(2021-05-25). Colombia Tries to Make a Media Splash by Unilaterally Opening its Border with Venezuela. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned that Colombia wants to create a "show" at the border to divert attention from the internal drama that the neighboring country is experiencing, amid more that three weeks of strikes and demonstrations met by brutal and bloody repression. | He stressed that the Duque government seeks to open the border unilaterally, which would signify bad intentions on the part of Bogotá. | The Colombian authorities announced that they estimate the border opening to occur on June 1, to which the Venezuelan president replied this Sunday that: "Nothing unilateral is going to work. If the st…
(2021-05-25). Gaza Hostilities Underscore Role of Int'l Criminal Court. juancole.com By Balkees Jarrah | — Associate Director, International Justice Program | — ( Human Rights Watch ) — Israeli forces have launched relentless airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have fired rockets at Israeli population centers. At least 227 people, including 64 children have been killed in Gaza, …
(2021-05-25). Cuban President Visits Community Project Against Racial Discrimination in Havana. orinocotribune.com 
The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, this Thursday visited the headquarters of a community project against racial discrimination—the Afro-descendant Neighborhood Network—in Havana, in the municipality of La Lisa. | The official Twitter account of the presidency commented on the meeting, where Maritza López, general coordinator of the initiative, received the Cuban president and provided an explanation of the principles and projections of this community initiative. | Photo: Twitter of the Cuban Presidency. | Created nine years ago, this project against racism also maintains relationships with simi…
(2021-05-25). Dominic Cummings: Former advisor reveals Johnson government's herd immunity plan envisaged 800,000 deaths in UK. wsws.org Cummings reveals that the government discussed the hitherto unknown Operation Nimbus, which contemplated the deaths of 800,000 people with "schools told stay open," while 33 million cases of Covid-19 engulfed the population over a "16 week wave".
(2021-05-25). IMF Proposes $50 Billion Vaccine Plan to End Pandemic and Boost Economy. indybay.org As worldwide COVID cases peak, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva unveiled a $50 billion proposal to support vaccinations of 60% of the world's population. During a G20 and European Commission summit, Georgieva argued the global vaccine investment would end the pandemic and spur $9 trillion in economic gains by 2025.
(2021-05-25). US Trying to Extradite Venezuelan Diplomat for the 'Crime' of Securing Food for the Hungry: The Case of Alex Saab v. The Empire. counterpunch.org The case of Alex Saab raises dangerous precedents in terms of extraterritorial judicial abuse, violation of diplomatic status, and even the use of torture to extract false confessions. This is according to Montréal-based international human rights lawyer John Philpot. He spoke on May 19 at a webinar sponsored by the Alliance for Global Justice and
(2021-05-25). Israel to carry out more mass arrests of Palestinians in pursuit of ethnic cleansing. wsws.org Thousands of Israeli security forces from "all units", including border guards and reserve brigades, are to be deployed to carry out raids in the towns and cities with a large Palestinian population—with more than 500 Palestinian homes expected to be raided in the coming days.
(2021-05-24). Headlines for May 24, 2021. democracynow.org Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Holds as Gazans Face Grief and Destruction After Israeli Assault, India's Official COVID Death Toll Passes 300,000, Latin America Tops 1 Million Deaths, Average of Daily U.S. Coronavirus Infections Falls Below 30,000 for First Time Since June, Biden Administration to Extend Temporary Protected Status to 100,000 Haitians in U.S., Belarus Uses Fake Bomb Threat to Divert Plane and Arrest Journalist Critical of President, Deposed Burmese Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Appears in Court for First Time Since February 1 Coup, Bangladeshi Journalist Rozina Islam, Who Reported on Corruption, Granted Bail Af…
(2021-05-24). After Record Deportations, Biden Grants 100K Haitians Chance for Temporary Protected Status. democracynow.org 
The Biden administration is granting more than 100,000 Haitians in the United States the chance to gain temporary protected status, or TPS, which includes work permits and protection from deportation while Haiti suffers a political crisis. Haitian President Jovenel MoàØse continues to refuse calls to step down, even as human rights groups report he has sanctioned attacks against civilians in impoverished neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, with targeted assassinations and threats against government critics carried out with impunity. President Joe Biden deported more Haitians during his first two months than D…
(2021-05-24). Protests through Europe against Israel's war on Gaza. wsws.org The protests took place just 48 hours after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas, but this was widely recognised among those attending the protests as nothing but a tenuous lull before Israel resumes hostilities against a defenceless population.
