2020-07-20: News Headlines

Loretta Graceffo (2020-07-20). Community peacemakers in Chicago offer a proven alternative to policing. zcomm.org As calls to defund police grow, peacemakers on the frontlines of Chicago's gun violence epidemic have dramatically reduced homicides and shootings…

yenisafak (2020-07-20). Turkish, Libyan and Maltese ministers meet in Ankara. yenisafak.com Turkey's defense minister on Monday held a trilateral meeting with Libya's interior minister, and Malta's minister of home affairs and national security in the capital.The high-ups came to Turkey on an official visit after an invitation by Ankara.Before the joint sitting, Hulusi Akar held separate meetings with Libya's Fathi Bashagha and Malta's Byron Camilleri.According to sources, regional cooperation on defense and security, and efforts in contributing to regional stability and peace were discussed during the trilateral session.Libya has been torn by a civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi i…

_____ (2020-07-20). Inside The Battle For Portland. popularresistance.org On the night of July 11, as hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters amassed around the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, federal Homeland Security officers opened fire with "crowd control" munitions. They shot a teargas canister directly at the head of Donavan LaBella, a peaceful protester who had been standing across the street holding a sign. The video that captured the protester — unconscious, bleeding and being carried to safety by other demonstrators and street medics — went viral almost immediately, pushing state officials to make public statements and demand that federal law enforcement pul…

RT (2020-07-20). St. Louis couple charged with illegal use of arms for 'threatening peaceful protesters' who crashed into their private community. rt.com The St. Louis couple who confronted Black Lives Matter protesters with firearms after they breached a gated community have been hit with weapons charges, with a city attorney insisting the demonstration was peaceful. | The two residents, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, were charged on Monday following an incident late last month in which the couple met protesters outside their upscale home wielding firearms after demonstrators entered their private community to protest at the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson. | 1/ Statement from Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner – Today my office filed charges against Mark and Patri…

Stephen Sefton (2020-07-20). Nicaragua: No Stopping the Sandinista Revolution. globalresearch.ca 41 years on from the revolutionary triumph of 1979, the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) in Nicaragua looks stronger and with greater legitimacy than ever. Nicaragua embodies the same revolutionary paradox as Cuba and Venezuela. Despite all three countries …

Paul Dobson (2020-07-20). Venezuela Sees COVID-19 Outbreak at State Television Network. venezuelanalysis.com Caracas' regional government chief, Dario Vivas, has tested positive, while National Assembly President Luis Parra has been hospitalised with pneumonia-like symptoms.

_____ (2020-07-20). Paralyzed Companies Rescued By An 'Army' Of Volunteer Workers. popularresistance.org The Productive Workers' Army (EPO) is a grassroots movement composed of Venezuelan workers that came together in 2014. They dedicate their volunteer labor to rescuing various companies that have been paralyzed because of the economic situation which the country is going through, the shortages of spare parts and supplies due to the US blockade, and the various kinds of political destabilization. | The movement, with 2,270 members spread across the country, defines itself as "an unconventional army to win an unconventional war." | When the EPO is contacted by workers from the company in trouble, those best placed -…

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Israeli Forces Injure Many Palestinians, Including Medic at Peaceful Demonstration Near Nablus. imemc.org Two Palestinian civilians were injured, on Saturday, and many others choked on tear-gas fired by the Israeli forces, at a nonviolent protest in the village of Beita, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. WAFA correspondent stated that Palestinians held a demonstration, south of Nablus City in the northern occupied West Bank, …

Saúl Hernández (2020-07-19). Why are federal agents kidnapping Portland protesters? liberationnews.org Portland police have declared riots at largely peaceful protests and indiscriminately deployed tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets into crowds of hundreds of protesters.

RT (2020-07-19). 'Attempt to spoil a peace deal': Taliban spokesman says 'Russian bounties' story is fake news. rt.com A Taliban official has dismissed as fake and a byproduct of US political infighting the sensational New York Times report claiming Russia had paid it to kill US troops in Afghanistan, in a segment on RT's show Going Underground. | The story — based on anonymous sources — was broken by the Times last month, and triggered a fresh wave of anti-Trump indignation in the media and on the left. President Donald Trump himself called the story a "phony hit job," while his own Defense Department and Joint Chiefs of Staff said they were unable to corroborate it. | "This Russian bounties, it is not true," Taliba…

