(2021-04-28). The Russia/China Space Weaponization Treaty. counterpunch.org 
"Let's be clear: Deploying weapons in space crosses a threshold that cannot be walked back," stated retired U.S. Army Colonel John Fairlamb in a piece in the The Hill, the Washington, D.C. news website. Fairlamb knows the weaponization of space issue. His background includes being International Affairs Specialist for the Army Space and Missile Defense
(2021-04-28). Waiting for Catastrophes While Living Under the Specter of Pandemic and War. thenation.com Waiting for Catastrophes While Living Under the Specter of Pandemic and War…
(2021-04-28). World police: Washington seeks to imprison foreign businesspeople for violating illegal US sanctions. thegrayzone.com In violation of international law, the US is seeking to extradite and imprison foreign businesspeople for circumventing its unilateral sanctions. Washington's targets include Venezuelan national Alex Saab, North Korean Mun Chol Myong, and Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. The United States uses economic sanctions as a weapon against states which choose a development path independent of US global domination. Sanctions can take the form of blocking a nation's financial and trade transactions, not allowing financial institutions to process them. The …
(2021-04-28). Modi Led Hindutva Pandemic In India — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Indians struggle to find place and time to bury their dead due to the devastating effects of the second wave of COVID 19 in India. The crematoriums in the capital cities are overflowing with dead bodies. People are dying without oxygen and basic medical support. The cities like Delhi and Mumbai are struggling to cope with the rising number of infections and COVID-19 led deaths. The deaths and destitutions are products of a defunct BJP government led by Mr Narendra Modi. | The door-to-door Polio vaccination led to the complete elimination of wild polioviruses (WPVs) and India has become a Polio free country in…
(2021-04-28). Israel is an Apartheid State seeking Systemic Domination of Palestinians: Human Rights Watch. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Human Rights Watch has issued a 214-page report concluding that between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean there are 6.8 million Jews and 6.8 million Palestinians, and that the Israeli state systematically privileges the Jews, wherever they are, and disprivileges the Palestinians, an the basis of race. HRW, like other …
(2021-04-28). Israel is an Apartheid State seeking Systemic Domination of Palestinians: Human Rights Watch. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Human Rights Watch has issued a 214-page report concluding that between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean there are 6.8 million Jews and 6.8 million Palestinians, and that the Israeli state systematically privileges the Jews, wherever they are, and disprivileges the Palestinians, on the basis of race. HRW, like other …
(2021-04-28). Israel is Seeking Systemic Domination of Palestinians. zcomm.org Human Rights Watch has issued a report concluding that the Israeli state systematically privileges the Jews, wherever they are, and disprivileges the Palestinians, on the basis of race…
(2021-04-28). Vienna Shadow Play Hangs over Iran Nuke Deal. globalresearch.ca Few people, apart from specialists, may have heard of the JCPOA …
(2021-04-28). Headlines for April 28, 2021. democracynow.org FBI Opens Probe into Police Killing of Andrew Brown as Autopsy Confirms He Was Shot in Back of Head, Video of Police Killing of Mario Gonzalez Prompts Comparison to George Floyd, Call for Probe, India Tops 200,000 COVID Deaths as Hospitals, Cremation Sites Are Overwhelmed, Turkey Orders Coronavirus Lockdown; Brazil Rejects Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine, CDC Says Vaccinated People Can Go Unmasked in Most Outdoor Settings, Seattle City Council Calls on Biden to Support IP Waiver for COVID Vaccine Patents, Biden Proposes Crackdown on Tax Evaders, Changes to Capital Gains Tax to Fund American Families Plan, Protesters K…
(2021-04-28). Jeremy Scahill: Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Record Shows Evolution of U.S. Empire Since Vietnam War. democracynow.org 
An investigation into President Joe Biden's foreign policy record reveals "the history of the evolution of the American empire, from the Vietnam War to the present," says Jeremy Scahill, award-winning journalist and co-founder of The Intercept, which recently published a project titled "Empire Politician" that examines Biden's stances on war and militarism. Scahill says Joe Biden is the first president in decades to come to the White House after spending significant time in Congress, but it's not clear whether that will push him toward greater restraint in matters of war and peace. "Biden has spent his entire lif…
(2021-04-28). COVID in India. counterpunch.org 
India did relatively well at the start of the pandemic, prompting the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi to claim at the beginning of March that the country was in Covid-19's "endgame". Today, however, the Covid situation in India, and Delhi in particular, is absolutely dire. State governments in Delhi and Mumbai are now scrambling to reconstruct the temporary Covid facilities they had decommissioned earlier, in the belief that the pandemic had been brought under control.
