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Published on 22 October 2014 by Telesur English
Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, reiterated that the government´s priority would be to safeguard the social rights of the people.
The Venezuelan government has released its preliminary budget for 2015, pledging to increase social spending in the coming year despite a drop in oil prices.
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, said he held the U.S. government responsible for the fall in the value of oil, stating that the Obama administration had irresponsibly flooded the global market. He said the country was being subjected to an economic blockade by North American imperialism and international capitalism.
The new budget will require governors of the country´s 23 states to dedicate 60 percent of the resources distributed to them by the central government to public services, as well as to invest 30 percent in projects which produce goods and services for the benefit of Venezuelan society. The move is designed to increase employment and boost national production in a bid to minimise the country´s reliance on imports.
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Published on 16 October 2014 by www.venezuelanalysis.com
Venezuela today gained a non permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
“Victory for the nation in the UN, I say thank you in the name of our people to the 181 countries that supported us for the Security Council,” tweeted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
New Zealand, Angola and Malaysia were also elected to non permanent seats. Turkey and Spain failed to garner enough support for their bids in the first ballot. The term lasts for two years from 1 January 2015.
Venezuela was unopposed for the place on the council allocated to Latin America and the Caribbean, however several leading U.S. media outlets had lobbied against Nicolas Maduro’s leftwing administration gaining the seat.
The five permanent members of the Security Council are the U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China, while other countries are elected to the ten non permanent seats on a rolling basis of five per year.
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Published on 10 October by TeleSUR English
This first video released 2 weeks ago details a terrorist plot against Venezuela lead by Lorent Saleh
A new video published on Thursday shines further light on the violent destabilisation plans of sectors of Venezuela’s opposition.
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Published on 2 October 2014 Cory Fischer-Hoffman www.venezuelanalysis.com
In the face of arrests, trials, and detentions of opposition and student leaders, allegations of political repression in Venezuela are circulating international and private national press. The Venezuelan government and its supporters adamantly reject the claim that Venezuela has any political prisoners and they assert that everyone in detention is being tried for their involvement in criminal conduct. This article aims to explore the issue of political prisoners in Venezuela by providing a broader historical context combined with an analysis of power in Venezuela today.
“Freedom for Political Prisoners” is spray-painted throughout wealthy neighborhoods in Caracas. The right-wing opposition has claimed that their leader, jailed politician Leopoldo Lopez was imprisoned for his beliefs. A recent New York Times editorial also claims that there is a “crackdown on opposition” in Venezuela, an accusation echoed by much of the private press in Venezuela, representatives of the government of the United States and the Venezuelan right-wing political opposition.
Even many progressives outside of the country who support the struggle for self-determination and redistribution in Venezuela, have been growing wary of the ongoing reports of arrests of students and protesters following the months of guarimba protests: the violent street barricades implemented by some anti-government demonstrators which caused the deaths of many of the over 40 people who died during that period of unrest.
As the political climate in Venezuela becomes increasingly polarized, and the media continues to push an anti-government agenda, it is increasingly difficult to know where to turn for information, who to trust, and quite frankly, how to make sense of the arrests, detentions, and trials of opposition leaders.
By exploring the historical context of political prisoners in Venezuela and what that phrase has meant in the country’s recent history, it is easy to see why there is controversy over its use today and what distinguishes today's “political prisoners” with those of past generations.
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Published on 3 October 2014 by http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10944
The murder of Robert Serra, a young legislator of the PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela), who was killed in his home along with his companion Maria Herrera late Wednesday night, is tied to a right-wing terrorist plot, government officials stated yesterday. Thousands filled the streets of Caracas yesterday and late last night to honor Serra’s memory. President Maduro vowed to take “swift action” against “terrorist acts.”
In response to opposition claims that Serra's death was a result of an isolated or common crime, Miguel Rodriguez Torres, Minister of Interior Relations, stated that, “We're not dealing with unfortunate events committed by a common criminal. We are dealing with an intentional murder, planned and executed with great precision...According to the evidence obtained everything points to a planned , organized and detailed [assassination] technique. ”
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Published on 29 September 2014 by www.venezuelanalysis.com
On Saturday, hundreds of rural workers and their families took over land in the state of Guarico, calling on the National Land Institute (INTI) to support their takeover. Supporters of the recent takeover emphasize the urgency to expedite land expropriations considering the shortages and economic war that Venezuela currently confronts.
A video announcing the takeover and calling for support was released on the independent media site Apporea on Saturday. In the video Roland Denis, public intellectual and former planning minister (2002-2003) and Fresia Ipinza, former gubernatorial candidate for the state of Miranda and frequent Apporea contributor, called on Venezuelans to offer support to this takeover, especially in light of the current food shortages, high levels of imports, and low levels of agricultural production within the country.
“Why do we need help in this moment?” Denis asked, “Because we know about the immense food crisis that we are living in this country.” The former minister referred to the food shortages, speculation and trafficking of basic goods, all of which have helped create a scenario in which citizens are increasingly aware of the need to increase food production as a means of achieving food sovereignty within the country.
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After Clorox's official decision to cease production and sales in Venezuela, workers have taken over the abandoned factory with government support.On Friday, the Venezuelan government initiated a takeover of the abandoned Clorox factory with the country's Vice President Jorge Arreaza calling an assembly of the company's 475 workers to reactivate the plant's activities.
Clorox Venezuela called workers and left voicemails stating that they were liquidated due to the company's decision to leave the country on Monday. The U.S.-based company claims that economic challenges influenced its decision to close the factories doors.
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Published on 16 September 2014 by www.venezuelanalysis.com
Fifty-six tons of Venezuelan humanitarian aid were delivered last Monday in Egypt by the Red Crescent Society, which will be in charge of distributing the tents, non-perishable food items, water, and clothes to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip throughout the week.
After an Israeli airstrike lasting over 50 days, resulting in over 2,000 dead and many wounded, thousands of Gazans find themselves without shelter in densely populated areas, many of which have been reduced to rubble.
Venezuelan ambassador to Egypt Juan Antonio Hernandez said of the aid shipment, “The idea is to alleviate a bit the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza.” The diplomat also mentioned that this kind of foreign aid is based on the legacy of late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who had a “vision of brotherhood with the arab peoples.”
Other initiatives taken by president Nicolas Maduro have been to swiftly establish the “Hugo Chavez” refugee center for Palestinian children orphaned by the conflict, and to pledge financial aid in the reconstruction of Gaza’s cities.
This is the second shipment of its kind that Venezuela has successfully sent to Gaza since the most recent airstrike this summer. The 12 ton package sent on August 12th included medicines, medical equipment, flashlights, sleeping pads and blankets, as well as family-sized tents, along with drinking water and non-perishable food.
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On Tuesday 16 September, President Maduro announced the creation of the Communal Development Bank and the Presidential Council of Popular Communes as a new structure to bolster local popular power. Through the Communal Development Bank, he allotted resources to communes throughout Venezuela to increase agricultural production.