2021-10-18: News Headlines

John Feffer (2021-10-18). The Embarrassment of Riches. counterpunch.org What was surprising about many of the 35 current and former world leaders that appear in the Pandora Papers was not so much their presence on the list— Gabon's Ali Bongo, for instance, is notoriously corrupt while Chile's Sebastian Pinera was already linked to 14 corruption investigations before he became president again at the end of 2017—but that they went to such great lengths to hide their purchases from the public.

Eds. (2021-10-18). [BREAKING] Venezuelan Government envoy Alex Saab extradited to the United States. mronline.org The Maduro administration blasted the contractor's "kidnapping" and suspended dialogue with the US-backed opposition.

WSWS (2021-10-18). Escalating COVID crisis overwhelms Papua New Guinea hospitals. wsws.org The Marape government's "live with COVID" agenda is exacerbating a long-standing crisis within the impoverished country's health system.

Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (2021-10-18). América Latina y el Caribe: Territorios y pueblos originarios. globalizacion.ca La cultura de dominación ha penetrado en la vida y conciencia de muchos sectores sociales y del periodismo malsano que trata a los pueblos originarios de usurpadores, de gobiernos provinciales que en lugar de dialogar y encontrar solución a los…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-10-18). Covid Queries: Altered DNA and microchips. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Q: I've heard some theories circulating about the COVID-19 vaccine, including that it was developed to control the general population through microchip tracking or "nanotransducers" in our brains. I've also heard that it will alter my DNA. Are these theories true? A: No, those assertions are false. "There is absolutely not a microchip in the vaccine," says Martin Herrmann, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic Health System in Waseca and New Prague. "Also, there's no…

Rick Rozoff (2021-10-18). Video: Pentagon chief says Russia occupies 20% of Georgian territory. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Imagine the Russian defense minister in Mexico to consolidate a strategic military alliance aimed against the U.S. and to achieve military dominance in the Gulf of Mexico stating that 20% — or 40% — of Mexican territory was occupied by the U.S. ==== Russia, which occupies 20% of Georgia's territory, must respect the 2008 ceasefire …

_____ (2021-10-18). Black families Passed Their Homes from One Generation to the Next. Now They May Be Lost. popularresistance.org The legacy of explicitly racist housing policies and lack of access to legal services has meant that for many Black families, land passed down informally was often thought of as a secure way to manage property. But heirs' property doesn't just affect rural Black Americans. It is found all over the US, particularly in areas historically excluded from the legal system. Outside the Black Belt, heirs' property is frequently clustered in settlements along the US-Mexico border, tribal lands, and in Appalachia — but also in cities like New York .

Staff (2021-10-18). Biden Has Outpaced Trump's Use of Title 42 to Expel Asylum Seekers. truthout.org "We didn't know we were being deported," said Cinthia* as she walked toward a bus headed to Honduras. The 24-year-old fled violence and threats in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, earlier this year. She made it 1,500 miles north through Guatemala and Mexico and across the U.S. border into Texas, where she planned to request asylum. Instead, the U.S. summarily expelled her on a flight from McAllen, Texas, to southern Mexico, and Mexico then sent her overland to El Ceibo, a remote border crossing with Guatemala.

Mouris Salloum George (2021-10-18). México: Lozoya, una familia estigmatizada. globalizacion.ca Un muchachito, júnior, sin oficio ni beneficio —del que todos los compañeros de generación saben que jamás pisó una aula universitaria, que consiguió el título de Licenciado en Derecho, gracias a oportunos boletazos en todas las materias, que le propinaron…

Iván Restrepo (2021-10-18). México, sin política de Estado frente a la crisis del agua. globalizacion.ca En marzo de 2018, le entregaron al secretario general de la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU), António Guterres, el informe Que cada gota cuente: una agenda para la acción del agua, parte de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible….

Carlos Fazio (2021-10-18). México y Estados Unidos: Poder imperial y nuevo "entendimiento" globalizacion.ca Los gobiernos de Joe Biden y Andrés Manuel López Obrador lanzaron el 8 de octubre el Entendimiento del Bicentenario, que mediante un proceso de reingeniería de la Iniciativa Mérida buscará delinear un nuevo enfoque de cooperación bilateral en materia de…

teleSUR, JL (2021-10-18). Claves para entender el secuestro del diplomático Alex Saab. telesurtv.net Las autoridades constitucionales de Venezuela anunciaron que recurrirán a todas las instancias internacionales para la liberación de su diplomático.

teleSUR, drl, JL (2021-10-18). Venezolanos se concentran en rechazo al secuestro de Alex Saab. telesurtv.net Con un acto en la capitalina Plaza Bolívar, los venezolanos exigieron la liberación del diplomático secuestrado por EE.UU.

