Venezuela

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 08:20 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade agreement “closer than ever”, says Spanish president Rajoy

  

  The European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur should intensify talks to reach a trade agreement this year, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Tuesday, urging haste after 18 years of negotiations.

• Tuesday, April 25th 2017 - 07:28 UTC

  Renewed violence in Venezuela raises the death toll in three weeks to 24

  

  Three people were killed in Venezuela on Monday in renewed violence, raising the death toll in three weeks of massive demonstrations against populist President Nicolas Maduro to 24, officials said. Several others were seriously injured and “between life and death,” said public defender Tarek William Saab.

• Saturday, April 22nd 2017 - 10:47 UTC

  Looting and stray shooting kill twelve more in Venezuela; death toll rises to 21

  

  Twelve more Venezuelans lost their lives on Friday in violence associated with a wave of anti-government demonstrations, including eight who died electrocuted when they came in contact with a 220 kV cable while looting a bakery. This brings up to 21 the number of fatalities since the new wave of protest started in early April.

• Friday, April 21st 2017 - 10:00 UTC

  Venezuela donated US$ 500.000 to the inauguration of President Donald Trump

  

  Venezuela has donated US$500,000 to US President Donald Trump's inauguration, newly released records show. Citgo Petroleum, a US-based subsidiary of the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, is named in papers filed with the Federal Election Commission.

• Friday, April 21st 2017 - 09:32 UTC

  Venezuela opposition announced three more days of protests

  

  Venezuela's opposition renewed nationwide protests on Thursday to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to hold elections and improve a collapsing economy, and vowed to keep up pressure by staging three more protests in the next four days.

• Thursday, April 20th 2017 - 23:21 UTC

  Russian shipping conglomerate suing Venezuela's oil giant PDVSA for unpaid fees

  

  Venezuela's state-run oil company, PDVSA, sent a tanker in October to the Caribbean with the expectation that its cargo of crude would fetch about US$20 million - money the crisis-stricken nation desperately needs. Instead, the owner of the tanker, the Russian state-owned shipping conglomerate Sovcomflot, held the oil in hopes of collecting partial payment on US$30 million that it says PDVSA owes for unpaid shipping fees.

• Thursday, April 20th 2017 - 00:51 UTC

  Two students killed in massive marches in Venezuela; “the anti-Christs have been defeated” blasts Maduro

  

  Two Venezuelan students died on Wednesday after being shot during protests against unpopular populist President Nicolas Maduro, increasing turmoil in the volatile nation amid a crippling economic crisis. Opposition supporters protested in Caracas and other cities in what they called “the mother of all marches,” denouncing Maduro for eroding democracy and plunging the oil-rich economy into chaos.

• Wednesday, April 19th 2017 - 06:03 UTC

  “Mother of all marches” in Venezuela; Maduro reacts by pledging 500.000 civilian militias

  

  As Venezuela’s center-right opposition prepares to stage “the mother of all marches” this Wednesday to protest President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to consolidate power, the besieged leader has called for a countermarch and declared plans to expand the country’s civilian militias.

• Friday, April 7th 2017 - 10:39 UTC

  Mercosur and Pacific Alliance summit will address potential convergence and Trump's protectionism

  

  Mercosur and Pacific Alliance foreign ministers are scheduled to meet this Friday in Buenos Aires, on an Argentine initiative to advance in a possible political and trade confluence with the prospect of a regional alliance in the near future. The controversial Venezuela case will also be on the table, but attendants have anticipated that they won't let this issue dominate the agenda or cast a shadow on the purpose of the summit.

• Thursday, April 6th 2017 - 06:08 UTC

  Maduro blows up last bridge with Mercosur and causes deep rift in Uruguayan ruling coalition

  

  Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro seems to have blown up the last bridge to Mercosur when he launched a barrage of accusations against Uruguay's foreign minister which triggered an immediate reaction from president Tabare Vazquez, who demanded evidence of the charges or a public retraction from the embattled Maduro. But the conflict has also openly exposed the deep rift inside the Uruguayan ruling coalition regarding the Bolivarian revolution “anti imperialist” regime.