Daily Archives: October 24, 2020

2020-10-24: News Headlines

Fight Back (2020-10-24). Commentary on Bolivia: How a coup failed. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On November 10, 2019, a hastily-assembled coalition of generals, middle class liberals and fascist paramilitaries overthrew the democratic government of Evo Morales in Bolivia. Coming on the heels of a coup attempt in Venezuela and the vicious repression of a people's uprising in Chile, it seemed to many that the continental struggle against U.S. imperialism had reached a tipping point in the empire's favor. | Today, not even a year later, the official results for Bolivia's presidential elections were announced. Evo's comrade and successor Luis "Lucho" Arce received a resounding 55% of the vote…

Steve Pleich (2020-10-24). UNA Santa Cruz Celebrates Nobel Prize and United Nations Day. indybay.org UN World Food Program Awarded 2020 Nobel Peace Prize…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). UN hails Libya's lifting of force majeure on oil ports. yenisafak.com The UN mission in Libya on Saturday welcomed an announcement of lifting the state of "force majeure" from Libya's eastern Sidra and Ras Lanuf ports."This decision is a result of the confidence-building measures agreed and implemented through the Joint Military Commission. It's a win-win for the Libyan people," the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement.The UN mission said the announcement "demonstrates what can be accomplished when Libyans come together in good faith for the sake of their country".The move by the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) came after the announcement of a permanent ce…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). UAE, Bahrain hail normalization of Sudan-Israel ties. yenisafak.com In a statement, the UAE Foreign Ministry described the announcement as "an important step toward enhancing security and prosperity in the region". | It said the move to normalize the Sudanese-Israeli relations "would expand the scope of economic, commercial, scientific and diplomatic cooperation". | The Bahraini Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, described the announcement as "an additional historical step on the path for achieving peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East region". | It went on to hail US efforts for facilitating the normalization of the Sudanese-Israeli relations. | On Friday, Sudan's acti…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-10-23). Greenpeace Warns 'Potential Damage to Human DNA' at Risk With Japan's Plan to Dump Fukushima Water Into Ocean. commondreams.org "The policy of the Japanese government to dump nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean is not based on scientific or environmental protection principles and has no justification." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/grenpeace-carbon-14-fukushima.jpg

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Maduro Asks National Assembly to Consider Same-Sex Marriage. telesurenglish.net Regarding the support given by Pope Francis to civil unions between same-sex couples in the documentary "Francesco," released this Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, entrusted the next National Assembly (NA), which will be elected on December 6, with the discussion of the issue of equal marriage. | RELATED: | The Head of State said during a meeting…

John Laforge (2020-10-23). White House Gangster Wants to Avoid Nuclear-Armed Stigma. counterpunch.org The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is about to win its 50th state ratification, the golden number needed for the treaty to "enter into force". The list of 47 current signatories can be seen at ICANw.org, website of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition that helped

RT (2020-10-23). Sudan to join White House-brokered peace deal with Israel after call with US. rt.com Sudan is joining the Abraham Accords and recognizing the state of Israel, US President Donald Trump has announced. It is the third country in three months to do so, following the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. | Following a phone call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump on Friday, Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdok and head of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced they would "end the state of belligerence" with Israel and start the process of normalizing relations. | BREAKING: Sudan and Israel announced today they decided to "end the state of belligerence" between them and start a proces…

RT (2020-10-23). Trump touts 'really good progress' at Armenia-Azerbaijan talks in Washington as shelling in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh intensifies. rt.com Even as US President Donald Trump praised the "progress" made in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, air raid sirens sounded over Stepanakert in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, heralding another round of artillery bombardment. | "We're working with Armenia. We have a very good relationship with Armenia. They're very good people. They're so dedicated. They're incredible people. And we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon, as he announced a peace deal between Sudan and Israel. | Trump: "We're working with Armenia. We have a very good relationship with Armenia. We'll…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Palestinians Condemn Agreement Between Sudan, Israel. telesurenglish.net Palestinians have been outraged over the declaration of a normalization agreement between Israel and Sudan under the U.S. sponsorship. | The Palestinian Presidency affirmed in a statement its condemnation and rejection of Sudan's decision to normalize relations with Israel that seizes the land of Palestine. | "No one has the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause," it said. | It also said that the path to a comprehensive and just peace must be based on international law, resolutions of international legitimacy, and specific references, in a way that leads to ending the Isr…

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-23). Turkey to Send Troops to Combat Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh? globalresearch.ca Like the US, Turkey's Erdogan pursues interests at the expense of peace and stability. | He favors war for extending Turkey's borders to further his neo-Ottoman aims. | He, his family members and regime profited earlier from stolen Syrian oil. | He gave …

