Uruguay and Bolivia will be the only South American countries attending this Thursday the inauguration of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro for a second five year mandate. A regime which has become an increasingly international pariah for its non democratic practices, human rights abuses, and disastrous management of the economy creating a major humanitarian crisis with food and essential pharmaceutical shortages while some three million of Venezuelans have fled the country in desperation.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday warned he could take “diplomatic measures” against Latin American nations that signed a statement last week describing his second term, which starts on Thursday, as illegitimate.
Venezuela’s defense minister told socialist President Nicolas Maduro to step down last month, and said he would offer his own resignation if he did not, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing an anonymous U.S. intelligence official.
US energy company ExxonMobil has started drilling one of two new exploration wells offshore Guyana. It’s the first of two wells to be drilled this month. The world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company said in a statement that the Stena Carron drillship is drilling the Haimara-1 well, located 19 miles east of the Pluma-1 discovery in the southeast Stabroek Block.
Venezuela Supreme Court judge Christian Zerpa has fled to the United States to protest over President Nicolás Maduro's second term in office. Last year's election “was not free and competitive”, the former Maduro loyalist told a Florida radio station, and he accused President Maduro of systematically manipulating the affairs of the Supreme Court.
Mexico’s new government on Friday called on its peers to refrain from interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs, declining to back a regional declaration that urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to take office on Jan. 10.
Brazil’s new President Jair Bolsonaro said that he would be open to the possibility of the United States operating a military base on his country’s soil, a move that would form a sharp shift in direction for Brazilian foreign policy.
Academics of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) debated between December 20 and 26 on the constitutional end of Nicolás Maduro's office term between 2014-2019 and propose three clear lines against the question of the oath of office on the 10th of January. The new period (2019-2025) won't be recognized by the International Community.
Venezuelan authorities have offered Russian companies to take part in gold exploration and gold mining in the country, according to Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zaemsky.
After defaults in Mozambique, Venezuela, and Cuba the Brazilian government froze credit lines for new exports, a measure that will affect mostly small and medium-sized businesses. The Brazilian Treasury Department will spend US$ 6 million to reimburse BNDES (National Bank For Economic and Social Development) for Cuba's default