Daily Archives: April 20, 2021

2021-04-20: News Headlines

VOA (2021-04-20). Chauvin Convicted On All Charges In Death Of George Floyd. eurasiareview.com Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges Tuesday in the death of George Floyd nearly a year ago. | Chauvin had been charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. | In their final arguments, a prosecutor accused Chauvin, who is white, of killing Floyd, an African American, by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes. A defense attorney, Eric Nelson, contended that Floyd died partly from drug use and that Chauvin was following his police training in the way he arrested Floyd last May on the curb of a street in Mi…

Melvin Goodman (2021-04-20). The Strategic Importance of Leaving Afghanistan. counterpunch.org Sixty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower articulated his concern about the ability of his presidential successors to control the military. Several weeks before his Farewell Address, he gathered his senior advisers in the Oval Office of the White House and mused: "God help this country when someone sits in this chair who doesn't know

Juan Cole (2021-04-20). Despite Hawks Seeking new Cold War, the US and China can only Confront Climate Emergency by Cooperating. juancole.com ( China Dialogue ) — They say don't mess with Texas, but Mother Nature didn't get the memo. A surprise winter storm killed at least 111 people in March, when rolling blackouts left several million Texans without power for several freezing days. Their misery came just a few years after Hurricane Harvey put a US$125 …

Andrew Korybko (2021-04-20). Biden's Afghan Withdrawal Isn't a Blow to China. globalresearch.ca Bloomberg published an op-ed last week provocatively claiming that "

Moderator (2021-04-20). What the U.S. Could've Done With the $2 Trillion Spent on the Afghanistan War. scheerpost.com YouTube] By Juan Cole / Informed Comment The Costs of War Project at Brown University has just brought out a new report on Afghanistan. The September 11, 2001 attacks were launched from Khost and Qandahar in Afghanistan by al-Qaeda, though it is not clear that this organization of Arab expatriates informed their Taliban hosts of what they were planning. The operation involved hijacking commercial… |

Staff (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…

David Swanson (2021-04-20). Talk World Radio: Matt Hoh on Afghanistan and Why to Really End the War. warisacrime.org Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm. Here is this week's video and all the videos on Youtube. Matthew Hoh is a Senior Fellow with the Center for International Policy and a member of the Eisenhower Media Network (EMN), as well as a member of the Advisory Board of World BEYOND …

Andrew Korybko (2021-04-20). Czechia's Surprise Decision to Expel Russian Diplomats. globalresearch.ca Strategic Context | All of Europe is discussing Czechia's

Staff (2021-04-20). Mass Shooting at Indianapolis FedEx Warehouse "Follows Pattern of Violence Against Sikhs" Nationwide. democracynow.org As the Sikh community in Indianapolis and across the United States is in mourning after a gunman killed eight people at a FedEx facility last week, where four of the victims are Sikh, we speak with Simran Jeet Singh, scholar, activist and senior fellow for the Sikh Coalition, which is calling for a full investigation into the possibility of racial or ethnic hatred as a factor in the killings in Indianapolis. A majority of the workers at the warehouse are Sikh, and while authorities have not shared evidence Brandon Hole was targeting Sikh workers when he attacked the FedEx facility, police revealed Monday they pre…

Staff (2021-04-20). The Family of FedEx Mass Shooter Warned Police About Him. How Did He Still Manage to Buy His Guns? democracynow.org Authorities in Indianapolis say the mother of Brandon Hole, the former FedEx employee who shot and killed eight people at a company facility last Thursday, called police in 2020 to say her son might commit "suicide by cop," prompting them to seize his pump-action shotgun. But officials say they did not push for Hole to have a hearing under Indiana's "red flag" law, which allows police or courts to seize guns from people who show warning signs of violence. "The very thing that the law is designed to prevent — going and buying a new gun — was not even ever sought," says Nick Suplina, managing director f…

