Peoples Dispatch: Venezuelan workers march in support of government and reject exclusion from Summit of the Americas On June 9, thousands of Venezuelan workers took to the streets of Caracas in support of President Maduro’s economic protection policies for workers and in rejection of the country’s exclusion from the Ninth Summit of the Americas. The workers marched to the office of the Vice-President of the Republic and trade union. representatives delivered a letter to Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, thanking the government for approving their demands and reiterated their support for President Maduro in the face of US attacks. VP Rodríguez highlighted the leading role of the Venezuelan working class in the country’s economic recovery, which has been severely affected by nearly 500 unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US against Venezuela. Rodríguez called on the people to remain united in defense of the country’s sovereignty and independence, and against attempts by some sectors to sabotage the recovery process. She said that the salary increase decreed in March by President Maduro constituted a first strategic step to recover the income of the workers, affected by the impact of the US sanctions.
COHA: “Summit of Exclusion” Backfires on Biden An excellent review of the failed Summit of the Americas, the Peoples Summit, and the Workers Summit.
Consortium News: Biden’s Summit of No-Shows This ninth summit was far more than Biden’s latest flop on the public relations side. It is another sign among many that Washington is losing its hold over its southern neighbors. This could prove an historic shift, reversing more than a century of usually coercive influence. The administration’s failure in Los Angeles last week signals a startlingly swift decline in American power everywhere other than Western Europe and among longtime allies such as Japan and South Korea. If Petro proves victorious in Colombia, we can consider the second Pink Tide consolidated. Colombia has long been Washington’s closest and most constant ally on the continent.
FAIR (Ricardo Vaz):‘Calibrated’ Dishonesty: Western Media Coverage of Venezuela Sanctions Establishment outlets have gone out of their way to endorse sanctions by whitewashing their effects altogether, writing for example, that Washington has “sanctioned the government,” rather than the people of Venezuela. The latest Venezuela appearance in the spotlight showed again just how key the corporate media is for US foreign policy. With their “calibrated” efforts to conceal the consequences of sanctions, Western journalists have in fact made thousands and thousands of Venezuelan victims invisible to the public.
Breakthrough News video: A Conversation with Venezuelan Feminists: Deepening a Revolution while under Sanctions Mónica M., Anggie H. and Yolimar M. are active protagonists in Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution, having worked for years in the struggles for educational, cultural, Indigenous, Black and women’s rights. They explain how US sanctions disproportionately affect Venezuelan women and children. They will also discuss how organized communities are fighting back against the economic war.
NicaNotes: Nicaragua’s Finance Minister Ivan Acosta: “We are going to have GDP growth of between 4 and 5%” It is important to make the comparisons, 2021 was a year of a reactivation, a growth of 11.3%, the highest ever combined figure. During the COVID pandemic in Latin America there was 8.3% growth over the two years, 2020-21, and definitely those numbers have been the base scenario that we are acting on in 2022. The year 2021 was an exceptional year in economic performance, in growth, across all the numbers. If we look at expenditure, it means that the construction of roads is accelerating, the momentum in drinking water and sanitation is continuing; more resources are being invested to make an impact on employment and above all on the welfare of the population.
Orinoco Tribune: Former Deputy Guaidó Followed by the Violence He Sowed Former deputy Juan Guaidó and the Venezuelan opposition experienced another embarrassing incident of violence June 11, carried out by their own anti-Chavista followers, who confronted him, pushed him, threw chairs and insulted him at a restaurant.
TeleSur: Maduro’s Eurasian Tour A Hard Blow to US Blockade Policy “This tour not only opens new perspectives for the development of our country in this new phase of the nation’s economic recovery, but it is also a very hard blow to the US government’s policy of applying the blockade as a kind of blackmail to bend the Bolivarian government,” president of the Economy and Finance Commission of the Parliament Jesús Faría told Sputnik Agency. President Maduro met with leaders in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Algeria, Iran, Kuwait, and Qatar. See TeleSur for more reports on Maduro’s tour.
Orinoco Tribune: Visiting Iran, President Maduro Discusses Counter-Blockade Strategies with Iran’s Oil Minister Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro met June 13, with Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji and discussed measures to face the illegal sanctions imposed against the peoples of both countries. President Maduro said, “I discussed strategies to counter criminal sanctions against our peoples. We are moving forward with firm steps, strengthening and revitalizing the economy of Venezuela.” President Maduro also met with the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said, in reference to the hybrid war waged by the US upon Venezuela and Iran, that “the successful experience of the two countries showed that the only way to deal with with these pressures is resistance and perseverance.”
Free Alex Saab Campaign in Chicago Puerto Rico People’s Parade Defenders of imprisoned Venezuelan diplomat participated in the Chicago Puerto Rican People’s Parade Saturday June 11. The Free Alex Saab contingent of 30 people included Oscar Lopez Rivera, Honorary Chair of the Free Alex Saab Campaign. The Chicago Free Alex Saab Committee handed out 500 bilingual flyers with the statement of Oscar Lopez Rivera on the case.
Events, Campaigns and Webinars
Wednesdays: WTF is Going on in Latin America & The Caribbean with Teri Mattson
June 26: Nicaragua’s Mastery of International Law: Resisting Domination, Promoting Peaceful Progress
Global Health Partners: Help Send Life-Saving Medical Supplies to Cuba An urgent drive to send scarce anesthesia machines and sutures to Havana’s main trauma surgery hospital, the Calixto Garcia Hospital, which has 23 operating rooms, but just two working anesthesia machines. The hospital’s dedicated medical staff needs to perform more than 50 lifesaving surgeries each day, but lacks the equipment to treat all these patients.
Delegations
Women in Nicaragua: Power & Protagonism August 6-15
Pastors for Peace delegations to Cuba 2022
August 12-24 Simply Cuba tours
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