Daily Archives: April 5, 2021

2021-04-05: News Headlines

Ben Chacko (2021-04-05). Venezuela calls for debt restructuring in response to Covid pandemic. peoplesworld.org Venezuela is calling for a comprehensive restructuring of international debt in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Addressing the UN heads of state meeting on international debt, President Nicolas Maduro said that more than 130 million people had been plunged into poverty during the pandemic. A "profound revision of debt conditions" was needed to prevent …

teleSUR (2021-04-05). Venezuela Hardens Restrictions on its Colombia, Brazil Borders. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday announced that his country will reinforce restrictions at border crossings with Colombia and Brazil due to the increase in COVID-19 infections in those neighboring nations. | RELATED: | "We will redouble the epidemiological controls in 2,200 kilometers of common borders," Maduro said and highlighted that Colombia faces a crisis due to President Ivan Duque's mishandling of the pandemic…

samidoun (2021-04-05). Israeli Apartheid Week at the University of Toronto begins today — join these events for Palestine! samidoun.net Please join these important events for Israeli Apartheid Week at the University of Toronto, beginning today, 5 April, with the keynote speech by Dr. Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is proud to join as an endorser of IAW 2021 First launched in Toronto in 2005, Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) has become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. IAW is an international series of events that aims to raise awareness of Israel's apartheid regime over the Palestinian people and build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions move…

Ajit Singh (2021-04-05). "Wipe out China!" U.S.-funded Uyghur activists train as gun-toting foot soldiers for empire. mronline.org Cultivated by the US government as human rights activists, Uyghur American Association leaders partner with far-right lawmakers and operate a militia-style gun club that trains with ex-US special forces. | April 5, 2021 | Newswire…

William Donohue (2021-04-05). Christian Bashers Invent Christian Nationalism — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Scholars rightly take umbrage when pundits and activists exploit their work for political purposes. The latest example, at least in religious circles, is the way in which a new book, Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics, is being received by militant secularists. | The authors, David Campbell, Geoffrey Layman and John C. Green—all of whom have distinguished records—maintain that the number of Americans who no longer claim a religious affiliation is growing quickly, accounting for a secular surge. The data support their thesis. | Their volume becomes somewhat more controversial when…

Arab News (2021-04-05). Iran: IRGC To Use Presidential Election To Bolster Its Power — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami* | A number of Iranian military leaders, from both the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are among the likely candidates for Iran's presidential election, which will be held on June 18. Among these candidates are the former IRGC air force commander and former defense minister in the Rouhani government Hossein Dehghan; former IRGC commander and current Secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council Mohsen Rezaee; and the former head of the IRGC's Khatam Al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters Brig. Gen. Saeed Mohammed, as well as other politicians with a military b…

orinocotribune (2021-04-05). Alex Saab: 'I was Tortured and Pressured' to Sign Voluntary Extradition. orinocotribune.com In a recent interview with the Colombian news outlet El Espectador, Colombian-Venezuelan businessman and Venezuelan special envoy àÅlex Saab confessed to having been a victim of torture from the first day of his "kidnapping" in Cape Verde. He asserted that he was pressured "to sign voluntary extradition statements and give false testimony." Saab has been in detention in Cape Verde—first in prison and now under house arrest—since his arbitrary and irregular arrest in June 2020 in that country. | "I was kidnapped by Cape Verde in collusion with the United States," said the Venezuelan diplomat duri…

Paul Dobson (2021-04-05). Venezuela Appeals to UN for Landmine Clearance as Colombian Border Clashes Ease. venezuelanalysis.com Caracas has also created a special military zone and brigade to deal with the situation in Apure state, where 17 people have died.

slorinoco (2021-04-05). Venezuela's Army Remains on High Alert Near Border with Colombia. orinocotribune.com The Strategic Operational Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces announced that it remains on high alert on the border between Venezuela and Colombia. | Due to the clashes registered in recent days between the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and Colombian criminal groups, the Venezuelan Strategic Operational Command on Saturday reported that it maintains control of the towns of La Victoria and El Ripial, the primary theaters of the conflict. | "The armed groups who, with their intention of spreading terror among the people, flee with cowardice from Venezuelan justice, will not go far," read a…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-05). Ahead of nuclear deal meeting in Vienna, Iran calls for lifting of all US sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org Iranian officials said that there were no plans for meetings with US officials "directly or indirectly." They also rejected any step-by-step proposal for the restoration of the deal, calling for the immediate withdrawal of sanctions…

