Daily Archives: May 4, 2021

2021-05-04: News Headlines

sputniknews (2021-05-05). US Actor Steven Seagal Presents Maduro With Samurai Sword During Visit to Venezuela. sputniknews.com American actor, producer and musician Steven Seagal, who received Russian citizenship in 2016 and was subsequently appointed as a Russian special envoy for humanitarian liaison with the US, is also a widely-renowned aikido ace.

Staff (2021-05-05). Venezuela Begins Clinical Trials of Russian EpiVacCorona Vaccine—Russian Ambassador First to be Vaccinated. orinocotribune.com Venezuela officially began clinical trials of Russian vaccine EpiVacCorona, as the Russian ambassador to Caracas, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, became the first volunteer to receive a dose of the COVID-19 immunization drug. | The start of clinical trials was reported by the Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, who noted that the vaccine simulates small fragments of the virus; this strengthens the immune system of recipients to prevent COVID-19. | "Thus begins the process of applying the vaccine candidate EpiVacCorona to combat COVID-19 in the country," said Rodríguez, "a vaccine developed by Russia that is advan…

Roger Harris (2021-05-04). Government Report Documents US Responsibility for Venezuela's Humanitarian Dilemma. counterpunch.org In January 2019 the US and its allies ceased to recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president after then National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó, who had never run for national office, "announced he was willing to serve as interim president." Guaidó's coup attempts are euphemistically described as "high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to encourage security forces to abandon Maduro."

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-05-04). Colombia an Imperial Beachhead: The War of the Colombian Oligarchy and Duque against Venezuela. libya360.wordpress.com Mison Verdad Colombian President, Iván Duque, participates in a military promotion ceremony in Bogotá (Photo: EFE) One year after it sought to invade Venezuela and capture President Nicolás Maduro with Operation Gideon, the Colombian government continues to participate in conspiracies planned in Washington to bring about regime change in Caracas. Since 2018, when the attempted…

Roger D. Harris (2021-05-04). Between the Lines: Congressional Report Finds US Sanctions to Blame for Venezuela Crisis. mintpressnews.com If the U.S. government's propaganda is correct that the current crisis is due to Maduro's mismanagement and corruption, then illegal and inhumane sanctions would not be needed to dislodge the "regime."

Staff (2021-05-04). "Exterminate All the Brutes": Filmmaker Raoul Peck Explores Colonialism & Origins of White Supremacy. democracynow.org A new four-part documentary series, "Exterminate All the Brutes," delves deeply into the legacy of European colonialism from the Americas to Africa. It has been described as an unflinching narrative of genocide and exploitation, beginning with the colonizing of Indigenous land that is now called the United States. The documentary series seeks to counter "the type of lies, the type of propaganda, the type of abuse, that we have been subject to all of these years," says director and Haitian-born filmmaker Raoul Peck. "We have the means to tell the real story, and that's exactly what I decided to do," Peck says. "Ev…

Editorial Team (2021-05-04). Birmingham in crisis: a city ravaged by austerity-driven unemployment. challenge-magazine.org Japhy Barrera, is a member of the YCL's Birmingham branch | During the COVID-19 pandemic, Birmingham has attained the highest rate of unemployment that the city has seen since the 1980s. 33,000 people have lost their jobs in Birmingham since last February, leaving a whopping 15% of the population without work, more than treble the national average (4.9%). A further 55,000 locals remain on the furlough scheme, an arrangement set to end in September of this year. These numbers are disproportionately worse than what we have seen elsewhere in the country and have exposed the targeted nature of Tory austerity. | Al…

Staff (2021-05-04). Sixth Shipment of Sputnik V: Venezuela Already has 1.48 Million Doses. orinocotribune.com This Monday, May 3, the sixth shipment of Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Venezuela, unloaded from a plane of national airline Conviasa that landed at Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport, in the state of La Guaira. This sixth shipment contained 50,000 doses, and brings the total of doses in the hands of Venezuela's government to 1.48 million doses, between China's Vero Cell and the Russian Sputnik V. | In addition, the Ministry of Health announced an expansion of the Venezuelan immunization plan that began on February 18 with Sputnik V. | Venezuelan Minister of Health, Carlos Alvarado, pe…

Abdulkerim Said (2021-05-04). None of Us Are Safe From Covid-19 Until the Global Population Has Access to the Vaccine. commondreams.org "It should be obvious that we need to make getting vaccines to people all over the world a priority." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/vaccine_free_0.jpg

Staff (2021-05-04). May Day: For a living, united and victorious homeland. en.cubadebate.cu "Congratulations workers! What has been done to survive the pandemic under a tightened blockade, and nonetheless advancing, is monumental. A hard-working, creative people like ours deserves a great tribute," tweeted Party First Secretary and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, May 1, who attended a simple commemoration of International Workers Day at Havana's José Martí Plaza de la Revolución, with reduced participation given the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laura Wells (2021-05-04). Recognizing Lies about Latin America: Seven Tips. dissidentvoice.org Headlines from two major Venezuelan newspapers (Photo Credit: Laura Wells) Even when we're being lied to by almost every available source across the media and political spectrum, we can still become better lie detectors. A focus on lies about Latin America is important because we do care about how the US treats other people, and …

