International

Venezuela’s state bank announces partial share sale

AFP

Venezuela’s state bank said on Wednesday it would sell up to 10 percent of its shares as part of the government’s plan to inject capital into public companies struggling due to a lack of investment.

Two weeks ago, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro announced a plan to sell off parts of public companies.

The Bank of Venezuela is the only state firm so far to have declared a share sale, although it gave no details as to when that would be.

It said in a statement shared on social media that it would “begin the public offer of 5 percent progressively up to 10 percent of its social capital.”

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“It is the first step by Venezuelan public companies to offer on the stock market the possibility for citizens, and national and international private economic actors, to take part in the country’s development through instruments of economic democratization.”

The first share sale was supposed to take place on May 16 with the CANTV telephone company, but it never happened and no explanation was ever given.

The Bank of Venezuela is the largest in the country with 15 million customers and was nationalized under the presidency of the late Hugo Chavez (1999-2013.)

It was under the control of the Spanish Santander Group from 1994 until the transfer of its shares to the state in 2009.

Since last year, several NGOs such as Transparency Venezuela have claimed that the government has been negotiating with the private sector with regards to state companies in fields such as farming, tourism and manufacturing.

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With the collapse of Venezuela’s vital oil industry and the punishing effects of US sanctions aimed at forcing Maduro from power, the government has been forced to relax various state controls imposed under Chavez.

International

Habeas Corpus at risk as Trump team eyes drastic border policy shift

The White House is reportedly considering suspending habeas corpus, the legal principle that protects individuals against arbitrary detention, as part of its efforts to escalate anti-immigration measures in the United States.

In remarks to reporters, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, argued that the U.S. Constitution allows the suspension of habeas corpus “in times of invasion.”

“It’s an option we are actively considering, and it all depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not,” Miller stated.

The Trump administration has frequently invoked the notion of a “migrant invasion” to justify actions such as the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border and the deportation of foreign nationals—primarily Venezuelans—to El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison.

International

Maduro to Xi: Venezuela is a loyal friend to China

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during a meeting held in Moscow on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in World War II, that China has “loyal friends” in the Caribbean nation.

“You know that in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela you have loyal friends and people willing to continue working for a new world,” said the South American leader, according to footage aired Friday by Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV.

Maduro, accompanied by several of his ministers including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, highlighted the “great results” of a 2023 agreement between China and Venezuela called the “All-Weather and All-Round Strategic Partnership.”

“I believe we can multiply the great results we’re already seeing, and I’m sure that strong and clear guidelines will emerge from this meeting to keep moving forward together,” Maduro added.

International

Iberojet reaffirms commitment to Honduras as Central American Hub

Spanish airline Iberojet and Palmerola International Airport, located in central Honduras, signed a three-year renewal of their exclusive agreement to operate direct flights between the Honduran terminal and the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

With this renewal, Iberojet—part of the Spanish tourism group Ávoris Corporación Empresarial—reaffirms its commitment to Honduras as its main gateway to Central America from Europe.

The agreement was signed by Iberojet’s Commercial Director, Mario Domínguez, and Erick Spears, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Palmerola.

The signing ceremony took place at the residence of the Spanish Ambassador to Honduras, Diego Nuño García, who served as an honorary witness.