XML FeedsCategory: Economics
Guri Dam Drops to Lower Levels: Strafor Global Intelligence
By Other Sources on 8 May, 2010
May 7, 2010 | 1817 GMTVenezuela: Guri Dam Drops to Lowest LevelJUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty ImagesSummaryThe water level of Venezuela’s Guri dam is at the lowest since the electricity crisis began, and the country’s thermoelectric sector is in no… more »
Chávez Decaffeinates Venezuela
By Other Sources on 4 May, 2010
By MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADY The late Milton Friedman once quipped that "if you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand." Friedman was using hyperbole to make a point about central plannin… more »
Chávez Plays Damage Control as Scandal Widens
By Other Sources on 8 Dec, 2009
CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chávez scrambled to distance his government from a brewing banking and corruption scandal that claimed one of his closest collaborators on Sunday and could claim other top officials.Speaking on his weekly television show, Mr. Chávez announced the resignation of Jesse Chacón, one of the government's most powerful officials, who was serving as science and technology minister. The announcement came a day after the arrest of Mr. Chacón's brother, Arné Chacón, president of Banco Real and Baninvest, two of seven small banks taken over by the Venezuelan government last week."I respect and love Jesse very much, and I know he understands," said Mr. Chávez. He said Mr. Chacón's resignation freed the official from suspicion in the banking scandal... more »
Chavez urges 3-minute showers to conserve water
By Other Sources on 22 Oct, 2009
Reuters CARACAS (Reuters) - Leftist President Hugo Chavez called on Venezuelans on Wednesday to stop singing in the shower and to wash in three minutes because the oil-exporting nation is having problems supplying water and electricity. Venezuela has suffered several serious blackouts in the past year because of rapidly growing demand and under-investment, which has been aggravated by a drop in water levels in hydroelectric dams that provide most of its energy. Chavez announced energy-saving measures and said he would create a ministry to deal with the electricity shortages, which have affected the image of his socialist revolution before legislative elections due in 2010... more »
Doubt over Chávez's cure for ailing health system
By Other Sources on 18 Oct, 2009
By Benedict Mander in Caracas Financial Times UKPublished: October 16 2009 03:00 | Last updated: October 16 2009 03:00Hugo Chávez looked puzzled when, on one of his recent Sunday television shows, he listened to a guest's account of her sister's nightmarish experience trying to find somewhere to give birth in Caracas.While in labour, she was bandied about from hospital to hospital, repeatedly rejected because of a lack of beds and doctors. Incredulous, the Venezuelan president asked: "Who is responsible for this?"Many Venezuelans place the blame squarely on Mr Chávez's shoulders. They see this increasingly common phenomenon - known as "the runaround" - as symptomatic of the crumbling decay of the oil-rich country's public hospitals after years of neglect... more »
Hugo Chavez Is Helping Iran’s Weapons’ Program
By Other Sources on 23 Sep, 2009
CNSNews.comBy Alvaro Vargas Llosa http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/54385 Being a buffoon can buy a lot of time in international politics—you can do naughty things for a long while before people begin to take them seriously. This is the case of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, whose relationship with Iran was the subject of a recent presentation by Robert Morgenthau, the legendary Manhattan district attorney. Based on his office’s investigations, third-party collaboration and snippets of public information, Morgenthau concludes that Venezuela and Iran are “acting together in our backyard on the development of nuclear and missile technology.” The news is not really new. For instance, a small group of private investigators came to my office a few months ago and showed me numerous documents and photographs that pointed to many of the things the Manhattan DA now confirms. They complained that they had visited authorities in the U.S. and other countries but had received very little support in their effort to put the spotlight on what Chavez is up to... more »
“Venezuela Russophiles”
By Ana Julia Jatar on 22 Sep, 2009
Venezuela and Russia have mutual interests in the former's arms build-up and in energy dealsVenezuela continues to deepen its diplomatic and economic relations with Russia, as evidenced by President Hugo Chávez's recent visit--his eighth--to Moscow. Agreements were signed in the areas of trade and energy, with an arms deal getting the most attention. The motives behind the relationship are in part political, with Venezuela seeking to strengthen its hand against the US and offset its influence in Latin America, and Russia interested in expanding its presence in the region. But the two countries are also linked as major global energy producers with mutual interests in expanding co-operation in this area.The latest arms deal involves the purchase of 92 T-72S tanks, Smerch missiles with a range of 90 km and an advanced anti-aircraft defence system including radar and missiles with a range of 400 km, according to announcements by Mr Chávez made on September 13th. The Russian government will provide a credit line of US $2.2bn to finance the acquisition... more »
Oil policy puts PDVSA under pressure
By Ana Julia Jatar on 14 Feb, 2008
THINK TANKEVENT: A US federal court yesterday confirmed an order freezing 315 million dollars in a bank account held by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, in the context of its contractual dispute with ExxonMobil.SIGNIFICANCE: With global demand supporting oil prices close to 100 dollars per barrel, developments in Venezuela (claiming the world's largest oil reserves with its heavy oil) can exert an impact on the global picture and will be closely watched... more »
Deciphering Venezuela a Historical and Contemporary Perspective
By Ana Julia Jatar on 1 Oct, 2002
Venezuela, often described as the region's most stable and successful democracy, is now in a political quagmire testing the endurance and stability of its system. What have been the forces pushing the country into crisis? How democratic is Venezuela today?Venezuela’s elected president, Hugo Chávez, won free democratic elections with 56 percent of the votes in December 1998 and was reelected with 60 percent of the votes in December 2000. In spite of these unquestionable electoral results, his popularity has been collapsing since July 2001... more »
Las elecciones primarias fueron sin duda un gran éxito para la oposición. Felicitaciones a todos los candidatos y a todos los votantes que expresaron su opinión con su voto en las urnas. A través de un complejo proceso de negociación política estamos en capacidad de presentar una lista única de
Luego de haber escuchado las declaraciones por las cuales fueron arrestados Oswaldo Alvarez Paz, ex gobernador del Zulia y Guillermo Zuloaga, Presidente de Globovisión, esta clarísimo que bien podríamos ser usted o yo los próximos tras las rejas. En sus declaraciones en la SIP, Zuloaga criticó el ventajismo estatal y
