Venezuela

• Tuesday, June 30th 2015 - 05:42 UTC

  Commonwealth's 53-member states support Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity

  

  The 53 member states of the Commonwealth have pledged to support Guyana in the ongoing maritime border dispute with Venezuela. Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, sought to assure the government of the groupings commitment on his arrival to Jamaica.

• Thursday, June 25th 2015 - 07:22 UTC

  Guyana gives assurances to Exxon to keep exploring for oil, despite Venezuela's threats

  

  Venezuela’s recent claim on Guyana’s maritime territory is a “legal absurdity” and US oil firm ExxonMobil will continue to work as scheduled, President David Granger has said. Labeling Caracas’ claim as the worst intrusion the country has ever had on its sovereignty, the President said his government has made its position on the claim by Venezuela clear to the oil company.

• Tuesday, June 23rd 2015 - 05:44 UTC

  Venezuela's legislative election announced for 6 December, a Chavista remembrance date

  

  Venezuela's parliamentary election will be held on December 6, authorities announced on Monday, ending lengthy speculation over the date for a vote that surveys showed was likely to punish the ruling socialists.

• Saturday, June 20th 2015 - 08:38 UTC

  Venezuelan lawmakers blast Brazilian senators' trip as 'abusive and meddling'

  

  Venezuela's ruling Socialist Party legislators reacted to a trip by Brazilian senators to visit jailed opponents of President Nicolas Maduro by describing it as “abusive” and “meddling”. The Brazilian delegation's visit on Thursday was cut short after their minibus was stoned by Maduro supporters and roads were blocked, forcing them to return to the airport and fly back the same day.

• Friday, June 19th 2015 - 23:36 UTC

  Venezuelan pickets stone and threaten visiting Brazilian senators

  

  Brazilian senators seeking on Thursday to visit jailed opposition leaders in Venezuela said their minibus was stoned and blocked, forcing them to return to the airport. The group of opposition senators had planned to drive from the coastal airport of Maiquetía to the capital Caracas and then on to a military jail where hard-line opposition leader Leopoldo López has been for more than a year.

• Friday, June 12th 2015 - 06:14 UTC

  Guyana turning to United Nations to address Venezuela's territorial ambition

  

  Guyana is turning to the United Nations to reach a legal settlement in its border dispute with Venezuela, describing Caracas’ claim of a portion of maritime space where oil was recently discovered as “a baseless and shameless attempt” at usurping Guyana’s territory.

• Wednesday, June 10th 2015 - 21:16 UTC

  Mercosur and Unasur member Venezuela bullying neighboring Guyana

  

  Mercosur and Unasur member Venezuela is again bullying neighboring Guyana by issuing a presidential decree claiming more than two-thirds of the former British colony territory including the maritime area where ExxonMobil recently found a significant oil deposit.

• Tuesday, June 9th 2015 - 06:55 UTC

  IATA calls on Venezuela to make effective 3.7bn dollars retained in airline funds

  

  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the Venezuelan government to address the problem of the 3.7 billion dollars in airline funds the government is withholding from the airlines.

• Monday, June 8th 2015 - 08:05 UTC

  Maduro cancels trip to Rome and meeting with the Pope because of a 'flu spell'

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced he had canceled a planned trip to Rome and Vatican during which he was due to meet Pope Francis, because he is sick with flu. Analysts believe the 'diplomatic' flu spell could be linked to protests in Rome and the Vatican bringing up the issue of political prisoners, following on several letters sent to the Holy See.

• Monday, June 8th 2015 - 08:00 UTC

  Felipe Gonzalez in Venezuela to help lawyers defending political prisoners

  

  Former Spanish prime minister Felipe González has arrived in Venezuela, where he intends to help lawyers defending imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, who is under house arrest.