After eleven days out of the public spotlight since he returned from Cuba, President Hugo Chavez appeared live on public television yesterday during a ministers’ council meeting and criticised the opposition candidate, said that he will register as a presidential candidate in June, and announced that the new anti-crime mission will also be launched in June.
Following its closure last weekend, La Planta prison in Caracas is to be converted into a community centre using proposals from local community organisations.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered extra troops to the Colombian border yesterday amid reports that Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas may have crossed into Venezuela after attacking the Colombian army.
Debate over migration has arisen in Venezuela as opposition forces argue that many professionals, businesses, and upper class residents are emigrating from the country, while those aligned with the government argue that Venezuela has become a “pole of attraction.”
On Thursday night Venezuelan authorities regained control of La Planta prison in Caracas after an outbreak of violence between prisoners. The government pledged to guarantee the human rights of inmates and is transferring them to other penitentiary facilities ahead of La Planta’s closure.
Venezuela's economy grew 5.6% in the first quarter of 2012 confirmed planning and finance minister Jorge Giordani and Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV) president Nelson Merentes on Thursday.
A German news website has revealed that the German government has been pushing for Eurozone countries to adopt a more active role in backing the current Venezuelan opposition coalition, the Roundtable of Democratic Unity (MUD), in the run up to this year’s presidential elections.
A total of 312,725 international tourists have visited Venezuela between January and April 2012, a figure which represents almost a 50% increase compared with the same period last year.
The government has revealed that there are about 3.7 million independent workers in Venezuela who could potentially benefit from the reforms to the Law on Social Security in Venezuela, enacted on April 21 by President Hugo Chávez.
Government representatives and private media have said opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles’ campaign is “stagnating” as he fails to gain support, while journalists also marched yesterday protesting violent attacks committed against them by Capriles’ supporters.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returned to Venezuela on Friday night, announcing a successful conclusion to his radiotherapy treatment in Cuba and his intention to return to the frontline of Venezuelan politics. Meanwhile, polls show him extending his advantage over rival Henrique Capriles Radonski.
Defence ministers from Union of South American Nations (Unasur) member states met yesterday for the release of a report detailing each country’s military spending. Ministers and diplomats from the twelve nation regional bloc also pledged further military integration, proposing the creation of a Citizen Security Council.
Venezuela’s urban agriculture program has seen urban communal and family based food gardens developing rapidly over the last two years, to a current total of 19,000.
Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Maduro, called on countries in the region to create institutions to defend human rights within organizations like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
