(2021-04-24). Context Crucial If Biden Recognizes Armenian Genocide — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Dania Koleilat Khatib* | US President Joe Biden is this weekend expected to formally recognize the massacres conducted against the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War as "genocide." He is likely to make the announcement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which falls on Saturday. This recognition was one of his campaign promises. | Biden already has a chilly relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and this move is likely to increase the tensions between the two NATO allies. However, the recognition should not be looked at from a political angle but rather a human on…
(2021-04-24). The History Of Turkish Atrocities Against Armenians And Why Biden Is Poised To Call Them Genocide — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Ivan Gutterman* | It's April 24, 1915. Some 250 Armenian intellectuals are rounded up in Constantinople and imprisoned by Ottoman police. Known as "Red Sunday," it is today a day of remembrance for a murderous yearslong campaign that would see the majority of the Ottoman Empire's prewar Armenian population expelled or exterminated. According to estimates, between 664,000 and 1.2 million people lost their lives. | A century later, recognition of the killings as genocide is still a divisive diplomatic issue, with Turkey and Azerbaijan — who share strong ethnic and cultural ties — officially denying genocide…
(2021-04-24). The US To End Its War In Afghanistan, 'The Graveyard Of Empires' — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Somar Wijayadasa* | President Joe Biden of the United States announced that its war in Afghanistan, the US's longest war ever, will end on September 11, 2021. | A glimpse of Afghanistan's history—dubbed as "the country where Empires go to die" will help us understand why many empires failed in that country. | Afghanistan, rightfully called a "graveyard of empires", is a mountainous landlocked country located along the ancient Silk Road between Asia and Europe, and surrounded by powerful nations such as India, Pakistan, and Russia. | For centuries, it was a melting pot as new empires rose up and took c…
(2021-04-24). Iran: Two Sentenced To Death For 'Insulting The Prophet, Blasphemy'. eurasiareview.com Two prisoners were sentenced to According to the Only one of the prisoners has been identified as Yusef Mehrdad from the northwestern city of Ardabil. | The 1st Branch of the Arak Criminal Court sentenced Yusef and the other prisoner to death for "insulting the prophet" and "blasphemy". | Me…
(2021-04-24). US And Iranian Researchers Collaborate On Lake Urmia Restoration. eurasiareview.com In a rare exchange, scientists and water resources engineers from Iran and Utah are collaborating on a bold scientific study to restore one of the world's largest saline lakes. | Lake Urmia — a massive salt lake in Iran's northwest and a sister to Utah's Great Salt Lake — has lost nearly 95 percent of its volume over the last two decades. As water levels drop, salinity spikes, threatening the lake's brine shrimp population and the flamingos and other bird species that depend on the shrimp for food. Lake levels are so low that at some coastal resorts, tourism boats must be pulled a kilometer (0.6 mile) or mor…
(2021-04-23). Biden's Appeasement of Hawks and Neocons Is Crippling His Diplomacy. counterpunch.org President Biden took office promising a new era of American international leadership and diplomacy. But with a few exceptions, he has so far allowed self-serving foreign allies, hawkish U.S. interest groups and his own imperial delusions to undermine diplomacy and stoke the fires of war. Biden's failure to quickly recommit to the Iran nuclear deal,
(2021-04-23). Venezuela's Guaido Taps $152 Million in Funds Stolen by US. news.antiwar.com Venezuela's Juan Guaido is planning to make Guaido is tapping $152 million from the accounts. $100 million is said to be going towards purchasing vaccines through the World Health Organization. It's not clear what the remaining funds…
(2021-04-23). Iran COVID-19 update: 22,904 cases, 380 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 23 (MNA) — The total number of people infected with the coronavirus in Iran during the last 24 hours has reached 22,904 as 380 more Iranians have died from the disease.
