Daily Archives: September 16, 2020

2020-09-16: News Headlines

Alan Macleod (2020-09-16). As Venezuela Foils CIA "Terror Plot" Pompeo Tours Its Neighbors To Talk Regime Change. mintpressnews.com The State Department's silence has been deafening following the arrest of a US citizen and former CIA operative allegedly caught plotting an on a Venezuelan oil refinery.

Andrew Korybko (2020-09-16). The US-Brokered Mideast 'Peace' Deals Aren't Really What They Seem. thealtworld.com The loud applause that followed the US-brokered Mideast "peace" deals between "Israel" on one hand and the UAE & Bahrain on the other is misplaced since there was never any real state of war between the "opposing" sides to begin with, but presenting these accords as a "breakthrough for peace" is meant to pressure those remaining countries that refuse to recognize the self-professed "Jewish State" by portraying them as "obstacles to peace" so that they too consider abandoning their principled support for Palestine in exchange for positive media coverage and other perks such as economic support. | There's No "Peace…

Staff (2020-09-16). Noura Erakat: Trump's Bahrain-UAE-Israel Deal Won't Advance Palestinian Peace & Will Up Repression. democracynow.org As the Trump administration celebrates deals establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, we speak with Palestinian American legal scholar Noura Erakat, who says Trump's "peace" agreements are a sham. "This is not about advancing any kind of meaningful, enduring peace, but instead about entrenching a geopolitical alliance that would otherwise increase oppression for people of the Middle East," says Erakat, assistant professor at Rutgers University and author of "Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine."

Joshua Cho (2020-09-16). Journalists Need to Be Clear About a Clear Threat to Democracy. zcomm.org It's important for US media not to propagate the myth of US exceptionalism, which often makes false accusations of "election theft" against Global South countries like Bolivia and Venezuela, and misleads Americans into thinking election theft "can't happen"

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Top Russian, Saudi diplomats discuss Yemeni conflict. yenisafak.com Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday discussed the conflict in Yemen with his Saudi counterpart over the phone.Lavrov agreed with Faisal bin Farhan on the need to support UN efforts for a cease-fire in the war-torn country, as well as to implement urgent humanitarian measures and launch a settlement process between the sides, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an online statement."Sergey Lavrov stressed that progress towards the establishment of long-awaited peace and stability in Yemen is possible only by taking into account the interests and concerns of all the leading political forces, religi…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Maduro security forces committed crimes against humanity: UN. yenisafak.com Venezuelan security forces and allied groups have committed systematic human rights violations including killings and torture amounting to crimes against humanity, U.N. investigators said on Wednesday.Reasonable grounds existed to believe that President Nicolas Maduro and his interior and defence ministers ordered or contributed to the crimes documented in the report in order to silence opposition, they said.Most unlawful executions by state agents have not been prosecuted in Venezuela, where the rule of law and democratic institutions have broken down, they added.The U.N. fact-finding mission said other national…

Joe Sims (2020-09-16). I'm not voting for my favorite candidate this year. peoplesworld.org In 1968, I was persecuted for voting for civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory who ran for president as a write-in candidate of the Freedom and Peace Party. Well, actually I didn't vote for him, but I said I would in a straw poll conducted in my 5th-grade class. The teacher objected that Gregory …

Daniel Renken (2020-09-16). Media narratives about China endanger world peace. peoplesworld.org In recent months, Americans have received a barrage of news on TV, social media, and even late-night talk shows discussing the "aggressive" actions of the People's Republic of China. Whether it's the disputed waters of the South China Sea, the Hong Kong protests, or accusations of religious discrimination and genocide, the presentations of the national …

yenisafak (2020-09-16). US congresswoman honored for helping Palestine. yenisafak.com A US congresswoman has been honored for defending the rights of Palestinians in the face of Israeli human rights abuses."Honored to receive the Champion of Palestinian Rights Award from @AMPalestine today as part of Palestine Advocacy Day," US Democratic Representative Betty McCollum said Tuesday on Twitter, referring to the group American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)."Advancing peace human rights for Palestinian children all children should be a shared priority! #HR2407."House of Representatives Resolution 2407 is the Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, a…

news.un (2020-09-16). Venezuela abuses amounted to crimes against humanity: UN-appointed panel. news.un.org Grave rights violations against anti-government protesters in Venezuela, "amounted to crimes against humanity", UN-appointed rights investigators said in their first report on abuses inside the Latin American nation.

