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Latin American Publications!
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1027
1
PEMEX & Mexico’s Energy Ministry Remain Silent on All Crude Oil Shipments to Cuba
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Alejandro Alegría originally appeared in the January 30, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Neither the Ministry of Energy (Sener) nor Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) issued comments regarding the tariff measures that the United States will take against countries that sell oil to Cuba
After US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on goods from nations that supply crude oil to the island, La Jornada requested a statement from both the company and the Ministry of Energy (Sener); however, the Ministry of Economy’s communications department indicated that there would be no comment, as the matter was not within its purview.
This comes just days after Bloomberg and Reuters reported that Mexico had suspended fuel shipments to Cuba, which are used for electricity generation. Granma reported energy shortages, despite the island having around 49 photovoltaic plants, which are insufficient to meet demand.
In recent days, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated that the shipments to the island are for humanitarian reasons, which is not a new claim. She added that on other occasions, shipments are also made under existing contracts.
According to reports submitted by Pemex to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), since July 2023, its subsidiary Gasolinas Bienestar has been purchasing energy products from the company for sale to Cuba. Between January and September 2025, Gasolinas Bienestar exported 17,200 barrels per day of crude oil and 2,000 barrels per day of petroleum products, for a total of 7.9 billion pesos, equivalent to 400 million dollars.
Information released by the company indicates that these sales represented 3.3 percent of total crude oil exports and 1.8 percent of total petroleum product exports, respectively.
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PEMEX & Mexico’s Energy Ministry Remain Silent on All Crude Oil Shipments to Cuba
January 30, 2026January 30, 2026
PEMEX canceled a scheduled oil shipment this month.
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Trump Signs Executive Order: Punitive Measures Against Any Country “that directly or indirectly provides oil” to Cuba
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
The US President wants to destroy Cuba and starve its population and he wants Mexico to help. Or else.
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Can I Borrow You For A Minute? UK MP Zarah Sultana on Trans-Atlantic Anti-imperialism
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
While oppression may take different forms in different places, the same forces are behind attacks on democracy in Latin America and assaults on civil liberties in the global north.
The post PEMEX & Mexico’s Energy Ministry Remain Silent on All Crude Oil Shipments to Cuba appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
1028
1
Caracas and Washington Agree to ‘Reopen’ Venezuelan Airspace, American Airlines to Resume Flights
(venezuelanalysis.com)
1029
1
Foreign Minister Yván Gil Commends Pan-African Anti-Colonial Support for Venezuela
(orinocotribune.com)
1030
1031
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Marco Rubio Testifies to US Senate About Attack on Venezuela: His Claims Do Not Add Up
(orinocotribune.com)
1032
8
Trump Signs Executive Order: Punitive Measures Against Any Country “that directly or indirectly provides oil” to Cuba
(mexicosolidarity.com)
The same day after a 40 minute phone call between himself and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency “and establishing a process to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell or otherwise provide oil to Cuba, protecting U.S. national security and foreign policy from the Cuban regime’s malign actions and policies.”
- The Order imposes a new tariff system that allows the United States to impose additional tariffs on imports from any country that directly or indirectly provides oil to Cuba.
- The Order authorizes the Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce to take all necessary actions, including issuing rules and guidance, to implement the tariff system and related measures.
- The President may modify the Order if Cuba or affected countries take significant steps to address the threat or align with U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives.
This week, a Bloomberg report said that a scheduled PEMEX shipment of oil to Cuba from Mexico was cancelled, leading to multiple questions for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during her morning press conferences. President Sheinbaum specified that there were two paths for oil to arrive in Cuba from Mexico: via PEMEX, and as humanitarian aid, and said that humanitarian aid to Cuba, which could include oil, was not cancelled but would not specify when the next shipment would be sent. A reporter asked, “Will the shipment of oil as humanitarian aid continue?,” and the President responded, “We have to determine that based on the request.”
Mexicans pay homage on the 173rd Anniversary of the birth of José Martí in Guadalupe, Zacatecas.
The peoples of Mexico and Cuba share a long revolutionary bond, from the post-revolutionary period in Mexico when Cuban communist and revolutionary Julio Antonio Mella was assassinated in Mexico City by Cuban dictator Gerardo Machado; to the Granma expedition of 1956, which departed from Veracruz for Cuba with Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, Che Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos, and 78 others onboard; including President Sheinbaum’s own grandfather and uncle, Chone and Solomon Sheinbaum, who were members of the Communist Party of Cuba in the 1920s, before being deported to Mexico; and to the many solidarity events which have taken place this week across Mexico, in honour of José Martí’s birthday.
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Trump Signs Executive Order: Punitive Measures Against Any Country “that directly or indirectly provides oil” to Cuba
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
The US President wants to destroy Cuba and starve its population and he wants Mexico to help. Or else.
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Can I Borrow You For A Minute? UK MP Zarah Sultana on Trans-Atlantic Anti-imperialism
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
While oppression may take different forms in different places, the same forces are behind attacks on democracy in Latin America and assaults on civil liberties in the global north.
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Cuban Embassy Denounces US Blockade Tightening & Persecution of Those Who Help
January 29, 2026
Johana Tablada asserted that the Cuban people will follow the example of their national hero in defending the island’s right to choose its own destiny.
The post Trump Signs Executive Order: Punitive Measures Against Any Country “that directly or indirectly provides oil” to Cuba appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
1033
3
Can I Borrow You For A Minute? UK MP Zarah Sultana on Trans-Atlantic Anti-imperialism
(mexicosolidarity.com)
What does international solidarity mean in practice? In this interview, recorded at Progressive International’s “Nuestra América” conference in Bogotá, Kurt Hackbarth speaks with Zarah Sultana, UK MP and co-founder of the incipient left-wing party Your Party. International connections, Sultana argues, must grow from the reality of our interconnected lives: while oppression may take different forms in different places, the same forces are behind attacks on democracy in Latin America and assaults on civil liberties in the global north. What is at stake, she reminds us, is the fundamental right to self-determination in the face of imperialism. Calling out the UK for acting as a “poodle” of US foreign policy, Sultana closes with a call for all voices to join the fight against fascism — from political parties to trade unions to social movements.
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Trump Signs Executive Order: Punitive Measures Against Any Country “that directly or indirectly provides oil” to Cuba
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
The US President wants to destroy Cuba and starve its population and he wants Mexico to help. Or else.
-
Can I Borrow You For A Minute? UK MP Zarah Sultana on Trans-Atlantic Anti-imperialism
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
While oppression may take different forms in different places, the same forces are behind attacks on democracy in Latin America and assaults on civil liberties in the global north.
-
Cuban Embassy Denounces US Blockade Tightening & Persecution of Those Who Help
January 29, 2026
Johana Tablada asserted that the Cuban people will follow the example of their national hero in defending the island’s right to choose its own destiny.
The post Can I Borrow You For A Minute? UK MP Zarah Sultana on Trans-Atlantic Anti-imperialism appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
1034
By Justin Podur – Jan 28, 2026
A review of the available evidence
Iran, the Sanctioned Economy
Before a military analysis of the demonstrations of January 1-15, let’s look at Iran’s economic problem and the origin of the December 28 demonstrations.
Iran faces a unique set of problems. Surrounded by US military bases, facing both the US and Israel that have stated that they want not solely its surrender but its destruction and partition, its scientists and military personnel facing assassination wherever they go in the world, its economy under one of the most severe sanctions regimes in the world with its oil and ships periodically stolen on the high seas. All the same, the people still need jobs and incomes and development.
