On September 29, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) concluded High Level debates marking the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the UN. There were calls for accountability and inclusion, and for the United Nations to fulfill its role as guardian of international peace and defender of human rights but the General Assembly failed to do so.

Many of the heads of state and foreign ministers who spoke commented about Gaza, the starvation and horrific slaughter of people, including tens of thousands of women and children. There were some calls for sanctions, such as those made by Iran and the expectation was raised that Colombia would pursue a Uniting for Peace resolution. However, the UNGA failed in its most pressing duty to act to end the genocide in Palestine and hold those guilty of genocide and complicit in genocide, accountable.

The expectation of a Uniting for Peace resolution, which would have begun to deal with protecting the Palestinians and securing humanitarian aid, was not taken up. While efforts are still being made to do so, the critical moment of the High Level debates has passed. Further emphasizing UN failure, the UN Security Council made yet another empty gesture, issuing a call -- not even a resolution -- for a ceasefire, with no measures to secure it.

UN Has Lost Credibility

The High Level session came and went without any action taken by the General Assembly regarding its own resolution adopted a year ago (September 18, 2024, Resolution A/RES/ES-10/24). That resolution affirmed the conclusions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on July 19, 2024, which found that Israel's policies and practices as well as its continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories are unlawful and must be terminated as rapidly as possible.

The 2024 UNGA resolution demanded that Israel end its occupation of the Palestinian territory of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, within a 12-month deadline. It specifically stated that without action by Israel by September 18, 2025, "further measures" would be taken. That resolution was adopted one year ago by an overwhelming majority of States -- 124 in favour, 14 against, and 43 abstentions.

The UNGA High Level session was the place for those further measures to be adopted. Instead, the UNGA utterly failed to enforce its own call, enabling the U.S./Zionist genocide to continue.

Renowned human rights defender Craig Mokhiber, who resigned from the UN Office for Human Rights in October 2023 to protest UN failures on Gaza, wrote on X on September 26, 2025: "One week has passed since the expiration of the historic one-year deadline set by the UNGA for the Israeli regime to end the occupation and genocide or face further measures. The UNGA has done nothing. No sanctions, no military embargo, no denial of credentials, no reactivation of the anti-apartheid mechanisms, no criminal tribunal, and no mandating of a protection force. Instead, delegations are working to block these measures with a promise of yet another endless process toward a Palestinian Bantustan, as the genocide rages."

For the past year, Israel has refused to take any of the actions called for in the UNGA resolution, which as a UN member-state it is required to do, just as all member states are required to act to end the genocide. Ignoring their duty has been imposed by the U.S., especially as concerns Israel's adherence to the UN's founding principles and adherence to UN Resolutions. In the case of Israel, the UNGA did not remove apartheid Israel's credentials, as was done with apartheid South Africa. Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was permitted to speak, despite rulings of the International Criminal Court (ICC) calling for his arrest and those of the ICJ to hold Israel to account, binding on all UN member states. A majority of delegates walked out when he spoke but this does not change the failure of the General Assembly to take further measures to end the U.S./Zionist genocide.

Meanwhile, protesters outside demanded that Netanyahu be arrested, as called for by the ICC. Given this and two years of genocide, the UN has lost all credibility because all its main positions are occupied by members of the Anglo-American-European bloc which runs the UN like its private preserve. Without significant changes and renewal of its institutions, the demise of the UN is a foregone conclusion.

U.S./Zionist war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza go alongside unprecedented levels of state-sponsored violence, including by settlers, in the West Bank. This includes plans to annex even more lands through more terrorist displacement and illegal settlements.

Since October 2023, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and their settlers have carried out more than 1,700 attacks across the West Bank. They have killed more than 955 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displaced more than 3,000 and injured many thousands more. They have emptied refugee camps of residents and destroyed entire residential blocks, forcibly displacing people from more than 20 Palestinian communities.

Given the U.S./Zionist occupation, the undaunted Palestinian resistance is making clear, together with peoples worldwide, that they can only rely on themselves to end the genocide. Actions worldwide, including the Global Sumud Flotilla which courageously achieved greater progress than ever to deliver aid to Gaza, have the support of entire populations in many countries. The refusal of the UN to implement its own 2024 resolution is seen for what it is -- a facilitation of Israel's genocide.

It is worth comparing the demands put forward in the UNGA 2024 resolution to the "peace" plan Trump has most recently put forward which many UN member states have said they support, many of them pinning their hopes on eliminating the resistance and ensuring it is the U.S., Britain and Israel that dictate governance in Palestine -- as has been the case since Israel's founding.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X on September 29, "Canada welcomes President Trump's historic new Middle East peace plan, and we urge all parties to help it realize its full potential. As the critical next step, Hamas must immediately release all hostages." Like Trump, Carney has refused to condemn genocide in Palestine and presents Hamas, not the illegal occupation and genocide, as the problem.

No state engineered by foreign powers to deny the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination will ever be considered "sovereign" by Palestinians or the world. Even so, Carney declares, "We will continue our close coordination with international partners to build a just and lasting peace that builds on today's progress, with a sovereign, democratic, and viable State of Palestine building its future in peace and security with the State of Israel."

The 2024 Resolution of the UNGA not only called for an end to the occupation and that Israel adhere to decisions taken by the International Court of Justice. It elaborated further, ordering Israel to: withdraw its armed forces from occupied Palestinian territory, which includes Gaza; immediately cease settlement activity and remove settlers from Palestinian land; dismantle sections of the occupation wall that pass through the West Bank; return stolen land and assets from 1967 onward to Palestinians, including cultural property or that belonging to Palestinian institutions; uphold Palestinian refugees' right of return; and make reparations for the damage and hardship caused by Israel's decades-long unlawful occupation.

Canada is morally and legally obliged to call on Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the UN's Genocide Convention and that all other states do the same. The ICJ decision also legally binds all countries to stop sending weapons and otherwise aiding and abetting Israel in its actions against the Palestinians. Canada and the G7 ignore the decisions of the ICJ concerning Israel's illegal occupation and genocide, which are legally binding, at their peril.

Massive actions around the world took place denouncing Israel when it began intercepting the boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters -- a war crime. Dockworkers in Italy joined by those across Europe held another general strike October 3, refusing to load arms and goods destined for Israel, and stopping rail and communications to demand an end to the genocide now!

An international conference September 26-27 brought together dockworkers worldwide, including from the U.S. and Canada, declaring "Dockworkers do not work for war!"

The Freedom Flotilla's Thousands Madleens to Gaza, followed that of the Sumud Flotilla, showing that the pro-Palestinian activists will not give up attempts to break Israel's blockade and U.S./Zionist efforts to starve all Palestinians and forcibly remove them from Gaza. Peoples everywhere were inspired by one of the boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla managing to evade capture long enough to reach Gaza's territorial waters, a mark of the courage of the pro-Palestinian activists and of the Flotilla's success.

General strike in Italy October 3, 2025, as the world's people demand an end to the genocide now

(Photos: Windsor4Palestine, Palestine Online, A. Ayoub, Barrio Latino 67)

Canadian Foreign Minister's Unacceptable
Speech to UN General Assembly

– Steve Rutchinski –

On September 29, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, addressed the General Debate at the General Assembly of the United Nations, which marks its 80th anniversary this year. Anand spoke on the last day of the General Debate in place of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who apparently chose not to speak, unlike many other heads of state, including Trump.

