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May
10
2013
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 5/10/13

Maduro In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 5/10/13

Courtesy of Reuters

This week: The Venezuelan government starts an expanded audit of the disputed April 14 presidential election as Henrique Capriles files a legal challenge of the results; the Obama administration continues to monitor Venezuela’s crackdown on political opposition; Nicolás Maduro reacts angrily to Barack Obama’s comments about the political crisis in Venezuela; the family of Timothy Tracy, the American filmmaker held in Venezuela on charges of alleged espionage, calls the situation a “nightmare”; and U.S. diplomats are finally granted access to Tracy in Venezuela. Senior Venezuelan banking official is held on charges of accepting at least $5 million in bribes to funnel business to two Miami broker-dealers; the U.S. Treasury punishes Iran-Venezuela Binational Bank for helping the Iran government evade international sanctions; the Venezuelan government scrambles for answers to the country’s homicide rate, creating concerns about possible human rights abuses; and representatives of 130 countries believe Venezuela fails to meet the minimum democratic requirements. Venezuelan inflation soars toward 30 percent, the highest since August 2010, as the central bank’s scarcity index reaches a record high; according to mathematicians, the tally in Venezuela’s disputed election presents logical and numerical inconsistencies; Venezuela falls to seventh place in scientific research in Latin America, ranking below Cuba; and Venezuela’s only opposition TV station announces management changes after being taken over by the government.

Venezuela Starts Election Audit, The Wall Street Journal

Authorities on Monday began an expanded audit of the disputed April 14 presidential election even though the opposition candidate who called for the review has since withdrawn his support and instead filed a legal challenge of the results.

U.S. Monitoring Venezuela’s Political Crackdown On Opposition, Obama Says, Reuters

The United States is watching “crackdowns on the opposition” in Venezuela, President Barack Obama said in a television interview aired on Friday when asked if he considered newly elected Nicolas Maduro to be the country’s legitimate president.

Venezuela’s Government Condemns Obama’s Comments, The Associated Press

Venezuela’s government on Saturday angrily rejected comments made by U.S. President Barack Obama about the South American country’s political crisis and accused Washington of being behind violence that has followed its recent presidential election.

Family of American held in Venezuela says experience ‘a nightmare;’ embassy has had no access, The Associated Press

U.S. diplomats have been given no access to a California man held in Venezuela for nearly two weeks in what his family on Monday called a “nightmare” that unfolded after he was accused of being a spy fomenting postelection unrest.

US officials are granted access to American detained in Venezuela, Associated Press

Venezuela’s government has granted U.S. diplomats access to a California man who is being held while he awaits trial on charges of espionage and fomenting unrest.

Venezuelan banking official and 2 Miami broker dealers charged in $5 million NY bribery case, The Associated Press

A senior Venezuelan banking official is being held in Miami on charges that she accepted at least $5 million in bribes to funnel business to two Miami broker-dealers, federal authorities in Manhattan announced Tuesday.

US punishes Venezuelan-Iranian bank for helping Tehran, El Universal

The US Department of the Treasury punished on Thursday the Iran-Venezuela Binational Bank (IVBB) for helping the Iranian government to “sort out” international sanctions because of its controversial nuclear program.

Justice minister says Venezuela’s military to form part of anti-crime initiative, The Associated Press

Venezuela’s top security official announced Sunday the government of President Nicolas Maduro will use the military to fight rampant violent crime, raising concerns among activists who warned the initiative could lead to human rights violations.

No democracy in Venezuela, according to 130 countries, El Universal

Representatives of 130 Foreign Offices of countries viewed as democratic met last week in Mongolia, at the Summit of the Community of Democracies.

Venezuela Inflation Soars Toward 30% as Maduro Cuts Dollar Sales, Bloomberg

Venezuelan consumer prices soared the most in three years last month as President Nicolas Maduro’s government reduced dollar sales to importers and the central bank’s scarcity index reached the highest on record.

