2020-10-31: News Headlines

Eds. (2020-10-31). What is at stake in the study of settler colonialism? mronline.org Settler colonialism, those colonial processes based on the aim of permanently settling metropolitan populations on indigenous lands, and—crucially—the struggle against it, have been at the centre of many of the key political developments of the last three decades.

_____ (2020-10-31). The Threat of Peace… Why America Needs War With Russia and How To Stop It. strategic-culture.org

_____ (2020-10-31). Sanctions, Elections And Tactical Opportunities. popularresistance.org First, the very existence of the Venezuelan nation-state is at stake in the upcoming elections. Of course, all countries on the periphery struggle for their existence in the unequal power relationship that exists between the Global North and the Global South. This is a global class struggle, where the aggressor is the imperialist pole, represented by NATO. They aim to recolonize our continent. | As such, the struggle in the upcoming elections is not with the Venezuelan opposition, which merely reflects the White House's interests.

Robert Koehler (2020-10-31). The parallel universe of peace. zcomm.org The guy who could start a nuclear war has, in his own mind, already dehumanized a huge percentage of the world's population. Doing so makes it so much easier to kill them when necessary…

Christian Gortázar, Francisco J Rodríguez del-Río, Lucas Domínguez, José de la Fuente (2020-10-31). [Correspondence] Host or pathogen-related factors in COVID-19 severity? thelancet.com Lucy Okell and colleagues1 observed that the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently in marked decline in many countries. Okell and colleagues suggest two possible explanations for this decline, namely the effect of lockdowns, physical distancing, and other interventions; or, alternatively, herd immunity. After analysing trends in cumulative deaths over time in many European countries that went into lockdown at different stages of their epidemic, and data obtained from serology studies on the proportion of the population that had the infection previously, Okell an…

Ed Holt (2020-10-31). [World Report] Slovakia to test all adults for SARS-CoV-2. thelancet.com Slovakia plans to be the first country to test its whole population for SARS-CoV-2, but experts warn of logistical and technical challenges. Ed Holt reports from Bratislava.

Thomas A Treibel, Charlotte Manisty, Mervyn Andiapen, Corinna Pade, Melanie Jensen, Marianna Fontana, Xosé Couto-Parada, Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Mahdad Noursadeghi, James C Moon (2020-10-31). [Correspondence] Asymptomatic health-care worker screening during the COVID-19 pandemic — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Kevin Fennelly and Christopher Whalen emphasise that health-care workers (HCWs) are at a higher risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection than are the general population. Angela Chow and colleagues describe their experience in Singapore of very low rates of HCW infections and nosocomial transmission when effective personal protective equipment is implemented. We agree with both perspectives, and our Correspondence1 did not contradict either of these viewpoints.

Virginia Rodino (2020-10-30). Why I'm Voting Green in 2020. globalresearch.ca Author's note: Kevin and I worked on this article together right before his untimely passing on September 6. I met Kevin during Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign. Throughout the years since, I appreciated seeing his anti-imperialist and eco-socialist arguments strengthen …

Kim Petersen (2020-10-30). Terrorism and French Values. dissidentvoice.org There have been some horrendous, despicable killings by Muslim extremists in France. Such killings must be condemned. French president Emmanuel Macron played the victim card, saying that France "will not give into terrorism." Yet when 21st century France engages in overseas militarism, otherwise known as state terrorism, in places with large Muslim populations — places …

_____ (2020-10-30). Human Rights, Terrorism And Organized Crime. popularresistance.org In Latin America, widespread abuses under right wing regimes in, for example, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti or Brazil get mentioned in low key terms, if at all, while false claims by US funded opposition groups in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are amplified and broadcast with minimal or zero effort at responsible corroboration. Neither the human rights industry itself, nor the communications media and academic industries which are its main consumers, make any serious effort at investigation because they too are funded by the same or similar corporate and government investors as their human rights industry brand name…

_____ (2020-10-30). Reasons To Rethink The Future Of Dams. popularresistance.org The tide has shifted on dams. Once a monument to our engineering prowess, there's now widespread acknowledgment that dam-building comes with a long list of harms. Some of those can be reversed, as shown by the 1,200 dam removals in the past 20 years. | But the future of our existing dams, including 2,500 hydroelectric facilities, is a complicated issue in the age of climate change. Dams have altered river flows, changed aquatic habitat, decimated fish populations, and curtailed cultural and treaty resources for tribes. But does the low-carbon power dams produce have a role in our energy transition?

