Daily Archives: December 2, 2020

2020-12-02: News Headlines

Assessoria de Imprensa (2020-12-02). Indigenous people block Trans-Amazon Highway protesting industrial drought. peoplesworld.org ALTAMIRA, Pará, Brazil (Nov. 9) — On Monday morning, Nov. 9, an estimated 150 fishermen, riverside inhabitants, local farmers and members of the indigenous Curuaya and Xipaya peoples from Altamira, Senator José Porfírio, Novo Brasil, Anapu and Vitória do Xingu, five municipalities in the State of Pará, occupied both lanes of the Trans-Amazon Highway at …

teleSUR (2020-12-02). Ecuador Sentences 11 Waorani Indigenous People Over Homicide. telesurenglish.net The Justice Court of Orellana province in Ecuador ratified the sentence imposed on 11 persons of the Waorani Indigenous community, who were accused of a crime of homicide against the Tagaeri-Taromenane Indigenous tribe in 2013. | RELATED: | The prosecutor's office pointed out that the sentence was imposed under the "principles of interculturality" as set out in the Constitution, following a dialogue with elders of the Waorani tribes.

_____ (2020-12-02). Embassy Protection Collective Members Mark End Of Federal Probation. popularresistance.org Washington, DC — Today, three of the four members of the Embassy Protection Collective, Adrienne Pine, David Paul and Margaret Flowers, who stayed in the Venezuelan Embassy last year to stop its illegal handover to coup leaders, are finished with their six-month probation and 30-day suspended sentence. The fourth member of the collective, Kevin Zeese, died unexpectedly in September. | The three collective members are traveling to Venezuela to serve as official election observers for the National Assembly election to be held on December 6, 2020.

Mongabay (2020-12-02). Amazon Deforestation Tops 11,000 sq km in Brazil, Reaching 12-year High. globalresearch.ca Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon topped 11,000 square kilometers for the first time since 2008 reports the Brazilian government. | According to data released today by Brazil's national space research institute

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-02). Former Officials of the àÅñez Administration Are Fleeing Bolivia for U.S. and Brazil. globalresearch.ca New Bolivian President Luis Arce is investigating several former officials who served his predecessor Jeanine àÅñez. They are accused of corruption or being responsible for massacres. Dozens fled Bolivia for the U.S. and Brazil to avoid prosecution, while others have …

Gloria La Riva (2020-12-02). Venezuela's anti-blockade law and the Dec. 6 elections. liberationnews.org Progressive forces mobilize nationwide to win back the assembly from right-wing politicians who won the majority in December 2015.

W. T. Whitney (2020-12-02). US Plot Relying on Extradition Targets Peace in Colombia. counterpunch.org For 50 years Colombian governments and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) fought a civil war; 200,000 lives were lost. After four years of negotiations, the two sides signed a peace agreement that took effect in November 2016. Now the agreement is in trouble, mainly at the hands of rightwing extremists led by former

W. T. Whitney (2020-12-02). US Plot Relying on Extradition Targets Peace in Colombia. counterpunch.org For 50 years Colombian governments and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) fought a civil war; 200,000 lives were lost. After four years of negotiations, the two sides signed a peace agreement that took effect in November 2016. Now the agreement is in trouble, mainly at the hands of rightwing extremists led by former

_____ (2020-12-02). Is the U.S. Actually a 'Police State'? strategic-culture.org Eric ZUESSE | Is the phrase "police state" anything more than propaganda that a government uses against a foreign government that it wants to overthrow — such as the U.S. did against Iraq before invading it in 2003, and against Libya and Syria since 2011, and against Venezuela since 2012, and against Ukraine since 2013, and in all instances destroyed those countries, allegedly to 'bring democracy and human rights and the rule of law, and fight against corruption' there (as if that were honestly the intention)? | The phrase "police state" is used propagandistically to denigrate a foreign nation that one's ow…

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Colombia: Another Indigenous Leader Killed in Cauca. telesurenglish.net Romelio Ramos Cuetia, a 31-year-old indigenous community member, was murdered by a group of armed men in the rural area of the municipality of Suárez, in the northern part of the Colombian department of Cauca. | The indigenous man was a native of the village of Paletón in the municipality of Jambaló and resided in the Alejandría village in the of Cerro Tijeras, where he worked as a farmer. | RELATED: | According to…

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon Surges to 12-Year High. telesurenglish.net According to official data from the government issued on Monday, deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest reached a 12-year high in 2020, with the levels of areas destroyed either by mining, logging, or agricultural interests soaring since President Jair Bolsonaro took office and weakened the work of environmental enforcement agencies. | RELATED: | Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has skyrocketed to a 12…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-01). 'Shameful and Outrageous': New Satellite Data Reveals Brazilian Amazon Deforestation at 12-Year High. commondreams.org "Instead of acting to prevent the increase in deforestation, the Bolsonaro government has been denying the reality of the situation, dismantling environmental agencies, and attacking NGOs." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/logging.jpg

