(2020-02-06). Pablo Escobar's hitman Popeye dies of cancer at 57, showing little remorse for his killings. rt.com 
Pablo Escobar's former hitman Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez, aka Popeye, has died of stomach cancer. The notorious killer called himself a "holy warrior" in an interview with RT and said that "taking up arms is always an option." | Vasquez was known as the right hand of the notorious drug lord, commanding Escobar's army of hitmen. He surrendered to Colombian law enforcement in 1992, a year before his boss was killed. | While in custody, Popeye confessed to personally committing hundreds of murders and orchestrating thousands more. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison — the highest possible sentence in Co…
(2020-02-06). Pragmatic agenda: Lavrov tours Latin America to foster cooperation, not to spite Washington. rt.com 
The Russian foreign minister's three-day trip to Latin America has provoked nervous reactions in the US, where it is assumed to be part of an anti-American agenda even though Moscow has legitimate economic interests in the region. | During the trip that started on Wednesday, Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to pay one-day visits to Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela — setting the tongues wagging in Washington. | The Hill
(2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.
(2020-02-06). Guyana: Global Witness Accuses Exxon of 'Exploitative' Contract. telesurenglish.net Guyana loses $55 billion with its current oil license deal with Exxon shows an analysis of the international human rights and anti-corruption group Global Witness. | RELATED: | The group urged the Guyanese government to renegotiate the deal as they found that the rushed deal left the country with a lower profit share from Exxon's Stabroek oil license than countries generally get from such negotiations. | The investig…
(2020-02-06). The Dramatic Fall of Chile as Latin America's Neoliberal Role Model. zcomm.org The popular uprising in Chile has unmasked the image of well-being in Chilean society that the international establishment has been selling…
(2020-02-06). Evangelical Missionary Leads Brazil Office for Isolated Tribes. telesurenglish.net The government of ultra-right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed on Wednesday the appointment of an evangelical missionary to head the office responsible for Brazil's uncontacted Indigenous peoples. | RELATED: | Despite an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the nomination from national and international organizations, the Indigenous Affairs Agency (
(2020-02-06). US and Colombia Carrying out Military Exercises in Cartagena. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Special Operations Command South spokesperson Cesar Santiago reported that Colombia and his country are developing joint military exercises in Cartagena. | RELATED: | "This exercise will help build interoperability between the armies of the U.S. and Colombia, ensuring that we are ready to respond quickly in support of our partners in case of a crisis," Santiago said, as reported by local media RCN. | On…
(2020-02-06). Aida Merlano: Ivan Duque Persecutes Me to Assassinate Me. telesurenglish.net The former Colombian congresswoman, Aida Merlano, said Thursday that Colombian President Iván Duque is chasing her to assassinate her. | "I apologize for entering the country like this, illegally," Merlano said during her statement at a special hearing held at the Palace of Justice, in Caracas, where she said she was set up by the leaders of the country's traditional political machine. | RELATED: | She stressed that t…
(2020-02-06). Maduro: 'the US Does Not Appoint President in Venezuela'. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's RELATED: | "In Venezuela, the president is not appointed by the U.S. president; the People choose him through elections,…
(2020-02-06). Trudeau Government's Effort to Overthrow Venezuelan Government. dissidentvoice.org What's more likely to shape Canadian policy in the Hemisphere: human rights and democracy or bankers' bottom-line? Last week Venezuelan politician Juan Guaidó was fêted in Ottawa. The self-declared president met Canada's Prime Minister, international development minister and foreign minister. Trudeau said, "I commend Interim President Guaidó for the courage and leadership he has shown …
