2020-10-01: News Headlines

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-10-01). Democracy: It's Not Dark Yet, But It's Getting There. counterpunch.org "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the [fill in the country] voters to be left to decide for themselves." — Henry Kissinger, Nobel Peace prize winner and war criminal Ever since the

sputniknews (2020-10-01). Two Iranian-Flagged Tankers Reportedly Arrive in Venezuela as Maduro Vows to Improve Gasoline Output. sputniknews.com In May, five Iranian tankers delivered more than a million barrels of oil to Venezuela, hit by a serious fuel shortage caused by US sanctions.

yenisafak (2020-10-01). Turkish cross-border, peacekeeping missions up for extension. yenisafak.com Turkey's parliament is due to consider a motion extending authorization to launch cross-border anti-terrorist operations in northern Iraq and Syria, as well as deploy peacekeeping forces to the countries of Lebanon, Mali, and the Central African Republic.The motion, submitted on Thursday by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, would allow the Turkish military to carry out cross-border operations in northern Iraq and Syria for another year, from Oct. 30, 2020 until Oct. 30, 2021.The motion states that Turkey places great importance on protecting Iraq's territorial integrity, national unity, and stability."

Lawrence Wittner (2020-09-30). Where Does the Democratic Party Stand on War, Peace, and International Relations? counterpunch.org After nearly four years of the Trump administration, U.S. voters have a pretty good idea of the policies that the President and his Republican allies champion when it comes to America's dealings with other nations. These policies include massive increases in military spending, lengthy wars abroad, threats of nuclear war, withdrawal from climate and nuclear

Jeff Jurgens (2020-09-30). Meet the Candidates — Sri Kulkarni and Dana Balter. peaceaction.org Join pro-peace candidates Sri Kulkarni (TX-22) and Dana Balter (NY-24) LIVE Thursday 10/1 at 8pm Eastern! Despite all the unpredictability this year has presented us with, one thing remains certain: this election will be the most important in our lifetime. We invite you to join us in the final of our "Meet the Candidates" series …

Manuel García, Jr. (2020-09-30). Conflict and Choice for Human Survival. counterpunch.org What can you say about people for whom the beauty of Nature does not inspire, and the fear of its destruction does not motivate? People do not change unless they feel pain. Politics does not allow for social improvements unless first stung by social revolts. The idea of a spontaneous, peaceful and uneventful evolution of

RT (2020-09-30). Fokin fired: Ukraine's Zelensky sacks ex-PM from his Donbass peace delegation for saying Russia is not at war with Kiev. rt.com Former Prime Minister Vitold Fokin has been removed from Ukraine's delegation to the contact group tasked with regulating the Donbass conflict after remarks he made in Kiev's parliament that were deemed to be supportive of Russia. | The comments, which Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky's office called "appalling," were delivered in the Verkhovnaya Rada on Tuesday, where Fokin, Ukraine's first prime minister, was outlining his vision for how to achieve peace in the Donbass. | "I see no signs of a war [in the east of the country] between the Russian Federation and Ukraine," he replied in answer to a question…

W.T. Whitney Jr. (2020-09-29). Colombia-U.S. Axis: Hitting at Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Iván Duque, meeting in Bogotá on Sept. 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the

_____ (2020-09-29). Unfounded UN Report On Venezuela Used As Regime Change Tool. popularresistance.org The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a report* by the Independent Mission to Determine the Facts in Venezuela (Independent Mission), which accuses Venezuela of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment committed since 2014." The veracity, timing, and political intent of this report is best understood in the context of a campaign led by the U.S. to overthrow Venezuela's democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro and before him of Hugo Chávez. | Venezuela is a historically petroleum exporting nation and has consequently suffered from the crash in the international oil prices starting in 20…

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-09-29). On the Precipice of Tyranny. counterpunch.org As if climate change, its consuming heat and fires, and the killer pandemic plague were not enough, the country is getting closer to tyranny — by the day. Trump refuses peaceful transfer of power President Trump keeps saying the only result of the November 3 elections he will accept is his own reelection. His refusal

news.un (2020-09-29). Nuclear threat against North Korea 'continues unabated', UN ambassador tells Assembly. news.un.org During the past several decades, North Korea has done "everything possible" to safeguard peace and security on the Korean peninsula, the country's representative told the UN high-level General Debate on Tuesday.

Black Alliance for Peace (2020-09-29). Racism, Militarism and Materialism = AFRICOM. globalresearch.ca A year before the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered, he declared the United States was the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet. | Some people today focus on the moral implications of this statement, disconnected from the …

news.un (2020-09-29). UN Middle East envoy urges sides to engage 'before it is too late'. news.un.org Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and their international partners, must urgently resume peace efforts "before it is too late", UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov told the Security Council on Tuesday, echoing the Secretary-General.

news.un (2020-09-29). UAE expresses hopes for Middle East peace talks following 'historic' accord with Israel. news.un.org The historic agreement normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should boost efforts towards achieving regional peace and a brighter future for generations to come, the UAE's Foreign Affairs Minister told the UN General Assembly in a pre-recorded speech broadcast on Tuesday.

