The Netherlands - US Relations: Netherlands, U.S. agree on use of Curacao as possible aid hub for Venezuela

The Netherlands and the United States reached an agreement on Friday to use facilities on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao for possible distribution of aid to nearby Venezuela, Curacao’s prime minister said.

Theisland will only be used for civilian operations to deliver aid, such as food and medicines, to Venezuela if the Venezuelan government explicitly allows it, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said last month.

Note Almere Digest: A good idea, as long as the US does not use it as a "stepping stone" for a US "sponsored" military  invasion of Venezuela.

Read more: Netherlands, U.S. agree on use of Curacao as possible aid hub for Venezuela | Reuters

Russia Lashes Out At U.S. ‘Monopoly’ on Humanitarianism With Aid Convoy to Ukraine - Simon Shuster

On Friday morning, as hundreds of Russian trucks trundled across the border into Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin gave a briefing to explain why Moscow was sending the convoy without permission from the government in Kiev.

The decision had caused such panic in the West that an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council had been scheduled Friday afternoon to discuss what Ukraine called a “direct invasion.” Churkin batted these concerns away, and only once gave a hint as to convoy’s larger purpose.

The telling moment came in response to a question from Voice of America, whose correspondent asked Churkin about the claim that the trucks were being used to resupply pro-Russian rebels fighting against government forces in Ukraine. “With baby food?,” Churkin countered. In Russia’s version of the story, the trucks are loaded with humanitarian aid, nothing more dangerous than power generators, buckwheat and medicine. But Churkin wasn’t finished. “You are from Voice of America,” he told the reporter, who began to say her press affiliation is irrelevant. “Please, wait for me to say the next thing,” Churkin interjected. “The United States do not have monopoly to humanism, you know? We are all human. So if you are trying to question our humanism, I would resent that.”

The following day, when all the trucks packed up and drove back across the border into Russia, it became clear that breaking the West’s “monopoly on humanism” (Churkin meant to say “humanitarianism”) had a lot to do with the convoy’s objectives from the start. It was not meant to resupply the rebels in Ukraine; Russia has been doing that for months without resorting to elaborate diversions and decoys. Nor was the convoy’s sole mission to deliver aid, as many of the trucks were mostly empty. It was rather meant to show that Russia, much like the West, now claims the right to violate the sovereignty of another nation on humanitarian grounds, and there’s not much anyone can do to stop it.

Read more: Russia Lashes Out At U.S. ‘Monopoly’ on Humanitarianism With Aid Convoy to Ukraine | TIME

EU says lack of access in Syria hinders humanitarian aid

Escalating violence in Syria and limited access to civilians in need hinder the distribution of humanitarian aid in the country, the European Union's crisis chief said on Wednesday.

An 18-month uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad's rule has killed approximately 27,000 people, according to Syrian activists. The revolt has escalated into an armed insurgency with sectarian overtones that could drag in regional powers.

The European Union estimates 2.5 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance, compared to 1 million in March. They include 1.2 million people forced from their homes.

"To do more, we need more access in Syria," EU humanitarian affairs commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said after talks on the issue with heads of U.N. and other international aid agencies at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Read more: THE DAILY STAR :: News :: Middle East :: Lack of access in Syria hinders humanitarian aid: EU

Middle East: Anti-government protests spread in Libya and Bahrain: Malta's MEP Casa, Busuttil urge EU to show solidarity

As life in Tunisia and Egypt gradually gets back to normal, political turmoil has, however, spread to Libya, the country long ruled by Muammar al-Gaddafi, with hundreds of Libyans taking part in anti-government protests clashing with security forces early yesterday morning in Benghazi, the country’s second-largest city.

Italy yesterday declared a humanitarian state of emergency and appealed to the EU for aid after over 5,000 illegal immigrants arrived in the space of five days on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Maltese MEP David Casa was one of the speakers during Tuesday night’s heated debate held with the European Commissioner on Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the urgent situation in Italy. In a passionate speech, Mr Casa said: “The events of the last few days are a Mediterranean tragedy. The EU has not been listening to our calls – the solidarity of which you speak has simply failed to materialise.

“If Lampedusa overflows with migrants and transfers some of them to Sicily or Italy – God forbid these people came to Malta – we cannot extend Malta nor can we turn it into some massive prison.

For more: INDEPENDENT online