(2021-04-20). Miguel Díaz-Canel Elected First Secretary of Cuba's Communist Party. orinocotribune.com Havana, April 19 (Prensa Latina).- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) today elected the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, as first secretary of the leading political organization of the Caribbean nation. | In its first plenary meeting, the new Central Committee—elected one day earlier by the delegates to the 8th Congress of the PCC—also elected the members of the Political Bureau [Politburo] and the Party Secretariat. | Díaz-Canel will hold the position held by Army General Raúl Castro—exemplar of the historic Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro—whose l…
(2021-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2021. democracynow.org Jury Begins Deliberations in Derek Chauvin Murder Trial, Thousands Protest in Minnesota as Derek Chauvin Murder Trial Wraps Up, U.N. Warns Planet Is "On the Verge of the Abyss" from Relentless Climate Change, Hundreds of Climate Scientists Warn Against Criminalizing Peaceful Protests, White House Holds Virtual Climate Summit as U.S. and China Pledge Cuts to Emissions, Migrant Workers Flee India's Capital Ahead of Lockdown as Coronavirus Cases Soar, Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Joins Fight for Vaccine Equity, President Biden Urges All U.S. Residents 16 and Over to Get Vaccinated, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Can…
(2021-04-20). Cape Verde Trends in Venezuela Due to Contradiction Between Alex Saab Case & Election. orinocotribune.com 
The ruling party of Cape Verde won the parliamentary elections on Sunday. The event was attended by international observers from ECOWAS, the organization that ordered the release of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab through its court. | Cape Verde's government did not recognize the ECOWAS resolution, though it should ostensibly abide by it. Analysts say they have not done so due to pressure from the US regime. | This situation, in which the government of Cape Verde invited electoral observers of ECOWAS, but does not comply with their judicial decisions, triggered a widespread reaction by Venezuelans on social media n…
(2021-04-20). Abby Martin — Uganda Dictatorship: Imperialism's Pearl of Africa. theanalysis.news 
| | | | (2021-04-20). Judge says Maxine Waters comments about Chauvin could get case thrown out on appeal, but denies motion for mistrial. rt.com 
Rep. Maxine Waters' public calls for protests and 'confrontation' in the event Derek Chauvin is acquitted could bolster an appeal that gets his case thrown out, the judge said, though refused to declare a mistrial. | Soon after delivering lengthy closing arguments on Monday, Chauvin's lead defense attorney Eric Nelson requested a mistrial, citing media coverage of the trial that he said was unavoidable and what he deemed inflammatory and "threatening" remarks from the California Democrat over the weekend. During a visit to Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Waters encouraged anti-police brutality activists to step up…
(2021-04-20). Iran Says "Always Open" For Negotiations With Saudi Arabia. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Iran is always open to negotiations with Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said."We have seen media reports about talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, although the reports sometimes had contradictory quotes," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly news conference. | "What is important is that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always welcomed dialogue with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it in the interest of the people of the…
(2021-04-20). D.C. activists demand Justice for Daunte Wright and three Black men killed in DMV area. liberationnews.org 
The rally, hosted by the Party for Socialism and Liberation called for the jailing of racist killer cops and an end to racist police terror.
(2021-04-20). Vietnam, Afghanistan, Yemen: What is all this needless death for? therealnews.com 
President Biden announced an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan, but what does that actually mean? What was it all for? Then, we talk with a Yemeni-American activist about their hunger strike against U.S. support for the catastrophic war in Yemen.
