Daily Archives: December 13, 2020

2020-12-13: News Headlines

Alan MacLeod (2020-12-13). US Media, Pols Rage After Venezuelans Defy US Empire to Re-elect Socialists. globalresearch.ca President Nicolas Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) are celebrating today, after a clear victory in yesterday's National Assembly elections. The elections, boycotted by many major right-wing opposition groups, but still participated in by over 100 …

Tina Landis (2020-12-12). UN climate report calls out global elite as cause of the crisis. liberationnews.org The report takes a surprisingly class perspective by pointing out that the one percent richest people on the planet are responsible for emissions equal to that of the poorest 50 percent of the world's population.

_____ (2020-12-12). Foreign Minister Arreaza To US 'Ambassador'. popularresistance.org Venezuela scoffed at the presentation of credentials by the person in charge of the US "virtual embassy" in Colombia, pointing out that his office in Caracas awaits him. | James Story, assigned as the supposed US ambassador to Venezuela, delivered his credentials to the fugitive Venezuelan opposition politician Julio Borges, "envoy" of the self-proclaimed president of Venezuela, coup leader Juan Guaidó, on Monday in Bogotá, the Colombian capital, reflecting the White House's commitment to the opposition and to regime change in Venezuela.

Ralph Nader (2020-12-12). Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It. commondreams.org Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/georgia_primary.jpg

John H Amuasi, Andrea S Winkler (2020-12-12). [Correspondence] One Health or Planetary Health for pandemic prevention? — Authors' reply. thelancet.com One Health recognises the fundamental interconnectedness and complex interdependence of all living species and their shared environment.1 Thus, a view that One Health is focused on human—animal interaction alone, primarily addresses the risk of zoonotic events, and that these events occur as a result of urbanisation, land usage, and increasing human population density, therefore suggesting that One Health is sufficient to address pandemic risks, is flawed. Nevertheless, there is abundant evidence that disease agents of zoonotic origin account for over half of all emerging or re-emerging human infectious dis…

Courtney Waugh, Su Shiung Lam, Christian Sonne (2020-12-12). [Correspondence] One Health or Planetary Health for pandemic prevention? thelancet.com It is a well accepted narrative that the disruption of forests, rapid urbanisation, and population growth are driving zoonotic events simply by increasing close contact between people and animals.1 However, these predictor variables (eg, urbanisation, land usage, human population density) only explain about 30% of the total variation in zoonotic potential.2 With advancing technologies, it has been shown that vertebrate RNA viruses, despite transmitting between species, have co-evolved with their hosts for millions of years, which only strengthens the theory that zoonotic diseases caused by RNA virus spillover, su…

The Canary (2020-12-12). Two in three students do not think government is acting in their best interests. thecanary.co Nearly two in three students do not think the government is acting in their best interests and it has not adequately considered the difficulties they may face as a result of coronavirus (Covid-19), a survey suggests. | Political awakening: | A growing proportion (52%) of students say they feel more political due to coronavirus, according to the poll by the National Union of Students (NUS). | Larissa Kennedy, the NUS national president, said the government's failures were "politicising a generation" and prompting rent strikes across the country as anger grows among the student population. She said: Whether…

news.un (2020-12-12). World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone — now and into the future. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how important it is for all countries to have strong health systems that provide the entire population with quality services when and where they need them, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed.

Rod Jackson, Sue Wells, Anthony Rodgers (2020-12-12). [Correspondence] Cardiovascular preventive strategies are not conflicting. thelancet.com We agree with Michael Brainin and Karen Sliwa1 about the urgent need to improve the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease but would like to correct some other points they raise. Brainin and Sliwa suggest that we2 promoted high-risk approaches over population-based approaches; however, we stated that "Too often debate about prevention of cardiovascular disease is polarised between opposing evangelists for the high-risk and population-wide approaches. An agnostic approach based on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness is preferable.

Kathy Durkin (2020-12-11). Cuba's medical brigades fight the pandemic. workers.org Socialist Cuba embodies the spirit of international solidarity by its constant medical aid to countries around the world, especially those impacted by imperialism. This is not just an empty phrase. The true meaning of solidarity is shown every day by teams of Cuban health care workers — the doctors and . . . |

Workers World Party (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. . . . |

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-11). We don't listen to the dying Government of Donald Trump. mronline.org The night before the National Assembly elections in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro spoke to a group of visitors at Miraflores Palace in Caracas.

Peoples Dispatch (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…

Mnar Muhawesh Adley (2020-12-11). Podcast Panel: US Meddling In Venezuela Elections, Economic Warfare & COVID-19. mintpressnews.com Observed by 1,500 international election observers from 34 countries, elections in Venezuela handed Nicholas Maduro a clear victory, sending a message to the US that it failed to influence the same elections that Mike Pompeo called illegitimate.

Peter Boyle (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.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-12-11). Former Presidential Candidate Capriles Calls on US to End 'Interim Presidency'. venezuelanalysis.com Capriles claimed that currently "the opposition has no leadership."

Orinoco Tribune (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.

