Staff (2022-05-26). Why Is US Easing Some Sanctions On Venezuela? Economic Blackmail, Oil, & Russia. multipolarista.com The US government has announced that it is lifting a small number of sanctions on Venezuela. A major left-wing newspaper in Turkey, BirGàºn, interviewed Multipolarista editor Benjamin Norton about the situation. His comments follow below: 1) What do you think about the reports in the US media which say that the USA will ease a few …

Staff (2022-05-26). President Maduro: Venezuelan Voice will be Present in the Summit of the Americas. orinocotribune.com On Tuesday, May 24, during the closing ceremony of the colloquium on the Battle of Pichincha bicentennial, the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, rejected the discriminatory nature and exclusion of the United States, whose government decided not to invite Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to the Summit of the Americas scheduled for June in Los Angeles. | "The Summit of the Americas is the summit of the protest against anti-imperialist exclusion. They try to exclude us because they are afraid of the voice of the Bolivarians, they do not want the voice of Bolívar and Chávez to reach them," he denounced at the c…

Staff (2022-05-26). Bank of Venezuela Initiates Public Offering in Stock Exchange. orinocotribune.com The measure was taken within the framework of recent actions announced by President Nicolás Maduro to boost and revitalize the economy. | This Wednesday, May 25, the Bank of Venezuela announced the start of its public offer of 5% to 10% of its capital on the Stock Exchange for individuals or organizations, national or international economic actors, who are interested in the development of the country. | The information was shared by the financial institution on its Twitter account, with a statement highlighting that the measure seeks to "boost and revitalize the economy," becoming the first public company to make…

Editor2 (2022-05-26). ALBA-TCP Summit to Take Place in Cuba on Friday. orinocotribune.com The 11th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) will take place this Friday in Havana, according to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs web page. | At the forum, the nations that make up the alliance "will share common development strategies and analyze the regional political situation," the announcement said. | The meeting will be attended by leaders of Latin American and Caribbean countries that are members of the group, founded in 2004 at the initiative of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, then presidents of Cuba an…

Ann Garrison (2022-05-26). Notes from Ethiopia, Part 4: The TPLF Destruction of Afar. orinocotribune.com By Ann Garrison May 18, 2022 | It's 110 degrees in Ethiopia's desert Afar Region, one of the hottest areas humans inhabit, and I'm thinking about how much damage the U.S. empire does with its proxy wars in even the most remote corners of the planet—like this one—which most Americans have of course never even heard of. | There's a USAID meeting going on in the next room, here at the Hotel Dini in the city of Semara, Afar Region, and this illustrates the typical US modus operandi in Africa. Send in proxy warriors who destroy and cause immeasurable suffering, then send in USAID and the rest of the…

Staff (2022-05-26). Colombian Elections: Progressive Candidates Lead In Opinion Polls Amid Rising Security Threats. peoplesdispatch.org The Historic Pact presidential ticket, with Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez, is favored to win the upcoming presidential elections on May 29, with between 37.9% to 48% of votes, according to various opinion polls. Their potential victory threatens to break the decades-long rule of conservatives in the country. Since the beginning of the election campaign, …

Slorinoco (2022-05-26). Biden Declares Colombia Major Non-NATO Ally. orinocotribune.com This Monday, May 23, just a few days before Colombia's presidential elections, US President Joe Biden signed a memorandum officially declaring Colombia a "major non-NATO ally" (MNNA) of the United States. What are the implications? | This category grants some advantages in the defense sector and is a status reserved for only 18 countries. "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States, including section 17 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, I hereby declare Colombia a Non-NATO Major Ally of the United States for the purposes of this Act and the Arms Export Contro…

Tanya Wadhwa (2022-05-25). Colombian presidential elections will change the course of the country. peoplesdispatch.org Ahead of the presidential elections in Colombia on May 29, we spoke to Carlos Ramírez of the Congreso de los Pueblos, to understand what the victory of Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez means for the social and popular movements in the country…

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2022-05-25). Chevron's Return to Venezuela — Probable Terms of License Renewal (Reuters). orinocotribune.com Although the terms and conditions of the renewal of operations of US oil company Chevron in Venezuela are not clear, there have been advances regarding authorization by the Joe Biden administration. | The US Treasury Department is preparing the license renewal for Chevron's crude oil extraction in Venezuela. However, according to information from Reuters, the firm may not be getting the "extended terms it was looking for." | Reuters also disclosed that, in March, Chevron had requested US President Biden to allow an expansion of its operations in Venezuela, in joint ventures with Venezuelan state company Petról…

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2022-05-25). Venezuela: Buildup to Extreme Right Opposition Primaries (2024 Presidential Elections). orinocotribune.com Venezuelan extreme right wing opposition continues in its preparations ahead of primary elections that will decide who their single candidate will be for the presidential elections of 2024. The Democratic Unitary Platform (PUEDE) coalition has formally announced a campaign to launch a nationwide consultation regarding its presidential primaries. | Omar Barboza, executive secretary of the coalition, informed that a first meeting was held on Monday, May 23, with the participation of six commissions that are in charge of designing the itinerary for the consultation. | La ahora plataforma unitaria, otrora MUD, dice q…

Staff (2022-05-25). Iran to Renovate Venezuela's Largest Refining Complex. orinocotribune.com Iran has begun preparations to revamp the Paraguaná Refinery, the largest of its kind in Venezuela and in the whole world. | Tehran and Caracas, which have both been targets of unilateral sanctions of the US, are negotiating a contract to renovate the Paraguaná Refining Complex, located in the state of Falcón, in northern Venezuela. | According to sources quoted in an article by

Staff (2022-05-25). Venezuela Condemns Terrorist Attacks on Gurí Dam & Refineries. orinocotribune.com On Monday, May 23, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, condemned terrorist attacks that targeted Venezuela's refinery complexes and Gurí hydroelectric plant. | "The Paraguaná refining complex suffered a terrorist attack," President Maduro said. "On Saturday night the El Palito Refinery also received an attack on the electrical system—also a terrorist attack." The statement was issued during a meeting at Miraflores Palace, the seat of the presidency, with the national leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), government authorities, governors and mayors. | President Maduro warn…

Editor2 (2022-05-25). Human Rights Activist Deported from Colombia in Runup to High Stakes Election. orinocotribune.com By Task Force on the Americas May 24. 2022 | While enroute to observe the presidential elections in Colombia, Teri Mattson was denied entry by Colombian authorities and had her passport seized. After arriving at 6: 55 am on May 22, she was forced to spend the day and the night at the Bogotá Airport before being deported the following morning and flown out of the country. | Although Mattson resides in Mexico and first flown there, her tribulations did not end there. She was then held in Mexico without passport or phone while immigration waited for the first available flight to the US, because she is a US citi…