Daily Archives: December 10, 2020

2020-12-10: News Headlines

Orinoco Tribune (2020-12-10). Evo Morales: In Venezuela there was a Democratic 'Fiesta' on December 6. mronline.org "There is peace, tranquility and yesterday there was a great democratic 'fiesta'," the former president of Bolivia and international observer of Venezuela's elections, Evo Morales, emphasized this Monday.

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-10). We Don't Listen to the Dying Government of Donald Trump. dissidentvoice.org Madhuri Shukla (USA), Wring, 2020 The night before the National Assembly elections in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro spoke to a group of visitors at Miraflores Palace in Caracas. He recounted how he had been a member of the Constituent Assembly, which was formed in 1999 and set up the legal framework for Venezuela's political system. …

Workers World Party (2020-12-10). PDF of December 10 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Capitalist COVID catastrophe FIGHT or DIE! Message from Peltier; Reparations now! Justice for Breonna denied again; Disability rights; Workers demand justice; DEA surveillance; Editorial: New president — same wars; Commentary: Becoming a cadre; GLOBAL: China: global vaccines, science; India: worker & farmer uprising; Cuba; France; Palestine; Venezuela. . . . |

Leonardo Flores (2020-12-10). Low Turnout, but Free, Elections in Venezuela Are a Blow To Regime Change. mintpressnews.com After four years of sanctions, sabotaged industries, attempted coups, an assassination by drone attempt, a mercenary incursion and paramilitary attacks, among others, Venezuela managed to survive the Trump administration's maximum pressure.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-10). Shunned by Trump, Mahmoud Abbas Looks to Biden to Revive a Long Dead "Peace Process" mintpressnews.com When all hope seemed lost, where Abbas found himself desperate for political validation and funds, Biden arrived like a conquering knight on a white horse and swept the Palestinian leader away to safety.

news.un (2020-12-10). $1.44 billion plan to respond to Venezuela refugee and migrant needs. news.un.org In a $1.4 billion appeal launched on Thursday, the UN migration organization IOM and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned that the pandemic has strained the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean countries to look after Venezuelan nationals.

_____ (2020-12-10). Socialist Alliance Victory In Venezuela's National Assembly Is A Failure Of US Regime Change Policy. popularresistance.org The victory of Maduro's political alliance in Sunday's parliamentary election means that despite the Covid pandemic, economic hardships and sanctions by the US, Venezuelans voted for the continuation of the Chavista Revolution. | A little over a year ago, we were told by the US government and the always-compliant OAS (Organization of American States) that Evo Morales' re-election in Bolivia was the product of election fraud. No proof was ever given, and eventually, even the New York Times, which had initially been happy to spread the fraud claims, was forced to admit that there appeared to be no evidence that the…

Staff (2020-12-10). Food Is the Pathway to Peace: World Food Programme Wins Nobel Peace Prize & Warns of Hunger Pandemic. democracynow.org The World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian organization dealing with hunger and food security, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize today, with its executive director David Beasley warning that the combination of conflict, climate crisis and COVID-19 could push 270 million people to the brink of starvation. In his acceptance speech, Beasley said, "Because of so many wars, climate change, the widespread use of hunger as a political and military weapon, and a global health pandemic that makes all of that exponentially worse, 270 million people are marching toward starvation. Failure to address their needs…

Fight Back (2020-12-10). Colombia closes airspace to international observers to Venezuela elections. fightbacknews.org Caracas, Venezuela – 60 international observers of the Venezuelan election were stuck at the airport December 8, for a flight to Mexico. The flight kept getting delayed and delayed. After six hours of waiting, people were sleeping on the floors, tables and couches. Then the head of Conviasa's national flights spoke to the observers in the airport and said that Venezuela asked Colombia permission to have observers fly over Colombia to return home. Colombia approved it. Two hours before the flight was going to leave, they denied the flight route. He said, "This has happened many times. They do this to try to contro…

Cira Pascual Marquina (2020-12-10). Two Chavista Blocs, Two Voices: Venezuelan Parliamentary Candidates Speak. zcomm.org On Sunday Venezuelans will choose their new National Assembly and they have many options…

Peter Bolton (2020-12-10). US secretary of state's comments on Venezuela election strike to the heart of US hypocrisy. thecanary.co Venezuela recently held

teleSUR (2020-12-09). Venezuela: Capriles Says Opposition Has No Leadership or Unity. telesurenglish.net In the wake of a blowout victory for the PSUV-GPP coalition this December 6, having received nearly 70% of the vote, opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who himself did not run for a legislative seat, said that the opposition must continue on the electoral, rather than the violent path. He states that peace and reconciliation are what the Venezuelan people seek in this difficult socio-economic conjuncture. | As far-right opposition politician and self-proclaimed opposition leader and president Juan Guaido leave the National Assembly when the PSUV-GPP coalition assumes leadership of the legislative body on Jan…

Manuela Solé (2020-12-09). International Observers Present Report on Venezuelan Parliamentary Elections. venezuelanalysis.com The Latin American Council of Electoral Experts (CEELA) endorsed the legitimacy of Venezuela's National Assembly elections.

