Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is willing to sit down to dialog with opposition leader Juan Guaido with the involvement of the Norwegian government and other mediators, he said on Wednesday night in a live broadcast on state television. Earlier Wednesday, opposition spokesmen said that Norway had been facilitating contact between the two sides as a precursor to mediating potential talks to resolve the country’s ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis. By Vivian Sequera and Sarah Kinosian. Full Text -> GlobalNews

The sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, and now a potential threat to Russian crude supply, have one by one closed or threatened to close doors, just when Indian imports are growing and the rising instability in West Asia has amplified the need to diversify the sources, she said. By Richa Mishra. Full text-> The Hindu BL