Nirbhaya gang rape convicts executed at Delhi prison, bringing shocking 7+ year case to a close after countless delays
rt.com | 2020-03-20
The four men convicted for the grisly 2012 gang rape and murder of a young student in India have been executed by hanging, finally bringing the seven-year 'Nirbhaya' case to an end after a lengthy ordeal of appeals and delays. | The assailants were hanged at New Delhi's Tihar Jail 5: 30am local time Friday, following a marathon legal proceeding the night prior which saw last-ditch attempts to appeal their sentence shot down. | "Now I will get peace," Asha Devi, the mother of the victim,
Two LA Lakers players test positive for Covid-19, will self-quarantine
rt.com | 2020-03-20
Two athletes for the Los Angeles Lakers have contracted the coronavirus, the team said in a statement. Both remain without symptoms, but have been placed into isolation after the positive diagnosis. | "We learned today that two Lakers players have tested positive," the Lakers said in a statement on Thursday evening, adding that "All players and members of the Lakers staff are being asked to continue to observe self-quarantine and shelter at home guidelines." | The team did not name either afflicted player. | t.co/RmqjnRzGLk– Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers)
Trump's Deportation Machine Is Still Churning Despite Coronavirus Outbreak
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-19
This story has been updated. | Federal deportation proceedings for incarcerated migrants and immigration defendants continue nationwide despite pleas from defense attorneys, human rights groups and some judges who fear that in-person court hearings and conditions of confinement inside immigration jails could facilitate the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. | The Trump administration's decision to continue pursuing deportation orders and immigration charges against jailed immi…
truthout.org/articles/trumps-deportation-machine-is-still-churning-despite-coronavirus-outbreak/
Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic
IWOC Oakland | indybay.org | 2020-03-19
As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831666.php
Vague emergency legislation gives UK police & 'public health officers' powers to DETAIN suspected Covid-19 sufferers
rt.com | 2020-03-19
The British government is giving police, public health and immigration officers authority to detain those suspected of having coronavirus under a new emergency bill, but it's not clear exactly how the new powers will be exercised. | The proposed powers were outlined in a 329-page emergency bill on Thursday and come as the UK implements more draconian measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. | In explanatory notes provided with the bill, the government says "public health officers, constables and…
rt.com/uk/483533-covid19-emergency-uk-police-detain/
AOC calls for universal basic income and 'Medicare for all'
Eliza Relman | zcomm.org | 2020-03-19
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers are calling for a significantly more robust federal-government response to the coronavirus than has so far been proposed by both Democrats and Republicans…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/aoc-calls-for-universal-basic-income-and-medicare-for-all/
Doctors condemn Australian government's refusal to defend Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2020-03-19
Doctors4Assange has restated its demand that the Australian government immediately fulfil its obligations to Assange, under conditions in which his life is imperilled by the coronavirus pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/19/assa-m19.html
Doctors condemn Australian government's refusal to defend Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2020-03-19
Doctors4Assange has restated its demand that the Australian government immediately fulfil its obligations to Assange, under conditions in which his life is imperilled by the coronavirus pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/19/assa-m19.html
COVID-19 Coronavirus: The Crisis
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-19
Michel Chossudovsky discusses his new series of research articles on the "pandemic" including, " COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis" and " Coronavirus COVID-19: "Made in China" or "Made in America"?, among others. A blockbuster show! | ***…
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-coronavirus-crisis/5706741
COVID-19 Coronavirus: The Crisis
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-19
Michel Chossudovsky discusses his new series of research articles on the "pandemic" including, " COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis" and " Coronavirus COVID-19: "Made in China" or "Made in America"?, among others. A blockbuster show! | ***…
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-coronavirus-crisis/5706741
What the Coronavirus Emergency Has to Do with Biden vs. Sanders
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2020-03-19
Tepid adjustments vs. truly transformational agendas…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831664.php
IMF Refuses Aid to Venezuela in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis
Vijay Prashad, Paola Estrada, Ana Maldonado, and Zoe PC | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-19
On March 16, 2020, the chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva wrote a blog post on the Fund's website; it represents the kind of generosity necessary in the midst of a global pandemic. "The IMF stands ready to mobilize its $1 trillion lending capacity to help our membership," she wrote. Countries with…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/19/imf-refuses-aid-to-venezuela-in-the-midst-of-the-coronavirus-crisis/
IMF Refuses Aid to Venezuela in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis
Vijay Prashad | zcomm.org | 2020-03-19
The IMF denial of the $5 billion request from Venezuela follows Pence's sentiment. It is a violation of the spirit of international cooperation that is at the heart of the UN Charter…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/imf-refuses-aid-to-venezuela-in-the-midst-of-the-coronavirus-crisis/
