Daily Archives: April 22, 2021

2021-04-22: News Headlines

Medea Benjamin (2021-04-22). U.S. Joins Past Empires In Afghan Graveyard. zcomm.org President Biden announced a removal of all U.S. troops by September 11, but he failed to include some important details…

Staff (2021-04-22). Meet the Texas Doctor Developing a "People's Vaccine" to Help Inoculate Billions Around the World. democracynow.org We look at the state of the pandemic and vaccine rollout in the United States and around the world with Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez is part of a team at Baylor University that is working with a private Indian company to develop a low-cost COVID-19 vaccine. The task of developing a simple vaccine is "daunting," Dr. Hotez says. "We're talking about 5 billion doses of vaccine. And the question is: Where do you get 5 billion doses of vaccine?" he says. "We'r…

Staff (2021-04-22). "An Apocalyptic Situation": Indian Hospitals Overwhelmed as COVID Cases Soar in "Modi-Made Disaster" democracynow.org We go to Mumbai, India, for an update on the state of crisis in the country as COVID-19 cases surge and hospitals run out of oxygen. India recently recorded 315,000 new cases in a single day, the highest daily toll in any country since the start of the pandemic, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continued to hold large campaign rallies. Public health experts have blamed the surge on a number of factors, including the government's reluctance to impose another round of lockdowns, the spread of a double mutant variant of the virus, a recent Hindu festival attended by millions, and a slow vaccination drive. India…

Staff (2021-04-22). Headlines for April 22, 2021. democracynow.org India Reports Over 315,000 COVID-19 Infections, the Single Worst Daily Toll of Pandemic, Latin American Nations Suffer "Worst Moment" of Coronavirus Pandemic, U.S. Vaccination Pace Slows as White House Hits Goal of 200 Million Doses in 100 Days, Department of Justice Launches Civil Probe into Minneapolis Police Misconduct, Funeral Services Held for Daunte Wright, 20-Year-Old Black Man Killed by White Minnesota Cop, NC Protesters Demand Release of Footage Showing Police Killing of Andrew Brown, Columbus Police Body-Camera Footage Shows Officer Shot 16-Year-Old Ma'Khia Bryant Four Times, GOP Lawmakers in Iowa and O…

Staff (2021-04-22). Putin Condemns 'Regime Change' Attempts in Belarus and Venezuela. orinocotribune.com This Wednesday, April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual message to the Federal Assembly of Russia in which he condemned the attempts to change governments by force, such as those that occurred in Belarus or Venezuela. | "You can have any opinion about, for example, the former president of Ukraine [Victor] Yanukovych or [President of Venezuela, Nicolás] Maduro (…) have any point of view about the president of Belarus, [Alexandr] Lukashenko, but the practice of organizing coups, plans for political assassinations, including those of high-ranking officials, exceed all limits," Putin said, as rep…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-04-22). A Palestinian Prayer for Ramadan: May the Voices of the Oppressed Be Heard. dissidentvoice.org COVID-19 cases in Palestine, especially in Gaza, have reached record highs, largely due to the arrival of a greatly contagious coronavirus variant which was first identified in Britain. Gaza has always been vulnerable to the deadly pandemic. Under a hermetic Israeli blockade since 2006, the densely populated Gaza Strip lacks basic services like clean water, …

Workers World Party (2021-04-22). PDF of April 22 issue. workers.org Download the PDF. Spirit of May Day: Fight Back! After Amazon vote: Unionize ALL workers Smash police violence and white supremacy Release Mumia now! Tribute to Ramsey Clark. Anti-choice Bigots thwarted; 'The fire has started' in Alabama; Trans resistance; Editorial: FedEx massacre. GLOBAL: Madawaska Nation; Cuba; Haiti; Syria; Puerto Rico. . . . |

The Conversation (2021-04-22). Afghanistan pullout: Nato betrays its own values if interpreters and other local staff are left at risk. juancole.com By Sara de Jong | — The announcement of the US and Nato military withdrawal from Afghanistan later this year has elicited many responses, not least expressions of concern about the plight of interpreters and other local staff employed by western military forces. These concerns are not new but now have renewed urgency. The release …

Qiao Collective (2021-04-22). Why China's vaccine internationalism matters. mronline.org As rich nations stockpile COVID-19 vaccines, China is providing a lifeline to Global South nations spurned by Western pharmaceuticals and excluded by the West's neocolonial vaccine nationalism. So why is China being smeared for its efforts? | April 22, 2021 | Newswire…

Brian Terrell (2021-04-22). Biden's Drone Wars. counterpunch.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 come to an end on September 11, 2021, almost 20 years after it started.

