Daily Archives: November 16, 2020

2020-11-16: News Headlines

Margaret Flowers (2020-11-16). The Imperative To Achieve National Improved Medicare For All. dissidentvoice.org NOTE: The Kevin Zeese Emerging Activists Fund is accepting applicants for an unrestricted grant of $20,000 until December 13, 2020. Learn more at PopularResistance.org/kevin-zeese/. And join us for a webinar with Venezuelan social movements on November 18 to hear about their upcoming elections and how we can support their struggle against US intervention. Details at …

Ralph Nader (2020-11-16). Trump's Ongoing Crime Wave Requires a Special Prosecutor. counterpunch.org There are many reasons why loser Trump refuses to concede. Yes, delusion has been the counterfeit coin of his fantasy realm — "I won this election by a lot" he tweeted with all caps last Saturday. In his fevered mind — nourished by a bullying career — all victories are his triumphs, and all losses are fake due

_____ (2020-11-16). Misconduct In Public Office In The Assange Case. popularresistance.org Both Snow and Taylor showed extreme bias against Julian. Their hearings were about Julian seeking asylum at the Ecuadorean Embassy in 2012, which meant that he had not complied with his bail conditions relating to earlier hearings. Under UK law, you do not have to comply with your bail conditions if you have a good reason. When Julian asked for asylum, it was based on the risk that he could be extradited to the US. The Ecuadorean authorities accepted this as a reason for granting him asylum. This is self-evidently a reasonable excuse for not complying with bail conditions.

Jasmine Norden (2020-11-16). Protesters killed in Peru after Amnesty International warns of a 'human rights crisis'. thecanary.co Human rights organisations have warned that Peru police used excessive force against protesters as two people were confirmed dead. | On 14 November, two protesters Marina Navarro, exec…

teleSUR (2020-11-16). Argentina: Congress Debates Tax Bill on Large Fortunes. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Congress is set to debate on Tuesday a Tax Bill on Large Fortunes aimed at supporting the State's response in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Reaching 0.08 percent of the economically active population in the country, the so-called Law of Solidarity and Extraordinary Contribution to Great Fortunes seeks that people who have a patrimony of over US$3 million pay a tax of 2 to 3 percent. | The Bill establi…

teleSUR (2020-11-16). Bolsonaro-Backed Candidates Defeated in Brazil's Local Elections. telesurenglish.net The electoral results of the main Brazilian cities show the defeat of the candidates supported by President Jair Bolsonaro, favoring the candidates of the center and the moderate right. | RELATED: | In Sao Paulo, the city with the most voters in the country, the current mayor, Bruno Covas, of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), took the lead with nearly a third of the votes, 32.8 percent. | However, Covas will…

teleSUR (2020-11-16). Peruvian People Celebrate President Manuel Merino's Resignation. telesurenglish.net The Peruvian people Sunday celebrated the resignation of interim President Manuel Merino, who was removed by the resistance of citizens in the streets despite police brutality. | RELATED: | The young people took to the streets and marched to the Congress of the Republic's headquarters with the slogans "Long live Peru," "Let's go Peru," and "Yes we can." | Outside the Plaza Bolívar lie two funeral arrangements in honor of the yo…

teleSUR (2020-11-16). Colombia: Army Soldiers Killed Two Minors in Huila. telesurenglish.net Social organizations from the municipality of San Agustin, in Huila Department, Colombia, Monday denounced the murder of two minors at a military checkpoint near the town of El Palmar. | RELATED: | The teenagers were identified as Joselino Irua, 14, and Emerson Dussan, 16. Preliminary investigations show that they were riding a motorcycle when they were approached by military personnel from the Magdalena Infantry Battalio…

Telesur (2020-11-16). EU Extends Sanctions on Venezuela Until November 2021. globalresearch.ca The European Union (EU) Thursday announced it is prolonging restrictive sanctions against Venezuela for one year, until November 14, 2021. | These sanctions include the weapon and equipment blockade that may be used in Venezuela and the prohibition of 36 high-ranking …

_____ (2020-11-16). Peru's Youth Have Mobilized In Indignation. popularresistance.org Mass protests broke out after Peru's parliament voted to impeach former president Martin Vizcarra on November 9th, installing Manuel Merino of the Accion Popular party, as head of state for the 5 months left till the country's general elections. | The Peruvian left are not supporters of former neoliberal president Vizcarra, but have condemned the impeachment that has been carried out by forces even further to his right, "The new government has named àÅntero Flores Aráoz as president of the Council of Ministers, he is the best representative of the old politics: conservative, far-right, racist, sexist, a few…

