I’d heard that Britain’s Labour Party, in full-on PTSD mode after its unexpected electoral shillacking at the hand of Cameron’s conservatives, was flirting with electing an out-and-out leftie nutter as leader. But did you know that Jeremy Corbyn is also a fully paid up member of the Bolivarian Solidarity movement? I’m serious as a heart attack!…
After last week’s events in Brasilia, Guyanese President David Granger is now headed to the U.S. capital to participate in a regional security conference and to meet with State Department officials, in order to discuss the current Esequibo rift with Venezuela. Significantly, Granger is traveling along with the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense…
Little by little, Venezuela’s supposed “allies” are acting against her interests by reaching agreements with the “imperialist” powers of the West. On the heels of Cuba’s rapprochement with the US, today we learn that world powers have struck a deal with Iran that would lift sanctions on oil exports in exchange for limits on Iran’s…
After three postponements, Nicolas Maduro finally went to the National Assembly Monday night to deliver his long-awaited “Esequibo speech”. How was it? It was a three hour-long, rambling, contradictory mess. The speech showed not only the weak case Venezuela has but the way the government has mismanaged its claim in the last 15 years – and don’t forget, Maduro…
One week ago, Nicolas Maduro announced during his weekly TV show that he would address the National Assembly on June 25th, in order to present what he calls “…the official position in defense of the historic claim, the dispute over the Esequibo, and to ask for the national unity…”. Then the speech was postponed for…
The Venezuelan State is once again under review this week as the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee will monitor the country’s performance on civil and political rights, based on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The B.R. of V.’s delegation is lead by Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Diaz, who will be joined by…
Good news, everyone! With the blessing of the central government, North Korea will open its embassy in Caracas. More than a year has passed since the formal request, but in the end the self-described “dictatorship of people’s democracy” will finally have its own diplomatic post right inside the proletariat stronghold of… Las Mercedes. This should…
Back in April, Juan Cristobal wrote about a big corruption investigation in Brazil. Uncovered by the magazine Época, the story involved local conglomerate Odebrecht, state development bank BNDES, and a large loan promised in 2009 by then President Lula Da Silva to the comandante presidente for the construction of Metro Los Teques. Both Odebrecht and BNDES formally…
The long diplomatic conflict between Venezuela and Guyana regarding the territory known as the Esequibo has entered a brand new phase this year. In recent weeks, both nations have toughened up their words and actions, thanks to the discovery of oil under disputed waters by ExxonMobil, whose presence is rejected by our central government. Last month, ExxonMobil…
The core issue of human rights in Venezuela, specially economic, social and cultural ones, will be reviewed in Geneva in the next two days, as the B.R. of V. will present how it’s applying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. As expected, there are conflicting views on how Venezuela is doing on…
Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and Oil Minister Asdrubal Chavez are making a quick tour of the Middle East this week, with visits to Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. As they’re heading for Bahrein, looks like things are not going as planned. The main excuse for the trip is “…the preservation and stability of the oil market”,…
The 7th Summit of the Americas is just around the corner, and public attention will be focused on U.S. President Barack Obama, who will carry a huge diplomatic success under his arm: a tentative agreement (along with other world powers) with Iran regarding its nuclear program. Before heading to Panama City for the Summit, Obama is…
I have a pretty busy day today, but keep an eye out for what is happening in Lausanne in the negotiations between the world’s powers and Iran. Apparently, there are high probabilities that a deal may be reached. If an agreement is reached, even a faulty one, Iran may be allowed to increase its presence in…
The head of the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), well-known chavista hack Alicia Bárcena, was in Caracas yesterday. While she was there, she praised Venezuela for “poverty reduction” and for fighting inequality. It’s too bad that Bárcena doesn’t read her own reports. As we wrote about months ago, her very own organization…
Fresh from the delicious story of Karen Halnon, the Penn State Abington sociology prof who recently declared she was smoking on an international airline flight in solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution, I’m just going to leave this here for y’all to mull… Damascus, SANA – Hundreds of Syrians staged Thursday an event to show their support…
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