Brian Terrell (2021-04-20). Biden's Drone Wars. dissidentvoice.org On Thursday, April 15, the New York Times posted an article headed, "How the U.S. Plans to Fight From Afar After Troops Exit Afghanistan," just in case anyone misunderstood the previous day's headline, "Biden, Setting Afghanistan Withdrawal, Says 'It Is Time to End the Forever War'" as indicating the U.S. war in Afghanistan might actually …

Staff (2021-04-20). FedEx Warehouse Shooting Follows Pattern of Violence Against Sikhs Nationwide. truthout.org Image Credit: Jenna Watson/USA Today Network | As the Sikh community in Indianapolis and across the United States is in mourning after a gunman killed eight people at a FedEx facility last week, where four of the victims are Sikh, we speak with Simran Jeet Singh, scholar, activist and senior fellow for the Sikh Coalition, which is calling for a full investigation into the possibility of racial or ethnic hatred as a factor in the killings in Indianapolis. A majority of the workers at the warehou…

Anonymous007 (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…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-20). Russia Restricts Civil Aviation Over Crimea And The Black Sea. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Russia announced the introduction of a dangerous zone for civil aviation in the area over the Black Sea and Crimea, this was published in the operational information on changes in the rules for conducting and ensuring flights (NOTAM). | In total, the Russian Federation has issued three NOTAMs. They are valid until April 24tj, with minor differences. | A number of air routes in the Simferopol flight information area over the Black Sea were completely blocked. | At the…

Anonymous103 (2021-04-20). 200 Militants Killed In Russian Airstrikes On Hidden Training Base In Central Syria. southfront.org Illustrative image | On April 19, Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) had destroyed a training base near the city of Palmyra, in Central Syria, killing about 220 militants. | According to Rear Adm. Alexander Karpov, Deputy Head of Russian Coordination Center in Hmeimim, terrorists have established a hidden military base northeast of Palmyra, where they formed terrorist groups for deployment in several areas of Syria in order to carry out terrorist operation…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-20). U.S. Ambassador Leaves Russia To "Visit Family" southfront.org Click to see full-size image | US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan will return to the US, Axios

Anonymous007 (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…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-20). Military Situation In Afghanistan On April 20, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On April 19, 28 civilians were freed from Taliban's prison in Mosa Qala district of Helmand province, accoding to the Afghanistan MOD | On April 19, eight police members were killed and three were wounded in a Taliban attack on Zibak district in the Badakhshan province | On April 20, two members of popular forces were killed and several were wounded in a Taliban attack in Ghorian district | On April 19, Ata Jan Haqbayan, the head of the provincial council in Zabul…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-20). Military Situation In Syria On April 20, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On April 19, a Turkish military convoy entered Syrian territory from Kafr Lussin border crossing | On April 19, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Deir Sunbul, Sarjah and Bainin | On April 19, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Ziyara and Sarmaniyah | On April 19, intra clashes between Turkish-backed forces were reported in the town of Raas al-Ain | On April 19, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions…

RT (2021-04-20). AOC's Green New Deal reintroduced as she claims 'trampling of indigenous rights' & 'racial justice' are causes of climate change. rt.com Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has left critics scratching their heads after citing the "trampling of indigenous rights" and "racial justice" as causes of climate change. | Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) reintroduced the Green New Deal on Tuesday, a redux of the same resolution introduced in 2019 that was quickly used by Republicans to paint Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez as extremist and socialist in their views. | The Green New Deal calls for the decarbonization of the US economy, as well as free higher education for every American, among many other proposals. The reint…

Nicole Rodriguez (2021-04-20). San Francisco students hold 'Action Towards Change' rally against anti-Asian racism. liberationnews.org The rally was led by youth whose speeches consisted of calls to action, solidarity in organizing, and self-written poems.

The Conversation (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 …

Staff (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). 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".

