EuropaFb: Venezuela

Showing posts with label Venezuela. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Venezuela. Show all posts

Venezuela's Refugee Crisis Worsens

People standing in line to try to cross a Venezuela from Colombia through the Simón Bolívar International Bridge in Cúcuta, Colombia, on February 13, 2018. (REUTERS / Carlos Eduardo Ramírez)

VOA: Sick Venezuelans Flee to Colombia as Refugee Crisis Worsens

In a hospital near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, migrants fill beds with the wounds of the nation they left behind.

An 18-year-old woman rubbed her stomach. She fled Venezuela with her new born daughter when the wounds she suffered while giving birth became infected.

A young man hurt in a motorcycle crash needed antibiotic drugs for an infection.

A retiree with an enlarged foot arrived at the hospital after taking a 20-hour bus ride from Caracas. He went there because Venezuelan doctors told his family he needed the foot cut off — without antibiotics or drugs to control pain during the operation.

Read more ....

WNU editor: Only half ?!?!?! .... Over half of young Venezuelans want to flee as economy collapses, poll finds (The Guardian)

More News On The Crisis In Venezuela

Leopoldo López Speaks Out, and Venezuela's Government Cracks Down -- New York Times
Venezuela's Maduro calls UN rights chief a US-backed 'tumor' -- Reuters
Venezuela faces a terrible new crisis: A critical shortage of blood -- Washington Post
Venezuela Annual Inflation Exceeds 6,000 Percent in Feb - National Assembly -- US News and World Report/Reuters
Venezuela Sold $5 Billion in Petro Cryptocurrency, Claims President -- Bitcoinist
For poor Venezuelans, a box of food may sway vote for Maduro. -- Reuters
Weaponizing hunger is a new low for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro -- Antulio Rosales, The Globe and Mail

A Reuter's Photo-Journalist And Journalist Accompany Venezuelans Fleeing Their Country

David Vargas (R), 12, cries as he sits next to his aunt after saying goodbye to relatives while he waits to board a bus to travel from Caracas to Guayaquil, at the Rutas de America's bus station in Caracas, Venezuela, November 7, 2017. The moment before getting on the bus was very sad, filled with silence, tension, hugs and tears. Carlos Garcia Rawlins: "It was very hard to see the disconsolate way David was crying, once he said goodbye to his loved ones and realized that he was about to start the journey to Chile". REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Reuters: A photographer's journey out of Venezuela

CARACAS (Reuters) - The bus station was like a funeral home. Families were weeping and hugging, saying their goodbyes. Everybody was sad and scared - the ones leaving because they were facing an uncertain future, and the ones staying behind because they were facing muggings, shortages of food and an even more uncertain future.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans migrated elsewhere in South America last year. Reporter Alexandra Ulmer and I wanted to give names and faces to at least a few of them, so we decided to join them in a nearly 5,000-mile bus journey south to Chile.

I hoped that by sharing this journey with my fellow Venezuelans, I could help show the rest of the world what most of us are facing every day.

I am no stranger to this daily reality: Friends and family members are leaving; some have been robbed of their few remaining belongings and of their hopes; others have lost their jobs and income. I try to take care of the people closest to me - otherwise, some of them might not eat.

Read more ....

Update: SPECIAL REPORT-A journey on a caravan of misery (Reuters)

WNU Editor: An on the ground report on what is happening in Venezuela. These Venezuelans are the lucky ones.

Mass Exodus Of Venezuelans Fleeing To Colombia And Brazil Continues

Newsweek: In Pictures: Thousands of Venezuelans Join Mass Exodus into Colombia

Some 3 million Venezuelans—a tenth of the population—have left Venezuela since late leader Hugo Chavez started his socialist revolution in 1999. More than 500,000 have fled to Colombia—many illegally—hoping to escape grinding poverty, rising violence and shortages of food and medicine in the once-prosperous nation.

