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On Sunday, June 22, an undocumented immigrant working as a gardener was slammed to the ground by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who did not identify themselves at the time of the arrest in the city of Santa Ana, California.

Several agents with their faces covered knocked Narciso Barranco to the ground, where they pepper-sprayed him, beat him, and dislocated his shoulder. For this reason, ICE operations have left a wave of fear and confusion among the Hispanic community, which complains about the use of violent tactics by federal agents.

The video of the gardener's arrest went viral on social media and fueled criticism of the apparent excessive use of force to detain the 48-year-old migrant, the father of three U.S. citizens who have served in the U.S. Army, two of whom are currently serving in the Marine Corps.

"I don't think it was fair, I don't think it was equitable. I'm not sure they need four guys over 200 pounds to hold a 150-pound guy," said Alejandro Barranco, the son of the immigrant detained by immigration agents who did not show their badge and refused to give his name during the ICE raids.

Outrage after beating of gardener in California

The images of the arrest caused such a stir that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. government agency in charge of overseeing ICE operations, said in a statement that the agents reacted forcefully because they were defending themselves against the Mexican gardener.

"The officers were defending themselves from the individual who had a lawn mower in his hands that he was working with," the federal government's executive department added. However, several witnesses told the U.S. newspaper Los Angeles Times that the gardener was frightened when he was surrounded by ICE agents.

"The man (Narciso Barranco) got scared when he saw that he was surrounded by the ICE masked men. That's why he ran away with the tool in his hands and did not try at any time to hit the agents," a witness told the U.S. media, which criticized the excessive use of force in the arrests of immigrants.

"We all saw the gardener being slammed to the ground by masked agents without identification. There should be a law that requires immigration officers to show their badge and give their name in ICE operations, because currently we can't report them because we don't know their identity," added another witness to the event.

"My father is a hard-working man with no criminal record. But despite having dedicated more than 30 years of his life to this country, to President Donald Trump's administration, he is just undocumented," said Emanuel Barranco, son of the detainee, who revealed that Narciso is in the Los Angeles detention center.

"I saw my dad with a torn shirt and he complained to me of intense pain in his shoulder. I think he was detained because of the way he looked; the officers didn't say or ask him anything. They just started chasing him down the street, and he ran because he got scared. He didn't know who was chasing him," concluded Luis Barranco, the youngest of his sons.

Talks are underway to continue a recreation and rehabilitation program for Russian children in Cuba, said Sergey Ribalchenko, head of family and child protection affairs at the Russian Civic Chamber, this week.

He also said that a group of young people from the Caribbean island will soon arrive in St. Petersburg, as part of their instruction in the Russian language. He also advocated the creation of a children's camp bringing together children from the BRICS countries.

“If children make friends there, this will translate into connections and relations in the future,” he explained.

For his part, Vladimir Volkogon, rector of the State Technical University of the port city of Kaliningrad, proposed organizing trips to Cuba by the famous Russian sailing ships Krusenstern and Sedov to commemorate in 2026 the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth. He noted that they are ships with “enormous experience of diplomatic activities”.

The proposals were presented during the round table Russia-Latin America: seeking new forms of cooperation, held this week at the Civic Chamber, which is dedicated to bringing to the Government initiatives that contribute to the implementation of state policies, among whose priorities is to strengthen ties with this region on the other side of the Atlantic. The meeting was held in collaboration with the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as with the Rossotrudnichestvo agency.

During the meeting, the chief oncologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, Academician Andrei Kaprin, emphasized the potential of the Eurasian country's cooperation with its Latin American and Caribbean partners in the field of health. In particular, he pointed out the diagnosis of cancers, while expressing Russia's willingness to train specialists in the sector. He also raised the issue of telemedicine and medical tourism.

Referring to the main challenges to be resolved between the parties, the director of the Russian National Committee for Economic Collaboration with Latin American Countries, Tatiana Mashkova, insisted on the need to better understand each other's offers. In this context, she highlighted Cuba's advances in biopharmaceuticals, while Chile is strong in fields such as robotics, she underlined.