Israel's Supreme Court hears challenge to coronavirus cellphone monitoring
rt.com | 2020-03-19
Civil liberties activists asked Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday to suspend cellphone monitoring put in place under emergency regulations to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Surveillance began this week after the government approved special orders that circumvented customary parliamentary oversight and enabled the Shin Bet counter-terrorism agency to tap into cellular location data, Reuters reported. | The Association of Civil Rights in Israel, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights – and the Joint List of Arab parties petitioned the court to freeze the monitoring. "The government canno…
rt.com/newsline/483516-israel-supreme-cyber-monitoring/
California Anti-Immigrant Activist Robin Hvidston Seeking State Assembly Seat
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2020-03-19
Robin Hvidston, a longtime anti-immigrant activist, is running as a Republican for a California Assembly seat in District 41.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/19/california-anti-immigrant-activist-robin-hvidston-seeking-state-assembly-seat
"Coronavirus Capitalism": Naomi Klein's Case for Transformative Change Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-19
Author, activist and journalist Naomi Klein says the coronavirus crisis, like earlier ones, could be a catalyst to shower aid on the wealthiest interests in society, including those most responsible for our current vulnerabilities, while offering next to nothing to most workers and small businesses. In 2007, Klein wrote "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism." Now she argues President Trump's plan is a pandemic shock doctrine. In a new video for The Intercept, where she is a senior correspondent, Klein argues it's vital for people to fight for the kind of transformative change that can not only curb…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/19/naomi_klein_coronavirus_capitalism
Naomi Klein Makes the Case for Transformative Change Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-19
Author, activist and journalist Naomi Klein says the coronavirus crisis, like earlier ones, could be a catalyst to shower aid on the wealthiest interests in society, including those most responsible for our current vulnerabilities, while offering next to nothing to most workers and small businesses. In 2007, Klein wrote The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Now she argues President Trump's plan is a pandemic shock doctrine. In a new video for The Intercept, where she is a senior…
truthout.org/video/naomi-klein-makes-the-case-for-transformative-change-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
Kabul orders Afghan forces to switch to 'active defense' as Taliban attacks continue
rt.com | 2020-03-19
The government in Kabul said on Thursday it has ordered Afghanistan's forces to switch to an "active defense posture" as the Taliban continued to attack even after the militants signed a deal with the US. "The Taliban continued high level of violence despite the peace agreement," acting Defense Minister Asadullah Kalid said in a video statement. | "An active defense posture will reduce the restrictions on Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and it will allow them to carry out operations against the Taliban plotting attacks against ANDSF," he said. Afghan government forces had previously been able to fi…
rt.com/newsline/483530-afghan-active-defense-taliban/
NATO 'scales down' exercises, drawdown of US-led force in Afghanistan continues
rt.com | 2020-03-19
NATO is scaling down military exercises in Europe to curb the spread of the coronavirus, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said. However, alliance missions are continuing, including the drawdown of the US-led force in Afghanistan following a peace agreement last month, he added. | "Some of our exercises have been modified or cancelled… but our forces remain ready," Stoltenberg told a video news conference on Thursday. | The US Army has already announced a halt to movement of military personnel from the US to Europe and said it plans to scale down its Defender Europe 20 exercises, billed as NATO's b…
rt.com/newsline/483507-nato-exercises-afghanistan-drawdown/
Brazil: Sao Paulo Police Capture Nearly Half of Escaped Inmates
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
Brazilian Police captured more than 500 of the 1400 inmates who escaped from Sao Paulo's penitentiary institutions. | RELATED: | Protests Against the "Bolsonaro Virus" Spread in Brazil | The massive escape occurred on March 16 in three prisons located in Managua, Mirandopolis, and Taubate. The inmates started fires, riots, and took guards as hostages after authorities announced several departures and visiting restrictions as a measure to prevent Covid-19 spreading in Brazilian territo…
telesurenglish.net/news/brazil-sao-paulo-police-capture-nearly-half-of-escaped-inmates-20200319-0011.html
Protests Against the "Bolsonaro Virus" Spread in Brazil
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
For the second day in a row, ultra-right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro was the subject of protests in several Brazilian cities, local media reported Wednesday. | RELATED: | Brazil Demands Bolsonaro's Removal With a Wave of Protests | The protests began in the country on Tuesday, after residents of some communities in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, from windows and balconies, shouted and pot-banging for Bolsonaro's resignation. | After the call went viral on Twitter, the protests rea…
telesurenglish.net/news/protests-against-the-bolsonaro-virus-spreads-in-brazil-20200319-0005.html
Protests Against the "Bolsonaro Virus" Spread in Brazil
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