(2021-04-20). Blocked from Civil Dissent, Women in Saudi Arabia are turning to business as 'quiet' Feminist activism. juancole.com 
By Sophie Alkhaled | — Prominent Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison on February 10 2021 after 1,001 days in custody. Al-Hathloul, a leading campaigner for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, had been sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in 2018 for pushing a foreign agenda and using …
(2021-04-20). Military Situation In Yemen On April 20, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 152 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On April 19, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 7 airstrikes on the Sarwah area | On April 19, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Khab and Shaaf area | On April 20, Ansar Allah attacked Abha Airport with a Qasef 2K drone | On April 20, clashes between Ansar Allah and Saudi-led forces continued…
(2021-04-20). Israel and Its Unlikely Arab Friends. strategic-culture.org 
In 2020, Israel, supported by the United States, began a diplomatic offensive in the Arab world. The goal is evident: containing Iran. As U.S. author Eric Margolis writes, the countries that sign peace agreements with Israel, are "so frightened of neighboring Iran that they would happily have opted for Israeli rule rather than welcome the angry, unforgiving Iranians".
(2021-04-20). The unraveling of the American empire. nationofchange.org U.S. leadership has stumbled from one military debacle to another, a trajectory mirroring the sad finales of other historical imperial powers.
(2021-04-20). Chris Hedges: The Unraveling Of The American Empire. popularresistance.org America's defeat in Afghanistan is one in a string of catastrophic military blunders that herald the death of the American empire. With the exception of the first Gulf War, fought largely by mechanized units in the open desert that did not — wisely — attempt to occupy Iraq, the United States political and military leadership has stumbled from one military debacle to another. Korea. Vietnam. Lebanon. Afghanistan. Iraq. Syria. Libya. The trajectory of military fiascos mirrors the sad finales of the Chinese, Ottoman, Hapsburg, Russian, French, British, Dutch, Portuguese and Soviet empires. While each of…
(2021-04-20). How To Make A Gulf Monarchy All-American. popularresistance.org Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American oil and gas companies feeling the pain. As oil prices plummeted, Republican senators from oil-producing states turned their ire directly on Saudi Arabia. Forget that civil war in Yemen — what about fossil-fuel profits here at home? | To address their concerns, Ambassador Bandar Al-Saud agreed to speak with a group of them in a March 18th conference call [m…
(2021-04-20). President Maduro: US Escalates War, Prevents Vaccine Sales to Venezuela. orinocotribune.com The Venezuelan president denounced threats by the US towards COVID-19 vaccine distribution companies, preventing them from trading with the Bolivarian Republic. | "They have gone so far as to threaten the companies that distribute vaccines with sanctions, if they sell vaccines to Venezuela… Washington has escalated its war against the country," said Nicolás Maduro on Sunday, April 18, during a televised speech. | However, the president said, Venezuelan authorities continue to manage the doses they've acquired to combat the pandemic, despite the illegal economic and commercial blockade by the United States and E…
(2021-04-20). Cuba Libre to be COVID-libre: Five Vaccines and Counting. globalresearch.ca On March 23, 2021, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a …
(2021-04-20). The Dirty Campaign Underlying Ecuador's "Free and Fair" Election. orinocotribune.com By Medea Benjamin and Leonardo Flores — Apr 16, 2021 | Ecuador's April 11 election that led to a 5-point victory by conservative banker Guillermo Lasso over progressive candidate Andrés Arauz was not what it appeared to be. On the surface, it was a surprisingly clean and professional election, as our CODEPINK official observer delegation witnessed. But a fraud-free process for casting and counting ballots does not mean that the election was free and fair. Behind the scenes was a monumentally unequal playing field and dirty campaign designed to quash an Arauz win. | For starters, Arauz—a 36-year-old fol…
(2021-04-20). The Dirty Campaign Underlying Ecuador's "Free and Fair" Election. counterpunch.org Ecuador's April 11 election that led to a 5-point victory by conservative banker Guillermo Lasso over progressive candidate Andrés Arauz was not what it appeared to be. On the surface, it was a surprisingly clean and professional election, as our CODEPINK official observer delegation witnessed. But a fraud-free process for casting and counting ballots does
(2021-04-20). The Dirty Campaign Underlying Ecuador's "Free and Fair" Election. zcomm.org Ecuador's April 11 election that led to a 5-point victory by conservative banker Guillermo Lasso over progressive candidate Andrés Arauz was not what it appeared to be…
(2021-04-20). The Dirty Campaign Underlying Ecuador's 'Free And Fair' Election. popularresistance.org Ecuador's April 11 election that led to a 5-point victory by conservative banker Guillermo Lasso over progressive candidate Andrés Arauz was not what it appeared to be. On the surface, it was a surprisingly clean and professional election, as our CODEPINK official observer delegation witnessed. But a fraud-free process for casting and counting ballots does not mean that the election was free and fair. Behind the scenes was a monumentally unequal playing field and dirty campaign designed to quash an Arauz win. | For starters, Arauz—a 36-year-old follower of the political leanings of former president Rafael C…
