Daily Archives: October 20, 2021

2021-10-20: News Headlines

Editor2 (2021-10-20). US Illegally Extradites Venezuelan Diplomat from Cabo Verde to the US (Statement). orinocotribune.com The Free Alex Saab Committee issued the following news release | October 18. For further information see The Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab was renditioned and kidnapped to the U.S. on October 16 without waiting for a final extradition decision. The action was taken in secret, without notifying his defense team and without relevant documentation. Saab had been imprisoned in Cabo Verde since June 12, 2020, for trying to buy humanitarian supplies for Venezuela in legal international trade but in violation of illegal U.S. s…

Editor2 (2021-10-20). The US Peace Council Strongly Condemns The Illegal "Extradition" of Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab and Demands his Immediate Release (Statement). orinocotribune.com October 18, 2021 | Once again, U.S. imperialism revealed its outlaw nature by resorting to kidnapping and extraordinary rendition (reminiscent of its similar illegal actions in Afghanistan and Iraq) of Venezuelan diplomat, Alex Saab, for trying to buy humanitarian supplies for Venezuela — a fully legal act according to international law, but one that defied illegal U.S. sanctions on that country. | Venezuela is among some three dozen nations illegally sanctioned by the U.S. for striving tyo chart its own future. Venezuelan people are dying from lack of medicine and starving from lack of food due to those sa…

Staff (2021-10-20). Alex Saab's Statement Before Being Extracted from Cape Verde by United States Regime (Letter). orinocotribune.com Editorial note: This letter was read—with tears in her eyes—by Camila Fabri, Alex Saab's wife, during a demonstration in repudiation of the second kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat from Cape Verde by the US, held in Plaza Bolívar of Caracas on Sunday, October 17, attended by a crowd of indignant Venezuelans. | Statement of Alex Nain Saab Moran (translation from Spanish by Alex Saab's legal team), October 16, 2021. | My name is Alex Nain Saab Moran, with Venezuelan diplomatic passport number 045778720. I am a special envoy with diplomatic immunity [officially granted by] the Russian Federation and…

teleSUR (2021-10-20). ALBA Countries Condemn Ambassador Saab's Extradition To The US. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) condemned the extradition of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. | RELATED: | "Saab's extradition sets a dangerous precedent for the international community since it violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the ALBA-TCP stated, arguing that Saab had diplomatic immunity as a Bolivarian Spec…

William Minter (2021-10-20). Indigenous Movements are the First, and Often Last, Line of Defense in the Fight Against Fossil Fuels. counterpunch.org Oil is now flowing through the Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline from Edmonton, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin. The 1,097-mile-long pipeline, owned by the Canadian company Enbridge, includes 337 miles in northern Minnesota. It has faced strong resistance for years from indigenous people and other environmental activists known as "water protectors." Ironically the tap was

Fight Back (2021-10-20). March on Minneapolis city attorney home demands dropping charges against 646-plus arrested protesters. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday evening, October 16, 300 people marched through Uptown Minneapolis to the home of the city attorney, to demand that he drop the charges against the 646-plus protesters arrested on November 4, 2020, and to demand community control over police in Minneapolis. The November arrests targeted some of the more than 1000 students, teachers, union members and activists who took to the streets in Minneapolis to demand police accountability and speak out against Trump's attempts to steal the election. Last year's march was part of a national day of protest initiated by the National Alliance Aga…

Jim McIlroy (2021-10-20). Iconic Manly ferries have 'years of life left'. greenleft.org.au Union and community activists want the New South Wales Coalition government to reverse its decision to scrap the historic Manly ferries. Jim McIlroy reports.

Maxime Bowen (2021-10-20). Pro-democracy protests and police violence continue in Eswatini. greenleft.org.au Pro-democracy protests are again escalating in the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland), after activists were temporarily scared off the streets by the killing of dozens of activists and bystanders by the armed forces in June, reports Maxime Bowen.

