Maduro receives leaders
participating in the
ALBA-TCP summit
April 24th, 2:29pm
(Prensa Latina)
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, received the
heads of State and Government participating in the 23rd
ALBA-TCP Summit, which meets today in Caracas.
With the corresponding honors, the rulers arrived one
by one at the Miraflores Palace, headquarters of the
Government, where the great event will be held,
attended by delegations from all the member
countries of ALBA-TCP.
In addition to the host, Nicolás Maduro, his Cuban
counterparts, Miguel Díaz-Canel, are present;
from Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega; and from
the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
Luis Arce.
Also attending are the Prime Ministers of Antigua and
Barbuda, Gaston Browne; from Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves; from Dominica,
Roosevelt Skerrit; of Saint Lucia, Phillip J.
Pierre; the chancellor of Grenada, Joseph
Andall; and the ambassador of Saint Kitts
and Nevis in Caracas, Norgen Wilson.
The 23rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the
ALBA-TCP was announced last week ---- by the executive
secretary of the regional bloc, Jorge Arreaza, during the
celebration of the Meeting for a World Social Alternative,
which was attended by 300 delegates from 60 countries.
The summit event foresees the discussion and approval of
the 2030 Strategic Agenda, announced by Arreaza to the
delegates at that meeting and it has five horizons:
economic, political, social, cultural
and communicational.
This includes attention to priorities such as the promotion
of food security and sovereignty, the strengthening
of regional capacity in the face of disasters, the
promotion of tourism alliances, the expansion
of the ALBA Bank, the reinvigoration of
Petrocaribe, and the coordination of
educational policies and health,
among others.
The meeting is held in the context of the International Day
of Multilateralism and Peace Diplomacy --- to reaffirm the
values of multilateral diplomacy and highlight the role
played by the integration bloc in promoting peace,
stability and development in the region.
At the end of the day, the adoption of the Declaration of
the 23rd Summit of Heads of State and Government
of the ALBA-TCP and the 2030 Strategic Agenda
is scheduled, according to the official agenda.
The ALBA-TCP emerged on December 14, 2014 at the
initiative of commanders Fidel Castro (1926-2016)
and Hugo Chávez (1954-2013) and is made up of
Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica,
Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada
and Saint Lucia.
_____________________________________
Security conference in Russia
includes delegations from
106 countries
April 24th, 9:49am
(Prensa Latina)
The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai
Patrushev announced that representatives from 106
countries ---- are participating in the international
meeting on security issues in Saint Petersburg.
During the opening of the forum... the functionary specified
that the delegations are headed by secretaries of security
councils, assistants, and national security advisors, and
also by heads of state, ministers, and heads of special
services. 8 general secretaries and representatives of
the management of international organizations are
also present.
Before the opening of the meeting, Patrushev held bilateral
talks with the heads of delegation of the Arab League and
the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
He also spoke with the delegations of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence
Measures in Asia, which are participating for
the first time in the international meeting.
_____________________________________________
US Human Rights Report
Tramples on Countries'
Sovereignty: AMLO
April 24th, 10:12pm
(teleSUR)
On Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador (AMLO) accused the United States of
trampling on other countries' sovereignty
with its report on the state of human
rights around the globe.
Previously, on Monday, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau
of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour - released its
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023
"Who are they? Who voted at the United Nations for the
State Department or the United States government to
be the judge in the world & determine who behaves
well or who behaves badly?," AMLO questioned.
"We do not issue a letter of good conduct because it
is not our responsibility," Lopez Obrador told his
daily press conference at the National Palace
in Mexico City.
"But they were left with this mania from 200 years ago,
since the Monroe Doctrine," he said, referring to the
19th-century U.S. policy of interfering in the internal
affairs of Latin American and Caribbean countries
to protect U.S. interests.
His statements came a day after the U.S. State
Department issued a report alleging human
rights violations prevail in Mexico.
Lopez Obrador maintained that his administration has
been respectful of U.S. internal affairs since coming
to power in December 2018 and expects the same
from the United States. "They should be
respectful of us," said the
Mexican president.
____________________________
Ecuador and Costa Rica aim
to strengthen trade relations
April 24th, 8:32am
(Prensa Latina)
A delegation of Ecuadorian businessmen will arrive in
Costa Rica to advance negotiations on a Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) signed between the two
countries in 2023.
Local press reported that the said agreement includes
strengthening talks on trade relations and promoting
cosmetic and personal hygiene products in
Costa Rica.
The future ratification of the FTA will open new
opportunities for exchange, commented the
organizers of the dialogue.... between the
Chamber of Foreign Commerce of Costa
Rica (CRECEX) and its Ecuadorian
counterpart, ProEcuador
(Ministry of Production,
Foreign Trade,
Investments,
& Fisheries).
The meeting will include business rounds and exhibitions
of products such as cosmetics, personal hygiene, and
absorbent products in key areas of Costa Rica,
explained the executive director of CRECEX,
Katherine Chaves.
Costa Rican entrepreneurs interested in exploring
business opportunities will learn first-hand about
Ecuadorian hair care items, natural deodorants,
fragrances, soaps, natural repellents, body
creams, balms, and industrial cleaning
products, Chaves added.
The signing of the FTA between the two nations in March
2023 demonstrated the growth of Costa Rican exports
of pharmaceutical products and electric batteries to
Ecuador after less than a year of negotiations on
the issue, declared the Minister of Foreign
Trade, Manuel Tovar.
_____________________________________
AC: Instead of helping Ukraine --- US
dollars will only prolong its tragedy
April 24th, 2024
(source: American Conservative
retold by InoTV:
The fact that Ukraine is a stepping stone on Russia's path
through Europe has long been a key argument to justify
funding Kiev. But.... there is no evidence that Putin
intends to invade. The decision to launch a CDF
was motivated by the need to prevent Ukraine
from joining NATO. It was the refusal of the
NATO Secretary General --- to guarantee
Moscow - that the alliance would not
expand - that provoked the conflict,
writes the American Conservative.
According to the author, the $61 billion allocated to Kiev
by Congress, will not have the effect that the United
States expected. Although this is a huge amount,
it is not enough to defeat Russia. Ukraine, has
achieved little beyond the loss of lives and
state-of-the-art weapons during its
counteroffensive, and then it
received even more money.
Back in December 2023, the then commander-in-chief of
the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny said that for the
victory of Ukraine, he would need five to seven times
more money, or $350-400 billion, which was the
reason for his resignation.
But even if Kiev suddenly received these funds -- it would
not be able to buy weapons with them, the author notes.
After all, its production capacity is limited. And even if
the West could produce these weapons, the question
remains whether they would have been delivered to
Ukraine in time.
And if, suddenly, the West was able to provide weapons to
Kiev in time..... the shortage of personnel would be a big
problem for Ukraine. Losses on the battlefield, including
deaths and injuries, put her in front of a more serious
problem than the lack of artillery.
A close aide to President Zelensky told Time magazine
that even if the United States provided Ukraine with
all the weapons it needed, they "don't have the
people.. who can use them." For all these
reasons, the $61 billion bailout package
will not deliver the promised victory.
The only thing he will do is prolong the conflict, and
Ukrainians will continue to die, the article says.
InoTV materials contain estimates exclusively from
foreign media.... and do not reflect RT's position.
__________________________________________________
North Korea ---- sends
economic delegation
to Iran
April 24th, 1:22am
(Lenta.ru)
A delegation from North Korea ----- headed by the
Foreign Economic Affairs Minister Yoon Jong-ho
...has left for Iran. This was reported by the
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The delegation left Pyongyang on Tuesday, April 23.
Information about the program and purpose of
the session... is not provided.
Yonhap notes that the trip may be related to
the intention of the parties to strengthen
ties in the military sphere.