Laura Finley (2021-04-05). Ban the Death Penalty for Those with Serious Mental Illness. counterpunch.org The death penalty is an antiquated and barbaric form of punishment. This is why most nations have ended it. The top six executing nations in 2019 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, and the U.S. The U.S is especially cruel in that there is no categorical exemption for the seriously mentally ill from receiving

Raul Antonio Capote (2021-04-05). Another Weapon in the Cultural War Against Cuba. orinocotribune.com By Raúl Antonio Capote — Apr 4, 2021 | CIA efforts to create publishing houses andliterary magazines to attract Cuban writers was intended to separate them from the country's institutions and steer them toward an anti-government stance. | Most of the CIA's covert operations in Latin America during the 1960s were directed against the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro. "No more Cubas", was the agency's slogan at the time. | The Agency created a division in New York City, called Foreign Publications Inc. (Foreign Publications Incorporated), to subsidize various anti-Cuban publications, many coming from Miami. T…

Liudmila Piña Herrera (2021-04-05). Cuba — Antes de volver al aula. globalizacion.ca El aprendizaje mediante las teleclases ha ocupado un lugar preponderante en la dinámica y el pensamiento de la familia cubana, desde que la COVID-19 comenzó a ser parte de nuestra realidad. Las opiniones acerca de la educación no han cesado,…

Mario Ramos (2021-04-05). Combate a incursión mercenaria en Venezuela. globalizacion.ca Una de las 'nuevas' estrategias gringas de guerra es crear condiciones que permitan la rápida intervención de un tercero, precisamente porque en la búsqueda de destruir los países y procesos que se oponen a ser vasallos de su hegemonía, no…

Lucia Eugenia Cordova (2021-04-05). Venezuela Touches New Peak with 1,786 COVID-19 Cases and 15 Deaths this Sunday. orinocotribune.com On Sunday, April 4, Venezuela marked the 385th day of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The country registered 1,786 new cases in the last 24 hours, of which 1,779 were cases of community transmission and 7 were imported, in addition to 15 deaths. This was communicated by Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez during the televised COVID-19 briefing by President Nicolás Maduro. "This is the day with the highest number of cases reported in Venezuela," said the president in his customary Sunday address. | With this update, Venezuela accumulated a total of 166,123 infections and 1,662 deaths resu…

Staff (2021-04-05). Headlines for April 5, 2021. democracynow.org India Hits 100,000 Daily COVID Cases; More Nations Enter Lockdown; Pope Calls for Vaccine Equality, U.S. Vaccinations Pick Up Speed, But Health Experts Say Country Is Still at Risk for New Wave, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Killed After Man Rams Car into Security Checkpoint, Veteran Minneapolis Police Officer Calls Chauvin Kneeling on Floyd's Neck "Totally Unnecessary", U.S. and Iran Holding Talks Via Nuclear Deal Signatories in Attempt to Revive 2015 Accord, Jordan Arrests Ex-Crown Prince, Other Top Figures Accused of Plotting Coup Against King, Demonstrations Continue Against New U.K. Bill That Would Empower Pol…

Erica X Eisen (2021-04-05). The Other Nuremberg Trials, Seventy-Five Years On. zcomm.org ailures in prosecuting the businessmen who profited from the Nazi war machine show just how far postwar Europe and America were willing to go in the Cold War quest to protect capitalism…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-04-05). Egyptians criticise mummy parade for neglecting the living. middleeasteye.net Egyptians criticise mummy parade for neglecting the living | Journalists and activists denounce celebration of ancient Egypt as distraction from repression, poverty and government's poor handling of pandemic | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 17: 33 | A performer rides a two-horse chariot at the start of the parade of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies (AFP) | Egypt held an extravagant parade on Saturday, as it trans…

MEE staff (2021-04-05). Covid-19: Saudi Arabia to allow only 'immunised' pilgrims for Umrah. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Saudi Arabia to allow only 'immunised' pilgrims for Umrah | Individuals who have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine or have previously recovered from virus will be granted permit to perform pilgrimage | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 19: 45 | Nearly two million people had performed Umrah since it had reopened last October when restrictions were eased (AFP) | Saudi Arabia said on Monday that only pilgr…

