(2020-12-14). Max Blumenthal Meets Rafael Correa In Venezuela. popularresistance.org Max Blumenthal interviews former Ecuador President Rafael Correa, who was in Venezuela to observe its legislative elections and show support to a government under sustained economic and political attack by the US. | Correa addresses issues ranging from the repression in his country under the watch of its outgoing neoliberal president, Lenin Moreno, to the persecution of Julian Assange and the role of a CIA contractor in targeting him and the Wikileaks founder. | Blumenthal and Correa also discuss the prospect of a left-wing victory in Ecuador's upcoming national elections, and what the US-backed government is doi…
(2020-12-14). Venezuelan Gold Seized by the Bank of England: British Court Accepts Guaidó's Appeal. globalresearch.ca Thursday December 10 the British Supreme Court accepted the appeal issued by the lawyers of the opposition for exiting deputy Juan Guaidó, and ruled in favor of hearing his appeal regarding control of Venezuela's gold reserves, valued at $1.3 …
(2020-12-14). John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War. mintpressnews.com 
In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.
(2020-12-14). Macron government authorizes police documentation of political views of French population. wsws.org At the beginning of the month, the Macron government quietly released far-reaching changes to its police intelligence guidelines.
(2020-12-13). Rafael Correa on Venezuela, Assange, and 'preventing the total destruction of our homeland'. thegrayzone.com Max Blumenthal interviews former Ecuador President Rafael Correa, who was in Venezuela to observe its legislative elections and show support to a government under sustained economic and political attack by the US. Correa addresses issues ranging from the repression in his country under the watch of its outgoing neoliberal president, Lenin Moreno, to the persecution of Julian Assange and the role of a CIA contractor in targeting him and the Wikileaks founder. Blumenthal and Correa also discuss the prospect of …
(2020-12-13). More questions than relief: Brazil vaccination plan promises jab to less than quarter of population, no timetable set. rt.com 
Brazilian authorities have rolled out a vaccination plan which has been met with skepticism due to the lack of concrete data, and was even criticized by the researchers who helped to draw it up. | Local media noted that Brazil's plan has no specific launch date in mind for the vaccinations and does not detail the timetable of the supplies. The country's initial goal is to vaccinate some 51 million people, which is less than a quarter of the population. The document itself admits it's significantly lower than the number required to stop the spread of the coronavirus — at least 70 percent of the population.
(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 …
(2020-12-13). Bolivia Returns as ALBA-TCP Holds XVIII Summit Virtually. telesurenglish.net The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this Saturday that the 18th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), will take place virtually as travel remains limited in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the Summit will be led by the Head of State Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, on Monday, December 14.
(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 …
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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…
(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 . . . |
(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."
(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 …
(2020-12-08). 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).