Daily Archives: July 1, 2020

2020-07-01: News Headlines

Tim Wheeler (2020-07-01). Imogene Williams, 89; A gentle soul with an iron will. peoplesworld.org SEATTLE—Imogene Williams, a gentle soul with an iron will to win progressive change died peacefully at her home May 24, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In her years as a political activist, she was arrested for worthy causes dozens of times. She door-belled for progressive candidates in Seattle including for Rep. Pramila Jayapal, …

Josue De Luna Navarro (2020-07-01). The Victory of DACA Is a Reminder that Nothing Will Put Us Down. commondreams.org The decision on DACA is a huge victory for our undocumented communities, but it's also a reminder to the present administration, and future administrations, that we won't stop mobilizing and organizing for people's collective freedom to move—and stay—in unity and peace. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/immigrants.jpg

MDKLPG (2020-07-01). As Monuments to War Generals Come Down, Let's Replace Them with Monuments to Peace. counterpunch.org The monuments to Confederate generals and to those who fought to maintain slavery are coming down. That's a good thing and long overdue. It cannot stop there, however, as we move not only to eradicate their symbolism, but the very real systemic racism they represent, and which sadly persists in this country. But should some

yenisafak (2020-07-01). 'Priority in Syria political unity, territorial integrity'. yenisafak.com Protecting the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria is a priority, the Turkish president said Wednesday."Maintaining the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria, the establishment of calm on the ground and a lasting solution to the conflict are our priority," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a Turkey-Russia-Iran summit under the Astana process via video conference."We'll continue to do our best to provide peace, security and stability in our neighbor Syria," he said.The trilateral meeting is ongoing with the attendance of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Puti…

Fire Drill Fridays, Greenpeace, others (2020-07-01). Friday 7/3: Virtual Independence Day Rally: Climate Change & Systemic Racism in America. indybay.org Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/firedrillfriday/

_____ (2020-07-01). Spain's Zapatero: There Are Governments That Regret Having Recognized Guaido. popularresistance.org Former Spain Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero believes that there are governments that regret having recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela back in early 2019. | "I do not know if they will say it in public, but that reflection is there," Zapatero said during an interview with the Argentine radio station Radio La Pizarra. | His statements are based on the global disappointment that Guaidó has created, whose leadership has been overshadowed after his participation in the failed Operation Gideon, intended to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. | The Spanis…

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-01). Venezuela's borderlands have been assaulted by COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org Over 70,000 Venezuelan migrants have returned to the country due to the uncontrolled coronavirus outbreaks in the neighboring countries. Venezuela has welcomed them and provided free testing and treatment…

_____ (2020-07-01). Manitos Children's Fund To Support Venezuelan Children Despite Sanctions. popularresistance.org Manitos Children's Fund grows out of the decades old Latin America solidarity movement which has worked to change US policies toward Latin America for over 60 years. Because of our history we are most focused on the effects of sanctions on the children of Latin America, with Venezuela being the most targeted by illegal sanctions currently. | Democratic and Republican administrations have both issued sanctions against the democratically-elected government of Venezuela, but since taking office in 2017, President Trump has ratcheted up the pain factor with an aggressive attack on the Venezuelan economy. In August 20…

_____ (2020-07-01). Venezuela Slams Interpol Arrest Of CLAP Contractor In Cape Verde. popularresistance.org Alex Nain Saab Moran, 48, was arrested on the archipelago island while on a technical stop-over in his private jet on Friday. He was allegedly en route to the Islamic Republic of Iran to negotiate food import contracts on behalf of the government's subsidized CLAP food program, as well as medicine and other imports needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced Saab's arrest as "illegal," claiming that no Interpol warrant existed at the time of detention. He also accused the French-based international policing organization of violating "the diplomatic immunity which international…

sputniknews (2020-07-01). Venezuela's National Electoral Council Sets December 6 as Parliamentary Elections Date. sputniknews.com Venezuela's National Electoral Council on Wednesday set December 6 as the date for parliamentary elections.

news.un (2020-06-30). Iran nuclear deal still best way to ensure peace, DiCarlo tells Security Council. news.un.org The UN regrets that the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is in doubt, but notwithstanding current challenges, that landmark deal is still the best way to ensure that Iran's nuclear programme proceeds along a peaceful path, the UN's top political official said on Tuesday.

