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During his presidency, he focused on economic development and international integration. On Thursday, Venezuela expressed condolences to the people of Vietnam over the death of former President Tran Duc Luong, who passed away on May 20 at the age of 88.

“On behalf of the people and government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro extends his most sincere words of condolence to the brotherly people and government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the passing of former President Tran Duc Luong, one of the most important leaders of the courageous Vietnamese nation, who, always adhering to socialist principles, contributed to his country’s development and well-being,” the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

“Venezuela honors the significant contributions of former President Tran Duc Luong in strengthening cooperation ties between Vietnam and Venezuela, highlighting his friendship and joint efforts with Commander Hugo Chavez to forge a strategic bond that today serves as a model of cooperation among developing nations and has contributed to the well-being of both peoples,” the statement continued.

“In light of this unfortunate news, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela once again reaffirms its deep brotherhood with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and its commitment to continue strengthening the ties of friendship between the Vietnamese and Venezuelan peoples,” it added.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Party, Government, and people of Vietnam on the passing of former President Tran Duc Luong. We recall his contribution to bilateral relations and his official visit to Cuba in April 2000, when he was received by Fidel.” Tran Duc Luong served as the sixth President of Vietnam from 1997 to 2006. Born in the Quang Ngai Province, he moved to Hanoi after completing high school in 1954. He studied geology and initially worked as a cartographer. In 1959, he joined the Communist Party, marking the beginning of a political career that would span several decades.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Tran Duc Luong rose through the ranks of the Communist Party, eventually becoming Deputy Prime Minister in 1987. He was elected to the Politburo in June 1996 and became President of Vietnam on 24 September 1997.

During his presidency, he focused on economic development and international integration, including efforts that led to Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). He was re-elected in 2002 and served until his resignation on June 27, 2006.

Israeli companies have relied on cheap and compliant Palestinian labor for decades. In the shadow of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza and the continued strangulation of Palestinian lives under occupation, another, quieter form of violence against Palestinian workers is taking shape: In recent months, Israel has embarked on an aggressive campaign to replace hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers with migrant labor from Asia and Africa. Israeli capital is to continue to have a compliant labor force at its disposal, and what is left of the Palestinian economy is to be stifled even further.

This exchange of labor is not taking place in a vacuum, but reflects a larger historical pattern in Israel's treatment of its labor force over the decades. Since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, Palestinian workers have played a crucial role in the Israeli economy, particularly in construction, agriculture and low-paid service jobs.

Israel cited security concerns to revoke the work permits of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians virtually overnight, crippling the Palestinian economy and rendering entire villages and towns jobless. Many of those affected had worked in Israeli companies for years without legal protection or the possibility of unionization.

To replace the Palestinians, Israel has sought bilateral agreements with countries such as India, Thailand, Malawi and Sri Lanka to send workers. Through these agreements, Israel gains tens of thousands of new workers for Israeli agriculture, construction and the care sector. Officially, these programs are presented as mutually beneficial, providing workers with jobs and training, but labor rights organizations say these agreements expose workers to abuses.

Many migrants pay high fees to recruitment agencies in their home countries and are already in debt when they enter Israel. Some reported that their passports were taken from them, that they were housed in poor accommodation and that they were paid wages below the legal minimum wage in Israel.

One of the most problematic aspects of this labor import system is the lack of control. Although the Israeli Ministry of Labor is theoretically responsible for regulating working conditions, the implementation of regulations often leaves much to be desired, especially on remote farms and construction sites. Non-governmental organizations such as Kav la-Oved have documented numerous cases of labor law violations, including unpaid wages and physical abuse. Under the agricultural internship program alone, at least 17 foreign "interns" have been recognized as victims of human trafficking, and there have been several deaths since the program began.

For the Palestinian workers who are being replaced, it is about far more than economic losses. For many of them, Israeli wages were their livelihood, as the occupied territories struggle with chronic underdevelopment, high unemployment and restrictions on movement that stifle the development of the local economy.

For them, the withdrawal of work permits not only means the loss of income, but also reinforces the fragmentation of Palestinian society. The financial burden increases and dependence on aid from abroad is strengthened.

