Tag Archives: Los Roques

Nov
18
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 11/18/11

In this week’s roundup…Hugo Chávez’s own crime legacy forces him to deploy thousands of troops into the streets of Caracas; MLB player rescued after being kidnapped from his mother’s house in Venezuela; Opposition candidates hold their first TV debate; Gunmen attack opposition candidate’s campaign bus; Los Roques is no longer a tourist attraction after Chávez takeover; One may own property in Venezuela, but it is Chávez who calls the shots.

 

Hugo Chavez deploys thousands to troops to help police curb widespread crime in Venezuela, The Associated Press via the Washington Post

President Hugo Chavez ordered thousands of National Guard soldiers into the streets of Venezuela’s capital and surrounding states Thursday, urging them to help outgunned police curb widespread violent crime.

Not-so-sweet home, The Economist

On November 9th a small group of armed men drove up to Mr Ramos’s modest family home in Valencia, arguably Venezuela’s baseball capital, which sits 150km west of Caracas.

Time for Washington to take the Venezuelan opposition seriously, Foreign Policy

Monday night in Caracas, opposition candidates to President Hugo Chávez held their first debate to decide who will challenge him in the scheduled October 2012 Venezuelan presidential election. In a sign of their continuing political maturation, the candidates rightly addressed bread-and-butter issues that matter to the vast majority of Venezuelans, such as the country’s skyrocketing crime rate and Chávez’s poor management of the Venezuelan economy.

Shots fired at Venezuelan candidate’s bus, CNN International

A couple on a motorcycle fired shots into a bus carrying Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado and her supporters Saturday, a campaign spokesman told CNN en Español.

Lights Out in Los Roques: Venezuela Beach Paradise Now Under Military Control Faces Hardships, Latin American Herald Tribune

Los Roques, a series of Caribbean island beach paradises recently put by Venezuela President Hugo Chavez under military control, is facing a series of new hardships, including a blackout that has lasted since Sunday, local press reported.

Venezuela Forces Sale of Rental Properties, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez signed a new rental law into effect over the weekend that obliges landlords to sell their property to tenants of more than 20 years at state-mandated discounts based on how long the space has been rented. Mr. Chávez hailed the law as a way of opening housing to the country’s poor and extending tenants’ rights, but critics see the law as a political ploy to compensate for a struggling state home-building initiative.

 
Nov
4
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 11/04/11

In this week’s roundup…President Hugo Chávez’s expropriation binge continues with the takeover of more than 700,000 acres of land belonging to a British firm and the impending expropriation of private estates in Los Roques islands; In full campaign mode, Chávez promises to build two million housing units over the next several years; inmates kill eight people and take four policemen hostage in prison riot; In the latest crackdown on the free press, Venezuelan National Guard soldiers seize equipment from yet another radio station; and Venezuela’s inflation rockets to 26.9 percent, the fastest pace in seven months and the highest rate among all 78 countries tracked by Bloomberg.

Chavez orders more land taken from British firm disputing compensation for earlier seizure, The Associated Press via the Washington Post

Venezuela’s president on Sunday ordered the expropriation of 716,590 acres belonging to a British-owned company amid a disagreement over compensation for earlier takeovers of ranchland from the firm. President Hugo Chavez announced the latest seizure after saying that Venezuela refuses to pay compensation in foreign currency to Agropecuaria Flora, a local subsidiary of the British company Vestey Group.

Chávez Goes After the Islands of Venezuela’s Rich — and Their Yachts, Times

Near a sand bank tailing from the whites beaches of Francisqui Island, just off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, Caracas factory owner Javier Alvarez dives into the warm, azure water. Close by is his 74-foot Hatteras yacht, one of the many luxury vessels moored in and around the resort archipelago of Los Roques, where much of the country’s elite own houses. But this personal paradise may soon be ending. President Hugo Chávez announced earlier this month he’d like to expropriate much of Los Roques’ private property for state tourism — including yachts like Alvarez’s, which el presidente says would be better used for ferrying visitors. “Expropriating a boat is completely absurd,” says Alvarez, 39. “I don’t see how they can take away something you’ve worked hard for and bought.”

Venezuela Minister: Nearly 11 Million Seeking Housing Aid, The Wall Street Journal

More than a third of Venezuelans have registered for housing aid as part of an initiative by leftist President Hugo Chavez, according to a government minister. Chavez has made housing a key theme ahead of his campaign for reelection next year and has pledged to build two million housing units for the country’s poor over the next several years under his latest Grand Housing Mission Venezuela project. Nearly 3.7 million people applied to the program in the latest registration phase ending Sunday, Ricardo Menendez, minister of science, technology and industry, told state television station VTV. That brings the total number of applicants to 10.9 million, out of Venezuela’s estimated 29 million people. Under the initiative, Venezuelans are able to apply for new housing units or state aid for remodeling or extensions on existing homes.

Venezuela: Prisoners take 4 police officers as hostages amid rioting that kills 8 inmates, The Associated Press via the Washington Post

Inmates rioting at a jail attacked other prisoners, killing eight, and took four police officers hostage Wednesday, authorities said. State Police Chief Jesus Berro said a group of inmates obtained keys to several cell blocks and fatally shot eight fellow prisoners inside the jail in the city of San Cristobal, capital of Tachira state.

