2021-04-05: News Headlines

Eurasia Review (2021-04-05). The Benefits Of Tax Planning For Companies Facing Financial Constraints. eurasiareview.com A recent study of more than 2,000 companies finds that corporations feeling the pinch of financial constraints can benefit significantly from taking a more aggressive stance in their tax planning strategies. One takeaway of the finding is that tax authorities should look closely at the activities of companies facing financial constraints to make sure their tax activities don't become too aggressive. | Financial constraints aren't unusual and occur when a company can't afford to fund a project that would increase its value. Sometimes the constraints are caused by an external event – like a pandemic – that leave…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-05). US Deaths Normally Change Less Than 2% Each Year; In 2020 They Rose Nearly 23%. eurasiareview.com Extended surges in the South and West in the summer and early winter of 2020 resulted in regional increases in excess death rates, both from COVID-19 and from other causes, a 50-state analysis of excess death trends has found. Virginia Commonwealth University researchers' latest study notes that Black Americans had the highest excess death rates per capita of any racial or ethnic group in 2020. | The research, publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, offers new data from the last 10 months of 2020 on how many Americans died during 2020 as a result of the effects of the pandemic — beyond…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-05). Bahrainis continue protests demanding release of prisoners amid COVID-19 pandemic. peoplesdispatch.org Protests took place for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday demanding the release of prisoners from overcrowded jails. Protesters also condemned the blackout of news regarding the number of COVID-19 cases in the facilities…

Pepe Escobar (2021-04-05). How Eurasia Will be Interconnected. globalresearch.ca The extraordinary confluence between the signing of the

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2021-04-05). The Future of Australian Universities: Bogans of the Pacific. asia-pacificresearch.com

Eurasia Review (2021-04-05). Paleopharmaceuticals From Baltic Amber Might Fight Drug-Resistant Infections. eurasiareview.com For centuries, people in Baltic nations have used ancient amber for medicinal purposes. Even today, infants are given amber necklaces that they chew to relieve teething pain, and people put pulverized amber in elixirs and ointments for its purported anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties. Now, scientists have pinpointed compounds that help explain Baltic amber's therapeutic effects and that could lead to new medicines to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. | The researchers will present their results today at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2021 is being held…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-05). Humans Were Apex Predators For Two Million Years. eurasiareview.com Researchers at Tel Aviv University were able to reconstruct the nutrition of stone age humans. In a paper published in the Yearbook of the American Physical Anthropology Association, Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Prof. Ran Barkai of the Jacob M. Alkov Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, together with Raphael Sirtoli of Portugal, show that humans were an apex predator for about two million years. Only the extinction of larger animals (megafauna) in various parts of the world, and the decline of animal food sources toward the end of the stone age, led humans to gradually increase the vegetable element in th…

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2021-04-05). Mozambique: Insurgency Causing Irreparable Havoc And Devastation. eurasiareview.com What has been referred to as Islamic attacks and insurgency is causing irreparable deep havoc and devastation in Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique. The insurgency that began in 2017 has unimaginable negative effects on settlements of the civilian population, and on business and industry operations. It has consistently received global condemnation from regional and international community. | International aid agency sources said between 6,000 and 10,000 people were still waiting to be evacuated to safety following the raid on Palma. Dozens of civilians were killed, including South Africans, in Palma where a m…

East Asia Forum (2021-04-05). The Future Of Digital Currencies To Be Determined In Asia — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By ANU Editorial Board | Next time you're eating a pizza, spare a thought for Laszlo Hanyecz. Back in 2010, the Florida resident

John Scales Avery* (2021-04-05). Ecology And Economics — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Humanity Has Reached a Critical Decade: | The Ambio article was written as part of the preparation of a meeting of Nobel Prize winners to discuss the state of the planet. The virtual meeting will be held on April 26-28, 2021. | We Must Achieve a Steady-State Economic System:…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-05). New Batteries Give Jolt To Renewables, Energy Storage. eurasiareview.com The cost of harvesting solar energy has dropped so much in recent years that it's giving traditional energy sources a run for their money. However, the challenges of energy storage – which require the capacity to bank an intermittent and seasonally variable supply of solar energy – have kept the technology from being economically competitive. | Cornell University researchers led by Lynden Archer, Dean and Professor of Engineering, have been exploring the use of low-cost materials to create rechargeable batteries that will make energy storage more affordable. Now, they have shown that a new technique incorporat…

