Venezuela

• Wednesday, February 18th 2015 - 04:28 UTC

  Venezuela ready to address fuel prices: “piece of candy cannot cost more than a liter of gasoline”

  

  Venezuelan Finance minister Rodolfo Marco Torre announced that ”soon there will be important announcements on the issue of gasoline”, underlining that “a piece of candy cannot cost more than a liter of gasoline”.

• Monday, February 16th 2015 - 08:51 UTC

  Germany urges Brazil with an EU/Mercosur trade agreement

  

  Germany wants to speed negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, said Foreign minister Walter Steinmeier in Brasilia. The agreement has been pending since 1999 when discussions started but so far have been unable to reach a deal or commit a date because of internal problems from both sides.

• Saturday, February 14th 2015 - 06:59 UTC

  Maduro claims a coup attempt was foiled, and blames the US

  

  Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro Thursday night went on the air and said the intelligence services had foiled a coup and arrested multiple people who were behind the attempt, which was backed by the United States.

• Friday, February 13th 2015 - 04:03 UTC

  Clashes and tear gas in Venezuela on the anniversary of students' revolt

  

  Venezuelan police fired tear gas Thursday to break up students demonstrating against President Nicolas Maduro's government, on the anniversary of protests that eventually left 43 people dead last year.

• Tuesday, February 10th 2015 - 23:58 UTC

  Venezuela announces yet another concealed devaluation, effective Wednesday

  

  Venezuela's vice president for economic policy announced Tuesday that the government will inaugurate this week a three-tiered exchange-rate regime which includes a “totally free” market open to both individuals and companies.

• Tuesday, February 10th 2015 - 05:45 UTC

  S&P downgrades Venezuela long term credit rating to CCC

  

  Ratings agency Standard and Poor's on Monday downgraded Venezuelan long-term credit ratings to CCC from CCC+, citing falling oil prices and the government's failure to address economic distortions.

• Friday, January 30th 2015 - 08:25 UTC

  Chavez died December 2012 and not March 2013, says former bodyguard

  

  A former bodyguard of Venezuela’s Socialist Party heavyweight Diosdado Cabello Leamsy Salazar, who fled the country earlier this week and was reportedly collaborating with US authorities investigating allegations of Venezuelan officials' involvement in drugs, said late president Hugo Chavez did not die on 5 March 2013 but on 30 December 2012.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2015 - 06:50 UTC

  Oil Prices Changing The Face Of Global Geopolitics

  

  In a documentary that aired recently on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular The Fifth Estate program, an allegory of Vladimir Putin was presented. The wily Russian president was described growing up in a shabby St. Petersburg apartment, where he would often corner rats.

• Monday, January 26th 2015 - 07:17 UTC

  Venezuela denies authorization to former presidents to visit political prisoner

  

  The Venezuelan government has turned down a request by former presidents of Chile and Colombia to visit opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez in jail. Chile's Sebastian Piñera and Colombia's Andres Pastrana say they are in Venezuela to support the opposition and have called for the release of Mr Lopez, who was arrested nearly a year ago.

• Friday, January 23rd 2015 - 05:43 UTC

  In “God will provide” speech Maduro admits economic failure and calls for unity

  

  In a three-hour State of the Nation speech to the National Assembly on Wednesday night, president Nicolás Maduro acknowledged some of the economic realities facing Venezuela: the economy contracted by 2.8% in 2014 and inflation stood at 64%.