Category: Latin America

Thousands of opposition demonstrators in Venezuela have marched through the streets of Caracas in new protests against the government. At the end of the march, activists clashed with police in the opposition strongholds of Chacao and Altamira. President Nicolas Maduro extended the traditional carnival holidays until the end of this week and asked Venezuelans to rest and celebrate peace. At least 17 people have been killed in more than three weeks of unrest. Opposition leaders have asked people to ignore the carnival season, when many Venezuelans traditionally go to the seaside. They are demanding the release of dozens of demonstrators and activists arrested since last month, including high-profile politician Leopoldo Lopez. The opposition blames the left-wing policies of Mr Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, for […]

Click here to view full article at www.bbc.com

At a conference that annually celebrates–for the most part–the explosion of North American supply, a panel that featured two PDVSA alumni turned into a bleak review of an almost unfathomable crisis gripping the Venezuelan oil industry. The strife in the streets of Caracas, and the lines of people waiting to buy the basic stuff of life, are almost secondary to the fact that, as the panelists noted, the Venezuelan government has mortgaged the future of its oil industry. Waiting for the country’s rapidly sinking ship of state to be righted by an increase in production, and maybe a boost in prices too, increasingly appears to be a pipe dream. The two panelists discussing this on day two of the Platts Crude Oil Market-Americas conference in Houston were Alberto Cisnernos Lavalier, CEO and president of Caracas-based Global Business Consultants, and Ramon Espinasa, the lead oil and gas specialist in the […]

Click here to view full article at blogs.platts.com

On the east side of this capital city, where the rich people tend to live, most children have stayed home from school for more than a week, protest bonfires burn in the streets at night, stores shut early and carnival celebrations have been canceled. But on the west side, where many of the poor people live under tin roofs, you would hardly know that the country has been stirred by weeks of unrest. Schools operate normally, restaurants serve up arepas, and residents, enjoying the extra days off that President Nicolás Maduro has given the country, prepare to crown their carnival queens. Both sides of this city, the better off and the poorer, are dealing with many of the same […]

Click here to view full article at www.nytimes.com

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said yesterday he is open to meeting with student protesters and opposition leaders as the death toll from more than two weeks of demonstrations rose. “The country would gain if we met and talked, with respect as always,” Maduro said in a nationwide address after calling on two-time presidential hopeful Henrique Capriles to hold talks. “We are inviting actors, artists, private and public entities, opposition leaders, students, governors, mayors, the Catholic Church and whoever wants to participate.” Maduro spoke after the opposition alliance, which has boycotted two meetings with the president, said it would negotiate only when he shows respect and offers an agenda worked out with mediators. In a message passed on by his wife, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez wrote that the invitation lacked sincerity considering the government jailed him and seeks to arrest his political coordinator, Carlos Vecchio. Maduro has attempted to defuse […]

Click here to view full article at www.bloomberg.com

Security forces in Venezuela have used tear gas to break up a student demonstration in the capital, Caracas. Hundreds of protesters were demanding the release of fellow students detained during two weeks of unrest, and called a fresh march for Sunday. In another part of Caracas, a large pro-government march was held. Earlier this week, President Nicolas Maduro declared an early start to the week-long Carnival public holiday in an attempt to end the unrest. On Monday, Venezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega said 13 people had died in the violence, although President Maduro put the figure of protest-related deaths at more than 50 on Wednesday. ‘No Carnival’ Despite the start of the long holidays on Thursday, students again gathered in Caracas. "There’s no Carnival for anybody here. Here we are […]

Click here to view full article at www.bbc.com

Several thousand anti-government demonstrators marched in Caracas yesterday after President Nicolas Maduro tried to defuse two weeks of protests by granting Venezuelans an unexpected six-day holiday. In the eastern Caracas municipality Chacao, an opposition stronghold, demonstrators held banners urging Venezuelans to ignore the holidays and continue protesting against crime, inflation and shortages of goods. As they attempted to block the city’s main east-west highway, the National Guard broke up the march with tear gas and water cannons. Two U.S. senators proposed a resolution threatening sanctions for “violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Venezuela.” Maduro this week expanded the annual Carnival festivities by decreeing national holidays for yesterday and today, in addition to the scheduled days off on March 3-4. At least 14 people were killed in the past two weeks in the biggest demonstrations against the government since the former bus driver won presidential elections in April. “This is […]

Click here to view full article at www.bloomberg.com

s Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is betting that an unexpected six-day holiday starting today will help defuse two weeks of demonstrations that have left 14 people dead. Maduro this week expanded the annual Carnival festivities by decreeing today and tomorrow national holidays, in addition to previously scheduled days off on March 3-4. Antonio Iskandar, an eye doctor in western Caracas who has taken part in protests, said that while Maduro’s strategy may offer the government a respite, it won’t keep people off the streets. “Six days of holidays is a very tempting opportunity for people to see their families,” Iskandar, 25, said in a telephone interview. “This is our best chance and we can’t stop now. We aren’t leaving the streets until Maduro is out.” Maduro has argued that his government is gaining support as daily demonstrations begin to alienate voters. The 51-year-old president heard from […]

Click here to view full article at www.bloomberg.com

Hugo Chavez’ Bolivarian Revolution had leveraged Venezuela’s enormous oil wealth by selling oil cheaply to Caribbean neighbors, and heavily subsidizing consumer goods for the masses at home. But recently, the Venezuelan economy has not been performing. At the time of Chavez’ death last March, it was predicted that the country would have to devalue its currency, cut back on subsidies, and back off from many of the policies that had won the loyalty of lower-income Venezuelans and the disdain of wealthier citizens. Many airline carriers have suspended their flights to Caracas, and others won’t accept payment for tickets in the Venezuelan currency, the bolivar. Nicolas Maduro, a vice president who had gradually taken power during Chavez’ long battle with cancer, was elected in his own right after Chavez died. Now, after less than a year in charge, Maduro is facing rising opposition from his people. In recent weeks the conflict has turned more violent […]

Click here to view full article at america.aljazeera.com