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-20). Make aid to Israel conditional on protecting Palestinian human rights, say Sanders, Warren. peoplesdispatch.org Successive US governments, irrespective of the ruling party, have been providing billions of dollars in aid to Israel each year. Israel has been accused of using the money to sustain its occupation of Palestine…

Staff (2021-04-20). Taliban expresses no willingness to attend Istanbul meeting. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Taliban announced that it will take part in no meeting until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Staff (2021-04-20). 8 police forces killed, 3 wounded in Afghanistan's Badakhshan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — Sources said that eight police members were killed and three more were wounded in a Taliban attack on their outpost in Zibak district in the northeastern province of Badakhshan after midnight on Tuesday.

DoD News (2021-04-20). US Plans to Keep Threats In Check Even After Afghanistan Withdrawal. eurasiareview.com By C. Todd Lopez | By Sept. 11, 2021, all U.S. forces must be out of Afghanistan. But that doesn't mean that the U.S. will be at the mercy of groups like ISIS, al-Qaida or the Taliban if they want to create problems and threaten U.S. interests, the commander of the U.S. Central Command said. | While the…

_____ (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). 'Western Media Jeopardizing Uyghurs Interests'. popularresistance.org Dan Cohen speaks with Gordon Gao, Director of Strategic Research at Tsinghua University Endowment Fund in Beijing and a native of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Gao discusses growing up as a Mongolian ethnic minority in XUAR, and how the propaganda war against China hurts Uyghur interests, but will ultimately backfire on the United States. Gao and Coden also discuss the U.S.-China artificial intelligence arms race as well as the comparative strengths of the two countries.

Andy Kroll (2021-04-20). Biden's Anti-China Ambitions. tomdispatch.com Like his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden is committed to a distinctly anti-China global strategy and has sworn that China will not "become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world, and the most powerful country in the world… on my watch." In the topsy-turvy universe created by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was, however, Jamie Dimon, the CEO and chairman of JP Morgan Chase, a banking giant with assets of $3.4 trillion, who spoke truth to Biden on the subject. While predicting an immediate boom in the U.S. economy "that could easily run into 2023," Dimon had grimmer news on the future as…

_____ (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…

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). World experts say China offers inspiration for global sustainable development. ecns.cn China can offer other countries inspirations and opportunities for cooperation in building a sustainable post-pandemic world, officials from international organizations, scholars and business leaders have said.

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). Cambodian PM greatly values China's role in global fight against COVID-19. ecns.cn Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday said he greatly valued China's leading role in helping other countries to prevent and combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). Xi calls for strengthening global governance at BFA annual conference. ecns.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on all countries in Asia and beyond to answer the "call of our times," defeat the pandemic through solidarity, strengthen global governance, and keep pursuing a community with a shared future for mankind.

Arab News (2021-04-20). New Oil Price Surge Caps Year Of Recovery Since 'Black Monday'. eurasiareview.com By Frank Kane | Oil prices resumed their surge on global markets on Tuesday as traders shrugged off the memory of "Black Monday" 2020, when some crude prices went into negative territory at the start of the pandemic recession. | Brent crude, the global benchmark, went above $68 a barrel for the first time in over a year, while West Texas Intermediate, which approached minus-$40 at the depth of the oil crisis exactly a year ago, leapt above $64. | The resurgence in the oil price — which has seen some experts suggesting the possibility of a "supercycle" in which crude goes back above $100 a barrel —…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-04-20). Greed And The European Super League — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Suffocating the grassroots. Mocking the working class origins of the game. World football, and primarily European club football, has long done away with loyalties in favour of cash and contract. The professionalization of the game has seen a difficult relationship between fan, spectator and sporting management, none better exemplified than the price of tickets, the role of branding and sponsorship. | The apotheosis of this has arrived in the form of a proposed breakaway European Super League. Like a mafia-styled cartel, twelve of Europe's elite football clubs have banded together to create their own, sealed co…

Newsclick (2021-04-20). COVID-19 in India: 'Need to strengthen public health system'. peoplesdispatch.org Immunologist Dr. Satyajit Rath analyses the current COVID-19 crisis in India with Newsclick editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. They talk about the worrying aspects of this wave, the failures of the health system, the grossly lacking political response, and the new strain of the virus which is being identified in Indian cases.

