Venezuela

• Friday, August 16th 2013 - 02:57 UTC

  Paraguay new president pledges ‘war on poverty’ and improved relations with neighbours

  

  Conservative businessman Horacio Cartes was sworn in as president of Paraguay on Thursday, amid slowly improving relations with South American neighbors, and Mercosur members, damaged by the 2012 removal of populist President Fernando Lugo, who was impeached on incompetence.

• Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 03:51 UTC

  Mercosur controversy, Cartes main challenge when he takes office on Thursday

  

  Most presidents and top authorities that will attend the inauguration of Paraguayan president-elect Horacio Cartes on Thursday morning arrived in Asunción on Wednesday and most of them have already held private meetings with the future leader of the country.

• Wednesday, August 14th 2013 - 19:36 UTC

  After inflation hits 42%, Maduro names a more pragmatic president to the Central bank

  

  Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro appointed the third central bank president this year as Latin America’s biggest oil exporter seeks to rein in the fastest inflation among the world’s major economies.

• Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 21:28 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez will attend Cartes inauguration in Paraguay; problems with Mercosur protocol

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernandez confirmed by writing that she would be attending the inauguration of Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes next Thursday 15 August, according the organization committee of the event in Asuncion, Ambassador Federico Gonzalez and head of Protocol at the Paraguayan foreign ministry.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 14:12 UTC

  Venezuela inflation in July 3.2% and 42.6% in the last twelve months

  

  Venezuela consumer prices last month rose at the fastest pace since the index was created in 2008 amid worsening shortages of staple goods such as meat, sugar and milk. Prices rose 42.6% in July from a year earlier and 3.2% in the month, the central bank said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 03:11 UTC

  ”Christ the Redeemer became flesh…in Hugo Chavez”, says President Maduro

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Monday compared Hugo Chavez to Christ and said that the late president, just like Jesus, “came to protect those who had nothing”, in a tribute to the fallen leader on the fifth month anniversary of his death.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 03:07 UTC

  Rough going in Venezuela: opposition leader killed; media group suspends activities

  

  Venezuela is becoming a rough environment for those dissenting with the Bolivarian revolution: in the last few hours a leading Venezuelan opposition was killed and on Monday media group announced the suspension of activities following the freezing of bank accounts and arrest of the owner and publisher.

• Sunday, August 4th 2013 - 19:58 UTC

  Venezuela not invited to Paraguay-president inauguration; Rousseff confirms attendance

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff officially confirmed her attendance to the inauguration ceremony of Paraguayan president-elect Horacio Cartes next 15 August, according to the Transmission Committee that is coordinating the event

• Thursday, August 1st 2013 - 04:09 UTC

  “Not even the Pope could bring Brazil and Paraguay together”, said O’Globo

  

  Influential Latin American newspapers have been extremely critical of Brazilian diplomacy in its unsuccessful attempts to ‘subdue Paraguay’, while at the same praising the landlocked country’s dignity in demanding from Mercosur respect and compliance with the rule of the law.

• Tuesday, July 23rd 2013 - 08:15 UTC

  Santos and Maduro agree to open a new chapter of neighbourly relations

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos on Monday agreed to turn the page on a diplomatic dispute triggered when Santos met with Venezuela's main opposition leader in May.