(2020-02-06). Argentina: desnutricià≤n Wichí es exterminio indà¨gena. indybay.org Argentina_Salta: Muertes reiteradas por desnutricià≤n de infancia originaria wichí es exterminio indà¨gena…
(2020-02-06). Headlines for February 6, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Senate Acquits Trump of Two Impeachment Charges, Iowa Caucus: Sanders & Buttigieg Virtually Tied with 97% of Precincts Reporting | , Newborn Baby Becomes Youngest Person Diagnosed with Coronavirus as Death Toll in China Hits 560, Human Rights Watch: 138 Salvadoran Asylum Seekers Killed After Being Deported from U.S., DHS: New York Residents Can No Longer Participate in Trusted Traveler Programs | , Jair Bolsonaro Introduces Bill to Clear Way for Mining, Oil Extraction in Brazilian Amazon | , Nicolás Maduro: Trump Taking U.S. Toward "High-Level Conflict with Venezuela" | , Thousands Protest in Algeria for 50t…
(2020-02-05). Exxon's Exploitative Oil Deal in Guyana Will Deprive the Country of Up to $55 Billion. globalresearch.ca Exxon's exploitative oil deal with Guyana will cause the country to lose up to US$55 billion, according to a new Global Witness investigation based on an OpenOil analysis. | The new report, …
(2020-02-05). Free Bolivian political prisoner Facundo Molares! fightbacknews.org Bolivia suffered a vicious coup d'état on November 10, 2019 that was provoked by right-wing gangs rampaging in the street, traitorous police and military officers, the old guard political elite, and, of course, supported by the United States Embassy. As soon as Evo Morales was elected to a fourth term as president of Bolivia on October 20, with almost 47% of the vote, right-wing elements, centered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, started a campaign to destabilize the progressive government headed by Evo. | Directly after the results announcing that Morales won in the first round of the presidential election, reactiona…
(2020-02-05). Mesa and Camacho vs. Añez: Feud Between Coup Leaders Begins. telesurenglish.net An internal feud between coup leaders keeps growing in Bolivia, as both Carlos Mesa and Luis Fernando Camacho accused, interim President Jeanine Añez, for abusing her position to benefit her political ambitions, ahead of May 3 presidential elections. | RELATED: | On the one hand, the presidential candidate for Community Citizen, Carlos Mesa, complained about the unequal standings of the contestants, "inevitably,…
(2020-02-05). Brazil's Workers Party advances austerity policies in unity with Bolsonaro. wsws.org The PT, which promotes itself as a representative of the "left", in fact constitutes one of the greatest threats to the Brazilian working class, alongside Bolsonaro.
(2020-02-05). People With HIV Are "an Expense" for Brazil: Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday that citizens with HIV are a severe problem, and generate a high "expense" for the country, sparking outrage among the popular sectors of the South American nation. | RELATED: | "A person with HIV, in addition to having a serious problem, is an expense for everyone here in Brazil," the far-right president of Brazil said. | The head of state expressed his discriminatory c…
(2020-02-05). Russian FM Lavrov Starts Latin America Tour in Cuba. telesurenglish.net Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Cuba as part of a Feb. 5 to 8 tour of Latin America that will include visits to Mexico and Venezuela. | RELATED: | Lavrov's meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez will take place in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajarova said. | The spokeswoman also said that among the issues to be discussed between…
(2020-02-05). US Blockade to Affect Medical Treatment of Venezuelan Children. telesurenglish.net The Latin American Foundation for Human Rights and Social Development ( RELATED: | The organization explained that the affected children, who are being treated in Italy and Argentina, will rece…
(2020-02-05). SOTU: Democratic "Resistance" Give Trump's Venezuela Aggression a Standing Ovation. mintpressnews.com Perhaps the loudest applause heard during Trump's State of the Union Address was reserved for Venezuala's Juan Guaidó, as Democrats and Republicans rose as one to salute the self-declared president.
