(2020-12-11). U.S. media, pols rage after Venezuelans defy U.S. empire to re-elect socialists. mronline.org 
Despite the fact that the election was overseen by 1,500 international observers, U.S. pols and media pundits alike labeled it a sham before it even took place.
(2020-12-11). Venezuela: Socialist election win masks deeper problems. greenleft.org.au The United Socialist Party of Venezuela's strategy has paid off, winning back control of the National Assembly in the December 6 elections. But it has come at a high price, writes Federico Fuentes.
(2020-12-11). Nicolás Maduro: Despite everything, we were able to carry out elections in peace. peoplesdispatch.org Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro gave a press conference to international media on Tuesday, December 8 to discuss the parliamentary elections held last Sunday. During the press conference, which Peoples Dispatch participated in, Maduro discussed the electoral process wherein the alliance led by his party PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela) won 68%. | In the press conference, Maduro celebrated the outcome of the elections, stating that beyond the electoral victory of PSUV, they marked a victory of the Venezuelan people who not only took part peacefully but also voted to constitute a plural and diverse Na…
(2020-12-11). PDF of December 10 issue. workers.org 
Download the 12-page PDF. Capitalist COVID catastrophe FIGHT or DIE! Message from Peltier; Reparations now! Justice for Breonna denied again; Disability rights; Workers demand justice; DEA surveillance; Editorial: New president — same wars; Commentary: Becoming a cadre; GLOBAL: China: global vaccines, science; India: worker & farmer uprising; Cuba; France; Palestine; Venezuela. . . . |
(2020-12-11). Free Elections In Venezuela Are A Blow To Regime Change. popularresistance.org Venezuela held legislative elections on December 6 and, as has become the norm, the U.S. and sectors of the opposition that boycotted the election are claiming fraud without presenting evidence. The coalition of parties supporting President Maduro won 68% of the vote and a supermajority in the National Assembly. All the evidence suggests the elections were free and fair. However, turnout was only 31%, a participation rate that was hampered by a partial opposition boycott of the election. | This call to abstain was made by Juan Guaidó and his allies, but a different faction of the opposition participated fully.
(2020-12-11). Even the opposition believes Venezuela's election was legitimate. peoplesdispatch.org Vijay Prashad spoke to leaders of five major opposition parties in Venezuela that participated in the elections on December 6 and rejected the boycott of the process promoted by US-backed Juan Guaidó.
(2020-12-11). The Sociopathy Contagion. counterpunch.org Anyone reading CounterPunch likely knows and accepts that the colonization of the Americas was not successful due to any inherent superiority of European ideals of consumption or expansion. It was successful because up to 95% of the population simply died off from the pestilence carried by the new arrivals. Europeans had been living with their
(2020-12-10). $1.44 billion plan to respond to Venezuela refugee and migrant needs. news.un.org In a $1.4 billion appeal launched on Thursday, the UN migration organization IOM and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned that the pandemic has strained the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean countries to look after Venezuelan nationals.
(2020-12-10). Amazon's Freshwater Dolphins Are in Danger of Extinction. telesurenglish.net The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the "Tucuxi dolphin" (Sotalia fluviatilis), which lives in the Amazon watershed, to the "Red List" of endangered animals. | RELATED: | This species of dolphin has been greatly affected by accidental mortality caused by fishing equipment, dams, and pollution. | Because of the highly endangered situation that freshwater dolphins face, the IUCN asked the Amazonian population…
(2020-12-10). Low Turnout, but Free, Elections in Venezuela Are a Blow To Regime Change. mintpressnews.com 
After four years of sanctions, sabotaged industries, attempted coups, an assassination by drone attempt, a mercenary incursion and paramilitary attacks, among others, Venezuela managed to survive the Trump administration's maximum pressure.
(2020-12-10). Evo Morales: In Venezuela there was a Democratic 'Fiesta' on December 6. mronline.org 
"There is peace, tranquility and yesterday there was a great democratic 'fiesta'," the former president of Bolivia and international observer of Venezuela's elections, Evo Morales, emphasized this Monday.
(2020-12-10). Mass mink graves may have caused groundwater pollution in Denmark, as govt admits it LOST TRACK of 1.5 million animals. rt.com 
Tons of decomposing mink may have already contaminated groundwaters in Denmark, the government has admitted, also revealing that it lost track of some | 4,700 tonnes of the animals. | The unprecedented mass cull was conducted by Denmark last month in an attempt to stop the spread of a mutated coronavirus strain among animals and workers. Now, the slaughter, which saw the entire mink population of 15 to 17 million animals killed, has seemingly created a whole set of new problems. | On Thursday, Denmark's ministry of food and agriculture said it had lost track of some 4,700 tonnes of mink — or around 1.5 mi…
(2020-12-10). Colombia closes airspace to international observers to Venezuela elections. fightbacknews.org Caracas, Venezuela – 60 international observers of the Venezuelan election were stuck at the airport December 8, for a flight to Mexico. The flight kept getting delayed and delayed. After six hours of waiting, people were sleeping on the floors, tables and couches. Then the head of Conviasa's national flights spoke to the observers in the airport and said that Venezuela asked Colombia permission to have observers fly over Colombia to return home. Colombia approved it. Two hours before the flight was going to leave, they denied the flight route. He said, "This has happened many times. They do this to try to contro…
(2020-12-10). Two Chavista Blocs, Two Voices: Venezuelan Parliamentary Candidates Speak. zcomm.org On Sunday Venezuelans will choose their new National Assembly and they have many options…
(2020-12-09). International Observers Present Report on Venezuelan Parliamentary Elections. venezuelanalysis.com The Latin American Council of Electoral Experts (CEELA) endorsed the legitimacy of Venezuela's National Assembly elections.