In her speech, she laid out the three pillars of Canada's foreign policy. First, "keeping Canadians safe and defending our sovereignty, and being good allies and partners in NATO and NORAD." Second, "Economic resilience with diversifying trade, strengthening supply chains, being an attractive destination for capital, and a trusted trading partner while advancing rules-based trade." And third, "Core values -- promoting democracy and pluralism, balancing and maintaining human rights, fostering gender equality, environmental protection and working with Indigenous partners for sustainable development and prosperity while safeguarding our environment."

In her 18-minute speech Anand asserted that the world is facing a "changed environment where unilateralism and protectionism weaken multilateralism and the rule of law." She sold Canada as a champion of multilateralism and said that in the face of these threats to the international order, "we must uphold the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Refugee Convention and human rights conventions." Among other things, Minister Anand claimed that despite the challenges she cited, "Canada will not turn inward [...] Canada will work to reform and strengthen multilateral institutions such as the United Nations."

Anand used the UN podium to condemn what she called Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reiterated Canada's support for the U.S./NATO proxy war there, and affirmed Prime Minister Carney's commitment to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to support Ukraine with military aid for as long as it takes to defeat Russia. While representing the U.S./NATO military might in Ukraine and its "rules-based international law" which tramples in the mud the international rule of law which makes up the principles defended by the UN Charter, Anand added that "might does not make right" and that, "Ukraine is not backing down, nor are its friends, including Canada. In defending Ukraine, we are defending the founding principles of the UN, sovereignty, dignity and peace."

As regards the U.S./Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people, Anand laid the blame for the genocide against the Palestinian people on the Resistance movement Hamas, which she called "a terrorist organization which is an impediment to peace." She arrogantly added that "Canada calls on Hamas to lay down its arms and release the remaining hostages immediately."

Anand stated that Canada's support for a two-state solution is based on "Canada's long standing commitment to the self-determination of the Palestinian people." She added that Canada will be participating in the political processes that will follow a ceasefire and is fully committed to working with the Palestinian Authority and regional allies.

Regarding Haiti, Canada's foreign minister pointed out that "in Haiti, violence is destroying lives and undermining stability" and that Canada is supportive of a new UN Security Council Mission to Haiti "to curb gang violence, reestablish governance and open the way for a stable democracy and greater regional security." Of course nothing was said about Canada's historic and ongoing dirty role in Haiti in undermining the aspirations of the Haitian people to be masters of their own house.

Toward the end of her speech, Minister Anand focused on how the Carney government's foreign policy is intent on "economic growth and building resilience for our people" by establishing global partnerships such as the recently concluded "Strategic Defence Partnership" with the European Union, the recently concluded Comprehensive Partnership with Indonesia and many others. She said that "these are not just partnerships but bridges to prosperity of the rules-based system that benefits us all. Through multilateral institutions we can build a global sustainable economy [...]"

Anand said that multilateral institutions are the best hope to solving the problems facing the world and that Canada is committed to new ways of strengthening multilateral institutions. She gave the example of the "Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine" saying that it "must become the new normal" in bringing like-minded countries together to find "pragmatic and effective solutions" to global problems.

In closing, Anand stated that "our goal and our aim will always be to prevent international conflicts while modernizing global institutions so that they can meet the challenges of the future and that "Canada will not be known for the strength of our values, but the value of our strength."

Powerful speeches were made at the 80th session of the General Assembly by national leaders who stood up for the Palestinian people, demanded an end to the domination of the UN and global affairs by the U.S. and its allies, an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba, action on climate change and a renewal of the mandate of the UN, and much more. In the midst of these, the speech of Canada's Foreign Minister was vacuous and pathetic.

It shamelessly covered up Canada's history of undermining the UN, starting with the founding of NATO, an aggressive alliance led by the U.S. which has engaged in war and aggression to further U.S. hegemonic aims. Canada fully participated in the Korean War of aggression led by the U.S. under the UN flag, as well since the end of the bi-polar division of the world, in the invasion of Afghanistan, the illegal U.S.-led bombing and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, regime change in Libya and countless other conflicts. Since the founding of the Zionist state of Israel, Canada has never once taken a principled stand in defence of the rights of the Palestinian people or held Israel to account for its violations of even the UN resolution on its founding. At every turn Canada has supported the Zionist state while the latter violated one UN resolution after another in support of Palestine.

Foreign Minister Anand's speech at the UN General Assembly is a call to action for Canadians and Quebeckers to step up their political organizing for a modern democratic country which stands for peace and fraternal relations with the world's countries and peoples based on noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries and relations based on mutual benefit and respect.

(With files from UN)

Palestine

Palestinian Resistance Organizes for Ceasefire to Hold as Israel Continues Provocations

In keeping with the ceasefire agreement, on October 21, Hamas handed over two more Israeli bodies recovered from the rubble of Israeli bombings. It is making concerted efforts to make sure the ceasefire holds, while the genocidal state continues to carry out killings of Palestinians with impunity, breaking the ceasefire in numerous ways, spreading disinformation to provoke the resistance and justify its refusal to carry out the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli military said it conducted a "massive and extensive wave" of strikes on dozens of targets across the territory on October 19. In addition, Palestine's Government Media Office (GMO) said that since the ceasefire took effect, only 986 humanitarian aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip, which is far short of the 6,600 trucks that were supposed to arrive by October 20.

The Israeli army has placed yellow cubes in the Gaza Strip, marking a new boundary that divides the enclave in half, preventing Palestinians from reaching their homes in the area under Israeli occupation. Anyone who attempts to cross it risks being shot or bombed.

On October 20, speaking to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas Hazem Qassem made the following statement:

"The occupation has a fixed policy of continuously violating the ceasefire agreement. We are committed to all the details of the ceasefire in Gaza, especially in the first phase, by handing over all living captives in one batch.

Challenging search for bodies of Israeli captives.

"We are working daily to complete the handover of all bodies of the 'israeli' captives. We face major challenges in handing over the bodies of the 'israeli' captives due to the massive destruction. At the beginning of the war, the occupation deliberately bombed the 'israeli' captives, their captors, and the residential area surrounding them. Among the difficulties we face in handing over the captives' bodies is the lack of heavy equipment to remove the rubble, and we have clarified this to the mediators.

"We are in continuous contact with the mediators regarding the ongoing violations by the 'israeli' occupation. There is continuous communication with the American side regarding the transgressions that the occupation deliberately commits. All parties that want continued calm in this region must pressure the occupation to ensure it implements its commitments.

"The occupation is exploiting the aid file to blackmail the political situation and is threatening starvation once again. The occupation has not abandoned the policy of starvation against our Palestinian people."

The Trump administration is involved in manoeuvres while the world expects it to ensure the apartheid state of Israel upholds the ceasefire. So too the countries which comprise the Genocide 7 which includes Canada have responsibility to uphold the terms of the ceasefire and stop making excuses for the apartheid state. The Secretary General of the United Nations and heads of its various agencies, commissions and councils must also be held to account by the peoples of the world to do their duty and stop prevaricating when it comes to demanding an end to the genocide and ensure humanitarian aid is immediately provided. It continues to be the Palestinian Resistance Movements and the peoples' movements worldwide that continue to demand the ceasefire be upheld and to reject anything less than the complete end to the genocide and occupation and self-determination for Palestine.

Israeli violations of the ceasefire include:

The Israeli military are killing Palestinians claiming they are all terrorists who have crossed the "yellow line" where Israeli troops have withdrawn under the ceasefire agreement. The Zionist entity's military said on October 20 it killed several Palestinians in two separate incidents in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City claiming they approached the "yellow line" and also fired artillery in areas east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, while explosions were also heard east of Khan Younis.