(2021-04-23). African Activists: The Earth Is in Peril If Wealthy Nations Don't Slash Emissions & Pay Climate Debt. democracynow.org 
As President Biden convenes a major climate summit, we speak with two leading climate activists from Africa about the "climate debt" rich countries owe the Global South and the major emissions cuts still needed in order to avert the worst effects of the planetary emergency. "Given the scale of the crisis right now, the only thing that is going to get us out of it is not going to be baby steps in the right direction," says Kumi Naidoo, special adviser for the Green Economy Coalition's Social Contract Initiative, as well as the former head of Greenpeace International. "It's going to be big, bold, courageous, struct…
(2021-04-23). The Imperialist Origins of Saudi Arabia. dissidentvoice.org 
Why is Saudi Arabia, a Sunni absolute monarchy, enthusiastically supported by the West, considered a global promoter of "democracy"? This question is rarely asked. The apparent mismatch between liberal democracy and religious fundamentalism is hastily airbrushed when the matter is about oil trade and arms deals. This attitude is not an expression of mere hypocrisy …
(2021-04-23). Houthi Drones Targeted Aramco Facility, King Khalid Air Base In Saudi Arabia. southfront.org 
Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing | Early on April 23, the Houthis (as Ansar Allah is known) carried out a drone attack on targets in the southern Saudi provinces of Jizan and 'Asir. | The Yemeni group targeted a facility of Saudi oil giant Aramco in an unspecified part of Jizan with a Samad-3 suicide drone. At the same time, the group targeted King Khalid Air Base in 'Asir with two Qasef-2K drones. | Later in the morning, a third Qasef-2K drones was launched by the Houthis at a "military installation"
(2021-04-23). Venezuela Advances in Clearing Landmines Laid by Colombian Narco-Terrorists in Apure. orinocotribune.com The demining operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) in Apure state have achieved the neutralization of at least 100 of the illegal explosives. | General Commander of the Army, General Domingo Hernández Lárez, confirmed that this challenge prompted the military to make special adaptations to its weapons and minesweeper systems to clear the territory of one of the deadly consequences of the internal Colombian conflict, that some are trying to export to Venezuela. | These explosive devices, illegal under international law, were planted by narco-terrorist gangs of Colombia in their attempt to instal…
(2021-04-23). Report: US Open to Lifting 'Terror' Sanctions on Iran's Central Bank. news.antiwar.com Since the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions on Iran to restore the JCPOA, the US is negotiating with Tehran what specific sanctions need to be lifted through indirect talks in Vienna. | The Trump administration imposed sancti…
(2021-04-23). Israeli Officials Headed to DC to Protest US Return to Iran Deal. news.antiwar.com A high-level Israeli delegation is visiting Washington next week, and The Israeli officials visiting Washington include National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat, Military Intelligence chief Tamir Hayman, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, and Yossi Cohan, who heads Israel's Mossad spy agency. | Israeli so…
(2021-04-23). Kianoush Rostami wins gold in continental c'ships. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 23 (MNA) — Iranian lifter Kianoush Rostami won the gold medal of 89kg category at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday.
