(2020-04-04). Trump Sends Gunnboats to Venezuela While World Partners to Fight Pandemic. zcomm.org The indictment against Venezuelan officials is bizarre. There is no footprint for it in any DEA document that is available…
(2020-04-04). Nepal: Masses confront enormous hardships from coronavirus pandemic. wsws.org Nepal's government has made no serious effort to ensure that the country's overwhelmingly poor population will have daily essentials, medicine and health safety equipment.
(2020-04-04). Amid war threats, Washington blocks UN resolution demanding end to sanctions. wsws.org The Trump administration has brushed aside calls for an end to punishing sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, threatening both countries with military aggression.
(2020-04-04). 'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'. thenation.com 'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'
(2020-04-04). Spain records 809 more deaths, lowest figure this week. yenisafak.com Spain recorded the lowest daily deaths of this week on Saturday, the country's Health Ministry said.With 809 more fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll in the country stands at 11,744.Additionally, 7,026 new cases were confirmed, bringing the tally to 124,000.Only Italy has a death toll higher than Spain with over 14,600 reported fatalities.Yet with Italy's population of 60 million and Spain's population of 46 million, Spain has almost reached the same proportional mortality as its Mediterranean neighbor.Spain also surpassed Italy in the number of confirmed cases in a day. Only the United States has rep…
(2020-04-04). Trump sends gun boats to Venezuela while the World partners to fight a deadly pandemic. mronline.org 
On April's Fools Day, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a press conference where he announced a new "counter-narcotics effort" by U.S. Southern Command. "We're deploying additional Navy destroyers, combat ships, aircrafts and helicopters, Coast Guard cutters…doubling our capabilities in the region," he said…
(2020-04-03). 'Overwhelmed' health systems have little room for sick refugees, migrants, UN agencies warn. news.un.org Four prominent United Nations system entities have called on countries to protect refugees, migrants, stateless persons and those forcibly displaced by disasters and conflict — some of the world's most vulnerable populations — against the rapidly expanding COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-04-03). Ex UN anti-narcotics chief & mob expert says US Treasury running 'mafia racket' against Venezuela. thegrayzone.com Pino Arlacchi, the former Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Prevention, says US is behaving…
(2020-04-03). How the US is using coronavirus to push regime change in Venezuela. thecanary.co Ever since the Trump administration launched a But having so far failed in its 'regime change' effort, the Trump administration has now…
(2020-04-03). Anti-war leaders condemn Trump's war moves against Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — Anti-war leaders are condemning U.S. war moves against Venezuela. The Trump administration has indicted Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, and a U.S. naval deployment is underway. | Cassia Laham, of the Florida anti-war group People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), states, "The indictment against Maduro is an absolutely transparent move by the U.S. imperialists to try, yet again, to take down the two-time democratically-elected government of Venezuela." | Laham continued, "The U.S. cannot stand that Venezuela has rejected American neoliberalism and has been trying…
(2020-04-03). Coronavirus Hits March Employment Numbers Hard — 701,000 Jobs Lost. truthout.org Most sectors took a big hit in employment, most concerning is a loss of 42,500 jobs in health care. | The impact of the coronavirus shutdowns showed up very clearly in the March data as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a loss of 701,000 jobs, a decline almost as high as the peaks hit in the housing crash. The unemployment rate jumped 0.9 percentage points to 4.4 percent, while the employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) fell by 1.1 percentage points to 60.0 percent. | The size of the impact on the Ma…
(2020-04-03). Puebla's Group Condemns US Military Move To Venezuelan Coast. telesurenglish.net The Puebla Group denounced on Friday the deployment of military forces at the Venezuelan maritime borders by the United States under the pretext of the war on drugs. | RELATED: | The