The Defense Minister of the Zionist state, Israel Katz, warned that any Palestinians found beyond the "yellow line" where Israeli troops are stationed would be targeted without warning. Katz wrote on X: "I have instructed the IDF to convey a clear message to the Hamas leaders in Gaza through the American oversight mechanism: every Hamas terrorist found beyond the yellow line in the territory under Israel's control must evacuate immediately. Anyone who remains in the area will be a target for attack without any further warning, and Hamas leaders will bear responsibility for any incident." A day earlier, the Israeli military issued a similar order for Palestinians to leave areas still under its control – about 53 per cent of Gaza.

The bodies of 57 Palestinians arrived at hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, including 45 killed in new Israeli attacks and 12 recovered from under the rubble. At least 158 Palestinians were wounded. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023, is now 68,216 killed, with 170,361 injured.

Funeral prayers for Palestinians whose bodies were returned by Israel.

Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 80 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 303, while 426 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the brutality of the apartheid state continues to be revealed. The Gaza Ministry of Health published photos online showing some of the 150 bodies of dead Palestinians handed over by Israel as part of the deal. The bodies bear signs of abuse, beatings, handcuffing, blindfolding, and execution. Only 25 of the 150 bodies have been identified so far.

Israel carried out a wave of attacks on Gaza on October 19, with strikes hitting a café and tents near hospitals in Al-Zawayda, schools and homes in the Nuseirat and Bureij camps, and areas near Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, killing dozens of Palestinians. Israel claimed the attacks were in response to a ceasefire violation by Hamas, which Hamas denied. U.S. officials told media outlets that the killing of two Israeli soldiers was the result of an Israeli vehicle running over an explosive device or unexploded ordnance.

Despite these many violations, the resistance in Palestine continues to meet the requirements of the ceasefire and organize to persist in rebuilding and providing for the needs of the people. The support of the people's of the world continues to be very important.

(Al-Jazeera, Drop Site News. Photos: Quds, M.T.C. Tseng.)

Resistance in the Caribbean

Hands Off Venezuela!
Defend the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace!

– Philip Fernandez –

Rally in Havana, Cuba, October 17, 2025, in defence of Venezuela

Since the 80th anniversary session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, where most countries defended each nation's right to self-determination, the U.S. has brazenly escalated its aggression against Venezuela and the peoples of the Caribbean region. On October 15, President Trump authorized covert actions by the CIA inside Venezuela using lethal force, an act of war by any measure. The same day, three B-52 bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, flew over the Caribbean near the coast of Venezuela.

The U.S. continues to wipe out small speed boats in international waters in the region, killing more than 30 civilians, completely contrary to international law and military norms. The most recent destruction of a civilian boat, with three people killed, was October 17. Further militarization and troop buildup in Puerto Rico means there are about 10,000 military forces ready for an invasion of Venezuela and aggression against the peoples of the region.

In addition, it is reported that the U.S. military's elite Special Operations aviation unit has recently been flying in Caribbean waters less than 135 kilometres from the coast of Venezuela, according to a visual analysis by The Washington Post. Visuals from social media in early October showed MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks over open water near oil and gas platforms off Trinidad's northeast coast, within 135 kilometres miles of Venezuela's coastline.

The aircraft are likely operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which flies missions for commandos like Navy SEALs, Green Berets and Delta Force. The MV Ocean Trader, a commercial vessel reconfigured into a stealthy floating Special Operations base, has also recently been seen in the Caribbean. The ship can carry about 200 personnel, about 150 of whom are dedicated to special missions, said Bradley Martin, a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corporation and former Navy surface warfare captain. It can hold multiple aircraft and provide refueling and maintenance services.

Taken together, the U.S. has in place an invasion force and means to create a false flag operation or use its unsubstantiated claims about "narco-traffickers" to justify attacking Venezuela.

Many countries around the world and the majority of Latin American countries have condemned the escalating U.S. aggression against Venezuela and threats of invasion and regime change. Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez expressed the stand of many by denouncing the danger posed by U.S. military aggression against Venezuela. He reiterated Cuba's support for the people of Venezuela writing on X, "Faced with the danger of military aggression, we reiterate unwavering and total support for Venezuela and the People's and Military Union, led by legitimate President Nicolás Maduro. We call on the international community to mobilize to stop the attack and preserve Latin America and the Caribbean as a #ZoneOfPeace."

Far from upholding international rule of law and denouncing the attacks, Prime Minister Mark Carney has not said one word about the Trump administration's acts of high-seas terrorism and extra-judicial killing of civilians. Venezuela reports that at least some of those killed were fishermen, not "drug traffickers" as Trump claims.

Carney's silence comes because Canada is deeply integrated into the U.S. military operations in the region through Operation CARIBBE, which began in 2006. In October 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the U.S. and Canada to continue the operation, including enabling U.S. Coast Guard teams to operate from Canadian ships. As part of CARIBBE, the Canadian navy and aircraft, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and military, are carrying out threats and acts of terror. Their aim is to assert U.S. hegemony and provoke conflict among the peoples of the region, under the pretext of stopping "drug trafficking." Carney has shown no intention of ending this arrangement.

Mark Carney, even before becoming Canadian prime minister, was hostile to the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro. In the last two years of his tenure as Governor of the Bank of England, 2018-2020, under pressure from the first Trump administration and the British government, he refused to release U.S.$1 billion in gold reserves requested by the Central Bank of Venezuela, citing "compliance related reasons." The U.S., Britain and Canada justified this act of grand theft by refusing to recognize the democratically-elected Maduro government. They continue to commit this grave injustice against the Venezuelan people to this day.

People across the country reject the Carney government's hostile actions and stand with the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean in condemning the U.S. acts of war, aggression, and threats of regime change. We stand as one with the Venezuelan people, the people of Cuba and the peoples of the region to oppose the desperate attempts of U.S. imperialism to use state terrorism and brute force to dominate the region. It must not pass!

Hands Off Venezuela!

Defend the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace!

No to U.S. Acts of War Against Venezuela and Canada's Participation in It!

Cuba, October 17, 2025

(With files from Government of Canada, De-Classified UK, Xinhua. Photos: Cuba Debate )

Collective Day of Action Demands Caribbean
Be a Zone of Peace

Trinidad and Tobago, October 16, 2025, picket for peace

On October 16, pickets and demonstrations took place in the Caribbean as part of a collective Day of Action for Peace. People from nine Caribbean countries and occupied territories joined together to demand that the Caribbean be a Zone of Peace, ensuring that their collective voices resonated throughout the region. In Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Barbados, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Curacao and elsewhere, people stood united in denouncing U.S. threats against the region and the warships, bombers, and nuclear-powered submarine now stationed in the southern Caribbean.

A statement issued by the Caribbean Organisation for Peoples Empowerment explains: "This Collective Day of Action in Defence of the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace has become urgent as the U.S. ramps up its planning for a possible military attack on Venezuela. The U.S. has formally requested the Government of Grenada to use its territory to install military hardware. The U.S. President has informed the Congress that he has declared a 'war on narco-trafficking' which he believes gives him the power to go to war in another country. We must demonstrate our collective opposition to this!"

In Grenada, the former president of the Senate, Chester Humphrey, said he is prepared to lead a peaceful protest march against efforts by the United States to install radar equipment and associated technical personnel at the Maurice Bishop International Airport. Humphrey, one of the country's leading trade unionists, said that the move by Trump is a precursor to launching a military strike against the government of Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro. "It will be a grave stain on the history [...] against the memory of our forefathers for us to join in a war against a state that has done nothing to us and a state that has helped us tremendously.[...] Venezuela has not declared war or threatened the United States," Humphrey told WPG10 Television.