Some Iran watchers fantasize that if Iran could convince Israel and the US of its peaceful intentions, that the West would lift the sanctions and Iran could have a normal economic life. Iranian American Virginia Tech professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani expressed such a fantasy in a January 9 article, “The Economic Roots of Iran’s Protests”. The economist concludes: “Iran’s government cannot credibly promise to stabilize exchange rates or tame inflation any time soon. The one move that could offer relatively quick economic relief – and to which the government could credibly commit – is a cessation of hostilities with Israel and the US.” Leaving aside the moral bankruptcy of normalizing with genocidal Israel as a means of sanctions relief, the absurdity of thinking that a unilateral cessation of hostilities from the Iranian side would be met with anything but increased violence from the US and Israel should be apparent to anyone that has been awake for any amount of time in the past several decades (never mind since 2023). Salehi-Isfahani’s prescriptions – predictably for a mainstream US-based economist – are for “free-market” remedies: basically, letting the Iranian currency float. Like all neoliberal cures, this remedy would be fatal for the patient (which could be why the US prescribes it to its enemies). Netherlands-based economist Kayhan Valadbaygi argues that Iran has built a “welfare-warfare state”, but the problem is that it has done so “without a firm economic basis to maintain it.”
Many Iranian policy makers were educated in these US schools of economics and believe that if they can play by Western rules they can get sanctions lifted and enter a free market utopia. But as Nahid Poresa told Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone in an interview on January 22, a more realistic approach would be to accept the sanctions as a permanent fact of life instead of having false hope that they would be lifted, and commit fully to a “look east” economic policy with Russian and Chinese (also sanctioned) partners. To, instead of accepting the de facto dollarization of the Iranian economy, use the local currency to run the national economy and limit foreign exchange through capital controls. Iran already does many of these things: its multiple-exchange rate system is an evolution based on the sanctions situation. Industries have built a certain resilience in spite of – or perhaps because of – the sanctions regime which effectively shielded local industries from exposure to competitors. There is a barter trade with neighbours. There are subsidies for gasoline and bread. The Pezeshkian government’s challenge to these latter policies and the threat to cut some of these subsidies and to unify the exchange rate system – these are what led to the collapse of the currency and to the December 28th protests. Western-based economists looking at Iran argue the exact opposite: that the neoliberal reforms are the one good thing the Iranian government wants to do, and that the heterodox adaptations that have enabled people to survive the sanctions are deviations from orthodoxy that need to be removed. Like Israel and the US, these economists are trying to kill Iran.
Why would Iranian economic and political leaders go along with this? Financialization is the fashion and Iran’s banking system is growing more complex with a greater role for private banking and therefore opportunities for truly magical profits, as one Tasnim article from November argues (I read an auto-translation). A harsher assessment is provided by sociologist Yousef Abazari, who laments the naivete of Iran’s economic policy makers who don’t understand that economics isn’t science, that there are very different schools of thought in the field, and that the economics “experts” at the helm of Iran’s economy have the same fatal prescriptions that the Americans want – austerity, misery and oligarchy. Abazari asks sardonically, what’s the point of resisting America if Iran implements the same economic policies on its people? Iran has been attacked by many Western weapons, but among the worst weapons seems to be giving a Western economics education to many of Iran’s leaders.
Still, the most orthodox free-marketeers will turn to things like rationing, planning, barter, and capital controls as a matter of survival. Iran’s policies of solidarity with others in similar situations like Venezuela expose people to a diversity of methods for dealing with economic warfare. What most free-market oriented Iranian officials and Western Iran watchers agree on is that neoliberal austerity is the right direction, which is why it doesn’t come up as a subject of debate. It is the wrong direction.
Iran also needs a tech stack like China has to replace Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. so that people aren’t using US tech companies obsessed with their overthrow and assassination to communicate with one another. Iran has several allies that aren’t bent on its destruction and is full of educated scientists and engineers who make things work and can take the reins away from the Chicago boys. Iran could get out of this one yet.
The economic and university protests
On December 28, facing the end of the multiple exchange-rate system that immediately tanked the value of the local currency, economically motivated protests began against the loss of their purchasing power and a proposed austerity budget. There were more protests the following day and on December 30th, including at universities, where students also protested for their right to protest.
The Iranian president and other officials stated that they would change some of the proposed policies and look at better solutions to the economic problems.
That is the end of the economics discussion and of the economics protest. Beginning January 1, the nature of the protests changed.
January 1-15: A review of NYT and WaPo coverage
I reviewed the main news articles in the New York Times and the Washington Poston the protests from December 30 through to January 15. I was looking in particular at events described and the sourcing of the claims. NYT and WaPo are outlets that are against the Iranian government and in favor of US and Israeli policy towards Iran (regime change, destruction of the state, partition, etc.) I also reviewed all of the videos and comments posted by the pro-Iran aggregator @AryJeay on twitter, “Fotros Resistance” on telegram. I took screenshots of each important video and saved important text from the articles as a slight hedge against the impermanence of the internet.
There is little different between NYT and WaPo coverage in terms of politics, depth, or sourcing. None seem to have reporters present in Iran and bylines are from Beirut, Istanbul, or Jerusalem. Sourcing is often to “according to videos posted on social media”, which is a cheap way of covering world events. Both NYT and WaPo also quoted (if somewhat mockingly) Iranian news outlets such as Tasnim and Fars. There are also interviews with pseudonymous people who tell their ordinary stories of what they’ve seen, with last names not provided. Finally, for the all-important casualty numbers, US- and German-based human rights organizations are cited. The most frequently cited is HRANA, the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Alan MacLeod of MintPress news reported that the Fairfax, Virginia based organization received $900,000 in funding from the United States’s National Endowment for Democracy in 2024 alone. Also frequently cited is the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran (ABCHRI), also funded by NED, and the Center for Human Rights in Iran, also funded by NED.
On January 1, the NYT cited “footage circulating on social media” to describe protesters pulling a gate open in Fasa, chanting “death to the dictator” in Hamedan, closing their stores in Tehran chanting “don’t be afraid, we’re all together”. NYT supplemented their “videos showed” with an interview with “Yaser”, who saw protesting shopkeepers first hand at a bazaar in Tehran. On January 2, NYT stated that a 21-year old Basij militia member had been killed – the first casualty, on the government side, which the NYT sourced to Iranian government news agency Tasnim. On January 3, the NYT led with Trump’s Truth Social post: “If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” NYT also cited Israel’s minister of innovation, Gila Gamliel, who posted to X, “Israel is with you, and we support you in every way possible.”
On January 4-5, coverage was dominated by the US raid on Venezuela and kidnapping of its president and first lady.
On January 6, the NYT reported that things had calmed down, and was reproducing Iranian news outlets describing the organization and violence of the protests of the previous day, mentioning “videos on social media” showing protesters firing assault rifles into the air while chanting “Death to Khamenei”. “But in Tehran, with the exception of the bazaar downtown, the university campus, and a few working-class neighborhoods, the city seemed normal, residents said in interviews and videos on social media suggested. Ski resorts north of Tehran were packed with affluent day trippers.”
But Reza Pahlavi made a call and an op-ed on January 6, calling people to overthrow the regime and calling on the US to intervene.
The peak days of the campaign were January 8 and 9, covered in the NYT on the 9th and 10th. On the 9th, the NYT was estimating 27-36 had been killed up to the 8th; also, citing NetBlocks, NYT noted that the internet in Iran had been shut down on the 8th. Notably, NYT cites no organization, no manifesto, no political demands, no slogans, no placards. Here is their description of the protests on the January 8th:
In telephone interviews, more than a dozen witnesses said that they saw large crowds forming on Thursday night in neighborhoods across Tehran, the capital, and in cities around Iran, including Mashhad, Bushehr, Shiraz and Isfahan. They said the crowds were diverse, with men and women, young and old. The people interviewed inside Iran asked that their names not be published out of fear of retribution.
One resident of Tehran said that the crowds were chanting, ‘’Death to Khamenei,’‘ referring to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and ‘’freedom, freedom.’‘ The chants could be heard from several blocks away in the affluent neighborhood of Shahrak Gharb in Tehran, which had until now sat out the protests.
