President Maduro: "I got the resources the country requires"

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro did not elaborate on the amount, the terms, or the specific investment areas. He added the information would be provided by the ministers

"I got the resources the country requires to keep its investment and import levels and economic stability," announced the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, after his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. 

The President referred to several agreements reached with Russia during his second visit to that country amid his presidential tour.

"We have agreed to expand investment and Russia's interest in the joint ventures of the Orinoco Oil Belt and other fields. We have decided to increase shareholding and investment in oil production," Maduro stated during a telephone interview with stat-run TV channel VTV.

He did not elaborate on the amount, the conditions, or the specific investment areas. He added the information would be provided by the ministers.

President Maduro commented that the US strategy was to overstock the oil market, by using techniques that cause environmental damage and seek to harm geopolitics, hitting the economies of Russia and Venezuela.

Source: http://www.eluniversal.com/

Venezuela urges Chile not to air opinions about internal affairs

Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz offered to mediate in government-opposition dialogue in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebutted the remarks made by Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz, who offered help to resume government-opposition dialogue in Venezuela.

"The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz to refrain from expressing any views on Venezuela's internal affairs, and requires through his ambassador to Venezuela an explanation on the content and extent of his statements," the communiqué reads.

The Venezuelan government "has not requested through public or diplomatic means any intervention in its affairs," the statement added.

In a press conference on Monday, Heraldo Muñoz said he hoped for the resumption of political talks in Venezuela, suspended in May 2014.

Source: http://www.eluniversal.com/

Capriles calls for "perfect unity" to tackle crisis in Venezuela

Dissenting Miranda state governor, Henrique Capriles Radonski, demanded the government to stop giving oil away, increase production to recover the market lost over the last years, and stop threatening the private sector

Opposition Miranda state governor, Henrique Capriles Radonski, asserted on Wednesday that dissenters should work together to face the problems in Venezuela because "this is not a time for disputes," for there is a much bigger aim.

In a press conference with local and international media, the governor stressed that the opposition will be restructured not only around the Unified Democratic Panel (MUD), a body he described as a coordination body, but also around something transcending that coalition. "This is a moment for team work; perfect unity has to be achieved."

He added that he had held talks with former deputy María Corina Machado, and that he would talk to dissenting party Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) leader and Metropolitan Mayor, Antonio Ledezma.

"For those who are asking what we should do, I can tell you that there are proposals which we can make a reality based on people's pressure. If censorship is imposed on the people, then it is time for people to express themselves on the streets," Capriles asserted, as he announced that an anti-government demonstration would be staged soon.

Moreover, he demanded the government, as a first step to overcome the crisis, to stop giving oil away, increase production to recover the market the country has lost over the last years, stop threatening the private sector, provide a balance of the plots of land that have been seized by the government, and disclose the list of the front companies that have received and embezzled foreign currency from the National Center for Foreign Trade (Cencoex).

Source: http://www.eluniversal.com/

Food Security VP: "In Venezuela there is plenty of everything"

The official said there are enough raw materials for producing goods and meeting demand for the next four months

Venezuelan Vice-President of Food Security and Sovereignty Carlos Osorio asserted that Venezuela relies on enough raw materials in stock to produce and fulfill the needs of the population in January-April.

"The thing is that some people are interested in making us believe there is no food in Venezuela. In Venezuela there is plenty of everything," the official noted.

"We will take any actions we deem necessary under the rule of law," to secure food distribution, he said. In this regard, Osorio called for compliance with the Law on Food Security and Sovereignty.

Source: http://www.eluniversal.com/

Putin, Maduro to discuss oil prices on Wednesday

President Maduro's unannounced visit to Russia comes after his visit to Algeria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, against the backdrop of an international tour focused on the oil crisis

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will visit Russia once again on Wednesday and meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Top in their agenda are plummeting oil prices, the Kremlin reported.

"Vladimir Putin will meet with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (...) to talk about (....) the progress of bilateral cooperation, including the fulfillment of large bilateral projects in the energy, agriculture, and industrial areas," the Kremlin informed in a communiqué, AFP quoted.

President Maduro's unannounced visit to Russia comes after his visit to Algeria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, against the backdrop of an international tour focused on the oil crisis.

Maduro's international tour began on January 5, and has included a number of OPEC and non-OPEC countries, EFE reported.

The price of the Venezuelan oil basket hit USD 42.44 last week, while the price of the OPEC basket stands at USD 41.50.

Source: http://www.eluniversal.com/

Author Salman Rushdie, threatened over "Satanic Verses," says free speech hasn't been weakened

BURLINGTON, Vt. –  Author Salman Rushdie, who lived for years under a death threat after his 1988 book "The Satanic Verses" drew the wrath of Iranian religious leaders, is defending the absolute right of free speech.

Rushdie made the comments Wednesday at the University of Vermont after being asked about last week's attack by Islamic extremists on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that killed 12. Responsibility for the attack has since been claimed by the Yemen-based group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Rushdie didn't address directly his years living under the threat of death, but he spoke of how the writings of authors who offend powerful people frequently outlive the criticism even if the artists themselves don't survive.

He says freedom of speech has not been weakened.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/