"I think what this country needs is a massive peace movement, and I am prepared publicly to launch a call for all sections of Grenadian society to openly come out in defiance and in support of peace. A national peace movement pursuing peace and non-militarization of the Caribbean is the call of the time," Humphrey said on the television program, The Narrative.

Just before a visit October 14-15 from Admiral Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, Gaston Browne emphasized, "I can assure you that Antigua and Barbuda has absolutely no interest in hosting any form of military assets here in the country."

Holsey is the military commander overseeing U.S. escalations in the Caribbean and the push toward an attempt at regime change in Venezuela. Given he has ties with military forces in the region, through joint exercises and activities, the Pentagon announcement October 16 that he is retiring came as a surprise to many. No reason was given for his abrupt resignation after a 37-year military career. According to the New York Times, he raised concerns about the U.S. military mission in the Caribbean, with its buildup of forces and the bombing of seven small speed boats in international waters that Trump claimed, without any evidence, were carrying drugs. The Trump bombings are against international law and military standards, which require first warning the boat, then attempting to intervene with non-lethal means.

Call to the People of Our Region: On the Day of Action for Peace in the Caribbean

– Caribbean Organisation for People's Empowerment,
October 16, 2025 –

With every passing day, it is becoming clearer that the U.S. government is planning to unleash war in the Caribbean. It is obviously plotting some kind of military aggression against Venezuela with the aim of overthrowing the government of that country and replacing it with a puppet regime that will allow U.S. corporations to plunder Venezuela's oil, gas, and other resources.

Since August, the U.S. has been carrying out a large military build-up in the region including three destroyers, more than 4,000 marines, a nuclear powered submarine, a reconnaissance aircraft, a guided missile cruiser, amphibious landing troops and 10 F-35s [fighter jets]. It has also been carrying out a policy of summary execution of small boat users in the waters of the southern Caribbean. This is something that U.S. President Trump spoke about when addressing a recent meeting of U.S. military leaders. He joked that since the U.S. started killing small boat users in the region's waters, fisher folk in the area are no longer going out to sea for fear of being killed. This indicates the level of contempt that the U.S. warmongers hold for the lives and livelihoods of Caribbean people.

The U.S. plot to start a war in the Caribbean continues apace. On October 7, the Venezuelan government announced that it had prevented a false flag operation to bomb Washington's embassy in Caracas which could be used as a pretext for a U.S. attack. On October 9, the Office of the Prime Minister of Grenada announced that his government had received a request from the U.S. for the "installation of radar equipment and associated technical personnel at the Maurice Bishop International Airport." On October 10, the so-called Nobel Peace Committee announced that it had awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado of Venezuela, who is known for advocating for a U.S. military attack on her own country.

On October 14, the U.S. embassy in Barbados announced that Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), will visit Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada on October 14 and 15 to meet with Prime Ministers Gaston Browne and Dickon Mitchell. U.S. President Trump announced via his Truth Social platform on the same day that a vessel had been struck by missiles, with news reports stating that two Trinidad and Tobago citizens were amongst the fatalities. These U.S. military threats against Venezuela and summary execution of small boat users are blatant violations of international law. Yet, the U.S. is trying to drag Caribbean countries into its criminal conspiracy.

The U.S. war plans are obvious and its lies about fighting drug trafficking fool no one. These plans are a direct threat to the safety and security of everyone who calls the Caribbean their home. The U.S. can start a war with Venezuela, but it cannot control how that war develops. Venezuela has vowed that it will resist any U.S. attack, and it has allies in Russia, China, and Iran to name a few. There is a real danger that we could find ourselves caught up in a war between the U.S. and its allies on one side and Venezuela and her allies on the other. If the U.S. manages to turn the region into a war zone, instead of a zone of peace, death and destruction will become the new norm. We must go all out to stop them.

This situation is too serious to be left to politicians. Already, many people are raising their voices to defend the region from the U.S. war plans. Commentators are sounding the alert on the danger facing us. The Assembly of Caribbean People (ACP) has called for the people of the region to take action on October 16 to defend peace. In Grenada, people are calling on the government not to involve Grenada in the U.S. war plans and have warned that they will launch protests to prevent them from doing so. Across the region, we must build on this for our own safety and security.

We must demand that:

- the U.S. end its war plans against Venezuela and withdraw its military forces from our region

- all Caribbean governments dissociate themselves totally from the U.S. drive to war and defend peace and the safety and security of our region's citizens

- CARICOM end its shameful silence on this life and death matter and take a clear and public stand in defence of peace in our region

No to War in the Caribbean!
Maintain the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace!

Active Promoter of Political Violence, Foreign Interference and Institutional Destabilization
Gets Nobel Peace Prize

– Nick Lin –

The Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan counter-revolutionary María Corina Machado, whose nomination was supported by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a main promoter of regime change and foreign intervention in Venezuela.

The Nobel committee stated that the award recognized Machado's "tireless work promoting democratic rights [...] and struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

Announcing Machado's win in Oslo, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Nobel Committee, said the award had gone "to a brave and committed champion of peace, to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness."

He added that she meets "all the criteria" laid out by Alfred Nobel for the prize, which states that the prize shall be given to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

The content the Committee gives to peace and "fraternity between nations" is evident in the previous war criminals awarded the Peace Prize, which has gone to: former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who with his "big stick" policy promoted imperialism, invaded the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and occupied Cuba; to Woodrow Wilson, who invaded Mexico in 1914 and again in 1916; to Henry Kissinger, architect of massive carpet bombing of Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam and instigator of the bloody coup d'état in Chile in 1973; to Mikhail Gorbachev for dismantling the Soviet Union; and to Barack Obama, who invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, bombed Yemen, initiated military integration with Mexico and through a coup d'état, engineered the conflict in Ukraine.

Similarly, consistent with United Nation (UN) failures in Gaza and more intervention against Haiti, UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated Machado, saying she had been "a champion of democracy and a voice of unity in her country." A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), headed by Volker Türk, also congratulated Machado, claiming she represents the values of "free and fair elections," and "civil and political rights."

Demonstration in Caracas to defend peace and oppose U.S. threats against the country,
October 6, 2025

Machado's Record Opposing Peace and Democracy in Venezuela

Machado rose to prominence by participating in the 2002 coup that briefly ousted President Hugo Chávez. Since then, she has taken part in several other regime-change efforts, including the 2014 "La Salida" street violence that led to dozens of deaths. That same year, Machado attempted to garner support for an intervention in Venezuela by addressing the Organization of American States (OAS) using the Panamanian representative's seat. This led to Machado being stripped of her position as a deputy in Venezuela's National Assembly.

In recent years, Machado has been implicated in terrorist plots and conspiracies against strategic infrastructure -- such as the state-owned PDVSA Gas Complex in Monagas and the Guri Hydroelectric Complex -- to generate chaos and justify U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

In 2018, Machado urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lead a foreign intervention in Venezuela directed at regime change. She also pledged to establish a Venezuelan embassy in Jerusalem, in the event she secured power. Machado's party Vente Venezuela established an alliance with Israel's Likud party in 2020.

Machado also promotes and endorses far-reaching U.S.-led economic sanctions against Venezuela and has continued to openly call for foreign intervention to oust President Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan Supreme Court in 2024 issued a ban on her holding public office due to these activities.