For the second day in a row, ultra-right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro was the subject of protests in several Brazilian cities, local media reported Wednesday. | RELATED: | Brazil Demands Bolsonaro's Removal With a Wave of Protests | The protests began in the country on Tuesday, after residents of some communities in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, from windows and balconies, shouted and pot-banging for Bolsonaro's resignation. | After the call went viral on Twitter, the protests rea…
telesurenglish.net/news/protests-against-the-bolsonaro-virus-spreads-in-brazil-20200319-0005.html
Covid-19 Updates: First Death in Peru, First NFL Case + More
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
Update 5: 30 AM: | More than 200 Argentines and Chileans trapped in Colombia by the coronavirus: Argentine and Chilean travelers are protesting at the El Dorado airport this Thursday in Bogotá (Colombia). More than 200 foreigners, between Argentines and Chileans, denounced this Thursday at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport that they have been trapped for several days in the Colombian capital because their flights have been canceled due to the crisis by COVID-19. | Peru reports the first death in the country from the coronavirus: A 78-year-old man, who suffered from hypertension, became the first person t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Covid-19-Updates-First-Death-in-Peru-First-NFL-Case–More-20200319-0002.html
Top 10 Reasons the U.S. Government Is Blowing This
David Swanson | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-19
10. Recognizing that a problem that has grown severe in other countries could grow severe in the United States would require thinking of the United States as existing in the same world, susceptible to the same forces, as everyone else. A willingness to recognize that would have led to earlier action and wiser action more…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/19/top-10-reasons-the-u-s-government-is-blowing-this/
Top 10 Reasons the U.S. Government Is Blowing This
David Swanson | zcomm.org | 2020-03-19
The United States has been suffering under a prolonged and severe shortage of democracy, self-governance, civic engagement, and activism…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/top-10-reasons-the-u-s-government-is-blowing-this/
Tulsi Gabbard suspends presidential campaign, endorses Biden
rt.com | 2020-03-19
Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has suspended her presidential campaign and endorsed Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, citing the establishment favorite's primary victories and the coronavirus as her reasons. | Gabbard made the surprise announcement on Thursday in a video posted to her Twitter account, explaining she was dropping out to focus on dealing with the coronavirus epidemic in Hawaii and potentially serving in her National Guard capacity should she be called to action. | The endorsement of Biden came as a particular surprise, given Gabbard's opposition to "regime change wars," a central plank of he…
rt.com/usa/483521-tulsi-gabbard-ends-campaign-biden/
What about ending endless wars? Tulsi Gabbard drops out of presidential race and backs …Biden
rt.com | 2020-03-19
Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has suspended her presidential campaign and endorsed Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, citing the establishment favorite's primary victories and the coronavirus as her reasons. | Gabbard made the surprise announcement on Thursday in a video posted to her Twitter account, explaining she was dropping out to focus on dealing with the coronavirus epidemic in Hawaii and potentially serving in her National Guard capacity should she be called to action. | The endorsement of Biden came as a particular surprise, given Gabbard's opposition to "regime change wars," a central plank of he…
rt.com/usa/483521-tulsi-gabbard-ends-campaign-biden/
Tulsi Gabbard Suspends Presidential Campaign, Endorses Biden
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
U.S. House of Representatives member Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) announced on Thursday that she will be suspending her presidential campaign, citing the recent result at the Democratic Primary as one of the main reason. | RELATED: | Biden's Biggest Problem: Reaching Out to Sanders' Support Base | In a video message released this morning, Gabbard, a congresswoman and National Guard member, said she was suspendi…
telesurenglish.net/news/Tulsi-Gabbard-Suspends-Presidential-Campaign-Endorses-Biden-20200319-0010.html
IMF denies loan to Venezuela as it braces for COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-19
The loan request is only the latest appeal by the Maduro government for foreign finance and signal to world finance capital that it will defend profit interests.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/19/vene-m19.html
IMF denies loan to Venezuela as it braces for COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-19
The loan request is only the latest appeal by the Maduro government for foreign finance and signal to world finance capital that it will defend profit interests.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/19/vene-m19.html
Cargo Arrives in Venezuela With Medical Aid From China
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
A special medicine and medical supplies shipment arrived in Venezuela from China on Thursday, March 19th, as the Asian nation continues to provide assistance to the Bolivarian Republic. . | RELATED: | Twitter Restricts Profiles of Venezuelan Officials | Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, announced that the cargo arrived and assured it would allow thousands to be tested for possible Covid-19 cases and diagnose the positive ones. | The mandatary explained that so f…
telesurenglish.net/news/cargo-arrives-in-venezuela-with-medical-aid-from-china-20200319-0014.html
Flake News, Bics, PINOcchios, and the War on Bernie Sanders
John G. Russell | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-19
Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
How corporate money gave Biden an unfair advantage over Sanders from day one
Peter Bolton | thecanary.co | 2020-03-19
Former vice president Joe Biden just won another three contests in the Democratic primary race. It now looks all but certain that he will win the nomination to face Donald Trump in the presidential election this coming November. But we shouldn't take this as granting legitimacy to his stale neoliberal platform. Because an investigation into his campaign shows that he had an unfair advantage over his main rival Bernie Sanders all along. | More victories for Biden followin…
thecanary.co/us/us-analysis/2020/03/19/how-corporate-money-gave-biden-an-unfair-advantage-over-sanders-from-day-one/
'America's two-party oligarchy can't relate to those in need': Lee Camp says US coronavirus failure goes beyond just Trump
rt.com | 2020-03-19
As the US teeters on the edge of abyss amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the crisis has revealed systemic flaws brought by years of two-party plutocracy that go beyond a single president, says Lee Camp, host of RT's Redacted Tonight. | While President Donald Trump bears a good portion of the blame for the sluggish US response to Covid-19, he is only one piece of a larger puzzle. America's structural defects long predate Trump's time in office, the comedian argued. | "The fact that so many millions of Americans don't have paid sick leave, or hardly make minimum wage and therefore can't afford an emergency
'America's two-party oligarchy can't relate to those in need': Lee Camp says US coronavirus failure goes beyond just Trump
rt.com | 2020-03-19
As the US teeters on the edge of abyss amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the crisis has revealed systemic flaws brought by years of two-party plutocracy that go beyond a single president, says Lee Camp, host of RT's Redacted Tonight. | While President Donald Trump bears a good portion of the blame for the sluggish US response to Covid-19, he is only one piece of a larger puzzle. America's structural defects long predate Trump's time in office, the comedian argued. | "The fact that so many millions of Americans don't have paid sick leave, or hardly make minimum wage and therefore can't afford an emergency
Joseph Stiglitz: Trump's "Trickle-Down" Economic Plans Are Not Enough to Meet Coronavirus Challenge
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-19
The coronavirus relief package signed by President Trump Wednesday provides unemployment benefits and free coronavirus testing to millions of Americans suddenly out of a job, but guarantees paid sick leave to less than 20% of American workers. Earlier this month, Trump signed into law an $8 billion coronavirus response package and has laid out the first details of a third, $1 trillion economic package and invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to allow the government to direct industrial production. For more on those bailouts and who benefits, we speak with Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economis…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/19/us_economy_coronavirus_stimulus_joseph_stiglitz
Trump Continues Calling the Coronavirus "Chinese" Despite Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-19
"I would like to begin by announcing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus. I will be invoking the Defense Production Act just in case we need it." That was the opening line of President Trump's news conference Wednesday afternoon. Later in the news conference, Trump was questioned by ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega on continuously referring to the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus." A member of the administration also reportedly referred to the coronavirus as the "kung-flu." Meanwhile, racist incidents and threats of hate crimes against Asian Americans have emerged across the United Sta…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/19/trump_anti_chinese_racism_coronavirus_covid19
Video: US Forces Withdraw from Key Base Near Syrian Border. More Rocket Attacks on US Targets in Iraq
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-19
Late on March 17, at least three rockets struck the area near the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. This was the fourth such attack in the span of a week. A day earlier, a pair of rockets struck …
globalresearch.ca/video-us-forces-withdraw-base-near-syrian-border-more-rocket-attacks-us-targets-iraq/5706747
Video: Aleppo Man Imprisoned and Tortured by West's "Rebels" in Terrorist-Occupied Hospital Complex
Eva Bartlett | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-19
Long, productive, rewarding, and also sad, day in Aleppo. The sad–tragic–part was meeting a man, Abdel Aziz, who was held in the terrorists' underground prison in the Eye/Children's Hospital complex, occupied by terrorist factions until liberation of eastern Aleppo areas …
globalresearch.ca/video-aleppo-man-imprisoned-tortured-west-rebels-terrorist-occupied-hospital-complex/5706743
Socialist countries response to pandemic shows stark contrast to capitalism
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-19
Minneapolis, MN – As the number of confirmed cases of the viral illness COVID-19 approaches 200,000 worldwide, we can already see how differently issues of public health and human needs are treated in socialist countries vs. capitalist countries. | COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, a major city in the People's Republic of China. Local officials took three to four weeks to recognize its significance. Once the threat was clear, the whole of the country and vast resources were mobilized. Everything was shut down to stop the virus in its tracks. People were quarantined at home as new hospitals were constructed, s…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/18/socialist-countries-response-pandemic-shows-stark-contrast-capitalism
Reject capitalist xenophobia! For international socialist solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic!