news.un (2020-09-16). South Sudan: Progress on peace agreement 'limps along', UN envoy tells Security Council. news.un.org Although the transitional government in South Sudan continues to function, with state governors now appointed, among other developments, progress on the 2018 peace agreement "limps along", the top UN official in the country told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.

Ted Snider (2020-09-16). Peace Plans that Have Nothing to Do with Peace. globalresearch.ca On September 11, 2020, Bahrain announced that it had agreed to normalize relations with Israel, following a similar agreement by the United Arab Emirate (UAE). Both agreements are being packaged and sold as historic peace plans. | They're Not Peace Plans…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-16). Iran-Venezuela ties offering anti-unilateralism model: envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — Stating that the hegemony of the US is over, Venezuela's Ambassador to Tehran told Mehr News Agency that the Iran-Venezuela relations are conveying a message to other countries that they can counter the unilateralism too.

Staff (2020-09-16). Trump's "Peace" Deals Will Worsen Oppression in Middle East, Legal Scholar Says. truthout.org As the Trump administration celebrates deals establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, we speak with Palestinian American legal scholar Noura Erakat, who says Trump's "peace" agreements are a sham. "This is not about advancing any kind of meaningful, enduring peace, but instead about entrenching a geopolitical alliance that would otherwise increase oppression for people of the Middle East," says Erakat, assistant professor at Rutgers University and auth…

teleSUR (2020-09-15). Venezuela Rejects US Hostilities Before UN Human Rights Council. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's representative before the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Jorge Valero Tuesday rejected Donald Trump administration's unilateral coercive measures which violate the human rights of his compatriots. | RELATED: | He recalled that the United States has looted over US$ 30 billion from the Venezuelan people in the last 4 years. | "This is an amount that the Bolivarian government will no longer be abl…

RT (2020-09-15). Injuries reported after rockets fired from Gaza, as Bahrain & UAE sign peace deal with Tel Aviv at the White House. rt.com Multiple rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israeli cities during the UAE-Bahrain peace deal signing in Washington. Israeli anti-aircraft defenses have been activated, and at least six people were reportedly injured. | Rocket warning sirens were activated in southern Israeli cities late on Tuesday, as the ceremony to sign a US-brokered deal between Tel Aviv, Bahrain, and the UAE was underway in Washington. | The sirens were sounded in the coastal cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. Footage from the scene shows damaged vehicles and shattered glass at the site of the rocket impact. | From the scene of the rock…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-15). For Palestinians and Their Supporters, Arab-Israeli Pacts Are 'A Stab in The Back' Amid Ongoing Oppression. commondreams.org From the West Bank and Gaza to Washington, D.C. and beyond, Palestinians and their allies stress that only an end to Israel's illegal occupation can bring peace to the Middle East. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/demo.jpg

Staff (2020-09-15). Remembering Kevin Zeese: A fighter for peace and justice. therealnews.com Peace activist and human rights attorney Kevin Zeese died of a heart attack on the morning of September 6. As his life partner, Dr. Margaret Flowers, and their community grieve, they celebrate his life by carrying on the work that they began together. | Zeese was known for organizing around many human rights issues, centering opposition to U.S. imperialism abroad and mass incarceration at home. He brought national attention to

RT (2020-09-15). Bill Gates Senior, father of Microsoft's co-founder, dies at 94. rt.com Philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has confirmed the passing of his father William Henry Gates Senior, at the age of 94. The elder Gates suffered from Alzheimer's disease. | Gates Senior "passed away peacefully at home…, surrounded by his family," his son His "wisdom, generosity, empathy, and humility had a huge influence on people around the world," Gates Junior added, noting his father's legal advice helped him and Paul Allen establish Microsoft, but also aided Howard Schultz with Sta…

