Redcuban1959 [any]

The 72% of the registered voters in the United States say that the current President Joe Biden should not run for re-election, according to a poll by CBS News and YouGov after his bad break on Thursday’s debate with Donald Trump.

Voters say Biden is not in “mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president,” at his 81 years old. Although he was physically awkward and at times hesitant, incoherent and without finishing a sentence, the current tenant of the White House said the next day that he did not plan to leave the race to get a second term.

86% of those questioned in the survey consider Biden’s age to be a key reason he should not run, and 72% say Biden does not have the mental and cognitive health to be president, seven points more than in early June.

When asked more directly whether Biden should step aside as a Democratic candidate to give another Democrat a chance to run, 64% of voters said he should.

The poll, which was conducted on Friday and Saturday among 1,134 registered voters and has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points, also shows concern for Trump, 78, by voters.

On ther other hand, Democracy Corps survey of Democratic-leaning voters, who used words such as “confused”, “frail”, and “dementia” to describe the president’s debate performance, Politico reported.

The Guardian reports that for this poll, made before and after the debate, 65% said they would vote for Biden before the debate, only 54% said he won the debate once it ended, according to the survey.

A poll by CNN, the network in charge of the first debate among the November presidential candidates, indicated on Thursday that registered voters who saw the meeting “think largely that Trump surpassed Biden”,

“Most say they have no real confidence in Biden’s ability to lead the country. At the same time, most of those who tuned in to the program say it had little or no effect on their election for president,” the channel said.

He asked former president Evo Morales not to join those who deny the coup d’état, a matrix that serves disunity and imperialist interference.

The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, stressed this Sunday that what happened in that country last June 26 was a failed coup d’état and asked former President Evo Morales not to replicate the narrative of fascism, which not only denies it but insists that it was a self-coup planned by the Government.

He asserted that “those responsible who sought to seize power by force are being prosecuted and will be tried, as was the case of the coup plotters of 2019”, he said in relation to the coup of November of that year, when military and police commanders forced Morales to resign under a false matrix of electoral fraud mounted by the local oligarchy in complicity with the U.S. and the Organization of American States (OAS), some of those responsible were arrested and subjected to criminal proceedings.

This morning, during statements made to a local radio station, Evo Morales, who had vehemently condemned the failed coup d’état, admitted that he is confused about the coup d’état. In spite of this, he blamed Arce of having committed a self-coup.

He expressed that “initially until Wednesday (26th) night, even on Thursday (27th) morning, I thought it was a coup (of State), but now I am confused, it looks like a self-coup”.

In that space he commented that he suspects that it was an action planned by the head of state. Through his networks, he pointed out that “Arce deceived and lied to the Bolivian people and the world”.

After his criteria, the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, offered statements to the media and said that Evo Morales ended up joining the story of the coup general Juan José Zúñiga and the fascist right wing of denying the gorilazo.

“Do not be mistaken with history and the people by joining today the discourse and statements of a coup plotter and the fascist right that once again, as at the time he pointed out that there was fraud (and not coup in 2019), pretends to distort history. Do not join in being a puppet, marionette and an instrument of imperialism that intends to plunder in our country.” Prada added that the political opposition is also part of that narrative.

He stressed that unlike the 2019 coup, on June 26 Bolivia faced a displacement of armed military that tried to seize power in a planned manner, even with the participation of elite groups.

Although investigations into the failed coup d’état began a few days ago, 21 military officers and civilians implicated have been arrested and have revealed that their organization began last May. One of the high ranking officers involved, former Air Force commander General Marcelo Zegarra, declared in a prosecutor’s statement that Zúñiga assured that he had the support of the “American Embassy, the Libyan Embassy and the European Community”.

The differences of opinion between Arce and Morales go back months. In an interview given after the coup d’état was neutralized thanks to the firmness of the people and his government, Arce said: “We believe that the political instrument, the MAS (Movement Towards Socialism), belongs to the social organizations; they are the owners, the ones who created the instrument. Therefore, they are the ones who have to decide who are their candidates for deputies, senators, mayors, president, vice-president. On the other hand, comrade Evo wants to be the owner of the political instrument. That is where we are divided”.

He added: “They are afraid that we will reposition ourselves and that is why we have an economic boycott in the Legislative Assembly, which everybody knows (…) Economic laws, of credits that have to be approved by the Assembly. Absolutely nothing advances, there is a clear boycott by the opposition and when I speak of opposition I also refer to the pro-evolution wing”.