Eds. (2020-12-09). Venezuela's PSUV retakes control of National Assembly despite low turnout. mronline.org With 99 percent of the votes counted, the PSUV has won 68 percent with a 30.5 percent participation rate.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-09). U.S. companies sold more than 60% of all arms in the international market in 2019. peoplesworld.org In the run up to its annual yearbook next year, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its first set of data on the international arms sales by the top 25 companies in the world on Monday, December 7. According to the report, U.S. companies dominated the rising international trade with a share of over …

A Guest Author (2020-12-09). Embassy Protection Collective will help monitor Venezuelan elections. workers.org By Jose Szepara On Dec. 6, Venezuelans will turn out to vote in the country's National Assembly elections, and the world waits with bated breath as observers from all over the world wait for the final results. Election monitoring groups have made their way to Venezuela to act as impartial . . . |

Lyn Neeley (2020-12-09). Venezuelan court convicts the CITGO Six. workers.org Venezuela's Supreme Court sentenced six top CITGO oil executives to prison for corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy on Nov. 26. The former executives went behind the back of the Venezuelan state and signed an agreement with two U.S. based-international financial companies — for which they were detained in Nov. . . . |

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-09). Iran welcomes Nagorno-Karabakh peace agreement. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 09 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister noted that the Islamic Republic welcomes the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Patrick Cockburn (2020-12-08). Gangsterism as Foreign Policy: Assassinations are Becoming the New Norm. counterpunch.org I was in Israel on 4 November 1995 when a student named Yigal Amir assassinated the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin as he left a peace rally in Tel Aviv. A video shows Amir loitering by an exit to the square for 40 minutes before Rabin appears, when his killer takes out a pistol and

Margaret Flowers (2020-12-08). Venezuela Votes to End Neocolonialism, Create Its Own Path. dissidentvoice.org On December 2, the Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) members, who were arrested in May 2019 when the United States illegally invaded the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC, completed their probation, ending the risk of the 30 days in prison that was being held over their heads. I am one of the four who were arrested. …

Media Lens (2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …

Elijah Magnier (2020-12-08). Venezuela, a population difficult to defeat: Lessons for the Middle East. thealtworld.com At the "Escuela Técnica Comercial Manuel Palacio Fajardo De Caracas Venezuela" in an area called 23 Enero, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza came to vote. The people of the neighbourhood stood in line waiting their turn after being disinfected by the sanitary officers. A few guards were in the background, not interfering with the self-organisation of the population. The Minister Arreaza was later joined by the daughter of Comandante Hugo Chavez, Maria Gabriel, who also came to vote at the same school where the late Chavez used to vote. | It is indeed a normal scene here to see people from all walks of…

Ralph Nader (2020-12-08). Action for Change Starts in Congress. counterpunch.org We know their names! We've given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People to do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred and Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials

Mike Hastie (2020-12-08). Keeping the Horrible Alive. counterpunch.org You do not bring the enemy to the peace table by just killing military combatants. You ultimately bring the enemy to the peace table by murdering innocent civilians, because they are military targets. The primary goal of the aggressor nation is to break the will of the people in their ability to defend their homeland.

Stephen Lendman (2020-12-08). Bolivarian Social Democracy Triumphs in Venezuelan National Assembly Elections. globalresearch.ca On Sunday, Venezuelans voted to elect 277 National Assembly members for five-year terms from January 5, 2021 to January 5, 2026. | An unprecedented total of 14,400 candidates from 107 political parties ran for office. | Two Bolivarian blocs were heavy favorites …

Zoe PC (2020-12-08). Venezuelan elections: What lies ahead? peoplesdispatch.org The legislative elections in Venezuela saw the ruling Great Patriotic Pole emerge victorious. The new Assembly has a number of challenges with far right-wing sections under Juan Guaidó continuing to foment discontent, and the country facing an economic crisis…

CFJPIME (2020-12-08). Canadian Organizations Urge Canada to Vote for a Shared Jerusalem at the United Nations. globalresearch.ca Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO) are urging the Canadian government to vote in support of an upcoming

2020-12-10: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Law Prof: I Nominated Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for the Nobel Peace Prize. Then He Started a Civil War
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-10
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending the two-decade "state of war" between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with many hailing a new era of peace in the region. Just one year later, Ahmed's military has displaced tens of thousands of civilians in an ongoing military campaign in the northern Tigray region. Thousands have died since Ethiopia declared war on the Tigray People's Liberation Front in early November, and at least one massacre has been reported. Ethiopia has admitted federal troops fired at and detained U.N. workers in the northern Tigray region for attempting to e…
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/10/ethiopia_abiy_ahmed

$1.44 billion plan to respond to Venezuela refugee and migrant needs
news.un.org | 2020-12-10
In a $1.4 billion appeal launched on Thursday, the UN migration organization IOM and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned that the pandemic has strained the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean countries to look after Venezuelan nationals.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079782

