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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at a hotel after the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, September 11, 2023. In part, that reflects the choppier waters the 77-year-old Brazilian leader now navigates, as Beijing and Washington flirt with a new Cold War while war rages in Ukraine. Even before he took office, Lula was greeted like a rock star last November at the U.N. climate change conference in Egypt. The closer ties to Beijing could complicate Brazil's relationship with Washington, including access to key technology, Shannon added. "Brazil is rapidly wasting its soft power by trying to be an international player with an outdated agenda," he said.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Anushree, Pope, Jair Bolsonaro's, Lula, Oliver Stuenkel, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Thomas Shannon, Porter, Shannon, Nicolas Maduro, Gabriel Boric, Rubens Barbosa, Putin, Maduro, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations General Assembly, U.S, General Assembly, Amazon, International Criminal Court, ICC, Arnold, Security, Mercosur, Venezuelan, Foreign Ministry, South, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Rights BRASILIA, Brazil, China, Beijing, Washington, Ukraine, Sao Paulo, Egypt, U.S, Rio de Janeiro, Russia, South Africa, Shannon, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brasilia, Brazilian, London, South American

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Biden administration heralds the forthcoming release of five U.S. citizens detained by Iran, President Joe Biden is also confronting questions about the price being paid to bring them — and other detainees — home. But each time, officials have said bringing home Americans held by foreign adversaries is a core administration priority that necessarily comes at a heavy cost. Increasingly, the Biden White House has appeared willing to pay it. The Biden administration is, of course, hardly unique in prisoner swaps. The Obama administration in a 2016 deal that drew consternation granted clemency to seven Iranians charged in the U.S. in exchange for the release by Iran of four Americans.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Matthew Miller, “, Michael Waltz, they’ll, Trump, Donald Trump, who'd, Obama, there's, Siamak Namazi, James W, Danielle Gilbert, ”, It's, There's, Mark Frerichs, Bashir Noorzai, Nicolás Maduro’s, Antony Blinken, Iran wouldn’t, Ebrahim Raisi, Gilbert Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, WNBA, Biden White, Mideast, ”, Republican National Convention, Foley Foundation, Northwestern University, Justice Department, U.S ., U.S . U.S, NBC Locations: Iran, America, Russia, ”, U.S, Florida, Iranian, Washington, Venezuela, South Korea, Qatar, Northwestern

BEIJING (AP) — China and Zambia upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership on Friday, the latest move by America's chief global rival to forge deeper ties with the Global South. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Zambian counterpart announced the agreement shortly after Xi had exchanged cordial words with another visitor, the new prime minister of Cambodia. China has in turn won access to natural resources and diplomatic support from many Global South countries on contentious votes at the U.N. and from Cambodia in China’s territorial disputes with other Southeast Asian nations in the South China Sea. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet made China his first official foreign visit after succeeding his father, Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for 40 years and cultivated his country's close relationship with China. Xi told Hun Manet that his father had made historic contributions to bilateral ties.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, ” Xi, Hakainde Hichilema, Hichilema, Nicolás Maduro, ”, Edward Chan, South Africa —, Hun Manet, Hun Sen, Hun, Alfred Wu, National University of Singapore's Lee, “, Wanqing Chen Organizations: BEIJING, Global, Zambian, Australian National University, “, United Arab, Initiative, Cambodian, U.S, Ream Naval Base, National University of Singapore's, National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, Associated Press Locations: China, Zambia, Cambodia, Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, U.S, Zambian, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, South China, Cambodian, Beijing, ASEAN

☆ China, Venezuela sign agreements on economy, trade, tourism
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China on Wednesday upgraded relations with Venezuela to an "all-weather strategic partnership", typically reserved for a select few nations. Maduro said Venezuela supports China's Belt and Road Initiative to boost trade infrastructure, Chinese media said, referring to a related conference in China next month. China has said it has Belt and Road cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and over 30 international organisations. China said it is willing to support construction of special economic zones in Venezuela and both countries agreed to further develop bilateral trade and "enrich the variety of trade goods". In the statement they also said agreements on aviation and aerospace include future flights between the countries and cooperation in spaceflight.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Nicolas Maduro, Maduro's, Xi, Maduro, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee, Ella Cao, Elaine Hardcastle, Christopher Cushing Organizations: of, REUTERS Acquire, China Central Television, China, Initiative, United Nations, New Development Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Miraflores, Handout, Venezuela, BEIJING, Venezuelan, China's, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa

REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Oil prices gained almost 1% to a nine-month high on Friday on rising U.S. diesel futures and worries about tight oil supplies after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended supply cuts this week. "Crude prices continue to trade on supply-side drivers. This week, OPEC member Saudi Arabia and Russia extended their voluntary supply cuts of a combined 1.3 million barrels per day to the end of the year. Rising U.S. diesel prices also supported crude prices with heating oil futures up about 3%. Interest rate hikes can slow economic growth and reduce oil demand.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, Edward Moya, Baker Hughes, Nicolas Maduro, John Evans, Natalie Grover, Robert Harvey, Yuka Obayashi, Xu, Ros Russell, Jason Neely, Susan Fenton, David Gregorio, Leslie Adler Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, U.S, West Texas, of, Petroleum, Energy, Thomson Locations: Midland , Texas, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC, U.S, China, Venezuela, CHINA, Hong Kong, Germany, Europe, Riyadh, London, Tokyo, Singapore

[1/2] Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a meeting with Chile's Ambassador to Venezuela Jaime Gazmuri, at Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela August 16, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro will visit China over Sept. 8-14, China's foreign ministry said on Friday, marking renewed engagement between the two countries amid deepening tensions between Beijing and Western capitals. The visit coincides with the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, which China's president Xi Jinping will not attend. China is the world's largest importers of crude oil, while Venezuela has the largest proven reserves. The company stopped carrying Venezuelan oil in August 2019 after the Trump administration tightened sanctions against the South American exporter.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela Jaime Gazmuri, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Wang Yi, Delcy Rodriguez, Xi Jinping, Maduro, Xi, Trump, Hugo Chavez, Andrew Hayley, Liz Lee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Venezuelan, UN, Energy, South, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Miraflores, Caracas, Rights BEIJING, China, Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi, Kpler, Malaysia, South American

[1/2] Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a meeting with Chile's Ambassador to Venezuela Jaime Gazmuri, at Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela August 16, 2023. Energy trade, debt repayment and new financing likely are the main focus of the Sept. 8-14 visit, officials and sources said. Beijing's decision to host Maduro coincides with a G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend. In 2020, the Maduro administration and Chinese banks again agreed to a grace period on some $19 billion of Chinese debt, according to Reuters reporting. Despite sanctions on Venezuela, China imported around 390,000 barrels per day of crude from the country between January and August this year, totalling roughly 12.9 million metric tons, data from commodities consultancy Vortexa showed.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela Jaime Gazmuri, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Han Zheng, Wang Yi, hegemonism, Han, Pedro Tellechea, Tellechea, Xi Jinping, Maduro, Hugo Chavez's, Joe Biden's, PDVSA, CNPC, Donald Trump, Andrew Hayley, Liz Lee, Joe Cash, Vivian Seuqera, Mayela, Marianna Parraga, Christopher Cushing, Frances Kerry, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West, Energy, China National Petroleum Corp, Venezuelan, Venezuelan Oil, Shanghai International Energy Exchange, Shanghai Petroleum, Natural Gas Exchange, South, Shanghai, Mayela Armas, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Miraflores, Caracas, Rights BEIJING, CARACAS, China, OPEC, Beijing, Shanghai, Asia, New Delhi, Malaysia, South American, Houston

REUTERS/Johnny Carvajal Acquire Licensing RightsCARACAS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Before they were arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison on conspiracy charges, the six Venezuelan activists marched peacefully to call for better salaries for teachers, according to their families and lawyers. The latest moves by Venezuelan authorities demand a coordinated response from other countries, advocates said. He has long accused Venezuela's opposition of seeking to spread chaos. "But obviously I don't have faith in Venezuelan justice," said Oropeza, the wife of activist Bracho. Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Oropeza, Alcides, Johnny Carvajal, Nicolas Maduro's, Yorbelis Oropeza, Fionnuala Ni Aolain, Clement Nyaletsossi Voulue, Juan Pappier, Gonzalo Himiob, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's, Maduro, Javier Tarazona, Tarazona, Roland Carreno, Joel Garcia, Tarazona's, Himiob, Valentina Ballesta, Franks Cabana, Oscar Perez, Ana Leonor Acosta, Xiomara Andara, John Alvarez, Garcia, Bracho, Vivian Sequera, Julia Symmes Cobb, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Maduro, Judiciary, United Nations, Human Rights, Foro Penal, Amnesty International, Coalition for Human Rights, Democracy, Thomson Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Rights CARACAS, U.S, they'll, Foro, Russia, China, Colombia, Brazil, Colombian, Venezuelan