Videos filmed on Thursday night showed government buildings on fire across the country, including in Tehran, as protests grew. While the protests were mostly peaceful early in the evening, violence broke out later in the night in Tehran, with demonstrators setting fire to cars, buildings and items in the street. A video verified by The New York Times shows fires in the streets of Kaj Square in the capital, with thousands of protesters flooding the area.
In Karaj, a suburb west of Tehran, a video verified by The Times showed protesters fleeing after gunshots were fired, though it is unclear from the videos whether it was security forces firing.
On January 10, citing HRANA and others, NYT said deaths were in the “dozens” (up to January 9th).
After January 11, NYT depends increasingly on “Videos shared” as their primary source. On the 11th, notably, the highest estimate printed for numbers killed was 65 protesters. The Washington Post ran an op-ed by Reza Pahlavi stating that he was ready for a transition.
As the protests died down, the casualty numbers leapt. On January 12, WaPo cited a HRANA figure of 490 protesters killed. They backed this up with “A senior Western official who was briefed on the matter”, who “said hundreds were killed”. The official “spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media” (!) On January 14, WaPo came back with a HRANA figure of 2,000 killed, an anonymous source speaking from the suburbs calling it a “full-on war” but who couldn’t see properly because she “didn’t have my glasses or contact lenses”. On January 15, WaPo came back citing Bari Weiss’s CBS in an editorial by Marc Thiessen, “There is no US downside to striking the Iranian regime”, with new casualty figures of 12,000 and potentially as many as 20,000. Diminutive German-Iranian lobbyist for Reza Pahlavi, Amir Parasta, gave a figure of 30,304. Parasta also tweeted offering Iran’s assets to Turkey, and of course praising Reza Pahlavi.
January 1-15: A review of the videos
In order to fill out their pseudonymous interviews, NYT and WaPo freely cited Iranian news agencies. In the same period, pseudonymous pro-Iran social media account AryJeay / Fotros Resistance aggregated a comprehensive set of videos from Iranian news, cellphones, and CCTV footage. One aggregator, IntelonIran, estimated a peak of 11,000 demonstrators on the streets on the night of January 8, before the internet was shut down. According to this source, 11,000 was the highest number of people on the streets. The economic protests were long ended and the violent riots had been ongoing for a week, so it is safe to assume all 11,000 of these were people working for regime change.
The five ways of attack
Rather than repeat a chronology, I will compile the five different kinds of attacks that appear in these videos. I made a rough map of the locations of the attacks as well.
- The Jump. A crowd jumps a single bystander or security, beats him and/or burns his vehicle
January 1, location unspecified, rioters throw rocks at the home and burn the car.
Hamedan, January 1, rioters jump a security guard and beat him down (CCTV).
January 2, location unspecified. Shop owner, Ali Azizi, killed by 6 rioters.
January 2, Qom. Rioter sets a shop on fire.
January 4. Hamedan. Rioters jump a police officer and beat him.
January 5, Isfahan. 2 rioters jump a police officer and beat him with an iron bar. Cellphone footage.
January 7. Colonel Shahin Dehghan, Malard County near Tehran, stabbed to death.
January 7, Kermahshah. Rioters kick a man on the ground with his pants pulled down: this is a standard procedure, pull their pants down and then beat and kick them on the ground.
January 8, location unspecified, rioters jump a man and kick and beat him.
January 8, Ahvaz City. CCTV footage of a group of rioters overpowering an elderly man, beating him, and burning his car.
January 8, Noorabad County, Lorestan. Cellphone footage of rioters destroying a car.
January 9, Gohardasht, Karaj. Group of rioters jump a man and beat him. Cellphone footage.
January 9, Tehran. CCTV footage of armed rioters attacking a police officer.
- The attack on first responders. Rioters attack ambulances, fire, buses or emergency response vehicles
January 2, Tehran. Rioters attack an ambulance.
Between January 6-9, rioters burned several Red Crescent centers throughout Iran.
January 9, Mashhad. An Iranian firefighter burned to death.
January 9, Mobarakeh, Isfahan. Photo of a torched fire truck.
January 9: authorities report 15 buses burned on January 8-9, 600 signs and railings, and the Metro stormed in Mashhad.
January 9: authorities report 50 fire trucks nationwide – a fire station in Mashhad, 15 vehicle in Isfahan, 5 in Ahvaz, a fire station in Shiraz, and the Red Crescent Building in Izeh, all attacked over Jan 8-9.
January 10, rioters attack and burn a bus in Isfahan. CCTV footage.
January 10. Rioters burn several buses in Mashhad.
- Gun battles. A street gun battle between rioters and law enforcement
Kudasht, December 31. 13 officers injured, 20 armed rioters arrested, 1 police officer burned, one Basiji (22 years old Amir Hesam Khodayari-Fard) killed.
January 3, location unspecified. Cell phone footage of a rioter using a flamethrower against a police motorcycle convoy.
January 5. Yasuj. Armed rioter shoots at bypassers and security.
January 5. Koushk. Armed rioters attack a pro-government march.
January 6. Tehran. Clash between police and rioters in front of Sina hospital. Both sides claim the other threw tear gas on the street.
January 7, Charmahal, Bakhtiari. Close up footage of a masked rioter with a keffiyah covering his face and baseball cap shouting Marg Bar Khamenei and shooting off-frame with a shotgun.
January 8, location unspecified. Shooters ambush a police motorcycle convoy, shooting them as they drive by.
January 8, Kermanshah. Nightvision camera / CCTV captures shooters shooting (but not what they’re shooting).
January 8, Hamedan. Rioters kill a police major, Mohammed Javed Bakshian and 6 civilians. A news item on the aftermath shows destroyed buildings and some CCTV footage of the riots.
January 9, Tabarsi Boulevard, Mashhad. Rioting leads to deaths, including security forces’ Mostafa Abufazeli.
January 9, 8:50pm. Shushtar videos of rifle man and shotgun man, and of a female rioter with a machete.
January 10. Police claim to have killed 1 rioter in a firefight in Mashhad.
January 10. Police claim to have killed 1 and arrested 6 rioters in Ilam.
- Attacks on buildings or on people. Rioters shoot or throw Molotov Cocktails at public or private buildings or at security personnel or other people
Arak, December 31 night time, cellphone video.
January 3, Zahedan. Masked rioters loot a grocery store. CCTV footage.
January 6. Abdanan. Protesters loot a supermarket, Ofogh Kourosh, dump all the rice in the street, and take selfies (does this remind you of anything?)
January 7. Location unspecified. Rioters burn down a religious bookstore.
January 8, burning of a Basij seminary. Location unspecified.
January 8, Alireza, 17, shot and killed.
January 8, 2-year old Bahareh, shot in Shahid Beheshti street in Nishapur, died January 15.
January 8, 3-year old Melina in Kermanshah, going to a pharmacy with her parents shot by armed rioters.
January 8, location unspecified. CCTV footage of rioters vandalizing a bank.
January 8, rioters burn the shrine of Sabzeqaba, CCTV footage from various cameras.
January 8, rioters burn the Shahid Montazeri mosque in Shushtar.
January 8, 15th Khordad Square in Shushtar, rioters attack a passerby on a truck.
January 8, Ardebil. Phone video of armed masked rioters attacking a grocery store and a Sepah bank.
January 8, Ilam Province, village of Lumar. Rioters attack the Keshavarzi bank. Cellphone footage.
January 9, Mahdieh Mosque in Karaj. Rioters burn the mosque and Qurans in the mosque. Whose operating procedure is that?
January 9, Sabzevar, Khorasan. CCTV footage shows a Molotov attack on a civilian house.
January 9, Mobarakeh, Isfahan. Torched a grocery store, totally burned.
January 9, Sabzevar, Khorasan. CCTV of children running from a Molotov attack.
