2020-09-19: News Headlines

_____ (2020-09-19). Mainstream US Reporters Silent About Being Spied On. popularresistance.org A Spanish security firm apparently contracted by US intelligence to carry out a campaign of black operations against Julian Assange and his associates spied on several US reporters including Ellen Nakashima, the top national security reporter of the Washington Post, and Lowell Bergman, a New York Times and PBS veteran. | To date, Nakashima and her employers at the Washington Post have said nothing about the flagrant assault on their constitutional rights by UC Global, the security company in charge of Ecuadorian embassy in London, which seemingly operated under the watch of the CIA's then-director, Mike Pompeo.

_____ (2020-09-19). Venezuela: The 2016-2020 National Assembly — Part Of The Plan. popularresistance.org It's hard to decide which of all the actions of the Venezuelan opposition representatives was the most shameful. Was it Ramos Allup giving the legitimate elected President Nicolas Madura a 6-month deadline to leave office while removing the portraits of Simon Bolivar and of Comandante Chavez from the Federal Capitol? Or Julio Borges spreading letters throughout the world in which he called for an increase in the economic blockade against the Venezuelan people while he labeled us a plague in the region?

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-19). Maduro names Pompeo's war-mongering' tour a 'failure'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 19 (MNA) — Condemning the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Latin American countries, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro named it a "war-mongering" tour that has failed.

_____ (2020-09-19). Venezuela Foils CIA Terror Plot; Pompeo On Regime Change Tour. popularresistance.org Venezuela's government has announced it has foiled a potential terror attack, arresting a former CIA operative while he was on a stakeout near the country's largest oil refining facility. | Matthew John Heath was arrested with three other Venezuelans outside the Amuay and Cardon refineries in Falcon state in the west of the country, reportedly carrying a submachine gun, a grenade launcher, four blocks of C4 explosives, a satellite phone, and stacks of U.S. dollars. He has been charged with terrorism and weapons trafficking.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-19). Bolivia's de-facto president Jeanine àÅñez withdraws from October elections. peoplesdispatch.org Bolivia's coup appointed interim president, Jeanine àÅñez, on September 17, announced that she was withdrawing her candidacy for the general elections scheduled for October 18. Añez said she was pulling out from the electoral race to help unite the conservative vote and try to block the MAS presidential candidate and progressive former economic minister, Luis Arce, from winning. | In a recorded video message, accompanied by her running mate Samuel Doria Medina and other officials, àÅñez said that she decided to "put aside" her candidacy for the greater good, avoiding the situation in which "the vote g…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-19). Argentinians commemorate the 44th anniversary of the Night of the Pencils. peoplesdispatch.org The night of September 16, 1976, was one of the bloodiest night of the last civic-military dictatorship in Argentina, when a group of high school students were kidnapped and tortured by the state security forces…

Lise Alves (2020-09-19). [World Report] Brazilian doctors condemn new rules on abortion. thelancet.com Experts say that the new rules for health workers will discourage access to health services and increase the risk of unsafe abortion. Lise Alves reports from Sà£o Paulo.

Maria Helena da Silva Bastos (2020-09-19). [Correspondence] Brazil's COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Partisan politics during the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered any efforts of working together with science for the greater good of Brazil. As a Brazilian who values life, I do not know what scares me more: contracting COVID-19, or Bolsonaro's Government trying to belittle the disease, forcing us out of the door to confront it, even when they know that we have not done enough as a country to make it safe for us to do so. Although COVID-19 is showing us all that we still have a long way to go to overcome this crisis, which, at the time of writing, has killed approximately 1000 people a day over the past 3 months, the…

The Canary (2020-09-18). Assange 'offered win-win deal by Trump to avoid extradition. thecanary.co The WikiLeaks founder's extradition hearing was told that Trump associates sought the source of leaks from the Democratic National Committee. | By | WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was offered a "win-win" deal by Donald Trump to avoid extradition by revealing the source of the hacking of Democratic party emails, a court has heard. | Trump approval: | Barrister Jennifer Robinson said she was asked to attend the meeting by her client, Assange, with Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson at the Ecuador…

sputniknews (2020-09-18). Venezuela's President Maduro Calls Pompeo's 'War-Mongering' Tour a 'Failure'. sputniknews.com The US Department of State earlier announced Pompeo would be visiting South America with the aim of showing support for local democracies and containing the "threat" coming from "Maduro's illegitimate regime".