IMPRI (2021-04-05). Modi's Claim Of His Arrest For Bangladesh Satyagraha Deconstructed — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Gouri Sankar Nag* | Amazing as it may sound, yet this claim has allowed us to sneak once again into the glorious chapter of the liberation of Bangladesh, lest we may discover such untold stories of a saga that remains buried to date. Hence, in our quest for truth-seeking, it would be unfair to dismiss any possibility. On the contrary, we cannot buy such propagandist logic that the Congress or the Left tried to construct history after their political agenda that suited them. Rather we need to keep in mind that any tendency of generalization is biased, gross, and sort of impelled by domination to subordinate…

SATP (2021-04-05). India: Ethnic Cauldron In Meghalaya — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Giriraj Bhattacharjee* | On March 21, 2021, three local youth from Wahkaji in the South West Khasi Hills area were assaulted in the Golf Links area of Shillong city in East Khasi Hills District. On March 28, one of the victims succumbed to his injuries. | Since the assault, several pressure groups in the State are demanding actions against the culprits who, according to them, were non-locals. | On March 30, 2021, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), general secretary, Roy Synrem, alleged that since the victims of the March 21 incident were locals and belonged to the Khasi community, the Police was not 'seri…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-05). Rise Of Oxygen On Earth: Initial Estimates Off By 100 Million Years. eurasiareview.com New research shows the permanent rise of oxygen in our atmosphere, which set the stage for life as we know it, happened 100 million years later than previously thought. | A significant rise in oxygen occurred about 2.43 billion years ago, marking the start of the Great Oxidation Episode — a pivotal moment in Earth's history. | An international research team including a UC Riverside scientist analyzed rocks from South Africa formed during this event. Findings, published this week in the journal Nature, include the discovery that oxygen fluctuated dramatically after its early appearance until it became a perman…

Ralph Nader (2021-04-05). Ralph Nader: Can Decline In Letter-Writing Be Reversed? — OpEd. eurasiareview.com When Cornell University Press sent me an early copy of my sister, Laura Nader's book: My impression preceded young parents relating remarks from their little children asking, "What's a letter?" or "Where do you put the stamp, Mom?" Certainly, the Internet Age is not conducive to sitting down and writing a personal letter exclusiv…

Arab News (2021-04-05). Jordan's Prince Hamza Signs Statement Pledging Support To King Abdullah II. eurasiareview.com Jordan's Prince Hamza bin Hussein has signed a document reiterating his support for King Abdullah II. | Prince Hamza, a former crown prince, was accused at the weekend of liaising with foreign parties over a plot to destabilize the country. | The letter released by the Jordanian Royal Court on Monday said: "The interests of the homeland must remain above every consideration, and we must all stand behind the king in his efforts to protect Jordan and its national interests." | Prince Hamza signed the document at the house of Prince Hassan — who King Abdullah delegated to resolve the matter. | Prince Hassan…

Haleema Zia* (2021-04-05). US Media As Protagonist For Framing Image Of Different Countries — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The United States along with its allies wrought a new global system entrenched in newfangled institutions and international rules after the World War II. This radical global system had a clear focus to regulate the demeanor of different states. The United Nations (UN) emerged as an imperative mainstay to this global system, as it aspired to avert future wars between its member states. | Over time, this system kept on transforming by introduction of set of principles in five strategic expanses of the state behavior including trade order, financial order, maritime order, human rights order, and non-proliferation…

RFE RL (2021-04-05). Bulgaria: PM Borisov May Struggle To Form New Coalition Despite Election Victory. eurasiareview.com ( With nearly all the ballots counted, the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) party was ahead with 26 percent of the vote, the Central Election Commission said, putting it on track for its worst performance since Borisov form…

SATP (2021-04-05). India: A Lingering Red — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Ajit Kumar Singh* | On April 3, 2021, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed at least 22 Security Force (SF) personnel in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. | Giving details, the State's Deputy Inspector General (anti-Maoist operations), O.P. Pal, disclosed, "Separate joint teams of Security Forces, over 2,000 in number, had launched a major anti-Maoist operation from Bijapur and Sukma Districts in the South Bastar forests, considered as the Maoist stronghold, on Friday [April 2] night. Around noon on Saturday [April 3], an encounter broke out between the patrolling team that was dispatched…

William Donohue (2021-04-05). Christian Bashers Invent Christian Nationalism — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Scholars rightly take umbrage when pundits and activists exploit their work for political purposes. The latest example, at least in religious circles, is the way in which a new book, Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics, is being received by militant secularists. | The authors, David Campbell, Geoffrey Layman and John C. Green—all of whom have distinguished records—maintain that the number of Americans who no longer claim a religious affiliation is growing quickly, accounting for a secular surge. The data support their thesis. | Their volume becomes somewhat more controversial when…