(2021-04-20). Venezuela secures aid from UN food programme. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Venezuelan President Maduro announced that his country has signed several agreements with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
(2021-04-20). Has the Biden Administration Quietly Given Up on Recognizing Juan Guaidó as the President of Venezuela? orinocotribune.com By Les Blough — Apr 11, 2021 | Has the Biden administration quietly given up on recognizing Juan Guaidó as the President of Venezuela? | Not yet, but they will. They know they picked the wrong horse for destabilization and "regime change" but they have to find a way to dump him while saving face. | Venezuelans, including the opposition, have no love for out-and-out traitors. Poor "Juanito" ("Little John", as he's known here) has found himself in a very very dark place, despised by his fellow citizens, impossible to show his face in the streets anymore, directly responsible for many deaths when grandstanding…
(2021-04-20). Sunday 4/25: San Francisco Caravan: Say NO to the U.S. Blockade of Cuba! indybay.org gather at 11: 30am at 1875 Marin Street, San Francisco…
(2021-04-21). Battle for Yemen's Maarib Derailing US Peace Efforts. news.antiwar.com US efforts to try to get a ceasefire and some peace talks going in Yemen The US has been keen on a ceasefire since March, and at least keen not to be involved in that war. The Saudis have at least been open to a settlement, and the Houthis seemingly were too. Then fighting in Maarib escalated to the point that the Houthis seemed to have a real chance of…
(2021-04-20). Escazú Agreement Set to Bring Environmental Justice Down to Earth. counterpunch.org The Escazú Agreement enters into force on Earth Day, April 22, 2021, four years after its adoption, kicking off a new phase of regional grassroots campaigns. The challenge: to obtain government protection for land defenders and environmental activists in Latin America. This could be the toughest and most crucial phase yet. The Escazú Agreement is
(2021-04-20). How persistent student organizing forced divestment from fossil fuels. zcomm.org Over eight years, University of Michigan students led bold direct actions, continually recruited new students and forged ties with regents to keep $1 billion from the fossil fuel industry…
(2021-04-20). US Resuming Arms Sales to United Arab Emirates is Disastrous, Given its Wars on Yemen, Libya. juancole.com By Afrah Nasser | — Yemen Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division | — ( Human Rights Watch) — United States President Joe Biden called in early February for "ending all American support for offensive operations in Yemen, including relevant arms sales." At the time, I, like many human rights advocates who have been …
(2021-04-20). Pakistan's Foreign Minister In Iran For High-Profile Talks. eurasiareview.com Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for a three-day visit that includes meetings with senior officials about bilateral and regional issues. | The top Pakistani diplomat is going to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of the eighth Shiite imam, Imam Reza (AS), in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad. | Qureshi is also scheduled to hold meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. | Ranking delegations led by the foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan are going to discuss the…
(2021-04-20). Israel's Cabinet Concerned US Wants an Iran Deal 'At All Costs'. news.antiwar.com Israel continues to express its opposition to the Biden administration rejoining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA. "The Americans want a deal at all costs and the Iranians know it," one minister said at the meeting. The minister told…
(2021-04-20). Iran's Uranium Enrichment Doesn't Get Them Close to Making a Bomb. news.antiwar.com Iran's Uranium Enrichment Doesn't Get Them Close to Making a Bomb | 60% enrichment is a new accomplishment, but still well short of weapons-grade…
(2021-04-20). Make Aid To Israel Conditional On Protecting Palestinian Rights. popularresistance.org The US Democratic party's leading senators and last year's presidential aspirants, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, on Monday, April 20 called on the Joe Biden administration to use the billions of dollars of aid given to Israel to pressurize it to protect Palestinian human rights and work for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The senators were speaking at the conference of J Street, a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobbying group in the US. | Both Sanders and Warren, speaking separately, asked for putting conditions on the military aid to Israel. They argued that the US aid is used by Israel to prolong its occ…
(2021-04-20). Main electricity of Natanz Enrichment Facility connected. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Turning to a meeting of National Security Commission held on Tue., spokesman of the Commission said that, according to Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's chief, main electricity of Natanz Enrichment Facility is connected.
