Foreign Digest Updates: Venezuela, Sudan, the United Kingdom and Italy

Venezuela

            Australia recognized the leader of the congressional democratic opposition as the President of Venezuela earlier this week.  The European Parliament voted yesterday in favor of recognizing him.  Several member states are demanding free elections.  The duly-appointed Venezuelan Supreme Court supports the self-declaration of the opposition leader as President.  Meanwhile, peaceful protests continue in Venezuela against the Socialist dictatorship, with the death toll rising.

Sudan

            Peaceful protests against the Islamist tyranny of Sudan continue.  There has been bloodshed.

The United Kingdom

            The United Kingdom still has not approved a deal to withdraw from the European Union by the March 29 deadline, when it will leave without a deal if none is agreed to, after the passage in June 2016 of the referendum in favor of leaving the body.  The British Parliament this week approved a series of relevant non-binding bills, including one to reject leaving without a deal and another to encourage the Conservative-led Government to re-negotiate details of its deal in regard to the border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which the Prime Minister has announced her intention to do.  However, the EU has made clear there will be no renegotiation.  The British have been making contingency plans in case there will be a no-deal exit from the EU.

Italy

           Italy dipped back into recession last year, after two consecutive quarters of slightly negative gross domestic product, just as its employment rate has recovered to the pre-debt crisis numbers.  The trade war between the United States and Communist China was cited by the Prime Minister as the cause.