Earlier, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South
Korea, suspected Iran of striking Israel with North
Korean weapons on the night of April 13-14.
In particular, Seoul suspects Pyongyang of supplying
Tehran with drones and ballistic missiles. These
suspicions stem from the fact that since the
early 1980s --- Iran has been cooperating
with the DPRK and importing military
technology from there.
_______________________________________
Four Chinese films entered
the top 10 of the world
box office --- at once
April 23rd, 11:30pm
(Izvestia.ru)
According to The Numbers, Chinese film industry releases
in 2024... have reached the top of the global box office.
These are the tragicomedy "You live only once", the
sequel to the sports drama "Pegasus", the drama
"Article 20" and the cartoon "Bears-Neighbours:
through Time and Space". China's combined
box office receipts since the beginning of
2024 ------ have totaled $2.32 billion.
"Looking at recent and upcoming Hollywood releases, as
well as the state that American movie theatres are in,
we can say that the US film industry still has a long
way to go to recover. But the Chinese market
recovered much faster. And China no longer
needs Hollywood to make money from
movies," says Business Insider
expert, Travis Clark.
Indeed, the US cinema business...... has noticeably sunk.
Hollywood is losing its position as the leader of the film
market and China is taking over the baton. In the world
box office ranking, the second "Dune" ..made a little
less than $700 million....... and the superhero film
"Madame Web" from Marvel — only $97 million.
The film "You live only once" earned $479 million and was
on the fourth line of the rating. And "Pegasus 2" with a
result of $468 million --- closes the top five. In turn,
"Article 20", which earned $338 million, is listed
in sixth place. The cartoon " Bears-neighbors:
through Time and Space — is on the seventh
line ----- with a box office of $274 million.
It is noteworthy that the Chinese hits included in the top
....are not entirely blockbusters. These are films for
different target audiences. May will also be rich
in new products from the Middle Kingdom: the
next two full meters will debut in Cannes,
and will also be released worldwide
in early May.
____________________________________
Azov supporter gets position
in US Helsinki Commission
April 23rd, 11:10pm
(Lenta.ru)
Paul Massaro, a supporter of the nationalist Azov brigade
(terrorist organization banned in Russia), was appointed
Director of Personnel of the US Commission on Security
and Co-operation in Europe (Helsinki Commission).
This was reported by the press service of the
commission, RIA Novosti reports.
"We are pleased to announce that Paul Massaro has been
appointed Human Resources Director of the Helsinki
Commission," the commission said.
Massaro previously served as the organization's political
adviser. Then he was noted for photos with the flag of
"Azov" and in clothes with chevrons, which depicted
the Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera. Later,
the posts were removed from the man's
social networks.
______________________________________________________
Ambassador Antonov: The US has
stopped hiding the true meaning
of anti-Russian sanctions
April 23rd, 10:50pm
(RT.ru)
Russia's Ambassador to the US --- Anatoly Antonov,
said that Washington has stopped hiding the true
intention of imposing restrictions on Moscow.
Antonov's words were published by the
Telegram channel of the Russian
diplomatic mission.
According to the diplomat, the US does not seek
to achieve a settlement of the conflict in
Ukraine, through sanctions.
"We are talking about banal opportunistic and predatory
ambitions. If the Americans cannot stand up in a fair
economic competition, sanctions are used,"
Antonov said.
Earlier, US Deputy Energy Secretary Geoffrey Pyatt said
that Washington will continue to impose sanctions
against the Russian energy sector.
_____________________________________________________
Lula Proposes World Progressive
Meeting to Halt Far-Right Rise
April 23rd, 6:11pm
(teleSUR)
On Tuesday, Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, said that
he wishes to promote a meeting of progressive leaders
within the framework of the upcoming United Nations
General Assembly (UNGA) to discuss a joint
"confrontation" to the rise of the far
right in the world.
Lula has already proposed his idea to the Spanish Prime
Minister Pedro Sanchez and the French President
Emmanuel Macron. He will discuss it with other
progressive leaders before the UNGA meeting
scheduled for September in New York.
The Brazilian president ensured that the phenomenon
of the far right "is global" & signifies "a setback for
democracy," as it represents an advancement
"of racism, xenophobia, and a 'culture
agenda' that targets minorities."
Lula particularly highlighted the rise of the far right in
Europe and the United States, a country he said, was
"a symbol of democracy" and which in January 2022
suffered a violent attack on the Capitol, promoted
by activists aligned with the ideas of former
President Donald Trump.
He compared the events at the Capitol with the assault on
the headquarters of the three branches of government in
Brazil in January 2023, carried out by followers of the
far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who did
not accept his defeat in the elections.
Democratic leaders..... "cannot allow the denial of all
institutions that were created to uphold democracy"
to prevail ...and must unite against an extremist
movement for which "what matters most
is falsehood," Lula pointed out.
In this context, he framed his proposal for a meeting
of progressive leaders during the UNGA.... where he
believes "how to collectively confront" the growth
of the far right ---- should be discussed.
____________________________________________________
Brazilian Indigenous People
Demand Demarcation of
Their Lands
April 23rd, 5:28pm
(teleSUR)
Since Monday until Friday, thousands of Brazilian
Indigenous people are participating in the 20th
Free Land Camp to demand their ancestral
rights to the land.
Currently..... Indigenous communities are fighting against
the so-called "Temporal Framework," a proposal through
which agricultural, mining, and forestry corporations
seek to limit the Indigenous peoples' rights to only
those lands they occupied when the 1988
Constitution was promulgated.
"Our framework is ancestral because we have always
been here," is the motto of the Free Land Camp,
an event held annually since 2004.
In September 2023, the Temporal Framework was declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Federal Court. However,
it was reintroduced into Brazilian legislation through a
bill approved by the National Congress, which is
controlled by right-wing parties linked
to landowners.
A text reads, "Diversity in struggle in the Indigenous
Emergency March. Our rights cannot be negotiated!"
Although that law was vetoed by Brazilian President Lula
da Silva, congressmen overturned his veto and the
Temporal Framework remains in force. Therefore,
Indigenous peoples hope that the Supreme Court
will reaffirm the unconstitutionality of a law that
would severely limit their ancestral rights.
The Free Land Camp also denounced a new escalation
of violence, as after the approval of this law, six
Indigenous leaders were murdered.
During Jair Bolsonaro's administration, the Brazilian
state stopped demarcating Indigenous lands,
leaving Indigenous peoples at the mercy
of extractivist businessmen.
This far-right politician supported the Temporal Framework
thesis... arguing that Indigenous control of Amazonian
territories hinders Brazilian economic development.
______________________________________________
Putin spoke about his desire
to be a student and go to
build BAM
April 22nd, 7:10pm
(Izvestia.ru)
Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that he would
love to go to work on the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM)
as part of student teams, if he was studying at the
university now.
"I would really like to be a student. And if I were a student,
after what I learned about BAM, I would be happy to go
there," the head of state said on April 22 during a
meeting with construction veterans and
employees of BAM.
The BAM has a length of more than 4.3 thousand km and is
one of the largest railway lines in the world. 2024 marks
the 50th anniversary of the start of construction of the
railway running through Eastern Siberia and the
Russian Far East. It was attended by more
than 2 million people.
Railway divisions have completed the preparatory stage
for the reconstruction of the eastern section of the road.
Earlier in the day, Putin called BAM the road of the future,
which defines global logistics for the 21st century. He
thanked the participants in the creation of the BAM
and those who are currently engaged in
its reconstruction.
On February 29, during his address to the Federal
Assembly, the Russian leader announced a
significant expansion of the carrying
capacity of the Baikal-Amur and
Trans-Siberian highways.
He stressed that after the third stage of work, the
transportation capacity of the highways -- will be
210 million tons, which is 37 million tons more
than the current figures. At the same time,
the ports of Vanino and Sovetskaya
Gavan, should be developed.