Isaac Nellist (2021-10-20). XR actions call out the government's #COPOut on climate change. greenleft.org.au Extinction Rebellion (XR) and other climate activists began a fortnight of protests and disruptive actions on October 17 to call out the federal government's failure to address the climate emergency. Isaac Nellist reports.

John W. Whitehead, Nisha Whitehead (2021-10-20). The Empire of Lies Breaks Down: Ugly Truths the Deep State Wants to Keep Hidden. dissidentvoice.org the world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it. —Albert Einstein1 America is breaking down. This breakdown—triggered by polarizing circus politics, media-fed mass hysteria, racism, classism, fascism, fear-mongering, political correctness, cultural sanitation, virtue signaling, a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness in the face …

Medea Benjamin (2021-10-20). Our Future vs. Neoliberalism. zcomm.org In country after country around the world, people are rising up to challenge entrenched, failing neoliberal political and economic systems, with mixed but sometimes promising results…

Luis De Jesus Reyes (2021-10-20). Cuba is ready to reopen its borders. peoplesdispatch.org As Cuba's vaccination plan against COVID-19 progresses and, with it, the gradual containment of the pandemic, the Cuban Ministry of Tourism reported this week that the country is ready to reopen its borders to the long-awaited international tourism on November 15. | At a press conference, Juan Carlos García Granda, the Minister of Tourism, confirmed what the island's health authorities have said in recent days: the country maintains a downward trend in the number of confirmed cases of Sars-Cov-2 and the continued capacity to control the pandemic. | "In accordance with the results achieved, international sanitary…

Staff (2021-10-20). President Maduro Appoints New Ministers for National Commerce and University Education. orinocotribune.com The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, appointed new authorities in the Ministry for National Commerce and the Ministry for University Education on Tuesday, October 19, as reported on his Twitter account. | Tibisay Lucena, who has been serving as the president of the National Experimental University of the Arts (UNEARTE) since September 2020, was named minister of university education. "Her extensive experience and pedagogical vocation will contribute to raising the quality of education for national development," said the head of state regarding Lucena, who also chaired the National Electoral Council for 14…

Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza (2021-10-19). Demonstrations in New York Against Alex Saab Abduction, Campaigns Relaunched, Russia & Iran Protest (Photos & Video). orinocotribune.com Caracas, October 18, 2021 ( In New York this Sunday, October 17, a group of local activists gathered in support of the diplomat to demand justice for the arbitrary actions of the United States last Saturday, when the ambassador of Venezuela to the African Union was illegally extracted from Cape…

Editor2 (2021-10-19). Statement on the Illegal Extradition of Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab. orinocotribune.com By Frente Hugo Chavez para la Defensa de los Pueblos | Vancouver, October 17, 2021 | Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab has been kidnapped for the second time by the United States government on October 16 and forcefully removed from the Archipelago nation of Cabo Verde (West Africa). We have learned that Mr. Saab was picked up at 4 a.m local time and airlifted on a jet aircraft leased by the US Justice Department to Miami, Florida to be locked in a security prison. He was

Staff (2021-10-19). President Maduro Condemns Illegal Extraction of Alex Saab: 'When the Blockade Intensified, He Brought Food & Gasoline'. orinocotribune.com This Sunday, October 18, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, labeled the illegal extraction of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab to the United States as a "kidnapping." This past Saturday, Saab was illegally flown out of Cape Verde to face a court in the US. International mobilizations and demonstrations are being taken in his favor. Maduro recalled the numerous actions that Saab carried out for the Venezuelan people in the most critical time of the US-imposed blockade. | "The food that arrived, which had an international label, was brought by Alex Saab, in silence" said the Venezuelan president. "And he did…

Staff (2021-10-19). 'State Terrorism': Alfred de Zayas on Alex Saab Kidnapping. orinocotribune.com This Sunday, October 17, the human rights expert Alfred de Zayas, through his Twitter account, asserted that the case of "lawfare" presented during the kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab by the United States, apart from revealing the corruption that reigns in Cape Verde, attempts to place a sheen of "legality" on the abuse of Cape Verde's extradition treaties. | "'Lawfare' is a modern epidemic. In the past, governments did what they wanted and got away with it. Today they attempt to throw a cloak of legality over their abuse of extradition treaties and subvert the administration of justice in the pro…