(2021-04-28). The imperialist origins of Saudi Arabia. mronline.org 
Why is Saudi Arabia, a Sunni absolute monarchy, enthusiastically supported by the West, considered a global promoter of 'democracy'? This question is rarely asked. | April 28, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-28). Solzhenitsyn: Everyone's Pain in the Neck. dissidentvoice.org 
When you are too close to something, someone, you are not the best analyst. Your feelings get in the way. You reveal more about who you are than who or what you love/hate. But you can see better from afar. That sums up Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who, despite accurately predicting the collapse of the Soviet Union, …
(2021-04-28). "The Present" — A Painful Short Film Tells the Whole Story of What It Means to be Palestinian. mintpressnews.com 
In "The Present," as throughout all of Palestine, soldiers, police officers, secret police, or Shabak agents, have the power — indeed they are instructed — to harass, humiliate, and take the lives of Palestinians in the most arbitrary fashion.
(2021-04-28). The Heat: COVID-19 crisis in India. america.cgtn.com 
Heartbreak in India, as the second wave of COVID-19 devastates the country. Oxygen supplies are running out, and hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. How the international community is stepping up to help.
(2021-04-28). Bottom-up Politics: Grassroots Activism Behind Pro-Palestine Shift in the US. dissidentvoice.org 
At a recent virtual J Street Conference, US Senators, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren broke yet another political taboo when they expressed willingness to leverage US military aid as a way to pressure Israel to respect Palestinian human rights. Sanders believes that the US "must be willing to bring real pressure to bear, including restricting …
(2021-04-28). The End of the War in Afghanistan Is In Sight. thenation.com 
Despite the pressure of the American military high command, Biden has announced the beginning of the end.
(2021-04-28). Military Situation In Yemen On April 28, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 183 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On April 27, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 17 airstrikes on the Sarwah area | On April 27, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Khab and Shaaf area | On April 27, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Hazm area | On April 28, Ansar Allah attacked King Khalid Airbase wit…
(2021-04-28). Sanctions, War Preparations And An Endless Supply Of Weapons For Kiev. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 21st a new act entered US Senate that will be voted on soon, titled Ukraine Security Partnership Act. | It passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee without a hitch and aims to increase and improve U.S. military support to Ukraine, and sends a message that the United States will continue to support the people of Ukraine, their ability to defend themselves, and the country's democratic transition."Today, as Russia masses more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, mor…
(2021-04-28). Military Situation In Syria On April 28, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 28, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 31 times: 19 — in Idlib province, 10 — in Latakia province, 2 — in Hama province | On April 27, clashes between the SDF and Turkish-backed forces were reported in the Um al-Jolud area | On April 27, ISIS claimed responsibility for the assassination of a SDF member in the al-Sawr area | On April 27, ISIS claimed responsibility for the assassination of a SDF m…
(2021-04-28). Russian Aircraft Detected On Rare Flight From Israel To Syria's Hmeimim. southfront.org 
An old military vehicle can be seen positioned near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. IMAGE: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS | On April 27, a plane of the Ministry of Defense of Russia landed in Hmeimim Air Base on the Syrian coast after having taken off from Ben Gurion Airport in Israel's Tel Aviv. | The plane was a Tu-134 with the registration "RA-65992," which has previously been detected for the transport of Russia's senior defense and intelligence officials. | Aviation observers tracked the unusual f…
(2021-04-28). Saudi Crown Prince Calls On Houthis To Join Peace Talks In Exchange For Financial Support. southfront.org 
Screen grab from MBS interview that was aired by the Saudi state TV. | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised the "Arabian" and "Yemeni" qualities of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in a recent interview. | The interview was aired on the Saudi state TV on April 28 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Crown Prince's strategic development plan "Saudi Vision 2030". | In the interview, Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, criticizes the Houthis' alliance with Iran and their rebellion against the legitimate authorities in Y…