Hunger Pandemic Will Surpass COVID Impact, Warns World Food Programme
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-10
The World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian organization dealing with hunger and food security, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize today, with its executive director David Beasley warning that the combination of conflict, climate crisis and COVID-19 could push 270 million people to the brink of starvation. In his acceptance speech, Beasley said, "Because of so many wars, climate change, the widespread use of hunger as a political and military weapon, and a global health pandemic that makes al…
truthout.org/video/hunger-pandemic-will-surpass-covid-impact-warns-world-food-programme/

Food Is the Pathway to Peace: World Food Programme Wins Nobel Peace Prize & Warns of Hunger Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-10
The World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian organization dealing with hunger and food security, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize today, with its executive director David Beasley warning that the combination of conflict, climate crisis and COVID-19 could push 270 million people to the brink of starvation. In his acceptance speech, Beasley said, "Because of so many wars, climate change, the widespread use of hunger as a political and military weapon, and a global health pandemic that makes all of that exponentially worse, 270 million people are marching toward starvation. Failure to address their needs…
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/10/2020_nobel_prize_world_food_programme

Socialist Alliance Victory In Venezuela's National Assembly Is A Failure Of US Regime Change Policy
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-10
The victory of Maduro's political alliance in Sunday's parliamentary election means that despite the Covid pandemic, economic hardships and sanctions by the US, Venezuelans voted for the continuation of the Chavista Revolution. | A little over a year ago, we were told by the US government and the always-compliant OAS (Organization of American States) that Evo Morales' re-election in Bolivia was the product of election fraud. No proof was ever given, and eventually, even the New York Times, which had initially been happy to spread the fraud claims, was forced to admit that there appeared to be no evidence that the…
popularresistance.org/socialist-alliance-victory-in-venezuelas-national-assembly-is-a-failure-of-us-regime-change-policy/

Low Turnout, but Free, Elections in Venezuela Are a Blow To Regime Change
Leonardo Flores | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-10
After four years of sanctions, sabotaged industries, attempted coups, an assassination by drone attempt, a mercenary incursion and paramilitary attacks, among others, Venezuela managed to survive the Trump administration's maximum pressure.
mintpressnews.com/low-turnout-free-elections-venezuela-blow-regime-change/273522/

Elections And The Path To Socialism In Venezuela
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-10
On December 6, Venezuelans elected a new National Assembly with a left political majority. This election, which was well-run and legitimate despite what the imperialist media and countries say, reconstitutes the Venezuelan parliamentary body with participation from both the ruling and opposition parties. It marks the end of an era during which the National Assembly was a tool of the right wing agenda and US regime change efforts. To facilitate understanding of the current election and political climate in Venezuela, Vijay Prashad of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Paul Dobson of Venezulanalysis…
popularresistance.org/elections-and-the-path-to-socialism-in-venezuela/

As Food Insecurity Surges, Leading Scientist Says Hunger Is a Deliberate Choice by Those in Power
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-10
As the World Food Programme accepts the Nobel Peace Prize, we look at the growing global hunger crisis amid the pandemic, the climate crisis and war. In the United States, as many as 50 million people could experience food insecurity before the end of the year — including one in four children. "It's important to remember that hunger does not always happen because of natural disasters," says Ricardo Salvador, director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "It is often the result of things that we do to each other deliberately."
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/10/ricardo_salvador_world_hunger

We Don't Listen to the Dying Government of Donald Trump
Vijay Prashad | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-10
Madhuri Shukla (USA), Wring, 2020 The night before the National Assembly elections in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro spoke to a group of visitors at Miraflores Palace in Caracas. He recounted how he had been a member of the Constituent Assembly, which was formed in 1999 and set up the legal framework for Venezuela's political system. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/we-dont-listen-to-the-dying-government-of-donald-trump/

US Media, Politicians Rage After Venezuela Defies US Empire
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-10
President Nicolas Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) are celebrating today, after a clear victory in yesterday's National Assembly elections. The elections, boycotted by many major right-wing opposition groups, but still participated in by over 100 political parties, ended with the PSUV and its allies receiving an estimated 67.6% of the votes cast, meaning they will control a two-thirds supermajority of the 277-seat National Assembly, the only major body that was controlled by anti-government forces.
popularresistance.org/us-media-politicians-rage-after-venezuela-defies-us-empire/

Shunned by Trump, Mahmoud Abbas Looks to Biden to Revive a Long Dead "Peace Process"
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-10
When all hope seemed lost, where Abbas found himself desperate for political validation and funds, Biden arrived like a conquering knight on a white horse and swept the Palestinian leader away to safety.
mintpressnews.com/mahmoud-abbas-hopes-joe-biden-revive-long-dead-peace-process/273508/

"Long Live the (Dead) Peace Process": Abbas Prioritizes US Ties over Palestinian National Unity
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-10
No one seemed as excited about the election of Joe Biden being the next President of the United States as Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas. When all hope seemed lost, where Abbas found himself desperate for political validation and funds, Biden arrived like a conquering knight on a white horse and swept the Palestinian leader …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/long-live-the-dead-peace-process-abbas-prioritizes-us-ties-over-palestinian-national-unity/

Evo Morales: In Venezuela there was a Democratic 'Fiesta' on December 6
Orinoco Tribune | mronline.org | 2020-12-10