Photographer Jaime Saldarriaga joined Reuters journalists at the Paraguachón border crossing to document the exodus from Venezuela, which is now on a scale echoing the departure of Myanmar’s Rohingya people to Bangladesh.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: For many Venezuelans there is no choice .... 'Migrate or Die': Venezuelans Flood into Colombia Despite Crackdown (VOA). Brazil has declared an emergency, and now Colombia is increasing security .... Colombia to heighten security at Venezuelan border with introduction of e-readers as humanitarian crisis worsens (Bogota Post). Here is an easy prediction .... it is going to get worse.

Venezuelan Presidential Election Delayed To Late May

Reuters: Venezuela postpones presidential election to late May

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela’s election board said on Thursday it was postponing an upcoming presidential vote from April 22 to the second half of May following an agreement between the government and some opposition parties.

Presidential elections in Venezuela are normally held at the end of the year, and critics had accused authorities of moving the vote forward to wrongfoot the opposition and benefit President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election bid.

The leading opposition coalition is boycotting the poll, but one presidential hopeful, Henri Falcon, has already launched his candidacy.

Falcon, a 56-year-old former state governor, believes he can win by taking advantage of widespread dissatisfaction with the ruling socialists over Venezuela’s dire economic crisis.

Read more ....

Update #1: Venezuela presidential election postponed to May (BBC)

WNU Editor: There is only one minor opposition leader who is running in this election .... Venezuela presidential hopeful wants Wall Street economist on team (Reuters). My guess is that he did not get the memo that the fix was already in, and that President Nicolas Maduro will be winning with a comfortable majority when the ballots are finally counted. As for the real opposition leader .... harassment and intimidation continues to be the rule .... Venezuela police enter home of imprisoned opposition leader Lopez: wife (Reuters).

Update #2: This is going to hurt .... Exclusive: U.S. considering broad oil sanctions on Venezuela - source (Reuters).

Yup .... US embargo would be the 'death knell' for Venezuela's oil industry, analyst says (CNBC).

Update #3: The misery in Venezuela shows no bounds .... Zoos are forced to slaughter animals to feed others in Venezuela, where bone-thin pumas have become the face of the crisis (Daily Mail).

Venezuela Warns That The U.S. And Colombia Are Planning To Invade The Country

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, second from the left in the back row, with militia members during a military parade in La Guaira, May 21, 2016.Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

Miami Herald: Venezuela fears ‘invasion’ after U.S. military chief visits Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia: Venezuela on Monday accused neighboring Colombia of planning a bombing campaign or a “military invasion” amid heightened tensions in the region and a mass exodus fueled by Venezuela’s collapsing economy.

“In Colombia, they are planning to revive eras that had ended in human history, like military bombing, a military invasion or the occupation, through blood and gunfire, of a peaceful country like Venezuela,” said Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, according to the state-run AVN news agency. “We will not allow it.”

Saab didn’t provide proof of his allegations, but other regional allies pointed to the weekend visit to Colombia by Admiral Kurt Tidd, head of U.S. Southern Command.

Read more ....

Update: Venezuela Watching US Military Deployment (Prensa Latina)

WNU Editor: Who wants to take over the mess that is Venezuela today .... no one. These invasion fears may have worked in the past .... but it only works for those who are committed to the survival of the Maduro government .... everyone else is more focused on surviving.

The Misery In Venezuela Continues

DW: Desperate Venezuelans pouring into Brazil

Officials in northern Brazil are demanding federal aid to help manage the influx of people seeking food and shelter. The president promised help while vowing that the country wouldn't turn its back on the Venezuelans.

Brazil's president promised Monday to provide whatever aid is necessary to the country's northern state of Roraima, which has been overwhelmed by tens of thousands of desperate Venezuelans fleeing their country's collapsing economy and political turmoil.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sought to consolidate power as the country's economy collapses under the weight of a severe recession and hyper-inflation that topped 700 percent last year and could more than triple that figure in 2018.

Read more ....

