(2021-02-05). Are We Not All in Search of Tomorrow. dissidentvoice.org 
Oswaldo Terreros (Ecuador), Mural para la Universidad Superior de las Artes ('Mural for the University of the Arts'), 2012. In 2019, 613 million Indians voted to appoint their representatives to the Indian parliament (Lok Sabha). During the election campaign, the political parties spent Rs. 60,000 crores (around US $8 billion), 45% of which was spent …
(2021-02-05). How ExxonMobil Uses Divide and Rule to Get Its Way in South America. counterpunch.org 
Guyana's government used money from ExxonMobil "to meet the estimated cost in 2018 of presenting Guyana/Venezuela controversy at the International Court of Justice including payment of legal fees." In mid-2020, the Guyanese paper Kaieteur News' senior reporter Kiana Wilburg broke the story that the World Bank had paid $1.2 million to Hunton Andrews Kurth, a law firm long associated with ExxonMobil, to revise Guyana's petroleum laws.
(2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up
(2021-02-05). Colombian artists honor civil violence victims with urban memory museum. laprensalatina.com Bogota, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- They were killed by police or for defending a cause they believed in, and now their faces, painted in vivid colors on the columns of a bridge in Bogota, occupy a place in Colombia's first open-air memory museum. Cars whiz on by on Boyaca Avenue as several street artists, perched on …
(2021-02-04). 'Right-Wing Media Attack Arauz to Halt His Victory' Expert Say. telesurenglish.net Argentine political scientist Atilio Boron on Wednesday denounced that the Latin American mainstream media is harassing Andres Arauz in an attempt to prevent his victory in the Ecuadorian presidential elections on February 7. | RELATED: | On Monday, for instance, the Buenos Aires outlet Clarin reported that the leftist candidate got the Sputnik V vaccine in Argentina last month. | "The information is based on uni…
(2021-02-04). Uruguay Detects the Brazilian COVID-19 Strain in Its Territory. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's Pasteur Institute biologist Lucia Spangenberg on Thursday confirmed the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 strain "P.2". | RELATED: | The researchers analyzed samples from eleven COVID-19 positive patients, five of whom were identified with the P.2 variant. | The strain has more presence in Brazil's State Rio Grande do Sul that borders the Artigas, Rivera, and Rocha departments where the survey was conducted. | Uruguayan…
(2021-02-04). Chile Launches Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign. telesurenglish.net Chile's Health Minister Enrique Paris Wednesday reported that over 140,000 people received the COVID-19 vaccine on the first day of the mass vaccination campaign. | RELATED: | Among those who received the first dose, there were 23,942 people over 90 years old, 66 percent of whom were women. | National Service for Minors' officials, health workers, and students in practice were also vaccinated. | From Feb. 8 to 1…
(2021-02-04). How ExxonMobil Uses Divide And Rule To Get Its Way. popularresistance.org Tensions rise between neighboring Guyana and Venezuela over a piece of land that has been disputed since at least 1835. Both Guyana's President Irfaan Ali and Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro have exchanged sharp words about the status of the Essequibo region, which both countries claim. Since 1990, the two countries have pursued their claims through a United Nations "good offices" process; as recently as 2013, President Maduro and Guyana's then-President Donald Ramotar said that the discussions over Essequibo were "going well" under this UN framework. | Everything changed in 2015, and since then the tensions…
(2021-02-04). Brazilian footballer slapped with 8-game ban for stripping and waving genitals at rivals while celebrating goal. rt.com 
Brazilian winger Emerson Carioca has been handed an eight-game ban for violating disciplinary protocol after his bizarre naked goal celebrations sparked an on-pitch riot in December. | The 25-year-old, who until recently played for Sampaio Correa, netted a winner against Marica, sending his team into the the Carioca Championship. | But Carioca's wild celebrations took…
