Venezuela

• Friday, February 15th 2013 - 22:56 UTC

  Venezuelan government releases pictures of Chavez next to his daughters

  

  Venezuelans got the first glimpse in more than two months of their ailing president Friday in a series of photos the government released in a televised announcement. In the photos, Hugo Chavez is lying on a blue pillow, flanked by his two daughters, while he reads the Cuban official newspaper Granma. He is smiling, and his face looks a little swollen.

• Thursday, February 14th 2013 - 23:35 UTC

  Fitch Ratings downgrades Argentina and Venezuela prospects for 2013

  

  Fitch ratings has lowered Argentina, Venezuela and El Salvador credit and growth prospects to negative, while for the rest of Latinamerica the situation remains stable, according to a seminar in Frankfort, on “Latinamerica opportunities and challenges”.

• Thursday, February 14th 2013 - 23:29 UTC

  IMF praises Venezuelan devaluation, but LechugaVerde/Bolivar gap close to 300%

  

  The International Monetary Fund, IMF, praised Venezuela for the recent devaluation of its currency saying it is a positive attempt to reduce macroeconomic misbalances but also called on the government of President Hugo Chavez to continue eliminating the exchange rate distortions.

• Saturday, February 9th 2013 - 09:32 UTC

  Venezuela devalues currency 32% to help cut 11% of GDP fiscal gap

  

  Venezuela devalued its currency for the fifth time in nine years as ailing President Hugo Chavez seeks to narrow a widening fiscal gap and reduce a shortage of dollars in the economy. The new exchange rate falls by 32% to 6.3 Bolivar per dollar starting Feb. 13, Finance Minister Jorge Giordani told reporters in Caracas.

• Tuesday, January 29th 2013 - 05:58 UTC

  Letter from Chavez calls for regional unit, supports Cuba and condemns UK on the Falklands

  

  Vice-president Nicolas Maduro, read an eleven page letter he said was written by ailing President Hugo Chavez in which the Venezuelan leader calls for Latinamerican unit, praises Cuba’s chairmanship of CELAC group and takes time to support Argentina’s claims over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.

• Saturday, January 26th 2013 - 20:44 UTC

  Mercosur/Paraguay controversy reaches EU/CELAC summit in Chile

  

  Chile confirmed that Paraguay finally decided not to attend the EU/CELAC summit in Chile putting an end to a controversy when it emerged that several Mercosur and Unasur members insisted that the landlocked country should not be invited.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 06:02 UTC

  Venezuela wants best of relations with the US based on ‘mutual absolute respect’

  

  Vice-president Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday that Venezuela is willing to have the ‘best possible relations’ with the US government as long as these are based on respect and equality. He added that it was President Hugo Chavez who instructed the newly named Foreign minister Elias Jaua on the issue.

• Thursday, January 17th 2013 - 16:49 UTC

  Uruguay poised to grow 4% this year; Argentina and Brazil, 3.4%, says World Bank

  

  Uruguay’s economy is poised to grow 4% this year and in 2014, which is above the region’s average, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects issued this week. However Uruguay will be ranked twelfth in the growth ranking of Latinamerica this year but ahead of Brazil and Argentina with 3.4%.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 08:54 UTC

  Maduro delivers state of the nation speech and announces new Foreign minister

  

  Venezuela President Hugo Chávez has decided to appoint Elías Jaua as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolás Maduro during the Tuesday session at the National Assembly when he submitted the Yearly Report for fiscal year 2012.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 06:45 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez has hand-written copies of Chavez political testament, says Bocaranda

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez in her recent visit to Cuba declined to see the ailing Hugo Chavez but surprised her hosts, the Castro brothers, when she revealed having received two letters from the Venezuelan leader which she considered to be his political testament.