(2021-04-03). Violence Escalates on the Border Between Venezuela and Colombia. globalresearch.ca Once again, tensions are rising on the border between Venezuela and …
(2021-04-03). Why Myanmar's Massacres Shame The World — OpEd. eurasiareview.com 
By Yossi Mekelberg* | When representatives of all UN member states met in 2005 for the World Summit, billed at the time as the "largest gathering of world leaders in history," and passed a resolution that set out the parameters for the Responsibility to Protect populations (R2P) from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, there was an air of togetherness and optimism that the journey toward eradicating these horrific phenomena had begun. | In the intervening years, this hope has been dented time and time again when such atrocities have been committed by some of the very countries t…
(2021-04-03). La Victoria and El Ripial Calm and Under Military Protection (Apure State). orinocotribune.com 
The commander of the Strategic Integral Defense Region (REDI) Los Llanos, General Alejandro Guevara Hernández, reported that the people of El Ripial, La Victoria and other areas of the Apure state are "calm and under the protection of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB)." | He also informed that the inhabitants of these communities are receiving food, medicine and other necessary items from the social programs of the Venezuelan government. In addition, electrical services and water supply in the regions have already been restored. | La FANB continua desplegada garantizando la paz, la tranquilidad y en cons…
(2021-04-03). Latest Developments in Apure: Families Displaced in Border Clashes Return to Their Homes in El Ripial. orinocotribune.com Inhabitants of El Ripial town in Apure state, who were displaced due to clashes between the Venezuelan military and Colombian paramilitary gangs over the last few days, are returning home with support from the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) deployment protecting the border zones. El Ripial is one of the localities from which the Venezuelan military has expelled Colombian armed narco-paramilitary gangs. This follows violent actions committed by the said criminal groups, reported from multiple locations close to the Colombia-Venezuela border in Apure. | Last week, facing violence from the Colombian narco-te…
(2021-04-03). Deprivation Is 'Driving' Covid-19 Ethnic Disparities. eurasiareview.com 
Deprivation among society at large is 'driving' Covid-19 disparities among minority ethnic groups – predominantly South Asian and Black African or Caribbean populations – and could be considered the main cause of disproportionate infection rates, hospitalization and deaths experienced by these populations, according to new analysis from the University of Leicester. | The study, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) comes a day after a government-commissioned review concluded race and racism have become less important factors in explaining soci…
(2021-04-03). Fake News Warfare in Venezuela: Now an Alleged Morgue Collapse Due to COVID-19. orinocotribune.com 
Friday, April 2, social media networks in Venezuela were once again the center of a debate in which users revealed a case of fake news. The action began with photographs that were circulated depicting an alleged "COVID-19 death surge" in the Bello Monte morgue in Caracas. | The issue became a trending topic at a time when the country is going through a second wave of coronavirus infections. On the same day, for example, 1,254 new positive cases, and 13 deaths from the illness were reported. |
(2021-04-03). US Values Vs Chinese Values: Empire Vs Bandung As Seen From Cape Verde — OpEd. eurasiareview.com 
In February the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinkin, made it a priority to phone Rui Figueiredo, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Minister of Cape Verde. They spoke about commerce and "security" (1). | Why? Why is the tiny African nation of Cape Verde (population 550,000) a US priority? In short: because the US is behind China in the latest "scramble for Africa". | To rectify its position, vis-à -vis China, in Africa (and elsewhere): "U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to put values at the heart of his administration's China policy. Since entering office, he has called on the world's democracies to gird for a n…
(2021-04-03). African Elephants Only Occupy A Fraction Of Their Potential Range. eurasiareview.com 
Many wildlife species are threatened by shrinking habitat. But according to new research, the potential range of African elephants could be more than five times larger than its current extent. | Due to 2,000 years of human pressure, African elephants have suffered dramatic population declines, and their range has shrunk to just 17% of what it could be, say researchers who led the new study, in Current Biology. | The dramatic reduction in range is due to the killing of elephants for their ivory and the encroachment of humans into elephant habitat. Evidence for elephants being drastically reduced in certain regi…
(2021-04-03). Adjusting Interactions Help Some California's Wild Bee Populations Survive. eurasiareview.com 
Across California's Central Valley, under stress from large-scale agriculture and climate change, native bee species that are flexible in their pollination behavior when around other wild bee populations appear best suited for survival in shrinking habitats. | That's the primary finding of a study published online in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. | A research team led by University of Oregon biologist Lauren C. Ponisio identified 1,150 network interactions involving 157 wild bee species and 152 plant species at 63 sites spread across three counties. The findings emerged from observations of adult bee…