More News On The Crisis In Venezuela

Venezuela’s Misery Fuels Migration on Epic Scale -- WSJ
Food can't get into their country, so Venezuelans are getting out -- The Week Magazine
'It's humiliating': plight of Venezuelan middle class is pawn shops' gain -- The Guardian
As Venezuela’s economy collapses, desperate parents are leaving their children at orphanages -- Seattle Times/Washington Post
Human rights body warns of deteriorating conditions in Venezuela -- AFP
Former Venezuelan Officials Charged With Money Laundering at PDVSA -- Bloomberg
Venezuela oil production is plummeting -- CNN
Venezuela’s refugee crisis will exceed Syria’s; we must help -- Dany Bahar, Brookings

Thousands Are Now Trying To Flee Venezuela Before The Borders Are Tightened

Daily Mail: Mass exodus from 'Mad Max violence' in Venezuela: Thousands flee across bridge to Colombia amid desperate hunger and soaring crime following economic crisis

* Thousands of desperate Venezuelans are trying to enter Colombia through the border crossing of Cucuta
* They are fleeing hunger, inflation and the political crisis threatening to engulf the South American country
* Colombia - along with neighbour Brazil - has sent extra soldiers to patrol their porous border with Venezuela
* The crisis shows no sign of easing and Colombian lawmakers are beginning to tighten their border controls

Thousands of desperate Venezuelans are trying to enter Colombia in a bid to escape the hunger and soaring crime rate caused by the spiralling economic crisis.

Incredible pictures show the mass exodus of refugees crossing the Simon Bolivar international bridge trying to flee the political crisis threatening to engulf Venezuela.

Colombia - along with its neighbour Brazil - has sent extra soldiers to patrol their porous border with the country after officially taking in more than half a million migrants over the last six months of 2017.

The country is also tightening its border controls in a bid to stem the flow.

The dire economic conditions have led to lawlessness in parts of Venezuela's capital Caracas, with truck drivers subjected to 'Mad Max' violence as looters target heavy goods vehicles carrying food.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The images (like this one) are striking, and this is just starting.

More News On The Growing Mass Exodus From Venezuela

Venezuelans rush to the border as Colombia tightens controls -- BBC
Colombia, Brazil Deploy More Security Forces to Venezuela Border -- Venezuelanalysis.com
Colombia announces to step up security measures along Venezuela border -- Colombia Reports
Mad Max violence stalks Venezuela's lawless roads -- Reuters

Venezuela's Neighbours Are Becoming More Nervous With The Growing In The Country

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos talks to the media after a meeting with regional authorities in Cucuta, Colombia February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez

Reuters: Colombia tightens border, gives aid as Venezuelans flee crisis

CUCUTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia will tighten border controls with Venezuela and provide extra aid as hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans flee an economic crisis, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday, even while his country already spends millions of dollars to support the migrants.

The number of Venezuelans living in Colombia increased 62 percent in the last half of 2017 to over 550,000, the migration authority has said, as their oil-rich country suffers runaway inflation and rising malnutrition.

Many arrive in abject poverty, forced to sleep in doorways and under bridges while they try to scrape together enough money to feed their children.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It looks like the Americas have finally realized that they are about to be faced with the biggest migration of people in its modern history.

More News On Growing Concerns In The Americas On The Growing Crisis In Venezuela

Colombia tightens border control as Venezuela migrants surge -- ABC News/AP
As Venezuelans Flee, Refugee Camp Springs Up Across Border -- Bloomberg
Brazil to deploy more troops on Venezuela border amid refugee crisis -- Reuters
The international community wakes up to torture in Venezuela -- Washington Post
Peru to convene meeting of Lima Group over Venezuela election -- Reuters
Venezuela Election Could Trigger Deeper Sanctions, Exiles -- VOA/AP

Venezuelan Government And Opposition Talks Have Collapsed Over Conditions For A Presidential Election

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a meeting with ministers in Caracas, Venezuela June 16, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

Reuters: Venezuela government, opposition mediation talks flounder

CARACAS (Reuters) - Mediation talks between Venezuela’s government and opposition have collapsed after their failure to reach agreement over conditions for a presidential election, host Danilo Medina, the president of the Dominican Republic, said on Wednesday.