In case you had doubts about the impact and potential of the revolution in the Alliance of Sahel States, listen to this elder explain exactly how much it means to him. Speaking at a recent meeting in New York in support of the bloc, he related how he had resigned himself to the idea that he would never see the African revolution in his own lifetime. But the transformative events in the Sahel have become a source of pride and joy for him. He is aware of representation politics as a tool for subduing activism among the masses - former US president Barack Obama is a notable example. The Sahel is different. These are not just token Black faces, but leaders intent on rewriting the African story - from victims of centuries of subjugation to a strong dignified people. They have taken control of their resources and ended military occupation by the West. The task now is to build a new Africa.

Have a listen and please share your thoughts.

Video credit: @marcus_herve on X

Sources https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/how-barack-obama-failed-black-americans/511358/

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/mali-adopts-new-mining-code-boost-sectors-contribution-gdp-mines-ministry-2023-08-08/

https://www.ft.com/content/c677935b-ab2b-4cc4-914f-6b67f2c24183

https://energyinafrica.com/news/orano-plans-exit-from-nigers-uranium-market/

https://apnews.com/article/niger-france-sahel-coup-troops-security-macron-97c8ccfe880169832965c33e96d7befe

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20220217-live-macron-holds-conference-on-sahel-engagement-as-france-poised-to-withdraw-troops-from-mali

Russia and Cuba are working to establish a joint logistics center in the Caribbean nation's most important deep-water port to boost cooperation, Russian media reported.

The project, aimed at streamlining trade flows between Moscow and Latin America, was confirmed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), which concluded last week.

Tatyana Mashkova, head of Russia's National Committee for Economic Cooperation with Latin American Countries, told the media outlet that the two sides are working “in parallel” to establish the center in the Port of Mariel, Cuba.

Located at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, Mariel has a container terminal, a free trade zone, modern warehouses and rail connections. The zone offers tax exemptions and business-friendly customs preferences designed to encourage investment and local production. Several Russian companies already have a presence there.

Mashkova said Russian and Cuban business representatives are also negotiating ways to strengthen financial cooperation, including support from the Russian Export Center. The goal is to facilitate bilateral trade and reduce logistical barriers.

“Our companies could benefit from this Cuban platform to distribute their products more actively throughout the region,” he said, pointing to opportunities in Central America and the Caribbean.

Cuba has also offered to host an industrial park for the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) within the Mariel special economic zone. The proposed 50-hectare site would be leased to the bloc for 50 years, with an option to extend. The park would allow UEE members to localize production, invest directly and expand access to Latin American markets.

The EEU includes five post-Soviet countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Cuba has been cooperating with the bloc for several years and became an official observer in 2020.

The Deputy Minister of Anti-Blockade Policies, William Castillo, spoke exclusively to Sputnik at the latest edition of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he outlined the keys to the Caribbean nation's success in defeating Western sanctions, while also advocating the formation of a common front among the affected nations.

Interviewed after the end of the forum's plenary session -which was led by Russian President Vladimir Putin- Castillo agreed with the Kremlin chief's words that the new world order “appears as the rising of the sun”.

"The sun appears, even if you don't want it to, every morning. And that new sun is the pluripolar world, the world of equality, the world of respect for sovereignty, the world of economic cooperation relations, which is not a world of cannibalization, nor of aggression, nor of sanctions," the deputy minister commented.

“So I found it very interesting that an important time was dedicated in this final plenary to discuss this issue of sanctions and to demonstrate that sanctions can be defeated, that if countries organize themselves, that if countries respect international law, that if they have commercial partners and allies that respect international law, a world without sanctions can be created in this new pluripolar world”, he said.

According to Castillo, this is illustrated by the case of Russia -the most sanctioned country in history, with tens of thousands of restrictions- which "has been adapting and has been defeating the impacts that were sought, which was to collapse the national economy".

Venezuela comes out ahead

This is also the case of Venezuela, said the director of the Venezuelan Anti-Blockade Observatory.

"Venezuela has up to this moment 1,039 sanctions, we are practically the fifth country in the world with more sanctioned ships, more sanctioned airplanes, more public officials and more companies. Venezuela has almost 200 sanctioned companies, Venezuelan and foreign, for doing business with Venezuela, including some Russian companies", he pointed out.

However, the country “is showing that it can face sanctions and that it can move forward and that it can offer economic answers to its people, welfare, despite the fact that sanctions are still in force”.

"We have been under these measures for 10 years. Of course, the first 6 years impacted us hard, but also after the pandemic the Venezuelan economy is growing and today it is the most dynamic economy in South America. We have had four consecutive years of economic growth, an average of over 6%, similar to the figures that the Russian economy has today, between 5% and 7% growth", he stressed.