(2020-04-03). Despite pandemic, U.S. government threatens intervention in Venezuela. peoplesworld.org …
(2020-04-02). High Population Density Challenge for Gazans to Fight COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Challenges and deep concerns are growing in the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip to fight COVID-19 and prevent it from spreading in the densely populated coastal enclave that Hamas movement has been ruling since 2007. | RELATED: | Experts warned that the narrow alleys and the overcrowded rickety homes that stick to each other in the eight densely populated refugee camps in the Gaza Strip may make it difficult t…
(2020-04-02). Chile: Health Minister Dismisses Total Quarantine. telesurenglish.net Chilean Health Minister Jaime Mañalich opposes to decree a total quarantine due to COVID-19. The South American nation is under a medical emergency because of the virus spreading. Mañalich ordered quarantine only to retirement homes due the seniors' condition as a vulnerable population. | RELATED: | The functionary declared to local media: "The possibility of having a total quarantine, that is, the whole country being paralyzed for…
(2020-04-02). Second Medical Flight Arrives in Argentina From Cuba. telesurenglish.net The Cuban Aviation airline transported some 207 Argentines on the second medical evacuation flight in order to return residents of the South American nation to their homes. | RELATED: | The Argentine ambassador in Havana, Javier Figueroa, expressed that this is only possible thanks to the dedication of many people in Buenos Aires and in the Cuban capital, passing through various local authorities and national laborat…
(2020-04-02). Cuba Suspends International Passenger Flights. telesurenglish.net Cuba suspended international flights on Thursday to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, local media reported. | Airports remain open for cargo flights and humanitarian operations, the Minister of Public Transportation Eduardo Rodriguez said. | RELATED: | Ships and other vessels in Cuban territorial waters have been asked to withdraw, he said, as officials step up efforts to mitigate the epidemic. | Cubans have b…
(2020-04-02). 'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'. thenation.com 'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'
(2020-04-01). 'Working round the clock' to aid Venezuelan refugees and migrants during COVID-19 pandemic: UN agencies. news.un.org Two United Nations agencies came together Tuesday to urge the international community not to overlook the on-going plight of millions of refugees and migrants from Venezuela, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world.
(2020-04-01). Pompeo's 'transition' plan tells Venezuela to suffer into submission. thegrayzone.com Declaring that "Nicolas Maduro will never again govern Venezuela," Mike Pompeo unveils a so-called "transition" plan that tells Venezuelans to…
(2020-04-01). Coronavirus Aid for Regime Change: Washington's 13 Point Plan for Venezuela. mintpressnews.com The State Department
(2020-04-01). COVID-19: Czech Roma community faces up to mask challenge. news.un.org When face masks stocks began running low in the Czech Republic, minority communities, including the country's Roma population, were quick to respond, rallying to make fresh supplies, with the aim of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
(2020-04-01). Protecting the Caribbean's most vulnerable people in the face of COVID-19: A UN Resident Coordinator blog. news.un.org The United Nations is working closely with governments in the Caribbean to protect the region's most vulnerable people from the impact of the deadly coronavirus, COVID-19. For this latest in our occasional series, Didier Trebucq, United Nations Resident Coordinator to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, explains what action they are taking in that region.
(2020-04-01). Coronademic: Venezuela's drives obstructed. dissidentvoice.org The entire human world is fighting to defeat a demon today. It's coronademic — coronavirus pandemic. The fight demands a globally concerted, unified effort. Venezuela should not be left lurching in the pandemic-wilderness even if one of its original sins is resisting imperialism. But, the Bolivarian Republic is being obstructed in its fight against the …
(2020-03-31). Meet the Americans Studying Medicine on the Cuban Government's Dime. mintpressnews.com 
The Cuban government has been paying Americans through a little known program to study medicine in order to return to the United States and serve underprivileged communities.