_____ (2020-09-15). On Its 27th Anniversary: Defeat Oslo, Confront Normalization, Escalate BDS. popularresistance.org The agreement signed on the White House lawn and the famous handshake of Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat was falsely billed as a promise of peace and hope for Palestinians, denied both for decades upon decades, but was in reality a program for continued and intensified colonization and the suppression of the Palestinian liberation struggle. The entire project of Oslo was always intended to intensify the repression, division and fragmentation of the Palestinian people, while imposing a Palestinian "security" framework over the Palestinian people struggling for their rights, for return and liberation.

_____ (2020-09-15). Election Meddlers Find a Scapegoat. strategic-culture.org Big Tech, government agencies, and the mainstream media all locked in on a no-name site as a hub of collusion | Peter Van BUREN | Like me, until recently you got most of your news from Or maybe not. Maybe like nearly everyone on planet Earth you have no idea what I'm talking about and never looked at the now-defunct PeaceData site. Tha…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-15). Iran ready for any assistance to peace process in Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 15 (MNA) — Islamic Republic of Iran has voiced its readiness for any assistance to the peace process in neighboring Afghanistan.

sputniknews (2020-09-15). 'Brought Us to the Brink': Trump's Peacemaker Posturing Belies Global Deepening of US Militarism. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump has postured as a peacemaker and ender of "endless wars," but one peace activist told Sputnik that Trump had greatly increased the risk of a major war around the globe by expanding US wars and undoing vital peace agreements – and his alternative on the November ballot isn't much better.

Staff (2020-09-14). Headlines for September 14, 2020. democracynow.org Historic Climate-Fueled Wildfires Kill 35 People, Burn 5 Million+ Acres Across West Coast, Trump Holds Packed Rally as U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Near 200,000 , ICE Flew Migrant Prisoners to Virginia, Fueling Outbreak, to Skirt Rules on Flying ICE Staff, WHO Says World Saw Biggest Daily Rise in Global Cases, Court Blocks Floridians with Unpaid Felony Conviction Fines from Voting, Trump Defends Police Killing of Portland Anti-Fascist Activist, Palestinians Decry Israeli Normalization Deals with UAE and Bahrain, Intra-Afghan Peace Talks Kick Off in Doha, Salvadoran Ex-Colonel Convicted for 1989 Murder of Jesuit Priest…

_____ (2020-09-14). US-Linked PR Firm Ran Fake News Networks For Right-Wing Latin American Regimes. popularresistance.org A major US PR firm located just a few blocks from the White House has been caught running an industrial grade propaganda operation on social media. The information warfare blitzkrieg relied on fake accounts and pages to spread disinformation on behalf of right-wing, US-backed governments in Latin America, while deploying covert propaganda to destabilize the leftist governments in Venezuela and Mexico. | The company behind the campaign, CLS Strategies, signed a contract to represent Bolivia's far-right junta and provide "strategic communications counsel" in the lead-up to that country's ostensible election.

Victor Grossman (2020-09-14). Tug-of-war in Germany between forces for peace and militarists. peoplesworld.org I'll never forget the day my father's ancient jalopy got stuck boarding the New York-Jersey City ferry; two wheels on the dock, two on the boat, the motor stalled, my father frantic, my mother scolding, cars behind us honking, and me, just 6, looking at the swirling waters below. Two muscular ferrymen finally pushed us …

Lee Ballinger (2020-09-14). Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South. counterpunch.org For years there was a long-running struggle in Charlottesville, Virginia, to remove a 26-foot-high statue of Robert E. Lee from a local park. On August 12, 2017, during a Unite the Right rally, clashes broke out between supporters of the statue, who marched under Confederate flags, and peaceful counter-protesters. During the rally, counter-protester Heather Heyer