(2021-04-28). Parenting in a time of anti-Asian hate. mronline.org 
The author, an expert in early childhood development, shares her struggles in talking to her own child about racism. | April 28, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-28). COVID in India. counterpunch.org In March last year I was in New Delhi for a conference at one of the several universities there— it was my last trip anywhere since the pandemic took hold in increasing parts of the world that spring. Delhi's notorious pollution relented, and there were blue skies during my week there. But the pandemic was
(2021-04-28). Russia's "Harsh Response" To US: You Are Not My Friend Anymore. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 27th, in response to all the sanctions, harsh rhetoric, diplomatic expulsions and threats, Russia's Channel 1 released a list of "unfriendly countries". | Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced over the weekend that the U.S. would be on the list following a presidential decree on April 23rd. | Also named were: Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Czech Republic, Estonia, United Kingdom and Georgia. Another screen grab from Channel 1, circulating on soci…
(2021-04-28). Decision on China jabs due soon. ecns.cn The World Health Organization will soon decide whether to give emergency approval for China's two main COVID-19 vaccines, WHO Assistant Director-General Mariangela Batista Galvao Simao has said.
(2021-04-28). China strengthens solidarity with its neighbors in fight against COVID-19. ecns.cn Foreign ministers from China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh held a meeting on coping with COVID-19 on Tuesday via video link.
(2021-04-28). BioNTech CEO 'confident' vaccine will work against COVID variant found in India. ecns.cn BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin on Wednesday expressed his confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine jointly developed by his company and the U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer against the new coronavirus variant first found in India.
(2021-04-28). India accounts for 38 pct of global COVID-19 case growth last week: WHO. ecns.cn As the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has been on the increase for the ninth consecutive week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that India alone accounted for 38 percent of all infections.
(2021-04-28). Putin pledges medical aid to India in phone call with Modi. ecns.cn Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday held a phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pledging to offer emergency medical assistance to pandemic-battered India.
(2021-04-28). China expected to see 8.1% GDP growth in 2021. ecns.cn As the ongoing pandemic-related restrictions in many regions of the world will continually fuel demand for consumer goods, China's merchandise exports are expected to outperform imports in 2021.
(2021-04-28). China vows to promote Sino-German relations to higher level. ecns.cn Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that China stands ready to work with Germany to keep the overall direction of bilateral relations featuring dialogue and cooperation and promote Sino-German relationship to a higher level.
(2021-04-28). Heavy floods forecast in major river basins. ecns.cn China is expected to experience heavy flooding in some of its major river basins during flood season as this year's climate conditions are worse than normal, the China Meteorological Administration said.
(2021-04-28). China to launch space station core module. ecns.cn China plans to launch the core module of its space station at around 11: 00 a.m. Thursday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
(2021-04-28). Chinese actress investigated for tax, pay violations. ecns.cn China's taxation and broadcasting watchdogs said Wednesday that they are investigating allegations against Chinese actress Zheng Shuang concerning tax evasion, sky-high remuneration and contract fraud.
(2021-04-28). Sri Lanka, China vow to enhance pragmatic cooperation in all sectors. ecns.cn Sri Lanka and China vowed here Wednesday to enhance pragmatic cooperation in all sectors between the two countries including the military.
(2021-04-28). 2 killed, 16 injured in south China kindergarten stabbing. ecns.cn Two people were killed and 16 others injured in a knife-stabbing incident in Beiliu City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Wednesday afternoon, local authorities said.
(2021-04-28). China's anti-graft chief stresses promoting high-quality disciplinary inspection. ecns.cn China's top anti-graft official Wednesday stressed promoting high-quality disciplinary inspection with full coverage.
(2021-04-28). China, EU ties poised for growth. ecns.cn But the EU should also improve the investment environment for foreign investors by easing curbs and providing national treatment to investors from other countries, said a survey report published by the institute.