The U.S. in January granted Venezuela's PDVSA, Shell and NGC a two-year authorization to revive the project, which could boost Trinidad and Tobago's gas processing and exports. Negotiations between the trio initially had progressed little over a U.S. demand that the proposed Dragon gas project exclude cash payments to Venezuela or its state companies. "Discussions on the Dragon project involving the governments of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago and Shell are ongoing and commercially confidential," Shell told Reuters. PDVSA, Venezuela's oil ministry and Trinidad's energy ministry did not reply to requests for comment. A second could connect to Shell's Hibiscus field on Trinidad's side, allowing gas to flow to Trinidad, the people said.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Venezuela's PDVSA, Biden, PDVSA, Shell, Stuart Young, Nicolas Maduro, Keith Rowley, Trinidad's, Curtis Williams, Marianna Parraga, Timothy Gardner, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Shell, REUTERS, Rights, Tobago's National Gas Company, NGC, Reuters, Trinidad's Energy, U.S . Treasury, U.S . State Department, Trinidad's, U.S, Washington, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Trinidad, U.S, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Maduro, Guiria, Point Fortin, Houston, Washington

"Increasingly we are going to turn used clothes into raw material from Europe for fashion companies." Also in Spain, rivals including H&M, Mango and Inditex have created a non-profit association to manage clothing waste, responding to an EU law requiring member states to separate textiles from other waste from January 2025. OBSTACLESThe obstacles to significantly reducing clothing waste are formidable, despite the EU crackdown, industry sustainability commitments and initiatives like the Moda Re expansion. Adidas (ADSGn.DE), Bestseller, and H&M (HMb.ST) have invested in Finnish start-up Infinited Fiber Company, which manufactures fibre out of textile waste, cardboard and paper. As in Spain, textile waste associations would be set up in each country.

Persons: Albert Alberich, Inditex, Dijana Lind, Hugo Boss, Lind, Moda, Aissatou Boukoum, Mauro Scalia, Corina Pons, Helen Reid, Horaci Garcia, Nacho, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: BARCELONA, Moda, Caritas, Union, European Commission, Union Investment, Adidas, McKinsey, Reuters, EU, ReHubs, Moda Re, United Nations, Inditex, Puma, Infinited Fiber Company, Thomson Locations: Spain, Barcelona, Spanish, Europe, Zara, Bilbao, Valencia, EU, Frankfurt, ReHubs Europe, Mali, Sant, AFRICA, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Africa, Senegalese, Germany, Texaid, Switzerland, Vestisolidale, Italy, France, EURATEX, Madrid, London, Nacho Doce

But by January of this year, faced with rising rent, increased taxes and financing constraints, he closed it down. The government of Nicolas Maduro relaxed currency controls in 2019, allowing more transactions in dollars despite U.S. sanctions. The move led to a slight recovery in 2021 and 2022 after eight years of economic collapse and the migration of some 7.3 million Venezuelans. 'NO BUYING CAPACITY'Other businesses which have survived said they were slashing prices, salaries and profit margins to stay afloat. "Structural economic problems like scarce credit, an absence of recovery in public utilities, among others, were not resolved."

Persons: Enrique Perrella, Nicolas Maduro, Maduro, Yaner Fung, Fung, Ecoanalitica, Jesus Palacios, Migdalia Uviedo, Ivan Puerta, restaurateurs, Giulio Gallucci, Mayela Armas, Keren Torres, Tibisay Romero, Johnny Carvajal, Julia Symmes Cobb, Vivian Sequera, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Venezuelan Finance Observatory, Retailers, Restaurants, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Caracas, Barquisimeto, Valencia, Ecoanalitica, Mexican

☆ Opinion: Putin’s virtual bravado, Xi’s big win, and 6 new members. Why this was a summit like no other
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The move breathes new life into a group set to rival the G7 and brings the world closer to multi-polarity. BRICS leaders could be forgiven for not knowing whether to exhibit exuberance or concern on Wednesday. (Summit host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said it should be seen as an accomplishment for the entire BRICS bloc.) Hours later, just as BRICS leaders were sitting down to dinner, news alerts started to steal the show on the crashed private jet said to be carrying Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Host South Africa just manages to pull it offThat South Africa managed to pull off hosting the summit is an accomplishment in itself.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, “, —, Xi Jinping, you’ve, Nicolás Maduro, Russia’s, Cyril Ramaphosa, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, couldn’t, Swagger, I’ve, Modi, Vladimir Putin’s, Sergey Lavrov, Lula da Silva, Lula, Vladimir Putin, Michele Spatari, It’s, ” Nontsikelelo, Facebook Xi, Xi, Putin Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Johannesburg CNN, United Arab, —, for Security, UN, Wagner, Getty, Democratic, Twitter, Facebook, National Congress, ANC Locations: Odesa, Europe, Johannesburg, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Africa, ”, Beijing, Donbas, Ukraine, AFP, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon