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Ex-FARC Members March Over Selective Killings Against Them. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas marched from the municipality of Mesetas, in Meta Department, to protest against the targeted killing of 234 of their fellow FARC party members since the signing of the Peace Agreement. | RELATED: | The march for "Life and Peace" was organized by members of the Revolutionary Alternative Forces of the Commons (FARC), which became a legal political party after their dem…

Robert S. Becker (2020-10-23). Ten uplifting teaching moments from President Fiasco. nationofchange.org How to achieve peace in our time, universal happiness, and healthy goodwill towards our neighbor.

teleSUR (2020-10-23). UN Chief Welcomes Libya Cease-Fire Accord. telesurenglish.net UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed the signing of a cease-fire agreement by the Libyan parties in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations. | "This is a fundamental step toward peace and stability in Libya. I congratulate the parties for putting the interest of their nation ahead of their differences," Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. | RELATED: | He appealed to…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Ecuador: Police Crack Down On Peaceful Protest in Quito. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Police officials Thursday dispersed with tear gas a demonstration called by the Workers' United Front (FUT) to protests against the economic situation and President Lenin Moreno's mismanagement of the crisis. | RELATED: | Dozens of police officers on motorcycles stormed into the crowd and dispersed hundreds of demonstrators while a helicopter flew over the area. | Amid the disturbances, the mobilized…

news.un (2020-10-23). Behind the global ceasefire call: 75 years of UN mediation, preventing conflict, promoting peace. news.un.org When Member States signed the United Nations Charter 75 years ago, it was to prevent more existential conflicts and save succeeding generations from a third world war. Conflict prevention is part of the Organization's DNA and remains a central priority today, a guiding principle behind the UN Secretary-General's current call for a global ceasefire during the coronavirus pandemic.

news.un (2020-10-23). UN salutes new Libya ceasefire agreement that points to 'a better, safer, and more peaceful future'. news.un.org Warring parties in Libya on Friday agreed an historic ceasefire, which was hailed by the head of the UN Support Mission in the country (UNSMIL), who led the mediation, as a courageous act that can help secure a "a better, safer, and more peaceful future for all the Libyan people".

_____ (2020-10-23). Joint Statement: US Connection In Nigeria Violence. popularresistance.org Washington, D.C.-based Pan-African Community Action (PACA) and the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP)'s U.S. Out of Africa Network (USOAN) issued a joint statement condemning what appears to be illegal police and military violence committed against unarmed, peaceful protesters in Nigeria. | PACA and the USOAN assert, however, a U.S. connection to the violence that many are not making. The Nigerian police forces and military have long histories with the United States through the U.S.-led International Police Training School and the military-to-military relations between U.S. and Nigerian militaries, a part of the U.S.

_____ (2020-10-23). Guess Who Arms Both Azerbaijan And Armenia. popularresistance.org This war between Azerbaijan and Armenia is, quite typically, a U.S. war even if the U.S. public doesn't think so, even if the news is that the United States is trying to negotiate peace — news that includes zero mention of cutting off the weapons flow or even threatening to cut off the weapons flow. The Washington Post would like to send in the U.S. military — which it thinks is a simple and obvious solution. That claim is dependent on nobody even thinking of the idea of cutting off the weapons. This is not a Trump war or an Obama war.

_____ (2020-10-23). A New Revolutionary Alternative For The People Of Venezuela. popularresistance.org For many on the left in Britain and within the heart of the global capitalist system, Venezuela has been an example of staunch opposition to US and Nato imperialism, with a broad collection of revolutionaries fending off multiple coups, mercenary attacks and resisting an imperialist blockade of late. | This vision of defiance and tenacity has painted a very particular idea of what the experience is in Venezuela, which ultimately makes the formation of the Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR), a new bloc of left wing groups without the ruling PSUV, quite a remarkable surprise.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-23). 'Iran-Azerbaijan shared border to remain friendship border'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador to Baku said that the shared border of Iran and Azerbaijan Republic will ever remain the border of friendship, peace and security.

sputniknews (2020-10-23). Shh We're Debating!; MAS Fights for Peace in Bolivia; Nigeria on Fire. sputniknews.com Biden, Trump hold final, quieter debate; Nigerian civil unrests leaves 50+ dead; Will Sanders serve as Labor Secretary in Biden's cabinet?

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-23). Palestinian and Peace Leaders Condemn Trump's Israel-Sudan Normalization Deal as 'Stab in the Back'. commondreams.org Critics say the U.S.-brokered agreement normalizes not only relations between the former foes, but also Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/deal_0.jpg

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-22). Venezuela: Trump Administration Pushed Regime Change in Secret Meeting. venezuelanalysis.com The White House wanted Maduro to step down before the US presidential elections.