(2021-04-23). Government To Blame For Iran's Deepening Recession — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh* | When the Iranian authorities boast about Iran's "resistance economy," they are attempting to hide the fact that the government's economic problems have deepened to a dangerous level. | Iran's official reserves dropped to a record low of $4 billion last year, down from $122.5 billion just two years earlier. This has partially contributed to the devaluation of the currency. Iran's currency was trading at about 30,000 rials to the US dollar in 2018, compared to approximately 240,000 now. | In the last two years, many companies have gone bankrupt as the government continues to increase it…
(2021-04-23). Can a Formula 1 Star Send a Message to the Saudi Government? counterpunch.org For human rights advocates who also enjoy the sport of car racing, a great opportunity awaits us. Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in the history of Formula 1 racing, has been bravely and consistently supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In the wake of the protests against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna
(2021-04-23). Can a Formula 1 Star Send a Message to the Saudi Government? counterpunch.org For human rights advocates who also enjoy the sport of car racing, a great opportunity awaits us. Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in the history of Formula 1 racing, has been bravely and consistently supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In the wake of the protests against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna
(2021-04-23). Venezuela's Arreaza: Assistant Secretary of State Chung's Confession is More Evidence of US Aggressions. orinocotribune.com This Thursday, April 22, Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza commented that a tweet posted by the acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States Department of State, Julie Chung, reveals how the US applies arbitrary and illegal measures that have generated suffering across an entire country. | Through his official Twitter account @jaarreaza, the Venezuelan top diplomat pointed out that what was written by the US official will be used as evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and before the UN, as false ideologized arguments showing disrespect…
(2021-04-23). US Sanctions Against Venezuela Violate the Human Rights They Claim to Protect, Says UN Special Rapporteur on Sanctions. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | "You cannot claim to protect human rights by violating human rights," …
(2021-04-22). Putin Condemns 'Regime Change' Attempts in Belarus and Venezuela. orinocotribune.com This Wednesday, April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual message to the Federal Assembly of Russia in which he condemned the attempts to change governments by force, such as those that occurred in Belarus or Venezuela. | "You can have any opinion about, for example, the former president of Ukraine [Victor] Yanukovych or [President of Venezuela, Nicolás] Maduro (…) have any point of view about the president of Belarus, [Alexandr] Lukashenko, but the practice of organizing coups, plans for political assassinations, including those of high-ranking officials, exceed all limits," Putin said, as rep…
(2021-04-22). Maduro's Administration Present at the Ibero-American Summit: Delcy Rodríguez Asks that Venezuelan Funds Be Unblocked and Responds to Colombia's Duque. orinocotribune.com 
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela participated at the XXVII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, which took place in an online conference this Wednesday, April 21. As appropriate, the government of President Nicolás Maduro was represented by its Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez. She gave a brief but forceful speech, adjusted to the regulations that govern speech rights in this international consultative forum. Two important moments are identified in her speech: the first came with the reiteration of the denunciation of the criminal blockade that curtails the fundamental rights of th…
(2021-04-22). Vienna Talks Reveal Biden Team's Attachment to Sanctions that Would Torpedo Iran Deal. orinocotribune.com By Gareth Porter — Apr 18, 2021 | Biden's foreign policy team refuses to relieve Iran from sanctions illegally imposed by the Trump administration, setting the stage for the collapse of negotiations and a major crisis. | The Biden administration signaled once again at the April 9 Vienna meeting on the Iran nuclear deal that it intends to maintain Trump-era Iran sanctions in an effort to win political and military concessions going well beyond the original deal itself. Team Biden continued to insist during the conference that Iran return to full compliance with the nuclear agreement without any reciprocal US…
(2021-04-22). Venezuela Blasts Vaccine Inequality, IMF for Denying Covid-19 Funds. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela asked Portugal to release frozen resources and criticized the IMF for denying access to emergency Covid-19 funds.
(2021-04-22). The Real Story: The U.S. & Israeli War Against Iran. liberationnews.org 
The fate of the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement hangs in the balance.
(2021-04-22). US Joins Past Empires In Afghan Graveyard. popularresistance.org An Afghan taxi-driver in Vancouver told one of us a decade ago that this day would come. "We defeated the Persian Empire in the eighteenth century, the British in the nineteenth, the Soviets in the twentieth. Now, with NATO, we're fighting twenty-eight countries, but we'll defeat them, too," said the taxi-driver, surely not a member of the Taliban, but quietly proud of his country's empire-killing credentials. | Now, after nearly twenty years of a war that has been as bloody and futile as all those previous invasions and occupations, the last 3,500 U.S. troops and their NATO brothers-in-arms will be coming home f…
(2021-04-22). Why is AFL-CIO So Worried About Its Vermont Affiliate? counterpunch.org 
Two years ago, a group of local union activists launched a reform campaign, called "Vermont AFL-CIO United!." They were frustrated with their own labor council's lack of militancy and creativity, plus its inability to aid new organizing, contract campaigns, or strikes. In a rare contested election, the Vermont reformers called for greater rank-and-file activism, within AFL-CIO affiliated unions and other Vermont labor organizations which represent state employees and teachers.
