Just this past week, the National Election Council of Venezuela decreed it would suspend the opposition’s petition for a recall vote on President Nicolas Maduro, essentially meaning that Maduro will remain in power until 2018, when the next presidential election will be held. With his horrendous mishandling of the nation’s economic crisis, there might not be a Venezuela left come… Read more »
THE GUARDIAN: Ecuador has confirmed that oil drilling has begun under the country’s Yasuní national park, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. But the government claims that there has been only minimal disturbance to the Unesco biosphere reserve in the Amazon rainforest since extraction of 23,000 barrels of oil a day began last month. Ecologists, environmentalists and political groups in Ecuador… Read more »
BLOOMBERG: Federal prosecutors are preparing to charge several individuals and confiscate their property over the alleged looting of Venezuela’s state oil company in what may amount to one of the biggest asset seizures in U.S. history. Three people familiar with the case say the government has been investigating at least a dozen Venezuelans and is expected to file charges in Houston… Read more »
REUTERS: Venezuela’s increasingly militant opposition stepped up its push to oust leftist leader Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday with protests that drew hundreds of thousands but also saw unrest leading to dozens of injuries and arrests. In an incident sure to inflame the already polarized situation, a policeman died after being shot on Wednesday night in central Miranda state. The government blamed… Read more »
REUTERS: In a curious convergence of events on the same day last week, four Venezuelan provincial courts issued identical rulings, state governors quickly hit Twitter to celebrate, then the election board emailed a short but bombshell statement. Opposition hopes for a referendum to recall President Nicolas Maduro were dashed, on grounds of fraud in an initial signature drive. The vote… Read more »
Over the past year, as we already know, the S.S. Chavez, steered by his successor Captain Maduro, has sprung a leak deep below the waterline and begun to sink. Then, perhaps, was it controlled; the pumps were still trying their best to displace the seawater surging into the bowels of the ship and the passengers were calmly and orderly boarding… Read more »
CNBC: For decades, jobs at Venezuela’s state-run oil giant PDVSA were coveted for above average salaries, generous benefits and cheap credit that brought home ownership and vacationing abroad within reach for many workers. Now, in Venezuela’s asphyxiating economy, even PDVSA employees are struggling to pay for everything from food and bus rides to school fees as triple-digit inflation eats away… Read more »
UPI: Talks with Russian officials this week could add additional weight to an oil production agreement reached last week in Algeria, Venezuela’s president said. State-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, known also as PDVSA, said through its official Twitter account that President Nicolas Maduro aims to carry a message to Russia about cooperating on production arrangements “It is very certain that we have… Read more »
CNN: After pouring billions into Venezuela over the last decade, China is cutting off new loans to the Latin American nation. It’s a major reversal of relations between the two nations, experts say. It also comes at the worst time for Venezuela, which is spiraling into an economic and humanitarian crisis. “China is not especially interested in loaning more money to Venezuela,”… Read more »
UPI: The governor of Venezuela’s Táchira state has said some drivers next week could begin to pay gas stations with Colombian pesos or U.S. dollars. Táchira Gov. José Vielma Mora said gas stations under the new currency program- aimed at Colombian drivers- will be jointly operated by Colombian companies and Venezuela’s government-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA, oil company. The… Read more »