WSWS (2020-11-16). Peruvian government falls after two killed in anti-impeachment protests. wsws.org Mass outrage over the deadly repression of protests triggered by the coup-like impeachment of President Vizcarra has forced the resignation of his successor.

teleSUR (2020-11-16). Bolivia: IACHR to Investigate Crimes in Senkata and Sacaba. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's authorities announced that on November 23, five experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will arrive in the country to undergo an investigation into the murders of Sacaba, in Cochabamba Department, and Senkata, El Alto Department. | RELATED: | On Sunday, Justice Minister Ivan Lima, and the Movement to Socialism (MAS) lawmaker Leonardo Loza released the information during a tribute to the victims of the massa…

teleSUR (2020-11-16). Ecuador: Debates Start to Set the Minimum Wage for 2021. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Council of Labor and Wages (CNTS) Monday began consultative meetings to determine the unified basic wage (UBW) that will rule in 2021 amid the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Several economists and workers union representatives have cast doubts on a minimum wage increase, taking into account that the country is experiencing an economic contraction and high rates of…

teleSUR, ce (2020-11-15). Peru's Interim President Manuel Merino Resigns. telesurenglish.net The President of Peru, Manuel Merino, presented his resignation this Sunday, after Congress asked him to resign immediately in the framework of the demonstrations against the unstable political situation in the South American country. | RELATED: | In a nationally televised message, Merino, who replaced the dismissed Martín Vizcarra, said that he respects the country's political system and hopes that the situation in…

_____ (2020-11-15). A Hero's Welcome: Inside Evo Morales' Triumphant Return Tour. strategic-culture.org By Oliver VARGAS | The return of Evo Morales to Bolivia on Monday, November 9, one day after President Luis Arce's inauguration, marked the formal end of last year's U.S.-backed coup. What does his return mean for Bolivia, and for the world? Is he just a former president who the media will turn to periodically for comment? Is he yesterday's news to his party? The answers to those questions remain unclear, but what is clear is that his three-day return tour was a statement that he intends to provide strong leadership for social movements in Bolivia and abroad. | Corporate media, both national and international, ha…

teleSUR, ce (2020-11-15). Peru's Top Prosecutor to Investigate Deaths of Two Protesters. telesurenglish.net The Peruvian Prosecutor's Office reported this Sunday that it will investigate the death of two citizens after protests against the appointment of the interim President, Manuel Merino, who has been forced to resign. | RELATED: | As reported by the Public Ministry, the investigation was opened "against those who are responsible for the crime of homicide to the detriment of Inti Sotelo and Jack Pintado and others, in the context…

Iran Aguilera (2020-11-15). Communal Organisation: The Barcelona Experience. zcomm.org Venezuelan communard Iran Aguilera examines the advances of popular power in Anzoátegui State…

Richard Horton (2020-11-14). [Comment] Offline: A different kind of lockdown. thelancet.com In April, 2019, Dr Mai Alkaila became the first woman to be appointed Minister of Health in the occupied Palestinian territory. An obstetrician and gynaecologist by training, she later earned a PhD in health policy and systems. But she also had a taste for diplomacy and has served the State of Palestine as Ambassador to Chile and Italy. Perfect credentials, one might imagine, for a role that comes with already delicate political challenges. And then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. How was a divided land and a divided government under occupation going to handle a health emergency that was confounding even the most u…

Fight Back (2020-11-14). FRSO joins Anti-imperialist Working Class World Summit. fightbacknews.org Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization answered the call from the Partido Socialista Unido Venezloano (PSUV) to participate in a virtual gathering to uphold proletarian internationalism in the face of U.S. imperialism. The virtual conference demonstrated a truly international character, as 61 different delegations of trade unionists and activists attended from all five continents. It is clear that workers and communist parties from around the world stand in solidarity against U.S. imperialism and the blockade against Venezuela. | Other countries that are also in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialist mane…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-14). Why are Peruvians protesting president Vizcarra's impeachment? peoplesdispatch.org Martín Vizcarra is far from a 'progressive' leader and does not represent the interests of the masses, so why are thousands on the street rejecting his impeachment and even classifying it as a coup?

