BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has made new appointments in the ministerial positions and created a new ministry, according to his statements released on Twitter.

The president tweeted that he launched a new ministry of tourism and foreign trade.

"I created a new ministry of tourism and foreign trade and appointed Felix Ramon Plasencia Gonzalez who will be responsible for boosting tourism and international investment in Venezuela," Maduro wrote.

Also, the president appointed new ministers of gender equality, ecology, agriculture of public works and others. </s> Pays de Gex, France, August 14, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced seven new ministers on Monday.

Vanessa Montero, Cesar Trompiz, Asia Villegas and Oswaldo Barbera are taking over the Urban Agriculture, Higher Education, Women and Gender Equality, and Ecosocialism Ministries, respectively.

Additionally, Admiral Gilberto Pinto was tapped to lead the Ministry of Mining and National Guard General Raul Alfonso the Public Works Ministry. The final change saw the creation of a new Tourism and Foreign Trade Ministry, to be headed by Felix Plasencia.

Maduro has announced a “deep renovation” of his cabinet on several occasions in recent months. Nevertheless, prior to the latest reshuffle, only a handful of changes had taken place, including the replacement of Electricity Minister Luis Motta Dominguez following the March and April blackouts. However, key portfolios such as economy, finance, oil and the multiple vice presidencies have seen few changes since last year.

The cabinet changes followed a Supreme Court decision to lift the parliamentary immunity of three opposition lawmakers, paving the way for criminal prosecution.

According to a communique, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab requested that that the Supreme Court allow that National Assembly deputies Juan Pablo Garcia, Tomas Guanipa and Jose Guerra be investigated for “treason, conspiracy, incitement to insurrection, usurpation of functions,” among others. The accusations are covered by seven articles of the Venezuelan penal code.

Garcia, Guanipa and Guerra follow a host of opposition lawmakers that have seen their parliamentary immunity lifted since National Assembly President Juan Guaido proclaimed himself “interim president” on January 23.

The opposition has since launched several attempts to oust the Maduro government, including efforts to bring in “humanitarian aid” across a closed Venezuelan-Colombian border on February 23 and a failed military putsch on April 30. Several lawmakers had their immunity revoked for alleged involvement in these episodes, notably National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano.

Venezuela’s plenipotentiary National Constituent Assembly (ANC) lauded the Supreme Court ruling in a session on Monday, with Deputy Dario Vivas claiming that there can be no impunity.

Monday’s session also saw the body approve a decree rejecting the embargo imposed by the Trump administration against the Caribbean nation.

The text rejects “renewed meddling” from Washington, reiterating that the country has a “democratic and constitutional path to secure the people’s well-being.”

Washington escalated its sanctions program into a full-scale embargo on August 5, freezing all Venezuelan state assets in US territory and enabling sweeping secondary sanctions against entities that deal with Caracas.

ANC President Diosdado Cabello likewise announced the creation of a commission to evaluate whether legislative elections should be brought forward.

According to the constitution, elections for the National Assembly should take place in 2020, with the body’s term due to expire in December. However, the legislative chamber has been in contempt of court since July 2016 when its opposition majority swore in three deputies under investigation for voter fraud. The standoff between the legislative and Chavista-held branches of government escalated in 2017 when the opposition took to the streets in violent protests, prompting Maduro to call for ANC elections under Article 348 of Venezuela’s constitution.

Maduro and other government officials have floated the possibility of early parliamentary elections on repeated occasions. Elections are reportedly one of the topics under discussion in the government-opposition talks taking place in Barbados with Norwegian mediation, but no details have been disclosed. The Venezuelan government called off the latest round of negotiations in the aftermath of the embargo imposed by the Trump administration.

Edited and with additional reporting by Lucas Koerner from Philadelphia. </s> Canada has suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela because its diplomats will no longer be able to obtain visas.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement on Sunday that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's "regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela".

Canada is one of a dozen countries in the Lima Group regional bloc that recognises opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president and is demanding that Maduro resign.

"Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime and their visas will expire," Freeland said in the statement.

"Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately," she said.

Freeland said Canada was "also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada."

The Venezuelan foreign ministry has made no comment on the events.

Canada has been one of the countries at the forefront of international efforts to pressure Maduro to resign since he was reelected in a ballot widely criticised as a sham.

Under Maduro, Venezuela has slipped into an economic, political and humanitarian crises with inflation estimated to reach 10m percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Untied Nations figures say more than three million people have fled the country since the economic crisis began in 2014, amid food and medicine shortages and a sharp spike in crime.