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-09-14). Afghan Peace Talks Could be Trump's Final Major Foreign Policy Victory Before November's Elections. globalresearch.ca Talks between Afghan authorities and the Taliban, which began in Doha on Saturday with the goal of ensuring lasting peace in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of American and NATO troops after almost 19 years, were called historical by US Secretary …

news.un (2020-09-14). UN peacekeeping chief outlines reforms needed to keep operations fit-for-purpose. news.un.org Over the next 10 years, the world could well be transformed by potentially lethal new technologies, climate disruptions and disruption caused by expanding cities, the UN peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Monday, outlining the adaptations required to keep the Organization's flagship enterprise fit-for-purpose as it confronts daunting new security threats.

Telesur (2020-09-14). US Sabotage of Venezuela Economy. US Ex-Marine Caught Spying on Oil Refineries. globalresearch.ca A U.S. former marine and spy who had been spying on the Amuay and Cardon refineries was captured in the Venezuelan state of Falcon on Thursday. | Speaking on the twelfth anniversary of the youth wing of the United Socialist Party …

sputniknews (2020-09-14). Taliban, Afghan Government Begin Talks: Are They Really Negotiating for Peace? sputniknews.com On this edition of The Critical Hour, co-hosts Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon talk to Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, director of the Middle East Institute's Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, about the peace talks in Afghanistan.

Paul Dobson (2020-09-14). Venezuela Arrests 'CIA Spy' on Oil Refinery 'Stakeout'. venezuelanalysis.com Ex-marine Matthew John Heath, who served in Iraq, was arrested in possession of grenade launchers, satellite phones, and C4 explosives on Thursday.

Zero Hedge (2020-09-14). Chinese Military Calls US "Destroyer of World Peace", Citing Millions Dead & Displaced in Iraq, Syria, Libya. globalresearch.ca Following the US and China imposing tit-for-tat restrictions on each other's diplomats and embassy staff, China's defense ministry on Sunday The statements are specifically in response to the Department of …

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-09-14). UAE-Israel Deal: 'Peace-for-Protection'…? globalresearch.ca It was no surprise to hear US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declare at the weekend that the UAE and Israel have agreed to form a security and military alliance against Iran to 'protect' US interests and the Middle East …

FOIA Research (2020-09-14). Covert Action Props Up U.S.-Polish Axis Against Belarus: A Deep Dive into Far-Right Regime-Change Activists and Their Backers. globalresearch.ca In Western mainstream media, the current protests in Belarus are portrayed as a natural development, in which the country's peaceful citizens are finally standing up against an aging dictator clinging to power after the allegedly fraudulent August 9th elections. However, …

Badri Raina (2020-09-14). Is It a Crime To Peacefully Protest Against the Government's Policies? zcomm.org With several eminent activists and academics named in the Delhi Police's supplementary chargesheet, it is best to be told in black and white who may speak and who may not…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-14). Peace agreements signed between longstanding allies. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Peace agreements' being signed are not between foes but longstanding allies.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-14). World must boycott those who only pretend to favor peace. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 14 (MNA) —The Commander of Iran Army's University of Command and Staff said that the world should move towards peace, and in this regard, those who are are making a pretense of being adherent to peace should be boycotted.

sputniknews (2020-09-14). Chinese Military Labels US 'Destroyer of World Peace' in Rebuke to Pentagon Report. sputniknews.com The Chinese military has pushed back against a recent Pentagon report delivered to the US Congress, arguing that it is Washington – not Beijing – that poses a major threat to world peace.

