2020-08-04: News Headlines

Swiss Propaganda Research (2020-08-04). Are Face Masks Effective? The Evidence. globalresearch.ca 1. Studies on the effectiveness of face masks | So far, most studies found little to no evidence for the effectiveness of cloth face masks in the general population, neither as personal protective equipment nor as a source control. | A May …

Ollie Vargas (2020-08-03). While Bolivia's coup regime lets its citizens die, Cuba has nearly defeated Covid-19. thegrayzone.com A dispatch from Bolivia shows the staggering human toll of the military coup, as an incompetent US-backed regime leaves impoverished…

Paul Dobson (2020-08-03). Blacklisted Iranian Consortium Defies US to Open Caracas Superstore. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan and Iranian officials claim the commercial deal is part of a "win-win" relationship between the sanctioned countries.

S. Brian Willson (2020-08-03). Nicaragua Targeted for US Overthrow in 2020-21. globalresearch.ca The USA failed State continues to seek destruction of Nicaragua (among other nations such as Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and Iran, who refuse to obey US demands for neoliberal privatization that enrich the already rich. | Introduction | George Washington, who waged …

Cesar Chelala (2020-08-03). A Wrong Message for the Pandemic. counterpunch.org Public health messages addressed to the general population should be clear and unambiguous. This is particularly important in times of a pandemic like that caused by the coronavirus. Millions of lives are at stake. One of the messages, "social distancing," widely used by public health authorities during the present pandemic, exemplifies this shortcoming. It should

Ilya Tsukanov (2020-08-03). US Blasts Venezuela-Iran 'Alliance of Pariah States'. globalresearch.ca The new grocery store, which features over 2,000 products from Iran, was made possible after the Islamic Republic sent half a dozen cargo ships carrying fuel, food, medical supplies and spare parts for Venezuela's oil industry to the South American …

Haiti Emergency Relief Fund (2020-08-03). Saturday 8/8: Support Haiti's Campaign for Dignity! Virtual Fundraiser for UNIFA's Teaching Hospital. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Pan Africanism Today Secretariat (2020-08-02). Cuba's medical brigades in Africa embody a long tradition of solidarity. peoplesdispatch.org From medical to military, agricultural, educational, cultural support and more, the Cuban footprint in Africa dates back to the national struggles against colonialism. The work of the Henry Reeve Brigade is a continuation of this tradition…

Prabhat Patnaik (2020-08-02). Food consumption trends point at real income decline before pandemic. peoplesdispatch.org Why has there been a tendency toward persistent 'excess supply' in the foodgrain market when growth rate of foodgrain output has barely exceeded the population growth rate?

Peter Bolton (2020-08-01). The Venezuelan government's latest move exposes the falsehoods in the US narrative. thecanary.co Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro recently But you wo…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-08-01). Venezuela Requests Extradition of Former Oil Minister. venezuelanalysis.com Rafael Ramirez has been accused of corrupt dealings during his tenure as oil minister.

Brasil de Fato (2020-08-01). Lula and other international personalities join call to give Nobel Peace Prize to Cuban doctors. peoplesdispatch.org The solidarity of Cuban doctors, once again, has gained international recognition. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, 1,800 healthcare professionals have been sent by the island's government to 27 countries to help contain the spread of the virus. | In response, everyday the campaign to award the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize to the Cuban doctors gains strength, through Among those who have signed the petition a…

WSWS (2020-08-01). US unemployment supplement expires, setting the stage for mass hunger and homelessness. wsws.org The congressional stalemate over an extension of the unemployment pay supplement, which is certain to result in the total elimination or a major cut in the benefit, is a declaration of war against the entire working population.

sputniknews (2020-08-01). Balancing on the Edge: UK Gov't May Need to Call In Military to Quell 'Public Disorder'. sputniknews.com There have been months long concerns around whether harsher measures may be needed to impose the coronavirus social distancing measures across the UK as the population grows weary. However, many are likely to be surprised at the extent to which the government's scientific advisors are now saying enforcement measures should be taken.