More than 50 countries now recognise Guaido as oil-rich Venezuela's leader, however, Maduro's administration continues to control state institutions and enjoys the support of the country's powerful military.

Canada's suspension of embassy operations comes as Freeland and other Lima Group representatives are set to meet the International Contact Group on Venezuela (ICG) in New York on Monday to discuss the crises.

It is the first time the two groups - which were both formed to exert international pressure on Maduro - have met over Venezuela.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Portugal and Uruguay will represent the ICG, while Peruvian Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio and Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, along with Freeland will represent the Lima Group.

Freeland said on Sunday that through the Lima Group, Canada will continue to advocate for democracy in Venezuela.

Monday's meeting follows the breakdown of talks between Venezuela's government and the country's opposition in Norway, which collapsed without an agreement on Thursday. </s> OSLO: The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing talks in Barbados to try to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday (Aug 2).

Friday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after US President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.

"Τhe representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations. ... Τhe parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed-upon and constitutional solution," Norway's Foreign Ministry said.

The opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.

Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on US sanctions meant to force him from office. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - The latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):

The French Foreign Ministry says it has demanded that Venezuelan authorities release two French journalists working for television channel TMC.

The journalists were arrested on Tuesday.

In a press statement Thursday, the Quai d'Orsay said it has been in contact with officials in Caracas "since the moment our compatriots were arrested."

It did not suggest a motive for the arrests or provide further information.

Jorge Arreaza, the foreign minister of embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has blamed foreign journalists for entering the country without work permits.

The European Parliament meanwhile has called on the European Union's member states to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president as Venezuela's political crisis deepens.

An independent U.N. human rights monitor says economic sanctions are compounding a "grave crisis" in Venezuela.

Idriss Jazairy, a special rapporteur focusing on the negative impact of sanctions, expressed concern about "reports" that the U.S. sanctions were "aimed at changing the government of Venezuela." He did not specify the reports.

He added: "The use of sanctions by outside powers to overthrow an elected government is in violation of all norms of international law."

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to use the "full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy." The Trump administration slapped sanctions on Venezuela that could starve the country of billions in oil revenue.

Jazairy's office has taken funds from donors including Russia, one of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's staunchest supporters.

Special rapporteurs do not speak for the United Nations, but are appointed by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry says there are no plans underway for evacuation of the country's diplomats or other citizens from Venezuela, but is declining to comment on why a Russian airliner showed up in the Venezuelan capital's airport.

The arrival of the Boeing 777 belonging to Russian airline Nordwind on Monday has led to widespread speculation, including that Venezuelan officials might be aiming to spirit tons of gold reserves out of the country as a political crisis deepens.

The Associated Press was unable to verify the authenticity of that claim.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters Thursday that she could not comment on the airliner, "which was not sent for official goals."

"I can say that this is not about evacuation of Russian diplomats, or their family members or Russian citizens that are employees of overseas agencies or companies," she said.

The European Parliament is calling on the European Union's member states to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president.

The 28-member bloc is still defining its position on the crisis there.

The EU legislature approved by a 439-104 margin a resolution that also condemned the continued violence and the detention of journalists who sought to cover events there.

"All of Venezuela is watching us," said Esteban Gonzalez Pons of the Christian Democrat EPP group. "Let's make Venezuelan history today by recognizing the democratic and legitimate power of Venezuela."

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called on the South American country to release journalists who were arrested covering the crisis.

"We expect them to be released immediately," she said in Bucharest where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the crisis later Thursday.

The Spanish government has condemned the detention of three reporters and a driver working for Spain's state-run EFE news agency in Venezuela's capital.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office issued a statement Thursday calling for their immediate release.

EFE has reported that Colombian photographer Leonardo Munoz disappeared on Wednesday morning in Caracas and that two more reporters, Spaniard Gonzalo Dominguez and Colombian Mauren Barriga, were later taken away from their office by members of Venezuelan intelligence service Sebin. Spain's government says a Venezuelan driver working for the news agency was also taken into custody. He wasn't identified.

Sanchez has said that Spain's government will endorse Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela if embattled President Nicolas Maduro doesn't call a presidential election by Sunday. </s> The Treasury Department announced Monday that it was imposing new sanctions on four Venezuelan governors connected to beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro’s government — blocking any assets they control in the US.

“The illegitimate Maduro regime’s attempts to blockade international aid intended for the Venezuelan people are shameful,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

“Treasury is targeting four state governors aligned with former President Maduro for standing in the way of severely needed humanitarian assistance and prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people.”