In several press appearances after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado dedicated the award to U.S. President Donald Trump, claiming that the Venezuelan people are "grateful for what he's doing around the world for peace." For his part, Trump acknowledged Machado's praise but insisted that he should have been the laureate.

In an October 11 interview with the BBC, Machado defended a "coordination of internal and external forces" to oust the Maduro government and argued that Venezuela needs to be "liberated." She no doubt supports Trump's latest action October 15, authorizing the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, using lethal force. Trump is also weighing military strikes inside Venezuela.

Since August, the U.S. has maintained a large-scale military deployment in the Caribbean Sea, on the edge of Venezuelan territorial waters, as part of its terrorist war on anyone the U.S. designates as "narco-terrorists," waged without evidence, trials, or any standards of international law. Canada is part of that deployment. Assets include warships, aircraft and an estimated 4,500 sailors and marines, along with those now mobilized to Puerto Rico, 10,000 troops are on hand. Military forces for an invasion to secure regime-change are in place.

Since September, U.S. forces have bombed at least seven boats in international waters killing more than 32 civilians, including people from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. The boat bombed in international waters October 16 reportedly had survivors and another October 17 killed three people. The U.S. again provided no evidence and gave no warning to the vessels, as is required by law and military standards. According to media reports, it is also the case that the U.S. could have stopped the boats after an initial drone strike, but instead used repeated attacks to sink the vessels and kill everyone on board. In one of the attacks, missile attacks and a .50 caliber machine gun were used to sink the boat and kill the civilians.

At Venezuela's request, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on October 10, where Venezuela raised the threat to peace from U.S. provocations. In making its request, the Venezuelan government informed that the Trump administration has intensified actions against Venezuela. This includes the economic blockade with more than 1,000 unilateral coercive measures and the military deployment of missile destroyers, fighter jets, elite troops, and a nuclear submarine near the Venezuelan coast. Such actions violate the 1967 Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco) and the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in 2014, using as a pretext an alleged fight against drug trafficking, the request to the Security Council stated.

In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro, speaking at an event for "Indigenous Resistance Day," said "We want peace, and we will have peace, but peace with freedom, with sovereignty." Maduro said 90 percent of Venezuelans oppose foreign intervention, reflecting recent opinion polls showing this stand against intervention and for Venezuela's sovereignty. On social media users recalled Machado's repeated calls for a foreign military intervention into their country, her participation in a coup attempt, and support for apartheid Israel and the genocide in Gaza.

Representing the peoples of the world, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the award, stating that the Nobel Committee had reached "unimagined levels of politicization and bias." For his part, former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said that in awarding Machado, the Committee had "turned a symbol of peace into an instrument of modern colonialism." Many organizations in Latin America and worldwide have denounced the decision as one that stands against peace and for foreign military intervention, especially by the U.S.

Call to Award Peace Prize to Gaza Journalists

In a letter to the members of the Nobel Committee, U.S. anti-war organization CODEPINK wrote:

"To the Members of the Nobel Committee,

"Shame on you for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado -- a woman who openly supports genocide in Gaza and the violent overthrow of popular movements across Latin America.

"Sadly, this is not surprising. Your committee once honored Henry Kissinger and other architects of war and injustice. It is now plain as day: the Nobel Committee continues to celebrate those who undermine democracy and human rights -- those who design and defend the slaughter of innocent people.

"Machado's record stands in direct contradiction to the ideals of peace. She helped lead the 2002 coup that overthrew Venezuela's democratically elected president and signed the Carmona Decree dissolving the nation's public institutions. She has repeatedly called for U.S. military intervention, endorsed economic sanctions that have killed tens of thousands by cutting off food and medicine, and aligned herself with Israel's apartheid regime, even appealing directly to Benjamin Netanyahu -- the architect of Gaza's destruction -- to 'help liberate' Venezuela.

"True peacemakers do not call for bombs and blockades. They defend truth, justice, and the sanctity of human life. Today, that title belongs not to war collaborators like Machado, but to the Palestinian journalists of Gaza – those who have risked everything to show the world the brutal reality of Israel's crimes.

"For two years, these journalists have fought on a different front of war -- the digital battlefield -- documenting the first-ever livestreamed genocide, often by candlelight, in the ruins of their homes. They give names to the dead and voices to the silenced, even as Israel deliberately targets them. Over two hundred journalists have been killed since the genocide began -- murdered for the crime of telling the truth. Killing journalists is a crime under international law. So why is a supporter of such lawlessness being celebrated as a 'peacemaker'?

"The courage and integrity of the Nobel Peace Prize is meant to honor the lives of Gaza's journalists and civilians, not those who cheer on their suffering.

"We, the people, uplift the people of Gaza -- those who, even amid genocide, continue to show the world what real freedom, justice, and humanity look like. They have told their own stories so the world could witness the truth -- and exposed the greatest purveyors of war and violence: the U.S. war machine and its closest ally, Israel.

"Gaza's journalists and civilians are the true peacemakers. They have already paid the highest price for peace."

Foreign Ministers of Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Defend Their Region
as Zone of Peace

Foreign ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) met in New York at the end of September during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, reaffirming the region as a Zone of Peace.[1] The meeting served to unify the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean in favour of peace, cooperation, and mutual respect among nations.

The foreign ministers rejected the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean Sea. During his address, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto denounced the presence of U.S. vessels and a nuclear submarine, calling it a threat to the peace and stability of the entire region, not only his country. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla also denounced the U.S. and reaffirmed his country's willingness to continue "working with the Community to promote progress in areas of regional interest, with impacts on development and the well-being of our peoples."

Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira likewise expressed concern over foreign military interference and emphasized that Latin America must remain a territory of peace, based on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law. Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda expressed her nation's solidarity with the Venezuelan government and people, as well as with Palestine, in defense of peace, sovereignty and the dignity of peoples. Referring to the U.S. bounty of $50 million on President Nicolás Maduro, she said, "Putting a bounty on the capture of a constitutional president is an affront to democracy and sovereignty. Filling our seas with warships is a colonialist action we cannot accept."

Venezuelan authorities remain on high alert. President Maduro has already mobilized 4.5 million members of the Bolivarian Militia -- a civilian force with military training -- to support the country's armed forces, and in September and October conducted military exercises along the coasts "to strengthen defence and sovereignty."

Note

1. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is a regional bloc of 33 sovereign countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with a population of about 600 million, land area six times larger than India and GDP of $6.8 trillion.

The 33 members of CELAC are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Cuba

Hands Off Cuba!

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) condemns the cowardly and cynical attempts of the U.S. Trump administration to undermine the worldwide support for Cuba in the lead-up to the UN General Assembly's (UNGA) annual vote on October 28 and 29 on the draft resolution Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. Last year, on October 30, the General Assembly vote was 187 countries in favour of the resolution with only the U.S. and the Zionist state of Israel voting against and only one country, Moldova, abstaining. This year the world is sure to once again overwhelmingly demand an end to the blockade.

Cuba has presented the non-binding resolution to the UNGA every year since 1992 (except 2020) and each year the resolution has passed, in recent years, almost unanimously, signifying the resolute international opposition to the U.S. blockade. The context for this year's vote is the Trump administration's imposition of new sanctions, tightening financial and travel restrictions and sanctioning third-country nationals who host Cuban doctors and once again putting Cuba on the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. By imposing ever greater hardship on the people of Cuba who have survived six decades of economic sanctions, political threats and efforts to undermine and isolate Cuba, the Trump administration is trying by might and main to achieve regime change. These efforts are aimed at crushing the Cuban Revolution and re-establishing U.S. domination over the proud Cuban nation which, in word and deed, defends the revolution which ended foreign control and stands second to none in the world in support for all those struggling against foreign occupation, domination and for peace and independence. It is this principled stand which the Trump administration is attacking with its current campaign of defamation and slander against Cuba. Cuba presents the motion each year as part of its defiance and defence of its independence. As the repeated votes show, it is the U.S. and Israel that are isolated and Cuba much loved and defended by the world's peoples.