At the same time, the Israeli economy, especially sectors such as construction and agriculture, is being burdened by the lack of Palestinian labor. Israeli business media have reported project delays and labor shortages, prompting companies to push for faster recruitment of workers from abroad. This has led Israeli companies to see foreign workers not just as a stopgap, but as a strategic alternative - a way to keep the economy going without political "risk".

This dynamic highlights a deeper structural problem: the transformation of labor into a commodity under apartheid conditions. Israel replaces Palestinian workers, whose presence is politically explosive, with migrant workers from abroad, who are easier to control and deport and who have no claim to political rights. Labor is thus reduced to a commodity that can be imported and removed at will, regardless of the human cost.

Criticism is now being voiced internationally. In 2024, the International Labor Organization (ILO) received a formal complaint on behalf of Palestinian workers who had been denied wages and labour rights since the start of the war on Gaza. Israel is accused of violating international agreements on the right to work and collective bargaining. However, the complaint has few real consequences for Israel, as major donor countries and trading partners continue to prioritize political alliances over the enforcement of labor laws.

These developments show that Israel's labor policies, shaped by the occupation, security doctrine and neoliberal economics, have a profound impact on both Palestinians and the growing number of migrant workers from other countries. The replacement of one large number of precarious workers with another illustrates the cruelty of Israeli apartheid, which simply restructures the labor market according to the interests of the state and corporations while concealing the continuity of exploitation.

Israel's labor policies will increasingly rely on imported labor in the future, as the regime seeks to shield its economy from the political costs of occupation and intensify its apartheid and genocide policies. Palestinian workers are left out for now, and the migrant workers who fill the gap adopt the same system of weak protections, legal gray areas and systematic disregard for their human dignity.

Gen. Andrey Mordvichev led Russian forces in the liberation of Mariupol. On Thursday, military newspaper Red Star reported that Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov appointed Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev as Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces.

At a ceremony attended by senior military officials, Belousov introduced General Mordvichev to the Ground Forces Command staff, describing him as “an experienced combat officer who has fully demonstrated his leadership abilities during the special military operation.”

Mordvichev replaces Army General Oleg Salyukov, who was recently named deputy secretary of the Security Council of Russia.

Born in 1976, General Mordvichev graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School and later from the General Staff Academy. His career has included key leadership positions in both the Central and Southern Military Districts. In 2023, he was appointed commander of the Central Military District.

During the ongoing military operation, Mordvichev led Russian forces in the liberation of Mariupol and later Avdiivka in Donetsk, for which he was awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation.

Early Thursday morning, the Russian Ministry confirmed that its country’s air defenses shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 35 over the Moscow region.

Temporary restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft have been introduced at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport from 9:54 a.m., and at the city’s Zhukovsky Airport. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Thursday morning said Russian air defense continues to repel Ukrainian drone attacks.

The National Union of Construction Workers faces government crackdown. On Wednesday, the National Union of Workers of Construction and Similar Industries (SUNTRACS) said it is the target of a government crackdown under President Jose Mulino.

SUNTRACS Undersecretary Yamir Cordoba denounced what he described as “lawfare” and hate-driven actions against union secretary Saul Mendez, who has requested asylum at the Bolivian Embassy. Mendez is receiving temporary protection there while Bolivia’s National Refugee Council reviews his request.

“The Mulino administration intends to destroy SUNTRACS,” Cordoba said, calling for worker unity and urged the Panamanian people to show solidarity in defending SUNTRACS, which he described as a union that has always led the fight for public welfare.

In the early hours of Wednesday, union secretary Mendez sought refuge in the Bolivian Embassy amid an indefinite strike led by the union and ongoing investigations into alleged money laundering involving at least one of its leaders.

Earlier, the Second Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime had ordered the arrest of 11 SUNTRACS leaders in connection with a case of fraud. This occurred without any prior official announcement from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Later, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed that arrest warrants had been issued for unnamed citizens as part of a criminal investigation that dates back to 2022.

“The criminal case stems from a complaint filed by former workers from a construction project who were affiliated with SUNTRACS. The complaint, submitted by ex-workers, cites alleged crimes including aggravated fraud, money laundering, illicit association, document forgery, and misconduct in public office,” the Attorney General’s Office said.