‘Yesterday we experienced an episode of a chapter that has not yet concluded,’ the former Interior Minister pointed out. In an interview with teleSUR journalist Marcela Heredia on Thursday, Bolivian economist Hugo Moldiz analyzed the failed coup d’état in his country. Below are the main aspects addressed by the former Bolivian Interior Minister.

In what sense could it be said that the defense of democracy in Bolivia was successful?

HUGO MOLDIZ: Various factors converged to prevent the Bolivian democracy and legally constituted government from suffering a coup by some military personnel. Firstly, President Luis Arce’s attitude was crucial. He did not leave; instead, he stayed to confront the coup-plotting general and ordered him to stand down. Although the general refused his request, Arce did not back down and remained firm in facing the situation.

Secondly, the rapid response of thousands of people who mobilized towards the government headquarters, the Big House. In Murillo Square, there were some confrontations between civilians and military, fortunately without any casualties on either side. However, there were no significant clashes.

Thirdly, the quick reaction of the international community, which included progressive governments, the Organization of American States (OAS), and even some right-wing presidents.

Fourthly, General Zuñiga’s inability to get other units and regiments to join the attempt. At 12:30, he ordered the troops to barracks, and they complied without knowing the reason. However, when Gen. Zuñiga took Murillo Square, the 8th Division stationed in Santa Cruz and the 7th Division stationed in Cochabamba decided not to join the coup adventure.

The same happened with the soldiers in Challapata, where there are heavy assault vehicles. Practically, Zuñiga was left alone. Additionally, even some opposition sectors rejected the coup, although this later changed.

What was the treatment of the mass media regarding the coup attempt? Did this treatment contribute to the Bolivian people coming out to defend their democracy?

HUGO MOLDIZ: Many media outlets maintained an apparent neutrality. Nevertheless, this operated as a mechanism in favor of President Luis Arce. However, there is still much to analyze and find out if this apparent neutrality was real or not. Initially, the government was somewhat imprecise in indicating that there was an “unusual movement of troops.” A few minutes later, the government quickly corrected itself and denounced the existence of a coup attempt.

There are a set of facts that debunk the hypothesis of a self-coup. And this deserves to be remembered especially in Venezuela because when the coup against President Hugo Chavez failed, when the attempt to overthrow the Bolivarian revolution failed, opposition sectors tried to install narratives claiming it was a self-coup.

Despite the spatial and temporal distances, we are in a similar scenario. The project to shorten President Arce’s mandate has not concluded. The ways to achieve it will be different. Yesterday we saw one of them, but that does not mean that other ways to achieve an early general election will not appear.

People in Murillo Square were shouting, “Lucho is not alone, damn it!” This expression is very important because, ultimately, the Bolivian people took charge of safeguarding the institutionality.

HUGO MOLDIZ: Yes, the people’s quick reaction was fundamental. I would say that even citizens who did not vote for Arce, although they were not in Murillo Square, showed signs of being against a coup due to its potential consequences. In 2019, the people already suffered the coup against President Evo Morales, which the elites disguised using the mechanism of resignation.

Yesterday, there was also a coup attempt against Luis Arce, which some supporters of the former president are unfortunately questioning. They are not making an objective reading because much remains to be investigated. I do not believe that General Zuñiga attempted a coup just because he was told he would be relieved of his post 24 hours before.

No, a coup is not organized overnight. The fortunately aborted coup attempt began to take shape about 48 hours earlier when Zuñiga threatened Bolivian democracy, saying he would arrest former President Morales, which the armed forces cannot do unless under exceptional regimes.

Vice President David Choquehuanca said, “Democracy has prevailed in Bolivia, but we must remain vigilant for the good of our country and future generations. We request that ordinary and military justice judge General Zuñiga and all responsible with the full rigor of the law to prevent any future coup attempts. We thank the entire population, social organizations, mayors, and the international community for defending the democracy that cost us so much to recover.” What can you tell us about his statements?

HUGO MOLDIZ: We must see the whole board and not just what happened yesterday. President Arce is facing a blockade from the legislative function and an incipient articulation of social forces that are closing in on him so that he has no other alternative but to call early elections.

Unfortunately, among those forces are some sectors related to farmers, heavy transporters, and businessmen. I fully agree with what the Vice President said. Yesterday we experienced an episode of a chapter that has not yet concluded.

Disrupting the danger that still threatens Bolivian democracy depends on how the Arce government reacts, what adjustments it quickly makes in its management, and how it consolidates broad political relations within the popular field.