Andy Kroll (2021-05-04). Can Guantánamo Ever Be Shut Down? tomdispatch.com The Guantánamo conundrum never seems to end. Twelve years ago, I had other expectations. I envisioned a writing project that I had no doubt would be part of my future: an account of Guantánamo's last 100 days. I expected to narrate in reverse, the episodes in a book I had just published, The Least Worst Place: Guantánamo's First 100 Days, about — well, the title makes it all too obvious — the initial days at that grim offshore prison. They began on January 11, 2002, as the first hooded prisoners of the American war on terror were ushered off a plane at that American military base on the island of Cuba…

Jatoi I, Kemp Z. (2021-05-04). Patient Information: Surgery for Breast Cancer Prevention. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Patient Page describes surgery for breast cancer prevention (the removal of healthy breasts to reduce risk of breast cancer), the patient population who should consider this surgery, and the alternatives to and risks of the surgery.

Center for Biological Diversity (2021-05-04). Members of Congress Request $50 Million to Save Monarch Butterflies. indybay.org WASHINGTON, April 29, 2021— For the first time ever, nearly 60 U.S. representatives have urged the House Appropriations Committee to spend $50 million per year to stabilize and help recover monarch butterflies. Today's letter, led by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), notes that the monarch population has plummeted more than 80% in the past two decades.

Daniela Jimenez (2021-05-04). Venezuela's Office of the Prosecutor General Presents Report on Operation Gideon. orinocotribune.com On May 3, one year after the failed Operation Gideon in which mercenaries tried to enter Venezuelan territory to attack Venezuelan institutions, the Public Ministry presented a report on the actions taken by the Venezuelan state to punish terrorism and mercenary invasion attempts. | To date, the Prosecutor's Office has requested 114 arrest warrants and 33 search warrants. Likewise, the Prosecutor General, Tarek William Saab, reported through his Twitter account the apprehension in flagrante of 34 subjects involved and 51 others on arrest warrants—a total of 85 people nationwide brought before the 4th Contro…

Pasqualina Curcio (2021-05-04). Venezuela — Mitos monetaristas sobre los salarios. globalizacion.ca El salario mínimo legal en Venezuela cubre el 0,65% de lo que básicamente necesita el trabajador para producir y mantener su fuerza de trabajo. Tomando en cuenta el reciente incremento de Bs 7.000.000, equivale a 0,045 petros. La canasta alimentaria…

Carlos Arellán (2021-05-04). Operation Gideon: One Year After Defeated Mercenary Invasion Contracted by Guaidó & Co. orinocotribune.com On May 3, 2020, the Venezuelan authorities neutralized the mercenary invasion known as Operation Gideon. | The incursion was plotted and organized in Colombia, with mercenaries who left there in speedboats to try to enter Venezuelan territory through the beaches of the central states of La Guaira and Aragua. | The mission was to carry out attacks on military bases and strategic utility services, and to conduct selective assassinations of members of the government. | The plan was the result of a criminal contract for political purposes which involved deserting Venezuelan military personnel, US instructors, drug-tr…

sputniknews (2021-05-03). Petro Cryptocurrency-Based Social Payments: Why Does Venezuela Need Them? sputniknews.com In 2018, Caracas launched its own cryptocurrency called the Petro backed by Venezuela's oil reserves, in a move that came against the backdrop of a severe economic meltdown in the South American nation. At the time, President Maduro vowed the government would create a single exchange rate linked to the Petro.

sputniknews (2021-05-03). Venezuelan President Confirms Fifth Shipment of Russian Sputnik V Vaccine Against COVID-19. sputniknews.com MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his country has received yet another delivery of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

_____ (2021-05-03). Colombia: Violent Repression Of Anti-Government Protests. popularresistance.org Residents of Bogota and Medellin continued to report brutal police repression of anti-government protests while Colombia's third largest city Cali retook the streets on Saturday. | The massive turnout followed days of terror that left 10 people dead since Wednesday, the first day of a national strike against a tax reform proposed by the government of President Ivan Duque. | The terrorizing of the local population diminished drastically after local human rights organizations accused Defense Minister Diego Molano of playing a key role in the alleged state terror campaign on Friday. | Indigenous authorities from the…

Staff (2021-05-03). Sunday: Venezuela Reports 1,202 New COVID-19 Cases, 17 Deaths & 91% Recovery Rate. orinocotribune.com This Sunday, May 2, Venezuela reported 1,202 new COVID-19 cases, all of them of community transmission, within the past 24 hours. In addition, the Caribbean country regretfully announced the death of 17 people. The news was presented by Minister of Health Carlos Alvarado in a special televised broadcast. Alvarado also recalled that as of this Monday, May 3, until May 10, a week of radical quarantine begins, according to the 7+7 reopening scheme implemented by the national Executive for responsible control of the pandemic. | With this report, Venezuela reached 200,067 total infections, and 2,172 deaths from the vi…