January 9, Gorgan, Golestan. Several shops and other areas torched.
January 9, location unspecified. Rioter throwing a Molotov at a civilian home.
- Attacks on state symbols. Rioters attack a governor’s office or police station.
Fasa City governor’s office December 31. Cellphone video.
Azna, Lorestan, January 1. Several police vehicles set on fire, 3 killed, 7 injured.
January 1, 9am. Lordegan Governor’s office. Masked rioters throw stones and shoot at police.
January 2, Police Station 11 Marvdasht (Fars Province), rioters try to seize the station and are scattered when police fire into the air.
January 3, Tabriz. Rioter uses Molotovs to try to set the Tabriz Chamber of Builds building on fire. Cellphone footage.
January 4. Malekshahi, Ilam Province. Rioters attempt to storm a Basij outpost and are scattered when police fire into the air.
January 8, 200 rioters with molotov cocktails attack the residence of Salam al-Zawawi, the Palestinian Ambassador. Who would want to attack the Palestinian Ambassador in particular?
January 8, attack on police station 126, Tehranpars. Police and Basij were killed.
New Mossad Recruitment Ads Exploit Iran’s Unrest With Help From US Comedian
No politics, organized on the internet
AryJeay commented: “In this year’s riots, we see no prior statements, organized gatherings, formal protests, or specific pre-announced locations. Suddenly, a group pours into the streets and riots in specific locations that are close to sensitive, infrastructural, vital, and security-military sites. They then steer the riot toward these locations in order to gain access to firearms and ammunition.”
Rioters always dressed in black and were masked. They moved around at night with confidence and fluidly knew how to burn motorcycles, take the rods off of street signs, wield machetes and swords, and use shotguns and rifles.
In confessions shown on Iranian TV, arrested rioters say they were recruited based on their online behavior and what kinds of posts they “liked”, then messaged and organized and trained via Telegram and WhatsApp, paid specific rates based on what kinds of attacks they could prove they did (using video evidence), and some were ultimately told they were of no value and shot by their handlers. “They had precise intelligence of coordination with separatists and terrorists on the part of US and Israel. “They even planned for each separated region to draft its own constitution, and they directed arms smuggling, as well as financial & logistical support.” The rates are around $6000 for killing people, $2375 for burning each vehicle, $850 for burning police stations, $175 for any other disruption.”
Other arrested rioters told news agencies that they felt they had been set up to die in fires, sent up into buildings to set fires only to find their planned exit blocked. Iranian authorities called this “project killings”, in which riot organizers killed other rioters with the intent of blaming the state for the deaths.
One arrested rioter said: “The same person who called for the unrest attacked me, and after some time passed, he shot me and said, ‘You’re no longer of any use.’” Team leaders pursued manufacturing deaths and provoking public emotions by killing their own operatives and rioters with close-range shots to the head.”
By January 10, likely due to the internet shutdown on the 8-9, the tide had turned and on January 12, there were massive demonstrations in support of the government (there had been these all along, including mass funerals, but this was the largest culmination).
Iran also jammed the Starlink network and reported arrests and unraveling of networks, safe houses, and seizure of massive numbers of weapons over the following days, before finally restoring internet connectivity more than a week later.
The Iranian medical authorities gave the following summary of all damage: 184 ambulances attacked and damaged. 6 completely destroyed and burned. Directly hit with bullets in Teheran. Molotov cocktail attack on an ambulance in Rafsanjan while on active mission. 54 injured. 4 hospitals attacked.
AryJeay gave the following roundup of property damage: 250 mosques damaged. 20 religious centers. Imamanieh mosque in Golestan province. Hundreds of vehicles burned in Teheran. 364 large stores. 419 small stores. Damage reported across 30 provinces. $5.3 million in fire department vehicles. $14 million in bank damages. 317 bank branches destroyed. 4700 bank branches damaged. 1400 ATMs damaged. 250 ATMs permanently out of service. $6.6 million in damages to electricity sector. 265 schools damaged. 3 libraries set on fire. 8 cultural heritage sites damaged. 4 cinemas (Tehran, Nishapur, Boruejd, Shahin Shahr).
Ayatollah Khamenei explained in a speech the state’s theory of how the riots had unfolded: ‘one group of individuals carefully selected, identified, and trained abroad. Others, malicious elements and criminals. And others, naive teenagers: “These are the foot soldiers. Their mission is to go and attack a place, like a police station, a house, an office, a bank, an industrial center, an electricity facility. That is their mission. The ringleaders gather in groups of 10, 20, or 50 people each, guide them, and tell them: You must go here, do this, and commit crimes, and they do.”’
The final Iranian government tally of those killed in the insurgency was over 3,000. AryJeay estimates ⅔ of these were pro-government security forces and civilians, and ⅓ were rioters. This is higher than the 1,000+ Iranians killed in the 12-day war with Israel and the US in 2025.
What was this? A military analysis
The US and Israel were open about Mossad’s support for the rioters and for their goal, the destruction of the Iranian state. Mike Pompeo tweeted “happy new year to the protesters and to Mossad walking beside them.” Mossad told protesters “we are with you, in the field.” Trump posted to protesters that help was on the way, and as the riots unfolded – attacking groceries, emergency responders, government buildings, mosques, and random people on the street to sow insecurity and terror – a US armada approached Iran. As that armada approached, the US-backed regime in Syria made a final push in the Northeast to reach the Iraq border, releasing thousands of Islamic State prisoners.
The riots may have been envisioned to have achieved more than they did – and they might have done, had the state not shut down the internet and starlink – causing the state to approach collapse just in time for a US invasion to finish Iran off.
The state didn’t collapse, but the war may be coming regardless.
(Substack)
From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.
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Cuban Embassy Denounces US Blockade Tightening & Persecution of Those Who Help
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Arturo Sánchez Jiménez originally appeared in the January 28, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. At the José Martí Cultural Center, the diplomat emphasized that even the shipment of fuel and food to Cuba is currently being “criminalized.” “Who could possibly think it’s a crime for a ship to enter Cuba with food, with fuel that we use for lighting, cooking, and transportation?” she asked, arguing that the U.S. measures aim to prevent any basic commercial activity on the island.
The United States “persecutes anyone who might help Cubans,” stated Johana Tablada, deputy chief of mission at the Cuban embassy in Mexico, on Wednesday, denouncing the tightening of the blockade and new actions that, she said, seek to suffocate the island. At a ceremony commemorating the 173rd anniversary of José Martí’s birth, Tablada, speaking on behalf of Ambassador Eugenio Martínez—who was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances—asserted that the Cuban people will follow the example of their national hero in defending the island’s right to choose its own destiny.
Tablada asserted that the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States not only remains in place but has intensified in recent years, directly impacting the daily lives of Cuban families. He stated that Washington “is doing everything necessary to impoverish Cuba, destabilize it, and regain its dominance,” while simultaneously persecuting third countries, banks, and companies that attempt to maintain normal relations with the island.
The diplomatic representative linked this policy to a long history of aggression against Cuban sovereignty, from the imposition of the Guantanamo naval base to the current unilateral coercive measures. She affirmed that, in the face of this scenario, the figure of José Martí continues to be a source of inspiration for resistance. “Martí gives us strength to resist and overcome today, in the midst of the greatest adversity,” she said, highlighting his anti-imperialist thought and his defense of the dignity of the peoples of the Americas.
In her speech, Tablada also explicitly thanked Mexico for its historic stance against the blockade. She acknowledged the Mexican government’s constant support in international forums and the solidarity of the Mexican people with Cuba. “We are very grateful to Mexico for its unwavering support and its constant calls to end the abuse that the blockade represents against the Cuban people,” he said.
She maintained that Cuba will continue to pursue a “civilized and respectful” relationship with the United States, but without relinquishing its sovereignty. “Do not mistreat us, and we will not mistreat you. Respect us, and we will respect you,” he said, quoting Martí.
