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Jun
21
2013
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 6/21/13

UNI VenezuelaHunger wg e1371848667693 In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 6/21/13

Courtesy of: La Prensa

This Week: The Venezuelan constitutional court is expected to rule on Henrique Capriles’ lawsuits challenging the April 14 elections; in an attempt to improve his international image, President Maduro tours Europe, meeting with Pope Francis to discuss poverty, the fight against organized crime and regional disputes; ahead of his meeting with the Maduro, Capriles warns the Pope of basic democratic and human rights violations in Venezuela; in a survey of presidents, Venezuela’s Maduro receives worst ratings of all national leaders; and attackers torch buses and damage the rectory building at a leading Venezuelan university. Venezuela experiences soaring inflation, reporting a 6.1 percent spike last month alone; S&P expects “next to no growth” in the Venezuelan economy this year and downgrades its sovereign debt rating from “B+” to “B”; amid severe food shortages, the United Nations ironically congratulates Venezuela for reducing hunger; and Capriles maintains that Venezuela has not beaten hunger or poverty, questioning the FAO award.  In an attempt to alleviate goods shortages, Venezuela will supply more U.S. dollars to importers; in response to rationing rumors, Venezuela will allegedly import 760.000 tons of food; Venezuela’s non-oil exports hit the lowest level since 2009; and Venezuela’s Congress will discuss legislation that would prohibit baby bottles.

Top Constitutional Court to take up actions contesting April 14 election, El Universal

The Constitutional Court of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) is to hear and rule on all the seven laswsuits filed by former opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and the opposition alliance Unified Democratic Panel (MUD) challenging the April 14 presidential vote.

Pope Francis meets Venezuelan President Maduro, Reuters

Maduro meets Pope Francis in the Vatican City and discussed poverty, the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, and regional issues including a dispute between Venezuela and Colombia.

Capriles warns pope of rights violations in Venezuela, Global Post

Venezuela’s opposition leader told Pope Francis on Saturday that the government was violating basic democratic and human rights, just two days before President Nicolas Maduro visits the Vatican.

Venezuelan president pulls off the lowest score in Spanish survey, El Universal

Polls conducted by Spanish firm Real Instituto Elcano, after the controversial results of the presidential election held on April 14 in Venezuela, show Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s ratings are the lowest, scoring 2.5 out of 10 points, behind his Argentinean counterpart rated with 2.7 points.

Attackers torch buses at Venezuela university, Miami Herald

A group of masked assailants has attacked a leading university in the Venezuelan capital, torching two buses and seriously damaging its rectory building.

Soaring inflation adds even more stress to the Venezuelan economic model, El Universal

Venezuelan economy reported a 6.1% spike in May which led to an accumulated inflation of 19.4%, thus crushing any possibility of meeting the 14% to 16% target set by the government for 2012.

Citing Governability, S&P Cuts Venezuela’s Debt. Bondholders, Look Out Below, Wall Street Journal

Standard & Poor’s cut its sovereign rating on Venezuela from “B+” to “B” another step deeper into junk territory, reflecting the government’s diminishing ability to implement measures to reverse declining GDP growth, rising inflation, and weakening external liquidity in the context of growing political disagreements within the administration.

UN Congratulates Venezuela for Reducing Hunger, ABC News

The FAO, the UN organization that specializes in nutrition, included Venezuela in a group of 18 nations that that have cut their number of hungry people by half over the past 20 years.

Capriles: hunger is addressed with investment and production, El Universal

Following the recent award given to the Venezuelan Government by the FAO, Capriles claimed on Tuesday that the country has not overcome hunger and poverty and stressed that the award was not in line with both the true food shortage Venezuela was going through and the more than 3,000 households living under severe poverty.

Venezuela Plans Expanded Dollar Auctions to Fight Shortages, Bloomberg Businessweek

Venezuela will boost supplies of dollars, through auctions that will begin early in the second half of the year,  to importers as it seeks to alleviate a shortage of goods that is fueling the fastest inflation in the region.

To silence rationing rumours, Venezuela announces 760.000 tons of imported food is on the way, MercoPress

A 760.000 tons of different food items were imported into several cities in Venezuela that were suffering serious shortages, including  staples and other items such as coffee, sugar, cooking oil, butter, milk, flour and most recently toilet paper, but the situation instead of improving has worsened.

Venezuela’s non-oil exports hit lowest level since 2009, Reuters
Venezuela’s non-oil exports fell in March to their lowest level since early 2009 in another sign of the economic problems accruing for President Nicolas Maduro’s fledgling government.

Venezuela considers taking bottles from babies’ mouths, Reuters

Venezuela’s Congress will discuss legislation next week that would prohibit bottle feeding of infants to try to encourage breast feeding and reduce the use of baby formula, said a lawmaker of the ruling Socialist Party.

 
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.