Mark Weisbrot (2020-09-18). Silence Reigns on the US-Backed Coup Against Evo Morales in Bolivia. commondreams.org A man holds a flag with a picture of former Bolivian President Evo Morales during the first campaign event of MAS party ahead of presidential elections on September 9, 2020 in El Alto, Bolivia. (Photo: Gaston Brito/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/morales_coup.jpg

_____ (2020-09-18). A Cold War Power Play At The Inter-American Development Bank. popularresistance.org Having launched his presidential campaign by labeling migrants from south of the U.S.-Mexico border as "rapists and criminals," Latin America was perhaps one of the last places President Donald Trump expected to rely on as a source of steadfast friends. It thus comes as no surprise that in the new Cold War against China, Trump's tactics in recruiting allies in Latin America have been reminiscent of the many "caudillos" that have plagued the continent in the past. The politicized impeachment of Dilma Roussef, deposing of Evo Morales, and attempted invasion of Venezuela set the backdrop to U.S. efforts to bring Lat…

Ben Chacko (2020-09-18). Coup figurehead drops out as Morales's Socialists set to win Bolivian presidency. peoplesworld.org Bolivia's coup President Jeanine Añez has dropped out of next month's presidential elections after polls showed her scraping just over 5% of the vote. Añez, who was appointed by the army after it forced just re-elected president Evo Morales from power last November, said she was withdrawing "to ensure there is a winner who defends …

a guest author (2020-09-18). Latin American ex-presidents stage 'rebellion on the farm' following IADB appointment. workers.org By Sergio Rodriguez Gelfenstein The web magazine lapluma.net published this article by its author, a Venezuelan analyst, on Sept. 3. The article refers to George Orwell's novel,"Animal Farm," which pro-imperialist intellectuals have used for reactionary purposes in the past. In this case the author highlights the role of Latin American . . . |

Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-18). Venezuela Blasts 'Politicized' Report by UN 'Ghost Mission'. venezuelanalysis.com Foreign Minister Arreaza accused the UN mission of "playing politics with human rights."

Matt Sedlar (2020-09-18). Political Trials and Electoral Bans: the Battle for Democracy in Ecuador. cepr.net OpenDemocracy See article on original site Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno and his allies have gone to great lengths to prevent former president Rafael Correa and his political movement from returning to power. In order to achieve this goal, the current government has persecuted opponents and barred candidates from running. Moreno's authoritarianism has, so far, gone …

Matt Sedlar (2020-09-18). What the OAS Did to Bolivia. cepr.net The Guardian See article on original site Bolivia has descended into a nightmare of political repression and racist state violence since the democratically elected government of Evo Morales was overthrown by the military on November 10. That month was "the second-deadliest month, in terms of civilian deaths committed by state forces, since Bolivia became a …

WSWS (2020-09-18). Brazilian teachers call strikes against back-to-school drive. wsws.org Brazil's fascistic President Bolsonaro declared: "We are the country with the highest number of days of lockdown of schools. This is absurd."

Luis Arce (2020-09-18). Last November's Coup Was About Plundering Bolivia's Resources. zcomm.org Massive protests last month forced Bolivia's postcoup government to pledge that elections will take place on October 18…

Manuella Libardi (2020-09-17). Amazon heroes who don't give up. zcomm.org The Guardians of the Forest, a group of indigenous Guajajara in the Brazilian state of Maranhà£o, struggle to defend their land from invaders and to guarantee their survival in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Tony Cartalucci (2020-09-17). UN Report on Venezuela "Abuses" Written by Investigators Who Never Visited Venezuela. globalresearch.ca The Western media is touting the results of a so-called "Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" conducted through the United Nations. | AFP in an

_____ (2020-09-17). New Simón Bolívar Institute For Peace And Solidarity Among Peoples. popularresistance.org The founding of the Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples on September 6, 2020 marks a new political milestone. In the most difficult of circumstances, having to cope with not only the U.S. and Canadian sanctions but the pandemic as well, the Bolivarian Revolution has made this effort for the benefit of all who believe in its liberatory ideals across the planet. The goal of the Institute is to coordinate global solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution and the Venezuelan people, and the solidarity of the South American nation toward struggles for social and economic justice of peoples thr…

Eds. (2020-09-17). The strategic aspects of the Great AgroVenezuela Mission. mronline.org The Great AgroVenezuela Mission was born on January 25, 2011 under the leadership of President Hugo Chávez, and was launched from the Agricultural Social Property Unit "La Productora" in the municipality of Ospino in the state of Portuguesa, with the aim of promoting food security and sovereignty in the country.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-17). Venezuelan Oil Production Continues Slump as Iran Steps Up Cooperation. venezuelanalysis.com A recent Iranian condensate shipment will boost oil blending operations.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-17). Journalist Carlos Rabascall replaces Rafael Correa as vice-presidential candidate. peoplesdispatch.org The Union for Hope (UNES), an alliance of progressive forces, on September 16, elected journalist Carlos Rabascall as the new candidate for the vice-presidency of Ecuador in the general elections scheduled for February 7, 2021. The decision was taken after Rafael Correa was Last week, on September 7, Ecuador's national court of justice ratified the 8-year prison sentence and the 25-year political ban for Correa in the "Bribes 2012-1…

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…

Manuela Solé and Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-16). Venezuela Looks to Renegotiate Debt Amidst US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Caracas' previous debt restructuring attempts were unsuccessful.

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.

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.

sputniknews (2020-09-16). Ex-Paraguayan Lawmaker Admits to Role in Global Money Laundering Plot, US Justice Department Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A former member of Paraguay's Congress and her husband have admitted to participating in an international money laundering conspiracy, the US Justice Department said in a statement.