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Cuban Embassy Denounces US Blockade Tightening & Persecution of Those Who Help
January 29, 2026
Johana Tablada asserted that the Cuban people will follow the example of their national hero in defending the island’s right to choose its own destiny.
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Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
“[Justice] must get closer to reality, and to get closer to reality we need method, we need knowledge, we need systematization, we need the people who demand justice, who cry out for justice, who mobilize out there.”
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People’s Mañanera January 29
January 29, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Donald Trump phonecall, relations with Canada, revising the story of Ryan Wedding’s “arrest”, Sinaloa security, and Interoceanic train derailment.
The post Cuban Embassy Denounces US Blockade Tightening & Persecution of Those Who Help appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
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Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Ivan Evair Saldaña originally appeared in the January 29, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) created the Community Research System (SIC), a mechanism that seeks to incorporate the legal knowledge of indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples—derived from their history, practices and defense of human rights—into the drafting of resolutions by judges, magistrates and ministers of the country.
The SIC, which is part of the Center for Constitutional Studies and Legal Knowledge (CECSJ) of the high court, expands the traditional vision of law, makes legal pluralism a reality and allows this knowledge to become part of its national history, said Supreme Court President Hugo Aguilar Ortiz during the presentation ceremony of the system.
“I am convinced that justice must abandon formality. I say it won’t be abandoned entirely, but it must get closer to reality, and to get closer to reality we need method, we need knowledge, we need systematization, we need the people who demand justice, who cry out for justice, who mobilize out there, to systematize their arguments and bring them to us. And for that, research is required, applied research,” criticized the representative of the Federal Judiciary (PJF).
Supreme Court President, Hugo Aguilar Ortiz
He also emphasized that the goal is to transform the justice system through applied research that directly impacts sentences and conflict resolution, overcoming views that have historically minimized community knowledge.
“You could say that outside, in the Western world, art is produced, but if we see something in rural communities, it’s called crafts, it has less value. If it’s a rule established by the State, it’s law; but if the community produces it, it’s custom and tradition. If we see a priest performing his ritual, well, he’s a priest, but if we see our village elder perform a cleansing, a ritual, well, he’s a witch doctor. If someone tells a story, well, it’s not documented, it’s part of oral tradition, it’s a myth, but if a scholar tells it, it’s history. Anything that Indigenous people produce, anything that our very being produces; you can stand up and say, well, he’s Indigenous, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t have the capacity,” he emphasized.
Orlando Aragón Andrade, director general of the CECSJ, pointed out that, given the plurality of justice and legal systems, it is necessary to build bridges of dialogue to move toward a more democratic society and a more inclusive court. In turn, Iván Ramos Méndez, representing the head of the INPI, Adelfo Regino Montes, stated that following the 2024 constitutional reform, there are more than 16,000 normative systems in force in Mexico.
Also participating in the presentation were Catalina Ramírez Hernández, from the Judicial Administration Body; Palmira Flores García, an indigenous community researcher from San Luis Potosí; and Sael Silva Cisneros, an Afro-Mexican community researcher from Guerrero.
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Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
“[Justice] must get closer to reality, and to get closer to reality we need method, we need knowledge, we need systematization, we need the people who demand justice, who cry out for justice, who mobilize out there.”
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People’s Mañanera January 29
January 29, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Donald Trump phonecall, relations with Canada, revising the story of Ryan Wedding’s “arrest”, Sinaloa security, and Interoceanic train derailment.
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Mexico’s Ex-President Felipe Calderón Called a “murderer” in France
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
Calderón’s specious drug war produced 120,000 homicides during his reign, representing an 140% increase compared to the previous presidential term.
The post Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
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Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.
Direct Dialogue with US: Cooperation Without Subordination
President Claudia Sheinbaum held a 40-minute call with Donald Trump. They agreed to continue cooperation on trade and security. Trump acknowledged Mexico’s progress and proposed expanding rules of origin. Mexico defended the trilateral trade agreement.
Sheinbaum read Trump’s Truth Social message, where he described the conversation as “very productive” and positive for both countries.
Relations with Canada and Sovereign Decisions
Sheinbaum recalled Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit, emphasizing that cooperation includes strategic infrastructure such as ports. The issue of rare earths was not a topic of the call but remains in the dialogue with Minister of Economy Marcelo Ebrard; any decision will be sovereign.
Arrest of Ryan Wedding Didn’t Involve Foreign Agents
In response to reports of FBI intervention, the President clarified that, upon reading the full Wall Street Journal article, it is in line with what was reported, namely that the arrest was carried out in an operation involving Mexican security cabinet agencies. Mexico will not allow foreign agents to intervene within its territory.
Sinaloa: Coordination and Progress
The Federal Government is working with the Sinaloa state government. Arrests have already been made. The Ministry of the Interior maintains communication with the injured Citizen Movement local legislators Sergio Torres Félix and Elizabeth Montoya Ojeda. Advances in security were reported, and a presidential visit was announced for the coming days.
Historical Memory: The Presidential Administration of Violence
Following the accusations leveled against former president Felipe Calderón at Sciences Po, Sheinbaum said the charges are “self-explanatory.” She recalled that his government left thousands of victims in the wake of the war on drugs, “collateral damage,” and the worst period of kidnappings, plus collusion with organized crime, as evidenced by his Minister of Security, Genaro García Luna, who is currently in prison.
She emphasized that discussing that period is key so young people know of the history before voting.
Interoceanic Train: Report with Scientific Evidence
The first report is based on technical evidence, namely, data from the “black box” and intensive track reviews. The preliminary cause was excess speed. People should trust the Attorney General’s Office report, which is underpinned by simulations and technical analysis.
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Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
“[Justice] must get closer to reality, and to get closer to reality we need method, we need knowledge, we need systematization, we need the people who demand justice, who cry out for justice, who mobilize out there.”
-
People’s Mañanera January 29
January 29, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Donald Trump phonecall, relations with Canada, revising the story of Ryan Wedding’s “arrest”, Sinaloa security, and Interoceanic train derailment.
-
Mexico’s Ex-President Felipe Calderón Called a “murderer” in France
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
Calderón’s specious drug war produced 120,000 homicides during his reign, representing an 140% increase compared to the previous presidential term.
The post People’s Mañanera January 29 appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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This article by Irving Sanchez originally appeared in the January 29, 2026 edition of Sin Línea.
Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa was confronted by students during an academic talk at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, one of Europe ‘s most prestigious universities . The incident was captured on video and widely shared on social media, generating reactions and reigniting the controversy surrounding his presidential legacy.
It all happened when he attended as a speaker on a panel entitled Wanted: A UN Secretary-General for a Broken World, focused on the global challenges of international governance; however, his speech was interrupted when a group of young people stood up from the auditorium to chant slogans against him, which caused tension among the attendees.
In response to the protest, the event moderator intervened to remind everyone that the institute is a pluralistic space where the free expression of ideas is permitted, even those that may be uncomfortable for the guests. During the incident, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa remained silent, with a serious expression, without directly responding to the accusations and allowing the event to continue after the interruption.
The confrontation in Paris was directly linked to decisions made during Felipe Calderón ‘s presidency, particularly the security strategy he initiated in December 2006 with the deployment of armed forces to combat organized crime. This policy marked the beginning of a period of violence that profoundly transformed the security landscape in Mexico.
Various official reports indicate that during his administration there was a significant increase in intentional homicides. The most critical point was reached in 2011, when more than 27,000 murders were reported , with a rate exceeding 24 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Overall, the cumulative figures for his six-year term exceeded 120,000 homicides, representing an increase of approximately 140 percent compared to the previous presidential term.
This incident in France adds to other similar situations Felipe Calderón Hinojosa has faced abroad. In December 2024, during a forum in Madrid, Spain, he was confronted by a woman from Ciudad Juárez who blamed him for the violence unleashed during his administration, an incident that was also documented and shared on social media.
