2020-02-16: News Headlines

teleSUR (2020-02-16). Mass Delay in Dominican Elections Due to Polling Stations. telesurenglish.net The municipal elections in Santo Domingo, the first that are held separately from the general since 1968, began with delays and failures in the automated voting system, the spokespersons of several political parties announced. | RELATED: | Dozens of polling stations nationwide continue to present delays at the beginning of the voting process two after the formal start of the elections. | The members of the JCE are meetin…

Leonardo Flores (2020-02-16). The Embassy Defenders: Mistrial in US Federal Court Is a Win for Venezuela's Sovereignty. globalresearch.ca A jury of 12 Washington D.C. residents were deadlocked over the issue of the embassy defenders on February 14, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial in a blow to the federal government and to a judicial system that stacked …

yenisafak (2020-02-16). Turkish, Chinese top diplomats discuss Uyghur Muslims. yenisafak.com The foreign ministers of Turkey and China discussed the situation of the Uyghur Turkic Muslim minority in China during a meeting under the 56th Munich Security Conference.Mevlut Cavusoglu and Wang Yi met on Saturday, according to diplomatic sources.China's Xinjiang region is home to around 10 million Uyghurs. The Turkic Muslim group, which makes up around 45% of Xinjiang's population, has long accused China's authorities of cultural, religious and economic discrimination.Up to a million people, or about 7% of the Muslim population in Xinjiang, have been incarcerated in an expanding network of "political re-educat…

RT (2020-02-15). Mistrial declared in case of anti-coup activists arrested in DC police raid on Venezuelan Embassy. rt.com Jurors who heard the case of four activists who were invited by Caracas to protect the Venezuelan Embassy in the US capital — only to be nabbed in a police raid on the compound — failed to reach a verdict due to a hung jury.

Leonardo Flores (2020-02-15). Mistrial in Trump admin's biased case against Venezuelan embassy protectors is win for sovereignty. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration's case against Venezuelan embassy protectors was severely biased, but ended up with a hung jury. The mistrial…

teleSUR (2020-02-15). Juan Guaido Stars Venezuela's Biggest Corruption Case Ever. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's RELATED: | Rodriguez unveiled a corruption case linking Guaido with Alejandro Betancourt-Lopez, who…

teleSUR (2020-02-15). 'The Bolivarian Shield' Prepares Millions to Defend Venezuela. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Saturday inaugurated the 2020 Bolivarian Shield, a defensive military exercise that is carried out amid U.S. threats and sanctions. | RELATED: | "We start the 2020 Bolivarian Shield Exercise with the deployment of our glorious Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), which maintains a military-civic union with more than 2,300,000 mobilized combatants," Maduro said. | Defense Mi…

Rolando Pérez Betancourt (2020-02-14). A view from Cuba: 'Parasite,' a political movie? peoplesworld.org In 2019, the euphorically intoned question on everyone's lips that defined the tiny world of cinematography was: Have you seen Parasite yet? In May last year, the latest film by the South Korean Bong Joon-ho not only unanimously won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but it also got a standing ovation from …

teleSUR (2020-02-14). Trial Against Venezuelan Embassy Protectors in US Called Null. telesurenglish.net U.S. judge, Beryl Howell, declared the trial against the Embassy of Venezuela in Washington Protectors Collective null, after the jury could not reach a verdict. | RELATED: | The magistrate gave the jury extra time to deliberate. However, the members could not reach a unanimous decision. In this regard, Howell asked for a new trial, but there is still no certainty that it will happen. | The four activists, Adrie…

teleSUR (2020-02-14). 'Justice Must Prevail in This World' Venezuela's President Says. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's RELATED: | "The struggle for justice, the equality of states, and peace is very established… en…

Stephen Lendman (2020-02-14). Venezuela to Sue Trump Regime in ICJ: Does It Matter? globalresearch.ca Is it possible for aggrieved nations to gain favorable international tribunal rulings against the US that force it to pay a price for its high crimes and other wrongdoing? | The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was established to settle disputes …

teleSUR (2020-02-14). Cuba and Venezuela Further Strengthen Ties at Havana Book Fair. telesurenglish.net The 29th edition of the Havana International Book Fair hosted the presentation of two titles that narrate the contemporary political battle of Venezuela. | RELATED: | Venezuelan historian Pedro Calzadilla's "Nine Street" (La Calle 9) was one of the books presented at the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, the main venue of the literary event that began on Feb. 8. | This book is "a tribute to the rebelliousness, co…

