Mind your own business, Venezuela foreign minister tells Kerry

By Alexandra Ulmer CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s foreign minister on Monday rebuked his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, for criticizing the handling of street protests and reiterated accusations Washington wants to topple the socialist government. In the U.S. government’s strongest comments since demonstrations began in February, Kerry said last week that Venezuela’s government had shown “total failure” of good faith in now-suspended talks to stem the unrest. In Venezuela’s worst violence in a decade, 42 people have died during months of daily protests demanding President Nicolas Maduro’s departure and solutions to economic hardships. “This is not an issue that concerns Mr. John Kerry,” Foreign Minister Elias Jaua told reporters on Monday after returning from the regional Unasur bloc’s meeting in Ecuador.