WSWS (2021-10-19). US kidnaps Venezuelan diplomat for defying sanctions regime. wsws.org Dragged before a Florida federal court on charges of money laundering, Alex Saab's real "crime" is negotiating international deals to evade Washington's economic blockade against Venezuela.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-19). Outrage following illegal extradition of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of Venezuelans took to Plaza Bolivar in Caracas on Sunday, October 17 to reject the illegal extradition of special diplomatic envoy Alex Saab to the US. His wife Camilla spoke to the rally and read Saab's last letter declaring that he maintains his innocence and will not fold under US pressure.

teleSUR (2021-10-19). Sao Paulo Forum Condemns Alex Saab Extradition. telesurenglish.net On Monday, the Sao Paulo Secretariat condemned the extradiction to the U.S. of Venezuela's Special Envoy Alex Saab, who had been arbitrarily detained in Cape Verde since 2020. | Related | "We demand U.S. authorities to immediately release Alex Saab.. We demand a guarantee of his physical and psychological health," the Sao Paulo Forum said. | This Latin American political forum criticized President Joe Biden's lac…

Editor (2021-10-19). The U.S. flies Alex Saab out from Cabo Verde without court order or extradition treaty. mronline.org On October 16, Colombian businessman and Venezuelan Special Envoy Alex Saab was in practical terms kidnapped for the second time, first by Cabo Verde under pressure from Washington, and now by the U.S., in flagrant violation of international law.

teleSUR (2021-10-19). Venezuela to Evaluate The Future Of Dialogue With Opposition. telesurenglish.net On Monday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro affirmed that he will evaluate "what will happen" with the dialogue with the opposition after the extradition to the US of Bolivarian diplomat Alex Saab on Saturday. | RELATED: | "Later we will evaluate what will happen with these dialogues… For now, we are outraged, protesting, and facing injustice," he said. | On June 12, 2020, the Cape Verde authorities arrested Saab, whom t…

teleSUR (2021-10-19). US Federal Court Charges Ambassador Saab of Money Laundering. telesurenglish.net On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge John O'Sullivan charged Alex Saab with eight money laundering and conspiracy counts. Through these politically motivated accusations, the U.S. government seeks to punish the Bolivarian Special Envoy, who participated in international purchases of food for the Venezuelan people. | RELATED: | During the hearing, which was conducted via teleconference, the defense team r…

teleSUR, jaa, JL (2021-10-19). Pdte. de Venezuela: Secuestro de Alex Saab viola los instrumentos de protección diplomática. telesurtv.net El mandatario venezolano destacó la integridad del diplomático Alex Saab en su labor de colaborar para ayudar al país.

Staff (2021-10-19). Headlines for October 19, 2021. democracynow.org Trump Sues to Block Release of Documents to Congressional Committee on Jan. 6 Riots, FDA Panel Recommends Third Shot of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Groups, Colin Powell Died of COVID-19 Complications After Blood Cancer Left Him Immunocompromised, Sen. Joe Manchin Wants Strict Limits and Work Requirements for Child Tax Credit, Justice Department Asks Supreme Court to Halt Texas's Near-Total Ban on Abortions, SCOTUS Decisions Bolster Doctrine of Qualified Immunity for Police Officers, Kenosha, WI Police Accused of "Deputizing" White Nationalists Ahead of Shooting Deaths, Venezuelan President Maduro Says U.

