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.

On Sunday, Venezuelans will elect 24 governors, 285 national legislators and 260 members of the state legislative councils. On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and senior government officials met at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas to assess new terrorist plans that the transnational far-right is attempting to implement in connection with the upcoming elections.

Previously, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello had confirmed the capture of 38 mercenaries planning to sabotage the elections. Among them were 17 foreigners. President Maduro took the opportunity to highlight the strength of democracy in Venezuela, a country that has held 31 previous elections since the Bolivarian Revolution arrived 26 years ago. He also criticized the international media for systematically hiding the upcoming elections in the South American country.

“The Albanian mafia that rules Ecuador sent some of its mercenaries to plant bombs in Venezuela. They have been captured,” he said, linking the regional terrorist activities to the presence of Erik Prince, the founder of the private military group Blackwater.

The meeting, held in the Simon Bolivar Hall, was also attended by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, among other representatives of the security forces.

“This team guarantees the victory of peace and security. We must protect our people’s constitutional rights to peace, stability, and tranquility,” Maduro said, referring to the elections to be held on May 25.

During the Miraflores Palace meeting, Maduro ordered the strengthening of protections for the national electrical system to prevent attacks similar to those that occurred before and during July 28, 2024, when the U.S.-backed opposition managed to cut off electricity for several days.

The Bolivarian leader assured that his administration is prepared to confront any attempt at sabotage and guarantee the peace of the population. He also called on the justice system to punish those responsible for the previous sabotage attacks.

On May 25, millions of Venezuelans will head to the polls to elect 24 governors, 285 national deputies and 260 members of the state legislative councils across the country.

The Bolivarian leader revealed private conversations with Latin American leaders who suggested suspending the elections due to US economic sanctions. However, he categorically rejected this position.

“No one can take away the people’s right to participate, elect, and have their authorities,” Maduro affirmed, reiterating that Venezuela will continue to hold elections regardless of external pressure.

“Vote yes, violence no! Vote yes, bullets no!” the Venezuelan president said during an exhortation to the population to turn out en masse for Sunday’s elections.

“May 25th will be a day of peace, stability, happiness, and participation,” he said, emphasizing that the electoral process will proceed normally thanks to the coordination between popular forces, the military, and the police.

On May 25, 2020, the Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. Police officer Derek Chauvin suffocated him by pressing his knee on George Floyd's neck for around nine and a half minutes. The racist police killing sparked protests around the world.

On the evening of May 25, 2020, officers from the Minneapolis Police Department in Minnesota stopped George Floyd. The 46-year-old Floyd had been accused of paying for a pack of cigarettes with counterfeit money. Videos recorded by passers-by show three police officers restraining George Floyd on the ground. Other officers prevent passers-by from helping Floyd. "I can't breathe", Floyd keeps saying to Chauvin, who is kneeling on his neck. Chauvin only pulls his knee back when a paramedic asks him to let go of Floyd. George Floyd dies shortly afterwards in hospital.

Police killings are not uncommon in the USA. 1,160 people were killed by police officers there in 2020 alone, the year in which George Floyd also entered the casualty statistics. His murder sparked protest and resistance all over the world. In the USA, millions of people took to the streets under the slogan "Black lives matter". They demanded an end to institutionalized racism, racist police violence and the culture of impunity for perpetrators in uniform. The mobilization surpassed even that following the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968.

George Floyd's murderer Chauvin had to stand trial just under a year after the crime. In June 2021, he was sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison. It is the first time in Minnesota's history that a police officer has been convicted of the murder of a black man. It is the highest sentence ever imposed on a police officer in Minnesota. One of George Floyd's family's lawyers calls the sentence a "turning point" in US history. Several of Chauvin's colleagues received multi-year prison sentences for assisting in Floyd's arrest or for not assisting Floyd himself.

Five years after the police murder of George Floyd, we are further than ever from justice for him. National police reform is on hold. The US Department of Justice recently announced that it would stop investigating police officers accused of racist police violence. Voices from within the US government calling for Floyd's murderer to be pardoned are growing louder.

In 2024, police officers shot at least 1,260 people in the USA - a new record.

The police murder of George Floyd also triggered demonstrations in Germany. In 2024, police officers killed 22 people in Germany - another record. Here, too, no political countermeasures are being taken. On the contrary: during a question and answer session in the Bundestag on Wednesday, MPs from the CDU and AfD, among others, called for more powers for police officers, including "lower-threshold" use of firearms.

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.

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González has been hospitalized in a public health facility in Spain following a sudden episode of low blood pressure. González, widely recognized by the United States and several other nations as the legitimate president of Venezuela, is reportedly in stable condition.

“I am receiving excellent care from the medical and nursing staff. My family, my comrades in struggle, and I feel reassured knowing that I am in good hands,” González said in a statement issued from the hospital.

The 75-year-old leader expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support he has received during the health scare. In his absence, the leadership of Venezuela’s democratic transition remains in the hands of María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition figure who has emerged as the driving force behind the movement for political change.

González praised her resolve, stating she is guiding the path to national transformation “with determination and commitment.” González assured supporters that he will adhere strictly to medical recommendations as he recovers and reaffirmed his dedication to his presidential responsibilities.

“I am aware that my responsibility to the country as president-elect requires my speedy recovery,” he said. González is regarded by the U.S. and a growing number of countries as the rightful winner of the disputed July 28, 2024, elections. According to evidence presented by the Venezuelan opposition, González secured twice as many votes as strongman Nicolás Maduro. Despite widespread claims of electoral fraud, Maduro proceeded with a controversial swearing-in ceremony in January 2025, deepening the country’s political turmoil.

Fearing imprisonment by the Maduro regime, known for jailing political opponents, González fled to Spain shortly after the election. Public sentiment within Venezuela appears to align with the opposition’s claims. Recent polling indicates that nine out of ten Venezuelans believe Maduro lost the election, reflecting growing disillusionment with the authoritarian government.