Anonymous007 (2021-04-22). Military Situation In Yemen On April 22, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 143 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On April 21, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 15 airstrikes on the Sarwah area | On April 21, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 4 airstrikes on the Kitaf area | On April 21, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Shada area | On April 22, Ansar Allah attacked King Khalid Airbase with a Qase…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-22). Clashes Between SDF, NDF Renew In Al-Qamishli Despite Russian Efforts (Videos). southfront.org Click to see full-size image. | Clashes between the pro-government Syrian National Defense Forces (NDF) and Asayish, the security wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are still ongoing in the city of al-Qamishli in northeastern Syria. | The clashes came to a temporary halt on April 22 morning. A delegation of the Russian Military Police and the Syrian Arab Army met with representatives of Asayish in the Tayy district, where the clashes first broke out. | The two sides reportedly agreed on a ceasefire to de-esca…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-22). New F-35 Program Contract Excludes Turkey. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On April 21st, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported that the US and eight other countries have abolished the 2006 deal regarding the F-35 program and signed a new agreement that has excluded Turkey. | The state outlet cited an unnamed Pentagon official. | Washington removed Turkey from the F-35 Lightning II jet program in 2019, arguing that S-400 air missile systems acquired by Turkey could be used by Russia to covertly obtain classified details on the Lockheed Martin F-35 jets and is incompatible…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-22). Israel Bombs Syria Twice In One Evening, After SAM Lands Near Dimona Nuclear Reator. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Just after midnight on April 21st, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of strikes on unknown targets near Damascus. | They did so from the air above occupied Golan Heights. | Most of these were intercepted by Syrian Air Defense, but an errant missile landed in a field in southern Israel, near the nuclear center in Dimona. | The Israeli army said the missile landed in the Negev region and the air raid sirens were sounded in Abu Krinat, a village just a few k…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-22). Israel Bombs Syria Twice In One Evening, After SAM Lands Near Dimona Nuclear Reactor. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Just after midnight on April 21st, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of strikes on unknown targets near Damascus. | They did so from the air above occupied Golan Heights. | Most of these were intercepted by Syrian Air Defense, but an errant missile landed in a field in southern Israel, near the nuclear center in Dimona. | The Israeli army said the missile landed in the Negev region and the air raid sirens were sounded in Abu Krinat, a village just a few k…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-22). Military Situation In Syria On April 22, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On April 22, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 39 times: 6 — in Idlib province, 27 — in Latakia province, 1 — in Hama province | On April 22, Israeli warplanes attacked Damascus city with several missiles. SAA air defense systems reportedly intercepted a number of missiles. 4 SAA soldiers were wounded when an Air Defense Battery was hit | On April 21, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positi…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-22). Iranian Revolutionary Guards Release Close Drone Footage Of US Aircraft Carrier. southfront.org Screen grab from the IRGC footage. | On April 21, the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) released close drone footage of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. | According to Iranian media, the IRGC shared the footage to demonstrate its state-of-the-art advancements in the field of drone technology. The footage was captured by a four-strong drone squadron. The exact type of the drones was not disclosed. | The footage shows the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) aircraft carrier, sailing alongside the USNS Choctaw…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-22). Uzbek Terrorists Raided Syrian Army Post In Southern Idlib. Casualties Reported. southfront.org Illustrative image | On April 21, Uzbek terrorists raided a post of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the town of Ruwayhah in the southern Idlib countryside. | Syrian soldiers clashed with terrorists who attempted to storm…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-22). Indonesian Navy Searching For Disappeared Submarine With 53 On Board. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The Indonesian Navy is attempting to find a missing submarine, with 53 sailors on board. | The 44-year-old submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali but failed to relay the results as expected, a navy spokesman said. | An aerial search found an oil spill near the submarine's dive location and two navy vessels with sonar capability have been deployed to assist in the search, the Defense Ministry said. | The oil spill is "highly suspect…

Paul Antonopoulos (2021-04-22). Prague's Call for EU "Solidarity Expulsions" Against Russian Diplomats Falls on Deaf Ears. globalresearch.ca The U.S. failed to impose new sanctions on Russia and expel …

IFIMES (2021-04-22). 2021 Elections In Albania: Edi Rama's Political Capitulation — Analysis. eurasiareview.com Albania has entered the final phase of the election campaign for the parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place on 25 April 2021. | Once again the elections will be a confrontation between two old rivals. Specifically, the Socialist Party (PS/S&D) headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the opposition group led by the Democratic Party (PD/EPP) headed by Lulzim Basha, which also includes the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) headed by Monika Kryemadhi. | As after the parliamentary elections Albania will be faced with the transition of government, it is necessary to ensure a peaceful transition and ac…

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-04-22). Afghanistan: US Exit Is with Caveats. globalresearch.ca The United States and NATO are yet to begin the withdrawal …

Dilip Hiro (2021-04-22). Biden's Anti-China Ambitions. counterpunch.org 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

news.un (2021-04-22). Syria receives first COVID-19 vaccines, for most vulnerable. news.un.org More than 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Syria on Thursday from the UN-backed COVAX initiative, to inoculate the country's frontline health workers.