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-01). Anti-imperialists petition EU to recognize Venezuelan elections. peoplesdispatch.org Members of the European Network of Solidarity with Venezuela turned in a petition calling for the European Union to recognize the upcoming Venezuelan elections. The petition was signed by prominent left-wing public figures and leaders from Europe and Latin America and had more than 3,500 signatures from over 30 nations. It is part of an international campaign against regime change attempts in the Latin American nation. Venezuela is scheduled to hold its parliamentary election on December 6, the first since the abortive attempt to overthrow the government in January 2019. | The petitioners have asked the EU leader…

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-12-01). U.S. extradition plot targets peace in Colombia. peoplesworld.org &nbsp…

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-12-01). U.S. extradition plot targets peace in Colombia. peoplesworld.org &nbsp…

John Pilger (2020-12-01). "I spoke to impoverished families in 1975 and little has changed since then" dissidentvoice.org A British family from the film Smashing Kids, 1975. Photograph: John Garrett John Pilger interviewed Irene Brunsden in Hackney, east London about only being able to feed her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes in 1975. Now he sees nervous women queueing at foodbanks with their children as it's revealed 600,000 more kids are in poverty …

Eds. (2020-12-01). Parliamentary Elections in Venezuela: All you need to know. mronline.org For the first time in recent history, Venezuela's left is divided. Will this disrupt the PSUV's plans to retake control of the National Assembly?>

RT (2020-12-01). Heavily-armed bank robbers launch 'MAJOR ASSAULT' on city in Brazil, before locals swoop in to pick up leftover cash (VIDEOS). rt.com A gang of armed thieves laid siege to a Brazilian city and assaulted banks in what the city's mayor called a "robbery of great proportions." Video footage caught the brazen criminals in action, before police arrested several. | The thieves,

John Pilger (2020-12-01). "I spoke to impoverished families in 1975 and little has changed since then" dissidentvoice.org A British family from the film Smashing Kids, 1975. Photograph: John Garrett John Pilger interviewed Irene Brunsden in Hackney, east London about only being able to feed her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes in 1975. Now he sees nervous women queueing at foodbanks with their children as it's revealed 600,000 more kids are in poverty …

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Ecuador: Quito to Host 13th International Book Fair. telesurenglish.net The virtual event is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at Tres Gatos bookstore in Quito, where there will be a debate which will include the participation of the Minister, Angelica Arias, the director of the 'Jose de la Cuadra' National Book and Reading Plan, Juana Neira, and the fair's curator, Santiago Vizcaino. | RELATED: | The issue that will identify this year's festival of letters will be "Reading: another way…

WSWS (2020-12-01). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Chilean health care workers are protesting for more funding from the government to fight COVID-19 while teachers in Mexico and Peru struck and demonstrated over pay and budgetary support and Washington state health care workers demand adequate staffing and PPE.

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Venezuela Submits Report to Meet the Hague Court's Requests. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Public Ministry delivered Monday a report to respond to the requests issued by the Prosecutor Office of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in October this year. | RELATED: | Attorney General Tarek William Saab noted that the "extensive report" was submitted "in time and form" in order to meet the call voiced by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) chairwoman Fatou Bensouda. | He also reiterated his go…

Brasil de Fato (2020-12-01). Traditional right advances, left practices unity: an overview of the 2020 Brazilian elections. peoplesdispatch.org The Last Sunday No…

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Argentina Begins Debate on 'Legal, Free, Save Abortion' Bill. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Lower House on Tuesday began the process for the discussion of the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill sent by President Alberto Fernandez. | RELATED: | This bill will be analyzed by commissions related to general legislation, diversity, health, criminal law, and women. Once the discussions are over, the commissions will issue an opinion to take the bill to debate in plenary, which is expected to happe…

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Ecuador: Mayors Took to the Streets to Reject Budget Cuts. telesurenglish.net At least 80 mayors from several cities of Ecuador peacefully gathered in the capital Quito on Tuesday to demand President Lenin Moreno observe the agreements on Budget plans between the municipalities and the national government. | RELATED: | The mobilization was called by the Association of Municipalities of Ecuador (AME), which claimed the Executive branch has not respected the agreements with the town halls by cutt…

