Venezuelan government

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said at a meeting with Venezuelan FM Yvan Gil Pinto in Belgrade on Friday Serbia was interested in advancement of its cooperation with Venezuela in agriculture, tourism, health care and culture, and noted that agreements signed earlier in the day were of great significance to both countries.

A dissident former leader of the FARC guerrillas was shot dead in Venezuela by other rebels, Colombian media reported on Dec. 5.

Citing Colombian and Venezuelan intelligence sources, several newspapers said Hernan Dario Velasquez, nicknamed "El Paisa" ("The Peasant"), had been ambushed in the state of Apure, on the border with Colombia.

Five civilians, including an indigenous driver, have died in protests over rising gas prices in Ecuador, France Press reported.

Ankara objects to Washington's move earlier this week to place more sanctions against the Venezuelan government, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Aug. 9.

Cuba will continue to support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a legitimate South American leader, France's press agency quoted an official Cuban representative as saying.

The Cuban source of France's press has underlined that Havana's support for Maduro "is not negotiable" despite U.S. sanctions against an island state.

The Kremlin explained that Russia's actions are legal and in line with an agreement Russia has reached with the legitimate Venezuelan government.

Arreaza is on a bilateral visit to Serbia, where we was also received by a number of cabinet ministers, including Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin.

In the wake of Friday's deadly terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the province of Thrace in northeastern Greece as a symbol of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims.

Greece's left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is backing calls by Bolivia for a negotiated settlement to the severe political and financial crisis in Venezuela.

The case of the "mystery flight" of a Venezuelan government airplane to Athens on Saturday was raised in Parliament on Wednesday by main opposition New Democracy.