Thierry Meyssan (2020-06-30). How the Big Two can establish peace in the Greater Middle East. thealtworld.com

| To make peace, it's quite simple: you just have to stop making war with each other. But in the Greater Middle East, it is much more complicated, because there are a multitude of actors for whom a solution, whatever it may be, must satisfy conflicting claims. Under these conditions, no peace can be totally just, but it can at least, and must, guarantee the security of all. | This article is a follow-up to : " Throughout 2011 an…

yenisafak (2020-06-30). 'Changing Kashmir demography threatens peace in S.Asia'. yenisafak.com Pakistan's prime minister on Tuesday said the granting of domicile certificates to thousands of Indian nationals in the Jammu and Kashmir region has imperiled "peace and security" in South Asia."First, India's attempt at illegal annexation of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and now its attempts to alter IOJK's [Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] demographic structure incl[uding] by issuance of domicile certificates to 25,000 Indian nationals are all illegal, in violation of UNSC resolutions, and international law, including [the] 4th Geneva Convention," Imran Khan said in a series of tweets.He was referring to…

yenisafak (2020-06-30). Pompeo: US told Taliban not to attack Americans. yenisafak.com US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had a video conference with Taliban Deputy and chief negotiator Mullah Baradar, the State Department said Tuesday.The two men discussed Monday the implementation of the US-Taliban peace agreement, according to a statement by spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus."The Secretary made clear the expectation for the Taliban to live up to their commitments, which include not attacking Americans," said Ortagus, who did not provide information about reports of Russian payments to Taliban militants for targeting American troops in Afghanistan.The New York Times reported late last week that a Russ…

sputniknews (2020-06-30). St. Louis Couple Who Pointed Weapons at BLM Protesters Offer Reason Why They Acted in That Fashion. sputniknews.com On Sunday, a white couple in St. Louis, Missouri, stole the spotlight on social media after the appeared in a viral video pointing firearms at unarmed and peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators who were passing in the vicinity of the couple's mansion while en route to Mayor Lyda Krewson's house.

Staff (2020-06-30). #OccupyCityHall: Mayor's "Tone Deaf" Pledge to Move $1B from NYPD Budget Fails to Satisfy Protesters. democracynow.org New York police have closed in on peaceful protesters camped outside City Hall who are demanding $1 billion be cut from the police department's $6 billion budget, as the city approaches its July 1 budget deadline. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a budget deal that would move $1 billion in NYPD funding in an apparent nod to protesters' demands, but organizers say they're not satisfied. "All they've really done is shifted money from the NYPD budget over to school safety officers," says Bianca Cunningham with the #OccupyCityHall encampment, who adds that school safety officers still contribute to a school-to-prison p…

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-06-30). Venezuela's Maduro Expels EU Ambassador Following New Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The Venezuelan president demanded "respect" from European countries.

_____ (2020-06-30). Trump's Second Thoughts On Juan Guaido Are Not Enough. popularresistance.org After nearly a year and a half of all-out efforts at regime change in Venezuela which took a major toll on the Venezuelan people, Donald Trump now tells the world he was never big on the strategy in the first place. On Friday, the U.S. president appeared to shove the blame onto advisers, and added "I think that I wasn't necessarily in favor" of the policy of recognizing Juan Guaidó as president, but "I was OK with it." | Trump's statements made it seem as if Guaidó's only sin was that he did not manage to seize power. This might-makes-right mindset belies what is happening on the ground in Venezuela which is much…

Ben Norton (2020-06-30). Trump used looted Venezuelan public money to build border wall with Mexico. mronline.org Around $24 billion of Venezuelan public money has been looted, and the Trump administration has used at least $601 million of it to construct a militarized wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Yves Engler (2020-06-30). How Venezuela helped defeat Canada's Security Council bid. mronline.org Was Canada defeated in its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council because of Justin Trudeau's effort to overthrow Venezuela's government? Its intervention in the internal affairs of another sovereign country certainly didn't help.