Venezuela’s ruling socialists have said a vote will be held before the end of April, with incumbent President Nicolas Maduro running for re-election in the oil-rich nation despite his unpopularity and a crushing economic crisis.

The talks’ end fueled expectations that authorities would quickly set a date for a controversial election in which Maduro’s two top political rivals are barred from participating.

The opposition had been lobbying to hold the elections on June 10, Medina said, to give its disparate and often conflicting parties time to hold primaries and settle on one candidate. The government, meanwhile, pushed for the vote to be as soon as March 8.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I do not know why the opposition parties in Venezuela are even bothering with these talks. The fix is already in for Maduro to win .... and the opposition itself is too fragmented to come to a consensus on what needs to be done.

Venezuela's Health Care System Has Collapsed

NPR: Venezuela's Health Care System Ready To Collapse Amid Economic Crisis

The death of a former major league baseball player in his native Venezuela this week is renewing concerns over the Latin American country's growing health crisis amid ongoing economic and political turmoil.

Marcos Carvajal, a 34-year-old former pitcher for the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins, died of pneumonia on Tuesday. He fell sick in December, but the antibiotics needed to treat the illness were hard to find. Drugs for Carvajal eventually were sent from abroad but he relapsed, returned to the hospital on Monday and died the next day.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: What is even more astounding is that the Venezuelan government is apparently blocking shipments of medical aid from NGOs .... as well as refusing all other aid. What can I say ..... you just cannot make this stuff up.

Venezuela's Military Now Facing Food Shortages And Hyperinflation

Photo: This stash of Venezuelan Bolivares is worth a few dollars. Source: Reddit

Miami Herald: After killing of rebel cop, Maduro’s grip on Venezuela’s military may be loosening

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, hated by much of the country's population and sanctioned by a growing number of countries, is facing problems keeping the police and military happy as food shortages and hyperinflation start to hit their barracks.

Recent meetings and internal documents of the Venezuelan armed forces point to concern in the Maduro regime as troops grow more demoralized and commanders report an increase in the number of insubordination cases and desertions.

In addition to the signs of unrest among the Army and National Guard units, the government also faces a tense relationship with the investigative police agency known by its initials in Spanish, CICPC, after the recent public execution of rebel policeman Oscar Perez, who was killed by security forces in an assault broadcast live through social media.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is as bad as it gets .... Venezuelans ‘loot to eat’ amid economic tailspin (AP).

It Is Now A Hate Crime In Venezuela To Criticise The Government

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends an event with workers in Caracas, Nov. 14, 2017.

VOA: Venezuela President Orders Hate Crime Probe for 2 Bishops

CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for an investigation into Roman Catholic priests he says have made comments critical of the government.

Maduro said in an address Monday that church officials may have committed hate crimes, an accusation he frequently levels at government critics.

He called on the pro-government chief prosecutor and Supreme Court to investigate.

Venezuela sits atop the world's largest oil reserves but is enduring an economic after nearly two decades of socialist rule.

Maduro didn't directly name any priests.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: No mercy for this opponent of the government .... ‘The order is to kill you,’ Venezuelan soldiers reportedly told rebel cop before firing (Miami Herald).

World News Briefs -- January 12, 2018 (Evening Edition)

Reuters: Trump issues ultimatum to 'fix' Iran nuclear deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday gave the Iran nuclear deal a final reprieve but warned European allies and Congress they had to work with him to “fix the terrible flaws” of the pact or face U.S. withdrawal.

Trump said he would waive sanctions against Iran lifted as part of the deal but only as a “last chance” and would not do so again. The ultimatum puts pressure on Europeans - key backers and parties to the 2015 international agreement – to satisfy Trump, who has called the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program “the worst ever.”

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

UN report finds Iran in violation of Yemen arms embargo.

Trump hands nuke deal ‘last chance,’ waives Iran sanctions.

Trump 'desperate' to undermine nuclear deal: Iran's Zarif. Iran says nuclear deal with major powers not renegotiable.

Russia says it eliminated Syria rebels who attacked its base.