Following the release of the video of the incident in Paris , the conversation moved to social media , where numerous users reacted with criticism and derogatory comments towards the former president.
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Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
“[Justice] must get closer to reality, and to get closer to reality we need method, we need knowledge, we need systematization, we need the people who demand justice, who cry out for justice, who mobilize out there.”
-
People’s Mañanera January 29
January 29, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Donald Trump phonecall, relations with Canada, revising the story of Ryan Wedding’s “arrest”, Sinaloa security, and Interoceanic train derailment.
-
Mexico’s Ex-President Felipe Calderón Called a “murderer” in France
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
Calderón’s specious drug war produced 120,000 homicides during his reign, representing an 140% increase compared to the previous presidential term.
The post Mexico’s Ex-President Felipe Calderón Called a “murderer” in France appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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Mexico’s Labour & Social Welfare Secretariat Will Protect Workers From First Brands Bankruptcy
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by María del Pilar Martínez originally appeared in the January 28, 2026 edition of El Economista.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) announced on January 28, 2026, the activation of an institutional support mechanism following the bankruptcy of First Brands in the United States. This financial situation has directly impacted maquiladora companies located in northern Mexico, including plants such as BPI Brake Manufacturing Juárez, Autolite, and Tridonex.
The impact is reflected in the closure of seven plants and staff reductions affecting more than 4,000 workers nationwide. The federal agency, in coordination with local authorities, has begun monitoring cases according to each industry’s jurisdiction to ensure compliance with current labor laws.
The founder of First Brands has been indicted by federal prosecutors for allegedly defrauding lenders out of billions of dollars before the auto parts supplier collapsed into bankruptcy. Patrick James, who was also First Brands’ chief executive, was charged in a nine-count indictment made public on Thursday with running a continuing financial crimes enterprise, bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
The assistance operation integrates the powers of the Federal Attorney’s Office for Labor Defense ( Profedet ) and the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration (CFCRL) .
“The main objective of this intervention is to provide free legal advice and activate conciliation processes that ensure the payment of wages, benefits, compensation and respect for the social security rights of workers of companies such as BPI Brake Manufacturing Juárez, Autolite and Tridonex,” the agency explained.
The Mexican government indicated that these actions seek to offer legal solutions that guarantee labor justice after the declaration of insolvency of the foreign parent company.
To assist those affected, direct communication channels have been established through the Profedet hotline 079 and the CFCRL phone number 55 88 74 86 00. These contact points offer free specialized guidance to employees who need to initiate legal or institutional procedures.
The STPS reiterated that it will maintain oversight of the process to safeguard labor rights in the face of any situation that compromises the well-being of workers in the federal entities where First Brands subsidiaries operated.
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Mexico’s Supreme Court Will Incorporate Legal Knowledge of Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Peoples
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
“[Justice] must get closer to reality, and to get closer to reality we need method, we need knowledge, we need systematization, we need the people who demand justice, who cry out for justice, who mobilize out there.”
-
People’s Mañanera January 29
January 29, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Donald Trump phonecall, relations with Canada, revising the story of Ryan Wedding’s “arrest”, Sinaloa security, and Interoceanic train derailment.
-
Mexico’s Ex-President Felipe Calderón Called a “murderer” in France
January 29, 2026January 29, 2026
Calderón’s specious drug war produced 120,000 homicides during his reign, representing an 140% increase compared to the previous presidential term.
The post Mexico’s Labour & Social Welfare Secretariat Will Protect Workers From First Brands Bankruptcy appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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Facing the Empire, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Stands Shoulder to Shoulder With Venezuela’s Workers
(orinocotribune.com)
By Thierry Deronne – Jan 26, 2026
“Enough of Washington’s orders to Venezuelan politicians. It is Venezuelan politics that will resolve our differences and internal conflicts. We have had enough of dictates from foreign powers. Our republic has already suffered enough from the consequences of fascism and extremism.” These were the words of Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president, to oil workers in the state of Anzoategui, in the east of the country, on January 25.
She announced the creation of a new economic fund specifically designed to improve the income of the Venezuelan working class. Direct instructions to the vice-presidency for the economy aim to raise the necessary funds to strengthen purchasing power and offer improved social protection for workers. This measure will be accompanied by digital innovations. A new technological platform will replace the Patria Platform to ensure that these resources reach beneficiaries effectively and to adjust wage policies and bonuses in favor of workers’ well-being. Trump is seeking to present the fact that he has revived the oil agreements drawn up under Nicolás Maduro’s presidency as a victory, though Trump himself blocked these agreements by imposing multiple sanctions under pressure from the US far right. Delcy Rodríguez explained that the sale of Venezuelan oil will be used primarily to protect workers’ incomes.
This continues the protectionist policies implemented by President Nicolás Maduro–a former union leader–to combat the (over one thousand) sanctions imposed by the US and the US and EU blockade. He is one of the few heads of state who has not succumbed to the siren call of austerity. When he began by periodically increasing wages by 25% or 50%, the private sector offset these increases by raising its prices proportionally. Faced with an inflationary spiral, Maduro decided to reactivate the national productive apparatus through multipolar alliances. This was done not only to reduce dependence on oil revenues but also to replenish state coffers, notably by taxing the wealthiest citizens.
Venezuela’s Central Bank has thus begun to recover valuable resources to intervene in the foreign exchange market and defend the currency. The objective: to rebuild public services and gradually increase workers’ benefits while simultaneously limiting the inflation that is eroding them. A China-style strategy: maintain and strengthen the state as a strategic player in the economy.
As a result, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) reports that Venezuela has had the highest growth rate (6.5%) in South America for the past four years. For the first time in 150 years of oil production, the country is close to achieving food sovereignty and produces almost 100% of the food it consumes.
When, in February 2025, Donald Trump revoked Chevron’s license in an attempt to further strangle Venezuela’s economy, President Maduro responded by expanding the market to Asia and handing over the 5,258,000th home built by his administration to a working-class family. On May 1, 2025, he increased the “economic war allowance” from [US] $90 to $120 for 20 million families. An important point when studying purchasing power in Venezuela is that despite Western sanctions, and unlike under neoliberal regimes, public services and basic necessities are very cheap in Venezuela. Subsidized gasoline—the cheapest in the world (US 50 ¢/liter)—water, gas, electricity, internet, subway, etc., are available at low prices. Food distributed monthly by the government to the population in response to the blockade costs only 5% of the market price. Many health centers, as well as public education and culture centers, operate free of charge.
While in the West, a growing number of families struggle to make ends meet, Venezuelan workers flock to the shops and businesses that open daily. Caracas is filled with commercial music, and traffic jams form early in the morning around the giant malls. Thousands of Venezuelan migrants fled the impoverishment they endured in their host countries and returned home on the free, public airline long before the deportations and human rights violations perpetrated by the Trump regime.
Workers mobilized in the streets of Caracas to demand the release of President Maduro and his wife on January 15 and 23, 2026. Photo: Nathan Ramírez.
“The Venezuelan people do not accept any orders from outside,” continued Delcy Rodríguez during the meeting with energy sector officials , members of the legislative branch, and national and foreign business leaders, convened to discuss the public consultation on the partial reform of the Organic Law on Hydrocarbons. “The Venezuelan people have a government, and this government obeys the people. Reciprocity characterizes the relationship between the Venezuelan people, their authorities, and their institutions.”
“We are also not afraid to maintain respectful relations with the United States,” she added, “but these must be based on respect: respect for international law, basic human decency in interpersonal relationships, and respect for the dignity and history of Venezuela. As for the personal threats I receive, I want you to know that I was already aware of them when I took office.”
Caracas: Demonstrators in Caracas demand the liberation of their president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. Photo: Nathan Ramírez.