Weeks ago, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that Haiti is getting closer to famine every day. On Thursday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reiterated its warning that Haiti remains threatened by famine today.

According to the FAO, the Caribbean country is among the nine nations in the world that could suffer from this scourge, and is one of the five nations where more than 10 percent of the population is in a state of food emergency.

The international agency announced a new phase of acute food insecurity deterioration between June and October 2024.

Weeks ago, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that Haiti is getting closer to famine every day.

“Haitians are on the brink of collapse: one in two people are going hungry today. Rising hunger is exacerbating the country’s security crisis. We need urgent action now: waiting to respond to this situation in its full magnitude is not an option,” stressed WFP’s director here, Jean-Martin Bauer.

He noted that as violence, inflation and poor harvests worsen, levels of food insecurity worsen.

Between August 2023 and February 2024, the cost of the food basket increased by 22 per cent, making food unaffordable for millions of Haitians, he was quoted as saying by Le Nouvelliste.

They are now forced to resort to desperate coping strategies, such as buying on credit and going into debt, selling animals, seeds and other assets to survive.

The newspaper noted that 4.97 million people face higher levels of acute food insecurity, and 1.64 million citizens have already reached emergency status.

Violence hinders the delivery of food and other humanitarian assistance.

According to local media reports, a single vote will be taken on the entire text of the Basic Law with the changes that were incorporated in the Senate, which include the privatization of a group of state enterprises.

With the presence of 131 legislators, the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina began at noon this Thursday a special session to validate the Bases Bill and the Fiscal Package, after the Senate generally approved that law last week.

According to local media reports, a single vote will be taken on the entire text of the Basic Law with the changes that were incorporated in the Senate, which include the privatization of a group of state enterprises.

Although for the moment Aerolíneas Argentinas, Correo Argentino and Radio-Televisión Argentina Sociedad del Estado were excluded, the ruling party has already made clear that it will later present specific laws to privatize them.

Ley Bases is considered a tool of the neoliberal president Javier Milei to dismantle the state, deregulate the economy and grant more privileges to the great fortunes.

As regards the tax package, its opinion will comprise four votes. It is estimated that the highest will be those corresponding to the replenishment of the income tax and personal property. In the case of this tax, broad popular sectors question that the party of President Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza) and other political forces want to consider the wage as profit and with it they will attack the private property of the worker, which contradicts his usual defense of private property.

According to the Union for the Fatherland (UxP) deputy, Vanesa Siley, in less than a year the government of Miley already wants to put his hand in the pocket of the workers and take salary to 35 percent of them. He also warned that they will do so in violation of several articles of the Constitution and with the approval of a single chamber (Deputies) in a country that is bicameral.

Because of the importance of the issue, left-wing organizations-including the Left Front, the Workers’ Pole, the Class-Struggle Current, and the Workers’ Union of the Popular Economy (UTEP)- announced that they will stage marches in the vicinity of Congress in rejection of the Bases Law.

They will also require parliamentarians to reject changes introduced by the Senate and not to validate the bill.

For its part, UxP said it will file appeals in court if the Personal Gains and Property tax is approved this Thursday. The debate of these norms in the Senate provoked mobilizations in the vicinity of Congress, violently repressed, with several injured and dozens of detainees.

The announcement comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the European Union said that nine thousand Palestinians need urgent medical evacuation by the end of 2024, amid a brutal Israeli offensive in Gaza.

On Thursday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store confirmed that the Nordic country will accept and treat Palestinians injured as a result of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Norway will participate in the international effort to help Palestinians in urgent need of hospital treatment, VG media reported.

The announcement comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the European Union said that nine thousand Palestinians need urgent medical evacuation by the end of 2024, amid a brutal Israeli offensive in Gaza.

In addition, Norway will contribute to airlifting Palestinian patients to other countries.

In this way, we can contribute to helping many more people than we have the capacity to bring to Norway for treatment, Store told VG.

The government has decided that up to 20 patients with family members from Gaza can be flown to Norway for treatment in Norwegian hospitals, he said.

According to the Norwegian prime minister, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic and its health system has collapsed. Last month, Norway officially recognized Palestine as a state.

As early as December last year, health organizations and the UN warned that the health system in Gaza was in a state of serious disrepair.

Today, only 12 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operational, according to the latest reports. Since then, more than 37,700 Palestinians have died in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 86,400 have been injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly nine months after the Israeli war, vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it broke out.