Mathematicians claim that election numbers in Venezuela do not match, El Universal

The results released by the board of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) in several bulletins about the presidential election of April 14 exhibit “logic and numerical inconsistencies.”

Venezuela ranks below Cuba in scientific research, El Universal

Venezuela ranked seventh in scientific production in Latin America in 2011, according to international indicators such as SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR).

Sole Opposition TV Channel in Venez Makes Changes, The Associated Press

Venezuela’s only opposition television channel says it is bringing in new management after its sale to new owners, but pledges to maintain its critical line against the government.

 
Feb
8
2013
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In Case You Missed It…Articles Roundup Week of 2/8/13

92073vencemos e1360359042638 In Case You Missed It...Articles Roundup Week of 2/8/13

Courtesy of: TalCual

This week: Questions emerge as a former Iranian official is caught in Germany with an undeclared check worth around $70 million in Venezuelan currency; oddly, the Venezuelan government then accuses the opposition of corruption, as doubts grow that “chavismo” will survive without President Hugo Chávez; the anniversary of Chávez’s failed coup in 1992 calls into question who is actually in control of Venezuela; and foreign minister Elías Jaua visits China seeking further loans as shortages continue to frustrate consumers. The Economist Intelligence Unit considers Caracas, Venezuela the most expensive city in the Americas by; in the two months since Chávez’s last public appearance, shortages of staple foods continue to pile up throughout Venezuela; and the state-owned oil company Pdvsa receives more money from the Central Bank, adding more bolivars into circulation and thus boosting inflation. Lastly, after slamming the idea of spending cuts during election season, Chávez’s government moves to enact spending cuts to delay a currency devaluation; the increasing political and economic uncertainties facing Venezuela continue to impact global markets; and Venezuelan officials find over 100 firearms and 8,000 rounds of ammunition inside the Uribana prison, where a deadly riot last month killed 58.

Iran Official Probed on Undeclared Check, The Wall Street Journal

Germany is investigating a former head of the Iranian Central Bank for smuggling after customs officials seized what they said was an undeclared $70 million check he was holding from a Venezuelan state-run bank.

Venezuela rivals trade blows on corruption, Financial Times

The Venezuelan government has accelerated a mud-slinging campaign to discredit the opposition, accusing it of corruption, as doubts grow that the socialist revolution can survive without President Hugo Chávez to lead it.

On Venezuela’s coup anniversary, the big question: Who’s in control?, The Dallas Morning News

Today is the anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s failed 1992 coup attempt against then-President Carlos Andres Perez. Chavez was an army lieutenant colonel at the time of the coup, and he was responsible for deaths and blood spilled in his attempt to subvert democracy and seize power by force.

Venezuela Foreign Minister Jaua in China For More Loans as Shortages Bite at Home, Latin American Herald Tribune

Venezuela Foreign Minister Elías Jaua Milano is in Beijing holding meetings with his counterpart of the People’s Republic of China, Yang Jiechi, as well as Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Yu Zhengsheng, seeking further loans as shortages of goods caused by a lack of foreign currency as well as price controls continue to frustrate consumers in the oil rich Latin American nation.

Caracas, Venezuela Is Most Expensive City In The Americas, Says Economist Intelligence Unit, The Huffington Post

Caracas, Venezuela is the most expensive city in the Americas and the 9th-most expensive in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Venezuelan capital jumped 25 spots from last year, according to CNN.

Venezuela’s economy: Out of stock, The Economist

IT IS now two months since Venezuelans last saw or heard from their president, Hugo Chávez, who remains in intensive care in a high-security Havana hospital, battling what seems to be terminal cancer. But it is an absence of a different kind that is uppermost in many people’s minds

Pdvsa’s higher funding to central bank spurs inflation, El Universal

In a forum organized by the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce (VenAmCham), Pedro Palma, an economist and a professor at the Higher Business Studies Institute (IESA), remarked that since Venezuela’s state-owned oil company Pdvsa receives more funds from the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), there are more bolivars in circulation, thus boosting inflation.