From the very first hours following the abduction of President Maduro and his wife, and with no prior knowledge of Venezuela, many left-wing activists became “bots” in the US psychological warfare campaign. The refrain “Delcy betrayed Maduro” was hammered home relentlessly, blindly and with fervor, as if it were an absolute truth. The intensity of the media and online bombardment could have produced doubt, but it seems that by 2026, their capacity to resist these networks and media has eroded even further.
From Caracas, independent journalist Craig Murray dismantled this narrative that the media empires have desperately tried to make us believe: “One narrative which the Western powers are desperate to have you believe is that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez betrayed Maduro and facilitated his capture. That is not what Maduro believes. It is not what his party believes, and I have been unable to find the slightest indication that anybody believes this in Venezuela.
“The security services house journal, the Guardian, published about five articles making this claim, and flagged it as front-page lead and a major scoop. Yet, all of the sources for the Guardian story are still the same US government sources or Machado supporters from the wealthy Miami community of exiled capitalist parasites.
“What is interesting is why the security services wish you to believe that Delcy Rodríguez and her brother Jorge, Speaker of the National Assembly, are agents for the USA. Opposition to US imperialism has defined their entire lives since their father was tortured to death at the behest of the CIA when they were infants. They are both vocal in their continuing support for the Bolivarian Revolution and personally for Maduro. The obvious [US] American motive is to split and weaken the ruling party in Caracas and undermine the government of Venezuela.”
Mobilization of the NUMSA union, in Johannesburg, South Africa, January 24, 2026. Source: NUMSA.
The support of Venezuelan workers, who took to the streets en masse with their organizations to demand the release of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, is bolstered by that of powerful movements in the Global South. These include the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), with nearly two million members and highly mobilized in Brazil, and NUMSA, South Africa’s largest trade union, which also demands the release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. “Today it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow it will be South Africa,” warned Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), which boasts over 460,000 members. Irvin emphasized the need for an “anti-imperialist front to mobilize workers” beyond partisan and union affiliations: NUMSA “will soon organize a political symposium” to which all progressive political parties in the country will be invited. “It is high time to unite the working class … behind a revolutionary program,” as South Africa faces increasing aggression from the US far right.
In contrast, French Trotskyists brandished a leaflet from the CUTV (Union of Venezuelan Workers) about so-called “union repression” and, without knowing the reality of Venezuela, immediately endorsed it to distance themselves from the demand to free Maduro and maintain a routine anti-imperialism: “We support the Venezuelan people.” The author of the leaflet is Pedro Eusse, a member of the former leadership of the Venezuelan Communist Party, a group of about 15 people who for years have been flooding the world with communiqués about the “neoliberal, fascist dictatorship of Maduro” (sic). This “union” is in fact just a disguise “for the international community,” the typical “local endorsement” that Western leftists need. This manipulation is explained in detail in the article: “Rebirth and Victory of the Venezuelan Communist Party.”
Since the publication of Persian Letters [in 1721], the use of distant countries to settle internal French political scores has been a tradition. This was already the case with the text co-signed in August 2024 by the NPA (New Anticapitalist Party), the Socialist Party, and Clémentine Autain, who together denounced the “Maduro dictatorship.” The statement expressed “particular indignation” at Maduro’s mention of “re-education camps.” In reality, the president had asked of the relevant minister that far-right militants or mercenaries, despite being guilty of destroying public services and assassinating “Black people, therefore Chavistas,” be allowed to learn a trade in prison. Their early release, initiated by President Maduro in December—presented by the media as the “release of political prisoners”—demonstrates the Bolivarian government’s extreme commitment to national unity and reconciliation in its hope that these people, used by Venezuelan oligarchs, will not return to violence and will agree to enter the democratic, electoral field, as the moderate right has done.
Delcy Rodríguez Rejects US ‘Orders’ as Venezuela Advances Hydrocarbons Law Reform
Translated by Orinoco Tribune
OT/SL/JRE
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Mexican Government Rejects Accusations of Interference in US through Consulates
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article originally appeared in the January 29, 2026 edition of Sin Embargo.
Mexico City. The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( SRE ) categorically denied on Wednesday that its consular network in the United States (US) had sought to influence the internal political processes of that country, after President Donald Trump promoted on his social media a new book that warns of an alleged “ invisible coup ” against the US.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry declared that what has been disseminated in some media outlets are unfounded falsehoods, since the work of Mexico’s consular network in the United States is based on the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and on the respect, commitment and reciprocity established by the 1943 Consular Convention between Mexico and the United States.
“The activities and programs of Mexican consulates are carried out in close coordination with local, state, and federal authorities, always with full respect for U.S. laws and the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs. Therefore, any claim to the contrary is unfounded and untrue,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) wrote, also citing President Claudia Sheinbaum’s foreign policy, based on the principle of non-intervention and full respect for the sovereignty, institutions, and legal processes of each country.
“The activities and programs of Mexican consulates are carried out in close coordination with local, state, and federal authorities, always with full respect for U.S. laws and the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs. Therefore, any claim to the contrary is unfounded and untrue,” the Foreign Ministry added, reaffirming that, according to the principles of the Mexican government, “Mexican consular offices do not promote or participate, directly or indirectly, in demonstrations, protests, or any type of political mobilization within the United States.”
Book Warns of “Coup” Against US
On Wednesday, Donald Trump promoted on his social media the book The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon, by Peter Schweizer, whose publication accuses the Mexican government of organizing an “invisible coup” against the US by “using mass migration as a political weapon to influence elections and undermine national security.”
“Mexico has 53 consulates in the United States, while the United Kingdom and China have six and seven, respectively. As I argue in the book, consular officials are busy supporting political activities (in the U.S.), trying to influence the presidential elections,” Schweizer stated on CBS News’ Takeout interview program with Major Garrett. “I think it’s inappropriate for the Mexican government and its diplomats to be involved in this type of political activity within the United States.”
In the book, the author points out that former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) visited US cities in February 2017 to call on Mexican migrants to oppose the anti-immigrant policies promoted by Trump, while in the case of Claudia Sheinbaum, Schweizer said that the President played the song The Migrant Anthem during a press conference.
“And although my birth certificate says American, I am pure Mexican […] We changed places but not flags/I have the green, white and red in my veins,” the song says, according to Schweizer, who even accused Morena Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña of openly speaking of “reconquering” the United States by referring in the Congress of the Union to California, Texas and New Mexico, among other areas, as “occupied territories.”
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Mexican Government Rejects Accusations of Interference in US through Consulates
January 29, 2026
On Wednesday, Trump promoted a book that accuses Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration of organizing an “invisible coup” against the United States.
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People’s Mañanera January 28
January 28, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Interoceanic train derailment, electoral reform, SMEs credit, and increased exports.
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Mexico’s Green Party Has Served Neoliberals, Salinas Pliego & the 4T. Its Franchise Model is in Danger.
January 28, 2026January 28, 2026
Since the party’s inception, it’s placed its electoral profitability at the service of the winning party in power, becoming a key to passing or blocking reforms.
The post Mexican Government Rejects Accusations of Interference in US through Consulates appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
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Palestine: Transforming the Shatat From a Space of Solidarity Into a Space of Confrontation
(orinocotribune.com)
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By Craig Murray – Jan 26, 2026
I have now been in Caracas for 48 hours and the contrast between what I have seen, and what I had read in the mainstream media, could not be more stark.
I drove right through Caracas, from the airport through the city centre and up to posh Las Mercedes. The next morning I walked all through and weaved my way within the working class district of San Agustin. I joined in the “Afrodescendants festival”, and spent hours mingling with the people. I was made extremely welcome and invited into many homes – this from a district they tell you is extremely dangerous.
I must admit I had great fun at this bit.
After this I continued on for miles walking through the residential area and through the heart of the city centre, including Bolivar Square and the National Assembly.