(2020-03-31). Southcom boosts US military presence in Latin America, citing China, Russia 'threats'. thegrayzone.com Southern Command is ramping up the US military presence in Latin America to counter China, Russia, and Venezuela, after signing…
(2020-03-31). Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians. thegrayzone.com In comments ignored by English-language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro a…
(2020-03-30). "Housing Is Health": Calls Grow for California to Give Vacant Homes to Unhoused People Amid Pandemic. democracynow.org 
We look at the crisis of homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic in California, where the number of cases has passed 6,000 with 132 deaths. The entire state has been ordered to shelter in place, leaving the state's massive unhoused population extremely vulnerable. As the state braces for a surge in cases, tens of thousands of people are living on the streets. A recent study estimates that nearly 2,600 unhoused people will need to be hospitalized for the virus in Los Angeles alone — and nearly 1,000 will need intensive care. We speak with Martha Escudero, a member of a group of unhoused mothers, elders…
(2020-03-13). Julio López Varona on Puerto Rico's Disaster Capitalism. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,
(2020-03-11). [Correspondence] Adoption of COVID-19 triage strategies for low-income settings. thelancet.com Despite major advances in epidemic preparedness, Africa remains uniquely susceptible to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index,1 22 of the 25 countries most susceptible to an infectious disease outbreak are in Africa. The high prevalence of HIV, tuberculosis, and other pathogens might potentiate the severity of COVID-19 and contribute to diagnostic uncertainty. Health-care systems and human resources are already spread thin. And although the young age of the population (with more than half aged younger than 20 years) might prove protective, it also means…
(2020-03-09). [Comment] Patchy progress on the ICPD: are we asking the right questions? thelancet.com The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda, set in 1994 in Cairo and revisited 25 years later in Nairobi in 2019, included goals for equitable education of women, reduction of infant and child mortality, reduction of maternal mortality, and access to reproductive and sexual health services, including family planning, through its well known Programme of Action.1 The ICPD was ground-breaking in recognising the benefits that empowerment of women and girls would have for themselves, their families, and, ultimately, their countries.
(2020-03-09). [Comment] Getting to zero in the DR Congo Ebola outbreak. thelancet.com Any plan to stop the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo must be based on a quantitative understanding of the proportion of the at-risk population that needs to be protected by effective control measures for transmission to decline sufficiently and quickly enough for the outbreak to end.
(2020-02-24). [Articles] Effects of updated demography, disability weights, and cervical cancer burden on estimates of human papillomavirus vaccination impact at the global, regional, and national levels: a PRIME modelling study. thelancet.com HPV vaccination provides greater health benefits and is more cost-effective than was previously estimated. The demography update, which incorporates population aging, has the largest effect on the health impact estimates. The WHO African region is expected to gain the greatest health benefits and should be prioritised for HPV vaccination.
(2020-02-17). [Research Paper] Global variation in the prevalence of bullying victimisation amongst adolescents: Role of peer and parental supports. thelancet.com Bullying victimisation is a global public health problem that has been predominantly studied in high income countries. This study aimed to estimate the population level prevalence of bullying victimisation and its association with peer and parental supports amongst adolescents across low and middle income to high income countries (LMICHICs).
(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.
(2020-01-21). [Comment] Oral influenza vaccination—a possible solution for the next pandemic? thelancet.com Influenza is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by a constantly mutating virus, which means that the vaccine composition must be updated almost every year. The burden of seasonal influenza is high,1 but the emergence of a pandemic virus can cause substantially more damage to both populations and health-care systems.2 When a pandemic starts, demand for the specific vaccine soars, leading to a global shortage.
(2020-01-13). [Comment] Fighting malaria with ivermectin: a novel malaria control tool. thelancet.com Malaria is a complex disease involving three interacting living populations, each with its own evolutionary pathway and need of survival: the parasite of genus Plasmodium, which causes the disease in humans; the humans that can be infected by the malaria parasite; and the Anopheles spp mosquito (the vector), which transmits the parasite from human to human. Malaria control strategies targeting these different populations exist. These include mosquitocidal agents that target the aquatic and terrestrial life forms of the mosquito vector,1 prophylactic use of intermittent preventive treatment,2,3 early disease diagn…
(2019-12-02). [Comment] Active management of mild obstructive sleep apnoea: the evidence grows. thelancet.com Obstructive sleep apnoea is highly prevalent and reports indicate a prevalence for mild obstructive sleep apnoea of up to 35% in the general population.1 However, a lower prevalence of about 5% is reported in the general population for the clinical syndrome when sleep disordered breathing, as determined by the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), is combined with relevant daytime manifestations such as excessive sleepiness.1,2 Because many patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, even in the mild category, report debilitating symptoms of sleepiness and other measures of impaired quality of life, the active management of…