(2020-12-24). Hugo Chávez and Maoism: A Conversation with Chris Gilbert. counterpunch.org Professor of political science at Venezuela's Bolivarian University, Chris Gilbert is creator and co-host of Escuela de Cuadros, a Marxist educational program broadcast in Venezuelan public television and a participant in the Barcelona-based project Seminari Taifa. Gilbert's articles have appeared in Rebelión, LaHaine, Monthly Review, and CounterPunch, and he has coauthored the recently-published book Venezuela,
(2020-12-24). Political Crisis Stricken Peru Tops One Million COVID-19 Cases. telesurenglish.net Peruvian health officials reported 1,000,153 cases as of Tuesday evening, making it the fifth nation in South America to exceed one million cases and the 17th worldwide. With over 37,000 deaths from COVID-19, the Andean nation exhibits the world's second-highest per capita death toll from the pandemic, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University. | RELATED: | With a population of 32 million, the Andean nation estab…
(2020-12-24). Ecuador's indigenous people turn to ancestral remedies against Covid-19. laprensalatina.com By Domenica Enriquez Miwaguno, Ecuador, Dec 23 (efe-epa).- Residents of some indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon are choosing to rely on the natural remedies used by their ancestors as they battle the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 3,200 indigenous people have contracted the coronavirus and 49 have perished, according to figures from Ecuador's Health Ministry, …
(2020-12-24). US Airports Are Portals for Disease Spread. Venezuela Shows Another Way. zcomm.org People in the United States do have a lot to learn from Venezuelans and from people in many other countries that are handling the pandemic well…
(2020-12-24). PDF of December 24 issue. workers.org 
Download the 12-page PDF. Georgia Senate runoff Redbaiting derails people's needs Youth in vanguard; Russell Maroon Shoatz; The real 2020 heroes; Amazon union drive in Ala.; Five hottest years; Vaccine chaos; Editorial: Too little, too late GLOBAL: Amauta in Peru; 'Soft coup' attempt in Cuba; BLM in France. TEAR DOWN . . . |
(2020-12-23). US Airports Are Portals for Disease Spread. Venezuela Shows Another Way. truthout.org I recently traveled to Venezuela to be an observer for its National Assembly election and was struck by a stark difference between the ways Venezuela and the United States are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. | My experience at the airport in Caracas, Venezuela, gave me a taste of what a coordinated public health approach looks like in practice, compared to the disjointed politicized approach in the United States. Airports in the United States are currently serving as uncontrolled portals of disease…
(2020-12-23). Colombia's President shows his disdain for democracy and Venezuelans. peoplesdispatch.org On December 8, a Conviasa flight prepared to take off from Caracas, Venezuela, for Mexico City. It planned to carry 200 election observers and journalists who came to Venezuela from a range of countries to monitor the National Assembly elections that were held on December 6. The plane sat on the tarmac, luggage on board, with the passengers ready to board—at which point, the delay began. Hours went by. The airline had previously filed a flight plan, which included using Colombian airspace; now, hours before the flight was to take off, the government of Colombia denied the aircraft the right of transit (a…
(2020-12-23). A Tale of Two Elections: U.S. and Bolivia. counterpunch.org 
In recent weeks, Donald Trump has been ridiculed, slathered with contempt, and repeatedly branded a "liar," as well as an existential threat to democracy in the United States, by the biggest media outlets in the country. This is in response to his attempts to reverse the results of the U.S. presidential election, and claiming—without evidence—that
(2020-12-23). Peruvian agricultural workers' strike met with violent repression. peoplesdispatch.org 
Agricultural workers are mobilizing to demand that the Peruvian government and Congress follow through on their promise to pass a law granting labor rights and ensuring better working conditions for workers in this sector…
(2020-12-23). Colombian social organizations hail release of peasant leaders, condemn 'frame-up'. peoplesdispatch.org Following mobilizations calling for their release, the judge overseeing the case ruled that the three leaders – Teófilo Acuña, Adelso Gallo and Robert Daza – will not be held in preventative detention while they await trial…
(2020-12-23). Guzmán sees no time limitation on narrating documentaries. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) — Chilean director of documentaries Patricio Guzmán Lozanes at his master class in 14th Iran International Documentary Film Festival "Cinema Verite" said that there is no limitation on narrating a documentary.
(2020-12-23). Podcast: Politics in Brazil today — Eyewitness discussion with journalist Michael Fox. greenleft.org.au Green Left sits down with long-time multimedia journalist and radio reporter Michael Fox to discuss politics in Brazil.
(2020-12-22). COVID-19: Support to frontline workers part of UN response in Brazil. news.un.org UN agencies in Brazil are supporting national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including by providing thousands of protective items for health workers, the global organization reported on Tuesday.
(2020-12-22). IMF approves disbursement of 2 billion USD for Ecuador. peoplesdispatch.org 
Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno says the funds will be used for "social protection and economic reactivation", however, the deal calls for a lower minimum wage, higher sales taxes, labor reform, and limited public investment…
(2020-12-22). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Members of the Confusam health workers union in Chile walked out December 16 over paltry pay raises while train conductors in Argentina plan a national work stoppage December 22.
(2020-12-21). Militarized Pandemic Science: Why is the Pentagon Funding the EcoHealth Alliance? counterpunch.org 
"Pandemics are like terrorist attacks: We know roughly where they originate and what's responsible for them, but we don't know exactly when the next one will happen. They need to be handled the same way — by identifying all possible sources and dismantling those before the next pandemic strikes." This statement was written in the
(2020-12-21). First Meeting of Peoples and Organizations of Abya Yala concludes in Bolivia. peoplesdispatch.org The meeting of Indigenous organizations, social movements and trade unions from 11 countries of the region concluded with a call for the creation of a new regional integration mechanism: the Union of South American Nations of the People…