The opposition Unified Democratic Panel (MUD) maintained support to all the legislative initiatives provided in the Constitution to fight against corruption. In that sense, the Venezuelan opposition coalition believes that the Enabling Law to be requested by President Nicolás Maduro is "unjustifiable." "We have enough information that makes us believe that the special powers will be used for electoral purposes, to chase the government's political contenders, and to...

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Friday that he was to request an enabling law next Tuesday to the National Assembly to establish "strict rules that work as pedagogic and punitive rules" against corruption. Maduro also remarked that new laws should also be drafted in order to permit funding of the political activity of both people and political parties. It would be "a public funding system of the democratic and political activities of the citizens, and...

Colombian Vice-President Angelino Garzón on Monday the United Nations to delve into reports that the Venezuelan opposition has purchased US warplanes as part of a plan to attack Venezuela from Colombia. "Considering José V Rangel's reports in Venezuela, I believe that the best Colombia can do is requesting the UN to check this," twitted Garzón, according to AFP. On Sunday, Venezuela's former vice-president José Vicente Rangel claimed that the...

The situation for freedom of information continues to be extremely tense two months after Nicolás Maduro’s election as president on 14 April. Pluralism under threat One of the most high-profile cases is that of Leocenis García , the editor of the weekly Sexto Poder , who began a hunger strike outside the headquarters of the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) in Carabobo on 6 June in protest against privately-owned Atel TV’s suspension in Maracaibo (in...

A street in the West Bank city of al-Bireh was named for the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Al-Bireh Mayor Fawzi Abid made the announcement over the weekend during a visit to the Venezuelan embassy in the city to offer condolences for Chavez's death, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported. Chavez, who ruled the South American country for 14 years, died March 5 following a long battle with cancer. “Chavez's death is a loss to the whole world, and to the Palestinian people...

Hours before Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died, his second-in-command accused enemies of giving him cancer and announced the expulsion of two U.S. diplomats for an alleged plot to destabilize the government. "There's no doubt that Commandante Chavez's health came under attack by the enemy," Vice President Nicolas Maduro said in an address to the nation from the presidential palace. The old enemies of our fatherland looked for a way to harm his health," according to...

Venezuelan students protested in chains outside the Cuban Embassy in Caracas on Thursday, condemning what they say is the Caribbean nation's meddling in their country's affairs while President Hugo Chavez remains on the island undergoing cancer treatment. Some students exchanged shoves with police in anti-riot gear outside the embassy. Protesters sang the Venezuelan national anthem, wearing chains and cords wrapped around their bodies and bound with locks in a representation of what they view...

Physicians caring for Hugo Chávez in Havana have notified his family, the Castro brothers, and the main chavista leaders that their patient will no longer be able to return to his functions as president of Venezuela. This is according to sources in direct contact with his medical team, who also indicate that Chávez has lost his voice completely as a result of medical treatment. His vocal cords have endured permanent damage making recuperation highly unlikely. Speechless and...

Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojattolah Soltani stated on Tuesday that Tahmasb Mazaheri, an Iranian citizen detained in Germany over a USD 70-million check, has nothing to do with the Government of Teheran. Tahmasb Mazaher "is by no means an official of the Government (of Iran); neither has his name been affixed to the confiscated check, the Iranian Ambassador told private-owned TV news channel Globovisión in an interview, AP cited. The ambassador stressed that Mazaheri...

"It is unacceptable that an inspection, which should be part of daily operations, leads to so much violence. This clearly shows -one more time- the crisis that the penitentiary system faces. It has definitely reached alarming levels," Amnesty International remarked in a statement. Non-governmental organization International Amnesty has requested the Venezuelan authorities to conduct an independent, objective, and unbiased inquiry into the a violent riot recorded Uribana prison,...