MEE staff (2021-04-05). Saudi terror court sentences Red Crescent aid worker to 20 years in prison. middleeasteye.net Saudi terror court sentences Red Crescent aid worker to 20 years in prison | Abdulrahman al-Sadhan's arrest was reportedly linked to an anonymous Twitter account that voiced concerns over human rights in the kingdom | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 17: 58 | Abdulrahman al-Sadhan and his sister Areej al-Sadhan, prior to his detention (Courtesy of Areej al-Sadhan) | A Saudi terrorism court sentenced a local aid worker to 20…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-04-05). Arabic press review: This is what the Arab media is saying about the Jordan 'coup plot'. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: This is what the Arab media is saying about the Jordan 'coup plot' | According to the Jordanian media, Hamzah rebuffed the king's efforts for private conciliation, while the Saudis report Amman is in an 'unprecedented crisis' | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 14: 59 | An elderly Palestinian man in the occupied-West Bank town of Hebron reads the daily newspaper al-Quds, which boasts front-…

orinocotribune (2021-04-05). Venezuelan Minister for Defense: Venezuelans Displaced by Colombian Narco-Paramilitary Violence Pressured by Colombian Authorities to Remain in Arauquita. orinocotribune.com The Mayor of Páez municipality in Apure state (Venezuela), José María Romero, complained that a group of Venezuelans are being held in Arauquita, Colombia, and prevented from returning to La Victoria (Venezuela) in order to attempt to discredit reports about the tranquility and peace re-established in Venezuela. | "It is worrying to see how after almost 15 days, there is pressure from Colombia preventing people from returning," said the mayor in a video shared by Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. "We have information that it was forbidden to leave the shelters until Tuesday." | "Mayor José María…

Jason Ditz (2021-04-05). Israel Finds US Interest in Saving Iran Nuclear Deal 'Very Troubling'. news.antiwar.com An outspoken opponent of diplomacy with Iran, and against the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran, Israel has made its first comments in awhile on the matter, expressing concern at US indications that they are going to engage in diplomacy with Iran and try to save the nuclear deal. | Even though this is largely what was expected of the Biden Administration, The statements f…

May First (2021-04-05). May First joins call for Free Software Foundation Board resignation. indybay.org May First Movement Technology has joined free software organizations and activists in calling for the resignation of Richard Stallman and the rest of the Board of the Free Software Foundation.

Anonymous007 (2021-04-05). Military Situation In Yemen On April 5, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 194 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On April 4, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 3 airstrikes on the Kitaf area | On April 4, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 5 airstrikes on the Rahbah area | On April 4, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 2 airstrikes on the Madghal area | On April 4, the Saudi-led force attacked Ansar Allah positions in Ra…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-05). Terrorists From Syria Deployed To Fight For The Saudi-Led Coalition In Yemen: Report. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Terrorists from Syria This was disclosed by unnamed Yemeni intelligence sources. | According to the report, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants are waiting for terrorists from Syria to arrive in Yemen's southern province of Abyan.

Anonymous007 (2021-04-05). Terrorists From Syria Deployed To Fight For The Saudi-Led Coalition In Yemen. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Terrorists from Syria This was disclosed by unnamed Yemeni intelligence sources. | According to the report, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants are waiting for terrorists from Syria to arrive in Yemen's southern province of Abyan.

Anonymous349 (2021-04-05). SouthFront Is In The Center Of MSM Horror Stories Again. southfront.org ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE | Mainstream "journalists" should praise SouthFront Team 7 days a week despite regular and unprecedented attempts of globalist structures to destroy Southfront or at least suppress its work. | Because it is clear. If there is no SouthFront, all these MSM-styled budget suckers would lost their jobs as they would have nothing to write about in their 'top-notch investigations' and horror stories about never-ending 'attacks on democracy'. David starts with laser beams will no more fly over Iranian tankers and…

Anonymous103 (2021-04-05). The Houthis Release Video Of The Recent Attack On Saudi-Led Forces In Yemen. southfront.org The Houthi-affilated media outlet "Yemen Wrath" released fresh combat footage showing operations of Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis) against coalition-led forces in Yemen. | The video reportedly shows the Houthi recent attack on Saudi-led forces on the Meris front in Al-Dhale governorate on April 4. Heavy material and human losses were reported. |

Dave DeCamp (2021-04-05). Biden Mum on Yemen Action as War Rages. news.antiwar.com On February 4th, President Biden said he was ending US support for Saudi Arabia's "offensive" operations in Yemen. Two months later, Saudi airstrikes continue to pound Yemen, the blockade is still being enforced, and the Biden administration refuses to disclose details about what support it is still providing to the Saudi-led coalition. |

