Tag Archives: inflation

Mar
25
2011
Posted by
editor
Comments

In Case You Missed It…Articles Roundup Week of 3/25/11

In this week’s roundup…a new round of paranoid and delusional assertions from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez coincide with proof of his dwindling popularity and a new scandal regarding state-owned PDVSA.

Venezuela’s Chavez Claims US Plans To Thwart His Reelection, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that the U.S. and its allies have plans to sabotage his bid for re-election in 2012 as part of an “imperial” doctrine to control the world’s oil supply. “I know of the plans that they have for Venezuela, infiltrate the country, create [unstable] conditions for 2012,” Chavez said. “They should not even think about it!” Speaking during his weekly program, “Hello! President,” Chavez also denounced the “indiscriminate bombing” of the UN-sanctioned military intervention in Libya as motivated by the oil-rich country’s resources.

Poll suggests Venezuelans split between pro- and anti-Chavez camps; one-third undecided, The Canadian Press

A poll suggests Venezuelans with a preference are split between President Hugo Chavez and the opposition, although a sizable one-third are undecided about whom they would vote for if elections were held soon. Leon said the opposition politicians with the most support in the latest poll were Henrique Capriles, governor of Miranda state, 17 percent; former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales, 9 percent; Pablo Perez, governor of Zulia state, 7 percent; and Leopoldo Lopez, a former Caracas District mayor, 7 percent.

Venezuela Opposition Blocked From Discussing PDVSA Pension, The Wall Street Journal

Opposition legislators in Venezuela have been blocked in the national parliament from discussing the apparent use of the state oil company’s pension fund in a Ponzi scheme run by a former financial adviser to Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA. A proposal to bring the matter before the National Assembly was rejected last week by the ruling-party majority.

Chavez enacts decree allowing pro-government militias to receive weapons from military, The Washington Post

New rules authorizing Venezuela’s military to distribute weapons to pro-government militias took effect Tuesday, raising concern among critics who say the armed groups could be used by President Hugo Chavez to cement his hold on power.

Hugo Chavez Decries Capitalism….On Mars, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who routinely blames Capitalism for many of the world’s troubles, pointed elsewhere in the galaxy for his latest critique, saying Tuesday that the economic system may have destroyed life on Mars. “I have always said, have heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars,” the firebrand socialist said on Venezuela’s state television.

 
Feb
25
2011
Posted by
editor
Comments

In Case You Missed It…Articles Roundup Week of 2/25/11

Here are the latest headlines on Venezuela:

Venezuela feels the heat Miami Herald

With dictators toppling like dominoes across the Middle East, Venezuela’s president-for-life, Hugo Chávez, is signaling worry about his own despotic rule.

Michael Rowan / The Wrong Side of History El Universal

Here’s what’s happening in Egypt and Iran —and Venezuela as well. The people, especially the young and educated, are sick and tired of so-called revolutions that give power to autocrats while not providing the jobs, opportunities or freedom they need to progress.

Anti-Chavez parties to hold presidential primary The Washington Post

A coalition of Venezuela’s opposition parties announced Wednesday that its member have agreed to hold a primary to pick a presidential candidate to run against Hugo Chavez next year.

Spain to ask Venezuela to extradite two ETA suspects El Universal

The Spanish Judiciary is to prosecute José Lorenzo Ayestarán and José Ignacio Olaskoaga, two members of the Basque separatist group ETA, and will ask for their extradition from France and Venezuela, after several former guerrilla members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said that they trained them in the use of explosives, in the Venezuelan forest.

Venezuela’s Great Dollar Drought Bloomberg Businessweek

Every weekday, Ricardo Matamoros wakes up before dawn, travels to a branch of Mercantil Banco Universal in Caracas, and gets in line seeking to buy dollars. It’s a futile effort, he says. “They haven’t approved a single one of my requests during 45 days,” said Matamoros, 51, the president of a film production company, as he stood outside the bank on Feb. 7. “Let’s see if it happens today since I’m second in line.”

No Bloodshed in Libya for Three Days, Venezuelan Ambassador Says Bloomberg

Not a drop of blood has been shed in Libya in the last three days and the capital is “totally calm,” according to the Venezuelan ambassador to Tripoli.

RSF: Venezuela fails to provide reliable data on murder rates EL Universal

International organization Reporters without Borders (RSF) published a report entitled “Organized Crime, Muscling in on the Media,” according to which a total of 141 journalists and media workers were killed by criminal groups during the decade of the 2000s

 
Feb
18
2011
Posted by
editor
Comments

In Case You Missed it…Articles Roundup Week of 2/14/11

Here’s the latest news on Venezuela:

Venezuela loses $1.5 bln a year in gasoline subsidy Reuters

Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA loses around $1.5 billion a year through domestic subsidies that make the South American OPEC member’s gasoline the cheapest in the world, the energy minister said on Sunday.

Republican Lawmaker Connie Mack Proposes U.S. Embargo on Venezuela Latin American Herald Times

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, the largest yearly gathering of conservative activists which serves as a place for presidential hopefuls to measure their early support, Mack on Saturday devoted almost his entire speech to Chavez, whom he called a “thugocrat” who resorts to using weapons such as oppression, aggression, terrorism and drugs to “destroy” Latin American freedom and democracy (VIDEO)

Is Chávez promoting free expression? Check the facts Committee to Protect Journalists

CPJ has closely documented the long-deteriorating press freedom situation in Venezuela under Chávez. Far from “guaranteeing and promoting” freedom of expression, Venezuelan authorities have worked relentlessly to quash critical voices, using state regulatory bodies and modifying legal structures to assist them in their efforts. Just check the facts.

Caracas Mayor Will Seek To Challenge Chavez For Presidency Wall Street Journal

Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma announced Tuesday that he hopes to enter the 2012 presidential election and challenge Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, according to local media.

Venezuelan Business Sales Fell 28.4% In 4Q – Survey Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan businesses saw sales decline 28.4% in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to a member survey released Wednesday by Consecomercio, one of the country’s main business associations.

Likely shortage of products in the absence of price increases El Universal

The manufacturing sector has requested the Venezuelan government to allow price increases for regulated products, in order to prevent shortage of goods in the domestic market, said Carlos Larrazábal, the President of the Venezuelan Confederation of Industries (Conindustria).