South America

CARACAS, March 22. /TASS/. The chief of staff of Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of joining a terrorist group that plotted attacks on leading political and military figures, Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said.

"The work by the intelligence and interior ministry units led to the detention of citizen Roberto Marrero, aged 49, who bears direct responsibility for organizing criminal groups," the minister said in a statement aired by the Venezolana de Television TV channel.

BUENOS AIRES, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's gross domestic product (GDP) fell 2.5 percent in 2018, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) said Thursday.

During the last quarter of 2018, Argentina had a reduction of 1.2 percent in GDP compared with the previous quarter, which marks the second largest economic contraction, preceded by the 3.8-percent decline in the second quarter in which the U.S. dollar appreciated against the peso and the economy began reporting negative numbers.

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's former President Michel Temer was arrested on Thursday in a corruption investigation, according to local media.

The arrest was ordered by Judge Marcelo Bretas, who is in charge of the Operation Car Wash investigations on corruption in the government.

Temer, the predecessor of current President Jair Bolsonaro, left office last year.

The police reportedly also seek Moreira Franco, who served as Minister of Mines and Energy in the Temer government, and Eliseu Padilha, who served as Temer's Chief of Staff.

SAN SALVADOR, March 19 (Xinhua) -- El Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren highlighted here on Tuesday the development of bilateral relations with China.

At a handover ceremony of laptops which were donated by China to El Salvadoran public schools, the president stressed the significance and benefits of El Salvadora's relationship with the Asian country.

"This donation is a sign of the genuine wish to drive projects of cooperation, that will always be of benefit to the people of the two countries, with transparency and without any political conditions," he said.

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested a young man for allegedly helping plan the school attack in Sao Paulo on March 13 that left 10 dead, the local police said on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old man was arrested at his home in Suzano, metropolitan Sao Paulo, and was then transferred into custody of judicial facilities because he is a minor, according to a report by Sao Paulo's Civil Police.

The adolescent made voluntary statements before the court on Thursday but was released after he denied taking part in the attack.

BAKU, March 18 / TASS /. The average daily oil production in Venezuela in February was 1.43 million barrels, said Venezuelan oil industry minister Manuel Quevedo at a meeting of the OPEC + ministerial monitoring committee on Monday.

"1.432 million barrels per day," he said, answering the relevant question. At the same time, Quevedo did not mention the volume of production in March, citing the fact that the month is not over yet.

BAKU, March 19. /TASS/. Caracas views Russia and China as major oil exports destinations, Venezuela's Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The minister said that Venezuela had suspended oil exports to India and stressed that Russia and China were considered to be major oil export destinations," the statement reads. Quevedo added that Venezuela "is working to diversify its exports."

Caracas, Mar 16 (AFP) Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro created a military unit on Friday charged with protecting basic installations and services such as electricity and water just over a week after the country was hit with a massive blackout.

Maduro blamed that on a cyber attack directed by the United States but critics say the government was at fault for failing to maintain infrastructure.

Speaking on television and radio, Maduro said the "Command for the Defence of Basic Strategic Services" would be tasked with ensuring "security, operability and maintenance."

SAO PAULO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed and many more injured in a school shooting in Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo on Wednesday.

Among the dead are seven students, a woman and the two shooters, who killed themselves at the scene, authorities said.

The shocking attack took place at 9:30 a.m. local time (1230 GMT) at the Raul Brasil Public School in the Jardim Emperador neighborhood of Suzano, a community located within the greater metropolitan area of Sao Paulo.

CARACAS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is under investigation for sabotage following a massive blackout, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Tuesday.

Guaido is being investigated "for his alleged involvement in the sabotage against the national electricity system," Saab said.

The opposition leader was already under investigation for violating constitutional norms after he declared himself "interim president" on Jan. 23, Saab said.