TheRepublic.com - Hugo Chavez News

Venezuela parliament resumes 3 weeks after brawl

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:26:16 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's parliament roared back to life Tuesday with fractious debates between government and opposition lawmakers after a three-week paralysis following a brawl on the assembly floor.

Dissident ex-general released in Venezuela

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:23:16 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities have released a dissident ex-general who was jailed on charges of inciting unrest after the country's disputed presidential election.

Venezuela's military enters high-crime slums

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:13:04 -0400

PETARE, Venezuela - Stern-looking soldiers clutching assault rifles wave down the beat-up Chevy Caprice entering this sprawling slum on the outskirts of Caracas.

Venezuelans scrambling to find scarce toilet paper

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:39:11 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelans scrambled to stock up on toilet paper Thursday as fears of a bathroom emergency spread despite the socialist government's promise to import 50 million rolls.

Venezuela food maker denies blame for shortages

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:59:20 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's biggest food company on Monday hit back at President Nicolas Maduro's claims that it's to blame for the country's persistent food shortages.

Carlos the Jackal: Ex-enigma now mired in court

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:28:23 -0400

PARIS - Carlos the Jackal, the flamboyant terrorist and self-proclaimed revolutionary who was once one of the Cold War's most wanted men, is appealing his life sentence for orchestrating bombings in France two decades ago. Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, is serving two life sentences in France for a triple murder in 1975 and for the bombings in 1982 and 1983 that killed 11 people and injured more than 140. He's been jailed since 1994 after French agents whisked him out of Sudan in a sack.

Venezuelan politics get personal, divide families

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:45:36 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - A portrait of Hugo Chavez stared down from a black metal frame as Jose Pastano sipped coffee after dinner with his sons in the slum house he shares with 17 relatives on the western edge of the capital.

Venezuela leader, rivals take battle on the road

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:23:19 -0400

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his Argentine counterpart and ally, Cristina Fernandez, announced new energy and food agreements Wednesday, then Maduro cheered supporters of Argentina's president with a rousing speech at a soccer-stadium rally.

Bolivia's challenge: Making coca palatable

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:13:25 -0400

VILLA TUNARI, Bolivia - Since taking office seven years ago, President Evo Morales has tried to persuade the world that he has no tolerance for cocaine and that Bolivia's thousands of acres of coca plants can be dedicated to such traditional uses as fighting fatigue as well as whipping up wholesome treats like sweet breads and coca puffed snacks.

Venezuela's government condemns Obama's comments

Sat, 04 May 2013 21:34:16 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's government on Saturday angrily rejected comments made by U.S. President Barack Obama about the South American country's political crisis and accused Washington of being behind violence that has followed its recent presidential election.

Obama: US not interfering in Venezuelan election

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:41:16 -0400

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - President Barack Obama says the idea that an American filmmaker detained by Venezuela's government is a spy is, in his words, "ridiculous."

Outlook grim in Venezuela's essential oil industry

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:41:04 -0400

MORON, Venezuela - Only the filthy water from broken sewer pipes keeps the dust down in front of Ramon Boet's shop, which sells statues of saints and other religious objects.

Obama won't say whether US recognizes Maduro

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:37:43 -0400

MEXICO CITY - President Barack Obama isn't saying whether the United States recognizes Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's new president.

Bolivia president expels US government aid agency

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:57:02 -0400

LA PAZ, Bolivia - President Evo Morales acted on a longtime threat Wednesday and expelled the U.S. Agency for International Development for allegedly seeking to undermine Bolivia's leftist government, and he harangued Washington's top diplomat for calling the Western Hemisphere the "backyard" of the U.S.

Around the world, angry workers unite on May Day

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:27:26 -0400

ISTANBUL - Workers around the world united in anger during May Day rallies Wednesday - from fury in Europe over austerity measures that have cut wages, reduced benefits and eliminated many jobs altogether, to rage in Asia over relentlessly low pay, the rising cost of living and hideous working conditions that have left hundreds dead in recent months.

Venezuela wrestles over truth of bombing claims

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:34:10 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Hours after barely winning Venezuela's presidential election, the ruling party started to flood state media with accusations that opposition provocateurs were firebombing Cuban-run neighborhood health clinics across the country in revenge.

Venezuelan govt targets disaffected ex-supporters

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:27:07 -0400

TACARIGUA, Venezuela - The razor-close vote to replace late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sparked what opposition leaders and human rights groups say is a government crackdown on public employees who either didn't back Chavez's hand-picked successor or failed to show sufficient support for the ruling party.