(2021-04-17). US escalates in Ukraine battleground. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Moscow-based international affairs analyst Mark Sleboda about recent developments in Ukraine. Sleboda provides an in-depth explanation of the history leading to up to the current situation and analyses domestic factors in Ukraine that are pushing the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to pursue a more bellicose posture towards Russia.
(2021-04-17). A School for Spooks: The London University Department Churning Out NATO Spies. orinocotribune.com 
By Alan Macleod — Apr 16, 2021 | Alan Macleod uncovers the deep links between the British security state and the Department of War Studies at King's College London, responsible for training a large number of British, American, and European agents and defense analysts. | London — Last week, MintPress
(2021-04-17). The Military Origins of Facebook. orinocotribune.com 
By Whitney Webb — Apr 12, 2021 | Facebook's growing role in the ever-expanding surveillance and "pre-crime" apparatus of the national security state demands new scrutiny of the company's origins and its products as they relate to a former, controversial DARPA-run surveillance program that was essentially analogous to what is currently the world's largest social network. | In mid-February, Daniel Baker, a US veteran described by the media as "anti-Trump, anti-government, anti-white supremacists, and anti-police," was charged by a Florida grand jury with two counts of "transmitting a communication in interst…
(2021-04-17). US Escalates In Ukraine Battleground. popularresistance.org Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Moscow-based international affairs analyst Mark Sleboda about recent developments in Ukraine. Sleboda provides an in-depth explanation of the history leading to up to the current situation and analyses domestic factors in Ukraine that are pushing the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to pursue a more bellicose posture towards Russia.
(2021-04-17). Ramsey Clark: An Essential Voice of Dissidence from the Center of US Power. orinocotribune.com 
By William Camacaro — Apr 14, 2021 | "There will be some who will remember Ramsey Clark as an outsider. There are many more who remember him as a friend of justice, the oppressed, the exploited, and the rule of law. Perhaps he himself would like to be remembered merely as someone who used the law to help others." | Curtis Doebbler, International Law Attorney | During the heat of the Gulf War under the George H. W. Bush administration, I had the opportunity in New York to meet an extraordinary human being: Ramsey Clark. It was an event to protest the State Department and Pentagon's arrogantly labeled "Operati…
(2021-04-17). Global warming: Myanmar, Greenland and green cars. workers.org 
Greenland is the largest island in the world which is not a continent. Only it and Antarctica are covered by ice sheets. With 58,000 people, 89% of whom are Inuit, it remains a "semiautonomous region" under Danish rule whose main exports are fishery products and whose budget is heavily subsidized . . . |
(2021-04-17). Battles lost, wars won: An environmentalist's story. mronline.org 
After Friends of Nature director-general Zhang Boju saw his activism fail, he went another route. | April 17, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-17). Military Situation In Yemen On April 17, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 219 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On April 16, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 3 airstrikes on the Sarwah area | On April 16, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Khab and Shaaf area | On April 16, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Baqim area | On April 16, Ansar Allah reportedly attacked Jizan Airpor…
(2021-04-17). Military Situation In Syria On April 17, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 16, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 27 times: 5 — in Idlib province, 11 — in Latakia province, 9 — in Hama province, 2 in Aleppo province | On April 16, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions near Ain Issa | On April 16, Russian warplanes targeted ISIS positions in the Bushri mountain more that 30 times | On April 16, 2 SAA members were killed by an IED blast in Um Batnah are…
(2021-04-17). Military Situation In Iraq On April 17, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 15, Iraqi resistance groups attacked Ain Al Asad Airbase with 3 suicide drones | On April 15, a logistical convoy of the US military was targeted by an IED attack in the Anbar province | On April 17, a logistical convoy of the US military was targeted by an IED attack in the Naseriyah area | On April 15, a car bomb exploded in the Habibiya area of Sadr City in Baghdad. At least one person was killed. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack | On April 16, Tu…
(2021-04-17). U.S. maneuvers threaten war with Russia. workers.org 
On April 9, the Turkish officials announced to Russian counterparts that Washington, as it must by treaty, had informed them that in the following week the U.S. would send two warships to the Black Sea, which also borders Russia and Ukraine. This is part of the extended framework of tension . . . |
(2021-04-17). The Heat: U.S.-Asia issues. america.cgtn.com 
Talks on climate change take center stage, as China's President Xi Jinping pledges greater cooperation with France and Germany to tackle the effects of global warming. The leaders of China, Germany and France held a virtual meeting Friday with a commitment to work together on …
(2021-04-17). The Hawks Who Want War with Iran Are Working Overtime. globalresearch.ca Last week's cyberattack on an Iranian nuclear facility, reportedly by Israeli …
(2021-04-17). Venezuelan Legislature Approves National Communal Parliament Law. venezuelanalysis.com Grassroots organizations will now debate the legislation and suggest changes to the text.