_______________________________
Cubamax-Aerovaradero, good start
for shipments from the US to Cuba
April 22nd, 2:44pm
(Prensa Latina)
The Cubamax Group confirmed today -- the good reception
that the start of shipments of frozen meat from the US to
Cuba had the expected result of a contract signed with
the Cuban company Aerovaradero.
Several months ago.... we were negotiating this agreement
---- that gives the possibility to people living here in the US
to send this food to Cuba by air with a maximum delivery
of three to four days, said Carlos Trujillo, president and
one of the founders of the group, in an interview with
Prensa Latina in this capital.
The completion of the project, he commented, responds
“to something that the Cuban community in Miami, in
general in the United States, has been asking for.”
Trujillo explained that the shipping process is not complex
and that his group has created the conditions.... to pack
and transport the product on cargo planes to Havana.
For now, this new service will only be provided in the
Cuban capital. “We.... are starting to see how it
develops.. and what acceptance it has, but
the tests tell us that everything is going
satisfactorily,” Trujillo stressed.
The first flight with this type of product left on April 17
and the next day it was already delivered, he noted.
We are aware of the speed and condition in which the
meat arrived: frozen, as we had planned, he noted.
Of course, he indicated, our goal is to gradually
expand the service to other provinces.
Trujillo added that Cubamax has several projects
underway. “We have been transporting different
types of packages - for several months - with a
delivery of seven days in the city of Havana
and up to two weeks in the rest of the
Cuban provinces.”
We also do this in coordination with Aerovaradero. The
bulk of the operations are in Havana (three), Santa
Clara (one) and in Holguín (one) per week,
he emphasized.
The contract for the provision of freight services between
the Cuban firm Aerovaradero and the US group Cubamax
was signed in the context of the recent International
Transportation and Logistics Fair (FITL 2024) on
the island.
Aerovaradero has had a contract with Cubamax since July
2023 and, due to the levels of cargo it sends monthly, it
has become one of the strategic partners of the
Cuban entity.
To a question from the reporter, he confessed that “Cuba
is everyone’s homeland..... it is the place that always
remains in our memories, where our families are,
the people we love, the places we remember,
I believe that we can never forget that.”
That is why for Trujillo an improvement in relations
between the two countries would be so important
“it is what we all aspire to ------ for the benefit of
both sides.”
The Cubamax group was born in 2001, founded by Trujillo
and Giraldo Acosta. “Uninterruptedly these 24 years we
have been working in South Florida for the well-being
of the Cuban family”, he pointed out.
Our purpose is to bring happiness, to bring help to the
entire Cuban family and to be a guarantee and trust
for those who choose us, he concluded.
Hence the slogan ‘Quiet Cubamax
takes care of it’.
______________________________________
Spain and China: electric
cars in Barcelona
April 22nd, 2:24pm
(Prensa Latina)
Spain and China are preparing to produce 150 thousand
vehicles, mainly electric, after an agreement signed
today in Barcelona by Chery and Ebro-Ev Motors.
The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez,
highlighted the agreement between the Spanish
consortium Ebro-EV Motors and the Chinese
manufacture,r Chery Automobile, for the
production of electric vehicles in the
Free Zone of Barcelona.
“This agreement is a symbol of the reindustrialization
process that Catalonia and Spain are experiencing,
of the capacity of our industry to adapt to global
challenges and of Spain as a country to attract
foreign investments,” said Pedro Sánchez.
In a joint statement, the two companies announced they
plan to create 1,250 jobs and produce 150,000 vehicles
at their Barcelona plant. The cars will be assembled at
a former Nissan factory that closed in December, 2021.
This joint-venture will hire “about 150 workers in the
coming months and will ultimately have 1,250 jobs.”
“United --- we are unstoppable. We have demonstrated it by
working side by side with the City Council of Barcelona,
the Generalitat of Catalonia... and the Government of
Spain; public administrations, the private sector
and the representation of workers,” said
the head of the Executive.
He took the opportunity to highlight that Spain is
the 2nd largest automobile producing country in
Europe and the 8th largest exporter worldwide.
“Total and absolute commitment of the Government of
Spain with Barcelona and with Catalonia as a hub
reference industry; in all areas, but especially
in the automotive sector,” he said.
_____________________________________
Venezuela --- Consolidates
Participatory Democracy
in Its Territories
April 22nd, 1:53pm
(teleSUR)
On Sunday the 2024 National Popular Consultation
concluded with a massive participation of citizens
throughout Venezuelan territory.
Carried out through over 15,000 voting centres, this
democratic process allowed residents to decide
on 4,500 development projects... that the
Venezuelan government will finance
and the communities will execute.
Carolina Arellano, the spokesperson for the National
Electoral Commission (CNE), stated that the
approved projects will begin to be
implemented starting
next week.
"Venezuela won in this electoral party," the Bolivarian
official said, shortly before the end of election day.
The 2024 National Popular Consultation.... was preceded by
a process of activation of grassroots organizations which
allowed some 27,000 development projects to be
discussed and proposed throughout the
national territory.
During election day, over 49,000 communal councils
and 1,300,000 popular spokespersons were active,
participating in audits and collaborating in the
scrutiny. Some 158 international observers
also participated.
Arellano congratulated the communal councils for their
organizational work and the Bolivarian National Armed
Forces (FANB) for the delivery of the electoral material.
________________________________________
Ecuadorians Reject President
Noboa's Economic Reforms
April 22nd, 12:40pm
(teleSUR Newsletter)
In the referendum held on Sunday, Ecuadorians rejected
President Daniel Noboa's attempt to legalize fixed-term
and hourly contracts --- and establish international
arbitration for conflicts with foreign investors.
Former President Rafael Correa emphasized that the
results of the plebiscite constitute a victory for the
people and a "clear defeat" for Noboa and the
conservative elites.
"The Ecuadorian people put a stop to a would-be dictator,"
Correa said, referring to the authoritarian attitudes
displayed by Noboa in his first six months
in office.
In the question related to labour contracts, 65 percent of
voters did not accept the government's proposal, while
only 34 percent of voters voted in favour of it.
On the other hand, 70 percent of voters rejected the
proposal related to the acceptance of international
arbitration as a method of resolving business or
commercial disputes.
Noboa's reforms related to security, justice, and crime
fighting, however, were accepted by the population,
with approval percentages ranging from 61
to 73 percent.
Through the referendum, Noboa attempted to gauge
his level of acceptance as a first step towards
considering his candidacy for reelection
in 2025.
He assumed office in November 2023, after Guillermo
Lasso decided to dissolve Parliament and call for
early elections ---- to avoid impeachment.
Three questions approved by the population will come into
effect as soon as the official results are proclaimed since
they are amendments to the 2008 Constitution.
Firstly, 73 percent of voters agreed to permanent
participation of the Armed Forces in operations
against organized crime.
With 65 percent of votes in favour, extraditions of
Ecuadorians requested by the justice systems of
other countries were approved, and with
60 percent of voters, the establishment
of a constitutional court system
was accepted.
The rest of the six measures approved - must
be implemented through bills. Among these
measures, is entrusting the Armed Forces
with controlling access to prisons, which
have become a symbol of the criminal
violence plaguing Ecuador since 2017.
Noboa must also submit a bill to toughen penalties for
crimes related to organized crime and eliminate
prison benefits so that those convicted for
these reasons.... serve their entire
sentences in prison.
The Nationa Assembly must also address bills to define
possession and carrying of weapons exclusive to the
Police and Armed Forces as a crime; allow state
security forces to use weaponry seized from
criminals; and authorize the immediate
expropriation of assets of illicit origin.
The plebiscite saw the participation of 72 percent of the
more than 13.6 million Ecuadorians authorized to vote.