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). Russia's daily COVID-19 infections drop to lowest since late September. ecns.cn Russia logged 8,164 coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the lowest daily increase since Sept. 28, bringing the nationwide count to 4,718,854, the country's monitoring and response center said Tuesday.

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). Over 192 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across China. ecns.cn Nearly 192.13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Sunday, the National Health Commission said Monday.

_____ (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…

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). 32 Taiwan compatriots vaccinated against COVID-19 in Fuzhou. ecns.cn The first batch of 32 Taiwan compatriots living in Fuzhou, south China's Fujian Province on Monday received COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge via "Tailutong," a cross-Straits app for Taiwan compatriots working or living in the mainland.

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). Asian economies should brace for opportunities and handle deficits: Boao annual reports. ecns.cn Despite being hard hit by COVID-19, Asia's economies have recovered well compared to the rest of the world. However there remain challenges in maintaining sustainable development, according to two reports released by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Sunday.

Eurasia Review (2021-04-20). When Flushing A Public Toilet Don't Linger, Because Aerosolized Droplets Do. eurasiareview.com Flushing a toilet can generate large quantities of microbe-containing aerosols depending on the design, water pressure or flushing power of the toilet. A variety of pathogens are usually found in stagnant water as well as in urine, feces and vomit. When dispersed widely through aerosolization, these pathogens can cause Ebola, norovirus that results in violent food poisoning, as well as COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. | Respiratory droplets are the most prominent source of transmission for COVID-19, however, alternative routes may exist given the discovery of small numbers of viable viruses in urine and stool sa…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-20). Earthquakes Continued After COVID-19-Related Oil And Gas Recovery Shutdown. eurasiareview.com When hydraulic fracturing operations ground to a halt last spring in the Kiskatinaw area of British Columbia, researchers expected seismic quiescence in the region. Instead, hundreds of small earthquakes occurred for months after operations shut down, according to a new study. | In her presentation at the Seismological Society of America (SSA)'s 2021 Annual Meeting, Rebecca Salvage of the University of Calgary said about 65% of these events could not be attributed to either natural seismicity or active fluid injection from hydraulic fracturing operations. | Salvage and her colleagues instead suggest the latent…

Amelie Liu* (2021-04-20). I'm A Multicultural Teen Trying To Fit Into Our 'Melting Pot' — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Reading the latest news, I remain silent and unsurprised as my dumbfounded friends, teachers and primarily white family members gasp. | "Two Asian Women Beaten and Robbed in San Francisco." "8 Dead in Atlanta Spa Shootings, With Fears of Anti-Asian Bias." "Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety." | While COVID-19 has escalated discrimination against Asians, Asian-hate is not new to me, and it is especially not new in America. But in the wake of the recent Asian-hate crimes, I can't stop thinking about the children of the victims — many of whom are multiracial, born in Ameri…

Stephen Lendman (2021-04-20). Biden Regime Behind Czech Expulsion of Russian Diplomats. globalresearch.ca The Czech Republic is virtual US occupied territory, its pro-Western puppet …

Dave DeCamp (2021-04-20). CENTCOM Chief: It Will Be 'Harder' to Bomb Afghanistan After Withdrawal But 'Not Impossible'. news.antiwar.com The US military is looking for ways to maintain the ability to bomb targets inside Afghanistan without a troop presence in the country. On Tuesday, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, "If you leave Afghanistan and you want to go back in to conduct these kinds of operations, there are three things you need to do: you need…

Dave DeCamp (2021-04-20). The War in Afghanistan Has Cost Over $2.26 Trillion. news.antiwar.com The US government has spent over $2.26 trillion on its failed war in Afghanistan, The $2.26 trillion in spending was broken down into five categories. The single greatest expense was $933 billion, which was covered by the Defense Department's Overseas Contingency Operations Budget. The second-highest cost is t…

ecns.cn (2021-04-20). Hurun Report chairman: China leads in livestream shopping. ecns.cn Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report chairman and chief researcher, said Tuesday on the sideline of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 that China's livestream shopping is a new trend.

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