Opposition vows boycott as Venezuela holds divisive new elections

Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) When the ministry of energy was removed from his portfolio, Gwede Mantashe was quick to clarify it was not a demotion but an opportunity to elevate petroleum, which had “long played second fiddle” to other sources in the energy sector. Central to… Read Details ⇢

Crisis-hit auto giant Volkswagen said Friday it planned to cut 35,000 jobs by 2030 in Germany after reaching an agreement with unions on a drastic cost-cutting plan. The deal, reached at the end of marathon negotiations with labour representatives, will save Europe’s largest carmaker around four billion euros ($4.2 billion)… Read Details ⇢

For the first time in a decade, US diplomats are in Damascus to hold official meetings with Syria and their new de facto rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to discuss the future of Syria’s political transition. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on post-Assad Syria and the… Read Details ⇢

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday looked set to lose power early next year after a key ally said he would move to bring down the minority Liberal government and trigger an election. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been helping keep Trudeau in office, said he… Read Details ⇢

The United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo for failing to protect consumers from alleged “widespread fraud” on the payments platform Zelle. The lawsuit, filed on Friday, was initiated as the watchdog moves ahead with a bold… Read Details ⇢

We’re getting down to the wire on last-minute Christmas shopping, and Amazon has just dropped an incredible deal on Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM5. You can now get the headphones on sale for $279.99 (originally $399.99), which is a new record-low price, beating the recent Black Friday deal by $20. Awarded five… Read Details ⇢

Fomer Justice Minister Thembi Simelane. (Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images) SCORE: E The justice minister must, like Caesar’s wife, be beyond suspicion. Thembi Simelane never met that standard and her six-month tenure was remarkable only as time spent denying credible corruption allegations, rather than showing the decency… Read Details ⇢

In profile, he looks a bit like Emmanuel Macron. Same antique straight nose, same height, same look. His official title: “Special envoy for Libya.” Hardly anyone knows his name. Paul Soler, 45, a former special forces soldier, is one of the most secretive advisors at the Elysée, where he is… Read Details ⇢

Preparing to support Ukraine “in all scenarios’ – that’s how the head of the EU Council described the gist of the last European summit of the year, before Donald Trump returns to the White House. We explore the EU’s preparedness with Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin. He raises the thorny… Read Details ⇢