(2021-04-26). Biden Recognizes Armenian Genocide of 1915, Despite Decades of Lobbying & Denialism by Turkey. democracynow.org 
As President Joe Biden makes history by explicitly describing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a "genocide," we speak with Peter Balakian, Pulitzer Prize-winning Armenian American poet and professor at Colgate University. On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire began a systematic, premeditated campaign targeting the Armenian people, an unarmed Christian minority living under Turkish rule. More than a million Armenians were exterminated through direct killing, starvation, torture and forced death marches. Another million Armenian people fled into permanent exile. "It's an important statement," resp…
(2021-04-26). Biden Recognizes Armenian Genocide of 1915, Despite Decades of Lobbying & Denialism by Turkey. democracynow.org As President Joe Biden makes history by explicitly describing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a "genocide," we speak with Peter Balakian, Pulitzer Prize-winning Armenian American poet and professor at Colgate University. On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire began a systematic, premeditated campaign targeting the Armenian people, an unarmed Christian minority living under Turkish rule. More than a million Armenians were exterminated through direct killing, starvation, torture and forced death marches. Another million Armenian people fled into permanent exile. "It's an important statement," resp…
(2021-04-26). Erdogan Urges Biden to Reverse Armenian Genocide Recognition, Warns of 'Destructive Impact' on Ties. sputniknews.com Turkey has historically rejected the use of the term genocide to describe the events that unfolded in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, insisting that its government never intended to deliberately kill the Armenian people, but was simply responding to their rebellion.
(2021-04-26). US Role Behind the Defeat of Ecuador's Leftist Presidential Candidate. dissidentvoice.org The US role in the defeat of leftist Andrés Arauz in Ecuador's presidential contest on April 11 was not overt because it did not need to be, according to a high-ranking Latin American diplomat. We met with the diplomat and others on an official election observation delegation with CODEPINK. Names of some sources remain anonymous …
(2021-04-26). Year one in the Fight Against COVID-19: A Conversation with Elisabeth Daza and Jose Mireles (Part I). orinocotribune.com 
Frontline health workers reflect on the first year of the pandemic in Venezuela. | Elisabeth Daza and José Mireles are frontline medical workers in Caracas. Daza is doing her residency at the Angel Vicente Ochoa Ambulatory in the working class "Cementerio" barrio in Caracas. Mireles, a third-year medical student at the Hugo Chávez University of Health Sciences, is regional secretary of the Venezuelan University Student Federation and president of his university's student center. Last year we
(2021-04-26). 'Urgent explanation' is demanded as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe sentenced to a another year in Iranian jail. thecanary.co British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been given an additional jail term in Iran. | Zaghari-Ratcliffe has already completed a five-year sentence on charges levied by Iranian authorities, the last year of which was spent under house arrest due to the pandemic. | Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani said she received the second sentence on a charge of spreading "propaganda against the system" for participating in a protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009. | As well as the one-year jail term she has also been banned from leaving the country for a year. | Thank you for all the messages r…
(2021-04-26). Venezuela Reports 995 New COVID-19 Cases and 19 Deaths This Sunday. orinocotribune.com 
This Sunday, April 25, Venezuela marked the 406th day in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last 24 hours, 995 new cases were registered in the country—all of them cases of community transmission, in addition to 19 deaths. This was communicated by the executive vice president of the Republic and president of the commission for the prevention and control of COVID-19, Delcy Rodríguez, in a televised meeting with President Nicolás Maduro during his customary Sunday address. | With this update, Venezuela totals 191,518 infections and 2,047 deaths from COVID-19. Among them, 15,201 cases are active a…
(2021-04-26). President Maduro Denounces US Funding To Venezuelan Opposition. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Sunday denounced Washington is handing over Venezuelan money frozen in U.S. federal reserves and banks worldwide to opposition leader Juan Guaido. | RELATED: | "The White House has no limits. It is usurping and giving away our resources to these gangsters," Maduro warned and informed that President Joe Biden's administration will deliver Guaido over Venezuelan US$150 million to Guaido. | The pre…
(2021-04-26). Palestinian Prisoners' Action Week 2021: Global action report and growing solidarity. samidoun.net 