Liz Theoharis (2021-04-05). Can America finally kick the Habit? — "The Greatest Purveyor of Violence in the World" juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com ) — Fifty-four years ago, standing at the pulpit of Riverside Church in New York City, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his now-famous "Beyond Vietnam" sermon. For the first time in public, he expressed in vehement terms his opposition to the American war in Vietnam. He saw clearly that a foreign policy defined …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-05). Duterte's lockdowns falters even as Philippines add over 100,000 new COVID cases in 10 days. peoplesdispatch.org The series of heavily policed and extended lockdowns in place since March 2020, has failed to contain the spread of COVID-19 and given way to more human rights violations…

WSWS (2021-04-05). COVID-19 cases surge in the Philippines. wsws.org So far, Metro Manila, the national capital region (NCR) and four surrounding provinces have borne the brunt of the surge with 70 percent of active cases or 109,496.

Philip Brasor (2021-04-05). How the Cleanup of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Got So Expensive. asia-pacificresearch.com

Middle East Eye (2021-04-05). Jordan's Former Crown Prince Detained Amid Crackdown on Alleged Coup Plotters. globalresearch.ca Jordan has detained a former crown prince at home and arrested …

Staff (2021-04-05). World's Poorest Nations Face Setback as India Suspends Vaccine Exports Amid Fight over Patent Rights. democracynow.org We look at the urgent push to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all nations, rich and poor, and growing calls for Big Pharma to waive their patent rights, as COVID-19 cases soar in India and the Modi government has suspended exports of coronavirus vaccines to many of the world's poorest countries that depend on AstraZeneca vaccines it produces. "These are not India's vaccines," says Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for equitable access to medicines. "The number of vaccine doses that have gone out to a third of humanity — 91 poor countries — is 18 millio…

Staff (2021-04-05). India Suspends Vaccine Exports as Calls Grow to Waive Big Pharma's Patent Rights. truthout.org We look at the urgent push to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all nations, rich and poor, and growing calls for Big Pharma to waive their patent rights, as COVID-19 cases soar in India and the Modi government has suspended exports of coronavirus vaccines to many of the world's poorest countries that depend on AstraZeneca vaccines it produces. "These are not India's vaccines," says Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for equitable access to medic…

MEE staff (2021-04-05). Covid-19: Saudi Arabia to allow only 'immunised' pilgrims for Umrah. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Saudi Arabia to allow only 'immunised' pilgrims for Umrah | Individuals who have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine or have previously recovered from virus will be granted permit to perform pilgrimage | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 19: 45 | Nearly two million people had performed Umrah since it had reopened last October when restrictions were eased (AFP) | Saudi Arabia said on Monday that only pilgr…

Staff (2021-04-05). Spree of Anti-Asian Violence Has Long Roots — Including Terror in 1990s Philly. truthout.org In response to thousands of reported bias incidents, the call and budding movement to #StopAsianHate has fostered an unprecedented wave of Asian American solidarity that has quickly spread nationwide following the Atlanta-area shootings. This has been heavily driven by a collective sense of fear and outrage that anyone in the community might be the next target. Videos of Asian elders being attacked and — in extreme cases — killed by much younger men have gone viral, but so has the…

WSWS (2021-04-05). Sri Lankan IYSSE to commemorate 150th anniversary of RosaLuxemburg's birth. wsws.org The IYSSE meeting will discuss Luxemburg's revolutionary struggle for Marxism in the German and international working class and its lessons for today.

WSWS (2021-04-05). Sri Lankan IYSSE to commemorate 150th anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg's birth. wsws.org The IYSSE meeting will discuss Luxemburg's revolutionary struggle for Marxism in the German and international working class and its lessons for today.

UCAN (2021-04-05). Sri Lanka Mourns Fearless Defender Of Tamil Tights. eurasiareview.com By Quintus Colombage | Outspoken Bishop Rayappu Joseph was an untiring advocate of Tamil rights and justice during Sri Lanka's civil war and post-war years. | Thousands were killed and disappeared during the 26-year war that ended in 2009 when the army defeated Tamil rebels. Both sides were accused of serious human rights violations. Many Catholic priests were killed or went missing. | Bishop Joseph, who died on April 1 at the age of 80, raised his voice nationally and internationally for victims. | "The bishop was a vocal critic of the government, military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), whic…