(2021-04-20). Focusing on lifting US anti-Iranian sanctions, a top priority. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Chinese representative in the meeting of Joint Commission of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) said that concentrating on lifting US anti-Iranian sanctions is still the main priority.
(2021-04-20). US schedules to suspend sanctions, not lift them. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — A source in Vienna said that the US's schedule was only to suspend sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic of Iran, not to lift them completely.
(2021-04-20). Pak foreign ministry releases statement on FM visit to Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs released a statement on Tuesday, announcing FM Shah Mahmoud Qureshi's upcoming visit to Tehran.
(2021-04-20). Iran to stop talks whenever it turns to excessive demand. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for the Political Affairs said that whenever process of JCPOA talks, which is ongoing in Vienna, move towards excessive demands, it (Iran) will stop continuing it.
(2021-04-20). Over 1,000 tons narcotics seized in Iran in last year. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — The deputy head of Iran's Police Brigadier General said that last Iranian year [started March 20, 2020] more than a thousand tons of narcotics were confiscated, which is unprecedented in the world.
(2021-04-20). Breathtaking scenery of inverted tulips in Kuhrang. en.mehrnews.com KUHRANG, Apr. 21 (MNA) — The fritillaria imperialis tulips, known as inverted tulips, have now blossomed in Kuhrang in Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari Province in central Iran.
(2021-04-20). Iran planning to produce nano products in other countries. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Secretary of Nanotechnology Development Headquarters said that joint-venture investment with other countries will lead to more export of nanotechnology products.
(2021-04-20). Washington Sanctions Cuba. Why Not Saudi Arabia? strategic-culture.org Cuba will remain one of Washington's chosen enemies, while relations with the murderous autocratic Saudi regime will be "recalibrated". | According to the geopolitical analysis site
(2021-04-20). Lessons Of The Bay Of Pigs Invasion Followed By The Cuban Missile Crisis — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Jonathan Power* | The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 is well remembered, even by those not yet born when it happened. The word has been passed down the generations and probably always will be. It was the first and only time, say many historians and political scientists, that the world faced the likelihood of nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the USA. | For my part, I find it impossible to forget. | I was chairman of Manchester University's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Within four hours after the BBC reported the beginnings of the crisis, we had organized a massive march. To my knowledge, we were t…
(2021-04-20). Inflation in Venezuela Slows Down to 16.1% in March. orinocotribune.com Caracas, April 19, 2021 (OrinocoTribune.com).- Inflation in Venezuela reached 16.1% in March, according to According to data released on Saturday night by the Venezuelan institute, accumulated inflation for the first three months of 2021 reached 127.8%, after t…
(2021-04-20). World Food Programme reaches deal to supply food to 185,000 children in Venezuela. news.un.org The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has signed an agreement with the Government of Venezuela to begin operations to provide the most vulnerable children in the South American country with nutritious school meals, it announced on Tuesday.