The keys to the anti-blockade policy

According to Castillo, working for food sovereignty was among the main lines of action of the Venezuelan government, previously "highly dependent on food imports".

"When imports were closed, we lived some two or three years of very acute shortages. President Nicolás Maduro designed an economic recovery strategy, designed a set of productive alliances with the private sector, with small producers, with peasants and also with the communes - which are organizations, grassroots communities - to turn the economic recovery, to focus it on the recovery of food production. Today Venezuela produces more food than in 2014, than before the sanctions. We produce more rice, more corn flour, more potatoes. We have practically recovered the supply of basic foodstuffs, 97% is produced today in Venezuela", he emphasized.

The Caribbean country is also expanding its food supply for international markets.

"We are increasing non-traditional exports. In addition to oil, cocoa and coffee, which is what we are known for, we are exporting shrimp, today we are exporting blue crab, we are exporting fruits to several countries. That is to say, the country united around the need to defend the right of Venezuelans to live, and that started with the food sector", he reiterated.

In fact, the other line of action of Caracas is to diversify its commercial partners, developing “very important productive projects” with nations such as Russia or China.

"For example, in Venezuela we are building right now, with Russian technology, through a Russian investment, an insulin manufacturing plant, which will allow us to free ourselves from insulin imports. So, there are pharmaceutical projects, there are tourism projects, there are industrial projects, there are production projects and there are alliances between businessmen from these countries and Venezuelan businessmen, or the Venezuelan public sector, to recover factories, to recover production in certain sectors. So, this tells you that the response of sovereign countries to coercive measures is creativity, union, shared work, and this can be seen in the different projects that Venezuela has been signing, particularly with what we call this BRICS world, this world of equals, this world that they are making", he stated.

“All the countries -there are 30 nations that have unilateral coercive measures- are learning from the experience of other countries and are creating antibodies against this attempt to introduce and inoculate an economic epidemic”, remarked Castillo.

Venezuela and Russia will hold the first anti-blockade meeting

The Deputy Minister for Anti-blockade Policies also announced "the first Russia-Venezuela meeting on unilateral coercive measures, in accordance with the memorandum signed by the foreign ministers of our countries a year ago". He added that the document includes cooperation in "fighting and overcoming sanctions".

According to Castillo, the Western unilateral coercive measures -which are an "economic aggression" because they do not have the approval of the UN Security Council- are presented as "an instrument that supposedly defends democracy and human rights, but which seeks to control countries through devastation".

“This is a policy of neo-colonization through the economy, which has pathetically demonstrated that it failed, both in the case of Russia and in the case of Venezuela,” he explained.

Venezuela highlights Sputnik's communication work

The Venezuelan Vice Minister opposed the efforts to "cancel" Sputnik, describing the Western censorship campaign as "brutal". At the same time, he stressed that, nevertheless, its audience is growing globally.

"In Venezuela, for example, a lot of international information is now consumed through Russian media, because we have the experience of what Western media are, with their news bias. So, we have a source of information. But I believe -and I have seen some statistics- that also in other parts of the world, including Europe, Russian media such as Sputnik and others are being watched with great force", he highlighted.

"These countries and their media are giving an important response in terms of the cultural battle, the battle of ideas, of information, of people's right to access information. I think they are using the platforms intelligently -which must be done, you cannot reject the platforms, even if they are Western platforms- but they are also creating new media, new platforms, and they are opening the opportunity for our people to see balanced information, balanced, and not to stay with Western narratives," Castillo concluded.

ISIS has been a pawn of Israel to weaken its enemies in the region — primarily Iran🇮🇷 — and legitimize bombings under the disguise of fighting “Islamic terrorism”.

🔴 ISRAELI HOSPITALS TREATED ISIS FIGHTERS

Israel admitted to operating a secret field hospital in the Golan Heights, treating thousands of wounded Syrians—including confirmed ISIS/al-Nusra fighters. "Since 2013, Israel has treated over 4,000 Syrians, including rebels fighting Assad. Some were linked to jihadist factions." (Haaretz, March 18, 2016)

🔴 ISIS NEVER ATTACKED ISRAEL

Despite operating near Israeli borders in Syria and Sinai, ISIS launched ZERO attacks inside Israel, while simultaneously waging global terror.

