In this week’s roundup… Hugo Chávez reveals that his recently removed tumor was cancerous; Chávez supporters open fire on a rally for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles; Venezuela’s Jewish community slams the Chávez administration for anti-Semitic attacks against Capriles. Venezuela’s foreign debt rises 90 percent in just three years; the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemns Venezuela’s Supreme Court decision to uphold a $2.18 million fine against Globovisión. Venezuela continues to send aid to embattled Syrian leader Bashar Assad; Chávez’s relationship with Ahmadinejad deepens, as reports surface that Iran will provide Chávez’s army with unmanned drones.
Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez says new tumor was cancerous in 1st TV appearance in 9 days, The Washington Post via the Associated Press
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez revealed Sunday that a new tumor recently removed from his pelvic region was of the same type of cancer as a baseball-sized growth extracted from that part of his body about eight months ago.
The man who could be Venezuela’s next president — if the Chavistas let him, Foreign Policy
Venezuela President Hugo Chávez’s disclosure that his cancer has recurred raises hard questions about his ability to campaign for re-election in October. If he lacks the stamina or is incapacitated, what happens next — will fair elections proceed, or will his ruling circle frustrate any potential transfer of power?
In Venezuela, Election Won’t Inspire Stability, The Wall Street Journal
In Venezuela’s increasingly unpredictable presidential election, voters face more than a choice between competing ideologies. They must also weigh which candidate represents the best hope of staving off political and social upheaval.
Venezuela Opposition Presidential Candidate Capriles Rally Attacked by Gunmen (VIDEO), Latin American Herald
Red shirted supporters of left-wing Venezuela President Hugo Chávez fired shots at a crowd of opposition supporters gathered for a rally with opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski.
Jews hit out at Venezuelan government, The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish community in Venezuela has denounced the attack by the state media on Henrique Capriles. An article published on the Venezuelan State Radio website entitled The Enemy is Zionism criticised Mr. Capriles’s Jewish ancestry.
What’s going on at PDVSA? The Financial Times
Do the ends justify the means for PDVSA, Venezuela’s state oil company? The ends at least are clear enough: to keep afloat Hugo Chávez’s revolution, which in turn depends on the well-being of PDVSA, one of the world’s biggest oil companies that doubles up as the Venezuelan president’s piggy bank.
Venezuela’s operating reserves sink to lowest level in 15 years, El Universal
Though rising oil prices drive in petrodollars, Venezuela’s operating reserves, that is, currency deposited with banks for imports and foreign-debt payments, have plummeted to their lowest level in 15 years.
In three years, Venezuela’s foreign debt grew 90%, El Universal
In 2009, drop in oil prices led the Venezuelan government to borrow to cover the oil revenue gap and, although the barrel price recovered in the following years, the government has continued to issue further debt.
WikiLeaks report cites corruption in Venezuela production, The Miami Herald
The destruction of Venezuelan production in favor of imports is worsening the scarcity problem and creating corruption by those who want to obtain bigger contracts, says a report by the private intelligence firm Stratfor released by WikiLeaks.
IAPA condemns high court ratification of fine on Globovisión, El Universal
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) on Thursday strongly condemned the ratification by Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) of a fine meted out to private TV news channel Globovisión, calling the rejection of its appeal “a reprisal and censorship of freedom of information
Venezuela to ship more fuel to Syria as crackdown spreads, Reuters
Venezuela is readying a third shipment of diesel to the government of Syria even as President Bashar al-Assad intensifies a crackdown against protesters, said a Venezuelan lawmaker on Monday.
Southern Exposure: Iran, Terror Groups Setting Up Shop in South America, U.S. News
Iran and Middle East-based extremist groups are stepping up their activities in South America, aiming to make friends and score cash, a senior U.S. military official says. Tehran intends to build military drones in Washington’s backyard for the Venezuelan military led by Hugo Chávez, U.S. Southern Command chief Gen. Douglas Fraser told reporters Wednesday during a breakfast meeting in Washington.