In all of this I have not seen one single checkpoint, whether police or military. I have seen almost no guns; fewer than you would see on a similar tour taking in Whitehall. I have not been stopped once, whether on foot or in a car. I have seen absolutely zero sign of “Chavista militia” whether in poor, wealthy or central areas. I drove extensively round the opposition strongholds of Las Mercedes and Altamira and quite literally saw not a single armed policemen, not one militia man and not one soldier. People were out and about quite happily and normally. There was no feeling of repression whatsoever.
Again, nobody stopped me or asked who I am or why I was taking pictures. I did ask the Venezuelan authorities whether I needed a permit to take photos and publish articles, and their reply was a puzzled “why would you?”
The military checkpoints to maintain control, the roving gangs of Chavista armed groups, all the media descriptions of Caracas today are entirely a figment of CIA and Machado propaganda, simply regurgitated by a complicit billionaire and state media.
Do you know what else do not exist? The famous “shortages.” The only thing in short supply is shortage. There is a shortage of shortage. There is no shortage of anything in Venezuela.
A few weeks ago I saw on Twitter a photo of a supermarket in Caracas which somebody had put up to demonstrate that the shelves are extremely well stocked. It received hundreds of replies, either claiming it was a fake, or that it was an elite supermarket for the wealthy and that the shops for the majority were empty.
So I made a point, in working-class districts, of going into the neighbourhood, front room stores where ordinary people do their shopping. They were all very well stocked. There were no empty places on shelves. I also went round outdoor and covered markets, including an improbably huge one with over a hundred stalls catering solely for children’s birthday parties!
Everyone was quite happy to let me photograph anything I wanted. It is not just groceries. Hardware stores, opticians, clothes and shoe shops, electronic goods, auto parts. Everything is freely available.
There is a lack of physical currency. Sanctions have limited the Venezuelan government’s access to secure printing. To get round this, everybody does secure payment with their phones via QR code using the Venezuelan Central Bank’s own ingenious app. This is incredibly well established – even the most basic street vendors have their QR code displayed and get their payments this way. Can you spot the QR codes on these street stalls?
To get a Venezuelan phone and sim card for the internet I went to a mall which specialises in phones. It was extraordinary. Four storeys of little phone and computer shops, all packed with goods, organised in three concentric circles of tiered balconies. This photo is just the inner circle. I picked up a phone, sim card, lapel microphones, power bank, multi-system extension lead and ethernet to USB adapter, all in the first little store I entered.
Registering the sim was quick and simple. There is good 4G everywhere I have been in Caracas, and some spots of 5G.
“Relaxed” is a word I would use for Venezuelans. You could forgive paranoia, the country having been bombed by the Americans just three weeks ago and many people killed. You might expect hostility to a rather strange old gringo wandering around inexplicably snapping random things. But I have experienced no sense of hostility at all, from people or officials.
The African festival was instructive. A community event and not a political rally, there were nevertheless numerous spontaneous shouts and chants for Maduro. The Catholic priest giving the blessing at the festivities suddenly started talking of the genocide in Gaza and everybody prayed for Palestine. Community and cultural figures continually referenced socialism.
This is the natural environment here. None of it is forced. Chavez empowered the downtrodden and improved their lives in a spectacular manner, for which there are few parallels. The result is genuine popular enthusiasm and a level of public working-class engagement with political thought that it is impossible to compare to the UK today. It is the antithesis of the hollowed out culture that has spawned Reform.
I am very wary of Western journalists who parachute into a country and become instant experts. Although the stark contradiction between actual Caracas and Western-media Caracas is so extreme that I can bring it to you immediately.
Pretty well everything that I have read by Western journalists which can be immediately checked – checkpoints, armed political gangs, climate of fear, shortages of food and goods – turns out to be an absolute lie. I did not know this before I came. Possibly neither did you. We both do now.
I had lived for years in Nigeria and Uzbekistan under real dictatorships and I know what they feel like. I can tell sullen compliance from real engagement. I can tell spontaneous from programmed political expression. This is no dictatorship.
I am, so far as I can judge, the only Western journalist in Venezuela now. The idea that you should actually see for yourself what is happening, rather than reproduce what the Western governments and their agents tell you is happening, appears utterly out of fashion with our mainstream media. I am sure this is deliberate.
When I was in Lebanon a year ago, the mainstream media were entirely absent as Israel devastated Dahiya, the Bekaa Valley, and Southern Lebanon, because it was a narrative they did not want to report.
Disgracefully, the only time the BBC entered Southern Lebanon was from the Israeli side, embedded with the IDF.
The BBC, Guardian or New York Times simply will not send a correspondent to Caracas because the reality is so starkly different from the official narrative.
One narrative which the Western powers are desperate to have you believe is that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez betrayed Maduro and facilitated his capture. That is not what Maduro believes. It is not what his party believes, and I have been unable to find the slightest indication that anybody believes this in Venezuela.
The security services house journal, the Guardian, published about their fifth article making this claim, and flagged it as front-page lead and a major scoop. Yet all of the sources for the Guardian story are still the same US government sources, or Machado supporters from the wealthy Miami community of exiled capitalist parasites.
What is interesting is why the security services wish you to believe that Delcy Rodríguez and her brother Jorge, Speaker of the National Assembly, are agents for the USA. Opposition to US Imperialism has defined their entire lives since their father was tortured to death at the behest of the CIA when they were infants. They are both vocal in their continuing support for the Bolivarian Revolution and personally for Maduro.
The obvious American motive is to split and weaken the ruling party in Caracas and undermine the government of Venezuela. That was my reading. But it has also been suggested to me that Trump is pushing heavily the line that Rodríguez is pro-American in order both to claim victory, and to justify his lack of support for Machado. Rubio and many like him are keen to see Machado installed, but Trump’s assessment that she does not have the support to run the country seems from here entirely correct.
A variation on this that has also been suggested to me is that Trump wants to portray Rodríguez as pro-American to reassure American oil companies it is safe to invest (though exactly why he wants that is something of a mystery).
Meanwhile of course the USA seizes, steals and sells Venezuelan oil with no justification at all in international law. The proceeds are kept in Qatar under Trump’s personal control and are building up a huge slush fund he can use to bypass Congress. For those with long memories, it is like Iran/Contra on a massively inflated scale.
I am trying to get established in Venezuela to report to you and dive much deeper into the truth from Venezuela. I am afraid I am going to say it takes money. I am looking to hire a local cinematographer so we can start to produce videos. The first may be on what happened the night of the murderous US bombings and kidnap.
I did not want to crowdfund until I was sure it was viable to produce worthwhile content for you. The expenses of getting and living here, and building the required team, to produce good work do add up. I was very proud of the content we produced from Lebanon, but ultimately disappointed that we could not crowdfund sufficiently to sustain permanent independent reporting from there.
So we now have a Venezuela reporting crowdfunder. I have simply edited the Lebanese GoFundMe crowdfunder, because that took many weeks to be approved and I don’t want to go through all that again. So its starting baseline is the £35,000 we raised and spent in Lebanon.
I do very much appreciate that I have been simultaneously crowdfunding to fight the UK government in the Scottish courts over the proscription of Palestine Action. We fight forces that have unlimited funds. We can only succeed if we spread the load. 98% of those who read my articles never contribute financially. This would be a good moment to change that. It is just the simple baseline subscriptions to my blog that have got me to Venezuela, and that remains the foundation for all my work.
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Because some people wish an alternative to PayPal, I have set up new methods of subscription payment including a Patreon account and a Substack account if you wish to subscribe that way. The content will be the same as you get on this blog. Substack has the advantage of overcoming social media suppression by emailing you direct every time I post. You can if you wish subscribe free to Substack and use the email notifications as a trigger to come for this blog and read the articles for free. I am determined to maintain free access for those who cannot afford a subscription.
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