On October 2, the Trump administration directed its international missions to spread the disinformation, based on "intelligence" provided by the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine, that thousands of Cubans had been recruited by the Cuban government to serve as mercenaries alongside Russian forces in the U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine. In the administration's directive to its overseas missions to lobby for support against the resolution to end the blockade, to undermine support for Cuba, the Trump administration spuriously claims that the problems facing Cuba are not a consequence of the U.S. economic war on Cuba, which has been clearly established, but Cuba's "own corruption and incompetence." The instructions from the Trump administration noted that "'No' votes are preferred but abstentions or absent/not voting are also useful," and that the U.S. needed "allies and like-minded partners" to support it in this sinister campaign.

The Cuban government immediately denounced the accusation that it has sent mercenaries to Ukraine, stating among other things that "The Cuban Government categorically reaffirms that Cuba is not part of the armed conflict in Ukraine, nor does it participate with military personnel there or in any other country."

It is well known that one of the ways in which the U.S. has undermined the UN Charter and international law is to blackmail and strong-arm small countries and "allies" like Canada to do its bidding at the UN. The crude tactics of the U.S. this year will once again expose its disdain for the United Nations and the rights of all its members and its determination to continue its criminal attacks on Cuba. This will only further isolate the U.S. and widen humanity's support for Cuba and its valiant people.

(With files from Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters.)

UN Member States Call for End
to U.S. Blockade

On September 17, prior to the convening of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided the UN with its annual report on the effects of the U.S. economic blockade on Cuba and its people. It does this every year ahead of the General Debate at the UN, that is also prior to the vote on the Cuban resolution on the "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba." This year the vote will take place on October 28-29. For the last 32 years the vast majority of member states of the UN have called for the end of the criminal embargo against Cuba. Last year only the U.S. and Israel voted against Cuba's resolution.

On September 26, Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, spoke during the General Debate at the General Assembly. He began by reiterating Cuba's solidarity with the Palestinian people and demanding that the UN take action to end the genocide against the Palestinians. He denounced the Trump administration's unprovoked military aggression against Venezuela and reaffirmed Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace. Rodríguez Parilla forcefully presented Cuba's case and the demand that the U.S. end its criminal blockade against Cuba and remove it from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

The Cuban Foreign Minister stated:

"In addition to the challenges Cuba faces, stemming from its condition as a small island developing State, our country is suffering the devastating and cumulative impact of the policy of hostility and economic suffocation imposed by the United States for more than six decades. The blockade against Cuba persists and has been tightened to the extremes. It is an overwhelming and prolonged economic war aimed at depriving Cubans of their livelihoods and sustainability, of their existence as a fraternal and joyful people. Anyone claiming otherwise would be lying [...] This aggression has escalated to unprecedented levels in the last eight years and has included increasingly elaborate, surgical and extraterritorial actions of persecution and economic pressure against third parties. It imposes multiple and extraordinary impediments on production, trade and finances as well as the services and policies that guarantee social justice and life itself."

The Foreign Minister also denounced the Trump Administration for its newly added sanctions against Cuba and for putting Cuba back on the U.S. spurious list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. He noted in his speech:

"Cuba is a victim of terrorism. For years and still today, terrorist acts against the country have been organized and financed from the United States territory. Well-known perpetrators of horrendous acts of aggression against the Cuban people -- resulting in thousands of deaths, maiming and significant material damage -- live there peacefully and with absolute impunity. In compliance with its responsibilities against terrorism and in support of UN efforts against this scourge, the Cuban government has officially shared with the United States government in recent years the names and information about 62 individuals and 20 organizations based in that country which have been responsible for violent and terrorist acts which, from the U.S. territory, continue to participate in actions of this nature against Cuba. No response has been received, and no one knows whether the U.S. authorities have taken any action against any of them. It is cynical that the United States government labels Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism following political and economic coercion purposes. This is a slander that neither this Organization nor any of its Member States share."

On September 29, more than 40 countries spoke in defence of Cuba at the high-level session of the General Assembly calling for the end of the U.S. blockade against Cuba and its unjust designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The last speaker of that session was Ambassador Dionisio Da Costa Babo Soares, Permanent Representative of East Timor to the United Nations who said, "East Timor supports the elimination of the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the Republic of Cuba, which is, in our opinion, a violation of human rights that harms the Cuban people, limiting their access to essential goods." He pointed out that Cuba has been a close friend of East Timor and has helped train more than 1,000 medical professionals and provided direct medical care to East Timorese.

The Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, Denis Moncada, stated: "We denounce and condemn, along with all the peoples of the world, the horrific, odious, and execrable policies of the criminal U.S. economic blockade, aggressions with coercive, arbitrary, and unilateral measures."

President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons of Suriname noted "Suriname stands firmly for global peace, for the rule of law, and for the equal value of every human life [...] Considering this, Suriname once again, calls for the lifting of the longstanding embargo against Cuba and its people."

Other countries that spoke in support of Cuba included Brazil, South Africa, Mozambique, Colombia, Viet Nam, Angola, Nauru, Namibia, Guyana, the Congo, Bolivia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Dominica, Tanzania, Uganda, São Tomé and Principe, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Jamaica, Belize, Lesotho, Antigua and Barbuda, Tuvalu, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, The Bahamas, Grenada, Burkina Faso, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Laos, Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, Saint Lucia and Honduras.

(With files from United Nations, Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prensa Latina.)

Condemnation of the False Accusations of Cuba's Involvement in the Conflict in Ukraine

– Canadian Network on Cuba
October 14, 2025 –

The Canadian Network on Cuba issues this statement in the strongest possible terms to categorically reject and condemn the recent spurious, unfounded, and politically motivated claims that Cuba is involved in the recruitment or deployment of mercenaries to the conflict in Ukraine.

These allegations are not only demonstrably false but represent a dangerous and cynical fabrication designed to tarnish Cuba's impeccable international record and draw a peaceful nation into a foreign conflict against its sovereign will and foundational principles.

Cuba has a long and storied history of internationalism, rooted in the principle of solidarity. This has been manifested for decades through the selfless work of its medical brigades, educators, and scientists who have provided humanitarian assistance to the world's most vulnerable populations. To conflate this legacy of humanitarianism with the brutal and illicit trade of mercenarism is a profound distortion of reality and an insult to the thousands of Cuban professionals who have saved lives and built capacity in over 120 nations.

Furthermore, Cuba's opposition to mercenarism is a matter of both law and state policy. The nation is a signatory to international conventions that explicitly prohibit the recruitment and use of mercenaries. This commitment is enshrined within its own legal framework. Cuba has zero tolerance for any form of human trafficking and the participation of its nationals in any armed conflict in another country. To suggest that the Cuban government would flagrantly violate its own laws and the very international norms it has consistently championed, is not credible. As a matter of fact, upon detecting the presence of Cuban nationals in the conflict in Ukraine, steps were taken to neutralize recruitment, undertaken by organizations outside of Cuba and with no connection to the Cuban government whatsoever, and criminal proceedings were initiated. Forty defendants have been charged, culminating in convictions, and with some pending sentencing and trial. The United States government has not and cannot provide any evidence to support their false accusations of mercenarism in their latest smear campaign against Cuba.

