2020-10-18: News Headlines

Joe Emersberger (2020-10-18). Latest UN report on Venezuela is not remotely honest (Part 2). zcomm.org On September 15, UN investigators published a 411 page report about the human rights situation in Venezuela.[1] Part 1 of my analysis of the report focused on its gross dishonesty about opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. The report reviewed his career since 2000 but never mentioned his proud participation in coup attempts, in particular the briefly

_____ (2020-10-17). Bolivia: First Election Since US-Backed Coup Creates Divisions. popularresistance.org Eleven months after a U.S-backed military coup overthrew the democratically elected Evo Morales and his Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, Bolivians will go to the polls on Sunday, offering them a chance to repudiate the coup government of Jeanine Añez, who has ruled the country since last November. | The last year has been a period of constant political struggle, as the self-described "interim government" has fought to impose its rule on a rebellious population, attempting to bring sweeping changes to the Andean state.

GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators (2020-10-17). [Global Health Metrics] Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990—2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. thelancet.com As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and development investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identi…

GBD 2019 Demographics Collaborators (2020-10-17). [Global Health Metrics] Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950—2019: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. thelancet.com Over the past 20 years, fertility rates have been dropping steadily and life expectancy has been increasing, with few exceptions. Much of this change follows historical patterns linking social and economic determinants, such as those captured by the GBD Socio-demographic Index, with demographic outcomes. More recently, several countries have experienced a combination of low fertility and stagnating improvement in mortality rates, pushing more populations into the late stages of the demographic transition.

RT (2020-10-16). Russian population to fall by 1.2 million by 2024, wiping around 1% off the country's total, says latest government estimates. rt.com The population of Russia is predicted to drop by 352,500 people this year, and could be reduced by a total of 1.2 million come 2024. The latest figures are a major revision of the 2020 dip of only 158,000 projected in August.

WSWS (2020-10-16). Trump administration tipped off wealthy investors about coronavirus while it downplayed threat in public. wsws.org The revelations reveal the overriding concern of the US government was the protection of the financial aristocracy at the expense of the health and safety of the population.

Orinoco Tribune (2020-10-16). Victory for Cuba at the UN Human Rights Council. globalresearch.ca Today Cuba obtained a new and resounding victory in the UN Human Rights Council, gaining election to the body for the 2021-2023 period. | Despite the aggressive campaign by the United States against the Cuban candidacy for the Council, the General …

Anindya S. Bhattacharjee, Samir V. Joshi, Shilpa Naik, Shashikala Sangle, Nixon M. Abraham (2020-10-16). [Research Paper] Quantitative assessment of olfactory dysfunction accurately detects asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers. thelancet.com Compromised olfactory fitness can serve as a strong basis for identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Detailed design specifications and protocols provided here should enable the development of a sensitive, fast, and economical screening strategy that can be administered to large populations to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19.

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Brazil Carried Out War Games on the Border With Venezuela. telesurenglish.net During the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Brazil in September, President Jair Bolsonaro's administration conducted war drills in the jungles of the state of Amazonas on the border with Venezuela. | RELATED: | The military games cost US$1.1 million, involved 3,600 men, and carried out the launching of artillery rockets with a range of 80 kilometers. | Under the Access to Information Law, the loc…

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Venezuela Starts Clinical Trials of Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro informed his nation that 2,000 volunteers are already participating in the clinical trials of Sputnik, the Russian COVID-19 vaccine. | RELATED: | "The Russian vaccine is here and the tests have already begun… In addition, thousands of Chinese vaccines will come to the country," Maduro said during a program broadcast by Venezolana de Television on Wednesday. | In the first half of 2…

Manuela Solé (2020-10-15). Venezuela's Maduro Vows to Train More Doctors as Covid Numbers Recede. venezuelanalysis.com A Chinese Covid-19 vaccine will soon arrive in the nation for clinical trials.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-15). Venezuela: Oil Production Shows Modest Uptick as Gov't Seeks Foreign Investment. venezuelanalysis.com The country's new "anti-blockade law" looks to boost conditions for foreign investors.

WSWS (2020-10-15). Former Chilean Health Minister charged with falsifying COVID-19 figures. wsws.org The ultra-right government of billionaire President Piñera criminally mishandled the pandemic, inflicting suffering upon the most oppressed layers of the population.

news.un (2020-10-15). Social protection coverage in Asia and the Pacific 'riddled with gaps'. news.un.org More than half the population of the vast Asia and Pacific region lack any social protection coverage, leaving populations vulnerable to ill-health, poverty, inequality and social exclusion, a new UN report has found.

Gerry Mohan (2020-10-15). Most Germans Want US Military to Leave the Country. zcomm.org Unlike their elected riulers, most Germans don't want to be part of the nuclear 'theater' Trump, once again doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, wants to pull US troops out of Germany because Germany doesn't spend enough on "defence". The German population tend to like it but don't like his reasons. And, as

_____ (2020-10-15). The US Is On A Path To War With China. popularresistance.org It was gripping , stunning testimony. Before congress, a 15 year old volunteer nurse, Nayirah, struggled to compose her trembling voice, barely holding back tears, as she testified that marauding soldiers had thrown babies out of incubators in a hospital, leaving them to die on the floor. | Later, Amnesty International confirmed authoritatively that 312 babies had been killed this way[i]. All the news agencies ran with the story, and the country and congress were in a total uproar. | There was only one problem: it was completely, utterly, totally fraudulent.

_____ (2020-10-15). Workers Tried To Blow The Whistle On COVID19 Hazards. popularresistance.org As soon as the coronavirus pandemic began, workers across the country flooded federal and state offices with complaints that their employers weren't protecting them from the health threat. The concerns have continued to pour into workplace safety agencies for seven months, totaling nearly 40,000 as of Thursday. | It turns out the allegations have been a flashing warning sign all along, according to a new working paper published by the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. The analysis of data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration shows that a rise in workers' safety complaints ha…

Ramona du Houx (2020-10-15). In CA, Latino farming communities hardest by COVID-19 and environmental injustice. indybay.org The California Latino community has been disproportionately infected by the coronavirus. Latinos make up 39 percent of the population in the state, but account for 56 percent of COVID-19 infections and 46 percent of deaths. That's three times the rate as Whites. State officials say, many employers have not reliably provided protective equipment to workers or implemented social distancing or mask wearing rules. This is systemic racism. Too often, they live in neighborhoods that are located near oil industry operations in California, one of America's top crude oil and gas producing states. Gov. Newsom needs to addr…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-10-14). So Long, Sister Ardeth Platte, Anti-Nuclear Activist. counterpunch.org Sister Ardeth Platte, a Dominican nun and antinuclear protester, died ("Ardeth Platte, Dominican Nun and Antinuclear Activist, Dies at 84," New York Times, October 8, 2020) during the night or early morning of the first presidential debate. When Sister Ardeth broke into a nuclear missile facility in Colorado, she recited "Oh God, help us to be

Eds. (2020-10-14). Exposing Trump's deadly sanctions on Venezuela. mronline.org KEN LIVINGSTONE looks in-depth at the story of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.