ISIS's "Sinai Province" killed 224+ Egyptian soldiers (2014-2017) but never crossed into Israel—despite sharing a border.

• Leaked ISIS Memo: A captured ISIS document ordered fighters to avoid clashes with Israel, calling it a "future battlefield."

🔴 ISRAELI WEAPONS FOUND WITH ISIS

•ISIS units in Anbar province were found with Israeli Galil ACE rifles. (Al-Monitor, 2015)

•Peshmerga (Kurdish) fighters shot down an ISIS drone—revealing Israeli tech inside. (The Guardian, 2016)

🔴 RUSSIAN & SYRIAN INTEL LEAKS

• 2015: Putin’s Advisor Accuses Israel "Israel supports ISIS to overthrow Assad." – Vladimir Putin’s Middle East envoy, Mikhail Bogdanov

• 2017: Syrian General Leaks Mossad-ISIS Meetings A defected Syrian intel officer claimed Mossad coordinated with ISIS commanders near the Golan.

🔴 ISRAEL'S ULTIMATE GOALS

•Weakened Syria: Assad distracted by ISIS instead of Israel •Justified US bombings: this helped Israel against Iran •Divided Sunni/Shia world: Israel’s ultimate security strategy

Source -> https://t.me/geopolitics_live/52417

Found this analysis very interesting. Let me know your thoughts on this one.

The Russian FSB has published new declassified archival documents on the brutal murders of Soviet prisoners of war by Nazi troops in the first months of the Great Patriotic War. The documents are available on the agency's website.

Thus, on October 27, 1941, the head of the Special Department of the NKVD of the Southern Front, Major of State Security Pavel Zelenin, sent a special message to the Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, Commissar of State Security of the 3rd rank Viktor Abakumov and the command of the Southern Front, "On the abuse of captured Red Army servicemen by the Germans."

The document, in particular, reported that at the Greigovo station on the railway line between Nikolaev and Krivoy Rog, wounded Red Army soldiers remained who had not been evacuated.

"The Germans mocked them, did not give them food, did not bandage the wounded and did not allow any of the local residents to approach them. According to the stories of the peasants of the same station, the Germans shot 135 people, first mockingly tormenting the commanders and political workers, torturing them - they chopped off their hands, cut off their ears, gouged out their eyes and then shot them," Zelenin reported. Also, according to local residents, at the Lopnino station on August 17, 1941, two prisoners were hacked to death because the Nazis found party cards on them.

During subsequent military operations, security agencies not only recorded the crimes of the Nazis, but also identified the direct perpetrators of abuse and atrocities. These materials served as the basis for conducting a search for Nazi war criminals and their accomplices, the FSB concluded.

Earlier, the FSB declassified documents on medical experiments by Nazi doctors on Soviet prisoners and civilians in Crimea. In particular, a large volume of blood was taken from prisoners at one time, which was then used for transfusions to the Germans.

“Israel has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region” — US Ambassador at the UN Security Council meeting on Iran.

Sometimes, the truth slips through...

In this recently aired episode of ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ (@ piersuncensored on X), while speaking on the support Iran has in its response to Israel's attacks and aggression, George Galloway (@ GeorgeGalloway on X), leader of the Workers Party of Britain, delivered a searing reality check to the British journalist, exposing the arrogance of Western-centric worldviews.

Galloway boldly challenged Morgan's presumptuousness in arbitrarily deciding which countries deserve legitimacy. Western hegemony, relentlessly propagated by figures like Morgan, shamelessly romanticises Western leadership, arrogantly positioning it as superior to the voices and sovereignty of the Global South. Yet, as Galloway aptly pointed out, this narrative is a dangerous illusion. Western powers such as the US and the UK cloak themselves in the façade of civilisation and democracy, all the while propping up, funding, and enabling brutal regimes. Israel being the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II despite Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is a glaring example.

Furthermore, the West's self-proclaimed status as the bastion of freedom and human rights has been exposed as a grotesque hypocrisy. Since Israel's siege of Gaza began on 7 October 2023, the world has witnessed how its allies have systematically silenced dissent through the arrests of activists like US legal resident Mahmoud Khalil, as well as the UK and Austria’s detention of journalists, such as Richard Medhurst, for speaking out against Israel's devastating assault. This blatant suppression of free speech contradicts Western claims of moral superiority. It reveals a ruthless double standard designed to protect their geopolitical interests at the expense of justice and truth.