The week leading up to the vote ----- was marked by the
murders of two mayors of cities where there is illegal
mining activity, and also by a severe energy crisis
that forced the Noboa administration to
implement eight-hour blackouts per
day, to ration electricity supplies.
On election day, the director of El Rodeo prison was killed
in Portoviejo City and a riot broke out in Quevedo prison,
leaving at least four injured.
___________________________________
US Sanctions on Venezuela Add
Uncertainty to Global Oil Market
April 22nd (teleSUR)
Washington has decided to reimpose economic sanctions
on Venezuela's oil sector, adding uncertainty to the oil
market, when supply security remains a top priority
for many regions around the world amid the
ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
According to the new guidelines from the U.S. Treasury
Department, US and EU companies who obtained
individual licenses after October 2023 are
required to reapply for new licenses to
work with Venezuelan national oil
company PDVSA. Otherwise, they
must end their operations in
Venezuela by May 31, 2024.
To justify the reimposition of sanctions, Washington
alleges that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
has not fully met the commitments made under
the electoral roadmap agreement.
Therefore, General License 44, which authorized
transactions related to the oil and gas sector
with Venezuela, will expire after midnight
and not to be renewed," said Matthew
Miller, a spokesman for the U.S.
Department of State.
General License 44, introduced by the Biden
administration in October 2023, allowed
some oil transactions to take place and
Venezuela crude to reach the
international market.
The 6-month sanction relief took effect when the
Venezuelan government and opposition leaders
from Unitary Platform reached an agreement
on the 2024 elections. Several Western
companies, including ENI of Italy,
Repsol of Spain, and Maurel and
Prom of France, resumed their
operations in Venezuela.
Oil production rebounded in Venezuela, as a result of the
sanction relief. Both of the International Energy Agency
and the U.S. Department of Energy projected that
Venezuela's oil production would return to one
million barrels per day by the end of 2024
from 690,000 barrels per day in 2022.
Energy analysts suggest that several factors may have
influenced the Biden administration's decision to
reimpose sanctions on Venezuela.
First, the Biden administration might have lost confidence
in the roadmap of a Venezuelan presidential election the
U.S. had wished.
Second, U.S. domestic oil production is on pace to set
another production record, while production growth
from Guyana and Brazil is faster than the growth
in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the world economy is slowly recovering,
leading to slow oil demand growth. All of these
factors, have allowed the U.S. administration
to reimpose sanctions against Venezuelan
oil with less resistance from businesses
and industries.
Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Its oil reserves are estimated to be around 300 billion
barrels, surpassing those of Saudi Arabia and other
oil-rich countries.
With the sanctions back in place, the hostile relationship
between the United States and Venezuela is widely
expected to continue.
At the end of Thursday trading, one day after the United
States reimposed sanctions on Venezuela, Brent went
to US$89.72 per barrel, up 3 percent, while West
Texas Intermediate went to US$84.92 per
barrel, up 3.6 percent.
It is hard to decipher exactly whether the oil price
fluctuation was directly and solely related to the
White House decision because ongoing
tensions between Israel and Iran may
also have had some effect.
It remains to be seen how the global oil market
will react to the White House's renewed
sanctions ---- in the longer term.
_____________________________________
Georgian parliament --- passes bill
on foreign agents in first reading
April 15th, 9:17pm (TASS)
The Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Legal Issues
passed the bill on foreign agents in the first reading.
The committee meeting was live streamed on the
parliament’s website.
The hearing took place amid a heated debate between
representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream -
Democratic Georgia party.... and
the opposition.
In early April... the ruling party announced its decision to
once again introduce the bill "In transparency of foreign
influence" to the parliament. This happened one year
after a similar initiative caused mass protests ----
which forced the authorities to reject the bill.
The language remains the same as in previous year, with
the exception of the term "agent of foreign influence."
Instead, the bill uses the term "an organization
conducting the interests of a foreign power."
The opponents of the initiative believe that the
bill will prevent Georgia’s accession to the EU.
_________________________________________
Reuters: Russia quickly restored
oil refining capacity.... after
Ukrainian drone attacks
April 15th, 2024
(original: Reuters
retold by InoTV)
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has stepped up
drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure. As a
result, some major refineries in the world's second-
largest oil exporter were affected, driving up oil
prices. However, Russia was able to quickly
repair key oil refineries affected by the
Ukrainian attacks, Reuters notes.
Russia equates drone attacks with terrorism. Since the
April 2 attack on the Taneco plant, there have been no
further reports of successful attacks on major
Russian oil refineries. Russia -- is now rapidly
rebuilding its refineries, despite difficulties
in acquiring Western technology.
Among the restored facilities are the Ryazan plant owned
by Rosneft, which has returned its CDU-4 and main
CDU-6 primary oil refining units to operation, as
well as the Kuibyshev refinery that repairs
CDU-4, Syzran — CDU-5 and CDU-6 that
was previously idle for repairs.
According to Reuters estimates, the total Russian
capacity for primary oil refining due to drone
attacks decreased to 660 thousand barrels
per day from about 907 thousand barrels
per day earlier.
Overall, however, the total primary oil refining capacity
in Russia is expected to reach 4.4 million tons in April,
compared to 4.1 million tons in March, despite the
failure of some units due to various downtime
and repairs.
InoTV materials contain estimates exclusively from
foreign media and do not reflect RT's position.
_________________________________________
Millionaire’s worth of incentives
seized in India on elections
April 15th, 2:50pm
(Prensa Latina)
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced a
millionaire seizure of incentives for alleged acts of
bribery related to the elections of the Lok Sabha
(Lower House of Parliament), to begin
next Friday.
Since March 1, the law enforcement authorities have
seized money and gifts worth more than 46.5 billion
rupees, or 546,288,000 dollars, the IEC, which also
meant the figure as the highest ever recorded in
the 75-year history of such processes in the
South Asian nation, said.
It also stated that energetic actions will continue to be
taken to prevent the influence of the power of money
in the results of the elections to be held on June 1.
The Election Commission of India detailed that 45% of
the seizures are drugs and narcotics and that the
seizure was made possible by comprehensive
planning, increased collaboration and unified
deterrence action by agencies, proactive
citizen participation and the optimal
engagement of technology,
it said.
It stressed that the use of money from illegal actions
beyond political financing can also be used to
benefit an organization or candidate with
more resources in specific geographies
in the results.
The CEI reiterated that they will ensure fair elections
under equal conditions for all candidates and
parties, without incentives or electoral
malpractices.
________________________________________
The political scientist pointed out
the unwillingness of Europeans
to support Ukrainian refugees
April 15th, 10:33am
(Izvestia.ru)
A number of European countries have already openly
demonstrated their unwillingness to continue
supporting refugees from Ukraine. This was
announced on April 15, to Izvestia, by
Associate Professor of the Dept. of
Political Science of the Financial
University, under the Russian
Federation Government,
Alexander Konkov.
"It is quite obvious --- that Ukrainian refugees have faced
difficulties for a long time. In previous months, various
signals have already been growing - that support is
being reduced somewhere, somewhere there is
an alignment in favour of other categories
of the population, somewhere there is
a blatant reluctance - to continue
supporting Ukrainian refugees
and - under various pretexts -
it's proposed to return them
to their homeland," he said.
According to the political scientist, all the risks that
were initially associated with the flow of Ukrainian
refugees to Europe, are now justified.
"Refugees affect the situation in all nearby countries, and
in general they become a kind of "suitcase without a
handle", although, of course, this is not a very
correct statement in relation to people, but,
nevertheless, there is no quick, effective
solution.... to this problem in Europe
today and one is not expected."
— he concluded.
On April 2, MEP Gunnar Beck told Izvestia that Ukrainian
refugees cost the German economy €20 billion a year.