(2021-04-22). Biden's Appeasement of Hawks and Neocons is Crippling His Diplomacy. dissidentvoice.org 
Biden with NATO's Stoltenberg (Photo credit: haramjedder.blogspot.com) President Biden took office promising a new era of American international leadership and diplomacy. But with a few exceptions, he has so far allowed self-serving foreign allies, hawkish U.S. interest groups and his own imperial delusions to undermine diplomacy and stoke the fires of war. Biden's failure to …
(2021-04-22). Extinction Rebellion activists smash windows of HSBC's London headquarters. thecanary.co 
Climate change activists said they smashed the windows of HSBC's London headquarters over its links to the fossil fuel industry. | Nine women from Extinction Rebellion (XR) and the political party Burning Pink targeted the Canary Wharf building on Thursday morning, using hammers and chisels to break the glass. | They then placed stickers on the windows reading " £80 billion into fossil fuels in the last 5 years" and waited for police to arrive, XR said. | The Metropolitan Police said its officers were called to Canada Square shortly after 7am to reports of protesters causing "criminal damage to a building".
(2021-04-22). Major Saudi Air Base Faced New Houthi Drone Attack. southfront.org 
Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing | On April 22, the Houthis launched yet another drone attack on King Khalid Air Base in the southern Saudi province of 'Asir. | In the early morning hours, the group launched a single Qasef-2K suicide drone at what was described as an "important military installation" inside the major air base. | A spokesman for the Houthis, Gen. Yahya Sari, said that the drone attack was a…
(2021-04-22). Iranian Revolutionary Guards Release Close Drone Footage Of US Aircraft Carrier. southfront.org 
Screen grab from the IRGC footage. | On April 21, the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) released close drone footage of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. | According to Iranian media, the IRGC shared the footage to demonstrate its state-of-the-art advancements in the field of drone technology. The footage was captured by a four-strong drone squadron. The exact type of the drones was not disclosed. | The footage shows the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) aircraft carrier, sailing alongside the USNS Choctaw…
(2021-04-22). Military Situation In Yemen On April 22, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 143 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On April 21, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 15 airstrikes on the Sarwah area | On April 21, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 4 airstrikes on the Kitaf area | On April 21, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Shada area | On April 22, Ansar Allah attacked King Khalid Airbase with a Qase…
(2021-04-22). U.S. Joins Past Empires In Afghan Graveyard. zcomm.org President Biden announced a removal of all U.S. troops by September 11, but he failed to include some important details…
(2021-04-22). Chris Hedges: The Unraveling of the American Empire. peoplesparty.org US leadership has stumbled from one military debacle to another, a trajectory mirroring the sad finales of other historical imperial powers, writes Chris Hedges.: | (As seen on
(2021-04-22). Opposition grows to revocation of Syrian refugees' residency permits by Denmark. peoplesdispatch.org Activists and human rights groups claim that the Danish government's move to declare parts of Syria safe for the refugees and asking them to return is based on a wrong assessment of the ground realities…
(2021-04-22). 'Pervasive racism' led to failure to commemorate Black and Asian troops. thecanary.co "Pervasive racism" underpinned a failure to properly commemorate potentially hundreds of thousands of predominantly Black and Asian service personnel who died fighting for the British Empire, an investigation has found. | The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) apologised after its investigation found that those individuals were not formally remembered in the same way as their white comrades. | Defence secretary Ben Wallace will give a statement to MPs on the findings on Thursday, when the report is formally published in full.The investigation discovered at least 116,000 predominantly African and Middle Eas…
(2021-04-22). Afghanistan shows we need to continue campaigning against the warmongers. greenleft.org.au The withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan is a welcome development. But, as Alex Bainbridge argues, it doesn't mean that the warmongers in Canberra and Washington have been defeated.