(2021-04-03). The World Of Salamanca — OpEd. eurasiareview.com 
By Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr.* | The subject of the medieval period highlights the vast gulf that separates scholarly opinion from popular opinion. This is a grave frustration for scholars who have been working to change popular opinion for a hundred years. For most people, the medieval period brings to mind populations living by myths and crazy superstitions such as we might see in a Monty Python skit. Scholarly opinion, however, knows otherwise. The age between the 8th and 16th centuries was a time of amazing advance in every area of knowledge, such as architecture, music, biology, mathematics, astronomy, ind…
(2021-04-03). Venezuelan Minister for Defense: Colombia is Using PsyOps and Media Warfare to Undermine Venezuelan Army. orinocotribune.com This Friday, April 2, Venezuelan Minister for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, denounced the use of psyops and media manipulation on the part of the Colombian government to defend its economic interests, create unrest among the Venezuelan population, manipulate public opinion at the international level and thus destabilize Venezuela. | On his Twitter account @vladimirpadrino, he wrote that "this conflict, in which the Republic makes legitimate use of its weapons to expel the groups that want to use our territory for bastard purposes, is accompanied by other weapons that seek various objectives: | 1 Defend the eco…
(2021-04-03). [Comment] Migration and health in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. thelancet.com COVID-19 has created a syndemic scenario that is deepening pre-existing structural inequalities for migrants in Latin American countries (LACs).1,2 LACs have been severely affected by COVID-19, and migrants are among the populations most impacted by the heightened humanitarian crisis across the region. Socioeconomic inequalities between migrants and local people have widened, and there are fears that progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be reversed.
(2021-04-03). [Comment] ART in pregnant women living with HIV. thelancet.com More than half (51%) of the world's population of people living with HIV-1 are women.1 Each year, the incidence of new HIV-1 infections in women of reproductive age is high, with 5 ∑2 million women of reproductive age newly diagnosed between 2010 and 2015,2 and 1 ∑3 million pregnant women receiving HIV-1 treatment in 2018.3 Perinatal transmission of HIV-1 has fallen most substantially through increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy and during breastfeeding. UNAIDS has reported that new HIV-1 infections among children have halved from 310‚Äà000 in 2010 to 150‚&…
(2021-04-03). The Vaccine Must Be A Common Good For Humanity. popularresistance.org Nearly three million people have reportedly been killed by the novel coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) and upwards of 128 million people have been infected by the virus, many with long-lasting health repercussions. Thus far, roughly 1.5% of the world's population of 7.7 billion have been vaccinated, but 80% of them are from only ten countries. In February, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research warned about the 'medical apartheid' that has shaped the vaccine roll-out. | Since 1950, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has celebrated Global Health Day on 7 April. Each year, the WHO choses a different theme for the day…
(2021-04-03). Friday 4/2: Virtual Forum: 60-year Blockade on Cuba & Unions Fight for Safe Schools. indybay.org bit.ly/education4thepeople…
(2021-04-03). Modified Injunction is Bad News for the Unhoused; Prepare to Resist Now, or Regret Later. indybay.org Judge Susan van Kuelen's March 30th modifications in the 1-20-21 Preliminary Injunction previously protecting the San Lorenzo Survival Campground was published April 1st. It allows a week or two relief, if that, before the unhoused population faces restored confinement or persecution.
(2021-04-03). Ukraine To Regain 'Occupied Territory' in Crimea and Sevastopol. orinocotribune.com In 2014, the Russian-speaking population living in the Donbas region set the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. Ukraine does not recognize that decision to date. | Over the last week, Ukraine has been moving military vehicles and troops to the front lines, a measure that increases its military tensions with Russia. | On March 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the Decree 117/2021 approving the "strategy of disoccupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol city." | In practical terms, Ukraine's decision could trigger actions lea…
(2021-04-02). The War Scenario in Apure is Transferred to the Media and Social Media Networks. orinocotribune.com By Misión Verdad — Mar 30, 2021 | Since the beginning of the clashes last Sunday, March 21, between Venezuelan state security forces and armed groups operating in Apure, on the Colombian-Venezuelan border, attempts were made to construct a false narrative aimed at criminalizing the government of President Nicolás Maduro and involving secondary actors. | The discourse framework promoted hours after the events was that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) had bombed the civilian population of La Victoria, a border town in the Venezuelan plains state, and was confronting an alleged faction of the disside…