Organizations and activists around the world demanded freedom for Palestinian political prisoners as part of the Palestinian Prisoners' Week of Action between 17 and 23 April. Every year, since 1974, Palestinians, Arabs and internationalists commemorate a day of action on 17 April, Palestinian Prisoners' Day. This week of action involves protests, boycott actions, mobilization and education to demand freedom for all Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel, expose the complicity of imperialist and reactionary regimes and stand with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance. The Week of Action also comes…
(2021-04-26). The Graveyard of Empires Redux: America's Ruinous Pursuit of Mission Impossible in Afghanistan. juancole.com 
By Rajan Menon | — ( Tomdispatch.com ) — On May 1st, the date Donald Trump signed onto for the withdrawal of the remaining 3,500 American troops from Afghanistan, the war there, already 19 years old, was still officially a teenager. Think of September 11, 2021 — the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and …
(2021-04-26). The Iranian Government is more Pragmatic in dealing with Sunnis than its Sectarian image Implies. juancole.com 
St. Andrews (Special to Informed Comment) — The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is often depicted by its enemies and their press (the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel in particular) as an ideological and sectarian Shiite state, drunk on fundamentalism. Religious fundamentalism, however, is a key part of the politics of these …
(2021-04-26). 60 years ago: The invasion that failed. workers.org 
Sixty years ago — on April 17, 1961 — some 1,400 heavily armed right-wing exiles waded ashore at Cuba's aptly named Bay of Pigs (Playa Girón) to initiate what they thought would be the overthrow of the revolutionary government headed by Fidel Castro. Cuban revolutionaries, led by Fidel, celebrate defeat . . . |
(2021-04-26). Díaz-Canel offers blunt truth on Cuban economy at party congress. peoplesworld.org 
The Cuban Communist Party's Eighth Congress took place in Havana on April 16-19, five years after the previous one. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who had just replaced former President Raúl Castro as first secretary of the party's Central Committee, delivered the closing remarks. Castro is retiring from public life. Centering on the congress's theme of continuity, …
(2021-04-26). Home Office Windrush decision was irrational, holds High Court. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
R (On the Application of Hubert Howard (deceased, substituted by Maresha Howard Rose pursuant to CPR 19.2(4) and PD 19A)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 1023 (Admin) — read judgment Hubert Howard was born in 1956 and came to the United Kingdom in 1960, aged almost 4 from Jamaica. He …
(2021-04-25). In Video: Houthis Blowing Vehicles of Saudi-Backed Forces. southfront.org 
Screen grab from the Houthis' video. | 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 footage shows the engineering unit carrying out IED attacks against several vehicles of Saudi-backed forces in Asir and Al-Jawf fronts and inflicting human and material losses. |
(2021-04-26). Venezuela Hits Hard at Drug Trafficking Despite False Narratives. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan Minister for Internal Relations, Justice and Peace, Admiral Carmen Melendez, emphasized that Venezuela has dealt a severe blow to drug trafficking by managing to seize more than 13,600 kilograms of drugs in the first quarter of 2021 alone, despite the international narrative promoted by the United States and Colombia that portrays Venezuela as a narco-state. | In this regard, the senior official stated categorically, during an interview for the television program Aqui con Ernesto Villegas, that the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) remains in a constant battle against drug trafficking, at all chec…
(2021-04-26). Special Economic Zones: Venezuela's Strategy for Breaking the US Encirclement. libya360.wordpress.com Mauricio Montes The Venezuelan government is fine-tuning the legal framework to strengthen the special economic zones (SEZs) already existing in its territory and to open space for foreign direct investment in a production scheme favorable to the Bolivarian nation. Although the experiences of foreign investment have left little to Venezuela, the national Executive observes the…
(2021-04-26). Bolivia Proposes To The UN To Urgently Convene An Earth Assembly. popularresistance.org During the Reunion with Mother Earth: Global reflections for the defense of Pachamama, the Plurinational State of Bolivia assumed the commitment to lead, in coordination with all the peoples of the South, a global action in this matter and requested the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, to urgently convene an Earth Assembly to "continue developing the cosmobiocentric paradigm, not anthropocentric, within the framework of multilateralism." | Representing the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the People's Power Minister for Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreaza, focused his speech on the fa…
(2021-04-26). At Least Two Dead in Latest Maritime Accident on Venezuela-Trinidad Migrant Route. venezuelanalysis.com Twenty people also died in November making the perilous sea journey, when authorities pointed the finger at human-trafficking mafias.