The four officials are involved in “endemic corruption” and “blocking the delivery of critical humanitarian aid, thereby exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the illegitimate Maduro regime,” the department said.

The new round of sanctions comes as Vice President Mike Pence and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó met in Bogota, Colombia, with members of the Lima Group, a bloc of nations from Argentina to Canada dedicated to the resolution of the Venezuelan crisis.

“We are with you 100 percent,” Pence said ahead of the start of the meeting. “I want to assure you, President Guaidó, the tragic events of this past weekend have only steeled the resolve of the United States to stand with you … We will keep standing until your libertad is restored.”

Earlier this month, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control ramped up sanctions on Maduro’s intelligence services and management of the state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela.

Sanctions were imposed on two governors who head states along the Colombian border.

Omar Jose Prieto Fernandez is governor of Zulia, which Treasury described as a hub for organized crime, where drug trafficking and murder-for-hire is rampant.

On Feb. 12, Prieto threatened to visit the homes of opposition leaders who permitted access to humanitarian aid in Venezuela. He also recently threatened to declare Venezuela’s “oil state” of Zulia independent should a new transition government take power.

Ramon Alonso Carrizalez Rengifo, the governor of Apure and former defense minister, had “endorsed” threats of violence against opposition protesters, the department said.

Also sanctioned were Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro, the governor of Vargas and also a former defense minister, who has rejected Guaidó as interim president, and Rafael Alejandro Lacava Evangelista, the governor of Carabobo whom Treasury described as a Maduro intermediary involved in hiding funds overseas. </s> A group of Latin American countries says they will not recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's mandate for a new six year term (AFP Photo/Francisco BATISTA)

Lima (AFP) - Foreign ministers from Latin America and Canada said Friday their governments would not recognize Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president when he is sworn in for a second six-year term next week.

The 14-member Lima Group said they would not recognize Maduro's hardline socialist government after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic crisis.

Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Maduro's second-term inauguration on January 10.

"The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Popolizio told reporters.

The Group, which includes Canada, said Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the National Assembly until free elections can be held.

"Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Popolizio said.

Officials said earlier that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would participate in the meeting by video conference -- even though Washington is not a member of the 14-nation body.

Pompeo also was to hold bilateral talks with Brazil's new Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo on the sidelines of the meeting, also by video-conference, according to an agenda released by Araujo's office.

The arrival in power of a new far-right government in Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro is likely to harden regional opposition to Maduro.

Bolsonaro, who has aligned himself with Washington by expressing hostility towards "authoritarian regimes," said Thursday he was open to discussing his country hosting a US military base "in the future."

Venezuela recently hosted the Russian Air Force, including long-range nuclear bombers, for joint military exercises -- a move that stoked regional tensions.

Peru has previously said it would use the meeting to urge members to cut diplomatic ties with Caracas as Maduro prepares to begin a second term after a controversial May election boycotted by the opposition.

The move coincides with a statement from the Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognize the "illegitimate" Maduro when he takes office.

"We are facing a man who stole an election. We will not have more than a usurper (as president). Neither Venezuelans nor foreigners can recognize Maduro as president," opposition deputy Delsa Solorzano told AFP.

Maduro, who was handpicked by Socialist president Hugo Chavez to succeed him when he died in 2003, was re-elected in May after early elections called by the Constituent Assembly, a body created by Maduro which has in practice replaced the legislature.

The Lima Group statement reiterated its support for the National Assembly, which it recognizes as Venezuela's "constitutionally elected body."

Washington has recently stepped up contacts with South American states dealing with the influx of migrants from Venezuela's worsening economic crisis.

Pompeo was in Cartagena earlier this week for talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque. Both officials have denounced Maduro's "dictatorship" and agreed to step up efforts to isolate his government diplomatically.

"It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said.

The regional group -- created in 2017 after more than 125 people died in anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela -- has refused to recognize the May elections, which were marred by irregularities as well as an opposition boycott. </s> WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The US Government vowed that it will recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in for a second term, and pledged support to the country's Opposition.



Having easily won the presidential election boycotted by the Opposition parties in May, the authoritarian Maduro has consolidated his power and assumed office for a second six-year term Thursday.



Major Opposition parties boycotted the election alleging that the electoral system was rigged in favor of the President.



The United States was the first country to react to Maduro's inauguration. 'The US will not recognize the Maduro dictatorship's illegitimate inauguration,' national security advisor John Bolton said on Twitter Thursday.



'We will continue to increase pressure on the corrupt regime, support the democratic National Assembly, and call for democracy and freedom in Venezuela,' he tweeted.



