations took place in Bogotá.

teleSUR (2020-10-21). UK Allocated £450,000 To Opponents of Venezuela's Government. telesurenglish.net Declassified UK journalists revealed that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) awarded £ 450,000 to "Transparencia Venezuela", an organization using the fight against corruption as a front to support the destabilizing actions that opposition politician Juan Guaido has been carrying out against the administration of President Nicolas Maduro. | RELATED: | The money transfer started in 2019 when the FCDO awarded &p…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-10-21). Bolivia: Arce's Victory Does Not Represent a Return to Morales' National Project. globalresearch.ca The great victory of the Movement to Socialism (MAS) — Evo Morales' party — in Bolivia opens the way for a new era of change in the South American country. The positions on the Bolivian national political scene are currently …

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-10-21). Brazil Chooses US as Its Partner in 5G Technology, Refusing China. globalresearch.ca After months of controversy and discussions, Brazil has chosen to prioritize the US as a partner in 5G technology. The decision contradicts the opinion of the greatest experts on the subject, who see the choice as Brazil's alignment to Washington …

teleSUR (2020-10-21). Venezuela: President Maduro Calls For Communal Parliament Law. telesurenglish.net During a videoconference with representatives of the communes throughout the country, the Venezuelan President called for the strengthening and consolidation of the work of these social, political, and economic organizations defined by their local and participatory nature. | The Head of State informed that he would propose to the new Parliament elected next December 6, through the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies of the Great Patriotic Pole (GPPSB), legislation aimed at promoting the consultation with the communal parliament all projects and issues discussed in the nation's legislative…

_____ (2020-10-21). Media Responds With Apathy, Disappointment As Coup Government Concedes Defeat. popularresistance.org Bolivia's Movement to Socialism (MAS) party is celebrating what appears to be a crushing, landslide victory in Sunday's elections. Although official vote counting is far from over, exit polls show an overwhelming triumph for the socialists, and a repudiation of the right-wing military government of Jeanine Añez, who has ruled since the coup last November. At the same time, the corporate press appears less than pleased about the return to democracy for the Andean country. | In order to win outright in the first round, the top candidate needs at least 40 percent of the popular vote and a lead of 10 points over thei…

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-21). Freedom Triumphs Over Fascism in Bolivia if It Sticks. globalresearch.ca In November, US orchestrated fascism replaced freedom in Bolivia. | President Evo Morales' legitimate reelection was overturned by a cadre of US recruited traitors. | Generals and others were bribed to betray their country for the right price. | Fascism tied to US …

Manuela Solé (2020-10-21). Venezuela: PDVSA to Offload Crude from Offshore Facility. venezuelanalysis.com The Nabarima floating facility has been inoperative since January 2019 and is at risk of an oil spill.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-21). The Bolivian people broke all barriers to vote in hope. peoplesdispatch.org Juan Carlos Pinto Quintanilla, sociologist and former government official during the term of Evo Morales, talks about the massive turnout during the Bolivian elections, the hopes of the people and the plans of right-wing forces…

teleSUR (2020-10-21). Freedom of Expression Was Restricted in Ecuador, Report Shows. telesurenglish.net The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) published a report that highlights that freedom of expression was violated during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador, a country where 23 journalists have died from the coronavirus so far. | RELATED: | The Standing Committee for the Defense of Human Rights warned that, under the pretext of public security and health emergency, freedom of expression was viola…

teleSUR (2020-10-21). Brazil Will Not Buy Chinese Vaccines, Bolsonaro Says. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday said that his country will not buy the coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinovac. | RELATED: | This announcement was made after Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello mentioned that Brazil will allocate US$427 million for the purchase of 46 million doses of the "Coronavac" vaccine. On Tuesday, he met with different governors and signed a protocol of intentions to expand the s…

Brett Heinz (2020-10-21). Bolivians Reclaim Their Democracy. cepr.net The Nation See article on original site The overwhelming MAS election victory is a repudiation of the racist coup regime as well as the Trump administration and the OAS, which helped install it. On Sunday, October 18, Luis Arce won the presidency of Bolivia, in a pronounced repudiation of last year's military coup, which had …