Power Abuse

all the facts and news in Venezuela on Power Abuse government of Hugo Chavez in venezuela and implications for Power Abuse of the Venezuelan people

Oct
18
2011
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Chávez Advances His War Against Independent Media Giant Globovisión

In its most recent offensive against the free media, the Venezuelan government imposed a harsh sanction on Globovisión for its coverage of last summer’s prison riots. National Telecommunications Commission President Pedro Maldonado announced Tuesday that Globovisión must pay an “immediate” fine of up to 7.5% of its gross earnings for 2010, which can amount to $2.1 million.

Reacting to the government’s announcement, Globovisión Vice President Maria Fernanda Flores said the network has “no way of paying the fortune imposed by this sanction.” Flores added that the measure is yet another government ploy to silence the station.

The Venezuelan government’s move coincides with the meeting of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) in Lima, Peru. A member of that body’s freedom of expression committee validated the notion that President Chávez’s sanction on Globovisión is a roundabout way to silence the independent station. “The political objective is to shut down all the voices who are critical or independent,” said Claudio Paolillo.

In a speech that reflected a sense of crisis, IAPA President Gonzalo Marroquín said: “We are in a war between authoritarianism and democracy.” The free press is under increasing attacks in countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Argentina, where governments resort to political prosecutions and economic pressure to censor independent media outlets.

 
Oct
14
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 10/14/11

In this week’s roundup…As Venezuela wonders about its President’s questionable health, Chávez continues his expropriation spree by declaring his intention to seize private properties on the resort islands of Los Roques; after spending $1.5 billion to support Cuba and other allies, Venezuela announces plans to offer $3 billion in bonds in the local market to relieve the country’s growing debt load. Meanwhile, the political landscape for the 2012 election begins to take shape: Henrique Capriles Radonski, the popular Governor of Miranda, announces his candidacy as Chávez circles the wagons, attempting to shore up support among his core political coalition in a boisterous ceremony in Caracas.

Analysis: Chavez cancer saga keeps Venezuela guessing, Reuters

An unexpected phone call interrupts a Venezuelan government ceremony for local athletes broadcast live on state TV. The crowd murmurs in excitement, and ministers smile.

Venezuela’s Caribbean paradise: “expropriate it” says Chávez, Financial Times Blog

In his latest bullish expropriation, Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, has announced his intention to seize properties on the white, unspoiled beaches of Los Roques, a Venezuelan archipelago in the Caribbean popular with high-end tourists from Latin America and the world – who often bring their own yachts.

Chavez opponent launches presidential campaign, The Associated Press

Addressing thousands of supporters in a Caracas stadium, Miranda state Gov. Henrique Capriles vowed to usher in an era of prosperity for Venezuela under the slogan: “There’s a road to the future.”

Silent Treatment: Mimes Enforce Traffic Laws in Venezuela, TIME

A sort of silent shame has cropped up in South American cities, as officials plead with both drivers and pedestrians to obey traffic laws by using the antics of hired mimes. And why not? Nearly everyone looks at a mime, especially when dressed in a brightly colored getup while eagerly making fun of people on the side of a busy street. The latest effort has about 120 mimes on the downtown streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, making a (silent) scene any time a driver or pedestrian disobeys a traffic rule.

Venezuela to Sell $3 Billion of Bonds to Meet Demand for Foreign Currency, Bloomberg

Venezuela will offer $3 billion of bonds in the local market, swelling dollar debt sales this year to $7.2 billion, as the country seeks to finance spending and meet investor demand for foreign currency. The government will sell the 11.75 percent bonds due in 2026 to local investors, who will pay with bolivars at the official foreign-exchange rate of 4.3 bolivars per dollar, according to a statement posted on the Public Credit Office’s website. Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) and Evrofinance Mosnarbank SA will manage the sale, the statement said.

Venezuela rejects certain human rights recommendations, CNN International

Venezuela on Tuesday rejected a number of recommendations made by U.N. member countries as part of a human rights evaluation by the world body. Of 148 recommendations made in the Universal Periodic Review by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Venezuela accepted 95 of them, and is considering 15 more. But it rejected 38 recommendations that touched on judicial independence, freedom of the press and protection of nongovernmental organizations.

Rapping Chavez Launches Coalition Year Before Vote, Reuters

The 57-year-old socialist leader is convalescing after four rounds of chemotherapy following cancer surgery in June. Yet he managed to dance beside young Venezuelan rappers at the start of a ceremony to launch the “Great Patriotic Pole.”

Venezuela’s Chávez gives $1.5 billion to Cuba and ALBA, Miami Herald

Venezuela spent more than $1.5 billion in three years to finance dozens of projects in Cuba and other allied countries, including airport expansions in Cuba and replacing light bulbs in Bolivia, although the oil producer has amassed massive debt in the last few years to cover its own commitments, according to a Venezuelan government document. Eighty-eight percent of disbursements from January 2007 to May 2010 covered Cuban financial projects, said the document from the Economic Social Development Bank of Venezuela (BANDES), which was obtained by El Nuevo Herald.

 
Oct
7
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 10/7/11

In this week’s roundup… As Venezuela’s economy and infrastructure continue to crumble, President Hugo Chávez insists on furthering his failed economic policies and expropriations; inflation spikes as Venezuelan merchants struggle to turn profits; the remains of former President Carlos Andrés Perez are finally buried at home; Chávez turns a blind eye to accusations of government complicity in the drug trade; and six in 10 Venezuelans say that the president should not be reelected next year.                                                                                                                               

Chavez: Houses on Caribbean islands will be seized, The Associated Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced Thursday that his government will expropriate homes on the Caribbean resort islands of Los Roques, saying the structures were built on plots bought in shadowy business deals.

Venezuela’s infrastructure falling apart, The Economist 

ENSURING that the engines stay properly attached to the fuselage is, one might think, a fairly fundamental part of maintaining a passenger aircraft.

FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Venezuela, Reuters

Speculation about President Hugo Chavez’s health after cancer treatment, falling oil output that could slow economic recovery and rising passions ahead of next year’s presidential election are the main risks to watch in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s new political battlefield: Twitter, The Associated Press via The Washington Times

Over months, Venezuelan TV soap opera writer Leonardo Padron built a Twitter following of about 250,000 people by posting more than a dozen messages a day, many of them skewering President Hugo Chavez.

 

All that’s gold doesn’t glitter, CNN (By Fareed Zakaria)

What do Hugo Chavez and Glenn Beck have in common? The socialist/populist president of Venezuela and the right-wing talk show host often have strange ideas – just not the same ones.

The struggle to balance inflation and shortages in Venezuela, Christian Science Monitor            

A recent El Universal has an article talking about how hard it is for local producers in Venezuela to sell regulated products at a profit, which leads to shortages.

Venezuelans rally as body of ex-leader returns, AFP

Thousands of supporters of former Venezuelan president Carlos Andres Perez rallied in the capital after the return of his body from the United States following a long legal battle.

Six out of 10 people think that Chávez should not be reelected, El Universal

They would like the Venezuelan Head of State to complete his term in 2012.The positive assessment of President Hugo Chávez’s administration reached 58.9% in September, a 10% increase compared to July, according to Venezuelan polling company Datanálisis.

By the planeload: Hugo Chávez seems unperturbed by claims of official complicity in crime, The Economist

OPPONENTS of Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chávez, are eagerly awaiting the trial of Walid Makled, a businessman extradited from Colombia five months ago.