☆ NY Fed defends cutoff of Puerto Rican bank after Venezuela-linked crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York building is seen in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., December 16, 2017. BSJI said it had improved compliance during a previous 22-month suspension of its master account between 2019 and 2020. In court papers on Wednesday, the New York Fed said BSJI processed transactions that had "multiple red flags for money laundering or other illicit activity." The New York Fed also said BSJI could still seek to access the U.S. financial system through a third-party correspondent bank. In 2019, the New York Fed said it would stop approving master accounts for some Puerto Rican banks because of U.S. sanctions aimed at ousting Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro, Reuters reported at the time.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, BSJI, Marcelino Bellosta, Nicolas Maduro, Luc Cohen, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Federal Reserve Bank of New, REUTERS, Banco San Juan Internacional, New York Fed, Venezuela's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Manhattan, New York, U.S, Puerto Rican, Venezuela, Curacao, Venezuelan, United States, Europe

☆ Opinion: Young Colombians had high hopes for their first leftist president. It didn’t last
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Opinion Kristina Foltz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Before Petro, Colombia had been governed for decades by liberal and conservative parties forming part of the broader Colombian political right. A demonstrator holds a tainted image of Colombian President Gustavo Petro (left) during an anti-government protest in the capital on August 16. Luisa Gonzalez/ReutersBut what about young Colombians, who, like me, are worried about the direction Petro is taking the country? Ivan says he was drawn to Petro because, “he always had a message about generating free quality education for young people. His successor, President Nicolas Maduro, continued Chavismo policies that have destroyed the Venezuelan economy.

Persons: Kristina Foltz, Read, — Gustavo Petro —, I’m, — Nicolas Petro —, Nicolas ’, Petro, Gustavo Petro, Luisa Gonzalez, Ivan Oros, “, ”, Ivan, —, Ivan’s, Juan Manuel Santos, Ivan Duque’s ‘, he’s, Nicolas —, Ariel Ricardo Armel, Juan Valdez, ” Ariel, Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Ariel, Armando Duarte Galan, governability, it’s Organizations: Rotary Ambassador, CNN, Petro, Reuters, La Primavera, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Colombian, University of Pamplona, Social Communications, Colombian Organization, Students, El, SISBEN, WHO, US, Twitter, Facebook, Plaza Bolivar Locations: Bogotá, Colombian, Latin America, Colombia, Venezuela, Venezuelan

Washington has been trying to encourage negotiations between President Nicolas Maduro and the political opposition over elections in Venezuela and other demands. U.S. President Joe Biden's government is prepared to provide Venezuela sanctions relief if the country moves to restore democracy, the White House said on Wednesday. A new round of talks began last November in Mexico including Maduro's representatives, the opposition and U.S. officials, but have shown little progress. The White House declined to comment on the oil sanctions reframing proposal. MORE OIL FOR MORE PEOPLEThe U.S. is this time considering a specific offer to reframe oil sanctions on the country so crude buyers in Europe and other regions also can resume imports of Venezuelan oil in a structured, organized way, the people said.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Joe Biden's, Jorge Rodriguez, Biden, Donald Trump, Dinorah Figuera, Rodriguez, Marianna Parraga, Vivian Sequera, Mayela, Timothy Gardner, Diane Craft, Berkrot Organizations: Chevron Corp, U.S, White, National Security Council, U.S . State Department, National Assembly, Mayela Armas, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, WASHINGTON, American, Washington, Venezuela, U.S, United States, Mexico, Europe, China, Iran, Russia, Houston, Caracas

TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain, Aug 18 (Reuters) - A wildfire that has blanketed much of the Spanish island of Tenerife with smoke and ash has slowed its advance thanks to containment efforts and more favourable weather during the night, authorities said on Friday. Fernando Clavijo, regional leader of the Canary Islands, said there were no more evacuations overnight and officials were considering lifting restrictions on almost 4,000 residents who had been ordered to stay home. [1/2]Pine trees burn in a forest fire in Candelaria on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain August 16, 2023. Scorching heat and dry weather this summer have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe and Canada. On Friday, Spain's AEMET weather service expected maximum temperatures of 32C in Tenerife.