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). China to produce more than 3b COVID-19 vaccines this year: Official. ecns.cn China is expected to produce more than 3 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses this year, an official said Tuesday.

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). Research team member expresses surprise, consternation over WHO director's remarks. ecns.cn A scientist who took part in the international team studying the origins of COVID-19 has expressed surprise and dissatisfaction at remarks made by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom over the hypothesis the virus leaked from a laboratory in China.

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). India records fresh high of nearly 300,000 new COVID-19 cases, over 2,000 more deaths. ecns.cn India recorded 295,041 new COVID-19 cases and 2,023 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the caseload to 15,616,130 and the death toll to 182,553, according to data released by the health ministry on Wednesday.

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). Indian PM rules out lockdown despite second wave of COVID-19. ecns.cn Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ruled out a lockdown amid the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.

Susan Price (2021-04-22). COVID-19 spreading rapidly in North-East Syria. greenleft.org.au COVID-19 cases are spreading rapidly in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), also known as Rojava, reports Susan Price.

Susan Price (2021-04-22). Philippines: 'Duterte resign!' . greenleft.org.au There are growing calls for Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte to resign over his government's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, corruption and brutality, reports Susan Price.

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2021-04-22). New Report Highlights COVID-19 Impact On African Trade Finance. eurasiareview.com African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A) released on 15 April the African Trade Finance Survey Report which provides a better understanding of the trade finance landscape across Africa and how it has evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is the first of its kind, surveying 185 banks from across Africa, representing more than 58% of total assets held by African banks. | In his opening remarks, Professor Benedict Oramah, President of…

William Donohue (2021-04-22). Armenian Genocide Was A Christian Genocide — OpEd. eurasiareview.com On April 24, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, President Biden is expected to make a statement on the massacre of the Armenian people that took place in 1915-1916. This was the first of three genocides in the twentieth century; the other two were Stalin's mass killing of the Ukrainians and Hitler's annihilation of the Jews. | We urge President Biden to call the massacre of the Armenians for what it is—genocide. To this day, Turkish leaders take umbrage at any mention of this subject, preferring to live in a state of denial. We should not appease them any longer. Regrettably, too many presidents and sena…

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). BRI cooperation to spearhead post-pandemic recovery, says Malaysian expert. ecns.cn The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is expected to spearhead…

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). Hong Kong youngsters look to mainland GBA cities for career. ecns.cn With the local job market under great pressure due to a sluggish economy hit hard by pandemic, more young people in Hong Kong have turned to mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to realize their ambitions and dreams.

Marcos Chamon, Jonathan D. Ostry* (2021-04-22). A Future With High Public Debt: Low-For-Long Is Not Low Forever — Analysis. eurasiareview.com Many countries are experiencing a combination of high public debt and low interest rates. This was already the case in advanced economies even prior to the pandemic but has become even starker in its aftermath. A growing number of emerging market and developing economies are likewise enjoying a period of negative real rates—the interest rate minus inflation—on government debt. The IMF has called on countries to

Editor2 (2021-04-22). Vienna Talks Reveal Biden Team's Attachment to Sanctions that Would Torpedo Iran Deal. orinocotribune.com By Gareth Porter — Apr 18, 2021 | Biden's foreign policy team refuses to relieve Iran from sanctions illegally imposed by the Trump administration, setting the stage for the collapse of negotiations and a major crisis. | The Biden administration signaled once again at the April 9 Vienna meeting on the Iran nuclear deal that it intends to maintain Trump-era Iran sanctions in an effort to win political and military concessions going well beyond the original deal itself. Team Biden continued to insist during the conference that Iran return to full compliance with the nuclear agreement without any reciprocal US…

John Feffer (2021-04-22). Afghanistan's Green Future? Earth Minerals and Renewables. juancole.com ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) — Can Afghanistan's mineral wealth finance a transition to a carbon-neutral future? By John Feffer | April 21, 2021 Everyone has a different Doomsday scenario for Afghanistan once U.S. and NATO troops withdraw by September 11. The Taliban will take over and reimpose their repressive social agenda. Al-Qaeda will …

_____ (2021-04-22). US Joins Past Empires In Afghan Graveyard. popularresistance.org An Afghan taxi-driver in Vancouver told one of us a decade ago that this day would come. "We defeated the Persian Empire in the eighteenth century, the British in the nineteenth, the Soviets in the twentieth. Now, with NATO, we're fighting twenty-eight countries, but we'll defeat them, too," said the taxi-driver, surely not a member of the Taliban, but quietly proud of his country's empire-killing credentials. | Now, after nearly twenty years of a war that has been as bloody and futile as all those previous invasions and occupations, the last 3,500 U.S. troops and their NATO brothers-in-arms will be coming home f…

sputniknews (2021-04-22). Afghanistan Under the Taliban: It Won't Be Like Last Time. sputniknews.com We've been in Afghanistan 20 years, Joe Biden's generals told him. All we need is a little more time. The president overruled them, ordering a complete withdrawal of American troops by September 11th.

