A head-on collision between a bus and a truck early Wednesday in central Venezuela killed 16 people and injured 36 others, officials said.

A spokesman for the Justice Ministry said the bus crossed into the path of an oncoming truck loaded with bricks in the central state of Guarico, south of Caracas.

Venezuela late Friday said it has "ended" its rapprochement with the United States due to a statement by Samantha Power, nominated to become the U.S. envoy to the United Nations.

Power said at a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that if she got the job she would stand up to "repressive regimes" and challenge the "crackdown on civil society being carried out in countries like Cuba, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela."

Venezuela late Friday said it has "ended" its rapprochement with the United States due to a statement by Samantha Power, nominated to become the U.S. envoy to the United Nations.

Power said at a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that if she got the job she would stand up to "repressive regimes" and challenge the "crackdown on civil society being carried out in countries like Cuba, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela."

The United States on Thursday told China it was upset it did not hand over U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden after he fled to Hong Kong, saying that the decision had undermined relations.

President Barack Obama, meeting senior Chinese officials who were in Washington for annual wide-ranging talks, "expressed his disappointment and concern" over the Snowden case, the White House said in a statement.

U.S. electronic espionage operations have targeted a variety of Latin American countries besides regional heavyweight Brazil, including key Washington ally Colombia and its nemesis Venezuela, a Brazilian newspaper reported Tuesday.

The report in O Globo was the latest in a series on U.S. electronic surveillance operations based on documents leaked by fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website said Tuesday that fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden had not yet formally accepted asylum in Venezuela as was claimed by a top Russian lawmaker in a Twitter posting that later deleted.

Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Alexei Pushkov sparked confusion when he tweeted Tuesday that Snowden had agreed to an offer from Caracas. He deleted the posting after about 30 minutes.

Fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was staring at the logistical nightmare of escaping Russia for a safe haven in Latin America on Sunday after three leftist leaders offered him asylum in their states.

Bolivia on Saturday became the third country to extend an offer of asylum to the 30-year-old former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor sanctuary after similar guarantees from Venezuela and Nicaragua.

U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden remained stranded in a Moscow airport for the 14th day Saturday amid rising hopes he may finally be able to leave Russia after being offered asylum by Venezuela.

The saga surrounding the fugitive former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor took a new turn late Friday when Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro offered to grant the 30-year old "humanitarian asylum".

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro offered Friday to grant asylum to U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, giving a possible escape route to the fugitive whose revelations rocked the American government and security establishment.

Moments earlier in Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega also gave the 30-year-old computer expert another glimmer of hope, saying that "if circumstances permit" his government would be willing to shelter the man who has been in limbo at Moscow's airport since June 23.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reiterated late Thursday his offer to grant asylum to fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, whom he praised as a "brave youth."

"If that young man needs humanitarian protection and believes that he can come to Venezuela," then Venezuela "is prepared to protect this brave youth in a humanitarian way and so that humanity can learn the truth," and his ordeal can end, Maduro said.