Investigators believe prisoners started the blaze that killed 68 people in one of the worst jail fires in Venezuela's history by setting some mattresses on fire, the country's chief prosecutor said.

Without pain and anxiety, there can be no triumph or success, the UK Foreign Secretary told his adoring fans.

US vice president Mike Pence has tried to strike a balance between Latin American opposition to US military intervention in neighbouring Venezuela, and his boss Donald Trump's assertion that action is an option.

Latest: Donald Trump has rejected a request from the Venezuelan president to speak with him on the phone.

Venezuelan opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez has been returned home after being taken back to jail nearly a week ago.

The official count of Venezuelans who participated in the election of an all-powerful constituent assembly was tampered with - off by at least one million votes - the head of a voting technology company said.

Irish union official Adrian Kane was one of the international observers invited to Venezuela by the National Electoral Council for this weekend’s poll. He tells the Irish Examiner of what he saw in the troubled South American state.

A few thousand protesters have attempted to reach Venezuela's Supreme Court before clashing with national guardsmen, who responded by launching tear gas.

A nationwide strike against plans to rewrite the constitution shut down much of Venezuelan's capital before erupting into violence that left at least two young men dead.

Catch up on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com this morning.

Venezuela's president has said a stolen police helicopter fired on the country's Supreme Court in what he called a thwarted "terrorist attack" aimed at ousting him from power.

The US has slapped new sanctions on eight members of Venezuela's Supreme Court, accusing them of abusing power and damaging their nation's democratic fabric as the Trump administration raises concerns that socialist president Nicolas Maduro is moving toward one-party, authoritarian rule.

At least 12 people have been killed following looting and violence in Venezuela's capital amid a spiralling political crisis in the South American country.

Thousands of protesters demanding new elections have faced off with security forces who launched tear gas and stood shoulder-to-shoulder blocking roads in the Venezuelan capital.

Bertram Allen had another lucrative outing in the Global Champions Tour on Saturday, placing third in the €400,000 second leg in Mexico City.

Venezuela’s opposition has won control of the National Assembly by a landslide, delivering a major setback to the ruling party and altering the balance of power after 17 years of socialist rule.

People in Venezuela took to the polls yesterday in what seems to have become a tightening race for control of the country’s national legislature.

MALTA: An Italian couple ran out onto the tarmac of Malta’s international airport to stop a Ryanair jet from leaving for Italy without them, a Maltese court heard.

Richard Fitzpatrick visits the massive urban sprawl of Mexico City which has a surprisingly spacious and uncrowded feel to it; however getting around isn’t so easy and taxi drivers will most likely take you for a ride.

With chronic shortages of basic goods and services, price increases of 60%, and 30,000 murders per year, the natives, especially the middle classes, are fleeing abroad, says Richard Fitzpatrick

He’s a remarkable man, is Serge Blanco, a one-off, someone who has become part of the fabric of French life in his 56 years, and who today is charged with helping transform the national rugby team into credible World Cup contenders.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

The Venezuelan government has started to fingerprint shoppers at some state-run supermarkets in a plan to combat food scarcity.

VENEZUELA, which is on the shoulder of South America that opens out to the Caribbean Sea, is famous for its beaches.

ENGLAND: When David Yarrow was sent to the heart of Africa to photograph lions in the wild, he spiced up the job with the help of some aftershave.

A university student beauty queen was mourned yesterday in the provincial Venezuelan city where she was killed this week during a political protest.

The Venezuelan military planned to send additional troops to a border region where unrest has been particularly fierce, officials said.

Held at a military jail, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez waited to learn if he will be charged for violence that has erupted during protests in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s president is ordering the expulsion of three US consular staff, accusing them of infiltrating the country’s universities.

I AM 40 years of age. I just got my first smartphone. Along with a bottle of water, the smartphone has become an indispensable accessory. I’m beginning to understand why. I’ve just put down a week using one. I have long been aware of its attractions, despite my technophobia.

Hundreds of Venezuelans paid their final respects to a popular actress whose killing in front of her five-year-old daughter has reignited debate about the nation’s rampant crime.

Classical: Berlin Philharmonie, Live in HD

Eager to resurrect her failed marriage, Mercedes dreamed of having a shapely rear end.

The former National Security Agency contractor wanted for revealing classified secrets is seeking asylum in Ecuador, foreign minister Ricardo Patino has said.

Politicians brawled in Venezuela’s parliament yesterday amid rising tension over the nation’s presidential election.

Defeated opposition candidate Henrique Capriles has demanded a recount after he was beaten by Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor as president in a razor-thin election battle today.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has launched his bid to succeed Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president, despite the objections of the opposition who said the move violated the country’s constitution.

From Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Cuba’s Raul Castro, about 30 heads of state joined the funeral of Hugo Chávez in a last goodbye to the charismatic but divisive Venezuelan leader who changed the face of politics in South America.

World leaders, athletes and left-wing celebrities gathered at a music-filled state funeral honouring Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez today, with multitudes waiting outside the venue.

Venezuela’s opposition says it will not attend the swearing-in of Hugo Chavez’s anointed successor as interim president.

A flag-draped coffin carrying the body of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez floated over a sea of supporters in Caracas today on its way to a military academy where it will lie in state.

President Hugo Chavez, the fiery populist who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela and crusaded against US influence, died on Tuesday at the age of 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer.