Taliban to release 20 Afghan government prisoners amid fragile peace process
rt.com | 2020-04-12
The Taliban will hand over 20 prisoners as part of the reconciliation process with Kabul, a spokesman for the militant group announced on Sunday. | "Today, 20 prisoners of the Kabul administration will be released by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and handed over to ICRC in Kandahar," the spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet. | The decision comes just days after the Taliban recalled its negotiators from Afghanistan, after accusing Kabul of intentionally delaying a prison exchange. The Afghan governme…
rt.com/newsline/485600-taliban-release-prisoners-afghanistan-peace/

Politicians, media support lifting sanctions on Iran, but not Venezuela
Steve Ellner | zcomm.org | 2020-04-12
The United States has announced it is sending Navy ships to the Venezuelan coast, ostensibly to beef up counter-narcotics operations…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/politicians-media-support-lifting-sanctions-on-iran-but-not-venezuela/

President Erdogan wishes happy Easter to all Christians
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-12
Turkey's president on Sunday released a message marking the Christian religious holiday of Easter.Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his best wishes to "all Christian citizens and the Christian community on the occasion of Easter.""This culture of coexistence in the Anatolian soil will cement peace and brotherhood today, as it was in the past, and will carry us to the bright future," he said.The coexistence of different sects and religions in the area for hundreds of years is an example for the world, the president added.He thanked Christian citizens for supporting Turkey's National Solidarity Campaign against the cor…
yenisafak.com/en/news/president-erdogan-wishes-happy-easter-to-all-christians-3516701

Kabul Frees Third Group of Taliban Prisoners in Latest Confidence-Building Step
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-12
KABUL (Sputnik) – The Afghan government on Sunday released a third group of Taliban prisoners hours after the Taliban announced the handover of 20 Afghan government prisoners, Kabul's National Security Council said.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202004121078927612-taliban-prison-free-confidence/

Colombia's government acts like a doormat for the United States–and its people aren't going along with it
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-04-11
With the U.S. government now absurdly saying that Venezuela is the source of narco-trafficking, even though all evidence pointing to narco-trafficking is rooted in Colombia, the pressure on Colombia to deal with its drug problem is now lifted.
mronline.org/2020/04/11/colombias-government-acts-like-a-doormat-for-the-united-states-and-its-people-arent-going-along-with-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=colombias-government-acts-like-a-doormat-for-the-united-states-and-its-people-arent-going-along-with-it

UN chief calls on religious leaders to unite in the fight against COVID-19
news.un.org | 2020-04-11
Religious leaders of all faiths are being urged by the UN Secretary-General to join forces and work for peace around the world and focus on the common battle to defeat COVID-19.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061512

St. Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada Thank Venezuela for Donations
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-11
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves appreciated the COVID-19 screening tests that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro sent to his country on Saturday. | RELATED: | Venezuela Donates COVID-19 Tests to Caribbean Countries | "We have received 3,000 rapid test kits for the COVID-19 and a relevant quantity of reagents for the PCR test,"
telesurenglish.net/news/St.-Vincent–Grenadines-Grenada-Thank-Venezuela-for-Donations-20200411-0006.html

Venezuela Donates COVID-19 Tests to Caribbean Countries
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-11
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez reported Friday that the Bolivarian Government donated rapid and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests to several Caribbean countries to help them in the fight against COVID-19. | RELATED: | COVID-19 in the Caribbean: Overview of the Situation, Outbreak | Rodríguez said that, by order of President Nicolas Maduro, tests were sent to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua, and Barbuda, as well as Dominica and Grenada. | "To our brothers in…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Donates-COVID-19-Tests-to-Caribbean-Countries-20200410-0017.html

I am not a war correspondent either
T.P. Wilkinson | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-11
Easter Marches: No social distancing for peace Today someone sent me an article published in the US Naval Institute Proceedings in which the author describes the war against China waged by the US and suggests that like in the 1812 war against Great Britain, the US regime should issue letters of marque to its numerically …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/i-am-not-a-war-correspondent-either/

UN Ceasefire Defines War As a Non-Essential Activity
Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J.S. Davies | commondreams.org | 2020-04-10
When the pandemic is over, let's insist that the U.S. honor the UN Charter's prohibition against the threat or use of force, which wise American leaders drafted and signed in 1945, and start living at peace with all our neighbors around the world. (Photo by Greg Wahl-Stephens/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-57132321.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/04/10/un-ceasefire-defines-war-non-essential-activity?cd-origin=rss

COVID-19 threatening global peace and security, UN chief warns
news.un.org | 2020-04-10
While the COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis, its implications are more far-reaching and could threaten global peace and security, the UN Secretary-General told members of the Security Council in a closed video-conference held on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061502

Open Letter to Condemn Trump Administration's Hypocritical Indictment on Drug Charges of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and High-Ranking Venezuelan Officials
Stansfield Smith | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-08
We, the undersigned organizations and prominent individuals, condemn the false claims of criminal charges by the US government against the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and other high-ranking officials with the pretext of their alleged involvement in international drug trafficking. The US government is offering a $15 million bounty for information that would …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/open-letter-to-condemn-trump-administrations-hypocritical-indictment-on-drug-charges-of-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-and-high-ranking-venezuelan-officials/

Billionaire-backed Human Rights Watch lobbies for lethal US sanctions on leftist governments as Covid crisis rages
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-08
Regime change-hungry HRW is proudly taking credit for crushing new US sanctions on Nicaragua while pushing to escalate Washington's economic…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/08/billionaire-human-rights-watch-sanctions-nicaragua-venezuela/

Mali: UN mission fulfills mandate, aids battle against coronavirus
news.un.org | 2020-04-07
As the COVID-19 pandemic plagues the world, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali told the Security Council on Tuesday that the mission continues to fulfill its mandate while doing whatever it can to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from overrunning the country.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061312

10 Ways to Make the Change You Want
Rivera Sun | zcomm.org | 2020-04-04
There's a lot to learn from our fellow human beings' efforts toward peace and justice. If we pay attention, stay alert, and take notes, we might find our own work for change grows in power, strength, and wisdom…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/10-ways-to-make-the-change-you-want/

Ex UN anti-narcotics chief & mob expert says US Treasury running 'mafia racket' against Venezuela
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-03
Pino Arlacchi, the former Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Prevention, says US is behaving…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/03/un-narcotics-mob-treasury-running-mafia-venezuela/

Pompeo's 'transition' plan tells Venezuela to suffer into submission
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-01
Declaring that "Nicolas Maduro will never again govern Venezuela," Mike Pompeo unveils a so-called "transition" plan that tells Venezuelans to…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/01/pompeos-transition-plan-tells-venezuela-to-suffer-into-submission/

Peace Action Supports Wyden-Klobuchar Bill to Protect Democracy and Ensure Safe Elections
Lilly Dragnev | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-20
Statement of Jon Rainwater, Executive Director, Peace Action, on the introduction of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). This bill would help ensure that elections can take place in a safe and secure way throughout the pandemic and beyond. March 19, 2020 Peace Action …
peaceaction.org/2020/03/20/peace-action-supports-wyden-klobuchar-bill-to-protect-democracy-and-ensure-safe-elections/

Latest U.S. Military Strikes Are as Reckless as they are Cruel
Lilly Dragnev | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-13
Washington, D.C.

No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-03-13
I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action, Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/no-venezuela-does-not-have-a-six-child-per-family-policy/