2020-09-27: News Headlines

Joe Emersberger (2020-09-27). Latest UN report on Venezuela is not remotely honest (Part 1). zcomm.org On September 15, UN investigators published a 411 page report about the human rights situation in Venezuela. They were not granted access to Venezuela but conducted hundreds of interviews with opponents of the Maduro government. Venezuela's Foreign Minister Arreaza assailed the report for being done "remotely". It was done separately from the office of Michele

Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-26). Oil Companies Wind Down Venezuela Dealings as Washington Ramps Up Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The State Department has threatened foreign companies with secondary sanctions.

WSWS (2020-09-26). Killing by Colombian military escalates protests against state violence. wsws.org The wave of unrest is merging with opposition to the devastation caused by the state's counter-insurrectionary war, which has killed more than 200,000 civilians.

teleSUR, ce (2020-09-26). US Accuses Its Own Informant in Venezuela Case of Lying to Feds. telesurenglish.net United States federal law enforcement has accused a key informant on the trumped up case targeting Venezuela's Minister Tareck El Aissami of lying and stealing US $140,000. | RELATED: | The Associated Press reports that Venezuelan-born businessman and pilot Alejandro Marin was arrested on September 19th in Miami on three counts of knowingly making false statements to U.S. federal agents, according to court filings.

teleSUR (2020-09-26). Colombian Lawmakers Demand Defense Minister's Resignation. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Lawmakers Gustavo Petro and Jorge Robledo Friday demanded the Defense Minister Carlos Holmes' resignation for his political responsibility in the face of police brutality. | RELATED: | "Holmes has not apologized for his tolerant attitude towards the killing of citizens by the National Police," Petro tweeted. | The Minister "is a liar. He should resign because of the serious acts of excessive force and murders…

_____ (2020-09-26). Venezuela: From 'Magical Realism' To Parliamentary Elections. popularresistance.org Elliott Abrams, White House Special Envoy for Venezuela, recently referred to [far right politician] Maria Corina Machado's foreign intervention appeals as "unwise" and "magical realism." In so doing he made the US military intervention scenario less likely, at least for now, and he unwillingly left the electoral route as the only politically viable option. Meanwhile, Abrams himself has been pushing to escalate the blockade which has now generated a critical fuel shortage situation, with all its implications in terms of food supply and healthcare.

_____ (2020-09-25). Pompeo Calls For Overthrow Of Venezuelan Government. popularresistance.org Guyana – United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised millions of dollars to Venezuelan exiles in neighbouring Guyana as he made it clear that Friday's visit was linked to Washington's bid to overthrow the Bolivarian government. | Stopping off on a speedy Latin American tour, he gave $5 million ( £3.87m) to "assist" Venezuelans who have fled the country in a donation believed to be a cash boost to opponents of the democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro.

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-09-25). Colombia-U.S. Axis: Hitting at Venezuela. peoplesworld.org Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Ivan Duque, meeting in Bogota on Sept. 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the State Department. A Cuban observer insists they explored "when to begin military actions and sabotage in Venezuela." Elliott Abrams, the White House …

W. T. Whitney (2020-09-25). Hitting at Venezuela: the Colombia/US Axis. counterpunch.org Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Ivan Duque, meeting in Bogota on September 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the State Department. A Cuban observer insists they explored "when to begin military actions and sabotage in Venezuela." Elliott Abrams, the White House

W. T. Whitney, Jr. (2020-09-25). Colombia/U.S. Axis: Hitting at Venezuela. mronline.org Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Ivan Duque, meeting in Bogota on September 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the State Department.

RT (2020-09-25). 'The Army just killed my wife!': Soul-crushing video provokes online outrage towards Colombian military. rt.com A young Colombian man filmed himself crying over his dead wife, who was shot in her car by soldiers. The emotional video led online users to denounce both the country's government and US foreign policy. | The woman, reported as Juliana Giraldo Diaz, was killed on Thursday, while she and her husband were driving through the rural area of Miranda, Cauca. In the graphic video, her body can be seen lying in the car's front seat, apparently shot in the head, and in a pool of blood. | WARNING: DISTURBING VIDEO | The Colombian army shot this man's wife in the head and killed her. He's begging for help. "Help me plea…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-25). Trump Regime War on Cuba by Other Means. globalresearch.ca Unlawful US sanctions on nations, entities and individuals are weapons of war by other means. | Since taking office in January 2017, Trump imposed sanctions on numerous countries extrajudicially, including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba….

news.un (2020-09-24). Venezuelan President Maduro proposes new UN fund to support countries facing discrimination. news.un.org Venezuela has proposed creation of a "revolving public purchasing fund" within the United Nations system to guarantee access to food and health products, financed with public resources, to facilitate countries suffering "discrimination and economic blockade" acquire necessary goods and services.

Manuela Solé and Ricardo Vaz (2020-09-24). Venezuela: Trump imposes New Sanctions as Maduro Calls for UN Solidarity. venezuelanalysis.com The Venezuelan President reiterated his invitation for the UN to send observers for upcoming parliamentary elections.

Reuters (2020-09-24). Venezuela Launches London Appeal in Battle for $1 Billion in Gold. globalresearch.ca The Nicolas Maduro-backed Venezuelan central bank launched a landmark appeal in London on Tuesday over $1 billion ( £785.21 billion) of gold reserves held in the Bank of England's underground vaults. | The Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) board controlled by the …

Eds. (2020-09-24). U.S. & Guyana unveil joint Military patrols on oil-rich Venezuela border. mronline.org U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo completed a whirlwind tour of Surinam, Guyana, Brazil and Colombia to boost anti-Venezuela efforts.

teleSUR (2020-09-24). Riot Police Are Not Excessively Violent, Colombia's Govt. Says. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Defense Minister Carlos Trujillo Wednesday rejected the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) which concluded that the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD) has systematically carried out violent and arbitrary actions against citizens. | RELATED: | On Sept. 22, the CSJ ordered Trujillo to apologize for the excesses his security forces committed in the demonstrations that thousands of citizens staged in Nov. 2019. | Neverthele…

yenisafak (2020-09-24). US to announce more Iran sanctions on Thursday, top envoy says. yenisafak.com The United States will slap new sanctions on a number of Iranian officials and entities including a judge who sentenced Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari to death, U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams told a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.Navid Afkari was executed earlier this month after being convicted of stabbing a security guard to death during anti-government protests in 2018, Iranian state media reported, in a case that has sparked international outcry. Iran's Supreme Court rejected a review of the case in late August.

WSWS (2020-09-24). Police repression continues during national strike in Colombia. wsws.org Police violently broke up the mass demonstration in Bogotá, confirming the continued drive of the Ivan Duque administration and the entire Colombian ruling class toward dictatorship.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-23). US-Guyana Maritime Patrols Near Venezuela Border Denounced as Latest American Imperialism. commondreams.org Pompeo says the joint naval and air patrols in the disputed, oil-rich region are meant to fight drug trafficking, but critics see them as the latest U.S. aggression toward Maduro. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/guyana.jpg

_____ (2020-09-23). VIDEO: The Creeping Socialism Republicans Cannot Understand. strategic-culture.org Republicans have double standards when it comes to "Socialism" they are apt to point out the poverty of nations like Venezuela and Cuba but neglect to mention that it was the West who put them under further sanctions. Watch the video and read more in the