_____ (2020-11-14). Brazil: Municipal Elections Promise Gains For Left. popularresistance.org On Sunday, November 15, residents of Brazil's 5570 municipalities will vote for mayors and city councilors in what promises to be a day of moderate gains by left wing political parties and embarrassing loses for candidates aligned with Brazil's far right President Jair Bolsonaro. | In 2012, the Brazilian Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores/PT) elected 638 mayors, including 19 in Brazil's largest 95 cities (those with population above 200,000). In 2016, after 3 years of a relentless national and international media smear campaign based on false corruption allegations…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-11-13). Biden Defends Sanctions Against Brazil and Irritates Bolsonaro. globalresearch.ca A new era is beginning in bilateral relations between Brazil and the US. Unlike Donald Trump, who demonstrated greater neutrality in environmental and humanitarian issues and always avoided pronouncements about the Amazon, the presumptive president-elect, Joe Biden, is marked …

teleSUR Desk (2020-11-13). Evo Morales: Lithium was the reason for the coup in Bolivia. mronline.org The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, assures that the large deposits of lithium in the Andean country and his government's attempt to industrialize the reserves were why the coup d'état against him in 2019 occurred.

Vijay Prashad (2020-11-13). Biden Should Shake Hands With Nicolás Maduro. counterpunch.org In June, Joe Biden—who will be the U.S. president in January 2021—sent out a tweet that described Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro—and others—as "thugs and dictators." Maduro won two elections to hold his post—in 2013 and 2018. In 2018, Maduro won 67.8 percent of the vote, losing a third of the votes to Henri Falcón and

WSWS (2020-11-13). Workers Party pushes back-to-school campaign amid warnings of second COVID-19 wave in Brazil. wsws.org The reopening being carried out by state governors and the precarious conditions faced by the majority are creating the perfect conditions for an even deadlier coronavirus surge.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-11-13). Massive Protests in Peru Against 'Legislative Coup' That Ousted President Martín Vizcarra. commondreams.org "All of Peru is fired up, we're all very angry," said one protester. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/peru_merino.jpg

Tom Phillips (2020-11-13). 'We're in Power Now': Evo Morales Makes Gleeful Return to Town He Fled. zcomm.org Tens of thousands of supporters greet Bolivian ex-president during his triumphant return to Chimoré…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-13). Over a million welcome Evo Morales in Chimoré. peoplesdispatch.org People from across Bolivia came to Chimoré to receive former president Evo Morales and former vice-president àÅlvaro García Linera in the place from where they were forced to leave the country after the coup d'état of November 2019…

Brasil de Fato (2020-11-13). What's at stake in Brazil's municipal elections this Sunday. peoplesdispatch.org The municipal elections, originally scheduled for October, were postponed to Sunday November 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The change was approved by the National Congress in July. | The COVID-19 health crisis in the country, far from being under control, is one of the factors that might lead to greater abstention in

teleSUR (2020-11-12). LATAM Electoral Experts Will Observe Venezuela's Election. telesurenglish.net The Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America (CEELA) signed an agreement with Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) on technical monitoring and electoral accompaniment ahead of the country's parliamentary elections to take place on December 6. | RELATED: | "We, as former magistrates and electoral authorities in Latin America, have organized elections and also participated in over 120 elections inover 120 coun…

WSWS (2020-11-12). Thousands protest in Peru against impeachment, pandemic and economic implosion. wsws.org In Lima, Peru's capital, the decision to replace Martín Vizcarra with Manuel Merino brought many people into the streets.

teleSUR (2020-11-12). Dominican Republic: Odebrecht Trials Continue. telesurenglish.net A Dominican Republic's Court Thursday continued the trial against six defendants involved in the Odebrecht corruption case in the country. | RELATED: | The Lawsuit presented by the Public Ministry shows that over US$90 million were paid by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to secure the allocations of state works. | Businessmen Angel Rondon, Victor Diaz, Andres Bautista, Juan Rodriguez, Conrado Pittaluga,…

teleSUR (2020-11-12). Joy Marks Evo's Return To Bolivia. telesurenglish.net In a commemorative caravan, Evo Morales began his trip back to Bolivia through the border crossing point La Quiaca in the Argentinean province of Jujuy where Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez warmly bade him farewell. | RELATED: | "A month ago I arrived in Mexico, a brother country that saved our lives, I was sad and devastated. Now I arrived in Argentina, to continue fighting for the humblest and to unite the…

teleSUR (2020-11-12). Expert Claims Criminal Groups Back Peru's New President. telesurenglish.net During an interview granted this Thursday to HispanTV, former anti-corruption prosecutor Julio Arbizu has addressed the issue of the removal of President Martin Vizcarra and the assumption of Manuel Merino, which led to scenes of protest and police repression in the streets of Peru. | RELATED: | Arbizu has denounced that three presidents during the last four years have been examples of the weakness of democracy in…