(2021-04-26). Deadly shipwreck off Venezuela underscores need for safe migration pathways, protection. news.un.org The latest shipwreck in the Caribbean has highlighted the need for safe migration pathways, particularly in the COVID-19 era when many borders remain closed, two UN agencies said on Monday.
(2021-04-26). 2nd shipment of vaccine production equipment arrives in Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) —According to an Iranian Customs official, the 2nd shipment of Covid-19 vaccine production equipment arrived in Iran, which can increase production capacity to 20 million doses per month.
(2021-04-26). Putin, Assad discuss supplies of Russian vaccines to Syria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Russian and Syrian presidents have held a phone conversation to discuss Russian vaccine supplies to Syria and cooperation against COVID-19.
(2021-04-26). Tough Decisions For Ministers At Upcoming OPEC+ Meeting — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Cornelia Meyer* | The ministers of OPEC+, an alliance between OPEC members and 10 friendly producer nations led by Russia, will meet this week to look at the global oil markets. | On April 1, the ministers agreed to ease production cuts by 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) during May and June, and 441,000 bpd in July. Saudi Arabia also announced its intention to roll back its voluntary 1 million bpd reductions over the same period. | As has so often happened, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has again delivered a curve ball to plans by world leaders. India showed new infections in the hundreds of thousands, m…
(2021-04-27). Today, Defense of The Revolution Rests with the Media. orinocotribune.com By Steve Lalla and Saheli Chowdhury for Orinoco Tribune — Apr 25, 2021 | Víctor Dreke, legendary commander of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, called for those defending the Revolution today to recognize that the battlefield of the 21st century is the media. | The comments were made at a
(2021-04-26). Community Hearing on Transit Equity 2021: Findings and Recommendations. ips-dc.org In an attempt to shape an equitable vision for the U.S. transit system, the Labor Network for Sustainability and allies of the Transit Equity Network just published their new report, The report's findings and recommendations are rooted in the needs, frustrations, and hopes of transit stakeholders, including riders, workers, families reliant on transit, and community activists. | "Transit riders and workers were very clear about the important role tr…
(2021-04-26). Worldwide Caravan Demonstration Demands End to US Blockade of Cuba. orinocotribune.com This Sunday, organizations and activists in more than 50 countries joined demonstrations demanding the United States lift its blockade against Cuba. | In large cities of countries from Europe to Asia, caravans of cars, bicycles, and other vehicles took to the streets in rallies held to demand the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to repeal the sanctions, lift the blockade, reopen Washington's embassy in Havana, and restore the Cuban family reunification program. | The participants in this day of solidarity with Cuba—entitled Bridges of Love, publicized the cruel impact of more than 240 new measures…
(2021-04-26). Earth Day Was Peace Day. popularresistance.org New Haven, CT – At the direction of local musician Freddy B, New Haveners marked Earth Day by singing, clapping and waving posters to the chorus of the anti-war classic "Give Peace A Chance." | Freddy B (aka Freddy Brown) was among more than 30 people who gathered by the Amistad memorial outside City Hall late Thursday afternoon for a combined Earth/Peace Day celebration organized by the City of New Haven Peace Commission and Teen Climate Activists with help from New Haven Climate Movement, CT Climate Crisis Mobilization, Greater New Haven Peace Council, and New Haven Friends. | The event united organizations tha…
(2021-04-26). Pfizer "Experimental" mRNA Vaccine: Israeli Lawyers Sue Netanyahu Government for Crimes Against Humanity. globalresearch.ca Israeli lawyers and human rights activists Arie Suchovolsky and Ruth Machnes…
(2021-04-26). El Salvador: LGBTI Community Rejects Trans Activist's Murder. telesurenglish.net El Salvador's Comcavis Trans, a social organization protecting the rights of transgender women, denounced the murder of activist Zashy Zuley del Cid and urged authorities to investigate this hate crime. | RELATED: | "We condemn the murder of Zachy, who was a member of the 'Perlas de Oriente' LGBTI Collective. We express our solidarity with her family and friends, and we join their demands for justice," the NGO stated.
