Cuba

FAIR (Joe Emersberger): US Campaign Against Cuba’s Medical Brigades Targets Healthcare, Not ‘Forced Labor’ US government allegations that don’t stand up to minimal scrutiny is the opposite of caring about the working conditions of the doctors. But the sources US journalists usually rely on—the right-wing media in Venezuela, for example—have been doing that for many years. As the Covid-19 pandemic has actually resulted in increased demand for Cuban doctors around the world, the emphasis appears to have shifted from vilifying them to casting them as victims of exploitation.

According to the UNICEF figures, Cuba has since 2000 consistently maintained a lower child mortality rate than the US. Since 2009, it has also maintained a lower infant mortality rate than Canada. That’s an astounding achievement for a country under a ruthless US embargo for 60 years.

Belly of the Beast videos: How Cuba Combats COVID-19 

Venezuela

Orinoco Tribune: President Maduro: United States is Living an Anti-Racist Spring “People on the street are saying who Donald Trump is every day,” said the Venezuelan president during his participation on Monday in the TV show “Between Values,” in which he also asserted that the American people “live an anti-racist spring”.

Miami Herald: White House claims violence incited at Floyd protests linked to Venezuela’s Maduro The White House said it has information that individuals linked to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro have incited violence at protests in the US spurred by George Floyd’s death. Senator Rick Scott also highlighted a similar report earlier in the week, promising that the government would crack down on any operatives tied to Latin American dictators who instigate conflict in Miami as part of the protests. Neither offered proof of the allegations, and the White House declined to discuss “non-open source information” that had led to their assessment.

Orinoco Tribune: NGO Sures Presents the Impacts of US Sanctions Against Venezuela to the ICC The non-governmental organization for Human Rights (Human Rights) Sures presented evidence on the impact caused by the coercive measures of the US, as part of the lawsuit filed by the Venezuelan State. The illegal actions of the US, between 2014 and 2020, have influenced the life, health, personal security and nutrition of the population, as well as the political, economic and cultural development of the nation, which constitutes a crime against humanity, highlighted the text.The report also indicates that 52 ships and 56 aircraft, mostly owned by the state-owned companies PDVSA and Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronáuticas y Servicios Aéreos have been subjected to illegal actions. 118 public and private sector companies dedicated to the distribution and marketing of medical supplies, food, essential goods and services have been included as affected entities. SURES had previously issues a report Unilateral Coercive Measures Against Venezuela and its Impact on Human Rights.

TeleSur:  New US Illegal Sanctions Looming: US threatens to impose sanctions on tankers involved in exporting Venezuela’s oil Attempts by the United States to destabilize Venezuela continue as Washington considers blacklisting dozens of ships for transporting the country’s oil.

“More concrete evidence of Washington’s criminal assault. They attack the heart of the Venezuelan economy to prevent the country from receiving income to import food, medicines, treatments, goods and services. And they do it in the middle of a pandemic,” Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza. Tighter U.S. restrictions on shipping would make it more difficult for state oil firm PDVSA to deliver crude to refineries abroad. Exports dropped to about 452,000 barrels per day in May, the lowest since a national strike paralyzed the economy and hit exports in December 2002 and January 2003.

Venezuelanalysis: China Sends Sixth COVID-19 Aid Installment as Venezuela Thanks True Friends The 80 ton planeload brings the total from the Asian giant to nearly 300 tons since the outbreak reached Venezuela in March. According to officials, the latest cargo contains medical supplies and PCR testing equipment, more than 800,000 quick tests and 2 million facemasks, protective white coats and goggles and biosafety suits, all donated by the Beijing government as well as private Chinese companies. President Maduro thanked Venezuela’s “true friends,” also mentioning Russia, Cuba, the World Health Organization and the UN who have all donated supplies recently. Iran also had aid en route to Caracas.

US sanctions prohibit foreign players from trading with Venezuelan state entities, and blocked the country’s access to international financial markets. A number of Venezuelan assets abroad have also been blocked since 2018, including Venezuela’s US-based oil subsidiary CITGO, valued at over US $7 billion, and US $1 billion worth of gold in the Bank of England. The Maduro government recently filed a lawsuit to have the gold released and used to supply medical supplies needed in the fight against the coronavirus via UN agencies.

 

Nicaragua

NicaNotes: On the Third Anniversary of the Passing of Father Miguel d’Escoto Speech in honor of historic Sandinista leader and former President of the UN General Assembly.

TortillaconSal: Opposition doctors and COVID-19 in Nicaragua The new US-rightwing Nicaragua campaign against the Sandinistas is around inventing stories of coronavirus deaths. This is another article exposing the disinformation being spread.

 

Webinars:

June 16: Danny Glover talks COVID, Cuba and Saving Lives with Ambassador Cabañas 

June 16: Opposing Sanctions: A Feminist Imperative on how economic sanctions have contributed to the reversal of women’s economic and social gains and impeded their progress in Iraq, North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela.

Canadian Network on Cuba: Donation Campaign to Support Cuba’s Contribution to World Fight Against COVID-19 Cuba has more than 800 medical personnel serving humanity in the trenches of 16 countries against the dreaded coronavirus.To contribute to the Campaign to Support Cuba’s Contribution to World Fight Against COVID-19 – $35,000 Canadian raised so far: cheques should be made out to the “CNC,” with “COVID-19” written in the memo, and then mailed ($1.20 from US) to: c/o Sharon Skup, 56 Riverwood Terrace, Bolton ON L7E 1S4

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