Syrian war will drag into next decade: senior Kurdish leader.

Qatar, UAE clash over alleged airspace violation.

Turkey warns citizens against US travel over security.

Israel's Netanyahu suggests law against leaked recordings.

Flare-up with Israel tests Hamas effort to keep Gaza on low boil.

Palestinians to meet to discuss Trump Jerusalem response.

Saudi women to enter stadiums for first time to watch soccer.

ASIA

Insurgents lure US, Afghan team to meeting, then open fire.

Kim Jong-un boasts N. Korea can withstand a century of sanctions.

Tunneling continues at N. Korean site, hints future nuke test.

Afghanistan: US 'launches airstrike' after apparent insider attack.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi says army admission on killings a positive step.

China's US surplus jumps as trade with world picks up.

India vows to handle China's 'assertiveness'.

'Comfort women' dispute: Japan's Abe to snub South Korea's Olympics invite?

AFRICA

Zimbabwe faces bloodshed if 'illegal regime' stays, Mugabe ally says.

Gambia 'suspends political events' over clashes.

More protests expected in Tunisia after mass arrests. Fresh Tunisia arrests over wave of unrest.

Nigeria's Benue clashes: Mass burial after farmer-Fulani clashes. Nigeria's mass burial: Violence over farmland worsens.

Boko Haram kills 20 loggers in NE Nigeria: militia, residents.

Sudan protests: Three dead in 'bread protests'.

Togo's opposition takes anti-government protests into new year.

Warning shots in Kinshasa after mass by anti-govt cardinal.

Africa startled by Trump’s sudden and vulgar attention.

EUROPE

Spain, UK hold first talks on Brexit’s fallout in Gibraltar.

European Parliament report urges 2 Malta officials removed.

Poll: Putin outranks Trump in worldwide favorability.

Russia’s break from a recession was fleeting.

Czech Republic starts voting for president.

German coalition talks reach breakthrough: A look at what comes next. German coalition talks to move to next stage after marathon session.

Thousands of Greeks protest over right to strike, hitting hospitals, transport and shipping.

Donald Trump cancels visit to London over 'bad' embassy deal.

French authorities recover jewels stolen from Ritz hotel.

AMERICAS

Venezuela government, opposition resume talks in Dominican Republic.

Pope Francis to visit Peru as Fujimori pardon roils country.

Most Americans 'don't want' Oprah to run for president.

Donald Trump denies using the phrase 'shithole countries' in immigration talks.

The Latest: Haiti ‘shocked’ by Trump’s immigration comment.

Top Dem: No agreement on Iran bill as nuclear deal deadline approaches.

Canada welcomes Trump suggestion of NAFTA deadline extension.

Curacao search for shipwrecked Venezuelan migrants.

Mexicans aghast as man notorious for leading bungled case named as spy chief.

Julian Assange granted Ecuadorian citizenship to provide 'another layer of protection'.

Trump’s first medical check-up as president set for Friday.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Pentagon officials say coalition aims to defeat ISIS’ brand.

US to reopen probe into Hezbollah 'narcoterrorism'.

Hardline Islamists rally in Jakarta after Facebook blocks 70 online groups.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Wall St. hits new highs on earnings optimism, data. Stocks keep pushing higher in 2018, led by retailers.

U.S. will renegotiate NAFTA or pull out: Mnuchin.

New security flaw detected in Intel hardware.

Mark Zuckerberg announces overhaul of Facebook news feed.

Food Riots Grip Western Venezuela

Last week, authorities forced some 200 supermarkets to slash food prices. (Reuters)

Reuters: Food riots grip western Venezuela, mob reportedly slaughters cattle in field

Unrest over food shortages spreads through the country

Hungry mobs ransacked a food collection center, and a supermarket in Venezuela's western Andean state of Merida on Thursday and reportedly even slaughtered cattle grazing in a field as unrest over food shortages spread through the country.

An opposition lawmaker from Merida, Carlos Paparoni, said four people had died and 10 were injured in the chaos over the last two days, but he did not specify the circumstances.