He called it a problem for Germany.
In late March, Florian Hahn.. a member of the German
opposition Christian Democratic and Christian Social
Union (CDU/CSU) faction called for drastic measures
against Ukrainian refugees. In his opinion, military
-liable Ukrainian citizens, who have received
asylum in Germany, should be deprived of
their benefits.
In February, the Federal Statistical Office of Germany
noted that Ukrainian citizens have become the
second largest group of foreign population in
Germany after Turkish citizens. The share
of Ukrainians in the total population
increased from January 2022 to
October 2023 from 0.2
to 1.4%.
European countries began to place Ukrainian refugees on
their territories from the beginning of Russia's special
operation to protect the Donbass, which the Russian
Federation announced on February 24, 2022.
________________________________________________
Police Station/Highway Attacked
in Colombia --- With Explosives
April 13th, 8:48pm
(teleSUR)
Two attacks with explosives --- one against a police station
and the other on the main road in southwestern Colombia
- were perpetrated in the department of Cauca, which is
experiencing a security crisis that has worsened since
the ceasefire broke down in that region.
Octavio Guzmán, governor of the department of Cauca,
confirmed the attack on Saturday. He explained that
on Friday night unknown persons activated "a small
-range explosive device in the Police Station" of the
municipality of Guachené - and made "explode an
artifact in the Pan American Rd, leaving material
damage ...and an injured person".
"We call to the violent to block the fratricidal war and
seek a negotiated solution, but with true will. I fully
support our security forces so that we can regain
security - and so that the population does not
suffer the onslaught of the armed. El Cauca
deserves peace and we cannot normalize
violence and make invisible --- a reality
that hurts us today," Guzmán said.
A post reads: "Around 4:50 a.m. an explosive device was
activated on the Pan-American Highway in the El Túnel
sector, municipality of Cajibío, direction Popayán - Cali.
Preliminary report of an injured person."
"We must rethink the model of negotiations and reinforce
the actions of the security forces with more personnel
and the tools needed to combat crime. It is necessary
that the Army --- and all the public forces be in the
capitals and all the territories --- with greater
deployment," added Governor Guzmán.
On the other hand Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said
that "no matter how much pressure is exerted by these
illegal organizations", the government will not decline
"the decision to suspend the cessation: offensive
operations will continue to be carried out by
the security forces".
The Government and the Central General Staff (EMC), the
main dissidents of the former FARC.. are conducting a
peace negotiation, as part of which, they agreed last
October on a bilateral ceasefire. Given the repeated
attacks by the EMC, mainly against indigenous
communities in Cauca, last month ---- the
Government suspended the ceasefire
in that department ---- and in the
neighbouring Valle del Cauca
and Nariño.
______________________________________
Venezuela: 22 Years of Democracy
After Coup Against Chávez
April 13th, 7:34pm
(teleSUR)
"Hope continues in the street with women, youth and the
Venezuelan people who reject betrayal and the lackeys
of the empire" said the current President Nicolás
Maduro, to commemorate the 22 years of the
coup against the Commander and President
Hugo Chávez carried out by the right-wing
Venezuelan oligarchy --- and in collusion
with the United States.
Through a post on social network X... Maduro urged the
people not to forget: "Let us never forget that, on April
12, 2002, the surnames and the stateless oligarchy,
led by imperialism, came to the People’s Palace to
dissolve the Constitution and the Public Powers;
they were consummating with Carmona, "the
short one", a fascist coup", he wrote.
The president emphasized --- that the oligarchy will never
return, "22 years ago, hope is in the streets, with women,
youth and the Venezuelan people rejecting betrayal and
the lackeys of the American empire that today continue
to crawl, imploring more sanctions and blockades
against our Homeland. The Venezuelan people
is aware of its history".
"In April 2002 they called the warlords to lie and murder a
people with an awakened conscience - but the people
turned that rage into action and that determination
became tenderness for those women and men
who even offered their lives to not let them
die," he added, in other message in X.
Also, Nicolás Maduro higlighted that "this is the glorious
people of Bolívar of April 2002 and today, 22 years
later, we continue - with the same strength,
conviction - and dignity. To God, what
belongs to God - and to the People
- what belongs to the People!"
The head of state remembered a Chávez's prophecy:
"Don't dare, because the people are going to crush
you with their force..." "How much awareness,
morale and learning, we have garnered in
these years... and we continue in civic-
military unity, fight, battle and victory.
Long live April 13, long live the April
Revolution!" Said Maduro.
On the other hand; during the 40th edition of the program
Con Maduro +, President Maduro recalled thay on this
emblematic date, the history of Venezuela was
lived: "The dark Thursday, April 12, of the
dissolution of powers and the 13th, of
joint military popular insurrection,
spontaneous, almost telepathic.
And on April 14, Resurrection
Sunday --- of the country’s
legitimate powers".
___________________________
FT: a number of EU countries rejected
Ukraine's requests to transfer Patriot
air defense systems to it
April 13th, 12:24am
(RT.ru)
Some European countries have stated that they do not
plan to send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine,
arguing that they themselves "need to maintain
their defense capability."
This is reported by the Financial Times.
Kiev is lobbying for Patriot systems to be sent
to Ukraine from Poland, Romania and Spain.
According to the newspaper, Ukraine needs seven
Patriot systems, but, as noted in the publication,
it is "difficult" to coordinate the shipment.
Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Warsaw
cannot transfer Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.
At the same time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said
that Germany will have to supply weapons and
ammunition to Ukraine..... for a long time.
_________________________________________
Japan in UN Security Council
blamed Russia and recalled
Hiroshima and Nagasaki ---
without mentioning the US
April 12th, 11:43pm
(RT.ru)
Japan's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN
Mitsuko Shino, said at a meeting of the Security
Council on Ukraine that Tokyo "will not accept
the Russian nuclear threat" ....and that the
catastrophe of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
should never happen again, while
keeping silent that the atomic
bombings of the two cities
were carried out by the
United States.
This is reported by RIA Novosti.
"As the only country ever to suffer nuclear bombardment
during a war, Japan will never accept the Russian
nuclear threat, let alone any use of nuclear
weapons," Shino said.
Earlier, Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto made a
presentation on a number of practical issues of
bilateral relations.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
also said, that the de facto military alliance
between Japan and the United States
- already exists.
_______________________________________
United States analyst declares:
unifying Nazism in Ukraine
April 12th, 6:15pm
(Lenta.ru)
Kwiatkowski: Nazism in Ukraine united those
acting in the interests of the United States
and NATO.
Former Pentagon analyst, retired US Air Force Lieutenant
Karen Kwiatkowski, said that - after the 2014 coup -
Nazism in Ukraine united people acting in the
interests of Washington and NATO.
According to her, Nazism is always condemned, but in
Ukraine.... it united people who "would do what the
United States and NATO need." Kwiatkowski
believes that those who came to power in
2014 "embraced a kind of Ukrainian
nationalism, which was largely
based on the Ukrainian
Nazi ideology."
The former analyst recalled that US senators and NATO
leaders are happy about a "good investment" when
talking about supplying weapons to the Armed
Forces of Ukraine (AFU). However --- it was
Western support for intelligence, military
equipment and surveillance, as well as
diplomatic assistance, that allowed
Kiev to carry out attacks on the
Donbass for eight years.
"Without this Western support and assistance, as well as
the undisguised hatred of the United States and NATO
for Russia, the Minsk agreements could have been
implemented more fully, and as a result, peace
agreements could have been reached
without war," she concluded.
Kwiatkowski noted that Western countries supply
weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in
order to maintain the power --- of the
current government in Kiev.