Chavez Enacts Cuts He Once Slammed to Delay Devaluing, Bloomberg News

Hugo Chavez coasted to re-election last year warning Venezuelans that a victory for the opposition would lead to a “giant package” of spending cuts.

Venezuela faces increasing political and economic uncertainty, FTSE Global Markets

Due to Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez being unable to attend the inauguration for his next presidential term originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 10 because of his seemingly terminal cancer, Venezuela faces a period of heightened political and economic uncertainty.

Uribana Prison Arsenal: Guns, Ammo Found In Venezuela After Deadly Riot, Official Says, The Huffington Post

Venezuelan officials found 106 firearms and more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition inside a prison following a riot last month that killed 58 people, nearly all of them inmates, the country’s top prison authority said Thursday.

 
Feb
7
2013
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Mysterious Check Reignites Controversy over Iran-Venezuela Relationship

r TAHMASB MAZAHER CHECK large570 e1360253117979 Mysterious Check Reignites Controversy over Iran Venezuela Relationship

Courtesy of: Associated Press

Controversial ties between two countries hostile to the United States reemerged on Saturday when a former Iranian official was caught in Germany with a sizable check from a Venezuelan bank. The German newspaper Bild am Sonntag first reported that German officials are investigating Tahmasb Mazaheri, Iran’s former central bank chief and economy minister, for smuggling after he was caught with an undeclared check worth approximately $70 million.

Upon his arrival from Turkey on January 21, Mazaheri was stopped and searched by German customs officials at the Dusseldorf airport. A check for 300 million Venezuelan Bolivars issued by the state-run Bank of Venezuela was found in his luggage.

According to customs authorities, visitors entering any of the European Union countries must declare incoming amounts above $13,580. Failure to disclose the funds is a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $1 million. German authorities have not yet disclosed to whom the check was directed and are expected to decide later this month whether to press charges. In the meantime, local and international concern has emerged, sparking questions about how a former Iranian official ended up with a check of such a significant amount – in Venezuelan currency.

Iran’s ambassador to Venezuela, Hojattolah Soltani, told the Venezuelan media that the check was going to pay the expenses of the Kayson Company, an Iranian construction business that builds public housing for the Venezuelan government. According to the ambassador, Kayson has a contract to build approximately 10,000 low-income housing units. However, it remains unclear why Mazaheri misled German officials; declaring he was traveling with less than $13,580. When questioned by customs authorities, he failed to provide adequate explanation of the purpose and recipient of the funds, leading to further skepticism. Soltani claimed Mazaheri did not declare it because the check was not for him and was not destined for a German bank.

Reports confirm that Mazaheri has returned to Tehran, as officials launch an inquiry into possible impropriety and determine whether to return the check. But the controversy has given rise to the possibility that Venezuelan banks are helping Iran evade the economic sanctions imposed against it as a result of its nuclear development program. According to sources, the discovery has prompted a further investigation by the international community into the ties between the Venezuelan financial system and Tehran.

Such actions mirror the ongoing U.S. investigations into some of the largest European banks for violating sanctions against Iran. The investigations resulted in billions in fines between 2010 and 2012.

Members of the Venezuelan opposition alleged that the Kayson Company is on Canada and the United Kingdom’s list of undesirable companies, largely due to its links with illegal businesses.

United by their public condemnation of the U.S., Iran and Venezuela have built a strong alliance since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assumed office in 2005. They have reportedly signed over 70 joint venture agreements in housing, agriculture and energy, among other areas. The deals are valued at up to $17 billion, though neither country has much to show in terms of progress.

Mazaheri was personally involved in one of those projects back in 2008, when he became president of the International Development Bank (IDB), opened in Caracas as an independent subsidiary of the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI). Nine months after its opening, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed economic sanctions on both entities for financing Iran’s nuclear programs.

Citing the irresponsible handling of funds money by the Venezuelan government, the country’s opposition is demanding an explanation. Venezuelan officials have yet to comment on the matter. And with Hugo Chávez’s condition unknown to any except his Cuban medical team – now two months after his cancer surgery – the world remains wanting for answers.