(2021-04-26). Friday 4/30: The Impunity of an Empire: US Imperialism & the Philippines. indybay.org Facebook Event: bit.ly/filipsol | Register Here: bit.ly/usfilsol…
(2021-04-26). 65 fighters killed in ongoing battle for Marib. peoplesdispatch.org Approximately 65 fighters were killed in fighting between the Houthi militia and the Saudi and Western-backed Yemeni government forces as the former made significant advances in taking control over the city of Marib. The United Nations and several human rights organizations have warned that continuing fighting and violence could lead to large-scale displacement and suffering of civilians living in the area. 13,600 Yemeni civilians (2272 families) have already been displaced since the beginning of 2021, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR). | As per reports, Houthis have seized full control…
(2021-04-26). Sana'a announces release of more than of its 20 inmates. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — The Head of Yemeni National Committee for Prisoners Affairs announced that 22 prisoners from Yemeni Army and Popular Committees have been released in a process of swapping prisoners with the Saudi coalition.
(2021-04-26). The Balance of Forces in Syria. orinocotribune.com By Yanis Iqbal — Apr 24, 2021 | Russia, Iran and Syria have established a mission aimed at securing a safe and stable flow of oil supplies, wheat and some other materials to Syria via the Mediterranean. The mission's work is to secure multi-sided coordination to secure the arrival of oil in the first place, especially after the fuel crisis that is the largest that Syria has witnessed in decades. | After intensive meetings, the three countries approved a mechanism for Russian warships to escort Iranian oil tankers coming to Syria, as soon as they reach the Mediterranean gate of the Suez Canal, and until they…
(2021-04-26). US Attitude Hinders Nuclear Deal Talks in Vienna. telesurenglish.net Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzade on Monday asserted that if the United States does not demonstrate sufficient political will, his country will abandon talks to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal signed in 2015 by Iran, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, and the United States. | RELATED: | "We have no interest in long or attrition dialogues," Khat…
(2021-04-26). Zarif underlines following up assassination case of Soleimani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Admiring Iraq's role in the region and expressing concern over ISIL's recent actions in the country, in his meeting with Iraqi counterpart, Iranian FM called for following up assassination case of Martyr Soleimani.
(2021-04-26). Iran-Cuba vaccine tested on 5 volunteers. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — The first doses of the joint vaccine of the Pasteur Institute of Iran and the Finlay Institute of Cuba were injected into 5 volunteers.
(2021-04-26). UAE's Al Wahda take Iran's Perspolis by surprise. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Al Wahda ended Iranian Persepolis' dream AFC Champions League unbeaten run in the 2021 AFC Champions League when the two met in Group E at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on Monday evening.
(2021-04-26). Hatami condoles with Indonesian counterpart on missing Sub. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Addressing Indonesian his counterpart, the Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami expressed his condolences over the death of a group of Indonesian soldiers following the missing of an Indonesian Navy sub.
