(2021-04-17). [World Report] Brazilian ICUs short of drugs and beds amid COVID-19 surge. thelancet.com Doctors are reporting shortages of critical drugs and the need to ration care, pointing to public health failures. Lise Alves reports from Sà£o Paulo.
(2021-04-17). [Obituary] Carola Eisenberg. thelancet.com Psychiatrist and co-founder of Physicians for Human Rights. Born Sept 15, 1917, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she died on March 11, 2021, in Lincoln, MA, USA, aged 103 years.
(2021-04-16). With coronavirus surging, Brazil tells women not to get pregnant until a 'better moment'. rt.com 
Brazil has asked women to "delay pregnancy" until the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, citing the threat of a coronavirus variant plaguing the country. Between new variants and vaccine risks, now is not a good time to be expecting. | "If it's possible, delay pregnancy a little until a better moment," Health Ministry official Raphael Parente said during a news conference on Friday, warning that the P1 variant of the coronavirus prevalent in Brazil "acts more aggressively in pregnant women." | Brazil has become one of the world's coronavirus epicenters lately, with 13.7 million cases of Covid-19 recorded and 365,000…
(2021-04-16). WorkWeek Bessemer Amazon Lessons, Hanging Noose At USF, Labor & Brazil Pandemic & Zinn. indybay.org WorkWeek reports on the lessons of the Bessemer Amazon union election, the hanging noose at USF and the pandemic in Brazil and labor. Last WorkWeek hears a past presentation by labor historian Howard Zinn on the hidden history of the US working class.
(2021-04-16). As crises in Bolsonaro's Brazil deepen, could a coup be next? greenleft.org.au Sergio Lirio speaks to Pablo Stefanoni about the recent resignations of key members of Brazil's military elite, and the growing discontent at Jair Bolsonaro's disastrous administration.
(2021-04-16). Armies of Neighboring Countries are Not our Military Objectives: FARC-EP Clarifies Position on Apure. orinocotribune.com The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) distanced itself from the attacks that have occurred in Apure state in recent weeks. | Through a communiqué read by [FARC guerrilla leader] Iván Márquez, the organization clarified that its battle is within Colombian territory. | Likewise, Márquez indicated that they respect the sovereignty of governments and peoples. "We do not charge taxes to any of the nationals of those countries, much less intervene in the management of their natural wealth," he said. | Along the same lines, he pointed out that the events in the border area are "regrettable a…
(2021-04-15). Indian hospitals overwhelmed amid over 100,000 COVID-19 cases daily. wsws.org On Monday, India recorded 168,912 new COVID-19 cases, replacing Brazil as the second-most affected country in the world hit by the highly-infectious virus.
(2021-04-15). Almost 400 Patients Are Waiting For ICU Beds in Ecuador. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Emergency Operations Committee (COE) President Juan Zapata on Wednesday reported that his country's intensive care units (ICU) exceeded their capacity to receive COVID-19 patients. | RELATED: | Currently, 395 people are waiting for a bed in the ICUs. Of those, 102 citizens are in Quito and 80 in Guayaquil. | The increase in the number of hospitalizations has been sustained since March 25. In the last s…
(2021-04-15). 41 Peruvian Provinces Under the 'Extreme Risk' Category. telesurenglish.net Peru's Cabinet chief Violeta Bermudez announced the return of 41 provinces, including Lima, to "COVID-19 extreme risk" status due to a steady spike in contagions in these territories. | RELATED: | "Infections have not slowed down and, unfortunately, COVID-19 related deaths have increased by 43.9 percent in the last week," Bermudez said. | Besides a curfew extending from 9: 00 p.m. to 4: 00 a.m. from Monday to Friday…
(2021-04-15). 'Humanitarian Catastrophe': Doctors Without Borders Slams Brazil's Covid-19 Response. commondreams.org "The lack of political will to adequately respond to the pandemic is killing Brazilians in their thousands," the international medical charity said. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/brazil_covid.jpg …
(2021-04-15). Peru: Left vs. Far-Right — Dramatic Choice in Presidential Election. theanalysis.news 
| | | | (2021-04-15). Colombia: A Glimpse Into a Sad Reality. orinocotribune.com By Alice Loaiza — Apr 5, 2021 | When people ask me if it is safe to visit Colombia, I always answer that it is fine if you don't speak Spanish and stay on the well-guarded tourist trail. But you will never see the reality of one of the poorest countries in Latin America. You will never see the mass displacement of communities or the murders committed by paramilitaries and military or the police beating people in the streets. | Indepaz, a Colombian peace organization, recorded eleven massacres in 2021. One of the last was in the small town of Tarazá, Antioquia, where three young men were gunned down by the Gu…
(2021-04-15). Amazon Deal: Biden Wants Results First, Brazil Upfront Money. telesurenglish.net During his campaign, Biden had pledged to allocate $20 billion to save the Amazon rainforest as part of his initiatives to tackle climate change. However, reports on the latest meetings this week highlight that Brazil is seeking upfront money for Amazon while the U.S. expects to see some specifics results before releasing the funding.