_____ (2021-10-19). Activists Should Continue To Fight For National Single Payer. popularresistance.org It is a mistake for activists to once again allow Democratic politicians corrupted by big money to determine the nature of the struggle for single-payer Healthcare. We must have a strong fight on the national level in order to win this. Otherwise, we are abandoning a struggle that has strong public support and giving Congress a free pass to do nothing.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-19). Antifa groups protest conviction of anti-fascist cadre by Stuttgart court. peoplesdispatch.org A Stuttgart court sentenced the two activists, Joel P. and Diyar A., to prison for attacking right-wing trade union members on the sidelines of a corona-sceptic rally at Stuttgart in May 2020…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-19). Trial of prominent Egyptian activists postponed, detention extended by two weeks. peoplesdispatch.org The judge postponed the trial of activists Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohammed el-Baqer, Mohammed Ibrahim and Yahia Hussein Abdel-Hadi for a review, thus extending their detention which has already surpassed the legally allowed two-year limit…

_____ (2021-10-19). Notes From National Peace & Justice Unity Meeting. popularresistance.org The meeting was attended by leaders from the US Peace Council, Black Alliance for Peace, United National Antiwar Coalition, United for Peace & Justice, Veterans For Peace, Answer Coalition, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, WorldBeyondWar, Code Pink, Popular Resistance, Task Force on the Americas, and International Action Center.

_____ (2021-10-19). Notes From National Peace And Justice Unity Meeting. popularresistance.org The meeting was attended by leaders from the US Peace Council, Black Alliance for Peace, United National Antiwar Coalition, United for Peace & Justice, Veterans For Peace, Answer Coalition, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, WorldBeyondWar, Code Pink, Popular Resistance, Task Force on the Americas, and International Action Center.

Lis Cox (2021-10-19). Get the Zuck Out! Short Video from the Action at Marc Zuckerberg's home in Palo Alto. indybay.org Very short video from the rousing loud car caravan and street action in front of Marc Zuckerberg's home in Palo Alto. | Get the Zuck Out! | Supported by Global Exchange, Media Alliance, Code Pink Women for Peace, Diablo Rising Tide.

Newsclick (2021-10-19). How opium trade funded the British Empire. peoplesdispatch.org The British empire and the massive strides made by the United Kingdom in the age of colonization was built on the trade of opium that had a lasting effect on India and China. Journalists Nilanjan and Prabir Purkayastha, and author Thomas Manuel talk about the past and present of opium trade…

Ben Norton (2021-10-19). Super Imperialism: The economic strategy of American empire with economist Michael Hudson. thegrayzone.com Economist Michael Hudson discusses the update of his book "Super Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire" and the financial motivations behind the US new cold war on China and Russia. Economist Michael Hudson has published a new, third edition of his book Super Imperialism that updates his analysis for the 21st century, discussing the new cold war on China and Russia and the ongoing transition from a US dollar-dominated financialized system to a "multipolar de-dollarized economy." The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal …

Anonymous007 (2021-10-19). Military Situation In Yemen On October 19, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On October 18, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 14 airstrikes on the Jubah district | On October 18, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 11 airstrikes on the Sarwah district | On October 18, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 3 airstrikes on the Labanat area | On October 19, clashes between Ansar Allah and Saudi-led forces continued in the Jubah district | On October 19, clashes between Ansar Allah and Saudi-led forces continued in the west of Marib city…

teleSUR (2021-10-19). Israel to Increase Defense Budget for Possible Strike on Iran. telesurenglish.net Israel will allocate 1.5 billion dollars to prepare a possible strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Channel 12 reported on Tuesday. | RELATED: | A report by the national media stated that the army would use the money to purchase aircraft, drones and unique weaponry needed for such an attack. | The report follows a recent statement by the US Air Force that its new "bunker buster," the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penet…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-19). Iranian president asks US to lift unilateral sanctions to show seriousness in Vienna talks. peoplesdispatch.org The talks in Vienna between Iran and the remaining signatories of the nuclear deal stopped after six rounds following the election of Ebrahim Raisi in June. Iran said that it wanted to review the outcome of the rounds held so far…

sputniknews (2021-10-19). Israel Approves $1.5Bln Budget for Possible Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Facilities – Report. sputniknews.com The budget reportedly includes money for a variety of aircraft, intelligence-gathering drones, and specific munitions required for such an operation, which would need to target heavily guarded underground facilities.