Staff (2021-05-03). Counties Most Vulnerable to COVID Have Been the Slowest to Vaccinate. truthout.org As the U.S. rushes to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus, most counties with the sickest residents are lagging behind and making only incremental progress reaching their most vulnerable populations. | A similar gap has also opened for all other adults. The one-third of counties with the highest chronic illness risk have on average finished shots for 15% of their 64-and-under residents, four percentage points below the average for the healthiest one-third of counties. | In counties with…

Answer Coalition (2021-05-03). Car caravans around U.S. demand end to the blockade on Cuba. answercoalition.org &nbsp…

Staff (2021-05-03). àöltimas Noticias Survey: Bolívar Continues to Dominate Payment Methods in Venezuela. orinocotribune.com It is quite common to hear that Venezuela has been "dollarized" and that the sovereign currency bolívar is "no longer economically worth anything." Many of the formal and informal trade prices are set in dollars, although products can be paid and purchased both in bolívars as well as in foreign currencies. The government, however, claims that in Venezuela there will never be a dollarization of the economy and that what actually exists is a set of "mechanisms of economic war and resistance that push to exchange products in other currencies and cryptocurrencies." | What is the real proportion of this phenomenon? So…

Paul Dobson (2021-05-03). Venezuelan Trade Unions, Left Parties Blast 'Pyrrhic' May 1 Wage Increase. venezuelanalysis.com The new $2.50 monthly minimum salary represents a 1,650% interannual increase but falls short of matching yearly inflation rates of around 4,000%.

Stefan Hockertz, Marco Schott & Susan Bonath (2021-05-03). Stolen childhood and The Language of Violence. indybay.org To make the hospitals fit for the "pandemic of the century", the government did nothing… the population that will suffer in every respect – with one lockdown after another, inadequate health care, increasing impoverishment and lack of prospects, and presumably with endless depression.

Latino Rebels (2021-05-03). BAKOSàì: AFROBEATS OF CUBA Premieres May 3 Nationally on WORLD Channel. latinorebels.com Through stunning visuals and a score created by the founders of the genre, the film shows the technology, culture and landscape that shape this African-Caribbean fusion.

sputniknews (2021-05-03). Blinken Says Biden Administration to Focus on Guantanamo in 'Months Ahead'. sputniknews.com Earlier, the Biden administration announced its plans to review the policy on the future of the notorious prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and said that it plans to shutter the detention center by the end of its tenure.

Eurasia Review (2021-05-03). Poorer Communities Hardest Hit By Toxic Pollution Incidents. eurasiareview.com Toxic pollution hits poorer populations hardest as firms experience more pollutant releases and spend less money on waste management in areas with lower average incomes. | Research from Lancaster University Management School and Texas Tech University, published in European Economic Review looked into the relationship between the location choices of potentially polluting firms and levels of local income to discover if firms made strategic decisions on site locations based on population demographics. | The team studied potentially polluting firms across Texas, and found a correlation between lower income locatio…

Center for Biological Diversity (2021-05-03). Members of Congress Request $50 Million to Save Monarch Butterflies. indybay.org WASHINGTON, April 29, 2021— For the first time ever, nearly 60 U.S. representatives have urged the House Appropriations Committee to spend $50 million per year to stabilize and help recover monarch butterflies. Today's letter, led by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), notes that the monarch population has plummeted more than 80% in the past two decades.

Antonio Arellano (2021-05-03). OPINION: Texas Hispanic Population Growth Signals the Political Future of State. latinorebels.com Texas can't afford another 10 years of blatant injustice, and voters of color can't afford to lose another 10 years of their rightful share of political power.

The Associated Press (2021-05-03). Puerto Rican Boxer Félix Verdejo Turns Himself in After Keishla Rodríguez Found Dead. latinorebels.com SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo turned himself in to federal agents Sunday night to face charges just hours after authorities identified the body of a dead woman as his 27-year-old pregnant lover, officials said.

The Associated Press (2021-05-03). Félix Verdejo Held Without Bail After Being Charged in Death of Keishla Rodríguez. latinorebels.com SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal judge on Monday ordered Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo held without bail after he was charged in the death of his 27-year-old pregnant lover whose body was found in a lagoon.

Staff (2021-05-03). Public Ministry of Venezuela Submits Updated Report to International Criminal Court. orinocotribune.com On Saturday, May 1, Attorney General of the Republic Tarek William Saab disclosed some details of the updated report that has been submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), given the fact that "some organizations have wanted to make it invisible or belittle it." | The updated document was sent to the ICC by the Public Ministry on Friday, April 30. This was confirmed by the Venezuelan Attorney General in a press conference broadcast via the TV channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV). This was the third document in the series, "which amplifies our response to the overall re…

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