WSWS (2020-02-14). UK government spearheads anti-migrant crackdown with deportation of Jamaican nationals. wsws.org Under Britain's deeply reactionary UK Borders Act 2007, any offence can serve as a pretext for deportation.

teleSUR (2020-02-14). Caricom Laboratories Ready to Analyze Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net The Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha) said Friday that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) is ready and fully equipped to receive and analyze samples of suspected cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) with immediate effect. | RELATED: | According to Carpha's doctor and executive director, Joy St. John, the agency has the capacity and equipment in its laboratories to investigate and manage contagious diseases, and in…

Haiti Action Committee (2020-02-14). Haiti Ten Years after the Earthquake. dissidentvoice.org January 12 marked 10 years since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 300,000 people, and left an estimated 1.3 million more homeless. Much of the greater Port-au-Prince region lay in ruins, including the presidential palace, 17 of 19 ministries, and many schools and hospitals. Entire neighborhoods leveled. Power out. Roads blocked with …

Telesur (2020-02-14). Venezuela Files Complaint at The Hague ICC: 'US Coercive Measures Are Mass Destruction Weapons'. globalresearch.ca Venezuela's During his meeting with the Court, Arreaza exposed the crimes against …

Alan Macleod (2020-02-14). Mistrial Declared in Kafkaesque D.C. Trial of Venezuela Embassy Protectors. mintpressnews.com Judge Beryl Howell has declared a mistrial following a hung jury in the case of the four Venezuela Embassy Protectors charged with "interfering with the protective function of the State Department."

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. |

Staff (2020-02-12). Headlines for February 12, 2020. democracynow.org Bernie Sanders Wins New Hampshire Primary, Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet Drop Out of Presidential Race, Federal Prosecutors Quit Roger Stone Case Amid Fight with DOJ Officials, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Rejects Trump's Middle East Plan in U.N. Speech, Trump Conditionally Approves Peace Deal with the Taliban, WHO Warns Coronavirus Poses "Grave Threat" to World, Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Heckled and Protested Upon Return to Venezuela, Report: 40% of Guatemalan, Honduran & Salvadoran Migrants Fled After Relatives Killed, WSJ: ICE & CPB Use Cellphone Location Data from Games, Apps to Arrest Immigrants,…

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…

Alan Macleod (2020-02-12). New Hampshire Primaries Paint a Picture of Modern Day Class War in America. mintpressnews.com While the primary totals for Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg were relatively close, their support came from radically different segments of the population.

Fight Back (2020-02-12). Interview with Nicaraguan Sandinista youth leader Rosalía Bohórquez. fightbacknews.org In January, Fight Back! reporters participated in the World Anti-Imperialist Gathering in Caracas, Venezuela. While there, they interviewed delegates from several countries. Here's an interview with a leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and a member of the National Union of Nicaraguan Students (UNEN), Rosalía Bohórquez. Bohórquez delivers a message to working people and progressive people in the United States. | Rosalía Bohórquez: My name is Rosalía Bohórquez. I'm Nicaraguan and a member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). I'm also a student and a member of the Nat…

Fight Back (2020-02-12). Entrevista con lideresa estudiantil Sandinista Rosalía Bohórquez. fightbacknews.org En enero unos periodistas de °Lucha y Resiste! participaron en el Encuentro Mundial Antiimperialista en Caracas, Venezuela. Allí hicieron entrevistas con delegados de varios países. Esta es una entrevista con una lideresa del Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) y una miembro(a) de la UNEN – la Unión Nacional de Estudiantes de Nicaragua. Este es su mensaje al pueblo trabajador y progresista de los Estados Unidos. | Rosalía Bohórquez: Mi nombre es Rosalía Bohórquez, nicaragàºense y miembro del Frente Sandinista para la Liberación Nacional (FSLN). Igualmente soy estudiante y miembro de la UNEN…

Alan Macleod (2020-02-12). Media Presents Anger and Jeers Against Juan Guaido as Hometown Hero's Welcome. mintpressnews.com Upon his return to Venezuela, Juan Guaido was greeted by an enraged mob hectoring, jeering and manhandling him, kicking his car and covering him in water and other liquids.

Lucas Koerner (2020-02-12). Left Media and Venezuela: An Exchange. fair.org Critique, Solidarity and Movement Building: A Reply to Lucas Koerner: | by Gabriel Hetland FAIR.org ( Lucas Koerner's recent piece for Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, "How Western Left Media Helped Legitimate US Regime Change in Venezuela" (

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.

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.

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