Four years of recession and the world's highest inflation have plunged millions of Venezuelans into poverty, and President Nicolas Maduro's authoritarian socialist regime faces mounting unrest.

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond to a request for information about the latest disturbances to rock the nation of 30 million people.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: There are some reports of mobs swarming ranches to attack cattle for food. I do now know if this video is authenticate, but if it is true .it is another sign on how desperate the country is becoming.

More News On The Chaos In Venezuela

Starving mob beat cattle to death with rocks in desperate search for food and four people are killed during looting in Venezuela as country's economic collapse continues -- Daily Mail
Starving Venezuelans mob field and slaughter cattle, report says -- FOX News
Four killed in Venezuela food looting violence: opposition -- AFP
Photos of empty grocery shelves show dire situation in Venezuela -- AOl
Motorcycle Gunmen Kill Pro-Government Legislator in Venezuela -- US News and World Report/Reuters
Curacao search for shipwrecked Venezuelan migrants -- BBC
Venezuelan immigrants found dead after boat sinks in Caribbean -- UPI
Venezuela's economy is collapsing and violence is rampant. Its solution: woo tourists. -- Washington Post
Venezuela Is In A 'Limbo Default' -- Forbes

Venezuela's Annual Inflation Rate Is Now 2,600 Percent

People wait in a queue to buy food, on a sidewalk outside a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela January 6, 2018. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Reuters: Venezuela 2017 annual inflation at 2,616 percent: opposition lawmakers

CARACAS (Reuters) - Prices in Venezuela, which is believed to have the world’s highest inflation, jumped 2,616 percent last year, the country’s opposition-led National Assembly said, as millions suffer from food and medicine shortages during a severe economic crisis.

Opposition politicians, whose numbers are broadly in line with analysts’ estimates, on Monday put December’s inflation figure alone at 85 percent, well into hyperinflation territory for which the benchmark is usually 50 percent.

“Inflation in December alone is greater than accumulated inflation (over the whole year) for all of Latin America,” said lawmaker José Guerra.

Venezuelan authorities did not respond to a request for comment.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Hyper inflation is when the inflation rate for a month is over 50%. Venezuela's inflation rate in December was 85%. People are hurting in Venezuela.

The Chaos In Venezuela Continues

A woman walks past empty shelves at a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela January 6, 2018. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Reuters: Venezuela supermarkets besieged after government forces price cuts

CARACAS (Reuters) - Mobs of Venezuelans gathered outside some Caracas supermarkets on Saturday after President Nicolas Maduro’s government forced shops to slash prices, the latest unrest in the country’s food shortage crisis.

Authorities on Friday ordered supermarkets to cut prices to levels they were a month ago, a drastic reduction given Venezuela’s hyperinflation.

At one supermarket in a high-end district of Caracas, hundreds of people including babies, pensioners and children with disabilities gathered in chaotic scenes.

“We’re hungry! We want food!” they screamed.

“In my house, we don’t eat three times a day,” said MileidyAcosta, a 28-year-old with three children. “People are fed up. A person earning the minimum wage couldn’t buy even tomato sauce.”

Read more ....

Update: Venezuela orders shutdown of maritime border with 3 islands (FOX News/AP)

WNU Editor: The Venezuelan government is looking for scapegoats on why there are shortages. Supermarkets for the unavailability of food, smugglers for pharmaceutical drugs and other goods.

Venezuela Has Run Out Of Gasoline

Widespread gas shortages have brought Venezuela to a standstill (Radio Fe y Alegria).

OilPrice.com/Mining.com: Oil-Rich Venezuela Is Out Of Gasoline

After lining up for an entire day to get a plane ticket to visit her relatives in the western city of Mérida, Josefina García did not know if she and her octogenarian mother were going to reach their final destination on time for Christmas.

The airport is located 76 kilometers away from the city and when they tried to book a cab in advance to take them to the place where they were going to stay, the taxi company said they could not make bookings because there is a shortage of gas and management did not know if they were going to have enough fuel on the day of Josefina’s arrival.