(2020-02-05). Argentina's Senate Approves Government Debt Renegotiation. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Senate approved this Wednesday and turned into Law a project that enables the government of Alberto Fernandez to take the necessary formal steps to restructure the massive sovereign debt of the country issued under foreign laws. | RELATED: | The initiative, which had already been approved last week by the Chamber of Deputies, unanimously received Wednesday's approval in the Upper House. | T…
(2020-02-05). Argentina to Pass Law to Decriminalize Abortion: Fernandez. telesurenglish.net The government is preparing a project to decriminalize abortion, President Alberto Fernandez said at the closing of his European tour on Wednesday in France. | "I am going to pass a law that will end the criminalization of abortion and allow the care of any abortion in any public center," he added at the of the Institute of Political Studies in Paris (Scienses PO Paris) . | The president's goal, he specified, is for t…
(2020-02-05). Ecuador: CNE Starts Planning 2021 General Elections. telesurenglish.net The National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE) introduced the new Democracy Code ahead of 2021 general elections for both President and assembly. | RELATED: | Among the main changes in the code, there is gender parity in the formulation of electoral lists and the creation of a new computer system for the control of campaign spending. | Furthermore, the Contentious Electoral Tribunal does not have the power to dismi…
(2020-02-04). Bolivia: UN underlines support for 'credible, transparent and inclusive' election. news.un.org With Bolivia this week reaching a "decisive stage" in its electoral process, the United Nations "will do everything possible" to support the country in holding a vote that is credible, transparent and inclusive, envoy Jean Arnault has said.
(2020-02-03). The Old Puppets Return: Meet Bolivia's Corrupt Washington-Backed Candidates. mintpressnews.com 
Elections are looming in Bolivia. Despite closing ranks to force out Evo Morales' left-indigenous government, the different factions of Bolivia's pro-coup right have fallen out with each other less than three months into their rule. The crisis boiled over on January 26, when Jeanine Anez, the self-declared 'interim' president, declared that she would stand as a candidate, However, the problem facing the Bolivian right is much larg…
(2020-02-03). ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea. The expansion is expected to affect more than 350 million people. Democrats say they will…
(2020-02-02). Why aren't Americans rising up like the people of Chile and Lebanon? zcomm.org The tinder for a revolutionary movement is everywhere…
(2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
(2020-01-30). US government censorship? Social media giants disappear accounts of Iranian and Venezuelan academics, journalists. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi's Facebook and Instagram…
(2020-01-29). Ciudadano estadounidense detenido e interrogado por agentes del DHS sobre la solidaridad con Venezuela del movimiento antiguerra. thegrayzone.com Un ciudadano estadounidense que participó en el Colectivo de Protección de la Embajada de Venezuela fue detenido, registrado e interrogado…
(2019-12-28). Chileans Demand New Constitution as Protests Continue. zcomm.org For two months, Chileans have been protesting all over the country on a daily basis…
(2019-12-28). Prison gave me a greater will to fight. zcomm.org Interview on the reality that Brazil is experiencing and the social protests that have occurred in several Latin American countries…
(2019-12-20). Notes on a private TV newscast in Bolivia. The contrast with Venezuela is clear as day. zcomm.org In August, I took detailed notes a news broadcast on one of Venezuela's largest TV networks. I summarized these notes in an interview I did with the Real News Network making the point that Venezuela's private media (which reaches 60-90% of households) is remarkably free — most especially when you consider the US is openly
(2019-12-16). Francisco Rodriguez answers some questions I asked about Venezuela. zcomm.org Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez, formerly of Torino Economics, answered a few questions of mine about his country. He was the economic adviser to Henri Falcon, the second place finisher in the May 2018 presidential election. His updated estimate for 2019 is that Venezuela's real GDP will contract by 25% . That's horrific, but less severe
(2019-12-15). 128 Reuters articles on Bolivia since October 20, 2019 election with no mention of expert criticism of OAS audit UPDATED. zcomm.org Bolivia ¥s foreign minister says Mexico appeal to International Court 'a mistake' Bolivia's YPFB strikes transition deal with Petrobras to extend natural gas exports Bolivia is not a Mexican colony, acting foreign minister Longaric tells El Pais Mexico says Spanish diplomats' cars blocked by Bolivia at La Paz embassy Mexico appeals to international court as diplomatic