Venezuelan troops seize radio station equipment, Bloomberg Businessweek via The Associated Press

Dozens of National Guard soldiers seized broadcasting equipment from a radio station in western Venezuela on Thursday as part of an investigation by the broadcast regulatory agency, the station’s owner said. Jose Ramon Socorro, owner of Kalor 92.1 FM, said about 50 armed soldiers entered the station and confiscated its equipment. The National Telecommunications Commission said Socorro’s station and two others have been operating without government authorization, which allow officials to seize their broadcasting equipment. Enrique Quintana, an operations manager for the regulatory agency, said in a statement that the three radio stations have 15 days to appeal the decision.

Venezuela’s Inflation Rate Rises at Fastest Pace in 7 Months, Bloomberg Businessweek

Venezuela’s inflation rate, the highest of 78 economies tracked by Bloomberg, rose to a seven- month high in October on food and education costs. Inflation, as measured by the national price index, accelerated to 26.9 percent, according to the central bank’s national price index, matching the median forecast of four analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Consumer prices rose 1.8 percent in October, the bank said today in an e-mailed report. Venezuelan inflation is quickening as the government adjusts price caps on basic goods to avoid shortages ahead of next year’s presidential election, where President Hugo Chavez hopes to win a third six-year term. The government raised prices on milk and vegetable oil twice this year following a devaluation of the bolivar in January.

 
Oct
14
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 10/14/11

In this week’s roundup…As Venezuela wonders about its President’s questionable health, Chávez continues his expropriation spree by declaring his intention to seize private properties on the resort islands of Los Roques; after spending $1.5 billion to support Cuba and other allies, Venezuela announces plans to offer $3 billion in bonds in the local market to relieve the country’s growing debt load. Meanwhile, the political landscape for the 2012 election begins to take shape: Henrique Capriles Radonski, the popular Governor of Miranda, announces his candidacy as Chávez circles the wagons, attempting to shore up support among his core political coalition in a boisterous ceremony in Caracas.

Analysis: Chavez cancer saga keeps Venezuela guessing, Reuters

An unexpected phone call interrupts a Venezuelan government ceremony for local athletes broadcast live on state TV. The crowd murmurs in excitement, and ministers smile.

Venezuela’s Caribbean paradise: “expropriate it” says Chávez, Financial Times Blog

In his latest bullish expropriation, Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, has announced his intention to seize properties on the white, unspoiled beaches of Los Roques, a Venezuelan archipelago in the Caribbean popular with high-end tourists from Latin America and the world – who often bring their own yachts.

Chavez opponent launches presidential campaign, The Associated Press

Addressing thousands of supporters in a Caracas stadium, Miranda state Gov. Henrique Capriles vowed to usher in an era of prosperity for Venezuela under the slogan: “There’s a road to the future.”

Silent Treatment: Mimes Enforce Traffic Laws in Venezuela, TIME

A sort of silent shame has cropped up in South American cities, as officials plead with both drivers and pedestrians to obey traffic laws by using the antics of hired mimes. And why not? Nearly everyone looks at a mime, especially when dressed in a brightly colored getup while eagerly making fun of people on the side of a busy street. The latest effort has about 120 mimes on the downtown streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, making a (silent) scene any time a driver or pedestrian disobeys a traffic rule.

Venezuela to Sell $3 Billion of Bonds to Meet Demand for Foreign Currency, Bloomberg

Venezuela will offer $3 billion of bonds in the local market, swelling dollar debt sales this year to $7.2 billion, as the country seeks to finance spending and meet investor demand for foreign currency. The government will sell the 11.75 percent bonds due in 2026 to local investors, who will pay with bolivars at the official foreign-exchange rate of 4.3 bolivars per dollar, according to a statement posted on the Public Credit Office’s website. Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) and Evrofinance Mosnarbank SA will manage the sale, the statement said.

Venezuela rejects certain human rights recommendations, CNN International

Venezuela on Tuesday rejected a number of recommendations made by U.N. member countries as part of a human rights evaluation by the world body. Of 148 recommendations made in the Universal Periodic Review by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Venezuela accepted 95 of them, and is considering 15 more. But it rejected 38 recommendations that touched on judicial independence, freedom of the press and protection of nongovernmental organizations.

Rapping Chavez Launches Coalition Year Before Vote, Reuters

The 57-year-old socialist leader is convalescing after four rounds of chemotherapy following cancer surgery in June. Yet he managed to dance beside young Venezuelan rappers at the start of a ceremony to launch the “Great Patriotic Pole.”

Venezuela’s Chávez gives $1.5 billion to Cuba and ALBA, Miami Herald

Venezuela spent more than $1.5 billion in three years to finance dozens of projects in Cuba and other allied countries, including airport expansions in Cuba and replacing light bulbs in Bolivia, although the oil producer has amassed massive debt in the last few years to cover its own commitments, according to a Venezuelan government document. Eighty-eight percent of disbursements from January 2007 to May 2010 covered Cuban financial projects, said the document from the Economic Social Development Bank of Venezuela (BANDES), which was obtained by El Nuevo Herald.