Venezuela >>

In a public forum on Thursday organized by Caracas newspaper Últimas Noticias, experts and union leaders expressed tentative approval for an increase in Venezuela’s gasoline prices. read more ...

Since the decision to close the 2,200 km border between Venezuela and Colombia at night went into effect on August 12, Zulia state has seen a 40 percent decrease in contraband, General Major Vladimir Padrino López reported earlier today. read more ...

The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) late on Friday rejected a legislative initiative which is being processed in the United States in order to impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials in connection with the protests facing the South American country in the last three months. read more ...

Arlene Eisen – Venezuelanalysis.com Outsiders rarely visit Quebrada Fo Fa, an Afrodescendant community some 30 kilometers of unpaved road away from the main highway between Caracas and the better known coastal towns of Barlovento. On May 22, staff from the Afrodescendant Group of the National Institute of Women (INAMUJER), based in Caracas,  travelled to Quebrada Fo Fa  to establish ties...

The wives of two opposition mayors jailed for refusing to act against militant opposition street barricades have won the municipal by-elections to replace their husbands in two western Venezuelan cities. read more ...

Today we had dramatic elections in three areas of the world and curiously, I can put them together in a way that they relate to Venezuela! Not necessarily directly but bear with me. Since this blog is about Venezuela we will start with the two partial elections held today which have been a major set back for the regime, even though the results were predicted pro opposition. But not that much pro opposition......

Pro-opposition university authorities and lecturers largely closed 18 of the country’s 61 universities on Thursday. The strike was part of a protest action that coincided with fresh incidents of street violence, including an attack on the youth wing of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (JPSUV). read more ...

Luigino Bracci Roa Venezuelan open software activist Luigino Bracci Roa addresses John Kerry's recent accusations about internet freedom in Venezuela, explaining that far from being limited, social networks "have played the exact opposite role: as a propaganda tool to galvanize opposition mobilization, and a tool to intimidate Chavismo". The article also details how high profile pro-opposition figures...

The people of Venezuela enjoy health care as a constitutional right. Yet given the political economy of the pharmaceutical industry, the distribution of medication necessary to secure that right has been inconsistent. read more ...

Earlier this afternoon in Washington, the Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Senate approved 13 to 2 the “Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act.” The bill includes sanctions on key individuals of the Venezuelan government and at least $15 million to “defend human rights… and strengthen the rule of law.” read more ...

Italian Airline Alitalia, whose services represent 22% of the routes between Europe and Venezuela, has announced the suspension of its operations in the South American nation, starting June 5th. read more ...

Employees of state-run postal service blame ongoing dispute with international airlines over currency controls Venezuela's postal service has indefinitely suspended international mail deliveries, citing a collapse in the distribution system due to "excessive demand". Employees at the state-run company Ipostel told local media that the service had fallen victim to an ongoing dispute with international...

Foreign diplomatic representatives in Venezuela responsible for assisting the dialogue process between the Venezuelan government and opposition have reported a “re-opening” of communication between the two sides. read more ...

Venezuela and Palestine have signed fresh agreements on oil, taxation and diplomatic cooperation. read more ...

One should never forget that the crisis in Venezuela is also about Venezuela and its place in the world. All is not played at Caracas alone and the world is wondering what it will do with the ruins of Venezuela that will still be seating over quite a nice pile of oil, hydroelectric power and even some usable agriculture as the world will run out of arable land. As such, UNASUR, the faulty creation...

Just a short post to remind readers that the only political party that is truly creative these days in Venezuela is Voluntad Popular. Not that other politicians are not creative, such as Maria Corina Machado, but her failure at creating a solid party handicaps her a lot.  For example today Voluntad Popular promoted a march to defend gay rights in Venezuela , to demand the liberation of one of...

This was tweeted a few hours ago by yours truly. Modi is a conviction politician who can think out-of-the-box and challenge conventional wisdoms http://t.co/UwLNwHEfam — daniel duquenal (@danielduquenal) May 17, 2014 I thought maybe a little bit more thought from this Times of India quote could be interesting. Far from me to sponsor a guy that comes to power in part due to his proclivities...

Dada Maheshvarananda – Prout Institute On only 3.5 hectares (8 acres) of fertile land near San José de Barlovento in the state of Miranda, a two-hour drive from Caracas, this holistic farm integrates fruit trees, vegetables, medicinal plants, bee-keeping, fish ponds, egg-laying chickens, worm production and a commercial guava nursery. read more ...

Ewan Robertson / Venezuelanalysis.com / Various The 2014 South American Beach Games have begun in Vargas, Venezuela. read more ...

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro inaugurated a new children’s music centre in the headquarters of the electricity ministry on Thursday as part of plans to greatly increase the number of children receiving free classical music education in the country. read more ...