(2021-04-02). The War Scenario in Apure is Transferred to the Media and Social Networks. orinocotribune.com By Misión Verdad — Mar 30, 2021 | Since the beginning of the clashes last Sunday, March 21, between Venezuelan state security forces and armed groups operating in Apure, on the Colombian-Venezuelan border, attempts were made to construct a false narrative aimed at criminalizing the government of President Nicolás Maduro and involving secondary actors. | The discourse framework promoted hours after the events was that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) had bombed the civilian population of La Victoria, a border town in the Venezuelan plains state, and was confronting an alleged faction of the disside…
(2021-04-02). Despite US Dirty Tricks, Bolivia is Finding a Way to Stay Independent. orinocotribune.com By Vijay Prashad — Mar 30, 2021 | Sentiments in Bolivia for and against the coup d'etat of November 2019 are predictably along class lines. Those from more affluent sections felt that the socialist policies of the government of President Evo Morales (which was in power from 2006 to 2019) were eating into their authority. But these sections could not oust Morales at the ballot box because his policies of redistribution were wildly popular among the mass of the population. Morales won three elections, each of them with a decisive mandate: winning 53.74 percent in 2005, 64.08 percent in 2009, and 61.36 percent…
(2021-04-02). Despite US' Dirty Tricks, Bolivia Is Finding A Way To Stay Independent. popularresistance.org Sentiments in Bolivia for and against the coup d'etat of November 2019 are predictably along class lines. Those from more affluent sections felt that the socialist policies of the government of President Evo Morales (which was in power from 2006 to 2019) were eating into their authority. But these sections could not oust Morales at the ballot box because his policies of redistribution were wildly popular among the mass of the population. Morales won three elections, each of them with a decisive mandate: winning 53.74% in 2005, 64.08% in 2009, and 61.36% in 2014. | Pressure to prevent Morales from running in the e…
(2021-04-02). Two More Venezuelan Soldiers Killed by Colombian Paramilitaries in Apure. orinocotribune.com 
This Thursday, April 1, two Venezuelan soldiers died as a result of the detonation of a landmine by Colombian criminal groups upon a patrol operating in the El Ripial sector of José Antonio Páez municipality, in Apure state, where the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) is executing operation Bolivarian Shield 2021 against drug trafficking and paramilitary cells, which intend to enter Venezuelan territory to expand their criminal networks. | "We report that First Sergeant Andriel Istúriz Sojo and Second Sergeant Jesús Alexander Vásquez Pérez died today," read a statement by the Venezuelan ministry for defense…
(2021-04-02). Far Right Cries Out for Foreign Intervention Due to Colombian Paramilitary Attacks in Apure. orinocotribune.com In the midst of the struggle by Venezuelan security and defense agencies to expel the threat of Colombian paramilitary gangs from the state of Apure, the spokespeople for Venezuela's extreme right are again launching requests for foreign intervention and military interference in Venezuela. | Since the first skirmishes against criminal organizations were recorded in the border area of La Victoria in Apure state, on March 21, calls for foreign interference proliferated on social media networks, in addition to censure of the work of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB). | One of the representatives of the opp…
(2021-04-02). Credit Suisse's 'Suspicious' Forecast for Venezuelan Economy: 4% Growth in 2021. orinocotribune.com In an economic forecast made public by the controversial AP journalist Joshua Goodman last Friday, March 26, which could be defined as a suspicious and unusual compliment, the Credit Suisse bank foresees the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to have a GDP increase of 4% in 2021. | The forecast is a surprise because the international financial institution considers the fact that the South American country is subject to a commercial and financial blockade, to which private corporations such as Credit Suisse itself capitulates, under the direction of the United States government and the European Union. | "We project…
(2021-04-02). Four FundaREDES 'Candid Activists' Detained in Apure State. orinocotribune.com 
On March 31, Venezuelan NGO FundaREDES denounced the arrest of two of its members in Apure state, and of two journalists from the Colombian channel NTN24 by the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB). | The opposition activist Javier Tarazona is promoting a smear campaign on social media, referring to the "forced disappearance" of four Venezuelans for allegedly "documenting the violation of human rights in the area" by Venezuelan military deployed to defend Venezuelan sovereignty. | These claims are contradicted by the fact that, while claiming a missing persons case, organizations like the National Union of Press Worke…
(2021-04-02). Undeniable Spike: Venezuela Reports 1,254 COVID-19 Cases, 13 Deaths, and 92% Recovered on Thursday. orinocotribune.com 
This Thursday, April 1, Venezuela marked its 382nd day in the battle against COVID-19. In the last 24 hours, the country registered 1,254 new cases: 1,237 of community transmission and 17 imported, in addition to 13 deaths. This was reported by the Minister for Communication and Information, Freddy àëáñez. | Thus, Venezuela's totals up until day 382, in the second wave of COVID-19, include 161,751 infections and 1,615 deaths from this disease. On the other hand, 11,480 cases are reported as active. Of this sum, 11,127 are receiving free care in the national public he…
(2021-04-02). Michigan's Middle Eastern And North African Population Face Barriers To Optimal Health. eurasiareview.com 