______________________________
The companies of the "crab kings" of Russia
become state property. Enterprises are
estimated at billions of rubles
April 12th, 5:44pm
(Izvestia.ru)
Rosimushchestvo became the owner of eight fishing
companies in the Far East and the operator "Urban
eco taxi" by the decision of the Arbitration Court
of Primorsky Krai. The corresponding changes
were made to the Unified State Register of
Legal Entities.
The asset value is about $ 22 billion. The companies
were associated with the so-called crab kings
Oleg Kan, Dmitry Dremlyuga and
Dmitry Pashov.
In January, the Prosecutor General's Office filed two
lawsuits with the Arbitration Court of Primorsky
Krai for a total of 376 billion rubles against
45 crab miners in the Far East.
The larger of the lawsuits - for 358.7 billion rubles - was
filed against the Sakhalin fisherman, the runaway
"crab king" Oleg Kan, members of his family and
the Rodnye Ostrov charity Foundation, whose
founders are a number of companies
controlled by relatives of
the entrepreneur.
According to the plaintiff, this group of individuals caught
crab and other bioresources under quotas ----- and then
sold them to other countries, withdrawing the profits
to accounts in foreign banks. It is noted that Kang
has a residence permit in Korea.
In March, the claim was satisfied in full, and the contracts
were declared null and void, shares in the companies
were recovered --- in favour of the state.
The amount of the second claim (against the companies
"Real Development", "Merlion", "Fish Island", "Crab
Marine" and their co-owners) is 17.4 billion
rubles, it will be considered on April 17.
Kahn was arrested in absentia in 2020
In 2020, Kang was accused of reprisals against
the fisherman Valery Pkhidenko and arrested
in absentia, but the "crab king" left Russia
in 2018. After the first case ------ he was
charged ----- under four articles of the
Criminal Code, including smuggling
and tax and customs evasion.
In March.... the businessman's defense provided the court
with a certificate of the alleged death of the "crab king",
but the supervisory authority considered it staged.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, he
conducted business in Russia.. and withdrew
money from the country. The entrepreneur
is the actual owner of Dalmoreproduct,
Khasanryba and other fishing
companies in the Far East.
In 2010, Dremlyuga left Russia, after becoming involved in
several criminal cases. At the end of 2023 -- his property
worth 4.3 billion rubles was seized as well as hundreds
of real estate objects.
The only defendant who was detained, was Pashov, the
owner of the Moneron fishing company and the richest
deputy in Russia by the end of 2020. In 2022, he was
sentenced to 4.5 years of imprisonment in a high
-security penal colony..... in the case of live
crab smuggling.
_______________________________
On the streets of Barcelona... hang
posters calling: not to give money
to Zelensky
April 12th, 5:39pm
(Izvestia.ru)
Posters calling for not transferring financial aid to Ukraine
have been posted in tourist areas of Barcelona. On April
12, the Izvestia correspondent reports from Spain.
Flyers posted on advertising bollards, show Ukrainian
leader Volodymyr Zelensky..... holding a leaf with the
inscription: "Give me money for cocaine."
At the same time --- the Ukrainian leader stands knee-deep
in blood, with the slogan "Europe! DON'T pay for cocaine
for the putschists, OR for the extermination of
Slavic peoples!"
In early March, the Izvestia correspondent reported that
leaflets with caricatured content were hung in Madrid
after the news.. that the Council of the EU approved
the creation of a new aid fund for Ukraine - and the
provision of €50 billion from the EU budget to Kiev.
They depict a portrait of Zelensky, around which three
phrases are placed: "I need all your money",
"If you don't give me money, the military
operation will end soon" and "I really
want a lot of money and I don't
want to do anything."
Before that, in December 2022, graffiti appeared
on pedestrian zones, presumably in Madrid,
with Zelensky's image in the form of
locusts eating the EU.
Pictures of graffiti were published by bloggers
on social networks, signing them:
"Go home, locusts!
Thank you."
In November, graffiti in the form of a "black hole" with
Zelensky also appeared in France. A 3D drawing was
created by Polish artists, asking the President of
Ukraine ----- not to "devour their money".
Western countries have stepped up military and financial
support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to
protect the Donbas, which began on February 24,
2022, due to the aggravation of the situation in
the region as a result of Ukrainian shelling.
At the same time, statements about the need to reduce
support for Kiev have been increasingly heard in the
West, recently.
_____________________________________
Putin announced the use
of "Angara" to create a
Russian orbital station
April 12th, 4:27pm
(Izvestia.ru)
The Angara-A5 launch vehicle will launch into space
everything necessary for the construction of the
Russian Orbital Station (ROS).
This was announced on April 12th by Russian President
Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with the Belarusian
President, Alexander Lukashenko -- and members
of the 21st expedition to the ISS.
"The launch of Angara-A5 has just taken place. This is
our new heavy launch vehicle. With the help of this
launch vehicle.... we will then launch everything
that is necessary, to create a Russian orbital
station," he said.
The Head of State also noted that the launch of the
spacecraft -- was a good step forward for the
Vostochny cosmodrome. In addition, Putin
stressed that, without the use of space
technologies, no important issue can
be solved today.
The Angara-A5 launch vehicle was first launched from
the Vostochny cosmodrome on the eve of April 11.
Then the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov,
stressed the importance of this event --
noting that the whole country... was
waiting for the launch. It was the
fourth for the Angara family
of rockets.
Initially, it was planned to launch the launch vehicle on
April 9, but the launch was canceled. Then Borisov
said that the first launch of the Angara-A5 was
postponed for a day due to a failure of the
supercharging system of the oxidizer
tank of the central unit. However...
on April 10 the launch was again
canceled due to a failure of
the engine start control
system.
Earlier, in January, Vladimir Kozhevnikov, Deputy General
Designer of RSC Energia and chief designer of the ROS,
told Izvestia that the first cosmonauts will work on the
ROS as early as 2028. More than 100 enterprises and
200,000 specialists will build the new station,
he said.
_______________________________________________
The EU Commission ''allowed'' the
transfer of €1.9 billion to Kiev
in May
April 12th, 3:16pm
(Izvestia.ru)
In May, Ukraine may receive €1.9 billion from the EU's
special fund to support Kiev totaling €50 billion.
This was announced on April 12 by Vice-
President of the EU Commission (EC)
Valdis Dombrovskis.
"The European Commission is evaluating Ukraine's plan to
compile quarterly indicators of reforms and investments,
that need to be implemented to unlock future payments.
We will complete this work very soon and submit the
assessment to the EU Council," he said at a press
conference in Luxembourg. His words are
quoted on the EC website.
Dombrovskis explained that after approval, Kiev will
be able to receive pre-financing in the amount
of €1.9 billion, probably as early as May.
On February 1, all 27 leaders of the EU member states at
a summit in Brussels agreed to allocate an additional
€50 billion as part of a support package for Ukraine
from the association budget.
Later, on March 20, the head of the EU diplomatic service,
Josep Borrel, said that the alliance had transferred to
Kiev the first tranche of €4.5 billion under this
program, calculated until 2027.
On March 26, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys
Shmyhal expressed hope that the country will
receive €16 billion in financial support from
the EU under the Ukraine Facility, in 2024.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial
support for Kiev against the backdrop of a special
operation to protect the Donbass, which Russia
announced on February 24, 2022, after the
situation in the region worsened due to
shelling by the Ukrainian military.
__________________________________________
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands....
promised to allocate another €1 billion
for military assistance to Ukraine
April 12th, 3:06pm
(Izvestia.ru)
The Netherlands will allocate an additional €1 billion in
military aid to Ukraine in 2024. This was announced
on Friday, April 12, by Dutch Prime Minister Mark
Rutte in the social network X (ex. Twitter).
He noted that this amount will be sent to Kiev
"in excess of the already agreed" €2 billion.
"It was also decided that we will allocate €3 billion
for military support next year," Rutte wrote.