RT (2020-07-19). 'Not comfortable having them in our space': Portland mayor orders feds to be kicked out of police incident HQ as riots grip city. rt.com Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said he has banned federal officers, who were deployed to the city to protect federal property, from sharing headquarters with police amid claims they whisk "peaceful protesters" away in unmarked cars. | "Earlier today I directed that staff who are part of federal agency operations are no longer allowed to co-locate with the police bureau's incident command," Wheeler tweeted on Saturday. | Although the Democrat mayor acknowledged that "sharing a space" advanced cooperation between local and federal law enforcement, allowing for clearer communication, he said that "recent actions" by…

_____ (2020-07-19). SouthCom Warships Sailing Near Venezuelan Shores. popularresistance.org The United States Navy (US) sailed into Venezuelan waters, "to challenge the excessive claim of Venezuela on June 23", when the Minister of Popular Power for Defense, G / J Vladimir Padrino López , warned that a US ship entered 30 miles north of the Venezuelan coasts, calling the event a threat. | According to US military forces, the "Freedom of Navigation" operation in the Caribbean Sea is being carried out "outside 12 nautical miles off the Venezuelan coast." However, the ship sailed through an area that according to international law belongs to Venezuela. According to the Venezuelan Organic Law of Aquatic Spac…

Eds. (2020-07-18). Call for investigations into federal operatives in Portland. mronline.org "The jarring reports of federal law enforcement officers grabbing peaceful protestors off the street should alarm every single American. This is not the way a government operates in a functioning democracy."

The Canary (2020-07-18). Boris Johnson to reward people who backed Brexit with life peerages. thecanary.co Boris Johnson is to mark his first year in Downing Street by rewarding Brexit supporters with life peerages, it has been reported.Former England cricketer Ian Botham is among 30 new peers to be announced later this month, according to the Times. The list is also said to include four ex-Labour MPs — including Frank Field and Gisela Stuart — who both supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum.Botham publicly supported the Brexit campaign, appearing alongside Johnson before the referendum.Rewards and peace offerings: There will be peerages also for MPs and former Labour members Ian Austin and John Wood…

Ali Salam (2020-07-18). Several Palestinians Suffocate at Kufur Qaddoum, Nablus and Salfit Protests. imemc.org Three major demonstrations were held by Palestinians, on Friday, to express their objection to Israel's continued colonial settlement activities in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces opened fire, on Friday afternoon, towards Palestinians during a peaceful protest north of Nablus city, in Asira Ash-Shamaliyya town, northern West Bank, according to …

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Ethiopian premier in Eritrea to discuss regional issues. yenisafak.com Ethiopia's prime minister arrived in Eritrea on an official visit on Saturday.Abiy Ahmed was welcomed in the capital Asmara by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and other senior officials.The two leaders will confer on bilateral and regional issues, according to a statement by the Ethiopian premier's office.Relations between the neighboring countries were restored in June 2018 after two decades of mistrust and tensions.They fought a bloody war from 1998 to 2000 that claimed around 70,000 lives.Abiy won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for leading efforts to normalize Ethiopia and Eritrea's ties and for making regional…

RT (2020-07-18). Russian & Azerbaijani defense ministers talk on the phone amid Baku's tensions with Armenia. rt.com Russia's defense minister Sergey Shoigu and his Azeri counterpart Zakir Hasanov have discussed the situation in the Southern Caucasus during a phone call, Russia's Ministry of Defense has said. | The talks come after almost a week of border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have left more than a dozen dead on both sides, according to various estimates. Moscow had earlier offered to become a mediator in peace talks between the two former Soviet republics. | Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have remained tense since the early 1990s, when Nagorno-Karabakh, a large Armenian-populated enclave in…

RT (2020-07-18). As violent protests grip Portland for weeks, Dems call for an investigation of 'horrific' tactics by federal law enforcement. rt.com With Portland plagued by weeks of violent protests, including attacks on police, Oregon's leaders are demanding an investigation into federal officers who they branded an "occupying" force assaulting "peaceful protesters." | Four Democratic lawmakers from the state — US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as US House members Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici — called for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to probe the "violent actions of federal forces in Portland" on Friday. | Like Mayor Ted Wheeler, who said on Tuesday that his biggest wo…

Donald Monaco (2020-07-17). The Architecture of Domestic Repression in the United States. globalresearch.ca Millions of Americans have awakened to the shocking realization that they are living in a veritable police state as they witness unarmed peaceful protesters for racial justice being confronted by a …