teleSUR, JL (2021-10-18). Oposiciones de Venezuela esperan reanudar diálogo tras secuestro de Alex Saab. telesurtv.net La suspensión de la Mesa de Diálogo se dio tras confirmarse el secuestro del diplomático del Gobierno Alex Saab a EE.UU.

teleSUR, JL (2021-10-18). Pdte. de Venezuela condena secuestro del diplomático Alex Saab por parte de EE.UU. telesurtv.net "Alex Saab iba como enviado especial para comprar alimentos y gasolina para Venezuela, en el momento en que se recrudeció el bloqueo", indicó el presidente.

teleSUR, drl, JL (2021-10-18). Masacre deja cinco fallecidos en Antioquia, Colombia. telesurtv.net De acuerdo a Indepaz, el país suramericano contabiliza 76 masacres en lo corrido del año.

Rick Rozoff (2021-10-18). Poland: ruling party leader calls for defense against "aggression, hybrid warfare" from Belarus, Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com 'We will defend Polish border,' conservative leader says amid migrant crisis Jaros≈Çaw Kaczy≈Ñski, the leader of Poland's governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, has said the country is building a barrier to better protect its frontier with Belarus amid a mounting migrant crisis. "No one in their right mind can fail to notice that …

Becca Mohally Renk (2021-10-18). Nicaragua is the Exception: Letter to a Cynic. counterpunch.org "That's unbelievable," my father-in-law wrote me from Ireland after watching me give a statistic-heavy webinar on the advances for the poor in Nicaragua since 2007. "I know, right?" I replied. "No, I mean it's actually unbelievable," he wrote back. "For cynical people like me, our faith in humanity has been undermined. The story of a

Mempo Giardinelli (2021-10-18). Argentina — La plaza que sí y que no. globalizacion.ca Domingo peronista, el de ayer. No sólo por 17 y por Octubre, sino también por el sol y la multitud, que parecía pobretona a las dos y a las tres de la tarde, hasta que de pronto fue estallido. Decenas…

Jorge Marchini (2021-10-18). Posiciones en disputa en torno al acuerdo de la Argentina con el FMI. globalizacion.ca Una de las primeras declaraciones de la directora gerente del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), Kristalina Georgieva, en el marco de la reunión anual conjunta del organismo con el Banco Mundial que tuvo lugar esta última semana en Washington, fue en…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-18). Mercenaries implicated in assassinating Jovenel MoàØse may also have plotted against Luis Arce, says Bolivian govt. peoplesdispatch.org Bolivian minister Eduardo del Castillo said the government had identified the mercenaries who were involved in a plot to assassinate Luis Arce before he took office. The conspiracy and potential invasion of Bolivia by US troops last year had earlier been revealed by The Intercept…

Ken Livingstone (2021-10-18). Bolivia shows us what is possible. zcomm.org Bolivia's rapid social progress under a left-wing government and ability to suffer a right-wing coup then overcome it through mass mobilisation is a source of hope and optimism for the international left…

Francis Newton (2021-10-18). Disonancias en el Mercosur. globalizacion.ca La celebración de los 30 años del nacimiento del Mercosur, fueron el inicio de una serie de disonancias, en el seno del mismo. La arremetida del presidente de la República Oriental del Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, reclamando la flexibilidad, fue…

Staff (2021-10-18). Iranian Oil Supertanker Leaves Venezuela with 2 Million Barrels of Heavy Crude. orinocotribune.com An Iranian supertanker is ready to set sail from Venezuela with two million barrels of heavy crude, under an agreement that strengthens bilateral strategic cooperation between Venezuela and Iran. | As part of an agreement forged between Tehran and Caracas, the Venezuelan national oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) will exchange heavy Venezuelan crude with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for Iranian condensate, as was revealed last month by the news outlet The Cradle. | The Dino I supertanker, operated by NIOC, arrived in Venezuela in September with 2.1 million barrels of Iranian condensate. On…

Ana Perdigón (2021-10-18). Alex Saab to Appear Today Before a Judge in Miami. orinocotribune.com On the afternoon of Monday, October 18, Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab will appear before a judge in Miami, United States, after having been illegally extradited from Cape Verde. This action has been classified by the Venezuelan government as a kidnapping by the US with the complicity of Cape Verdean authorities. | A spokeswoman for the US Justice Department, Nicole Navas, reported that Saab is scheduled to appear at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 18 before Judge John J. O'Sullivan of the US Federal Court for the Southern District of Florida. "Saab was extradited today from Cape Verde to the United States to be process…

Editor2 (2021-10-18). Free Alex Saab Delegation at the African Bar Association. orinocotribune.com By John Philpot and Roger D. Harris — Oct 17, 2021 | John Philpot and Roger D. Harris offer an update on the legal aspects surrounding the case of Alex Saab. | Venezuelan government envoy Alex Saab was flown to the US on Saturday after more than a year detained in Cape Verde. The Venezuelan government denounced the "kidnapping" of the businessman, recalling that he carries a diplomatic passport, while his defense team pointed the finger at irregularities and political pressure as the extradition request moved through the Cape Verdean legal system. | In the following piece, written before the extradition, law…