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Chile: Ex-Police Chief Rozas Testifies Over Human Rights Offenses. telesurenglish.net Former Director of Chile's Military Police (Carabineros) Mario Rozas on Monday testified as he faces 36 claims on crimes against humanity and human rights violations, following the popular unrest unleashed in October 2019. | RELATED: | Describing Rozas's testimony as "pertinent and necessary for the clarification of the facts", lawyer Claudia Perivancich presented a request to Santiago's 7th Court of Guarantee early this year in order to take his declar…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-01). US sanctions Chinese telecom firm for links with Venezuela's CANTV. peoplesdispatch.org The United States has imposed sanctions on a major Chinese tech firm, China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC), for conducting business with Venezuela. The sanctions were announced on November 30, Monday, by the US Treasury Department. The move is based on allegations that the CEIEC is assisting the Venezuelan government to "suppress" dissent. | The allegations come in light of Venezuelan government-run telecom firm CANTV blocking certain websites and platforms linked with pro-coup and pro-Guaido groups. The US government stated that the contract with the CEIEC has assisted in the supposed…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-01). Iranian film 'Warehouse' wins at Brazil's GIMFA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 01 (MNA) — Iranian short film 'Warehouse' has won the Best Short Film and the Best Actor Awards at Gralha International Monthly Film Awards in Brazil.

sputniknews (2020-12-01). Venezuela Denounces US Sanctions Against CEIEC, Foreign Ministry States. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Caracas considers the recent US sanctions against the China National Electronic Import-Export Company (CEIEC) an attempt to destabilize the situation ahead of elections, according to a Venezuelan Foreign Ministry statement.

sputniknews (2020-12-01). Beijing Urges US to Lift All 'Illegal Sanctions' Amid Venezuela-Related Restrictions on Chinese Firm. sputniknews.com Washington blacklisted the China National Electronic Import-Export Company (CEIEC) for aiding the Venezuelan government, vowing to block all transactions with the firm or any entity that owns a 50 percent or higher stake in it.

teleSUR (2020-12-01). Venezuela Rejects US Harassment Against Chinese Tech Company. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza called harassment the new U.S. sanctions against China Corporation of Electronic Imports and Exports (CEIEC), which provides telecommunications services in the Latin American country. | RELATED: | "We denounce the U.S. government's coercive measures which were imposed to affect projects in favor of the Venezuelan people ahead of the parliamentary elections," Arreaza tweeted. | On Mond…

Alexandra Heal (2020-11-30). British Chicken Driving Deforestation in Brazil's "Second Amazon" globalresearch.ca Britain's leading supermarkets and fast food outlets are selling chicken fed on soya that has been linked to vast deforestation and thousands of fires across a vital region of tropical woodland in Brazil, an investigation has revealed. | Tesco, Asda, Lidl, …

teleSUR (2020-11-30). US Sanctions Chinese Tech Firm for Having Ties With Venezuela. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned China Corporation of Electronic Imports and Exports (CEIEC) for allegedly supporting Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro to "undermine democracy" in his country. | RELATED: | An official statement argues that the Chinese technology company would give the Bolivarian government software to restrict citizens' access to the Internet and monitor their actions on the netw…

Paul Dobson (2020-11-30). Venezuelan Government Privatises State-run AgroPatria. venezuelanalysis.com Maduro also requested private sector help in finishing an abandoned rail construction project from 2002.

Alejandra Garcia (2020-11-30). Hostilities Won't Stop Venezuela's Upcoming Elections. telesurenglish.net The international campaign of discredit against the Venezuelan electoral process, encouraged by the U.S. and the European Union (EU), gains strength one week ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for December 6. | RELATED: | "Chavism won't guarantee biosecurity measures," "The voting machines will fail," "Maduro seeks to settle his government after the parliamentary elections," are some headlines shown by the Miami-Bogota-Ma…

_____ (2020-11-30). Upcoming Venezuelan Election Is Another Rejection Of US Imperialism. popularresistance.org On December 6, Venezuelans will vote for a new National Assembly. Just as it has done for the past twenty years, the United States is interfering in the election process and has already falsely claimed the elections are rigged. The last National Assembly election in 2015 was marred by a vote-buying scheme in one remote region. Upon an order from the Supreme Court to redo those races, right-wing parties refused, putting the entire National Assembly in contempt of court. Latin American policy analyst, Leonardo Flores, joins me to speak about this election and the impacts of the US' efforts to interfere and overthro…

WSWS (2020-11-30). Barbaric murder by Brazilian security guards sparks protests, repression. wsws.org Joà£o Alberto Freitas was beaten to death by two guards at a Carrefour supermarket in the city of Porto Alegre, sparking protests across Brazil.