Labor Video Project (2021-04-05). Stop Asian Hate! N. Cal Filipinos & Asians Speak-out Against Racist Violence and Murders. indybay.org Hundreds of Northern California Filipinos and Asian Americans spoke out against the racist violence and murders taking place in the Bay Are and nationally. The march and rally took place on March 26, 2021…

Staff (2021-04-05). MLK Opposed "Poverty, Racism & Militarism" in Speech One Year Before His Assassination 53 Years Ago. democracynow.org Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 53 years ago, on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 39. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor, organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice, and was a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We air an excerpt of his "Beyond Vietnam" speech, delivered at New York's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, a year to the day before he was assassinated, in which Dr. King called the United States "the greatest purveyor of violen…

Selina Singh (2021-04-05). Indian Farmers Rise Up Against Corporatization. zcomm.org Please Help ZNet Source: South Asia Labor Watch Photo by Photographielove/Shutterstock Thousands of Indian farmers have parked outside the capital Delhi for more than 100 days. They have pitched tents on five highways that lead to the city and say they will leave only when the federal government withdraws three

David Hearst (2021-04-05). EXCLUSIVE: Jordan's army chief heard warning Hamzah against talking to tribal leaders. middleeasteye.net EXCLUSIVE: Jordan's army chief heard warning Hamzah against talking to tribal leaders | A surreptitious recording of a conversation between Yousef Huneiti and the former crown prince on Saturday reveals no accusations of plotting a coup were made | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 16: 20 | Jordanian Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, pictured here on 17 April 2012, says he has been under de facto house arrest since Saturday…

MEE correspondent (2021-04-05). Jordan's King Abdullah turns to family mediation to mend rift with Prince Hamzah. middleeasteye.net Jordan's King Abdullah turns to family mediation to mend rift with Prince Hamzah | Prince Hamzah bin Hussein releases letter vowing loyalty to the crown after King Abdullah II sends uncle to work on mediation talks | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 20: 40 | A split photo showing King Abdullah II and Prince Hamzah bin Hussein (AFP)
| Jordan's King Abdullah II and Prince Hamzah bin Hussein have agr…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-04-05). Arabic press review: This is what the Arab media is saying about the Jordan 'coup plot'. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: This is what the Arab media is saying about the Jordan 'coup plot' | According to the Jordanian media, Hamzah rebuffed the king's efforts for private conciliation, while the Saudis report Amman is in an 'unprecedented crisis' | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 14: 59 | An elderly Palestinian man in the occupied-West Bank town of Hebron reads the daily newspaper al-Quds, which boasts front-…

MEE, agencies (2021-04-05). Turkey arrests retired admirals over open letter criticising government. middleeasteye.net Turkey arrests retired admirals over open letter criticising government | Retired Turkish admirals said a discussion over the 1936 Montreux convention could pose a threat to Turkey's waterways | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 07: 55 | The 1936 Montreux convention gives Turkey control over the straits within its borders, guarantees access for civilian vessels and limits naval warships' access (AFP) | Tu…

Anonymous103 (2021-04-05). Coup Threat In Turkey. Dozen Admirals Detained Over Critics Of Istanbul Canal Project. southfront.org Illustrative Image | Submitted by Thomas ST exclusively for SouthFront. | 103 retired admirals issued a statement condemning the "Islamization" of the Turkish Armed Forces and the recent public debate on Turkey's withdrawal from the Montreux Treaty for the Straits. On April 5, Turkey detained 10 retired admirals after a letter signed that they had signed warned against a possible threat to a treaty governing the use of Turkey's key waterways. | It is the first time since the coup attempt in July 2016 that Turkish…

Elcano Royal Institute (2021-04-04). Rekindling The Agenda On Women, Peace And Security: Can The EU Lead By Example? — Analysis. eurasiareview.com The terrain of war and peace is not gender neutral.: | By Jessica Almqvist* | The terrain of war and peace is not gender neutral. This was recognised for the first time by the UN Security Council in its resolution 1325 (UNSC 1325) adopted on 31 October 2000. It is a historic decision for the global efforts to achieve the equality of women and girls in this terrain. For the first time, the principal organ with primary responsibility for international security acknowledged a longstanding neglect of women and girls in international responses to armed-conflict situations. It also set out a pathway for reme…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-04). Modern Analysis Of Rock Art. eurasiareview.com Rock art of human figures created over thousands of years in Australia's Arnhem Land has been put through a transformative machine learning study to analyse style changes over the years. | The study has tested different styles labelled 'Northern Running figures', 'Dynamic figures', 'Post Dynamic figures' and 'Simple figures with Boomerangs' to understand how these styles relate to one another. | Working with the Mimal and Marrku Traditional Owners of the Wilton River area in Australia's Top End, South Australian researchers led by Flinders University archaeologist Dr Daryl Wesley have taken a closer look at th…