Staff (2021-10-18). President Maduro: Venezuela Has Enough Doses to Vaccinate 80% of Population (Reopening in November and December). orinocotribune.com On Sunday, October 17, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, informed that the country has enough doses of COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinate 80% of Venezuelans. | President Maduro, who specified that Venezuela has reached a vaccination rate of 53.5% of the population with at least one dose, emphasized an important milestone to achieve—vaccination of 70% of the population by October 31. | "This goal is important because the scientific centers of the world, the World Health Organization, have stated that the objective is to generate what they call herd immunity," continued the president. "We must study wel…

sputniknews (2021-10-18). Whereabouts of American Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti Remain Unknown, Reports Say. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – US authorities remain unaware of the whereabouts of the American Christian missionaries and their families abducted in Haiti, The New York Times reports.

Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza (2021-10-17). Ambassador Alex Saab Kidnapping Consummated, Iván Duque Lectured by Delcy Rodríguez and Mexico Talks Suspended. orinocotribune.com Caracas, October 16, 2021 ( Alex Saab was taken away on board a US plane from Cape Verde's Sal Island to Florida, an action that was not notified to the diplomat's defense. According AP "journalist" Joshua Goodman, the Venezuelan diplomat was forced to board a small Gulfstream jet belongin…

Editor2 (2021-10-17). Politicians, Journalists and Lawyers to put War on Terror 'on Trial' at People's Tribunal. orinocotribune.com Politicians, lawyers and journalists are to put the war on terror "on trial" at a people's tribunal next week, ahead of Julian Assange's latest extradition hearing. | The second round of hearings of the Belmarsh Tribunal will see left-wing figures including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, veteran anti-war activist Tariq Ali and Ecuador's former president Rafael Correa "hold the US accountable for its war crimes." | The event was launched last year by Progressive International, with the first hearings held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. | It is inspired by the famous 1966 people's tribunal on the Vietnam…

scorinoco (2021-10-17). Amajac Woman to Replace Columbus Statue in Mexico City. orinocotribune.com The placement of the statue of an Indigenous woman in the Reforma Boulevard is considered an act of social and historical justice. | On October 12, celebrated as the Day of the Pluricultural Nation in Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, mayor of Mexico City, announced that a replica of the Young Woman of Amajac will take the place on the Reforma Boulevard from where the statue of Christopher Columbus was removed. The mayor made this announcement as she presented a project for the construction of the new monument, dedicated to the indigenous peoples of Mexico and as homage to their resistance against colonization. | "We fe…

Anonymous103 (2021-10-17). Texas Guardsmen Shot By Heavily Armed Cartel Gunmen At Border. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Originally published on Heavily armed drug cartels are becoming more aggressive along the Texas-Mexico border amid President Biden's immigration crisis. Last week, Fox News' Bill Melugin captured cartel members

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-10-17). Coercion, Kidnapping and Legal Malfeasance: The Illicit Route of the Alex Saab Case. libya360.wordpress.com Mission Verdad A poster calling for the release of diplomat Alex Saab in Caracas (Photo: Nurphoto / Getty Images). In multiple venues, including meetings that, within the framework of the dialogue process taking place in Mexico, the government of the Bolivarian Republic demanded the immediate and full release of Alex Naín Saab Morán. To this…

teleSUR, JCM (2021-10-17). Seis jefes militares maltratadores pasarán a retiro en Colombia. telesurtv.net Las dependencias por las que responden giran en torno a la inteligencia militar, el Comando General y varias divisiones.

teleSUR, JDO, JCM (2021-10-17). Pdte. Lasso advierte que disolverá Asamblea Nacional de Ecuador. telesurtv.net Expresó que disolverá el Legislativo si este no aprueba proyectos de leyes que le enviará en los próximos días.

teleSUR, JDO, JCM (2021-10-17). ONU insta a Cabo Verde liberar al diplomático Alex Saab. telesurtv.net Expertos independientes señalan a Gobierno de esa nación que viola los derechos humanos del embajador venezolano.

teleSUR, JL (2021-10-17). Gobierno venezolano suspende participación en Mesa de Diálogo tras secuestro del diplomático Alex Saab. telesurtv.net "Los derechos humanos de Alex Saab han sido violados por el Gobierno de Cabo Verde y el sistema jurídico de ese país", denunció Rodríguez.

teleSUR, HIM, MER (2021-10-17). Tribunal boliviano sentencia que autoproclamación de Jeanine àÅñez fue inconstitucional. telesurtv.net La sentencia de la Justicia boliviana refiere que, en 2019, la situación no era la correspondiente para una sucesión 'ipso facto'.

teleSUR, JL (2021-10-17). Asesinan a líder social en Chocó, el número 137 en Colombia. telesurtv.net Indepaz señala que desde la firma del Acuerdo de Paz en 2016 a la fecha, 1.252 líderes sociales han sido asesinados.

teleSUR, JL (2021-10-17). Venezuela denuncia a EE.UU. por secuestro de Alex Saab. telesurtv.net El Gobierno venezolano acusó a las autoridades de Cabo Verde por su complicidad en el secuestro de Saab.