Yves Engler (2020-06-30). How Venezuela Helped Defeat UN Canada's Security Council Bid. globalresearch.ca Was Canada defeated in its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council because of Justin Trudeau's effort to overthrow Venezuela's government? Its intervention in the internal affairs of another sovereign country certainly didn't help. | According to …

news.un (2020-06-29). Water cooperation between States 'key' to Blue Nile dam project. news.un.org The Blue Nile is "critical for the livelihoods and development" of Egyptians, Ethiopians and Sudanese, the top UN official for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council on Monday, urging those States to reach a construction agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Alan Macleod (2020-06-29). Aurora Police Violently Crackdown on Peaceful Vigil for Black Man Killed in Police Chokehold. mintpressnews.com Police in Aurora, Colorado violently cracked down on a group of peaceful protesters holding a vigil for a young black man killed by police late last year, bringing renewed attention to the push for police reform that has swept the nation.

sputniknews (2020-06-29). 'This Whole Thing is Garbage': Afghan War Vet Dismisses Shaky 'Russian Bounties' Claims. sputniknews.com On Friday, the New York Times reported on a US intelligence report claiming Russian operatives were offering the Taliban bounties to assassinate US soldiers in Afghanistan. However, as US lawmakers demand answers and action, one expert says serious skepticism about the report's veracity is missing, which threatens the increasingly fragile peace.

Sara Bakhtiar (2020-06-29). How to Reverse the US's Shockingly Low Global Peace Index Ranking. commondreams.org The U.S. insistence on global military domination has actively undermined both domestic and international peace. (Photo: bgrocker / Shutterstock.com) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-06-29_at_4.54.49_pm.png

RT (2020-06-29). 'Enough of European colonialism': Maduro says EU envoy to be expelled after block sanctions 11 Venezuelan officials. rt.com Venezualan President Nicolas Maduro has expelled the EU ambassador to the country, giving the diplomat 72 hours to pack up and leave, after Brussels imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials, including on members of parliament. | Maduro's decision to banish Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa comes after the European Council decided to spap a flurry of punitive sanctions on about a dozen of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. | The 11 Venezuelans that have been hit in the latest crackdown include lawmaker Luis Parra, who replaced opposition figurehead Juan Guaido at the helm of the National Assembly in January. | "I have…

Paul Dobson (2020-06-29). Venezuela Tightens Quarantine in COVID-19 Hotspots amid Record Daily Case Count. venezuelanalysis.com Thirty percent of the country returns to total lockdown as the national tally increases to 5,530.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-28). UN privileges status quo over both peace and justice: American scholar. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 29 (MNA) — Kevin Barret who has been known as one of America's best-known critics of the war on terror, says the United Nations cannot be considered as "a genuinely democratic international organization", arguing it has instead been as an "instrument of American and Western soft power".

IMEMC Staff (2020-06-28). Israeli Troops Injure A number Of Palestinians In Alaghwar Area. imemc.org Israeli troops injured on Sunday morning a number of Palestinian residents in the Alaghwar area of the West Bank. Local Palestinian sources reported that the injuries, caused to the residents, came during Israeli army's crackdown on a local peaceful march in the Atouf neighborhood in the northern Alaghwar area of …

Staff (2020-06-28). When War Against Black Americans Represents "Peace," We Must Redefine the Word. truthout.org The world now knows about police brutality, what we American Negroes* have experienced as a matter of course since the slave patrols. The "peace officers" that purportedly swore to uphold and defend the Constitution by serving and protecting citizens like George Floyd, murdered him. Maybe "peace officer" seems absurd. The term evokes the Orwellian phrase "war is peace." | But it makes sense if we deconstruct "peace." The Pax Romana ("Roman Peace") denoted Roman Empire; the king's peace spans B…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-28). VIDEO: Protesters in Colorado shut down highway. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 28 (MNA) — The protesters in US' Colorado shut down Highway 225 Saturday in a peaceful demonstration calling for justice in the death of Elijah McClain who died last August during a confrontation with Aurora police officers.