(2021-04-17). Why Xinjiang is emerging as the epicenter of the US Cold War on China. peoplesdispatch.org The US government's information warfare against China has produced the "fact" that there is genocide in Xinjiang. Once this has been established, it helps develop diplomatic and economic warfare…
(2021-04-17). Pentagon Says Any Terrorist Attack On US Military Drawdown In Afghanistan To Be Met Forcefully. eurasiareview.com By Terri Moon Cronk | The United States is well aware of Taliban threats to the U.S. military drawdown, which are scheduled to begin May 1 and be completed by Sept. 11, 2021, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told the media Friday at the Pentagon. | "We've seen their threats, and it would be imprudent for us not to take those threats seriously," he said. "It would also be imprudent for the Taliban to not take seriously what [President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] both made clear: Any attack on our drawdown, on our forces or our allies and partners, … will be met very forcefull…
(2021-04-17). WorkWeek Bessemer Amazon Lessons, Hanging Noose At USF, Labor & Brazil Pandemic & Zinn. indybay.org WorkWeek reports on the lessons of the Bessemer Amazon union election, the hanging noose at USF and the pandemic in Brazil and labor. Last WorkWeek hears a past presentation by labor historian Howard Zinn on the hidden history of the US working class.
(2021-04-17). Venezuela Expands Operations Against Colombian Paramilitary Gangs. orinocotribune.com Venezuela has expanded military operations in the border state of Apure to capture Colombian narco-paramilitary groups and eliminate foreign aggression. | "We are stepping up operations in Apure state (bordering Colombia) to guarantee internal order and for the capture of armed Colombian drug traffickers and their collaborators in the area," declared the Strategic Operational Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (CEOFANB) account on Friday, April 16. | In this sense, the command emphasized in a post on its official Twitter account that the military will continue actions aimed at eliminating foreign aggr…
(2021-04-17). Venezuelan Army to Begin Clearing Mines in Apure State near Colombian Border. orinocotribune.com Major General Domingo Hernández Lárez, general commander of the Bolivarian Army, reported on his Twitter account that a military team has already been deployed to begin demining in the state of Apure, suffering from Colombian narco-paramilitary violence that included landmines planted to cause terror among local residents. | The minesweeper, the commander wrote, is an armored unit designed by Army engineers, dubbed the "patrol alligator." | El barremina diseñado por los ingenieros de combate del Ejército Bolivariano está listo para ir al Alto Apure e iniciar el desminado en nuestro territorio nacional del Alto Ap…
(2021-04-17). NATO nations train, arm Ukrainian military for war with Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO nations train, arm Ukrainian military for war with RussiaRick Rozoff As the Ukrainian government and pro-government press is busily and dutifully terrorizing the domestic populace, and equally attempting to stampede the Western public into a "humanitarian intervention" moral panic, with headlines like Over 103,000 Russian troops currently stationed near border with Ukraine and Russia …
(2021-04-17). NATO Nations Train, Arm Ukrainian Military for War With Russia. news.antiwar.com As the Ukrainian government and pro-government press is busily and dutifully terrorizing the domestic populace, and equally attempting to stampede the Western public into a "humanitarian intervention" moral panic, with headlines like Over 103,000 Russian troops currently stationed near border with Ukraine and Russia deploys attack aircraft in occupied Crimea, it is also reporting on …
(2021-04-17). A Worldwide Workers' Revolt Against Amazon Has Begun. popularresistance.org The union drive at Amazon's 885,000-square-foot warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, failed. But the historic campaign nabbed global headlines and added fuel to ongoing workers' revolts across the world. | Strikes by Amazon workers in Italy, Germany and India are coalescing into an international struggle against the world's fourth-most valuable company and its grueling working conditions and intensive surveillance. | Since the dawn of capitalism, bosses have found innovations to oversee and extract more work from the overstressed bodies of their labor force. But Amazon's minute surveillance of workers‚Ä&aci…