Staff (2020-09-14). Trump's Main Strategy for Winning the Election Is to Discredit It. truthout.org Donald Trump recently held his first indoor rally since the super-spreader event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. The campaign sent out If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States. | The protes…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-14). Rio Tinto turns Cultural Vandal: The Destruction of the Juukan Gorge Caves. dissidentvoice.org It was a calamity in cultural terms likened to the destruction of the Buddhist statues of Bamyan and the ancient city of Palmyra. The explosive eradication of two Aboriginal sites in West Australia's Juukan Gorge in May, said to be 46,000 years old, moved Peter Stone, the UNESCO chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace, …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-09-14). Bye Bye, Big Oil? BP Admits Demand May Have Already Peaked, Predicts Growth of Renewable Energy. commondreams.org Welcoming news that oil demand may never recover to pre-pandemic levels, Greenpeace noted that "a #GreenRecovery will hasten its demise." | www.flickr.com/photos/26287008@N05/4816633755

Mandy Smithberger (2020-09-14). National (In)Security and the Pentagon Budget. commondreams.org "Continuing to prioritize the Pentagon over the needs of every other agency and Americans more generally keeps us on a glidepath to disaster," writes Smithberger. (Photo: Peace Education Center/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/war_2_0.jpg

sputniknews (2020-09-13). Attack on Venezuela Refineries a Playbook US Regime Change Scenario, Political Experts Say. sputniknews.com In the last two years, Venezuela has thwarted a coup attempt organised by opposition leader Juan Guaido, one attempt to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro, and energy outages reportedly caused by sabotage. These events were linked by Caracas directly or indirectly to the US, which has been seeking to unseat Maduro.

_____ (2020-09-13). A Tale of Two Mass Gatherings: Sturgis 'Super Spreader' Bike Rally vs. Black Lives Matter 'Fiery but Mostly Peaceful' Protests. strategic-culture.org Judging by the way the media and medical authorities are reprimanding public events organized by right-leaning organizations, it appears beyond doubt that the coronavirus outbreak is being used as a political weapon to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. | In early August, an estimated 460,000 motorcyclists took part in the annual pilgrimage to South Dakota. The Sturgis Biker Rally, which has been a major draw since 1938, is a 10-day event that generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, much of it made on alcohol-fueled fun and revelry. In other words, as the party poopers would sa…

yenisafak (2020-09-13). Afghan forces, Taliban continue to clash even as peace talks start. yenisafak.com "With the start of intra-Afghan talks we were expecting the Taliban to reduce the number of their attacks, but unfortunately their attacks are still going in high numbers," Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry, said.Representatives from a number of countries who spoke at the inauguration of the peace talks called on the Taliban to announce an immediate ceasefire before negotiators sat down to find a way to end decades of war in Afghanistan.The Taliban did not say anything about a possible ceasefire at the ceremony.Achieving a significant reduction in violence and how to get to a permanent cease…

_____ (2020-09-13). China: US Is 'Destroyer Of World Peace'. popularresistance.org A spokesman for China's defense ministry said on Sunday that the U.S. is the "destroyer of world peace" while criticizing a Pentagon report on Beijing's military goals. | The Associated Press reported that Col. Wu Qian called the Department of Defense report released earlier this month a "wanton distortion" of his nation's intentions. | "Many years of evidence shows that it is the U.S. that is the fomenter of regional unrest, the violator of the international order and the destroyer of world peace," he said, noting U.S. actions in Iraq, Syria, Libya and other countries, according to the news service.

_____ (2020-09-13). Join The Black Peoples March On Trump's White House. popularresistance.org The Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations (BiBC) is calling on colonized and unrepresented people of the U.S. to join us November 6-8 for the Black Power Matters march on the white house opposing the reactionary U.S. agenda being imposed on Africans and others within the U.S. and around the world. | Millions of people within the U.S. have been pushed out of legitimate political life by the rulers of this country. The two ruling parties have both put on their ritual shows called conventions, formally nominating their respective representatives for U.S. president and unveiling their two…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-13). Trump 'certainly' after using Afghan peace for re-election. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 13 (MNA) — A former Iranian Ambassador to Afghanistan believes that US President Donald Trump is trying to use the Afghan peace negotiations in Doha as a card in the November election.

sputniknews (2020-09-13). Protest Underway in Israel's Ben Gurion Airport Ahead of Netanyahu's Departure to US. sputniknews.com TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – Protesters have gathered at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to depart to the United States for the signing ceremony of landmark peace deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.