RT (2021-04-04). India: 22 Police Officers Killed, Over 30 Wounded In Ambush By Maoist Guerrilla Fighters. eurasiareview.com More than 20 officers have been killed after their unit was ambushed by Maoist guerrilla fighters in India. The government has vowed to continue operations against the banned group. | The battle in India's central Chhattisgarh state has left 22 security personnel dead and 31 wounded, according to police. The Times of India (TOI) newspaper, meanwhile, reported that 32 were injured and one officer was missing following the firefight. | According to the TOI, more than 2,000 officers went on an anti-Maoist raid on Friday night. The government force included elite CoBRA jungle warfare unit, which is part of the pol…

N. S. Venkataraman (2021-04-04). Myanmar Unrest And Tibetan Crisis: Urgent Need To Reform United Nations — OpEd. eurasiareview.com It is now around seven decades since the United Nations was founded after the WWII in 1945 with much expectation and declarations of lofty goals to establish and guarantee a peaceful world. Nevertheless, since then, there have been many criticisms about the functioning style of the UN and its counter-productive internal structure, that has disappointed a cross section of discerning thinkers around the world. Many people are of the view that it is necessary to restructure the UN and redefine its powers to make it a powerful and meaningful entity. But, it appears that such changes for the better with regard to s…

East Asia Forum (2021-04-04). Digital Currencies Are The Future In Asia — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Gordon R Clarke and Emir Hrnjic* | When digital currencies and cryptocurrencies sprang to life, bitcoin was viewed as a direct challenge to central banks' control of currency. After an early reluctance and hostility toward cryptocurrencies, central banks are Blockchain covers a range of programmable technologies with adjustable parameters and algorithms, offering different ways to track and trace assets. The technology enables an unprecedent…

VOA (2021-04-04). Jordanian FM Accuses Prince Hamzah Of Plotting To Destabilize Country. eurasiareview.com Jordan's foreign minister Sunday said an alleged plot by the former crown prince to undermine the government had been foiled. | Ayman Safadi told reporters that Prince Hamzah, the younger, half-brother of King Abdullah II, had liaised with foreign parties over a plot to destabilize the country. | Safadi, who also holds the title of the deputy prime minister, did not specify which countries were involved in the alleged plot. | Division in the ruling royal family erupted into the open late Saturday when Hamzah announced he could not leave his home and state media reported that senior officials had been detained…

F18News (2021-04-04). Crimea: Longest Jail Term So Far. eurasiareview.com By Felix Corley | Of the four jail terms handed down in Crimea to punish the exercise of freedom of religion or belief, 54-year-old Jehovah's Witness Viktor Stashevsky received the longest so far. A Sevastopol court jailed him on 29 March for six and a half years, with a further seven years under restrictions, which are due to end in 2034. Seven more Crimean Jehovah's Witnesses are facing "extremism"-related prosecutions. Two were transferred in March from Investigation Prison to house arrest after nearly six months. | A Sevastopol court on March 29 handed down the longest jail term yet in Crimea on "extremism…

teleSUR (2021-04-04). Colombia: Massacres Climbed To 25 Over the Weekend. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Institute for Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ) confirmed a new massacre in the Circasia municipality in the Quindio department. | RELATED: | A group of armed men opened indiscriminate fire in the La Esmeralda neighborhood, killing four people and injuring three others. | Quindio's Interior Secretary Jaime Perez indicated that the violent attack might be related to drug trafficking scuffles in the locali…

Editor2 (2021-04-04). "We Did Not Know… that There is an International Law" orinocotribune.com By Michel Raimbaud — Apr 2, 2021 | In March 1991, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, which had just imploded under a coalition led by Washington, began its descent into hell. It would remain for a long time under close surveillance and embargo. Meanwhile, between a mirage of "glasnost" and a wave of "perestroika," Gorbachev's USSR, floundering in dreams of the West, was soon to sink and fall apart. America already saw itself as "the most powerful Empire the earth has brought forth" and readied itself to make those who did not understand it pay dearly. After pretending to seek a peaceful outcome that would spare Iraq hum…

Senator Dick Black (2021-04-04). Video: The Truth About the Syrian Crisis. Former Senator Dick Black. globalresearch.ca I'm [former] Senator Dick Black [Virginia State Senate] and I'm a …

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