(2023-11-28). El Salvador has largest army in Central America. plenglish.com When President Nayib Bukele took office in 2019, he promised to increase the number of military personnel to 40,000 troops. Today, it has reached 24,500, the highest compared with Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, where there are 27,460 police officers. | La Prensa Gráfica newspaper indicated that in the last five years, the defense budget has increased from 141 to 250.6 million dollars in 2023. The military forces currently participate in missions in the war declared against gangs along with the police. | The data published in the digital magazine states that El Salvador is the second Central American country…
(2023-11-27). US Sanctions Hit Nicaragua's Social Investment Programs. popularresistance.org Which country spends nearly two-thirds of its budget on tackling poverty? When I met Nicaragua's finance minister, Ivan Acosta, he had just presented his 2024 budget to its National Assembly, and he made clear that a large part of it is aimed at doing just that. | In cash terms, Nicaragua's government will spend about 24% more in 2024 than in the current year, which includes a huge increase (43%) in public sector investment. Acosta explained how the country would continue its recent advances in health, education, transport, energy, water supply, housing and local government services. Less than 3% of spending is f…
(2023-11-28). European Union Eases Some Illegal Sanctions Against Venezuela. orinocotribune.com The European Union (EU) agreed to relax some of the sanctions imposed on Venezuela, with the objective of " facilitating organizations to deliver humanitarian aid," in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations. | The group currently consisting of 27 countries agreed to introduce exceptions to the asset freeze that the EU maintains against Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Guinea, Lebanon, Burma, Nicaragua, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. | Referring to United Nations (UN) resolution 2664, passed in 2022, the EU can carry out financial transactions if the objective is to ensure humanitarian assist…
(2023-11-27). The Present State of Our Art World. counterpunch.org 
For a very long time, at least since the 1980s, there has been a dramatic contrast between the politics of most art writers and artists and those of the collector class. The art writers and artists who had any political concerns have been liberal-leftists, while their collectors often have had decidedly conservative views. (Here of