_____ (2020-11-30). 'We Will Defend Democracy In Ecuador'. popularresistance.org In countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile, popular movements have risen to express their discontent and demand a new economic model — only to be met with street violence, government repression, and coup d'etats. | In Ecuador, the rise of authoritarianism can be seen in the actions against the electoral opposition. In August — less than 24 hours after the National Electoral Council (CNE) officially called elections — the governing forces attempted illegally and unconstitutionally to eliminate the Movimiento Fuerza Compromiso Social, list 5 that had sheltered the political force of t…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Uruguay: Ex-President Tabare Vazquez's Health Remains Stable. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's former President Tabare Vazquez's health condition remains "stable" after surfing an acute thrombosis in his left leg and an infection on Saturday. | RELATED: | "He is very well, talking -as every day- with us, making stories of all his past life, of the political activity, of the soccer activity, receiving some closer friends and taking care of himself a lot because of the health condition," Alvaro…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Argentina: 'Culpable Homicide' Hangs Over Maradona's Doctor. telesurenglish.net Diego Maradona's personal physician Leopoldo Luque was notified on Monday of the opening of an investigation set to determine if he is responsible for "culpable homicide", following Maradona's death on November 25. | RELATED: | Prosecutors registered Luque's home and office on Sunday, following a judicial order issued by San Isidro circuit judge Orlando Diaz. | The open investigation will be focused on whether there was a "culpable homicide," who was r…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Bolivia: Gov't To Implement New Economic Measures. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's government announced last Sunday that it would take a series of economic measures to reactive the economy to tackle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | President Luis Arce said via Twitter that his cabinet "will define the new measures to boost the domestic economy from next December." Arce also assured that the government "will optimize expenses and reactivate public investment to generate job…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Chile: Low Turnout Marks Primary Elections. telesurenglish.net A high rate of voters' abstention and electoral irregularities marked Chile's primary elections for regional governors and mayors held on Sunday. | RELATED: | Despite 14 million Chileans were eligible to vote, 95 percent abstained from voting. The Electoral Service (Servel) informed that 147,608 people cast their ballots, of which 130,510 were valid, 10,096 were considered void and 7,002 were left blank. | Having count…

_____ (2020-11-30). Venezuela Calls On UNSC To Reject Unilateral Sanctions. popularresistance.org "All countries suffering from this type of aggression inflicted by economic means must cooperate to put an end to the suffering of our peoples," Ambassador Moncada stressed. | Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, Venezuela's Ambassador Samuel Moncada proposed the formation of an "International Alliance Against Unilateral Coercive Measures" to halt the crimes against humanity committed by the U.S. government, which keeps arbitrary economic sanctions against 29 countries.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-11-30). Six Environmental Heroes Awarded Goldman Prize for 'Taking a Stand, Risking Their Lives and Livelihoods, and Inspiring Us'. commondreams.org This year's recipients of the annual honor hail from the Bahamas, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Mexico, and Myanmar. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/goldman_1.jpg

_____ (2020-11-30). Venezuela Sentences Former Citgo Executives For Corruption. popularresistance.org Merida – Six former oil executives were sentenced for corruption on Thursday by a Venezuelan court. | They were detained in November 2017 in Caracas on charges of embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy at state oil company PDVSA's US subsidiary, Citgo. | Attorney General Tarek William Saab stated at the time that the accused had signed contracts without government permission which "jeopardized the country's assets." Refinancing plans with Frontier Group Management and Apollo Global Management allegedly had draconian conditions and offered the company itself as collateral.

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Death Toll From COVID-19 Tops 173,000 in Brazil. telesurenglish.net Brazil registered 21,138 new infections and 287 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising its national caseload to 6,335,878 and death toll to 173,120, the Health Ministry reported Monday. | Brazil is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, with the world's second-highest death toll and the third-largest caseload. | RELATED: | Also on Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) voiced deep…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Ecuador: Union for Hope Awaits Decision to Contest Elections. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's Contentious Electoral Tribunal (TCE) partially accepted Sunday a claim against the progressive coalition Union for Hope (UNES), thus delaying again the participation of running mates Andres Arauz- Carlos Rabascall in the presidential elections to be held in February next year. | RELATED: | The legal appeal was filed by citizens Carlos Arboleda and Wilson Freire who argued that the Social Commitment Force (F…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-30). As COVID-19 cases soar in Turkey, demands for fresh lockdown gain momentum. peoplesdispatch.org Turkey has been hit by a second wave of COVID-19 and recorded more new cases on Sunday than Brazil and Russia, standing just behind the US and India…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). Alberto Fernandez and Jair Bolsonaro Hold First Official Talk. telesurenglish.net Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Brazil's head of state Jair Bolsonaro talked for the first time on Monday during a virtual meeting where Fernandez remarked the importance of working on a "common ground." At the same time, Bolsonaro highlighted the role of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR). | RELATED: | President Fernandez urged Bolsonaro to overcome "the differences of the past and face the future with the tools…

teleSUR, ce (2020-11-29). Brazil's Left Contests in the Second Round of Municipal Elections. telesurenglish.net The voting centers in 57 Brazilian cities opened this Sunday at 7: 00 a.m. local time (10: 00 GMT) to elect the mayors of those localities, in a day that takes place under strict measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Some 38.3 million Brazilian voters will elect the mayors of 57 large cities in this second round of elections, including in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in which none of the candidates obtained…