Venezuela

Venezuela's Raging Homicide Epidemic Is Going Unrecorded

... violent cities. The homicide rate supposedly topped 119 per 100,000 residents, the group said. But there are no official statistics to support the claim and, predictably, the Venezuelan government has denied it. Impunity is rife and the cost of murder low, with an estimated 92% of homicides not resulting in a conviction. One reason for the data discrepancies is that the Venezuelan government has excluded extrajudicial killings from its homicide count, while human rights groups such as violence observatory do not. Also, the government has traditionally relied on statistics gathered by the Ministry of Health, while the observatory combines this health data with unofficial information about so-called resistance deaths attributed to state security forces and other deaths being investigated by independent forensics agencies. In the absence of concrete and comprehensive statistics, some ...

Venezuela's Supreme Court Takes Over Opposition-controlled Congress

... accusations of voter fraud in the election of three opposition lawmakers. Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director for Human Rights Watch, says that's just an excuse for Maduro to seize even more power. JOSE MIGUEL VIVANCO: That's why we are facing a turning point, and Venezuela cannot be called any longer a democratic government. And it's a - in plain language, a dictatorship. OTIS: This political crisis, as well as the country's ongoing economic meltdown, prompted the Organization of American States, known as the OAS, to hold a special meeting Tuesday to discuss Venezuela. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said that elections are the democratic solution for Venezuela, but Diosdado Cabello, a top Venezuelan official, disagreed. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING). DIOSDADO CABELLO: (Speaking Spanish). OTIS: He accused the OAS of paving the way for a foreign invasion. For NPR News, I'm John ...

Venezuela’s Socialist Government Seals Its Fate And Makes Violent Revolution Inevitable

... the military to mount a coup : “We know that FAN officers are also going through drama caused by the high cost of life,” he said. “We want to make a call on them to be the first guardians of democracy and the Venezuelan Constitution and that they become part of the solution.”. RELATED:  By doing the exact opposite of Venezuela, this South American country is flourishing. Whether they’ll answer his call cannot be known, but what is beyond question is that right now Venezuela is a pressure cooker stocked with all the ingredients for violent revolution. People are hungry, desperate and suffering. The scant control they had over their government has been pinched away from them. The tyrant-in-waiting is widely detested. In better times, Venezuela’s ruling class bought itself favor with grand welfare programs funded by overflowing petro coffers, similar to how the ...

He Went From Being Kidnapped In Venezuela To Training A Kentucky Derby Contender

... the Kentucky Derby crown in May. Gunnevera , an orphaned colt that caught Sano’s eye, was worth only $16,000 when Sano persuaded the owners of Peacock Racing Stables to buy him. A longshot no more, Gunnevera, who is a Kentucky-bred son of Dialed In, progressed under Sano’s tutelage to a telling triumph at last month’s Fountain of Youth stakes, where he galloped to a six-length victory. He has got lots of fans in Venezuela and in Miami’s Venezuelan community, where horse racing is very popular. Canonero II, nicknamed the “Caracas Cannonball,” made his way to the 1971 Kentucky Derby via Miami aboard a cargo plane filled with farm animals. He won the Derby and the Preakness and remains a legend in Venezuela. Sano, jockey Javier Castellano and two of Gunnevera’s three owners are natives of Venezuela. They hope to deliver some good news to a country devastated by its crumbling economy, food shortages and high unemployment. “The second time I breezed him, I said, ‘He’s a champion’ because he went ...

Venezuela Leader Urges Court To Review Ruling On Congress

... Venezuela the only dialogue possible is the vote,” Borges said. On Friday, troops from the National Guard fired buckshot and swung batons at students protesting in front of the Supreme Court. A few people were arrested and some journalists covering the demonstration had their cameras taken. A few other, small protests popped up elsewhere in the capital. Larger demonstrations were expected Saturday in what opposition leaders hoped would be a big turnout to denounce Maduro and call for elections. “We all have to get out — for the dignity of our country, the dignity of our children and the dignity of Venezuela,” Borges said in urging Venezuelans to join in protests Saturday. The Supreme Court ruled late Wednesday that until lawmakers abided by previous rulings that nullified all legislation passed by congress, the high court could assume the constitutionally assigned powers of the National Assembly, which has been controlled by the opposition since it won a landslide victory in elections in late 2015. Friday brought a second ...

Are Gulf Oil Producers Falling Into The ‘venezuela Trap

... already claimed Venezuela. The South American country that is home to the largest oil reserves in the world owes China and Russia around $50 billion. The loans were provided in exchange for crude oil deliveries that Venezuela is now struggling to make. The problem with loan-for-oil schemes is that it can cost the supplier market share in other countries. For Venezuela, this was India. After years of consistently building its presence in the Indian market – one of the top three in terms of oil consumption – PDVSA was forced to start reducing shipments to Indian refineries in order to meet its oil obligations to China and Russia. Kazakhstan is another country that has turned to loan-for-oil schemes in difficult times. State-owned Kazmunaigaz closed a $3-billion deal with Vitol in 2015 to repay debts. In exchange for the advance payment, the company undertook to transfer to the trader supplies from its 20-percent stake in the Tengiz oil field. The field yields about a third of Kazakshtan’s oil output. Related: Russia Reaches 2/3 Of Oil Output Cut Target. Now Oman and Abu Dhabi are stripped of alternatives: it appears that they need cash and they need it fast, ...

Emerging Markets-venezuela Bonds Tank; Mexico Peso Takes A Breather

... Mar 31, 2017 | 6:21 pm EDT. EMERGING MARKETS-Venezuela bonds tank; Mexico peso takes a breather. (Recasts with Venezuela bonds, update prices) March 31 Venezuelan government bonds prices sank on Friday as tensions rose following the annulment of the country's legislature by the country's high court this week while the Mexican peso pulled back after a recent rally. The price on Venezuela's benchmark $4 billion bond maturing in September 2027 with a 9.25 percent coupon bid down $3.42, driving its yield up by 1.5 percentage points to its highest since last August, at nearly 23 percent. The move by the country's high court late Wednesday was met with international condemnation and street protests, and on Friday the fallout intensified when Venezuela's attorney general broke ranks with President Nicolas Maduro ...

Venezuela In Political Crisis After Supreme Court Takes Over Legislature

... Supreme Court Takes Over Legislature. Venezuela In Political Crisis After Supreme Court Takes Over Legislature. Heard on Morning Edition. Venezuela's Supreme Court has taken over the legislature in what opposition leaders say is President Maduro establishing a dictatorship. David Greene talks with Hannah Dreier of The Associated Press. DAVID GREENE, HOST. Let's turn to a country where the very survival of democracy is at stake, Venezuela. That country's supreme court, which is loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, issued a ruling that in effect seized power from the country's elected legislature. This comes as the economy of this oil-rich country is in near collapse and the regime is jailing political opponents. NPR and other news organizations have been denied entry to Venezuela for recent months. But we have Hannah Dreier of The Associated Press on the line from Caracas. ...