The timing and nature of these accusations suggest a political objective far removed from the pursuit of truth. They appear designed to serve as a pretext for further escalation and to unjustly pressure and isolate Cuba on the world stage. We note with concern that such baseless claims have been propagated by the same sources that have, for over six decades, sustained a cruel and comprehensive economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the Cuban people -- a policy condemned year after year by the overwhelming majority of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Canadian Network on Cuba stands in firm solidarity with the people of Cuba. We echo the Cuban government's firm and repeated denials of these allegations and its reaffirmation of a foreign policy based on international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

In this moment of global instability, the world needs bridges of solidarity, not walls of hostility. It needs the example of Cuban doctors, not the fiction of Cuba-sponsored mercenaries. The Canadian Network on Cuba remains committed to defending the truth and to strengthening the bonds of friendship and understanding between the peoples of Canada and Cuba.

Samantha Hislop & Julio Fonseca, Co-Chairs
Canadian Network on Cuba

Celebration of 80 Years of Canada-Cuba
Diplomatic Relations

– Pierre Soublière –

As part of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Canada, the Cuban Embassy hosted the exhibition "Ties" by the renowned Cuban visual artist Michel Mirabal Martínez, who was present at the event. The opening of the exhibition, sponsored by the Canadian institution Terra Art and with the personal collaboration of curator Lillian Faulkner, was attended by parliamentarians, Foreign Ministry officials, members of the Diplomatic Corps, solidarity movement representatives, and a delegation of Cubans residing in Ottawa.

As His Excellency Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz pointed out in his speech for the occasion, various events have taken place this year to mark the anniversary, such as the visit to Havana of the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Member of Parliament Rob Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke of the profound, important and long-lasting friendship that Canada and Cuba have. He said that Canada would continue to call for the safety and the prosperity of Cuba, continue to stand for Cuban sovereignty and rights, and in opposition to the embargo against Cuba. "I welcome my Parliamentary colleagues who have visited Cuba and I will continue to remind our Parliamentarians of the importance of Cuba's well-being and Canada's ongoing friendship with Cuba. These are challenging times in our hemisphere, with the international world order being turned upside down. We are better if we continue our dialogue, our culture, our conversation, and respect each other in our differences," he asserted.

Artist Michel Mirabal, who had created a special painting depicting the fusion of the Cuban and Canadian flags, pointed out in his intervention that the proceeds of the sales of his works would go back to Cuba in the form of much needed medical aid.

Painting by artist Michel Mirabal

Haiti

UN Security Council Authorizes Another
Foreign Armed Force

– Marie-France Lapierre –

The United Nations Security Council, (UNSC) authorized yet another foreign armed force against Haiti. This one, again supported by Canada, is called the "Gang Suppression Force" (GSF). A protest was immediately organized at UN headquarters in New York, September 30, the day the resolution passed. Haitians are also standing against the GSF, yet one more U.S./UN mission designed to repress their struggle to determine their own affairs without foreign interference.

The GSF has a 12-month mandate. It is taking over from the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, also imposed by the U.S., involving about 700 Kenyan forces. The GSF is a more aggressive force of 5,550 foreign police and soldiers, with powers to "neutralize, isolate, detain and imprison" Haitian civilians -- both alongside and independent of the Haitian police and armed forces. Private U.S. military contractor Blackwater is also in Haiti to provide drone "support" and "training." Blackwater is well-known for its torture, massacres and "black ops" against the people of Iraq.

Another UN Office will also be established, the UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH). It is to provide logistical and operational support to the GSF, Haitian National Police, and Haitian armed forces, including rations, medical care, transportation, strategic communications, and troop rotation. It is integral to the armed force being used against Haiti and not designed to provide for the people of Haiti. It is in addition to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), which has been present since 2019.

The UNSOH will also support the Organization of American States (OAS), which has what is known as the "SECURE-Haiti" project. The U.S.-dominated OAS, notorious for its interference against countries of the Americas, is tasked with securing "compliance with international human rights standards."

The UNSC resolution for the GSF was written and promoted by the U.S. and reflects its continuing efforts to dictate governance in Haiti and control the country, using both force and numerous non-governmental organizations doing U.S. bidding. Haitian organizations bring out that for years the U.S. has armed and funded these "gangs," to impose anarchy and chaos and disrupt the organized resistance.

Ever since Haitians successfully organized their revolution in 1804, eliminating slavery and establishing an independent nation based on recognizing rights by virtue of being human, the U.S. has never forgiven her people. Brutal revenge, retaliation, and dictate have followed, including occupations, imposed dictators, and coup d'état such as took place in 2004 when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was removed from Haiti. Numerous U.S. dictated UN missions have been imposed, one after the other, each more brutal than the last.

Haitians have long experience with these repressive U.S./UN forces, notorious for their sexual abuse of young girls (2007) and bringing cholera to Haiti (2010), killing more than 10,000 people, and providing no assistance after massive earthquakes, 2010 and 2021, the MSS armed force, 2023-25, and now the GSF.

With Canada playing a nefarious role, no matter how the U.S. and UN interfere and try to dictate to the people of Haiti, they will never succeed. The people of Haiti exercise their right to self-determination with every breath they take. They have always stood firm in demanding, U.S. Out of Haiti! The persistent mass resistance rejects the UN projects and all foreign interference, organizing for Haitians to decide for themselves their governance and economy.

Mexico

Fighting for the Sovereignty of the Peoples

– Pablo Moctezuma Barragán, Spokesperson
for the Congress of Sovereignty –

Pablo Moctezuma Barragán at 29th International Seminar "Parties and a New Society," organized by the Workers' Party of Mexico, September 26, 2025

Five hundred years of colonialism and neocolonialism must be overcome. Today, Israel, the United States and the West are carrying out a horrific genocide, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians while destroying Gaza. Here in Anáhuac, the Europeans did the same thing to us: genocide, a great massacre and the destruction of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, a great city founded 700 years ago, of which they left not one stone upon another, just as they are doing in Gaza today, to the outrage of the peoples of the world.

We Mexicans understand what Palestine is suffering because here, in our lands, we suffered the same at the hands of invaders. People were killed, enslaved, and subjugated; they were even branded with red-hot metal to mark them as slaves. The natural environment was destroyed with brutal crimes against the environment and water. During the siege of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, they cut off the water and food supply, just as the Zionists are doing in the Gaza Strip. The leaders of the Triple Alliance, which was not an empire because there never was one here: Cuauhtémoc, tlatoani of the Mexicas, Tetlepanquetzal tlatoani of Tacuba and Coanacoch tlatoani of Texcoco were hanged by the cruel invader Hernán Cortés and his henchmen, including Bernal Díaz del Castillo, on February 28, 1525.

We understand Palestine because more than half of our territory was also stolen from us. Mexico measured 4.5 million square kilometers, and the Yankee invaders left us with only 1.9 million square kilometers. Just as they built a wall in Palestine, they did the same here on our border, where they have also killed children for "throwing stones." That is why Mexico has always spoken out against all foreign intervention. The government of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was the first in the world to denounce the invasions of Hitler and Mussolini in Abyssinia, Albania, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Mexico broke off relations with Pinochet's Chile and Franco's Spain. It also opposed apartheid in South Africa and has recently broken with Novoa's Ecuador and Dina Boluarte's Peru. In the face of the current genocide, it is time to break all relations with Israel and help put Netanyahu in jail.