(2021-04-22). West Asian countries lead in global execution list, says Amnesty report. peoplesdispatch.org A scathing new report released by international human rights organization Amnesty International has revealed that countries in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region carried out the highest number of death penalties in 2020, reported Associated Press yesterday, April 21. The Amnesty report also stated that four countries in the MENA region, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, carried out an overwhelming 88% of all known executions worldwide last year. | According to the report, Iran executed 246 people, Egypt 107, Iraq 45, and Saudi Arabia 27, on a wide range of "vague and overly broad terror-related and othe…
(2021-04-22). Pompeo Joins House Republicans to Unveil Iran Sanctions Bill. news.antiwar.com Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo The legislation, titled
(2021-04-22). Iran Is Installing More Advanced Centrifuges at Natanz. news.antiwar.com Looking to more than replace the number of centrifuges at Natanz damaged or otherwise rendered inoperable by recent Israeli sabotage, the IAEA reports that Iran is setting up eight cascades worth of more advanced centrifuges at the site. | Reported among the Iran sees the improved centrifuges as part of…
(2021-04-22). Iran Installs Advanced Uranium Enrichment Centrifuges in Natanz, Reports Say. sputniknews.com Iran has been partly violating the terms of its nuclear agreement, known as the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after it was abandoned by the US in 2018. Tehran and the European parties to the deal held negotiations to revive the JCPOA, but Washington has so far refused to remove sanctions from the Iranian economy.
(2021-04-22). Iran nuclear negotiator says Vienna talks 'progressive' despite difficulties. ecns.cn Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tuesday that the latest round of the talks in Vienna are "progressive" despite "the existing difficulties."
(2021-04-22). Who Wags the Dog? Israel's Friends in Washington Mean Constant War in the Middle East. strategic-culture.org Biden, like presidents before him, is caught in the trap between an extremist-dominated Israel and the all-powerful domestic Israel Lobby. | Donald Trump, who was elected President of the United States in 2016, may have won due to voters attracted by his pledge to end many of the "stupid" wars that the American military was involved in worldwide. In the event, however, he ended no wars in spite of several attempts to withdraw from Afghanistan and Syria, and almost started new conflicts with cruise missile attacks and the assassination of an Iranian general. Trump was consistently outmaneuvered by his "experts" on…
(2021-04-22). Pompeo Touts 'Toughest' GOP Sanctions Bill on Iran Amid Signs of Tentative Progress at Vienna Talks. sputniknews.com Amid ongoing Vienna talks to reactivate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Biden administration has been sending indications to Tehran that it may consider reducing punitive sanctions currently targeting Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
(2021-04-22). Can Formula 1 Star Lewis Hamilton Send a Message to the Saudi Government? commondreams.org His willingness to speak out comes at an opportune time, as 2021 is the first year that Formula 1 will go to Saudi Arabia. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-04-22). Colombia y Venezuela: La guerra paramilitar. globalizacion.ca 1 | Ningún conflicto respeta fronteras. Desde el pasado siglo denuncio una infiltración paramilitar que, según la revista colombiana Semana, invierte en bingos, casinos, salas de juego y prostíbulos, así como en generosos donativos que logran la pronta reapertura de dichos…
(2021-04-22). Do NGOs in the US and Spain Operate Without Rules? More Evidence of Double Standards for Venezuela. orinocotribune.com By Clodovaldo Hernandez — Apr 21, 2021 | US and Spanish authorities and media are "alarmed" by the rules Venezuela recently approved to regulate the operations of non-governmental organizations in its territory. It is an act of profound hypocrisy, because in the United States and Spain very strict laws apply regarding these supposedly independent and non-profit entities. | A cursory review of media such as La Voz de América or El País in Madrid reveals how the global media apparatus and officials from the US and Spain accuse Venezuelan government of persecuting and trying to destroy NGOs because it intends t…