wsws.org | 2020-03-19
Seeking to draw attention from their own disastrous response to the pandemic, governments are attempting to direct the population's fears into xenophobia and national hatreds.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/19/pers-m19.html
Trump's Budget Proposal Reveals His Values
Lawrence Wittner | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-19
It is often said that government budgets are "an expression of values." Those values are clear in the Trump administration's $4.8 trillion budget proposal for 2021, unveiled early this February. The budget calls for deep cuts in major U.S. government programs, especially those protecting public health. The Department of Health and Human Services would be…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/19/trumps-budget-proposal-reveals-his-values/
'Zionist' Biden in His Own Words: 'My Name is Joe Biden, and Everybody Knows I Love Israel'
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-19
"I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist," current Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, said in April 2007, soon before he was chosen to be Barack Obama's running mate in the 2008 elections. Biden is, of course, correct, because Zionism is a political movement that is rooted in…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/19/zionist-biden-in-his-own-words-my-name-is-joe-biden-and-everybody-knows-i-love-israel/
Death at the Border: Syrian Refugees Should Not Be Used as Political Pawns
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-19
Turkey's use of Syrian refugees as political pawns was one of the most tragic, heart-rendering episodes of the Syrian war and subsequent refugee crisis saga.
mintpressnews.com/death-at-the-border-syrian-refugees-should-not-be-used-as-political-pawns/265872/
Death at the Border: Syrian Refugees Should Not Be Used as Political Pawns
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-19
Turkey's use of Syrian refugees as political pawns was one of the most tragic, heart-rendering episodes of the Syrian war and subsequent refugee crisis saga.
mintpressnews.com/death-at-the-border-syrian-refugees-should-not-be-used-as-political-pawns/265872/
The Coronavirus: Crown Jewel of the New World Order or Crippling Blow to Globalization?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-19
There's no doubt that the coronavirus has completely changed life as everyone knows it, but many people are divided over whether this outbreak has become the crown jewel celebrating the commencement of the "New World Order" (NWO) or the long-awaited …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-new-world-order-blow-globalization/5706729
Rio's Favelas Seen as Potential Coronavirus Breeding Grounds
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
"How am I going to isolate a family member who gets the illness if four of us share the same room in my house?" Maria, a resident of a Brazilian metropolis' jam-packed Tavares Bastos favela, asks rhetorically about the potential spread thereof the novel coronavirus. | RELATED: | Brazil: Massive Prisoner Escape Increases Risk of COVID-19 | The inhabitants of Rio's densely populated favelas (shantytowns), where four or five people share small individual residences on average, have…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rios-Favelas-Seen-as-Potential-Coronavirus-Breeding-Grounds-20200318-0029.html
"Maximum-pressure March": US hybrid war on Venezuela heats up
Leonardo Flores | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-19
The first quarter of 2020 has seen the Trump administration escalate its rhetoric against Venezuela. At the State of the Union, President Trump promised to "smash" and destroy the Venezuelan government. This was followed by a renewed threat of a naval blockade on the country, which is an act of war under U.S. and international…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/19/maximum-pressure-march-us-hybrid-war-on-venezuela-heats-up/
Colombia: Senators Ask Duque for More Decision to Halt Covid-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-19
More than 60 Colombian lawmakers and senators Thursday asked President Ivan Duque to take more forceful measures in the face of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19. | RELATED: | Colombian and Venezuelan Ombudsmen Unite Against COVID-19 | They argued that while reconnecting water to thousands of homes is fine, Colombians need four things that the government is not doing. | Mandatory isolation is the most effective measure. However, for people to stay at home, the government mu…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombia-Senators-Ask-Duque-for-More-Decision-to-Halt-Covid-19-20200319-0008.html
'Inhumane & reckless': Twitter silences Venezuela's anti-coronavirus chief as IMF denies emergency loan
rt.com | 2020-03-19
Amid crushing US sanctions and IMF rejection already making Venezuela's struggle with Covid-19 difficult, Twitter now seems to have hobbled the country's vice-president and head of coronavirus response, Delcy Rodriguez. | Both the personal and the official Twitter account belonging to Rodriguez were "temporarily restricted" on Thursday over "unusual activity," with old tweets still visible to those who choose to view them, but no new tweets available after Wednesday. | Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza called it an "i…
rt.com/news/483563-twitter-venezuela-coronavirus-sanctions/