(2021-04-17). Sunday 4/25: Enough is Enough! Community March & Rally for Black Lives in San Jose. indybay.org Downtown San Jose: Meet up at Plaza De Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo De San Antonio, then March to San Jose City Hall, 200 200 E. Santa Clara Street for Rally | Masks and Social Distancing Required; Peaceful Protest…
(2021-04-17). Saturday 4/17: Peaceful Rally in Support of AAPI Community in Santa Cruz County. indybay.org Watsonville Plaza, Main St., Watsonville…
(2021-04-17). Mozambique Needs To Address Deepening Political Discontent And Widening Socio-Economic Disparity — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has to make consistent efforts toward addressing the systemic governance deficit, deepening political discontent, and widening socio-economic disparity as the surest possible way to maintain long-term peaceful environment in Mozambique. | That was the message, at least, emerging from discussions via a videoconference held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) of the United States. Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the African Union (AU)…
(2021-04-17). War And Peace At Stake At Likely US-Russia Summit — Analysis. eurasiareview.com US-Russia relations are at rock bottom. Name-calling over recent weeks, combined with events around eastern Ukraine, required a sudden gesture by US President Joe Biden to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss a potential summit and a host of other bilateral security issues. | The Biden administration, not yet in office for 100 days, got caught by the bear trap in Ukraine after failing to react fast enough. Russia is taking advantage of that "gap," which is allowing Moscow to advance its interests quickly and effectively without immediate pushback by America or its allies. It is par…
(2021-04-17). Fresh 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland spoil peace on 23rd anniversary of Good Friday Agreement. peoplesdispatch.org Pro-British groups carried out violent attacks in cities across Northern Ireland in the first week of April, threatening the hard earned peace in the region…
(2021-04-17). Venezuela Border Conflict Mixes Drug Trafficking and Regime-Change Ambitions. orinocotribune.com By W.T. Whitney Jr. — Apr 16, 2021 | Beginning in mid-March, Venezuelan army units have been attacking and expelling Colombian operatives active in Apure state. These have long used Venezuela's border region to prepare cocaine arriving from Colombia and ship it to the United States and Europe. The fighting has subsided; eight Venezuelan troops were killed. Seeking safety, 3,500 Venezuelans crossed the Meta River—an Orinoco tributary—to Arauca in Colombia. | The bi-national border is unmonitored and long enough, at 1367 miles, to encourage smuggling and the undocumented passage of cross-border tr…
(2021-04-17). Mayor of La Victoria: 'Colombian Paramilitary Gangs Use Robin Hood Modus Operandi to Engage with Locals'. orinocotribune.com Caracas, April 16 (OrinocoTribune.com) — On Thursday, April 15, a webinar was hosted by Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), in which the special guest was José María Romero, better known as "Chema." He is the mayor of Páez municipality in Apure state, Venezuela, which is close to the small town of La Victoria where clashes between the Venezuelan National Armed Force (FANB) and Colombian narco-paramilitary groups occurred for almost five days towards the end of March. | Due to the frankness, clarity and detailed information provided by the mayor in his statement and his replies to the questions of attendees,…
(2021-04-17). Mayor of La Victoria: 'Colombian Paramilitary Gangs Use Robin Hood Modus Operandi to Engage with Locals'. orinocotribune.com Caracas, April 16 (OrinocoTribune.com) — On Thursday, April 15, a webinar was hosted by Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), in which the special guest was José María Romero, better known as "Chema." He is the mayor of Páez municipality in Apure state, Venezuela, where is located the small town of La Victoria where clashes between the Venezuelan National Armed Force (FANB) and Colombian narco-paramilitary groups occurred for almost five days towards the end of March. | Due to the frankness, clarity and detailed information provided by the mayor in his statement and his replies to the questions of attendees,…