RT (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…

Leonardo Flores (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.

teleSUR (2020-12-10). The UK Supreme Court To Decide on Dispute Over Venezuelan Gold. telesurenglish.net United Kingdom's Supreme Court (SC) will decide on the access to the Venezuelan gold withheld in the Bank of England, following the approval of an appeal filed by opposition politician Juan Guaido's lawyers on Wednesday. | RELATED: | The Plaintiffs seek to revoke a ruling approved by the Court of Appeal, which ordered a detailed investigation aimed at explaining the diplomatic relations between the governments of Venezuela and…

Fight Back (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…

Cira Pascual Marquina (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…

A Guest Author (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 . . . |

2020-12-13: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

US Media, Pols Rage After Venezuelans Defy US Empire to Re-elect Socialists
Alan MacLeod | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
President Nicolas Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) are celebrating today, after a clear victory in yesterday's National Assembly elections. The elections, boycotted by many major right-wing opposition groups, but still participated in by over 100 …
globalresearch.ca/us-media-pols-rage-venezuelans-defy-us-empire-re-elect-socialists/5732055

Foreign Minister Arreaza To US 'Ambassador'
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
Venezuela scoffed at the presentation of credentials by the person in charge of the US "virtual embassy" in Colombia, pointing out that his office in Caracas awaits him. | James Story, assigned as the supposed US ambassador to Venezuela, delivered his credentials to the fugitive Venezuelan opposition politician Julio Borges, "envoy" of the self-proclaimed president of Venezuela, coup leader Juan Guaidó, on Monday in Bogotá, the Colombian capital, reflecting the White House's commitment to the opposition and to regime change in Venezuela.
popularresistance.org/foreign-minister-arreaza-to-us-ambassador-your-office-in-caracas-awaits-you/

Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It
Ralph Nader | commondreams.org | 2020-12-12
Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/georgia_primary.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/12/go-vote-yourself-raise-georgia-youve-long-earned-it?cd-origin=rss

[Correspondence] One Health or Planetary Health for pandemic prevention? — Authors' reply
John H Amuasi, Andrea S Winkler | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
One Health recognises the fundamental interconnectedness and complex interdependence of all living species and their shared environment.1 Thus, a view that One Health is focused on human–animal interaction alone, primarily addresses the risk of zoonotic events, and that these events occur as a result of urbanisation, land usage, and increasing human population density, therefore suggesting that One Health is sufficient to address pandemic risks, is flawed. Nevertheless, there is abundant evidence that disease agents of zoonotic origin account for over half of all emerging or re-emerging human infectious dis…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32392-8/fulltext?rss=yes

UN climate report calls out global elite as cause of the crisis
Tina Landis | liberationnews.org | 2020-12-12
The report takes a surprisingly class perspective by pointing out that the one percent richest people on the planet are responsible for emissions equal to that of the poorest 50 percent of the world's population.
liberationnews.org/un-climate-report-calls-out-global-elite-as-cause-of-the-crisis/

World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone — now and into the future
news.un.org | 2020-12-12
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how important it is for all countries to have strong health systems that provide the entire population with quality services when and where they need them, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079902

Two in three students do not think government is acting in their best interests
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-12
Nearly two in three students do not think the government is acting in their best interests and it has not adequately considered the difficulties they may face as a result of coronavirus (Covid-19), a survey suggests. | Political awakening: | A growing proportion (52%) of students say they feel more political due to coronavirus, according to the poll by the National Union of Students (NUS). | Larissa Kennedy, the NUS national president, said the government's failures were "politicising a generation" and prompting rent strikes across the country as anger grows among the student population. She said: Whether…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/12/two-in-three-students-do-not-think-government-is-acting-in-their-best-interests/

[Correspondence] Cardiovascular preventive strategies are not conflicting
Rod Jackson, Sue Wells, Anthony Rodgers | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
We agree with Michael Brainin and Karen Sliwa1 about the urgent need to improve the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease but would like to correct some other points they raise. Brainin and Sliwa suggest that we2 promoted high-risk approaches over population-based approaches; however, we stated that "Too often debate about prevention of cardiovascular disease is polarised between opposing evangelists for the high-risk and population-wide approaches. An agnostic approach based on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness is preferable.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32587-3/fulltext?rss=yes

OAS's New Attempt To Interfere In Venezuela Rejected
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
On Wednesday, the representatives of Argentina, Mexico, and Bolivia to the Organization of American States (OAS) rejected a new resolution that disregards Venezuela's Sunday elections and calls for a transitional government. | The representatives condemned the new attempts of destabilization against Venezuela, noting the belligerent strategy promoted by the OAS resolution that claimed the elections did not observe International Law's guarantees. | Argentina's ambassador to the OAS Carlos Raimundi rejected both the calls to not recognize the elections' results and the imposition of conditions to the Venezuelan gov…
popularresistance.org/oass-new-attempt-to-interfere-in-venezuela-rejected/

PDF of December 10 issue
Workers World Party | workers.org | 2020-12-11
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. . . . | Continue reading PDF of December 10 issue at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/12/53165/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pdf-of-december-10-issue

Free Elections In Venezuela Are A Blow To Regime Change
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-11
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.
popularresistance.org/free-elections-in-venezuela-are-a-blow-to-regime-change/

Former Presidential Candidate Capriles Calls on US to End 'Interim Presidency'
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-12-11
Capriles claimed that currently "the opposition has no leadership."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/15076

We don't listen to the dying Government of Donald Trump
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-12-11