_____ (2020-09-29). Venezuela: Democracy Versus Blockade. popularresistance.org On December 6 there will be elections in Venezuela to elect all the deputies to the National Assembly (NA), an event of extraordinary political transcendence. But before going into that subject I will mention the elections that will be held in several Latin American countries in the coming months, all of them are very important in the dispute for our America between the right-wing and the popular forces. | On October 18, general elections in Bolivia, where Evo Morales' MAS is the favorite to win in the first round, but the big question remains whether the same oligarchic and racist group that, supported by Washin…

sputniknews (2020-09-29). Pundit on Trump: I'll Vote for Man Who'll Bring Peace Back to US Regardless of What He Paid in Taxes. sputniknews.com On 27 September, The New York Times published an "investigation", in which it claimed that Donald Trump's tax bill was only $750 in both 2016 and 2017 – after he became US president. According to the newspaper, Trump paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years.

yenisafak (2020-09-29). Germany calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to end fighting. yenisafak.com Germany on Tuesday called for an immediate cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia, amid the heaviest clashes in years in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, spoke on the phone with presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia on the recently escalated conflict, and called for a peaceful solution, the government spokesman said on Twitter."The Chancellor has underlined the urgent need for an immediate cease-fire and return to the negotiation table," Steffen Seibert said, adding that Germany supports diplomatic efforts of OSCE…

news.un (2020-09-29). To UN, Israeli Prime Minister says 'no doubt' more Arab countries will soon join 'circle of peace'. news.un.org While telling the UN General Assembly on Tuesday there was "good news" to report about the "expanding circle of peace" between Israel and some Arab countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also accused Hezbollah militants of storing weapons in a residential area of Beirut.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Nicolas Maduro: Venezuela's Truth. telesurenglish.net Your Excellency, President of the General Assembly, Mr. Volkan Bozkir, Your Excellency, SecretaryGeneral, Mr. António Guterres, Heads of State, Heads of Government Authorities participating in this 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly | First, I want to apologize for removing my face mask, which is necessary in this time of pandemic, and I want to greet all who watch and listen to us around the world. | Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on behalf of the Constitutional Government of Venezuela and the People of our Bolivarian Republic for assuming the Presidency of this 75th Session of…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Venezuela: President Maduro To Present Anti-Blockade Bill. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Sunday announced that he will present an Anti-Blockade Constitutional Bill to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). | RELATED: | During his intervention in the meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Control and Prevention of COVID-19, he informed about this initiative to fight the U.S. arbitrary sanctions. | "It is an Anti-Blockade Bill that has been created and studied…

Miko Peled (2020-09-28). How AOC Challenged the Myth of Yitzhak Rabin the Peacemaker. mintpressnews.com When it was publicized that AOC was pulling out of a Yitzhak Rabin memorial, Peace Now's Israel PR man called him "a warrior with skeletons turned peacemaker, a description that betrays his bloody past.

yenisafak (2020-09-28). Afghan official Abdullah in Pakistan for talks on peace bid. yenisafak.com Senior Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah arrived in Pakistan on Monday for meetings in a country seen as vital to the success of Afghan talks aimed at ending decades of war.During his three-day visit to Islamabad, Abdullah, a former foreign minister and chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as Pakistan's foreign minister.Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been rocky. Afghanistan and its international allies have for years accused Pakistan of backing Taliban insurgents as a way to limit the influence of old rival Indi…

Paul Dobson (2020-09-28). Attorney General Backs 'Restructuring' Venezuela's Controversial FAES Special Forces. venezuelanalysis.com Campesino leader and National Assembly candidate Isabel Granado was illegally arrested by the FAES on Thursday.

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-09-28). Trump Admin Poised To Gift Israel $11 Billion In Bid to Secure Another Arab-Israeli "Peace" Treaty. mintpressnews.com Trump's arrangement to sell F-35 warplanes to the United Arab Emirates has prompted Israel to issue a list of demands — including must-have advanced aircraft and other accouterments.

_____ (2020-09-28). US Sanctions Opposition Parties In Venezuela Ahead Of Elections. popularresistance.org Elections for Venezuela's National Assembly are fast approaching. But the United States does not want them to go ahead at all. Sanctions on Venezuela are nothing new. But yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the unusual step of sanctioning leaders of local opposition parties in an attempt to pressure them to pull out of the contest in December. | Remarkably, considering the well-documented flaws with the same problems in the U.S., Pompeo's statement dubiously claimed that Venezuelan voting machines are unreliable, that millions of voters remain unregistered, and that the country's supreme electoral counc…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-28). Iran backs peaceful stability of all ethnic groups in Bosnia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 28 (MNA) — Iranian ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina said that Islamic Republic of Iran supports the amicable coexistence, integrity and stability of all ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

yenisafak (2020-09-28). US, Greece call for peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in east Mediterranean. yenisafak.com The United States and Greece called on Monday for a peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in the east Mediterranean as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began a two-day trip to Greece amid increased regional tension over energy resources.NATO allies Greece and Turkey, at loggerheads on a range of issues, have agreed to resume exploratory talks over contested maritime claims following weeks of tensions."The United States and Greece … reaffirmed their belief that maritime delimitation issues should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law," the United States and Greece, also NATO allies, s…