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2020-10-22). International outrage grows following the killing of peaceful protesters in Nigeria. thecanary.co Nigeria's notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was officially Lekki toll gate massacre: | On 20 October, national polic…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-22). Colombia witnesses massive national strike. peoplesdispatch.org On October 21, tens of thousands of workers, peasants, teachers, students, Indigenous and Afro-descendant people took part in a new national strike in Colombia to protest against the social and economic policies of President Iván Duque. Several peaceful demonstrations were held throughout the country in rejection of the economic crisis, rising unemployment, police repression, the increase in massacres, assassination of social leaders, armed group activity, among other issues. | In the capital Bogotá, hundreds of workers from diverse sectors hit the streets and marched towards the Plaza Bolívar, demanding a guaran…

Lautaro Rivara (2020-10-22). Haiti has a long history of being assaulted by its Latin American neighbors. peoplesdispatch.org A 15-year peacekeeping mission by the UN in Haiti that ended one year ago still has unanswered questions about how Latin American nations came to participate in the occupation against a small, unarmed and impoverished Caribbean nation.

news.un (2020-10-22). Little progress on disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan. news.un.org Despite the strengthening of the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan, little progress has been made regarding the disputed Abyei region, the head of UN Peacekeeping told the Security Council on Thursday.

ACU (2020-10-22). Video: The Moment for Change Is Now. Medical Doctors Speak Out. globalresearch.ca On October 10, 2020, ACU2020.org announced the world doctors' alliance in Berlin, Germany. | It is an alliance of medical doctors, scientists and peace activists who together claim that this COVID-19 affair is just not true. | And as medical doctors, it …

Uriel Araujo (2020-10-22). Major Oil Discovery Puts Suriname in Global Spotlight Amid Venezuela Crisis and US-China Trade War. globalresearch.ca Although Guyana's prospects have certainly changed tremendously — its …

news.un (2020-10-22). Independent UN rights experts urge Thai government to allow peaceful protests. news.un.org Calling the latest imposition of a state of emergency in Thailand, a "draconian measure", ‚ÄØUN-appointed‚ÄØhuman‚ÄØrights experts on Thursday urged the Government there to guarantee the fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and free speech.

_____ (2020-10-22). Bullets Are Not The Seeds Of Life. popularresistance.org On 9 October 2020, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations' World Food Programme. In the citation for the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee pointed to the 'link between hunger and armed conflict', noting that 'war and conflict can cause food insecurity and hunger, just as hunger and food insecurity can cause latent conflicts to flare up and trigger the use of violence'. The demand for zero hunger requires 'an end to war and armed conflict', said the Nobel Committee. | During the pandemic, the numbers of those who go to bed hungry at night have dramatically escalated, with estimates showing that…

_____ (2020-10-22). America Has No Allies, Only Hostages. strategic-culture.org The new president-elect of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has told the Spanish international news agency EFE that he intends to restore the nation's relations with Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. This reverses the policies of the US-backed coup regime which immediately began closing embassies, kicking out doctors and severing relations with those nations after illegally seizing power last year.

sputniknews (2020-10-22). 'Diplomatic Offensive': US Cementing Stance on Quieting Israel Critics With Rumored NGO Label. sputniknews.com The US continues to ignore international law, Kim Iversen, independent journalist and host of the Kim Iversen Show on YouTube, and Nicolas Davies, peace activist and author, told Political Misfits Thursday, citing a new story alleging that the US administration plans to declare several prominent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as anti-Semitic.

Staff (2020-10-22). Nigerian Forces Kill 12 as Anti-Police Brutality Protests Grow. truthout.org Mass protests against police brutality continue in Nigeria after security forces shot and killed 12 peaceful protesters in Lagos this week. Video widely shared on social media shows security forces firing directly into a crowd of demonstrators in Lagos singing the country's national anthem. Authorities have imposed a curfew to clamp down on the growing demonstrations, which started as a demand to disband the notorious police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS, but which have since grown int…

yenisafak (2020-10-22). Turkey neutralizes 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria. yenisafak.com "Three PKK/YPG terrorists, who tried to infiltrate the [Operation] Peace Spring area to disrupt the peace and security environment, were neutralized by our heroic commandos," the ministry said on Twitter.Turkish officials often use the word "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).In its more th…