(2021-02-04). Two S. Africa, one Brazil variant detected in Turkey. yenisafak.com Two Turkish citizens have contracted the South African variant of the coronavirus while one has contracted the Brazilian variant, the country's health minister said Wednesday.Moreover, 196 cases of the UK virus strain have been detected in the country, Fahrettin Koca said.The patients have been isolated, he added.In the wake of rising cases once again, the measures against the pandemic will continue full throttle, he said.The vaccination of citizens over 65 and the second group will commence after safety tests are completed, Koca said.So far, 2.4 million people in the country have been vaccinated with vaccination…
(2021-02-04). More than 100 Chilean women pregnant due to negligence, abortion impediments. laprensalatina.com By Patricia Nieto Santiago, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Estefany Cavieres, 28, is quite familiar with the signs of pregnancy. Your abdomen and your breasts hurt, you feel nauseous and tired. So, when she felt those feelings, she was sure: she was one of the 111 Chilean women who had gotten pregnant because of defective birth control …
(2021-02-04). Ecuador: Presidential Elections Could Bring Back The Citizens' Revolution. popularresistance.org On February 7, Ecuador will hold elections for President and for its legislative body, with 137 positions to be decided for the National Assembly. Though 16 presidential candidates participated in the debates, there are three major candidates. Andrés Arauz and his vice presidential candidate, Carlos Rabascall, represent La Unión por la Esperanza (The Union of Hope, UNES), what was Alianza País led by former president Rafael Correa before the party split in 2017. Guayaquil banker Guillermo Lasso and Alfredo Borrero are the candidates for the conservative alliance Creando Oportunidades (Creating Opportunities, CREO…
(2021-02-04). Inventing reality: Venezuela's parliamentary election. greenleft.org.au The bare minimum the Western mainstream media could do is report accurately on Venezuela's recent parliamentary election, writes Rodrigo Acuna. Once again they have failed.
(2021-02-04). Venezuela Frees Guyanese Who Fished Illegally in Its Territory. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MPPRE) on Wednesday announced the release of 12 Guyanese fishermen who were arrested on Jan. 23 for illegal fishing in Venezuelan waters. | RELATED: | The decision comes after the mediation of Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago governments and it is a sign of Venezuela's commitment to regional stability and good coexistence. | MPPRE reite…
(2021-02-04). Dirty campaign intensifies against progressive candidate Andrés Arauz. peoplesdispatch.org Several members of the progressive Union for Hope (UNES) alliance, including its presidential candidate Andrés Arauz, former president Rafael Correa, among others, are denouncing that plans to suspend the February 7 general elections are underway in Ecuador…
(2021-02-04). Ecuador: European Observer Expects Smooth Election Day. telesurenglish.net European Left Party Vice-President Maite Mola believes that the problems between the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Electoral Disputes Tribunal (TCE) will not affect the transparency of the presidential elections to be held in Ecuador on February 7. | RELATED: | She considers that the quality of the democratic process should be guaranteed by both the boards where citizens cast their vote and 24 provincial b…
(2021-02-04). Venezuela: Opposition, Colombian Leaders Allegedly Involved in Foiled Terror Plot. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Venezuelan authorities have reportedly dismantled a terrorist plan. | National Assembly President …
(2021-02-04). Brazil: Vale Pays $7 Billion Fine Over Brumadinho Dam Collapse. telesurenglish.net Brazilian mining company Vale will pay the equivalent of about $7 billion for "social and environmental" damages caused by the rupture, in January 2019, of a mining waste dam in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, which left 270 dead. | The agreement between the parties contemplates the value "in socio-economic and socio-environmental reparation projects." According to the government of Minas Gerais, the "largest reparation agreement signed so far in Latin America." | The clauses stipulate, among other points, that Vale, one of the largest iron ore producers in the world, must disburse these amounts in direct aid to tho…
(2021-02-03). How ExxonMobil uses divide and rule to get its way in South America. mronline.org 
ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest oil companies (newly merged in 1998), signed an agreement with the government of Guyana in 1999 to develop the Stabroek block, which is off the coast of the disputed Essequibo region.