Genocide has been a weapon of capitalism from its birth to its final, decadent stage. European invaders annihilated dozens of indigenous nations in what is now the United States, stripping them of their territory, decimating them and confining them to Indian reservations, where they now retain only 2.3 per cent of their original lands. And it is clear that Washington, throughout its history, has never respected any of the treaties it has signed. Just as it is clear why they support the genocide against the Palestinians, because they did exactly the same thing

Supporting Palestine means stopping Israel, the Yankee Empire, and Western genocide. Today, Mexico is under threat. The U.S. Empire's intention to intervene in our territory, even militarily, is clear. U.S. congressmen, Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Donald Trump himself have already openly proposed it. They have already intervened 13 times in 1847, 1914, and 1916 for more than a year.

That is why it is time to break Mexico's economic, political, social, and military dependence and end the treaties that threaten us. Trump has already broken the free trade agreement with his tariffs and threats. We must especially end the joint military maneuvers carried out with the U.S. armed forces abroad and on our territory.

It is time to fully defend our sovereignty: political, economic, and military. No to the integration, subordination or annexation of Mexico to imperial and aggressive North America!

Without economic sovereignty, there is no political sovereignty. It is time to strengthen the Mexican state so that it has the resources to develop our country. The budget of 10.2 trillion pesos planned for next year is not enough. Three measures will strengthen federal finances and increase the budget by 30 or 40 percent. The first is to suspend payment of the public debt, which involves payments of 1.6 trillion pesos to creditors, audit the debt of past regimes and stop paying blindly. We must negotiate to obtain significant reductions.

The Mexican experience indicates that after a suspension, favorable negotiations follow: in 1867, Juárez's creditors charged him 450 million pesos, and he only accepted 84 million; after Lázaro Cárdenas' suspension, they charged Mexico 400 million dollars, and after negotiating, it was settled at 40 million dollars.

Suspending, auditing, and negotiating is the logical solution. Another measure is to establish a tax on large fortunes and also implement progressive tax reform. Carlos Slim had $62 billion in 2018 and increased his fortune to $102 billion in 2024. Germán Larrea increased his from $17 billion to $39.7 billion in the same period. At the expense of workers, consumers, and Mother Nature. Let them pay a fair tax!

Tax reform is also needed so that corporations pay their fair share. Individuals pay around 35 percent income tax, while corporations, according to Raquel Buenrostro, former Secretary of Economy, pay 2.4 percent, mining companies pay 0.02 percent, and banks, which break record after record in profits -- last year reaching 288 billion pesos -- pay a pittance. Those who earn more should pay more!

That way there will be money to guarantee rights and develop sovereignty and independence.

Long Live Free Palestine! Long Live Independent Mexico!
Long Live the Sovereignty of the Peoples and Nations of the World!

Presentation at the 29th International Seminar "Parties and a New Society," organized by the Workers' Party of Mexico, September 26, 2025.

(Teixitiani 617)

Ukraine

Trump's Talks with Zelenskyy and Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 17 held their sixth talk since Trump's return to office in January, speaking in a closed-door session for over two hours in Washington, DC. According to news reports, the talk involved a shouting match between the two, with Trump insisting that Zelenskyy accept Putin's demands concerning control of the Donbas region and that the U.S. would not be supplying Tomahawk missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometres. Trump said the U.S. needs them. He also reportedly told Zelenskyy that Russia would destroy Ukraine if the war did not end soon. Zelenskyy called the conversation "productive," and claimed the top priority was securing a ceasefire.

A day before Zelenskyy met with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a lengthy phone call with the U.S. president in which he tried to dissuade Trump from arming Ukraine with Tomahawks. He told Trump that Tomahawks -- that have the range to target major Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg -- would have no significant impact on the battlefield but would change the character of the U.S. involvement in the war as it would require U.S. military personnel to operate them. Putin warned Trump that such a move would severely damage Russia-U.S. relations, escalate the situation and be counterproductive.

Ukraine is in dire need of new armaments, according to new data from Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks defence and financial support for Ukraine. It reported that Western military aid to Ukraine has been reduced by 43 per cent in July and August since the beginning of this year. In response, the U.S. and NATO countries created the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) scheme on October 15 during a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, in order to continue supplying Ukraine weapons in the U.S./NATO proxy war, which has failed to defeat Russia. The Carney Liberal government has pledged $500 million to this initiative.

According to the Global Conflict Tracker, since January 2022, Ukraine has received about U.S.$407 billion in military aid, including over U.S.$118 billion from the United States. Fighting and air strikes have inflicted over 40,000 civilian casualties, while 3.7 million people are internally displaced, and 6.9 million have fled Ukraine. There are 12.7 million people who need humanitarian assistance.

(With files from NATO, CNN.)

Elaboration of Russia's Position
on Ukraine Crisis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on September 17 spoke at a round table elaborating Russia's position on the Ukraine crisis. He clearly explained the Russian positions and pointed out that they are consistent with the principles of the UN Charter and International law and humanitarian law. In so doing, he also provided insight into how the U.S., EU and NATO states use the positions of power and privilege which they occupy in the UN structure to violate these very same principles in Ukraine to wage their proxy war on Russia.

Lavrov pointed out that Russia's stand that its Special Military Operation was consistent with international law saying in part:

"Speaking of territorial integrity, it is important to note the consolidated opinion of the international community that no one has ever doubted in the course of discussions. This document (the Declaration of 1970) reaffirms the inviolability of territorial integrity and political unity for only those states which honor the equality of nations and their right to self-determination, and which have governments representing the entire nation living on the relevant territory without any racial and religious distinctions and regardless of skin colour.

"Obviously, the Kiev regime that sent 'friendship trains' with armed militants to Crimea, later bombed Donbass, burned people alive in Odessa and conducted ethnic cleansing campaigns cannot represent the interests of the population of the above-mentioned territories; nor could it represent their interests at that time."

Decrying the outright violation of the UN Charter and principles by the U.S., NATO, EU, UK and the Nazi regime in power in Ukraine, Lavrov noted:

"Presently, five or six senior official posts, including those of the Secretary-General and his deputies, who are directly responsible for political affairs concerning conflict resolution, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian issues, security matters, and proposals for UN reform ahead of its 80th anniversary, all these pivotal roles are occupied by NATO member states."

Lavrov continued, saying that "the chief employee of the UN Secretariat is failing to implement the requirements of the UN Charter. [...] One example he gives in this regard is the alleged Bucha massacre in April 2022. Three years have passed since the Kiev regime and its Western handlers fabricated the narrative of the alleged "mass killing of civilians by Russian military personnel [...] I have repeatedly appealed to Antonio Guterres. We sent an official letter and addressed our requests to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, seeking information on the progress of the investigation into the incident that the West exploited in April 2022. The last request was in September 2024. Only in July 2025 we got a response (it took him almost a year), and it contained some remarkable information. According to that response, the Office of the High Commissioner analyzed our request and concluded that the relevant information could not be disclosed, allegedly because it would violate confidentiality obligations to third parties and could endanger the security of the UN. If you managed to make sense of that explanation, I envy you. What is clear is that the Secretariat has no intention of exposing those responsible for staging these bloody provocations. [...]

"Let me reiterate: this is not about territories. The West loves to claim: here are territorial concessions Russia seeks for itself -- this shall not come to pass. These are not territories, not land. These are people's fates -- people whom the Kiev regime and its Western puppet-masters refuse to recognize as human beings. They seek to annihilate them by all means, including legislatively. As previously noted, their rights have been legislatively eradicated."

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