Editor2 (2021-10-19). 'Cuban Revolution: a Challenge to US Imperialism'. orinocotribune.com By Martín Koppel, Mary-Alice Waters, And Róger Calero — Oct 25, 2021 | Cuban representative speaks on US economic war, campaign of lies against socialist revolution | New York — Carlos Fernández de Cossío, head of the Cuban foreign ministry's department for U.S. affairs, was in New York at the end of September for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly. As part of his busy schedule, he made time to sit down and talk with the Militant. He spoke about the intensified assault the world's strongest imperialist power is today mounting against the men and women who made and continue to de…

Staff (2021-10-19). Cuba Formally Joins China's Belt and Road Energy Partnership. globalresearch.ca

teleSUR (2021-10-19). Cuba Eliminates Quarantine for International Travel November 7. telesurenglish.net Cuba announced Tuesday that it will fully open its doors to international tourism starting in November, when most of the island's population will be vaccinated with three doses of the vaccine against COVID-19. | In a press conference, the Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García Granda said that Cuba will eliminate the mandatory quarantine for travelers coming from abroad starting next November 7. | RELATED: | In this sense, the 10…

Gloria La Riva (2021-10-19). Eyewitness report: Cuba's scientists, medical workers advance fight vs. COVID. peoplesdispatch.org Gloria La Riva was in Cuba speaking to healthcare professionals about the island's impressive COVID-19 vaccination campaign and how they tackled the latest wave of cases from the Delta variant…

The Associated Press (2021-10-19). In Cuba, Divisions Over Law to Allow Same-Sex Marriage. latinorebels.com The socialist government recently published a draft Family Law and asked for public comment ahead of a referendum, creating an unusually public clash over policy on the island where Pentecostal churches have been growing.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-19). Cuba reaches milestone with 60% of its population being fully vaccinated. mronline.org According to the Cuban Public Health Ministry, as of October 12, 6,500,743 Cubans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with its own vaccines. The figure represents 58.1% of the country's entire population.

teleSUR (2021-10-19). Mexico To Be Country of Honor at Havana International Book Fair. telesurenglish.net In a publication on the social network, Frausto expressed her satisfaction with participating in the important fair of Cuban culture and thanked the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso, for the invitation. | RELATED: | In another tweet, the Secretary of Culture of the Government of Mexico, said that they would attend the event together with writer Francisco Ignacio Taibo Mahojo, better known as Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Director of the F…

Ana Perdigón (2021-10-19). Leopoldo López will Sue Calderón Berti — Monómerosgate. orinocotribune.com The fugitive from Venezuelan justice, Leopoldo López, announced that he will sue Humberto Calderón Berti, also a prominent opposition politician, for "slander and unfounded attacks." López issued the statement after Calderón Berti—who served as the supposed ambassador to Colombia of the former deputy and would-be usurper Juan Guaidó—held López responsible for the problems faced by the multi-million dollar petrochemical corporation Monómeros, belonging to the Venezuelan state. | During an interview, López said that he made the decision to file a criminal complaint in Spain against Calderón Berti, accus…

Victoria Torres (2021-10-19). CNE Considers Impasse Over Borrell's Statements Resolved — EU's Electoral Observation Mission. orinocotribune.com This Monday, October 18, Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), through its Twitter account, issued a statement consisting of several posts in a lengthy thread, confirming that the impasse generated by Joseph Borrell's comments regarding the upcoming elections of November 21 has been overcome. | After a telephone conversation between the president of the electoral body, Pedro Calzadilla, and the head of the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM), Isabel Santos, the impasse resulting from statements made by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell,…

Staff (2021-10-19). Venezuela Receives 430,000 New Doses of Sputnik V Vaccine. orinocotribune.com This Monday, October 18, a new batch of 430,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine arrived in Venezuela to bolster the immunization campaign carried out by the Venezuelan government in its heroic fight against COVID-19. | The information was released through the Twitter account of the Russian vaccine provider, @sputnikvaccine. | 430,000…

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