The Mandelson scandal reveals a political settlement in which democratic choice is curtailed and the power of markets eclipses the will of voters – only the left can challenge this, writes JON TRICKETT MP
THE imprisonment of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab in Florida since October 2021 exemplifies the US’s vicious assault on Venezuela and its disregard for international law.
According to Venezuelan government sources, Saab was arrested at a refuelling stop in Cape Verde in June 2020 by order of the US while he was carrying out official duties as a Venezuelan special envoy. This serious violation of international law was part of the drive by president Trump to make its illegal coercive sanctions against Venezuela bite even harder.
At the time of his arrest, a few months into the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Venezuelan government argues Saab was flying to Iran on a mission to obtain food, medical supplies and other essential items for the people of Venezuela, to alleviate the increasingly harsh impacts of the US blockade against his country.
International solidarity can ensure that Trump and his machine cannot prevail without a level of political and economic cost that he will not want to pay, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Calls have been made for the return to Venezuela of a two-year-old girl currently being held in the US, after being separated from her family by immigration officials, reports SUSAN GREY



