MBDA’s Alabama factory makes components for Boeing’s GBU-39 bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. Its profits flow through Stevenage to Paris — and it is one of the British government’s favourite firms, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
Brasilia summit: Lula and Maduro reboot regional integration
In a blow to US hegemony, the revival of Unasur at a summit of 13 Latin American leaders demonstrates the region’s shift back to the left and the rehabilitation of Venezuela, writes FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ
Leaders of South American nations pose for a group photo during the South American Summit at Itamaraty palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. From left; Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, Suriname's President Chan Santokhi, Guyana's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, Bolivia's President Luis Arce, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, Chile's President Gabriel Boric, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benitez, Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou and Peru's Prime Minister Alberto Otarola.
President Maduro mobilises the 4.5 million-strong Bolivarian National Militia in response to US ‘threats’, vowing to defend the country’s sovereignty and independence, DEVIN B MARTINEZ reports
Washington plays innocent bystander while pouring weapons and intelligence into Ukraine, just as it enables the Gaza genocide — but every US escalation leaves Ukraine weaker than the neutrality deal rejected in 2022, argue MEDEA BENJAMIN and NICOLAS JS DAVIES
For those in the West, hunger is often just the familiar feeling of a growling stomach between meals — in Gaza, it has become a strategic weapon of slow, systematic and deadly destruction, writes MARC VANDEPITTE
After almost two decades of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism, once led by Evo Morales, right-wing parties have emerged in the lead after the first round of elections on August 17 and are now in control of the legislature, reports PABLO MERIGUET
DAVID MATTHEWS looks at what a collective future for welfare might have in store for us
BRAZIL’S President Lula invited all 13 presidents from South America to a summit on May 30 aimed at developing a collective and “common vision and relaunching decisive actions for sustainable development, peace and the well-being of our peoples.”
Lula presented 10 proposals to bring about the region’s rapprochement — a consensual approach to economic, social and cultural issues.
Peru’s de facto ruler Dina Boluarte was not present because Peru’s right-wing congress did not authorise her to attend.
More from this author
FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ asks what we should read into the sudden doubling of Washington’s outrageous bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s head
FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ gets the measure of what the new administration in Washington could have in store for Latin America, where Trump’s previous government had a notorious track record of hostility
While Maduro promises more social progress from wages to housing, the right-wing opposition prepares to cry ‘rigged’ as Washington imposes new oil sanctions, reports FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ
FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ explains that Venezuela’s plan to absorb parts of Guyana is a dispute that dates back to the 1800s and the colonial era. Now, a peaceful solution must be found