On Tuesday, the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (IPACOOP) had already ordered the cancellation of the legal status of the SUNTRACS Multiple Services Cooperative, citing at least “14 findings” that indicate alleged failures in money laundering prevention controls. On May 16, a judge ordered the pretrial detention of SUNTRACS leader Jaime Caballero for alleged money laundering.

Mendez, a leftist union leader who has accused President Mulino of being a “petty dictator,” ran for president in 2019 as the candidate of the now-defunct Broad Front for Democracy (FAD).

For the past month, SUNTRACS and public school teachers’ unions have been leading an indefinite strike and street protests against a proposed reform of the social security system. They have accused the Mulino administration of being part of a “mafia.” The strikes by teachers and workers have been met with violent police repression, leaving several people injured and others detained.

The factions have been effectively banned from operating. They handed over all weapons, and authorities demanded names of members with personal arms. A source said there's no real cooperation with the new Syrian administration.

The crackdown follows a request by US President Trump for Syria to expel Palestinian "terrorists" in exchange for lifting sanctions. Syrian authorities recently detained Islamic Jihad leaders and briefly held Talal Naji.

(Photo: AFP)

The Fédération Internationale des Résistants (FIR) has issued a statement on the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine:

We would like to remind you that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, FIR has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations between the warring parties. In our view, this was the only way to end the war, which has already claimed tens of thousands of victims in the first few weeks, as quickly as possible. We were convinced from the outset that neither arming Ukraine nor the assertion of "unwavering support" from NATO countries would bring about a military solution to this conflict. We therefore welcome the fact that, following the Russian announcement as part of the unilateral ceasefire on the anniversary of the victory, talks between the warring parties have now actually begun again.

Now that the smoke from the smokescreens has cleared, we can see a little more clearly what has emerged from the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul. The most important result is undoubtedly that, for the first time in months, a dialog between the warring parties is underway again. This gives hope to the people in the Russian and Ukrainian war regions, who are the main victims of this war. Secondly, the mutual exchange of larger groups of prisoners of war has been agreed. And thirdly, a continuation of these talks has been agreed. We as FIR can therefore only welcome the start of these talks.

We are also glad that the propaganda bluster and political influence in the run-up to the talks did not cause them to fail. At the same time, one does not get the impression that the four European statesmen who met with Zelensky had any interest in a peaceful solution. Although they represent three powerful states of the European Union and Britain, enthusiasm for the continuation of their war course is clearly waning even there. Nevertheless, the new German Foreign Minister, who is not even known to every government in Europe, believes he can issue an ultimatum to Russian President Putin to come to Istanbul - as if he were a naughty schoolboy who only needed to be admonished severely enough. In addition, a phone call was made to US President Trump to warn him not to make any agreements with Putin that run counter to EU interests.

The announcement that tough sanctions would be imposed if Russia does not give in highlights the absurdity of the EU's stance. What is the point of a seventeenth package of sanctions if the previous 16 have already had little effect? Moreover, several EU states have already made it clear that they do not agree with this approach. Significantly, the European Commission decided on the sanctions package before the planned meeting in Istanbul had even begun. And, of course, it is to come into force even though the implementation of the results of the talks has not yet been completed. Ms. Kallas is already calling for an eighteenth package.

Zelenskys announcement that he only wanted to talk to Putin personally may have been good for a headline in the media, but it shows that there are still considerable reservations on the Ukrainian side about a direct dialog between the parties involved in the dispute to find a solution in the interests of the people.

Irrespective of such interference, it is indeed significant that this meeting took place in Istanbul. It is unclear what role the USA played in these talks. It was not at the negotiating table, nor were the European states. What is interesting about the USA's change of strategy in the Ukraine war is the statement by Secretary of State Rubio that this war cannot be ended with weapons (i.e. Ukraine is not expected to win), but only through diplomacy. Apparently, the USA wants to keep its weapons ready for other purposes and not use them in Ukraine.

It is to be hoped that the Russian-Ukrainian talks will continue with less media fanfare. Otherwise, they could suffer the fate of the peace negotiations in spring 2022, which were broken off by Ukraine due to British influence. The consequences were devastating. It is interesting to note that even the new Pope Leo XIV has mentioned a mediation role for the Vatican. Such opportunities should not be missed in the interests of all people in the war-torn region.