Within southeast Michigan's Middle Eastern and North African community, those who worry about deportation or believe they've been treated unfairly are likely to face more adverse conditions associated with poor health, including food insecurity and financial distress. | The MENA people who face several of these barriers are also more likely to report chronic illness and mental health issues as well as worse overall health. | That's according to a new study by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social…
(2021-04-02). An Unannounced Rupture in Venezuelan Politics. counterpunch.org 
The brilliant Venezuelan thinker Reinaldo Iturriza has been writing about "disaffiliation" recently. Iturriza believes that a great many Chavista voters and militants have become disaffiliated. They are not exactly depoliticized, in his view. Rather, the country's politics has become so empty — lacking in substance — that they are standing aside and waiting. Iturriza has
(2021-04-02). Modern Monetary Theory. realprogressives.org
(2021-04-02). The PCR False Positive Pseudo-Epidemic. Dr. Mike Yeadon. globalresearch.ca How a novel virus met a partly-immune population | In Spring 2020 …
(2021-04-02). New Developments In Alex Saab Case. popularresistance.org The plot around the kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab in Cape Verde peaks, intensifies and continues to be a trending topic on Twitter, while the United States government relentlessly applies pressure to bring the diplomat to its territory. | Meanwhile, social media networks again reflect opinions about the case—#EEUUCompraCaboVerde was a trending topic in Venezuela this Wednesday, March 31. This, with respect to the most recent movements of Washington through a policy that, in general, is based on blackmail and financial suffocation. | The complaints about new agreements signed between the US…
(2021-04-02). Fake News Op in the 'Candid Activists' Case: There was No Arrest, Only Protection of Journalists in Apure. orinocotribune.com This Thursday, April 1, the launch of a new media conspiracy against Venezuela was attempted on social media networks and in the US-financed "free press," but the truth quickly emerged. Finally, the alleged detention of journalists in Apure state, allegedly covering the events in the Colombian-Venezuelan border territory, was reported as false. | A new fake news story was spread by some media and journalists who assured that several journalists and activists were apprehended; some even dared to describe the arrests as "force disappearance." | In addition, social media exploded with manipulations and falsehoods th…
(2021-04-02). US Blockade on Cuba Causes $125 Million Loss in Energy Sector. telesurenglish.net Cuba's Foreign Ministry exposed on Friday that the U.S. blockade "considerably limits the development of the energy and mining sector." | RELATED: | In a statement, the Foreign Ministry explained that $125.282 billion were lost between April 2019 to March 2020 due to the unilateral policy. Moreover, power plants have been the hardest-hit since device manufacturers have suspended their relations with Cuba, forcing th…
(2021-04-02). Some Standard Cynical CIA-Style Cuba Covid Reporting at The Washington Post. counterpunch.org 
Never underestimate the cynicism of American corporate media. As the Scotland-based historian Helen Yaffe recently observed on Counterpunch, the socialist state of Cuba currently has five COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials "and is set to be among the first nations to vaccinate its entire population." Further: "Cuba has gone on the offensive against Covid-19, mobilizing
(2021-04-02). WHO: Europe's vaccination plan is 'unacceptably slow'. peoplesworld.org 
LONDON (AP) — European nations' immunization campaigns against COVID-19 are "unacceptably slow" and risk prolonging the pandemic, a senior World Health Organization official said Thursday. Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, said vaccines "present our best way out of this pandemic," but noted that to date, only 10% of Europe's population has received …
(2021-04-02). Economy Adds 916,000 Jobs in March, But Long-Term Unemployment Remains High. truthout.org 
The March employment reports show the economy bouncing back sharply due to the spread of vaccines and the first effects of the Biden recovery package. The establishment survey showed the economy adding 916,000 jobs in the month. The household survey was also encouraging, with the unemployment rate dropping 0.2 percentage points to 6.0 percent, a level not reached in the recovery from the Great Recession until September of 2014. The employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) also edged up 0.2 percenta…
(2021-04-02). The Vaccine Must Be a Common Good for Humanity. dissidentvoice.org 
Vladimir Griuntal' and G. Iablonovskii (USSR), Chto eto takoe? ('What is This?') 1932. Nearly three million people have reportedly been killed by the novel coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) and upwards of 128 million people have been infected by the virus, many with long-lasting health repercussions. Thus far, roughly 1.5% of the world's population of 7.7 billion have …
(2021-04-02). EU Countries Agree on 'Solidarity Vaccine' After Distribution Talks. telesurenglish.net The European Union Council President Charles Michel on Thursday announced that five European Union (EU) countries will share nearly three million additional "solidarity vaccine" doses following an agreement with the majority of other countries. | RELATED: | After days of negotiations, EU ambassadors agreed to change a system that usually distributes vaccines between the bloc's 27 countries based on population size. The tweak…