In addition, the Prime Minister said that the Netherlands
will continue to do "everything possible" to quickly
deliver ammunition and air defense systems to
Ukraine together with Denmark and the
Czech Republic.
Earlier in the day, it became known that Ukraine and
the Czech Republic may conclude an agreement on
security guarantees in May-June of this year.
According to Czech President Petr Pavel, support for
Ukraine will be expressed, in particular, in non-
material assistance: technological,
intelligence or information.
Recently, Ukraine has signed agreements on security
guarantees with nine states: Germany, Canada,
Great Britain, France, Denmark, Spain, Italy,
the Netherlands, Finland.
On February 29, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova said that the security agreements
between Ukraine and Western countries do not
change anything in essence, just confirm
military and financial assistance.
The special operation to protect the Donbass, which
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on
February 24, 2022, continues. The decision
was made against the background of the
worsening situation in the region.
______________________________________
Switzerland's largest political party
calls for lifting of non-UN sanctions
April 11th, 5:42pm
(Izvestia.ru)
The largest party in the Swiss parliament, the Democratic
Union of the Centre, called for the lifting of all restrictive
measures imposed by the country that were not taken
within the framework of the UN Security Council,
including anti-Russian sanctions. This ---- is
reported by RIA Novosti with reference
to the statement of the party.
"No non-military coercive measures (sanctions) without
an obligation under public international law (UN
Security Council)," the statement says.
The initiative gathered enough signatures for the
government to consider holding a referendum
on this issue.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed distrust of
Switzerland as a platform for the conference on Ukraine
due to its pro-Ukrainian position and support for
anti-Russian sanctions.
_________________________________________________________
Russia.... unveils official mascot
for 2024 BRICS Games in Kazan
April 11th, 4:23pm (TASS)
Bricsik the leopard has been selected as the mascot for
this summer’s 2024 BRICS Games in Kazan, in the
capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan,
the republic’s sports minister said
on Thursday.
"We have chosen the symbol, the mascot of the [BRICS]
Games and named him Bricsik," Tatarstan Minister of
Sports, Vladimir Leonov said, speaking at the
"We Are Together: Sport" forum
in Moscow.
"Before, it was Barsik [mascot for the 2013 FISU
Summer Universiade in Kazan] and now we
present Bricsik," Leonov stated.
The 2024 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa) Games will be held in Kazan on June 12-23
and will feature events in 25 different sports.
Last week, Deputy Head for Social Affairs of the Republic
of Tatarstan Guzel Sagitova told journalists that as many
as 74 countries will take part in the 2024 BRICS Games
this year in the Russian city of Kazan.
"Kazan will bring together participants from 74 countries,
including 10 BRICS member states, including Russia,"
she said adding that "the overall number of athletes
and delegations’ participants in the event stands
at over 4,700 people."
In mid-May 2023, Russian President, Vladimir Putin,
instructed the government to submit proposals for
organizing and holding the 2024 BRICS Games
in Russia.
Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin emphasized later
that the BRICS Games are not meant to rival any other
competitions.... and will not interfere with the
international sports calendar as well as
with the IOC-approved calendar
of events.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid an official
visit earlier this week to China, where he stated that
the 2024 BRICS Games and the following World
Friendship Games in Russia will be organized
based on the principles enshrined by the
International Olympic Committee
(IOC) Charter.
IOC’s regulations against Russia
The International Olympic Committee Executive Board
convened for a meeting at the Olympic House in
Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 19-20, and
following the opening day it decided to bar
athletes from Russia and Belarus - from
taking part in the Parade of Athletes -
& also exclude them from the 2024
Olympics overall medal standings.
The IOC, however, ruled that Russian athletes, cleared to
participate in the upcoming Olympics, would not have to
sign anything denouncing their country’s special
military operation in Ukraine.
On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian
Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after
the Russian organization... included the Olympic
councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s
Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye
and Kherson Regions, as its members.
The Swiss-based CAS registered on November 6, 2023 an
appeal from the ROC against the IOC’s decision on the
Russian governing Olympic body’s suspension.
The suspension means that the ROC cannot act as a
national Olympic committee, or receive financing
from the Olympic movement. The IOC however
reserved the right: to clear Russian athletes
to take part in the Olympic Games in
Paris in 2024... as neutrals.
Later, IOC President Thomas Baah said that Russian
athletes should have no affiliation with the ROC,
if they want to compete at the Olympic Games.
__________________________________________________
Publicist Devele: Hunter Biden was
put on the board of directors of
Burisma --- by the CIA
April 10th, 5:53pm
(RT.ru)
Publicist Arno Devele told RT that Hunter Biden was
put on the board of directors of the Ukrainian
Burisma Holdings - by the CIA.
According to him, they wanted to use the company as a
Trojan horse. He stressed that the concern's goal was
"to take over the energy market in Ukraine and
squeeze out Russia."
"To some extent, some of the funds that went through
companies like WireLogic were laundered through
them, went through Burisma, and were probably
used as a reserve fund for [financing] terrorism.
This - is a standard scheme. The CIA has been
present in Ukraine for many years," he added.
Earlier in the UK it was said that through Burisma
went money --- for terrorist attacks in Russia.
A criminal case has been opened on the
financing of terrorism by officials of
the US and NATO countries.
______________________________________
Russia's new ally
in Europe named
April 10th, 4:49am
(Lenta.ru)
The victory of the head of the Slovak Parliament, Peter
Pellegrini, in the country's presidential election has
different significance for Russia and Ukraine.
This was reported by the Al Khaleej
news agency.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has a new
ally in Europe: Peter Pellegrini won the
Slovak presidential election. Thus,
Brussels, Washington and Kiev
received a new blow," the
journalists noted.
Now Slovakia has ceased to be a partner of Ukraine and
has become a friend of Russia. The authors of the
article recalled that, until July, Bratislava's
assistance to Kiev amounted to
$750 million.
Peter Pellegrini won the Slovak presidential election.
At the end of the first round, he won 53.12 percent
of the vote, according to the State Commission
for Elections and Control over the Financing
of Political Parties.
_____________________________________________
US Senator says the country
spends up to $80,000 per
second ---- on Ukraine
April 9th, 6:34pm
(Izvestia.ru)
Currently, US spending on Ukraine is about $80 thousand
every second - and the country should refuse to provide
this kind of assistance. This was stated on April 9 by a
member of the US Senate, Republican from Alabama
Tommy Taberville --- speaking at a hearing in the
Armed Services Committee (AF) to consider
the Pentagon's budget request for fiscal
year 2025.
He noted that Washington cannot afford such a level of
spending and must find more adequate ways to use
its own taxpayers ' funds.
"My understanding and conclusions of my office - are that
we have spent $300 billion in Ukraine since 2014. Now
we print, or burn [there] $80 thousand per second,
$4.6 million per minute. We can no longer
maintain [this pace of spending]. We
need to find better ways to spend
our money," said Taberville.
The broadcast was conducted on the C-span portal.
At the same time Taberville's calculations were challenged
by Deputy Secretary of Defense for Finance, Mike McCord.
He considered the figures given by the senator too high.
According to the deputy minister, the United States spent
money on Ukraine not so rapidly: about $300 million a
year for a number of years, and only in the last two
years - about $40 billion more.
Earlier, on April 9, the Russian Ambassador to the United
States Anatoly Antonov said that Western countries are
growing tired of the burden of financing Ukraine, and
this is not an invention of Russian propaganda. The
diplomat noted that ordinary Americans do not
understand why they should work hard and
pay taxes --- which will then be used to
finance -- and militarily pump up -- a
distant Eastern European country.
At the same time, US entrepreneur and billionaire,
Elon Musk, said that the United States isn't even
considering ''options'' for ending the conflict in
Ukraine, but is pursuing the idea of "eternal
war" .....and this is a "real problem".