(2021-04-17). Venezuela Border Conflict Mixes Drug Trafficking And Regime-Change. popularresistance.org Beginning in mid-March, Venezuelan army units have been attacking and expelling Colombian operatives active in Apure state. These have long used Venezuela's border region to prepare cocaine arriving from Colombia and ship it to the United States and Europe. The fighting has subsided; eight Venezuelan troops were killed. Seeking safety, 3,500 Venezuelans crossed the Meta River—an Orinoco tributary—to Arauca in Colombia. | The bi-national border is unmonitored and long enough, at 1367 miles, to encourage smuggling and the undocumented passage of cross-border travelers, in this instance the embattled Col…
(2021-04-17). Pentagon: Unclear if Contractors Will Leave Afghanistan. news.antiwar.com While President Biden said he will withdraw troops from Afghanistan, it's not clear if his plan extends to the thousands of contractors working for the Pentagon that are still in the country. | When asked about this issue on Friday,
(2021-04-17). Ukrainian President: Proposed Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Is War, 'Occupied Territories' Are Worse Than Chernobyl. news.antiwar.com "Only one thing to it: a strong stomach. The guts to gladhand a man you're going to stab in the back; pledge allegiance to principles you stomp on every day; righteously denounce some despot in the press and sell him arms under the table. The talent to whip up the voters' worst passions while you …
(2021-04-17). At Least 96 Killed as Yemen's Houthis Push Toward Maarib. news.antiwar.com Since February, fighting has raged over the northern Yemen city of Maarib, the last government-held possession in the north, as the Houthis and their allies try to contest control over it with a 3-pronged offensive. | In recent weeks, reports are that the Houthis are gaining some ground, and in the last two days they've gone deeper in, with heavy Pro-Saudi forces say that the Houthis now pose a "very real threat" to both f…
(2021-04-17). Iran Begins 60% Uranium Enrichment in Response to Natanz Sabotage. news.antiwar.com Iran said on Friday that it has begun "Sixty-percent enrichment is currently underway at the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan nuclear facility" at Natanz, said Ali Akbar Salehi, The move is the latest step Iran has take…
(2021-04-17). Addressing America's Homelessness And Squalor. popularresistance.org Washington, Ward 1 – "I wanna know where the $2.5 million is — that's my reaction." Muhsin Boe Luther Umar — or as we call him, Uncle Boe — throws his hands up and shakes his head. In his role as both Resident Council President at Garfield Terrace and D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B03 Member, he's had more than his fair share of dealings with D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA). So I had asked him what his reaction was upon hearing about the recent audit of three DCHA contracts, which found nearly $1.4 million in wasted funds. | "You're talking $1.4, I'm talking about $2.5 million spent…
(2021-04-17). The US war in Afghanistan: A historic crime. indybay.org Biden's announcement of the nominal end of the war in Afghanistan provides an occasion for drawing a balance sheet of a savage military operation which has produced incalculable suffering for the people of Afghanistan, squandered vast resources and brutalized American society.
(2021-04-17). Daunte Wright's Killing Makes the Case for Shrinking Police Budgets. indybay.org Three weeks into the Minneapolis trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd, a white police officer in the neighboring suburb of Brooklyn Center killed a young Black man named Daunte Wright and illustrated in tragic terms just how law enforcement remains engaged in a racist war on Black America in spite of national scrutiny.
(2021-04-17). Non-European dramatic short award of ECU for 'Weekend'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA) — 'Weekend' directed Ario Motevaghr won the Non-European Dramatic Short prize at 2021 European Independent Film Festival (ÉCU).