_____ (2020-10-21). Holding General Mills Accountable For Profiting From Occupation. popularresistance.org Earlier this fall, we launched our No Dough for the Occupation campaign to pressure General Mills to stop producing Pillsbury products in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Last month, our campaign coalition—which includes the Palestinian Boycott National Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and others—held its first day of action to coincide with General Mills' annual shareholder meeting. | The day before the meeting, on the United Nations International Day of Peace, protesters gathered in front of General Mills' headquarters in Minneapolis, chanting "No Dough for the Occupation"…

teleSUR (2020-10-21). UK Allocated £450,000 To Opponents of Venezuela's Government. telesurenglish.net Declassified UK journalists revealed that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) awarded £ 450,000 to "Transparencia Venezuela", an organization using the fight against corruption as a front to support the destabilizing actions that opposition politician Juan Guaido has been carrying out against the administration of President Nicolas Maduro. | RELATED: | The money transfer started in 2019 when the FCDO awarded &p…

teleSUR (2020-10-21). Venezuela: President Maduro Calls For Communal Parliament Law. telesurenglish.net During a videoconference with representatives of the communes throughout the country, the Venezuelan President called for the strengthening and consolidation of the work of these social, political, and economic organizations defined by their local and participatory nature. | The Head of State informed that he would propose to the new Parliament elected next December 6, through the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies of the Great Patriotic Pole (GPPSB), legislation aimed at promoting the consultation with the communal parliament all projects and issues discussed in the nation's legislative…

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2020-10-21). How Biden Flubbed Town Hall Foreign Policy Question. counterpunch.org Toward the end of Joe Biden's October 15 town hall session, a Trump supporter asked Biden the only foreign policy question of the night. "So peace is breaking out all over the world," the questioner claimed. "Our troops are coming home. Serbia is talking to Kosovo. And the Arabs and Israelis are talking peace, which

RT (2020-10-21). Thailand's PM vows to lift state of emergency, but protesters insist he must quit in 3 days. rt.com Embattled Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has promised to lift the state of emergency in Bangkok to defuse tensions with protesters, but it wasn't enough to make demonstrators retract their demand for his swift resignation. | Prayuth appeared on TV on Wednesday, insisting that he was ready to "make the first move to de-escalate this situation" in the capital, which has seen mass protests for three months. He said that he will lift "the state of severe emergency" introduced in Bangkok last week if no violent incidents occur during the ongoing gatherings. | The protests in Thailand have been mostly peacefu…

RT (2020-10-21). UK being challenged by competitors 'in the grey zone between war and peace,' defence secretary claims. rt.com The British defence secretary has stressed the importance of stepping up the UK's protective capabilities amidst constantly evolving rivalries, adding that China is intent on building the world's largest naval fleet. | Addressing the Atlantic Future Forum onboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace spoke of the constant competition the UK was facing in the "grey zone between war and peace," while specifically singling out China as an ever-evolving rival. | China is growing the largest maritime surface and subsurface fleet in the world. | Referencing London's decision to delay it…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-21). Is the European Union Qualified to Broker Peace Between Israel and Palestine? mintpressnews.com In theory, Europe and the United States stand on completely opposite sides when it comes to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. While the US government has fully embraced the tragic status quo created by 53 years of Israeli military occupation, the EU In practice, however, despite the seeming rift between Washington and Brussels, the outcome is, essentially, the same. The US and Europe are Israel's largest trade pa…

Manuela Solé (2020-10-21). Venezuela: PDVSA to Offload Crude from Offshore Facility. venezuelanalysis.com The Nabarima floating facility has been inoperative since January 2019 and is at risk of an oil spill.

Megan Sherman (2020-10-21). All Power to the Imagination: Remembering John Lennon. globalresearch.ca In 1971, early one morning on a Steinway piano on his resplendent Berkshire estate, John Lennon reflected on the seismic uprising of a peaceful counterculture, of united students and workers, which could have scared a thousand kings by reviving the …

Black Alliance for Peace (2020-10-21). Candidate Accountability: Demand a Commitment to a Peace and Human Rights Agenda. globalresearch.ca The novel coronavirus pandemic both revealed and accelerated the irreversible crisis of the global capitalist system and, consequently, the domestic conditions shaping the 2020 U.S. presidential election and every level of U.S. governance. | The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) asserts …

_____ (2020-10-21). Bolivia Is A beacon Of Light For Latin America. popularresistance.org After suffering a coup d'état that cost more than 33 lives, left thousands of people injured, and forced important political figures like President Evo Morales to go into exile to survive, official exit polls say that the Movement for Socialism (MAS) will return to power, in a way previously unheard of in Latin America, through democratic elections! | Unlike what OAS, the EU Commission and other international observers have said about the election being peaceful, in reality journalists were beaten, militant supporters of MAS were detained without justification, and many international observers were openly threate…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-21). Pressure on Iran to continue regardless of election outcome. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (MNA) — The US Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela claimed that Washington's so-called 'maximum pressure' policy against Iran will continue regardless of the upcoming presidential elections.

commondreams (2020-10-21). Citing Pattern of "Violently Suppressing Opposition, Sabotaging a Free and Fair Election, and Rejecting a Peaceful Transfer of Power," Voting Rights Group Sues President Trump and Top Administration Officials For Voter Intimidation. commondreams.org ______________________________…