Persons: Fernando Clavijo, We've, Borja Suarez, Mount Teide, Andrei Khalip, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Teide Astrophysics, Thomson Locations: TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain, Spanish, Tenerife, Candelaria, Europe, Canada, Maui, Lahaina

☆ Venezuela appeals to US Supreme Court in last ditch move to limit Citgo auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Venezuela is making a last ditch attempt to limit the number of companies that could participate in a court-ordered auction of shares in a parent of oil refiner Citgo Petroleum, appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling. Venezuela's petition is asking the Supreme Court to find the lower court's "alter ego" decision was faulty. It does not affect the case against Venezuela filed by miner Crystallex International, whose $970 million claim led to the proposed auction of shares. The petition seeks to have briefs filed by September 15 - just ahead of the start of the proposed auction. A Delaware court judge has set Oct. 23 as the start date for the auction.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Gary McWilliams, Deepa Babington, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Petroleum, U.S, Supreme, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Tenaris SA, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Venezuela, Crystallex, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, PDV, United States, Illinois , Louisiana, Texas, Delaware, Houston, PDVSA

TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Firefighters on Thursday struggled to contain a wildfire that broke out in a mountainous national park on the Spanish island of Tenerife, prompting authorities to evacuate at least 3,800 people. "The night has been very tough...This is the most complex fire we've had in the Canary Islands in the last 40 years," the region's leader, Fernando Clavijo, told a news conference. [1/5]EIRIF forest firefighters work during the extinction of the forest fire in Arafo on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain August 16, 2023. Last week, a heatwave in the Canary Islands left many areas bone dry, heightening the risk of wildfires. This summer, firefighters have extinguished a series of forest fires on the islands of Gran Canaria and La Palma, which form part of the Canary Islands archipelago.

Persons: Alba Gil, we've, Fernando Clavijo, Pedro Martinez, Borja Suarez, Clavijo, Teide, Aena, Andrei Khalip, Christina Fincher, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Gran Canaria, La, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain, Tenerife, La Esperanza, Canary, Europe, Canada, Lahaina, Arafo, El Rosario, La Orotava, Spanish, Gran

☆ Recent attacks on prominent figures in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some other attacks on high-profile politicians from Latin America in recent years. JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILDuring his first campaign trail in September 2018, far-right former Brazilian President Bolsonaro was stabbed. REUTERS/Karen ToroJOVENEL MOISE, HAITIHaitian President Moise was shot dead in July 2021 and his wife, Martine Moise, was seriously wounded when heavily armed assassins stormed the couple's home. FRANCIA MARQUEZ, COLOMBIAColombia's now Vice President Marquez had a narrow escape in May 2019 before she ran for office, when attackers launched a grenade and shot at her and other environmental activists. NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAVenezuelan President Maduro accused political foes of trying to kill him during an open-air speech in August 2018 by using explosive-laden drones in capital city Caracas.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, JAIR, Bolsonaro, Karen Toro JOVENEL MOISE, Moise, Martine Moise, IVAN DUQUE, FRANCIA, COLOMBIA Colombia's, Marquez, NICOLAS MADURO, Maduro, Steven Grattan Organizations: REUTERS, VENEZUELA Venezuelan, Thomson Locations: Ecuador, Quito, Latin America, ARGENTINA, JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZIL, HAITI, COLOMBIA, Colombia, Venezuela, FRANCIA MARQUEZ, VENEZUELA, Caracas, Lincoln

The country's elected opposition-led National Assembly in 2019 issued an order naming supervisory boards to look over Venezuela's foreign assets after the U.S. imposed sanctions intended to oust President Nicolas Maduro. The congress is the only one recognized abroad and has received U.S. authority to negotiate any external debt payments. If the proposal is passed, the National Assembly would allow negotiations to extend the bonds' validity for five more years, according to a source involved in the talks. Venezuela's external debt, including PDVSA's, exceeds $60 billion. Reporting by Mayela Armas in Caracas and Marianna Parraga in Houston Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Horacio Medina, Mayela Armas, Marianna Parraga, Marguerita Choy Organizations: National Assembly, Washington, U.S, Administration, Citgo Petroleum, Crystallex International, ConocoPhillips, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, HOUSTON, Venezuelan, Venezuela, Delaware, Caracas, Houston

The largest island, Tenerife, received 4% more tourists in June than in the pre-pandemic 2019. But there were 22% fewer Germans, a clear sign of how the energy crisis and economic woes have weighed on travel decisions. Meanwhile, hotels in traditional hotspots for German tourists, such as the town of Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife, are now filling up with "weather tourists". This year, 18% fewer Germans went on summer holidays than in 2019, according to Germany's tourism industry group DRV. According to Spanish official data, in the first half of 2023, 14% fewer Germans visited Tenerife than in 2019.