(2021-04-17). New Delhi's Afghan Quandary — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The Biden administration's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021 will heighten anxieties in New Delhi predominantly in two areas: firstly, its impact on India's continuing presence in Afghanistan and ability to carry on with its aid-only policy; and secondly, its potential consequences for India's national security, given the impact of regional proxy warfare and civil war in Afghanistan and the ungoverned space that will be once again available for anti-India and international terrorist groups to operate in that country. The coming four months will unveil how Afghanistan may c…
(2021-04-17). America's Neoliberal Financialization Policy Vs. China's Industrial Socialism — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Nearly half a millennium ago Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince described three options for how a conquering power might treat states that it defeated in war but that "have been accustomed to live under their own laws and in freedom: … the first is to ruin them, the next is to reside there in person, the third is to permit them to live under their own laws, drawing a tribute, and establishing within it an oligarchy which will keep it friendly to you."[1] | Machiavelli preferred the first option, citing Rome's destruction of Carthage. That is what the United States did to Iraq and Libya after 2001. But in today…
(2021-04-17). Ukrainian President: Proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is war, "occupied territories" are worse than Chernobyl. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian President: Proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is war, "occupied territories" are worse than ChernobylRick Rozoff "Only one thing to it: a strong stomach. The guts to gladhand a man you're going to stab in the back; pledge allegiance to principles you stomp on every day; righteously denounce some despot in the press and sell …
(2021-04-17). [World Report] Turkey withdraws from treaty on violence against women. thelancet.com Activists object to Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, amid wider conservative ire over women's rights and attitudes towards gender. Kaya Genàß reports from Istanbul.
(2021-04-16). With coronavirus surging, Brazil tells women not to get pregnant until a 'better moment'. rt.com 
Brazil has asked women to "delay pregnancy" until the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, citing the threat of a coronavirus variant plaguing the country. Between new variants and vaccine risks, now is not a good time to be expecting. | "If it's possible, delay pregnancy a little until a better moment," Health Ministry official Raphael Parente said during a news conference on Friday, warning that the P1 variant of the coronavirus prevalent in Brazil "acts more aggressively in pregnant women." | Brazil has become one of the world's coronavirus epicenters lately, with 13.7 million cases of Covid-19 recorded and 365,000…
(2021-04-16). With coronavirus surging, Brazil tells women not to get pregnant until a 'better moment'. rt.com 
Brazil has asked women to "delay pregnancy" until the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, citing the threat of a coronavirus variant plaguing the country. Between new variants and vaccine risks, now is not a good time to be expecting. | "If it's possible, delay pregnancy a little until a better moment," Health Ministry official Raphael Parente said during a news conference on Friday, warning that the P1 variant of the coronavirus prevalent in Brazil "acts more aggressively in pregnant women." | Brazil has become one of the world's coronavirus epicenters lately, with 13.7 million cases of Covid-19 recorded and 365,000…
(2021-04-16). Venezuela border conflict mixes drug trafficking and regime-change ambitions. peoplesworld.org 
Since mid-March, Venezuelan army units have been attacking and expelling Colombian operatives active in Apure state, in western Venezuela. Colombians have long used the border regions to prepare cocaine arriving from Colombia and ship it to the United States and Europe. Fighting has subsided; eight Venezuelan troops were killed. Seeking safety, 3,500 Venezuelans crossed the …
(2021-04-16). Anti-Blockade Digital Seminar: How to Turn Sanctions into Opportunities. orinocotribune.com 
With a presentation on the origin and reasons behind the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Venezuela by the US government, Hugbel Roa, Deputy to the National Assembly for the Bloque de la Patria, participated in the anti-blockade digital seminar "Is it Possible to Develop a Besieged Country?" | The event served as a platform to analyze how the financial and commercial attack against Venezuela intensified after Nicolás Maduro won the presidential election with popular support, following the physical departure of Commander Hugo Chávez. | In his speech, Roa detailed that it was Chávez who "guaranteed not only…
(2021-04-16). Violence for the Sake of Violence. counterpunch.org 
In the scene on the TV, we see a man lying on the ground, unmoving, his hands behind his head. His head is raised a bit so he can see what is coming toward him. We see four large men walking in a line toward this guy on the street. The four approach him slowly,
(2021-04-16). The "Footloose" Eco-Activism of Marnie Gaede. counterpunch.org 
Marnie Gaede has been selected to receive the Fund for Wild Nature's Grassroots Activist of the Year Award for 2021 for her many contributions to environmental activism. The overall arc of Marnie's multifaceted experiences can be connected with the word "footloose." Long before she became involved in saving whales and other wildlife, Marnie dated an
(2021-04-16). 8th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba: Between change and continuity. peoplesdispatch.org 
The Communist Party of Cuba is holding its 8th Party Congress which will focus on the renovation of leadership to take forward the revolutionary project…