(2021-04-19). CIA Assassination Plot Targeted Cuba's Raul Castro. orinocotribune.com 
As Castro Retires on 60th Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs, National Security Archive Posts Declassified Top Secret CIA Cables, Reports from 1960 | Agency Officials Willing to Pay Over $10,000 For 'Fatal Accident' | Another Assassination Plot against Fidel Castro Was Part of Bay of Pigs Invasion Strategy | Washington D.C., April 16, 2021 — In the earliest known CIA assassination plot against leaders of the Cuban revolution, high agency officials offered the pilot of a plane carrying Raul Castro from Prague to Havana "payment after successful completion of ten thousand dollars" to "incur risks in arranging acc…
(2021-04-19). Raúl Castro passes baton to next generation at Cuban Communist Party congress. peoplesworld.org 
Former Cuban President Raúl Castro retired from his last major public office this weekend, standing down as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba at its Eighth Congress. Castro had first come to worldwide notice in 1953, when he, his brother Fidel, and other young rebels attacked the Batista dictatorship's Moncada Barracks in Santiago …
(2021-04-19). Guaidó's Gag: He Names New Board of Directors at Telesur — They Treat Him as Crazy. orinocotribune.com 
Juan Guaidó added another farcical episode to the drama of his mock interim government by announcing that he has overhauled the executive board of Telesur. | This "decision" was funny enough to elicit a response from Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America, Rander Peña, who wrote simply: "today's joke." Peña was followed by Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza, who facetiously call the former deputy's imaginary television station "TeleNarniaNorte." | Guaidó, US puppet for destabilizing Venezuela, announced that those in charge of running the Telesur parallel project will be Roberto Marrero…
(2021-04-19). Venezuela Reports 1,287 New COVID-19 Cases on Sunday. orinocotribune.com 
Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, heading the working meeting with the presidential team for the prevention and control of COVID-19, this Sunday, April 18, reported that 1,287 new COVID-19 infections from community transmission were registered in the past 24 hours. Caracas was afflicted with the highest number of cases with 162, followed by Yaracuy with 157, and Anzoátegui with 150. | "We are ending the week of flexibility and we must maintain prevention measures," said Rodríguez. "This graph explains the reasons for the measures taken by President Maduro and the positive aspects of these timely actio…
(2021-04-19). Utah ABC affiliate doxes paramedic & sends crew to his house, after hack reveals he donated $10 to a Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund. rt.com 
A Utah paramedic who donated $10 to a legal defense fund for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen who shot three Wisconsin rioters, allegedly in self-defense, has been outed as some kind of villain by Salt Lake City's ABC TV affiliate. | ABC4 reporter Jason Nguyen came up with his "scoop" after the Guardian newspaper included the name of West Valley City, Utah paramedic Craig Shepherd in a Friday article about police officers and other government employees who made donations to fundraisers for "accused vigilante murderers, far-right activists and fellow officers accused of shooting black Americans." | The Guardian dug t…
(2021-04-19). Critics, including CNN, attack Chauvin defense for 'reasonable police officer' argument. rt.com 
The prosecution and defense lawyers have made their closing arguments in the trial of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, with his legal team earning ridicule online for their "reasonable police officer" argument. | Chauvin's trial has gripped the attention of activists in Minnesota, the state where the late George Floyd died in the custody of Chauvin, kicking off Black Lives Matter protests across the country. Tensions have heated up amid the ongoing Chauvin trial and the recent police-shooting death of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, which is near Minneapolis. | In their closing arguments on Monday, Chau…
(2021-04-19). Arabic press review: Palestinian Authority mulls cancelling elections. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Palestinian Authority mulls cancelling elections | Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia investigates 11 corruption cases, an Egyptian journalist disappears after being deported from Jordan, and thousands of Jordanians are at risk of unemployment | Mon, 04/19/2021 – 14: 28 | Employees of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission display electoral lists at the commission's district offi…