It’s no wonder that the Global South and Russia support Iran, as it represents the fight against imperial forces.

Around 4,000 people from 80 countries traveled to Cairo with the intention of reaching the Rafah border with Gaza and breaking the humanitarian blockade. However, the co-chair and spokesperson of the march, the Palestinian-born Spaniard Saif Abukeshek, was arrested on Monday, June 16 and deported on Tuesday, June 17, arriving in Rome in the evening. The organization denounced the escalation of illegal arrests, abuses and ill-treatment against the participants, despite having coordinated with the Egyptian authorities and announced the end of the planned actions in Egypt.

The organization detailed that plainclothes officers forcibly removed participants from hotels, cafes and streets without identification or explanation. In one particularly serious incident, on Monday afternoon, June 16, secret police abducted five people, including Saif Abukeshek and Norwegians Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, while they were in a cafe. The three were blindfolded, handcuffed, interrogated and brutally beaten, Selhi said after their release.

Abukeshek managed to leave Egypt for Barcelona, while Jonas and Huthayfa were transferred to the Cairo airport detention center without formal charges, pending their release. The organization urged the international community to contact Egyptian embassies to demand the release of the detainees and the safe return of those attempting to leave the country peacefully.

The suspension of the march in Egypt came after the organization sent out a press release on Monday afternoon, June 16, assuring that the stage in the country had ended and requesting all participants to return to their countries. Despite this decision, the Egyptian authorities intensified the repression. Judge Pilar Barroso, a participant in the march and member of Judges for Palestine, said that the level of security in Egypt had increased dramatically due to the geopolitical situation and that it was “impossible to do anything else here without risking imprisonment”. The organization estimates that around 300 people have been deported, 14 of them from the Spanish delegation.

Activists denounced the inaction of their embassies, including the Spanish embassy, which according to testimonies did not offer the expected assistance in the face of arrests and harassment. Sumar deputy, Tesh Sidi, criticized the response of the Spanish Embassy in Cairo, which according to her only offered attention for aggressions without further mediation. However, the Spanish delegation affirmed that the consular attention was correct and that they went to the detainees in several cases.

Despite the repression, the organization reiterated that its objectives coincide with those of Egyptian diplomats to end Israel's illegal siege and achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. They consider the crackdown “unnecessary and counterproductive” for Egypt. Abukeshek, before his arrest, and Pilar Barrado emphasized that the “main concern remains the people of Gaza” and that, despite the violence and intimidation, the movement has grown stronger. They affirmed that the Global March to Gaza “is not over, it is just beginning,” and that they will tirelessly explore ways to end the atrocities in Palestine and promote Palestinian life, dignity and self-determination.

An interesting detail that goes almost unnoticed in the context of the attacks on Iran: the first missiles fired at Iranian territory flew almost simultaneously with the launch of the new rail route from China to Iran. The first train from Xi'an arrived at the Iranian logistics hub on May 25, 2025. This route has been coordinated and built since 2021, immediately after Iran and China signed a strategic agreement worth approximately $400 billion under the “One Belt and Road” initiative. The essence of the project is simple: industrial products from China now reach Iran directly by land, bypassing all U.S. zones of influence, military bases and sanctions control. Iran not only receives supplies, but becomes a key connecting transit hub:

• to the south - the North-South corridor through Russia, the Caspian Sea and India;
• to the west - land access to Iraq, Syria, Turkey and the Mediterranean;
• to the east - direct access to Chinese supply chains.

In addition, the land route erodes the monopoly of maritime traffic, especially in conditions where the Strait of Hormuz and Suez are controlled by U.S. or pro-U.S. structures. Iran has gradually overcome its logistical isolation, becoming a link between China, Russia, India and the Middle East.

All this constitutes a geo-economic threat that the United States and its allies understand perfectly well. Therefore, it is not surprising that, simultaneously with the beginning of Iran's real integration into the trans-Asian logistics, an attempt to destroy it systemically is being initiated. The problem is not limited to the nuclear program. The issue is to prevent Iran from becoming a logistical hub for the new Eurasian architecture and gaining sufficient strength.

Taken from a Cuban Telegram channel and found it worth sharing for a discussion here.