South America

Deadly unrest grips Venezuela as students rally against President Maduro

May 5, 2017

Caracas (AFP) – A student leader was shot dead as protests raged on in the streets of Venezuela Thursday in the latest spasm of anger aimed at removing President Nicolas Maduro from power. Crowds of students clashed with riot police firing tear gas in the mounting crisis in this oil-rich [...]

Venezuela minimum wage to rise by 50% ‘to combat inflation’

January 9, 2017

Venezuela’s government has announced a 50% increase in the minimum wage and pensions amid runaway inflation.President Nicolas Maduro says the move will protect jobs and incomes. Critics say it may worsen the crisis. The opposition accuses Mr Maduro of mismanaging oil-rich Venezuela’s [...]

Colombian President wins Nobel Peace Prize

October 7, 2016

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring an end to 52 years of war. Mr Santos signed an agreement with the Marxist rebel group FARC last month after years of negotiations – but the deal was rejected by voters in a referendum on Sunday. He [...]

Colombia voters nix peace deal, shock govt: Referendum Results

October 3, 2016

Alina Dieste•October 3, 2016 Bogota (Colombia) (AFP) – Colombian voters appeared to have shocked their government by blasting away its hopes for a historic peace deal with communist FARC rebels Sunday, near-complete referendum results showed. Reversing the trend of earlier opinion [...]