_____ (2020-08-01). Moncada's Significance in Cuban Revolutionary History. strategic-culture.org "When Batista's coup took place in 1952, I'd already formulated a plan for the future. I decided to launch a revolutionary programme and organise a popular uprising. From that moment on, I had a clear idea of the struggle ahead and of the fundamental revolutionary ideas behind it, the ideas that are in History Will Absolve Me." | Just one year later, Fidel Castro would

_____ (2020-08-01). When Corporate Power Is Your Real Government, Corporate Media Is State Media. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | astonishingly horrible article the other day titled "Latin America Is Facing a 'Decline of Democracy' Under the Pandemic" accusing governments like Venezuela and Nicaragua of exploiting Covid-19 to quash opposition and oppress democracy. | The article sources its jarringly propagandistic claims in multiple US government-funded narrative management operations like the Wilson Center and the National Endow…

Bruce Gellin (2020-08-01). [Perspectives] Why vaccine rumours stick—and getting them unstuck. thelancet.com Infectious diseases have long shaped human history, from the plague of Athens (430—427 BCE) that killed around a third of the Athenian population, the Black Death in the 14th century that killed about 30—60% of all Europeans, and the 1918—19 influenza pandemic that took the lives of at least 50 million people globally. In the 8 months since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, more than 600‚Äà000 people worldwide have died from COVID-19 as of July 21, 2020. No sector of society has been spared and the full economic and societal reckoning will be grim by any account.

Eoin D O'Sullivan, Iain M MacIntyre (2020-08-01). [Correspondence] Individual patient risk assessment and cost—benefit analysis of patiromer in AMBER. thelancet.com We commend Rajiv Agarwal and colleagues1 for completion of the AMBER phase 2 trial. This is an important contribution to a habitually understudied patient population. However, their results raise challenging questions regarding both individual patient risk assessment and future cost—benefit analysis of patiromer use in this setting.1…

Sophie Cousins (2020-08-01). [World Report] COVID-19 has "devastating" effect on women and girls. thelancet.com Natalia Kanem, executive director of the UN Population Fund, is among experts warning about disrupted health services and a surge in gender-based violence. Sophie Cousins reports.

Staff (2020-07-31). Barack Obama: Honor John Lewis by Renewing Voting Rights Act & Ballot Access in the U.S. democracynow.org In his stirring eulogy at the funeral service for Congressmember John Lewis, President Barack Obama said expanded voting rights would be the greatest way to honor the civil rights icon's legacy. In a speech that condemned the status of American democracy without ever naming the sitting president, Obama called for election day to be declared a national holiday, full Congressional representation for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and the end of the filibuster, which he called a "Jim Crow relic." "You want to honor John? Let's honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for," Obama said in reference…

RT (2020-07-31). Tropical storm Isaias moving toward Florida becomes a category-1 hurricane. rt.com Tropical cyclone Isaias, which is moving towards the Florida coast, has morphed into a category-1 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center has reported. The storm initially formed south of Puerto Rico. | The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for the Bahamas, as Isaias continues to move northwest at 18 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. |

Nick Pemberton (2020-07-31). Does The Left Stand With Uighurs? counterpunch.org As the American left forces itself to reckon with its neglect of the minority underclass in its central planning of democratic socialism, a similar reckoning should be happening in relation to China and its treatment of the Muslim minority population and its increasing reach in Africa. Under the guise of economic empowerment for the upper

teleSUR (2020-07-31). Venezuela Requests Italy To Extradite Former PDVSA President. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) declared admissible the extradition request submitted to Italy against PDVSA former president Rafael Ramirez. | RELATED: | Ramirez must return to Venezuela to be subjected to criminal proceedings, for the alleged commission of fraudulent embezzlement and evasion of the bidding procedure. | In the request, Venezuelan authorities committed to judging Ramírez only for…

teleSUR (2020-07-31). Hurricane Isaias Hits the Bahamas. telesurenglish.net The Bahamas' National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Isaias, which became a category 1 hurricane in Friday's early hours, reached the Gran Inagua Island. | RELATED: | So far, Gran Inagua residents report no loss of human life and minor infrastructure damages. | Isaias will pass through some Bahamas areas that have not yet recovered from Hurricane Dorian, which reached the Caribbean country in 2019. | In the Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, Dorian left at least 7…

teleSUR (2020-07-31). ECLAC and PAHO Call on Nations to Think About Health First. telesurenglish.net The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Thursday assured that the economies could only be reactivated if countries manage to flatten the COVID-19 curve. | RELATED: | High levels of inequality, poverty, and informality, as well as limited access to quality health care on time, explain why the pandemic is hurting Latin America so much. | T…