(2021-04-15). Airborne Laser Scanning Of Gaps In Amazon Rainforest Helps Explain Tree Mortality. eurasiareview.com A group of researchers led by Brazilians has used an innovative model to map gaps in the Amazon rainforest and identify factors that contribute to tree mortality. Water stress, soil fertility, and anthropic forest degradation have the most influence on gap dynamics in the world's largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest, according to an article on the study published in Scientific Reports. | Forest gaps are most frequent in the areas with the highest levels of soil fertility, possibly because the abundance of organic material drives faster tree growth and shorter life cycles. | The main method of data c…
(2021-04-15). Brazil: Ex-President Rousseff Acquitted in Corruption Case. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Court of Accounts (TCU) Wednesday acquitted former President Dilma Rousseff of responsibility in the irregular purchase of the U.S. Pasadena refinery by the state-owned Brazilian Oil Company (Petrobras). | RELATED: | The TCU made the decision unanimously, finding that Rousseff was not involved in the multi-million dollar purchase, which was investigated as part of the "Car Wash" corruption case. | The Pas…
(2021-04-15). Chile: Lower House Approves Third Early Pension Fund Withdrawal. telesurenglish.net The Lower House approved on general terms the transitory reform that allows a third withdrawal of 10% of private pension funds (AFP), and now it will be debated again in the Commission. | RELATED: | The proposal by Matías Walker (DC) and Marcos Ilabaca (PS) to establish a permanent reform to authorize the withdrawal of pension savings -by parliamentary initiative- during states of catastrophe did not receive sufficient…
(2021-04-15). Chile: øDemocracia real a democracia simulada? globalizacion.ca En el debate político en curso las desacreditadas elites dominantes no cesan de advertir, una y otra vez, contra el siniestro fantasma del "populismo". øQué es lo que buscan estigmatizar con ese término? Nada menos que la presunta e inherente…
(2021-04-15). La lección de Ecuador. globalizacion.ca La izquierda ecuatoriana acudió profundamente dividida a la segunda vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales. Sus tres candidatos (antineoliberales los tres) obtuvieron 66 por ciento en la suma de los votos: Andrés Arauz 32, Yaku Pérez 19, Xavier Hervas 15. | En…
(2021-04-15). Finally, a popular Left born in Peru. peoplesdispatch.org In the decade of the 1990s, the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori achieved several of its key objectives through a combination of repression, human rights violations, and corruption that permeated through the Peruvian state and society. These "achievements" included the military defeat of the subversive armed groups and the imposition of a Constitution and an ultra neoliberal economic model which have allowed for the unlimited accumulation by the wealthy at the expense of the precarious majorities and those who exist at the juncture of consumption and credit, also known as the "middle class." | Parallelly, or rath…