(2020-12-09). People's Vaccine: Calls Grow for Equal Access to Coronavirus Vaccine as Rich Countries Hoard Supply. democracynow.org 
While the United States, Britain and other wealthy countries race to vaccinate their populations against the coronavirus, a new report finds that as much as 90% of the population in dozens of poorer countries could be forced to wait until at least 2022 because wealthy countries are hoarding so much of the vaccine supply. A growing movement is calling for the development of a people's vaccine and the suspension of intellectual property rights to expand access. We speak with Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a policy adviser to the People's Vaccine Alliance, and Achal Prabhala, a public health advocate and coordinator of the…
(2020-12-09). Venezuela's PSUV retakes control of National Assembly despite low turnout. mronline.org 
With 99 percent of the votes counted, the PSUV has won 68 percent with a 30.5 percent participation rate.
(2020-12-09). Embassy Protection Collective will help monitor Venezuelan elections. workers.org 
By Jose Szepara On Dec. 6, Venezuelans will turn out to vote in the country's National Assembly elections, and the world waits with bated breath as observers from all over the world wait for the final results. Election monitoring groups have made their way to Venezuela to act as impartial . . . |
(2020-12-09). Venezuelan court convicts the CITGO Six. workers.org 
Venezuela's Supreme Court sentenced six top CITGO oil executives to prison for corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy on Nov. 26. The former executives went behind the back of the Venezuelan state and signed an agreement with two U.S. based-international financial companies — for which they were detained in Nov. . . . |
(2020-12-09). Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to Hold Hearing on Haiti. cepr.net The follow is a guest post from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. On Thursday, December 10, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hold a hearing on pervasive impunity and a lack of judicial independence in Haiti. The event will be broadcast live here. The Commission, a quasi‚Äêjudicial body of the …
(2020-12-09). How to Get Saved from COVID-19 Under Nuclear Bombs. globalresearch.ca FEMA — the United States Government Emergency Management Federal Agency — updated instructions to the population on how to behave in the event of a nuclear attack. The new instructions, provided by the Ready Campaign, keep in mind the Covid-19 …
(2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org 
Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …
(2020-12-08). Six reasons why the coronavirus pandemic will not be over soon. thecanary.co 
The coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination programme has started in the UK but the public has been warned that the pandemic is not over yet.Coronavirus restrictions could still be in place for weeks and months to come as the NHS, regulators, scientists and, manufacturers take on the challenge of rolling out vaccines for the country's population.Here are some of the reasons why life still won't be returning to normal soon: 1. Millions of vaccine doses are yet to be deliveredA phial of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine concentrate is transported from storage ready for use at Guy's Hospital in London (Victoria Jone…
(2020-12-08). China replacing U.S. as world's leading scientific power. workers.org 
The first day of December saw two major scientific events: the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed, and China's Chang'e 5 spacecraft landed on the moon. These two events are the latest developments in the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and China — a new Cold War being fought on . . . |
(2020-12-08). Venezuela Votes to End Neocolonialism, Create Its Own Path. dissidentvoice.org 
On December 2, the Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) members, who were arrested in May 2019 when the United States illegally invaded the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC, completed their probation, ending the risk of the 30 days in prison that was being held over their heads. I am one of the four who were arrested. …
(2020-12-08). Venezuelan elections: What lies ahead? peoplesdispatch.org The legislative elections in Venezuela saw the ruling Great Patriotic Pole emerge victorious. The new Assembly has a number of challenges with far right-wing sections under Juan Guaidó continuing to foment discontent, and the country facing an economic crisis…
(2020-12-08). Older Adults and the Mental Health Effects of COVID-19. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint summarizes evidence suggesting that, counter to expectation, older adults as a group may be more resilient to the anxiety, depression, and stress-related mental health disorders characteristic of younger populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-12-08). Using Smartwatch Data to Detect COVID-19 Cases Early. jamanetwork.com Early this year, investigators at the Scripps Research Translational Institute found that resting heart rate and sleep data from wearable sensors could predict population-level trends in influenza-like illness. Now, a new study from the same team suggests that wearable sensor data combined with self-reported symptoms might aid in the early detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).