2020-02-12: News Headlines

Eds. (2020-02-12). The blockade, a weapon that causes more death than war. mronline.org It deliberately affects defenseless civilians, such as children, the elderly and the sick. The US blockade against Cuba is the most severe and prolonged applied against any country, but it is estimated that one third of the world's population suffers its effects: there are more than eight thousand sanctions in 39 countries. |

Anya Parampil (2020-02-12). Did Venezuelan coup leader Ricardo Hausmann stage fake IDB resignation to keep cushy Harvard job? thegrayzone.com Caught in a conflict of interest with his employer at Harvard, Ricardo Hausmann publicly resigned his job as Guaido's Inter-American…

RT (2020-02-12). 'Murderer!' Protests and fights erupt as Guaido arrives at Venezuelan airport, gets booed and DOUSED with water (VIDEOS). rt.com Chaos broke out at an airport in Venezuela's capital Caracas, when Juan Guaido, who was declared interim president by the opposition, returned from an overseas trip. | On Tuesday, Guaido arrived at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas after completing a support-seeking tour abroad, during which he attended US President Donald Trump's annual State of the Union Address in Washington. | The tensions first erupted when the politician was passing immigration control. As he was talking to an immigration officer, Guaido was suddenly confronted by an angry woman who accused him of "selling out the country."

Miko Peled (2020-02-11). How Trump's "Peace" Plan Will Redraw Israel's Borders to Exclude to Non-Jews. mintpressnews.com Trump's new Middle East "Peace" Plan will redraw Israeli borders to exclude towns with large populations of Arab citizens, an attempt, writes Miko Peled, to force them down the totem pole to a place where their rights will be even more limited.

Staff (2020-02-11). A Victory for Vulture Funds: Puerto Rico's Unelected Financial Control Board Strikes Debt Deal. democracynow.org Puerto Rico's financial control board has struck a deal with bondholders to shed about $24 billion from its general obligation debt. The deal announced Sunday will cut the island's outstanding general obligation debt from $35 billion to about $11 billion; however, the island would have to pay about $3.8 billion upfront. The agreement will still need to be approved by Puerto Rico's Legislature. Puerto Rico's financial control board filed for bankruptcy in 2017 to attempt to restructure $129 billion in debt. The board, which is often referred to as "La Junta," is an unelected board that runs much of Puerto Rico's e…

news.un (2020-02-11). $683 million appeal to deliver reproductive health services, where they're most needed. news.un.org With more than half of all maternal deaths occurring in countries affected by humanitarian crises and fragility, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling for greater international support to provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services in these locations.

teleSUR (2020-02-11). Cuban Ophtalmologists in Haiti Resume Operacion Milagro. telesurenglish.net Cuban doctors in Haiti resumed Operacion Milagros (Operation Miracle), one of the main cooperation projects between the two countries, which has already restored the vision to some 72,710 patients. | RELATED: | Since 2006, the mission has assisted an average of 5,000 people annually, particularly those suffering from pterygium (a disease that damages the conjunctiva and cornea) — as well as cataracts, which consist o…

Telesur (2020-02-11). Video: The Truth About Venezuela's Blackout. globalresearch.ca This was originally published in March 2019. | Venezuela's blackout is the latest in the US siege on the country. | . | . …

teleSUR, gqc (2020-02-11). Venezuela Announces International Lawsuit Against US. telesurenglish.net The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced on Monday the beginning of an international lawsuit against the U.S. government because of the perjuries caused to national companies. | RELATED: | During his intervention, in the context of the Great Anti-imperialist March in Caracas, as a support to the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautic Industries and Air Services and as a response to the arbitrary san…

Telesur (2020-02-11). China, Russia to Defy US Sanctions Over Support to Venezuela. globalresearch.ca The Russian government rejected on Monday the U.S. threats to impose new sanctions against several Russian companies for their cooperation with Venezuela in the oil sector. | Last week, the United States special representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, warned Russia …

teleSUR- age (2020-02-11). Evo Morales Travels to Cuba for Medical Treatment. telesurenglish.net Former Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived Monday in Havana, Cuba, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of an unscheduled trip for health reasons. | RELATED: | The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla confirmed on his Twitter account the arrival of the former president to the Caribbean island, where he has traveled on other occasions to attend to his health issues with Cuban doctor…

teleSUR (2020-02-11). Trump Puts More Pressure on Cuba, Targets Cuban Doctors Program. telesurenglish.net Donald Trump's administration is targeting the Cuban medical program that has helped some of the most impoverished communities worldwide, in a bid to exert more pressure on Cuba's economy, according to a report published Tuesday by the Guardian. | RELATED: | Washington is using a whole host of allegations to thwart the program. It has been accusing Havana of undermining democracy and interfering in the internal affai…

Fréa Lockley (2020-02-11). Here are the companies complicit in deporting people to Jamaica. thecanary.co On 11 February, the government Jamaica 50: | The s…

teleSUR (2020-02-11). Dominican Elections To Receive 118 International Observers. telesurenglish.net The RELATED: | The International Election Observation Mission will consist of 40 representatives of the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (UNIORE), 24 members of the Organization of American States…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-02-11). Venezuelan Communards meet to organize national movement. mronline.org Dozens of communes from across the country are uniting to form a "large national political movement." |

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-02-11). Just as Trump Slashes Global Health Funds, Experts Warn Coronavirus Could Infect 60% of World Population. commondreams.org The coronavirus which originated late last year in Wuhan, China and has infected tens of thousands of people so far could eventually spread to 60% of the world population, a prominent health expert in Hong Kong warned Tuesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1198654045.png

Eds. (2020-02-10). How women shake up the political world. mronline.org The originality of the Haitian feminist movement lies in the fact that it can be thought of neither in terms of a wave (first, second or third) nor in terms of a defined current (liberal, black, decolonial, etc.). |

The Canary (2020-02-10). Minister insists forced deportation flight is reasonable despite criticism. thecanary.co A senior minister has defended a plan to push on with a flight deporting 50 people to Jamaica despite widespread calls for the jet to be grounded. | Chief secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak insisted on Monday that those being forcibly removed had committed "very serious offences" and their deportations were "reasonable". | But more than 150 cross-party MPs have called on the government to halt Tuesday's flight, which is expected to include a young man who moved to the UK aged five. | And a leaked report commissioned by ministers and seen by the PA news agency warned the government that the policy should be rec…

Fred_F (2020-02-07). Blaming overpopulation lets climate criminals off the hook. greenleft.org.au Within the climate movement, some sec…

Venezuela Analysis (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.

Staff (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…

Staff (2020-02-05). Headlines for February 5, 2020. democracynow.org Partial Results from Iowa Caucus Show Buttigieg Leading in Delegate Count, Democrats Boycott & Walk Out of Trump's State of the Union Address, Death Toll of Coronavirus Approaches 500, Report: Israel Pushes U.S. to Recognize Moroccan Sovereignty over Occupied Western Sahara, Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake Rattles Puerto Rico, Canadian Court Dismisses Indigenous Challenge to Trans Mountain Pipeline, Homelessness Among School-Age Children Hits Decade-Long High, HBO Max Picks Up Documentary "On the Record", Judge Reverses Convictions of No More Deaths Volunteers…

Joe Emersberger (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

Joe Emersberger (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