Monthly Archives: July 2011

Jul
29
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 7/29/11

In this week’s roundup…Hugo Chávez vows to seek reelection in 2012 and rule past 2031; housing solutions fail to materialize for many Venezuelans; and the Chávez Administration continues to pile up its debt.

Chavez Turns 57 Vowing to Stay in Power, Time via AP

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sang, danced and said he intends to stay in power for two more decades as he celebrated his 57th birthday looking ahead to months of cancer treatment.

 

Hugo Chávez defies illness to run for re-election in 2012, The Guardian

The Venezuelan president, recovering from surgery to remove a large tumor, has said he will seek another six-year term.

Venezuela’s promises of affordable housing fail to materialize, Guardian

Hugo Chávez’s home-building initiative is criticised as an electoral ploy. The determination of Venezuela under the presidency of Hugo Chávez to push through a Bolivarian-style revolution means the government has bitten off more than it could chew.

Chavez Eliminates Death From Slogan, Vows to Rule Past 2031, Bloomberg

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called on his government to remove the word death from a military slogan and said that he plans to rule past 2031 as he prepares for a new round of chemotherapy in the “coming days.”

Venezuela: more IOUs, Financial Times

Despite wallowing in the highest oil prices since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Venezuela is borrowing more money than it ever has before.

I will be remembered in billions, El Universal

Under an administration that enjoys booming oil prices above USD 100 a barrel, liquidity has started to climb.

 
Jul
25
2011
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“I’ll even control…water!”

During a typical-style TV marathon appearance, the Venezuelan President raises the specter of expropriating water-bottling companies in Venezuela. In his usual bombastic style, Chávez alleges that private companies “own the water” in Venezuela. The fact is that water in Venezuela is completely managed by the State. The State then provides concessions to private companies to bottle water and sell it throughout the country. Despite an attempt by the Venezuelan Environmental Minister to correct him, Chávez ignores the facts and continues his rant against water bottling companies. Watch the video below.

 
Jul
22
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 7/22/11

In this week’s roundup… The Chávez administration moved forward with the new Law of Costs, Prices and Salary Protection. It is likely to fuel more product shortages and inflation in Venezuela. After an unsuccessful attempt to persecute presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, the Venezuelan courts dropped their investigation.  Koch Industries filed an arbitration claim with the World Bank seeking compensation for the expropriation by the Venezuelan government in 2010 of one of its companies; Chavez continues to receive treatment in Cuba as his global appeal dwindles; and in Venezuela, crime and unemployment continue to hurt the average citizen.

Venezuela to oversee product prices, limit profits, Reuters

Government claims measure meant to control inflation, ensure “fair” prices. Critics say rules may fuel product shortages. Venezuela is creating a new agency to limit profit margins for companies operating in areas such as food and medicine, the vice president said on Monday, in the latest effort to boost state control over the economy.

Venezuela’s Docs Flee—So Does Chávez, The Wall Street Journal

It’s no coincidence that the president has returned to Cuba for medical attention.

If we are to believe Hugo Chávez, doctors have removed a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball from somewhere inside his body.

Election Official Says Venezuelan Courts Targeting Chavez Rivals, NASDAQ via Dow Jones Newswires

An electoral official in Venezuela said Wednesday that criminal investigations against possible challengers to President Hugo Chavez’s re-election bid suggest “a strategy of the government to choose who will be his opponent in the presidential elections.”

Venezuela court drops complaint against Chavez foe, San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Venezuela’s Supreme Court annulled a corruption complaint against a leading opponent of President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday.

World Bank to hear Koch arbitration against Venezuela, Reuters

Chavez nationalized Koch fertilizer plant in 2010. Multiple Venezuela arbitration cases outstanding. The World Bank will hear an arbitration case requested by U.S. Company Koch Industries after Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez nationalized a fertilizer plant it owned with the OPEC nation’s state oil firm.

In Cuba, a Prayer for Chávez, The Wall Street Journal

Castro Regime’s Survival Depends Greatly on Ill Venezuelan Leader’s Largess

Venezuela’s ailing President Hugo Chávez says he is praying to Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the spirits of the Venezuelan savannah to help him beat his cancer.

Analysis: Cancer may further dim Chavez’s global influence, Reuters

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s public battle with cancer has added to his global fame but it may also weaken his already waning influence in Latin America and beyond.

Unemployment rate up to 8.6%, El Universal

No matter the hike, INE President Elías Eljuri points to “effective performance” in the labor market

Unemployment rate stood at 8.6% in June 2011, based the monthly report on workforce prepared by the Venezuelan National Statistics Institute (INE

 

Venezuela town — home to Chávez, home to crime, Miami Herald

Oscar Pineda keeps a wary eye on the rearview mirror as he pulls up to a coffee shop. He steps inside, spots two policemen, and rushes back to his car — one of the few places he feels safe talking.For the past three years, Pineda has been engaged in a controversial activity in this agricultural town: tracking crime.