2020-06-17: News Headlines

_____ (2020-06-17). Solidarity And The Absent State In Puerto Rico. popularresistance.org Puerto Rican artists, entertainers, and athletes have been conspicuous in calling for protests against the government, which the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP) firmly controls. Indeed, January 2020 was uncannily similar to last July, when El Residente, Bad Bunny, Ilde, Daddy Yankee, Ricky Martin, and other artists roused scores of thousands of their fans to rise in opposition to Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Seven months later, as the government failed to take any decisive action toward a relief effort, anger was building against Rosselló's hapless successor. Even more damaging for the practice of democra…

Medea Benjamin (2020-06-17). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. zcomm.org Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade…

Zero Hedge (2020-06-17). IRGC Gears Up For 'Routine' Fuel Shipments To Venezuela, Defying Trump. iranian.com Here we go again — Iran is prepping a round two of major sanctions-busting gas delivery to fuel-starved Venezuela, which is of course rich on heavy crude oil but currently lacks the capacity to refine it based on its derelict and badly in need of repair facilities. Amid continued White House threats of military intervention to uphold a sanctions …

Staff (2020-06-17). No Oversight of $1.5 Billion Electric Project Raises Alarm over Privatization of Puerto Rico's Power. democracynow.org As hurricane season begins, we look at moves to privatize Puerto Rico's electric grid and a new investigation that reveals the island's government failed to follow proper oversight or examine the environmental impact when it issued a $1.5 billion contract to a company for the first large power generation project since Hurricane Maria, that will continue its reliance on fossil fuels. Former Puerto Rico Chief of Staff Ingrid Vila Biaggi co-authored the report and calls it "an ill-conceived project full of fiscally irresponsible practices."

Graham Peebles (2020-06-17). Global Issues Require United Action and a Reinvigorated UN. dissidentvoice.org Whatever corner of the world one happens to live in, the most pressing issues of the day affect everyone. Pandemics/epidemics and the environmental emergency; war and terrorism; poverty and food insecurity; overpopulation and the displacement of persons. Such crises cannot be limited by borders or controlled by nation states; no government or corporate power can …

_____ (2020-06-17). Report: Unemployment by Christmas could reach over 3 million. truepublica.org.uk Boris Johnson has been warned 10 per cent of the British workforce could be unemployed by the end of December, due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis. A ten per cent unemployment figure would mean 3.3 million people out of work in the UK. These levels (numerically, not a percentage of population) have …

yenisafak (2020-06-17). Hijab | and Fashion: Modest | clothing | shapes | Muslim women's | style | choices | in | India. yenisafak.com An article penned by Priti Salian of the UAE-based The National takes a look at how modest fashion has transformed in the country which boasts the world's third largest Muslim population, India.37-year-old Nighat Ahmad drew great criticism when she first built her brand, "The Hijab Lee," which produces mainly maxi dresses, pantsuits and abayas decorated with traditional hand embroidery in India in 2014."I was constantly asked how I could mix hijab and fashion. Some people said, if you are a hijabi, wear a burqa with it, or give up your hijab," she said.However as the years went by, haters became lovers and are no…

_____ (2020-06-16). Food Sovereignty Activists See The Pandemic Crisis As Pivotal For Change. popularresistance.org Disaster brings change, however. Many grassroots organizations and movements are trying to seize the moment to propose alternatives, and in some cases, to begin implementing them. Some are breathing new life into proposals made before the COVID-19 crisis began. It has been a chance for this alternative system to prove its value. "Conventional farmers lost their crop because they lost their market when restaurants closed and the distribution chains broke down," Garcia explains. "Puerto Rico still gets most of its food from outside, so the supply problems meant the supermarkets didn't have food on the shelves. Pric…

Vijay Prashad (2020-06-16). Who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize in a time of pandemic? mronline.org A few weeks ago, I was talking to Noam Chomsky about the state of the world. At one point, Noam smiled and said that he is not aware of any German doctors in Italy, even though both countries are in the European Union; instead, Cuban and Chinese doctors went to Italy to help the Italians …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-16). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-16). Why should Cuban doctors receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-06-16). Venezuelan Attorney General Orders Arrest of Tupamaro Party Leader, Indicts FAES for Extra-Judicial Killings. venezuelanalysis.com Jose Pinto called the death a "false positive" orchestrated by the party's enemies.

Medea Benjamin (2020-06-16). Trump Hammers Cuba While Cuba Cures the Sick. mintpressnews.com Not content to sabotage Cuba's domestic health sector, the Trump administration has been attacking Cuba's international medical assistance, from the teams fighting coronavirus to those caring for underserved communities in 164 countries.

Vijay Prashad (2020-06-16). Who Deserves a Nobel Prize During a Pandemic? counterpunch.org A few weeks ago, I was talking to Noam Chomsky about the state of the world. At one point, Noam smiled and said that he is not aware of any German doctors in Italy, even though both countries are in the European Union; instead, Cuban and Chinese doctors went to Italy to help the Italians

news.un (2020-06-16). COVID-19: UN agencies warn against rising hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean. news.un.org The number of people in Latin America and the Caribbean living in extreme poverty could surpass 83 million this year due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant rise in hunger, according to a UN report released on Tuesday.

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-06-16). Healthcare system on the verge of collapse in Chile. peoplesdispatch.org After Brazil and Peru, Chile is the third worst-hit country in the region and the twelfth most affected in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of coronavirus cases is growing rapidly across the country. The increasing demand for medical attention, intensive care units (ICU) and ventilators, has strained the country's healthcare system. | With a population of 18.5 million, Chile is reporting more than 4,000 new cases everyday. Nearly 15% of the cases require hospitalization. About 95% of the ICU beds in the hospitals across the country have already been occupied. Doctors have been forced to make wrenc…

yenisafak (2020-06-16). Pakistan felicitates D-8 states on 23rd anniversary. yenisafak.com Pakistan's prime minister on Tuesday extended felicitations to member states of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation on its 23rd anniversary.In his message, Imran Khan said the organization has made significant contribution in promoting solidarity, and strengthening cooperation among the brotherly countries since its inception in Istanbul in 1997."I would like to extend warmest felicitations, on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan and my own behalf, the people of D-8 Members States," Khan said.D-8, representing over one billion population with a combined GDP of $4 trillion, has tremendous potenti…

yenisafak (2020-06-16). '22% of world population at risk of severe COVID-19'. yenisafak.com According to the study published by The Lancet medical journal, an estimate of 1.7 billion people or 22% of the global population "have at least one underlying condition that puts them at increased risk of severe COVID-19 if infected.""Estimates of the number of individuals at increased risk were most sensitive to the prevalence of chronic kidney disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic respiratory disease," it added.The researchers said the study focused on underlying health conditions for considering the number of individuals that might need to be shielded or vaccinated as the global pandemic unfo…

_____ (2020-06-15). President Maduro: United States Is Living An Anti-Racist Spring. popularresistance.org President Maduro said that the US is experiencing an anti-racist spring, in reference to the massive protests for the murder of George Floyd. | "People on the street are saying who Donald Trump is every day," said the Venezuelan president during his participation on Monday in the TV show "Between Values," in which he also asserted that the American people "live an anti-racist spring". | On the other hand, he stressed that historical figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are more present today than ever among Americans who fight for their rights. "They are the martyrs for a future hope, for a new societ…

RT (2020-06-15). Don't ask, don't tell? NYC mayor directs contact tracers not to question people about attending BLM protests. rt.com The army of contact tracers hired by New York City to conduct the 'test and trace' campaign to weed out coronavirus infection vectors will reportedly not be allowed to ask people if they attended Black Lives Matter protests. | Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on May 8 that NYC would be hiring hundreds of Covid-19 contact tracers to help bring the coronavirus, which wreaked havoc on the densely-populated city's population, to heel. The city has witnessed 210,000 cases resulting in at least 17,193 deaths from the infection. | However, before May came to an end, George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, sparki…

Lotus McDougal, Jay G. Silverman, Abhishek Singh, Anita Raj (2020-06-15). Exploring the relationship between spousal violence during pregnancy and subsequent postpartum spacing contraception among first-time mothers in India. thelancet.com : Women who experience spousal abuse during pregnancy have different postpartum contraceptive use patterns. The unique needs of this population should be incorporated into antenatal and postpartum contraceptive counseling. Efforts to increase spacing contraception use in India must consider experiences of gender-based violence and coercion.

Ben Norton (2020-06-15). Wikipedia formally censors The Grayzone as regime-change advocates monopolize editing. mronline.org On Wikipedia, a small group of regime-change advocates and right-wing Venezuelan opposition supporters have blacklisted independent media outlets like The Grayzone on explicitly political grounds, violating the encyclopedia's guidelines.