Once they landed, the 61-year-old and her mother found a cab that had enough gas to take them to a certain part of the city where a cousin would pick them up. In the meantime, another cousin was lining up for gas. He was able to fill his sedan’s tank after waiting for more than six hours.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is so typical of a socialist state-run society. The product (in this case gas) is super cheap .... the problem is that it is next to impossible to buy it. I experienced the same thing growing up in the former Soviet Union .... bought the T-shirt and wore it .... and I (and so many others who lived in that type of hell-hole) .... are grateful that we live in a market-dominate economy, and not a state-planned one. As for those who live in Venezuela .... I know exactly what you guys are going through.

Venezuela’s Oil Company Now Verges on Collapse

Hundreds of current and former Pdvsa employees attended an event to recruit workers to work for $10 an hour in construction helping the Caribbean island of St. Martin rebuild. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

New York Times: Once a Cash Cow, Venezuela’s Oil Company Now Verges on Collapse

PUNTO FIJO, Venezuela — A general with no energy experience has been installed as the head of the state oil company. Arrests, firings and desperate emigration have gutted top talent. Oil facilities are crumbling, while production is plummeting.

As the rest of the oil-producing world recovers on the back of stronger energy prices, Venezuela is getting worse, the result of dysfunctional management, rampant corruption and the country’s crippling economic crisis. The deepening troubles at the state oil company, the country’s economic mainstay, threaten to further destabilize a nation and government facing a dire recession, soaring inflation and unbridled crime, as well as food and medicine shortages.

When energy prices started to crater several years ago, Venezuela and other oil-dependent nations suffered in tandem. Now, prices are rising and others in the oil patch are on the mend.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I mentioned earlier this year that Venezuela is my poster-child on how not to run a country, and why a command economy cannot work efficiently or fairly as a market economy. The above New York Times article just makes this point even more clearer.

No Pork This Christmas In Venezuela

BBC: Venezuelans protest over pork shortages during Christmas

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has accused Portugal of sabotaging pork deliveries in time for Christmas.

Mr Maduro said his government had paid for the contracts, but that Portugal failed to deliver.

Lisbon has dismissed the claim, saying the government has no power to sabotage deliveries.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in poor parts of Caracas on Wednesday night to protest at the shortage.

President Maduro's government had promised to provide the subsidised pork, a traditional dish during the Christmas festivities, but many people did not receive it and took to the streets to protest.

Read more ....

Update #1: Venezuelans protest over pork shortage, Maduro blames Portugal (Reuters)
Update #2: Angry Venezuelans take to streets for 'pork revolution' protests (CNN)

WNU Editor: The Venezuelan government's solution to all of these shortages is to introduce its own cryptocurrency .... Get Set for Petro, Venezuela's Cryptocurrency Answer to Bitcoin (Bloomberg). Here is an easy prediction .... no one is going to buy into this scam.

Venezuela Expels Diplomats From Brazil And Canada

Delcy Rodriguez, president of the National Constituent Assembly, talks to the media during a news conference in Caracas in August. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

BBC: Venezuela expels top Brazil and Canada diplomats

Venezuela has expelled the Brazilian ambassador to Caracas, Ruy Pereira, and Canadian charge d'affaires Craib Kowalik.

The move was announced by the head of Venezuela's powerful Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez.

Ms Rodriguez accused Canada of interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs and Brazil of violating the rule of law.

Canada imposed sanctions on senior Venezuelan officials a few months ago.

The decision to expel Ambassador Pereira may have been triggered by Brazil's recent complaint that President Nicolás Maduro was "constantly harassing the opposition".

Read more ....

More News On Venezuela Expelling Diplomats From Brazil And Canada

Venezuelan leader wants Brazilian, Canadian diplomats out -- FOX News/AP
Venezuela starts expelling envoys from Canada and Brazil -- DW
Venezuela moves to revoke Canadian diplomat's status, accuses him of meddling -- CBC
Venezuela declares Brazilian, Canadian diplomats "persona non grata" -- Xinhuanet