Jason Ditz (2021-04-22). Istanbul Summit on Afghanistan Postponed After Taliban Rejects Attending. news.antiwar.com Long awaited as a key for trying to kickstart the Afghan peace process, the Istanbul summit was finally scheduled for next week, The Taliban had been set for the conference not so long ago, but are Officials indicate that they're pos…

Staff (2021-04-22). Putin Condemns 'Regime Change' Attempts in Belarus and Venezuela. orinocotribune.com This Wednesday, April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual message to the Federal Assembly of Russia in which he condemned the attempts to change governments by force, such as those that occurred in Belarus or Venezuela. | "You can have any opinion about, for example, the former president of Ukraine [Victor] Yanukovych or [President of Venezuela, Nicolás] Maduro (…) have any point of view about the president of Belarus, [Alexandr] Lukashenko, but the practice of organizing coups, plans for political assassinations, including those of high-ranking officials, exceed all limits," Putin said, as rep…

Stephen Lendman (2021-04-22). Fake News Reports. is Russia Preparing to Invade Ukraine? Zelensky Ready for War? globalresearch.ca When major media operate exclusively as press agents for wealth, power, …

_____ (2021-04-22). Who Wags the Dog? Israel's Friends in Washington Mean Constant War in the Middle East. strategic-culture.org Biden, like presidents before him, is caught in the trap between an extremist-dominated Israel and the all-powerful domestic Israel Lobby. | Donald Trump, who was elected President of the United States in 2016, may have won due to voters attracted by his pledge to end many of the "stupid" wars that the American military was involved in worldwide. In the event, however, he ended no wars in spite of several attempts to withdraw from Afghanistan and Syria, and almost started new conflicts with cruise missile attacks and the assassination of an Iranian general. Trump was consistently outmaneuvered by his "experts" on…

John Feffer (2021-04-22). Afghanistan's Green Future? zcomm.org Can Afghanistan's mineral wealth finance a transition to a carbon-neutral future?>

Pip Hinman (2021-04-22). Afghanistan shows we need to continue campaigning against the warmongers. greenleft.org.au The withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan is a welcome development. But, as Alex Bainbridge argues, it doesn't mean that the warmongers in Canberra and Washington have been defeated.

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). Boao Forum for Asia important for world amid global challenges, says former Costa Rica president. ecns.cn The Boao Forum for Asia, which started its annual conference Sunday in south China's Hainan Province, is of great importance for the world amid various global challenges, former President of Costa Rica Jose Maria Figueres has said.

ecns.cn (2021-04-22). WeSay: Asian Americans still struggling. ecns.cn From "I have a dream" to "I can't breathe," it takes African Americans 57 years to "catch a breath" with the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. If the conviction is a "step forward," then do not ignore the struggling Asian Americans.

The Canary (2021-04-22). 'Pervasive racism' led to failure to commemorate Black and Asian troops. thecanary.co "Pervasive racism" underpinned a failure to properly commemorate potentially hundreds of thousands of predominantly Black and Asian service personnel who died fighting for the British Empire, an investigation has found. | The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) apologised after its investigation found that those individuals were not formally remembered in the same way as their white comrades. | Defence secretary Ben Wallace will give a statement to MPs on the findings on Thursday, when the report is formally published in full.The investigation discovered at least 116,000 predominantly African and Middle Eas…

EurActiv (2021-04-22). Michel's Mediation In Georgia Revealed. eurasiareview.com By Georgi Gotev | ( Michel declared on Tuesday (20 April) that the long-lasting political crisis in Georgia was resolved. After several false starts, his diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis brought about an agreement on Monday between…

DoD News (2021-04-22). Commander Says Africa Too Important For US To Ignore. eurasiareview.com By Jim Garamone | Africa is a fascinating continent of tremendous possibilities but also tremendous dangers, and the U.S. ignores the nations of Africa at its own peril, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command said during an interview. | "China and Russia don't ignore Africa, and that alone should say something," Army Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said. | Africa has 13 of the 25 fastest growing economies in the world, Townsend said. In a time of climate change, Afri…

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