(2021-04-26). Saudis in dire need of talk with Iran: Ex-envoy to Qatar. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Stating that Saudi Arabia is facing many security and economic problems, former Iranian ambassador to Doha said that Saudis cannot survive in the region without the Islamic Republic of Iran.
(2021-04-26). FM Zarif meets with prominent Iraqi Sunnis, tribal chiefs. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met and held talk with Khamis al-Khanjar Leader of Legitimate Arabic Center and a number of representatives of Iraqi ethnic and religious figures and prominent Sunni personalities.
(2021-04-26). Iran-Turkey trade exchange volume should reach $30bn: Vaezi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA)-Stating review of ways to develop trade and economic cooperation as one of the important pillars of upcoming talks with Turkey, Iranian President Chief of Staff said that Iran-Turkey trade volume exchange should hit $30 billion.
(2021-04-26). Path to security in region going through internal dialogue. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 26 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the path to security in the region goes through intra-regional dialogue.
(2021-04-26). China, Iran take path to shared future. ecns.cn State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sign agreements on the China-Iran comprehensive cooperation plan in Teheran, Iran, on March 27.
(2021-04-26). Iran Military Chief Threatens Retaliation for Israeli Action. news.antiwar.com In comments to reporters on Sunday, Iranian military Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammed Bagheri warned Israel should not believe that it can carry out attacks on targets inside Syria without repercussions, Talk of retaliation comes in the wake of incidents in the past several days seeing Israel attack a number of targets in south Syria, and a presumptive Israeli attack on an Iranian fuel tanker just off the Syrian coast. | Gen. Bagheri…
(2021-04-26). Turkey Says It 'Respects' Court Decision Regarding Khashoggi. eurasiareview.com Turkey is looking to repair relations with Saudi Arabia, Erdogan's spokesman and adviser Ibrahim Kalin said Monday. | Trade between the two countries has dropped by 98% since last year, following an unofficial boycott of Turkish goods by businesses in the Kingdom in response to what they called hostility from Ankara. | Expressing hope the boycott could be lifted, Kalin said: "We will seek ways to repair the relationship with a more positive agenda with Saudi Arabia as well." | Kalin also said the Turkish presidency welcomed the trial in Saudi Arabia which last year jailed eight people for between seven and 20…
(2021-04-26). Why the U.S. Embargo Against Cuba? globalresearch.ca Now that Cuban president Raul Castro has resigned the presidency of …
(2021-04-26). How Venezuela is Rebuilding Its Industrial Base, One Volunteer at a Time. counterpunch.org "We don't just repair machines; we repair consciences," says Sergio Requena of the Productive Workers Army (EPO by its Spanish-language initials) in Venezuela. The EPO is a group of 2,270 volunteers with a broad range of technical expertise. They go from factory to factory repairing broken machinery. Their mission is to recover Venezuela's industrial production
(2021-04-26). Venezuela: Security Force Abuses At Colombia Border. eurasiareview.com Venezuelan security forces have committed egregious abuses against local residents during a weeks-long operation against armed groups on the border with Colombia, Human Rights Watch said Monday. | Venezuelan security forces opened the offensive in Apure state on March 21, 2021, with the alleged purpose of combatting armed groups in Venezuela. The operation led to the execution of at least four peasants, arbitrary arrests, the prosecution of civilians in military courts, and torture of residents accused of collaborating with armed groups. The abuses follow a pattern similar to that of systematic abuses that hav…
(2021-04-25). Venezuela's Arreaza Meets President Luis Arce in Bolivia. orinocotribune.com 
Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza, and President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, held a meeting this Friday, April 23 in the Bolivian capital, La Paz, in order to strengthen the alliance of friendship and cooperation between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. | The meeting held in the evening hours of Friday was scheduled within the framework of the ceremony "Reunion with Mother Earth," being celebrated in Bolivia since April 22. Through the event, high-level authorities have tried to raise global awareness about the current environmental crisis and to create…