Samantha Bruegger (2020-07-17). Of Toddlers, Wolves, and Public Lands Ranchers. counterpunch.org As I sit here thinking about wolves, my child is now peacefully sleeping in his room. I know he will awake tomorrow and much of his toddler fury will have subsided, creating a time for us to interact with each other positively. I can't help but think of the parallels between some bad-acting livestock producers, grazing on public lands across the West, and my raging pre-bedtime toddler. The evening meltdown ritual is full of entitlement, irrational beliefs, and a lot of whining. It is now in these precious hours of silence that I understand why these tantrums are so familiar. I hear the same chorus from stock grow…

news.un (2020-07-17). Wartime sexual violence a 'psychological weapon', sets back cause of peace. news.un.org Sexual violence is used as a war tactic and a political tool to dehumanize, destabilize and forcibly displace populations across the globe, the UN's expert on the issue told the Security Council on Friday, pressing countries to adopt a survivor-centred approach that ensures victims will not be forgotten.

teleSUR (2020-07-17). The US Increases Risk of War in South America, Lula Warns. telesurenglish.net Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva harshly criticized President Jair Bolsonaro's new National Defense Policy (NDP) and warned that the United States is pushing his country into a warlike conflict against Venezuela. | RELATED: | "I have been reading with concern the reports on the NDP new edition. Our governments have tried to make the defense policy and strategy instruments for peace, sovereignty, a…

_____ (2020-07-17). Nicaragua: The Revolution Won't Be Stopped. popularresistance.org 2019 was an amazing year in the search for peace in Nicaragua with The Amnesty Law and the promotion of reconciliation between neighbors in every corner of the nation. It was a year of life-giving advances in all aspects of wellbeing: poverty reduction, health, education, gender equity, recreation, culture and infrastructure; strengthened food security, and a new highway that joins Bluefields to the rest of the nation making the first paved transit route from the Caribbean to the Pacific. | And all this despite cruel US unconventional warfare against the Sandinistas that has gone on for decades and reached a peak…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-17). Mary Trump Says 'Crushing Defeat' of Her Uncle Needed to Increase Likelihood of 'Peaceful Transition' for Biden. commondreams.org On MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," Mary L. Trump warned viewers that anything less than a "resounding" victory for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in November will make it all the more likely that President Donald Trump, refuses to leave the White House. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-07-17_at_12.12.49_pm.jpg

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-17). Good News from Washington: AIPAC, Israel Losing to Progressive Democrats. counterpunch.org While the US administration of President Donald Trump remains adamant in its support for Israel, the traditional democratic leadership continues to employ underhanded language, the kind of 'strategic ambiguity' that offers full support to Israel and nothing but lip service to Palestine and peace. Trump's policies on Israel and Palestine have been damaging, culminating in

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-16). Iran ready to host intra-Afghan peace talks: Atmar. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 16 (MNA) — Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said on Thursday that Iran has offered readiness to host intra-Afghan peace negotiations.

_____ (2020-07-16). How America's Adult Children Who Never Grew Up Became Dostoyevsky's Demons. strategic-culture.org Many contributors on this platform have rightly pointed out the two most perplexing developments within the United States this century that carry truly terrifying implications for the peace and stability of the entire world: | The first is the manic American obsession with lecturing other nations around the world and then intervening recklessly and without end to topple governments and remake entire societies. Over the past half century these endless misadventures in so-called "nation building" (in reality the exact opposite, the destruction of nations) have failed catastrophically wherever they have been tried.

teleSUR (2020-07-16). Venezuela Denounces US Destroyer Incursion in Contiguous Zone. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza Thursday denounced to the international community that the USS Pinckney (DDG-91) warship sneaked into the "contiguous zone" of this South American country. | RELATED: | "It is an inexcusable act of provocation that aims to undermine our sovereignty and territorial integrity," Arreaza tweeted. | He also stressed that this act of "erratic and childish" provocati…

_____ (2020-07-16). Blockbuster Oil Bribery Scandal Exposes Corrupt Double-Dealing Of Guaidó 'Attorney General'. popularresistance.org Below the radar of US media, a district court in Florida tossed out a multibillion-dollar bribery case in March 2018 thanks to testimony delivered by a former member of the shadow administration of Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaidó. | That ex-official, Jose Ignacio Hernandez, served as attorney general in the US-backed Guaidó junta until July of this year. As this investigation will reveal, Hernandez's testimony was bought and paid for by foreign oil giants with an interest in defrauding Venezuela's state petroleum company out of billions of dollars. | These corporate titans, which included some of the world's l…