news.un (2020-07-31). Health must come before the economy, insists top UN official for Latin America and the Caribbean. news.un.org In Latin America, where much of the region has dealt with years of sluggish growth, the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing millions more into poverty, says Alicia Bárcena, the head of the UN regional body for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Cesar Chelala (2020-07-31). Donald Trump's Misguided Attacks on WHO. counterpunch.org As an international public health consultant, I have carried out several public health missions for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Latin America and the Caribbean. I am aware of WHO's shortcomings, but also of its contribution to world health. President Donald Trump's remarks and

teleSUR (2020-07-31). Cuban Historian Eusebio Leal Spengler Dies at 78. telesurenglish.net Cuba's authorities Friday announced the death of Havana's historian Eusebio Leal Spengler's at the age of 78 due to a deadly disease. | RELATED: | Politicians, journalists, and social activists have begun to show their condolences on social networks. | "Let us celebrate his wonderful passage through life, which was too short for those who loved him," Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted. | The country will…

teleSUR (2020-07-31). Cuba and Kenya Discuss Efforts to Free Kidnapped Cuban Doctors. telesurenglish.net Cuba and Kenya's Health Ministers spoke on Thursday about efforts to secure the release of two Cuban doctors kidnapped in 2019 in the African country by the Somali armed group Al Shabab. | RELATED: | Since April 12, Cuban surgeon Landy Rodríguez and general medicine specialist Assel Herrera have served a year in captivity after being kidnapped in the Kenyan city of Mandera. | The Cuban doctors were on their way t…

teleSUR (2020-07-31). US Slams Cuba's Economy By Penalizing Banking Entities. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Department of Treasury Thursday announced sanctions against London-based Cuban-owned Havin Bank LTD, in an attempt to damage the island's economy. | RELATED: | The entity, also known as Havana International Bank, was blacklisted by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. | Havin Bank has been operating since August 1973 and its main shareholder is the Banco Central de Cuba. | As of today, it is the only ba…

teleSUR (2020-07-31). Belgians Supports Cuba Against the Blockade, Activist Says. telesurenglish.net Belgian Committee against the Blockade to Cuba's coordinator Wim Leysens | said Friday that the 'Oxygen for Cuba' Campaign approaches Belgium's people to Cuba's experiences due to U.S. sanctions. | RELATED: | The 'Oxygen for Cuba' campaign motivates Belgian citizens to repudiate the U.S. blockade against the island after testimonies from victims of that policy are heard," Leysens said | The Belgian Committee agai…

Jack Delaney (2020-07-31). "Operation Gideon": The Amphibious Assault against Venezuela. globalresearch.ca On May, 3, U.S. mercenaries and the

Staff (2020-07-31). Voter ID Law Handed Wisconsin to Trump in 2016. It Could Happen Again in 2020. truthout.org Donald Trump's 2016 Wisconsin win was a shock to the Democratic Party — but then, the Democratic Party is always shocked — because Wisconsin was supposed to be a safe state for Hillary Clinton. | Democrats had crushed it seven elections in a row, helped by the massive vote from the famously progressive, activist University of Wisconsin student population. | But then, on Election Day 2016, a giant hunk of the student vote simply… vanished. And the Milwaukee Black vote also seemed…

Staff (2020-07-31). Barack Obama: End the Filibuster to Restore Voting Rights Act. truthout.org In his stirring eulogy at the funeral service for Congressmember John Lewis, President Barack Obama said expanded voting rights would be the greatest way to honor the civil rights icon's legacy. In a speech that condemned the status of American democracy without ever naming the sitting president, Obama called for election day to be declared a national holiday, full Congressional representation for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and the end of the filibuster, which he called a "Jim Crow relic." "You want to…

teleSUR (2020-07-31). Venezuela Comes to an Agreement With PAHO to Fight COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Venezuela ¥s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Thursday reported the signing of an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to access resources to fight COVID-19. | RELATED: | "We have had the possibility of having US$10 million to take care of our doctors, health personnel, and COVID-19 patients," Rodriguez said. | She explained that the Presidential Commission for the Prevention and Attention of C…

Mark Friedman (2020-07-30). Wilmington Protest Meeting Demands Federal Troops Out of Portland, US Troops Out of Cuba. counterpunch.org A successful meeting and street protest in Wilmington, California, a neighborhood near the LA Harbor, highlighted harbor area efforts for Black Lives Matter and efforts to end the US blockade of Cuba. The meeting held at the Wilmington Machinists Union hall was opened by International Association of Machinists Local 1484 President Kevin Kucera saying "It gives