On March 11, the White House published a draft budget for
fiscal year 2025. The administration of US President Joe
Biden, demanded that Congress approve a request for
$ 61.4 billion in aid to Ukraine. The total amount of
US defense spending in 2025 --- should be
$850 billion, which is $34 billion more
than the amount adopted in the
country's budget for 2024.
The next day, US presidential aide Jake Sullivan said that
Washington will transfer a new package of military
assistance to Kiev in the amount of about
$300 million.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial
support for Kiev against the backdrop of the Russian
special operation to protect the Donbass.. which
was announced by Russia's President, Vladimir
Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation
in the region worsened due to shelling by the
Ukrainian military. However in recent years
.....the West has increasingly voiced
statements - about the need to
reduce support for Ukraine.
___________________________
Political scientist Mezyuho:
The US is doing everything
to destroy Russia
by Polina Poletaeva
April 9th, 5:55pm
(RT.ru)
Political analyst, Ivan Mezyukho, in an interview with
RT, commented on the report that the Investigative
Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case
on terrorist financing after deputies asked the
agency to check the possible facts of
the involvement of top officials of
the US and NATO countries in
recent terrorist attacks.
The political scientist noted that Joe Biden's son,
Hunter Biden, worked for Burisma Holdings,
which was involved in financing the
terrorist attacks.
"With this in mind, today we can safely say - that the
presidential family --- by and large --- can bear the
absolutely foul name of "sponsors of terrorism".
And I think that in the light of the presidential
election, Donald Trump will not miss the
opportunity to label his opponent and
his family members - in this way,"
Mezyuho believes.
According to him, the company Burisma Holdings
is prone to corruption, dirty money laundering
and financing terror.
"This is a joint corruption initiative of the American
and Ukrainian authorities, of different years. Of
course - in my opinion - the American special
services are behind Burisma, which simply
tried to cover their tracks by using this
legal entity -- for their own terrorist
purposes. We have, once again,
seen today --- that the United
States of America is doing
everything possible to
destroy our country.
And these are not
myths at all, this
- is a reinforced
concrete fact"
- the source
concluded.
Earlier, the investigative committee found that
the money received through the oil and gas
company, Burisma Holdings, which
operates in Ukraine ---- over the
past years ---- was used to
finance terrorist attacks
in Russia and abroad.
_________________________
China and Russia deepen cooperation
in the face of --- Cold War mentality
April 9th, 8:59am
(Prensa Latina)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that
Russia and China - must resist the Cold War
mentality, as well as hegemonism and
international interference.
After a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister,
Sergei Lavrov, his Chinese counterpart said that
both sides defend the principle of the equality
of all countries.
Lavrov assured ------- that Moscow and Beijing will continue
cooperation in the fight against terrorism after the attack
on the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow. “As you
know, attacks on Russian cities have become more
frequent, resulting in casualties, including among
civilians, and there has been an increase in the
number of hackers trying to hack into Russia's
electoral system,” although this did not stop
the successful holding of the elections,
Lavrov assured... and stressed his
gratitude to China ---- for
sending observers.
Both sides rejected acts of intimidation and
unilateral sanctions while ratifying the
deepening of bilateral cooperation.
The issue of Ukraine... was also on the table of talks,
with Wang Yi expressing his hope that the conflict
can be extinguished as soon as possible.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning
reiterated on Monday, that “China has always
adhered to an objective and fair position,
actively promoted peace talks and a
political settlement” on the
Ukraine issue.
Lavrov arrived in Beijing this Monday on a two-day visit,
which includes discussions of other topics such as
cooperation in the international arena, focusing
on.... the United Nations, the BRICS, the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization,
the G20, APEC ------ and other
multilateral mechanisms
and fora (forums).
____________________________
The children and women of the
Gaza Strip --- are our children
and mothers
April 8th, 1:27pm
(Prensa Latina)
The children of Gaza are our children too, the mothers of
Gaza are our mothers, Ramón Mederos, president of the
Segundo Paso para Nuestra América (Second Step for
Our America) foundation, said on Monday.... in an
interview with Prensa Latina in Caracas.
The Venezuelan academic reflected on the latest events
in the Gaza Strip, regarding the holding of the Voices
for Palestine Cultural Festival in the Museum Square
on Sunday, with the participation of an important
and prominent number of poets, musicians
and lecturers.
Mederos highlighted the fundamental role of culture “in
all this because where the verses sound, the music is
heard... but the scoundrels flee and the legs of the
wicked.... tremble.”
It is a way to vindicate the struggle of the Palestinian
people and that is why, we meet to “raise our voices
together,” he said.
Mederos stated that Venezuelans, due to their “huge and
beating heart,” have no difficulty to understand the pain
of other peoples, like that of Palestine ------ who are
suffering “one of the most terrible genocides
in the world” in the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that there, more than 70,000 tons of bombs
have been dropped on the most vulnerable population,
which is more than three times the atomic bomb
dropped on the city of Hiroshima in 1945.
The president of Segundo Paso para Nuestra América
added that more than 33,000 people have been killed,
half of whom are children, women and elders, and
still, there are people who doubt whether this is
a genocide, “double standards apply, what
a hypocrisy.”
He noted that there are those who think that raising their
voices for the Palestinian cause, protesting against the
genocide, demonstrating in favour of that people and
any just cause, “can have a high price,” entail
consequences for those who say it ....
and raise their voices.
“We have to rehumanize humanity ---- and culture is
one of the most important ways - and languages,”
he stressed.
The message is that we are facing a fourth fascism, “I
declare Zionism, in alliance with the United States,
the “fourth historical fascism” and it is an evil
that not only affects Palestine, but that all
our nations have the same threat of
“becoming Palestine,” he said.
Mederos commented that there is a “macabre dichotomy”
of the civilizational model of capitalist modernity - and it
leads and turns any country into “human or non-human”
depending on the interests of the hegemon.
Then, this threat is global, it is not just a problem for
Palestine, so the “remedy has to be global” and the
peoples ---- have to demonstrate and unite for a
definitive boycott.
The Venezuelan academic noted --- that this has to be
forceful against the economy, the hegemonic media
and Zionist propaganda, “to defeat Zionism and
the United States ---- that gives them all the
material resources to murder.”
The call is to unite, not to think that this is far away and
foreign, but that it is something that touches us closely
because humanity is one - one family, he emphasized.
Mederos pointed out that the Voices for Palestine Cultural
Festival was held in the context of World Al Quds Day,
whose cause became an instrument for awareness,
mobilization and organization of the insurgent
peoples of the South, who - as “we saw: they
took to the streets in millions in the world.”
Beyond the governments, of the “empty shells of
multilateral institutions” --- are the peoples
who are going to make Imam Khomeini’s
dream come true --- that Palestine
becomes the epicentre of the
spiritual transformation of
humanity, he assured.
______________________
Stagnation, recession of EU economies
is price for anti-Russian policies
— PM Mishustin
April 3rd, 5:14pm (TASS)
Europeans are paying for the anti-Russian policies of
their leaders with the stagnation and recession of
their economies, Russian Prime Minister
Mikhail Mishustin said.
"The dynamics in Europe at the end of 2023 were not far
from zero. In Germany, even a small recession was
recorded at -0.3%. This is the real price that
residents of the countries that impose
sanctions against us --- pay for the
ambitions of their politicians,"
he said.
Russia, according to Mishustin -- is focused on
protecting its own interests and development.
At the same time, Mishustin said that he is not entirely
satisfied with the result of the fight against inflation,
although the government is constantly dealing
with this problem.
"There are issues that are always in the focus of
the government’s attention, we work on them
constantly, but we are not satisfied will all
the results," Mishustin said.
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