Maria Fernanda Barreto (2021-10-17). The Scramble for Catatumbo. orinocotribune.com By María Fernanda Barreto — Oct 15, 2021 | The beautiful and strategic Catatumbo River originates in Colombia in the department of Norte de Santander and runs 240 kilometers until it reaches the Venezuelan border. From there it enters the state of Zulia, and flows its last 210 kilometers to empty its waters into Lake Maracaibo. Its basin occupies more than 24,000 sq km, most of that in Colombian territory. | By the 17th century, the Catatumbo River was a main route for trade flowing between Bogotá and Maracaibo, since the courses of the rivers Zulia and Catatumbo to Lake Maracaibo was much more expeditious,…

_____ (2021-10-17). Building Towards Climate Resilience In The Caribbean. popularresistance.org In 2017, Hurricane Maria raged across the Caribbean island of Dominica, leaving 31 people dead with many more still missing to this day. When the hurricane had passed, island residents were left to contend with widespread infrastructural damage and economic instability. Life as Dominicans knew it, would never be the same again.

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2021-10-17). Minister Plasencia and Michelle Bachelet Meet in Geneva. orinocotribune.com By instructions of the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and in strict adherence to Venezuela's policy of peace diplomacy, Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia held a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. | Minister Plasencia reported this on his Twitter account, adding a photograph of himself with the UN top official. | The minister explained that their conversation in Geneva, Switzerland, served as a space for Venezuela to raise the question of human rights regarding the constant acts of aggression and violence against Venezuelan migrants in othe…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-10-17). Nicaragua Calls on US Ambassador to Cease Covert Attacks. libya360.wordpress.com Kawsachun News The United States Ambassador to Nicaragua is being told to cease covert attacks and continued interference in Nicaragua with just weeks remaining before the country's general election. A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, dated Monday, October 11, denounces "continuing interference in the affairs of our country, on the…

_____ (2021-10-17). Brazil: GM Workers Reject Contract, Continue Strike In Defiance Of Union. popularresistance.org The readiness of workers to continue their struggle for jobs and decent wages is an expression of the growing resistance of the working class in Brazil and worldwide to the assault on their living conditions and the ruling class's demand for a new "normal" of mass COVID-19 infections. Recently, strikes in defense of living conditions were also conducted by Jurong shipyard workers in Espírito Santo, metalworkers in Paraná, app delivery workers throughout Brazil, and yesterday by teachers and municipal employees in Sà£o Paulo. | Since the beginning of the year, the living conditions of the working class have…

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2021-10-17). 21N: Opposition Looking to Form Alliances with Former Chavistas (APR's Uzcátegui) — Extreme Left and Right in Talks. orinocotribune.com With just over a month to go until the November 21 regional and municipal elections, in which Venezuelans will elect governors, mayors and legislative and municipal councilors, the opposition is seeking unlikely alliances in the hopes of overcoming the divisions that have characterized its current political situation. | An example of this is the case of one of the right-wing candidates for the mayorship of Caracas, Antonio Ecarri, who is still trying to win over votes despite the fact that the G4 coalition decided to nominate Tomás Guanipa instead. | Consequently, this week, Antonio Ecarri met Chavista dissidents…

_____ (2021-10-17). Venezuelan Government Envoy Alex Saab Extradited To The United States. popularresistance.org Venezuelan government envoy Alex Saab has been extradited to the United States from Cape Verde, where he had been imprisoned since 2020. The extradition was first reported by local Cape Verde outlets and later confirmed by US officials. The contractor will face trial in Florida where he was charged with money laundering. The Nicolás Maduro government immediately reacted, denouncing the "kidnapping" of Saab by the US government.

Zoe Alexandra (2021-10-17). Venezuela condemns illegal kidnapping of envoy Alex Saab. peoplesdispatch.org Venezuela's special diplomatic envoy, Alex Saab, was extradited to the United States on Saturday October 16 after being detained in Cape Verde for 491 days. Saab was arrested in Cape Verde on June 12, 2020 at the request of the US government when his plane was refueling at the Amilcar Cabral International Airport on the island of Sal. Following his extradition on Saturday, the Venezuelan government released an Venezuela's representa…

jz 2021-10-18 21:26 | 17:26 EST | 48 | 0 | 20 | 28 | 0