Persons: Borja Suarez, Shizuko Hotta, Hotta, Diego Bejarano, Enrique Talg, Corina Pons, Sarah Marsh, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Borja Suarez PUERTO, LA, la, Thomson Locations: Puerto Rico, Gran, Spain, LA CRUZ, Canary Islands, Africa, Tenerife, Puerto, la Cruz, Lake Constance, Germany, Spanish, United States, Canada, U.S, Europe

☆ DeSantis: Trump’s 2020 election fraud theories were ‘unsubstantiated’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Kit Maher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis said Friday that the “theories” put out by former President Donald Trump and his associates following the 2020 election were “unsubstantiated” and “did not prove to be true.”“I’ve said many times, the election is what it is. All those theories that were put out, did not prove to be true,” DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, told reporters traveling on his Never Back Down bus tour in Iowa. I mean they’ve been trying to get him since he became president.”Previously, when asked about the 2020 election, DeSantis has pivoted and emphasized a focus on the future, not the past. I mean, that’s the formula for success.”Such a focus on the future is typical for DeSantis when faced with questions surrounding the 2020 election. At a New Hampshire town hall, DeSantis was asked by a high school student if Trump violated the peaceful transfer of power during the 2020 election.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, ”, Donald Trump, “, “ I’ve, I’ve, Maduro, Nicolas Maduro, Smith, Trump, DeSantis, Biden, ” DeSantis, we’ve, Clay Travis, – that’s, Nixon, Ford Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Republican, Trump, Justice Department Locations: Iowa, Washington, Florida, Decorah, Bluffton , South Carolina, New Hampshire, Waverly , Iowa

☆ Ron DeSantis says he was too busy overseeing an execution in Florida to watch the Trump arraignment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He was busy overseeing an execution in Florida. "We had an execution yesterday, so I was tied up with that for most of the day," he said. Ron DeSantis was busy overseeing an execution in Florida. So we had an execution yesterday, so I was tied up with that for most of the day." On Thursday, a 61-year-old Florida man named James Barnes was executed via lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Starke.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump's, James Barnes, Barnes, DeSantis, Nicolas Maduro Organizations: Service, Florida Gov, New York Times, State Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon, Washington, Iowa, Starke

☆ Venezuela's gold reserves fall nearly 12% in six months
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CARACAS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Venezuela's gold reserves fell by eight metric tons in the year's first half, central bank data showed on Friday, continuing a years-long reduction in the reserves amid a prolonged economic crisis. The drop in the first six months of 2023 brought the central bank's total reserves to 61 tons, down from 69 tons in December 2022. The gold reserves were valued at $3.65 billion at the end of June, down $261 million from their value in December. The central bank did not give details for the fall in reserves and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A share of the central bank's reserves have been in dispute in London courts.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Mayela Armas, Sandra Maler Organizations: Bank of England, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, London

☆ Venezuela's bolivar weakens against the U.S. dollar as inflation rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CARACAS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The Venezuelan bolivar weakened to 30 units per dollar, the central bank said on Thursday, marking the latest descent for the beleaguered local currency as the economy suffers one of the world's highest inflation rates. Over the past seven months, the bolivar has depreciated by a third compared with the U.S. dollar, according to analysts consulted by Reuters. They have also tried to make foreign currency more readily available to local banks, but the strategies have not tamed the country's galloping inflation rate. Since early this year, the central bank has offered local banks about $1 billion, according to local firm Sintesis Financieras. Meanwhile, U.S.-based oil major Chevron (CVX.N), which operates in the country, has posted foreign currency sales of around $400 million from February to July.

Persons: Venezuelan bolivar, bolivar, Nicolas Maduro, Maduro's, Sintesis, Maduro, Mayela Armas, Carolina Pulice, David Alire Garcia, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S ., Reuters, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Venezuelan, U.S, Chevron

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