(2021-02-03). Ecuadorians demand return to leftist Citizens' Revolution on eve of election. thegrayzone.com Ben Norton reports from Ecuador on the eve of the February 7 election. Protesters flooded the streets of the major city Guayaquil to demand a return to the leftist Citizens' Revolution of former President Rafael Correa, represented by presidential candidate Andrés Arauz and his vice president Carlos Rabascall.
(2021-02-03). What Explains COVID's East-West Divide? counterpunch.org 
COVID-19 has been ruthless in choosing winners and losers around the world. The obvious "losers" have been those countries led by right-wing nationalists: Brazil, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, and (until recently) the United States. These five countries are responsible for more than half of the world's coronavirus infections and nearly half the deaths. Just
(2021-02-03). Chile kicks off mass vaccination campaign. laprensalatina.com Santiago, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- Chile on Wednesday kicked off a mass inoculation campaign after receiving a shipment of nearly 4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. The government's plan is to vaccinate the country's at-risk population — nearly 5 million people — between February and March and the …
(2021-02-03). Corrupt firm funded by right-wing candidate will produce Ecuador election exit polls. thegrayzone.com Ecuador's top TV network will broadcast exit polls of the upcoming February 7 presidential election by a notoriously corrupt polling firm CEDATOS, which was funded by the main right-wing candidate. On the eve of the presidential election in Ecuador on February 7, observers are warning of a series of anti-democratic actions targeting the country's left-wing Citizens' Revolution movement. Ecuador's most-watched TV network is relying on a notoriously corrupt and politicized polling firm called CEDATOS, which works closely with right-wing politicians, …
(2021-02-03). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. commondreams.org Allowing the Trumpian half of his brain to overpower his judgment and vote to acquit Dangerous Donald would spell disaster for the Republican Party (assuming the Democratic Party doesn't go to sleep as it did after Obama's win in 2008). | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mcconnell_biden_0.jpg …
(2021-02-03). Soup kitchens cry out for aid to feed hungry amid Peru quarantine. laprensalatina.com By Carla Samon Ros Lima, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- The announcement of a new quarantine came like a "bucket of cold water" in Peru's most disadvantaged communities, where the local soup kitchens are trying desperately to feed the public amid the coronavirus pandemic as everyone waits for the authorities to come to the rescue. In the …
(2021-02-03). Brazil: transgender murders increased by 41% in 2020. peoplesdispatch.org In 2020, 175 trans women were murdered in Brazil. The figure represents a 41% increase over the previous year. | The data is presented in the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra) dossier released on Friday, January 29th, the Last year's index is 43.5% above the average recorded since 2008, when monitoring started. There was a 201% increase in such crimes during that period. | Unlike in other year…
(2021-02-03). Guyana, Venezuela & Exxon. counterpunch.org Why is Canada pushing Guyana, an impoverished nation of 800,000, into conflict with Venezuela while helping multinationals grab its oil? Recently Canadian officials criticized Venezuela's position regarding its territorial dispute with Guyana, which sits on the northeastern tip of South America. Soon after the US put out a statement on the century-old dispute, the Canadian High Commission declared "Venezuela's recent
(2021-02-03). What's at Stake in Ecuador's Elections? indybay.org Andrés Arauz is the candidate for President of Union Por La Esperanza. Despite years of repression of the progressive/left, this party allied with former President Rafael Correa has led in all polls over the last month.
(2021-02-03). Major hospital in Chile goes up in flames amid near collapse of public health system. wsws.org The fire that engulfed San Borja Hospital in Santiago, Chile bears the hallmarks of decades of under-resourcing the public health system by both right-wing and "left" governments.
(2021-02-02). Drug traffickers gaining clout in Chilean capital. laprensalatina.com By Sebastian Silva Santiago, Feb 2 (efe-epa).- Even the youngest children have learned the street codes in some neighborhoods on the southern periphery of Santiago. Every time they hear fireworks or firecrackers, they know that they must return home: a new shipment of drugs has arrived and they need to take cover. "We can't normalize …
(2021-02-02). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Workers in Haiti carried out a general strike February 1 and 2 against the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Jovenel MoàØse while teachers in Brazil's largest city have supported strike action against attempts to re-open schools.