US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the people of Venezuela not to co-operate with Maduro, but with the Opposition-controlled National Assembly.



'We urge those who support this regime, from everyday employees getting by on food subsidies to the Venezuelan security forces sworn to support the constitution, to stop enabling repression and corruption and to work with the National Assembly and its duly elected leader, Juan Guaido, in accordance with your constitution on a peaceful return to democracy,' Pompeo said in a statement.



In response to the Nicolas Maduro regime's attempt to bypass US economic sanctions by launching a national cryptocurrency, Petro, the Trump administration imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting Venezuelan government associates in March last year.



Washington alleges that President Maduro decimated the Venezuelan economy and spurred a humanitarian crisis.



Inflation in the socialist nation has spiralled, creating food and medicine shortages, and triggering an exodus of Venezuelans to neighbouring countries. The national currency bolivar lost its value.



It was in this context that the Maduro administration launched the Petro, aiming to ease the country's economic crisis, and circumvent U.S.-led sanctions.



He introduced a currency reform in August, and allocated five billion barrels of oil to back Petro.



But the reforms have not helped Venezuela's economy recover from the pressure of the sanctions, falling oil revenue and the plunging value of its fiat currency.



Late last month, Venezuela filed a complaint against U.S. sanctions before the World Trade Organization.



The Venezuelan National Assembly has declared Petro as illegitimate, but the newly formed Constitutional Assembly, which is loyal to Maduro, had stripped the former of its legislative powers.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX </s> Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.





CARACAS, March 12 - Venezuela ordered American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours on Tuesday after President Nicolas Maduro accused U.S. counterpart Donald Trump of cyber "sabotage" that plunged the OPEC nation into its worst blackout on record.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said U.S. diplomats on Venezuelan soil must leave within three days, after talks broke down over maintaining diplomatic "interest sections" in the two countries."The presence on Venezuelan soil of these officials represents a risk for the peace, unity and stability of the country," the government said in a statement.The U.S. State Department had announced on Monday it will withdraw its staff from Venezuela this week, saying their presence had become "a constraint on U.S. policy."Washington has taken the lead in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's rightful president after the 35-year-old Congress chief announced an interim presidency in January after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Most countries in Europe and Latin America have followed suit.Maduro, who retains control of the military and other state institutions as well as the backing of Russia and China, has denounced Guaido as a puppet of the United States.Julio Castro, of nongovernmental organization Doctors for Health, said on Twitter on Monday night that 24 people have died in public hospitals since the start of the blackout.With the blackout in its sixth day, hospitals struggled to keep equipment running, food rotted in the tropical heat and exports from the country's main oil terminal were shut down.Venezuela's opposition-controlled Congress on Monday declared a symbolic "state of alarm" on Monday.Power returned to many parts of the country on Tuesday, including some areas that had not had electricity since last Thursday, according to witnesses and social media.But power was still out in parts of the capital of Caracas and the western region near the border with Colombia.'TRUMP MOST RESPONSIBLE'Maduro blamed Washington for organizing what he said was a sophisticated cyber attack on Venezuela's hydroelectric power operations."Donald Trump is most responsible for the cyber attack on the Venezuelan electricity system," Maduro said in a broadcast from the Miraflores presidential palace on Monday night."This is a technology that only the government of the United States possesses."Maduro, elected in 2013 following the death of his political mentor Hugo Chavez, officially broke diplomatic relations with the United States on Jan. 23 when it recognized Guaido. Washington evacuated most of its diplomatic staff two days later.The blackout was likely caused by a technical problem with transmission lines linking the Guri hydroelectric plant in southeastern Venezuela to the national power grid, experts told Reuters.Venezuela's electricity network has suffered from years of underinvestment and lack of maintenance. With the economy in a tailspin, spare parts are scarce while many skilled technical staff have fled the country amid an exodus of more than three million Venezuelans in three years.The government suspended schools and business activities on Tuesday for two more days, after doing so on Friday and Monday.Guaido planned to lead national protests over the blackout in Caracas on Tuesday afternoon."With our neighbors and relatives, we will protest in the streets and avenues closest to each other's home to claim our rights," Guaido said on Twitter on Tuesday.Amid signs of a crackdown on media, the National Press Workers' Union said that prominent radio journalist Luis Carlos Diaz was arrested on Monday by intelligence agents at his home in Caracas.The Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Venezuelan authorities briefly detained American journalist Cody Weddle last week before ordering him to leave the country.

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro creates a new government ministry, the Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Trade.