(2021-04-28). Chinese envoy calls for political settlement of Syria crisis. ecns.cn A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for efforts to promote the political settlement of the Syria crisis and alleviate the suffering of Syrian people.
(2021-04-28). Afghanistan, The US Plan For A New Catastrophe. southfront.org 
Source: New Eastern Outlook | Written by Manlio Dinucci; Originally appeared at General Scott Miller, US and allied forces commander in Afghanistan, announced on April 25 the beginning of foreign troops withdrawal that should be completed by September 11, according to President Biden's decision. Is the US ending the war waged for almost twenty years? In order to understand this communication, it is first of all necess…
(2021-04-28). Two Vehicles Destroyed In Guided Missile Attack In Turkish-Occupied Afrin In Northern Syria. southfront.org 
Screen grab from the April 26 ATGM attack video. | On April 28, an attack with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) targeted the Turkish-occupied area of Afrin in northern Syria. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and several other sources, two vehicles were targeted with ATGMs in the town of Bosoufane in southern Afrin. The town is a hub for drug and arms smugglers. | Both vehicles were Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs. This model is preferred by militant commanders. So far, there have been no reports of…
(2021-04-28). Daraa's Former Rebels Sent Reinforcements To Counter ISIS In Central Syria. southfront.org 
File image, Via SANA | Daraa's former rebels have sent reinforcements to Syria's central region to support the Syrian Arab Army ongoing operations against ISIS. | On April 23, a large convoy of the 8th Brigade, a unit of the army's 5th Corps that is dedicated for former rebels in Daraa, arrived in the outskirts of the town of al-Sukhnah in eastern Homs. The convoy consisted of more than 70 military vehicles and carried 300 fighters. | According to the Horan Free League, 8th Brigade fighters established positions in al-Sukh…
(2021-04-28). Syrian Army, Al-Fateh Al-Mubeen Snipers Exchange Fire On Greater Idlib Frontlines. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | On April 27, snipers from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room exchanged fire in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib. | A sniper of the SAA shot and killed a militant of al-Fateh al-Mubeen, that is led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), near the town of Maaret Elnaasan. The town is located right on the administrative border between Idlib and Aleppo. | Al-Fateh al-Mubeen snipers responded soon after by targeting two Syrian soldiers in the town of Dadik…
(2021-04-28). ISIS Terrorists Burned Iraqi Military Post On Border With Saudi Arabia (Photos). southfront.org 
Illustrative image | Late on April 27, ISIS terrorists raided a post of the Iraqi military in the southern countryside of the western province of al-Anbar. | ISIS terrorists stormed…
(2021-04-28). Military Situation In Iraq On April 28, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 27, a logistical convoy of the US military was targeted by an IED attack in the Basrah area | On April 27, a logistical convoy of the US military was targeted by an IED attack in the Naseriyah area | On April 27, a logistical convoy of the US military was targeted by an IED attack in the Diwaniyah area | On April 27, a logistical convoy of the US military was targeted by an IED attack in the Fallujah area | On April 27, clashes between Turkish Army and the PKK…
(2021-04-28). Underlying Causes Of Biden's Recognition Of Armenian Genocide. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | Written by Daniel Deiss and J. Hawk exclusively for SouthFront. | The Armenian Diaspora in the United States has fought for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide for a long time. Finally, on April 24, 2021, President Joe Biden used the term "genocide" for the first time not only in a speech referring to the actions against the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire—such references have taken place in earlier decades, but not since Turkey's accession to NATO—but also in a presidential pr…
(2021-04-28). Cracks in QUAD as US Violates Indian Sovereignty? asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2021-04-28). COVID-19 crisis in India: A complete systemic collapse. peoplesdispatch.org Reports are coming from different states all over the country of oxygen running out in hospitals, no hospital beds, no medicines, and bodies piling up as families wait for their turn outside crematoriums.
(2021-04-28). Skies of Lebanon, Writing with Fire, Captains of Zaatari and more: Desperate conditions, striking images, weak conclusions. wsws.org Increasingly, desperate conditions plague masses of people worldwide, dramatically worsened by the COVID-19 disaster. Popular suffering is reaching unbearable levels.