Cesar Chelala (2020-06-15). The Day President Kennedy (Almost) Broke the Embargo on Cuba. counterpunch.org President Kennedy is just one of many famous historical figures who loved to smoke cigars. Sigmund Freud was a big addict, smoking up to 20 cigars a day, which probably caused the mouth cancer that led to his death. In a conversation with Carl Gustav Jung, where they were probably discussing the allegoric meaning of

The Sentencing Project (2020-06-15). Private Prisons in the United States. globalresearch.ca Private prisons in the United States incarcerated 121,718 people in 2017, representing 8.2% of the total state and federal prison population. Since 2000, the number of people housed in private prisons has increased 39%. | However, the private prison population reached …

Paul Dobson (2020-06-15). Venezuela Slams Interpol Arrest of CLAP Contractor in Cape Verde. venezuelanalysis.com Colombo-Venezuelan Alex Saab was detained on a Washington-issued arrest warrant en route to Iran, where he reportedly looked to negotiate food and medicine import contracts.

teleSUR (2020-06-15). Bank of England Infringes Human Rights: Venezuelan Central Bank. telesurenglish.net The Bank of England (BoE) is "putting lives at risk" by denying access to gold reserves, Legal representatives of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) denounced Monday. | RELATED: | BoE refuses to release around US$1.13 billion of gold reserves which the South American nation could use to fight the health emergency derived from the COVID-19 outbreak. Venezuela is seeking to get a court order for the urgent release of abo…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-06-15). U.S. President Trump sparks renewed interest in Juneteenth Celebrations Globally. indybay.org "In 1535, the first enslaved Pan African were recorded in California. Spanish conquistadors brought enslaved Pan Africans for conquest and who were later breed with indigenous population (Afro-Latino) throughout "New Spain" and much, much later evolved into today's Republic of Mexico. Authentic Alta California History remains cloaked in slavery and secrecy that remains off limits for any principled dialogue as the California State Legislature prepares for a 2020 Juneteenth State Budget due next week.

Peter Koenig (2020-06-14). Bill Gates and the Depopulation Agenda. Robert F. Kennedy Junior Calls for an Investigation. globalresearch.ca Robert F Kennedy Jr, an avid Defender of Children's Rights and anti-vaccination activist, has launched a petition sent to the White House, calling for "Investigations into the 'Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation' for Medical Malpractice & Crimes Against Humanity"

Lucas Koerner (2020-06-14). Venezuela's Supreme Court Names New National Electoral Council. venezuelanalysis.com The Guaido-led opposition vowed to boycott legislative elections due to be held later this year.

teleSUR (2020-06-14). Venezuela Denounces Arbitrary Arrest of Alex Saab by Interpol. telesurenglish.net The Venezuelan government described the arrest of businessman Alex Saab by Interpol on Saturday as an arbitrary detention that seeks to infringe on the rights of citizens in the Bolivarian Republic. | RELATED: | Saab was traveling through the island-nation of Cape Verge on Saturday when Interpol arbitrarily arrested him and prevented him from returning home. | According to a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Min…

_____ (2020-06-14). Human Rights Expert Hopes COVID-19, Climate Change And Racial Injustice Are A 'Wake-Up Call'. popularresistance.org The optimistic way is to see Covid-19 as a trial run for what's on the way with climate change in the sense that it really is a crisis that has affected vast numbers of people that has shown up the importance of being prepared and the importance of listening to the warning signals, and the potential for totally disproportionate impact on different groups of the population—whether by gender, class, race and so on. Covid-19 could provide some sort of wake-up call to those of us who are pretending that climate change is going to be manageable and we don't really need to do anything until it actually starts to…

yenisafak (2020-06-14). World Blood Donor Day observed during pandemic. yenisafak.com World Blood Donor Day this year once again will be held on June 14, but in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.It was established in 2004 to raise awareness of the need for safe blood, and to thank donors for their life-saving gift.The event provides a valuable opportunity to donors to celebrate and commemorate the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, a biologist and doctor who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the ABO blood group system.About 118.4 million blood donations are collected worldwide every year. Forty percent are collected in high-income countries — home to 16% of the world's population.About 13,300…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-06-14). USA Plan: Militarized Control of Population. The "National Covid-19 Testing Action Plan" globalresearch.ca The Rockefeller Foundation has presented the "National Covid-19 Testing Action Plan", indicating the "pragmatic steps to reopen our workplaces and our communities". However, it is not simply a matter of health measures. The Plan prefigures a real hierarchical and militarized social model.