(2021-05-24). Syrian Refugees and Residents Abroad Vote Massively in Presidential Elections. orinocotribune.com 
May 23 (Special for OrinocoTribune.com)—On Thursday, May 20, Syrian refugees and residents in different countries around the world voted in massive numbers at Syrian diplomatic missions that were turned into polling centers for the presidential elections. This was the first day of voting in a two-day process—within Syria, citizens will go to polls on May 26. | The generally peaceful electoral process was only marred by xenophobic attacks against Syrian voters in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed one voter, reported Syria News. | The first country to open the polling centers was Australia, where Syrians reg…
(2021-05-24). This is not a Crisis — This is a Rebellion: A Report from the Front Lines of Haiti. orinocotribune.com 
By Danny Shaw — May 11, 2021 | All of Haitian society is in revolt. | A mambo and hougan—the traditional voudou priestess and priest—lead ancestral ceremonies before rallies take the streets and block the central arteries of Port-au-Prince, Cap HaàØtien, and other Haitian cities and towns. After one of their members was kidnapped, leaders of the Protestant Church directed its congregation to halt all activities at noon on Wednesday and bat tenèb. Bat tenèb, literally "beat the darkness," is a call for all sectors of Haitian society to beat pots, pans, street lights and anything else as a g…
(2021-05-24). Olympic sized Covid problems for Japan ahead of the Summer Games. peoplesworld.org 
The 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games are now two months away, and the situation does not look good. Current polls show over 80 per cent of the population want the games cancelled. The results are not surprising following the extension of a Covid-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and nine other major cities. Still, there have been no calls by …
(2021-05-24). U.S. trying to extradite Venezuelan Diplomat for the "crime" of securing food for the hungry: the case of Alex Saab v. The Empire. mronline.org 
The case of Alex Saab raises dangerous precedents in terms of extraterritorial judicial abuse, violation of diplomatic status, and even the use of torture to extract false confessions. | May 24, 2021…
(2021-05-24). Venezuela's 'Best Governor' and 2002 'Hero' García Carneiro Dies. venezuelanalysis.com The three-time La Guaira state governor and former defense minister passed away from a heart attack Saturday.
(2021-05-24). Venezuela's COVID-19 Sunday Brief: 1,293 New Cases, 14 Deaths and 93% Recovery Rate. orinocotribune.com On Sunday, May 23, Venezuelan Minister for Communication and Information, Freddy àëáñez, informed that in the last 24 hours 1,293 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Venezuela, of which 1,291 were community transmissions and 2 were imported cases. | àëáñez informed that the state with the most infections is Zulia, with 299 cases in 16 of its 21 municipalities. | The rest of…
(2021-05-24). Venezuela to Start New Vaccination Phase with 1.3 Million Doses from China. orinocotribune.com The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced that 1.3 million new COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in the country from China, which would help to accelerate mass vaccination in the country. | During his speech this Sunday, May 23, the president clarified that a new phase of vaccination will start this week, with the aim to get 70% of the population vaccinated by the end of August. | "This week, a new phase of vaccination starts in the country; 1,300,000 new vaccines arrived in Venezuelans from China. More vaccines are arriving this week, and even more doses are yet to come," he stated in his Sunday address…
(2021-05-24). [Research Paper] A population-based analysis of the longevity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seropositivity in the United States. thelancet.com Observational data from a national clinical laboratory, though limited by an epidemiological view of the U.S. population, offer an encouraging timeline for the development and sustainability of antibodies up to ten months from natural infection and could inform post-pandemic planning.
(2021-05-24). It's Past Time to End U.S. Funding of Israeli Violence. counterpunch.org At the end of 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic was continuing to ravage the populations of many nations, Israel stood out as a success story, administering more doses of vaccines to its modest-sized 9-million-strong population than any other country after China, the U.S., and the UK. Today, more than 60 percent of Israelis are vaccinated,
(2021-05-24). Alex Saab v. The Empire: How the US Is Using Lawfare To Punish a Venezuelan Diplomat. mintpressnews.com That the US can engineer the arrest of a diplomat — someone who has immunity by international law even in the time of war — is a dangerous precedent.