2020-08-19: News Headlines

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-19). Zarif felicitates new Omani counterpart on appointment. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) — In a Wednesday tweet in Arabic, Iranian FM Zarif congratulated his new Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood AlBusaidi on his appointment.

_____ (2020-08-18). UN Ambassador Moncada: US Keeps Plotting To Invade Venezuela. popularresistance.org The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, reiterated his denunciation of the United States' orchestrating an invasion in Venezuela to destroy the military and political forces of the Bolivarian Revolution. | On his Twitter account, the Ambassador indicated that the White House's war propaganda against Venezuela seeks to assassinate the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro and turn the country into a colony. | "War propaganda in the US affirms that its objective is democracy in Venezuela. The truth is more sinister and deadly: eliminating President Maduro continues the invasion to destr…

_____ (2020-08-18). SouthCom Feels Threatened By Russia's 'Fundamental' Support Of Venezuela. popularresistance.org The head of the Southern Command of the United States Armed Forces, Craig Faller, declared that Russia and Cuba represents a threat to them due to the "fundamental" support they give to Venezuela, a country on which the Donald Trump regime has imposed a brutal total blockade and continually threatens military invasion. | In viralized statements on social networks, Faller says that they have had to set off the alarms because of "the size of the threat" represented by "Russian influence" and the support that the Eurasian country gives to the government presided over by Nicolás Maduro. | "I cannot describe the size…

teleSUR (2020-08-18). Venezuela: PSUV Reinforces the Organization of Its Electoral Base. telesurenglish.net Guayana Mayor Tito Oviedo Tuesday announced that the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) is fully prepared and organized to win the December 6 parliamentary elections. | RELATED: | "The electoral roll in the largest city in southeastern Venezuela is 98 percent updated," Oviedo said and commented that PSUV militants will be present at all polling stations to testify about the citizen vote. | He also re…

teleSUR (2020-08-18). Colombia: Uribe Resigns Senate Seat. telesurenglish.net Colombia former president Alvaro Uribe renounced his seat in the Colombian Senate on Tuesday amidst an inquiry against him for witness manipulation. | RELATED: | Uribe sent a resignation letter addressed to Senate president Arturo Char Chaljud, alleging the Supreme Court does not offer legal guarantees in the judicial process. | "The magistrate, José Luis Barcelo, called me to inquire more than two years ago, in a pro…

teleSUR (2020-08-18). The US Prepares Conditions to Impose Its New 'Colombia Plan'. telesurenglish.net Colombia's President Ivan Duque Monday met with U.S. officials to launch the Colombia Growth Initiative (CGI), which is the new version of the "Colombia Plan", the military aid aimed at combating drug cartels and left-wing insurgents in the 2000s. | RELATED: | At the launch of this geopolitical proposal were the U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, the Southern Command Chief Craig Faller, the Presidential Adviser Mauricio Claver-Caron…

WSWS (2020-08-18). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Colombian Federation of Education Workers conducted a 48-hour strike August 12 and 13 against plans for a rotating reopening of the country's schools that teachers say is unsafe.

Jorge Arreaza (2020-08-18). Venezuela, and Trump's Irrational Electoral Policy. globalresearch.ca Elections always have an interesting effect on public policy, in particular if the person in charge of designing and implementing a certain policy is up for reelection. In politics, it is logical that an incumbent candidate decides to show successful …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-18). Oil tankers seized by US 'not Iranian'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 18 (MNA) — Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Tuesday that the four oil tankers seized by the US few days ago belong to Venezuela not Iran.

teleSUR (2020-08-17). Venezuela: President Maduro Volunteers To Test Russian Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Sunday announced he'll be the first to get vaccinated when the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, arrives in the country. | RELATED: | He recalled that Russia was the first country in the world to vaccinate its population and volunteered to test the Sputnik V. | "There will be a time when we all get vaccinated and the first to be vaccinated will be me. I'm going to get the vaccine, I…

Jorge Arreaza Monserrat (2020-08-17). Venezuela and Trump's Irrational Electoral Policy. counterpunch.org Caracas, Venezuela. Elections always have an interesting effect on public policy, in particular if the person in charge of designing and implementing a certain policy is up for reelection. In politics, it is logical that an incumbent candidate decides to show successful policies and accomplishments while minimizing failures or shortcomings. However, what is irrational is

Paul Dobson (2020-08-17). Venezuela: Attorney General to Investigate Disappearance of Revolutionary Carlos Lanz. venezuelanalysis.com The former guerrilla fighter, who was investigating paramilitary infiltration in Venezuela, disappeared from his home on August 8.

teleSUR (2020-08-16). Colombia: UN Condemns Massacre in Nariño. telesurenglish.net The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia condemned this Sunday the massacre in the Nariño department where a group of armed men killed nine young people. | RELATED: | The OHCHR in Colombia also rejected the recent killing of two minors last August 10 in the border between Cauca and Nariño Department when they were headed to their school to submit their homework. | "We reject the massacre of 8 y…

teleSUR (2020-08-16). Colombia: Armed Men Kill Nine Young People in Nariño. telesurenglish.net Nine young people early Sunday morning were killed and others were injured after a group of armed men raided the town of Samaniego, Nariño Department. | RELATED: | The city's mayor, Jhon Rojas, spread the news of the massacre on his Twitter profile. | The massacre was added to a series of violent events that occurred in the municipality of Samaniego on Saturday night. | "Colombia's President Ivan Duque, the Defen…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-16). Turmoil in Belarus, Another US Color Revolution Attempt? globalresearch.ca Time and again, the CIA, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), and USAID have been involved in US schemes to replace independent governments with pro-Western puppet ones. | Tactics include violent and non-violent labor …

Manuela Solé (2020-08-15). Maduro Hails Russian COVID-19 Vaccine as Comms Minister Tests Positive. venezuelanalysis.com The South American nation has a 70 percent COVID-19 recovery rate.

WSWS (2020-08-15). Amid mounting political crisis, Colombia faces world's highest COVID-19 death rate. wsws.org Over the past weeks, the country has registered the highest per capita COVID-19 death rate in the world, 43.1 deaths per million people, compared to 32.9 per million for Brazil and 24.4 for the US.

_____ (2020-08-15). Iranian President Denies US Statements On Tankers Seizures. popularresistance.org Iran's President Hassan Rouhani Saturday announced that the U.S. lied about the seizure of four Iranian gasoline tankers headed towards Venezuela. | On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department announced that the country's authorities had confiscated four Iranian fuel tankers bound for Venezuela. | "We have successfully executed the seizure of four vessels, that were carrying a total of 1.116 million oil barrels. With the assistance of foreign partners, this seized property is now under U.S. custody," the U.S. Justice Department stated. | However, "non of the seized tankers were Iran-flagged. It was all just fake news,…