Jeff Abbott (2020-10-30). The Other Americans: United States Attacks Cuban Medics During Pandemic. progressive.org The Trump Administration is refusing Cuba's COVID-19 medical aid, claiming the doctors are being 'trafficked.'

Vijay Prashad (2020-10-29). How Venezuela has held back COVID-19 in spite of the US sanctions stranglehold on its economy. peoplesdispatch.org María Lourdes Urbaneja Durant tells Vijay Prashad that despite sabotage by the US, Venezuela has been able to curb the spread of COVID-19 through "participation of the people"

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-10-29). 'Seismic Shift' in World's Approach to Land Use, Wildlife, and Climate Action Needed to Avoid New 'Era of Pandemics,' Study Says. commondreams.org A U.N.-backed report released Thursday emphasized that the ability to avoid more public health crises like the coronavirus is entirely within the human populations' control. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/amazon_4_0_0.jpg

_____ (2020-10-29). Bolivia Needs to Guard Itself Against Further U.S. Intervention. strategic-culture.org Bolivia has managed to overturn the neoliberal agenda which the U.S. attempted to force upon the nation in the 2019 coup, which ousted former President Evo Morales to instal the far-right wing Jeanine Añez as president, or dictator. While Chile was dealing with its state violence, the Bolivian coup was out in the streets exerting its vengeance on the country's indigenous population. For months, Bolivians protested against state violence and police repression. It is now the new government's obligation to bring the perpetrators to justice, while retracing Bolivia's path to its revolutionary progress. | Mainstream p…

Manuela Solé (2020-10-29). Venezuelan Government Denounces 'Terrorist Attack' Against Refinery. venezuelanalysis.com The explosion destroyed a tower in the Amuay refinery, part of the country's biggest refining complex.

news.un (2020-10-29). Caribbean vital to tackling COVID-19, climate change, UN chief tells regional leaders. news.un.org The twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change present a once in a generation opportunity for the Caribbean and its development partners to form a new alliance for inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery, the UN Secretary-General told regional Heads of Government on Thursday.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-29). COVID-19 deaths: Infection fatality ratio is about 1% says new report. imperial.ac.uk The COVID infection fatality ratio is around 1% in high-income countries, but substantially lower in low-income countries with younger populations.

WSWS (2020-10-29). US threatens military strikes against Iran and Venezuela. wsws.org Washington has indicated it is prepared to use armed force to prevent Iran from selling weapons to Venezuela, potentially attacking both countries.

teleSUR (2020-10-28). 'Refinery's Explosion Was a Terrorist Attack,' President Maduro. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro denounced a terrorist attack that provoked an explosion at the Amuay oil refinery in the Falcon state. | RELATED: | Yesterday afternoon, an explosion was registered in the 4th plant of the Amuay refinery's alkylation unit, which is part of the Paraguana Refining Complex. | Maduro pointed out the refinery was attacked with a powerful long weapon because the explosion knocked down a tower wi…

Federico Fuentes (2020-10-28). Could rebellion in the ranks spell trouble for Maduro? mronline.org Venezuela is no stranger to protests, registering thousands of demonstrations, rallies and strikes each year. As of October 1, about 7000 protests had occurred this year (roughly 25 a day), according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflicts.

A Guest Author (2020-10-28). 'A simultaneous struggle in the whole of this hemisphere'. workers.org MAS supporters of President Evo Morales. By Sergio Rodriguez Gelfenstein Workers World received this article from its author, written Oct. 21 by a Venezuelan political analyst and essayist. Translation by John Catalinotto. During the final months of last year, I wrote two articles in successive months under the titles "Latin . . . |

Steve Ellner (2020-10-28). US Sanctions on Venezuela Are Deadly — and Facing Mass Resistance. zcomm.org For years, right-wingers have sought to destabilize Venezuela, and even proclaimed their own rival "president," Juan Guaidó. But average Venezuelans understand that US sanctions hurt them — and should be resisted…