Dave DeCamp (2021-04-05). US Expects 'Difficult' Iran Talks in Vienna. news.antiwar.com With the US and Iran set to hold indirect talks in Vienna on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington "These are early days. We don't anticipate an early or immediate breakthrough, as these discussions we fully expect will be difficult,"

teleSUR (2021-04-04). Venezuela Seeks UN Assistance to Deactivate Mines. telesurenglish.net Maduro made the announcement after delivering a report on the Covid19 situation in the country. He said he instructed foreign minister Jorge Arreaza to contact UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the purpose. | RELATED: | Venezuela's National Boliviarian Army has been conducting operations on the border zone since unidentified armed units attacked National Guard posts, rural villages and public buildings in M…

Ben Terrall (2021-04-04). The World After COVID. counterpunch.org The stalwart left-wing publisher OR Books has firmly established itself as go-to source for titles that challenge the status quo and suggest options for moving beyond our current ruts. Two new collections from OR do just that. Everything Must Change: The World After COVID-19 collects political conversations among political activists, artists, and academics about how

Richard Sanders (2021-04-04). Canadian Ties to U.S. Empire: Lester Pearson and the Myth of Canada as Peaceable Kingdom. globalresearch.ca Read part I here: | |

Tasnim News Agency (2021-04-04). Iranian Deputy FM Rules Out Talks With US In Vienna. eurasiareview.com Iran is not going to hold any talks with US representatives directly or indirectly at an upcoming session of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said. | The senior Iranian diplomat told IRINN on Sunday that Iran will not hold any negotiations with the US in the upcoming meeting of the JCPOA parties in Austria. | Following the 18th meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission that was held via videoconference on Friday, the participants decided to proceed with the talks in Vienna next week to continue the consultations and define the measures relating to the termination…

William Boardman (2021-04-04). Peace With Iran Is Tricky: Is Biden Making It Impossible? dissidentvoice.org American policy toward Iran has long been stupid and self-defeating. Anyone here not see that? Anyone here think that's a necessary state of affairs? OK, it's true that stupid, self-defeating policy toward Iran is an American tradition of more than 70 years standing. And yes, it has had some short-term benefits, enriching the Shah's thugocracy …

Arab News (2021-04-04). Iran Regime's Nuclear Deal Puzzle — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh* | The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal was a product of the balance of power in 2015. At that time, it was unclear whether the Iranian regime would acquire a nuclear weapon in the next few months. Then-US President Barack Obama was willing for the deal to happen. The idea of Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry was that, if they agreed terms with Iran, then the regime could be managed, its foreign policy could be changed, and it would be a more moderate force in the region. | Those beliefs proved to be illusions as there are no moderates inside Iran. Instea…

Editor2 (2021-04-04). "We Did Not Know… that There is an International Law" orinocotribune.com By Michel Raimbaud — Apr 2, 2021 | In March 1991, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, which had just imploded under a coalition led by Washington, began its descent into hell. It would remain for a long time under close surveillance and embargo. Meanwhile, between a mirage of "glasnost" and a wave of "perestroika," Gorbachev's USSR, floundering in dreams of the West, was soon to sink and fall apart. America already saw itself as "the most powerful Empire the earth has brought forth" and readied itself to make those who did not understand it pay dearly. After pretending to seek a peaceful outcome that would spare Iraq hum…

orinocotribune (2021-04-04). Three Colombian Navy Platoons Deployed at Border with Venezuela to 'Reinforce Security'. orinocotribune.com Last Thursday, April 1, the government of Colombia deployed three platoons of the Colombian navy in the department of Arauca on the Colombia-Venezuela border, with the alleged mission of "guaranteeing border security and providing protection to the Colombian population." Incidentally, Arauca is the region from where Colombian narco-paramilitary gangs routinely violate Venezuelan sovereignty and security of the Venezuelan people. | According to a note published by Webinfomil last Thursday, this group, comprised of 90 soldiers, has as "main objective the defense of sovereignty, independence, integrity of the nation…

orinocotribune (2021-04-04). Jorge Arreaza: Iván Duque is Not Used to Reading but to Lying. orinocotribune.com On Saturday, April 3, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza Montserrat advised Colombian president Iván Duque to stop lying about the so-called "Cartel of the Suns" (Cartel de los Soles). He recommended that someone read to him about the rigorous investigation which has revealed that the United States and his own government supported and publicized that lie based on an unprecedented media plot. | "It is known that Iván Duque is not used to reading, but he is used to lying," Arreaza wrote on his Twitter account, @jaarreaza. "Perhaps someone can read to him this rigorous work by a Spanish researcher, wh…

Ray Hanania (2021-04-04). Black Lives Matter's Hawk Newsome Appalled By Lack Of Coverage Of Houthi Massacre Of Ethiopians. eurasiareview.com The horrific deaths of scores of Ethiopian migrants in a detention center in Sanaa run by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia is further proof that anti-black racism exists on every continent, according to Hawk Newsome, a founding member of Black Lives Matter (BLM) Greater New York. | Racial tensions and the deaths of black people in police custody have provoked repeated bouts of protest and unrest in the US and Europe in recent years. | Newsome played a key role in the worldwide movement that has rocked US cities since the police killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. | During…

MEE correspondent (2021-04-04). Jordan: Who are the people arrested over the alleged coup plot? middleeasteye.net Jordan: Who are the people arrested over the alleged coup plot? | The Saudi connections of two detained male associates of Prince Hamzah have sparked speculation about Riyadh's relationship with Amman | Sun, 04/04/2021 – 16: 08 | Former head of the royal court Bassem Awadallah was arrested by Jordanian forces on 3 April for "security reasons". (Pictured June 2006, AFP) | On Saturday eve…

RT (2021-04-04). Pope calls for end to war, violence, and 'race for new weaponry' in Easter message. rt.com Pope Francis condemned the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, calling for an end to the "clash of arms" in his Easter message. | In the address, Francis There are still too many wars and too much violence in the world! May the Lord, who is our peace, help us to overcome the mindset of war. | The Pope singled out the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Libya…

Juan Cole (2021-04-04). What Christians can Learn from the Qur'an's denial that Jews bore Responsibility for Christ's Crucifixion. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Through Christian history, and especially since Christians became numerous and powerful as the Roman Empire adopted the faith as its state religion, Jews have been senselessly victimized around Easter and falsely blamed for the killing of Christ. Interestingly, the Qur'an denies that the Jews were at fault in Jesus' execution. …

www.academia.edu (2021-04-04). Two letters to the editor on the pandemic lockdown. indybay.org Our collective thinking has often been manipulated and corrupted (eg Vietnam, Iraq, Nicaragua, Iran). According to GlobalResearch.ca, the WHO made a late admission on Jan 20, 2021 that "the lockdown has no scientific basis" and test results are misleading. "Release the vaccines and put an end to the lockdown," urges Jens Berger, editor of nachdenkseiten.de.

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2021-04-04). Friday 4/2: Virtual Forum: 60-year Blockade on Cuba & Unions Fight for Safe Schools. indybay.org bit.ly/education4thepeople…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-04). Saudi-led Coalition Deployed Patriot Air-Defense Systems In Yemen's Ma'rib. southfront.org Illustrative Image | The Saudi-led coalition has deployed US-made MIM-104 Patriot air-defense systems in the central Yemeni province of Ma'rib, al-Mashhad al-Khaleeji reported on April 3. | A military source in the coalition told the news outlet that the systems were deployed in Ma'rib city center."A number of Patriot defense systems of the Arab coalition recently arrived in Ma'rib city," the source, who was not named, said. | The source said that the systems will be used to protect urban areas in Ma'rib from the Houthi (A…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-04). Military Situation In Yemen On April 4, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On April 3, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Salif area | On April 3, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 3 airstrikes on the Khab and Shaaf area | On April 3, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 12 airstrikes on the Sarwah area | On April 3, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Boqa area | On April 3, Ansar Allah reportedly captured al-Ahkum area in south of Hayfan district | On April 4, clashes between Ansar Allah an…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-04). Nowhere To Hide: Rocket Attack Hits Base Hosting US Troops In Iraq. southfront.org ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE | On April 4, a rocket attack targeted Balad Air Base in Iraq's central region. US troops are known to be deployed in the base. | An Iraqi security source told that al-Ain News that two rockets hit the air base, which is located 64 km to the north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad."The two rockets feel near the outer fence of the base, causing no human or material losses," the UAE-based TV channel quoted the source as saying. | Sabereen News, a Telegram channel linked to Iranian-backed armed groups in Iraq, sa…

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