Venezuela

U.S. Filmmaker Held In Venezuela

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:21:32 +0000

Venezuela has detained an American filmmaker, accusing him of "creating violence" at the behest of the U.S. government.

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said Timothy Hallet Tracy was paying right-wing youth to hold violent protests in the aftermath of the elections narrowly won by Nicolas Maduro, the late Hugo Chavez's chosen successor. Torres said Tracy worked for a U.S. intelligence agency.

Florida Roundup: Gun Control, Medicaid, Venezuela

Elaine Chen — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Join us for an hour of conversation about the week's news on The Florida Roundup, live at noon on WLRN:

Venezuela Grows More, Not Less Polarized After Chavez

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:28:36 +0000

Under the rule of its late president, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela became a nation sharply divided between those who supported his self-styled socialist revolution and those who opposed it.

But after a disputed presidential election in which Chavez's deputy was ruled the winner by a razor-thin margin, the country appears more polarized than ever.

Since Sunday's results, there have already been protests, eight deaths and angry cl

Venezuelan Election In Dispute After Chavez Heir Declares Narrow Victory

Mark Memmott — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:10:22 +0000

A surprisingly small victory margin for Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor in Sunday's special presidential election looks likely to be followed by a recount in Venezuela.

Chavez, Venezuela's fiery, controversial and charismatic leader, died on March 5.

NPR's Juan Forero tells our Newscast Desk that Nicolas Maduro, who had b

Popular Writer Debates His Own Kidnappers On Venezuelan Politics

Steve Inskeep — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:22:43 +0000

Earlier this week in Caracas, we were about to go to an interview when it had to be rescheduled. The man we were going to speak with was unavoidably detained — kidnapped, to be precise.

It took awhile after that for Laureano Marquez to free up his schedule and meet us in a coffee shop.

"I'm so sorry," he said when he finally arrived, as if it was his fault for being thrown into a car and driven off to the far reaches of town.

We'd been planning to talk with Marquez about Venezuela's presidential election this weekend, an election that opens a door on a changing Latin America.

Oil, Chavez And The Silent Rise Of The Venezuelan Novel

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:35:52 +0000

Marcela Valdes is the books editor of The Washington Examiner and a specialist in Latin American literature and culture.

For more than 40 years, the most important book prize in South America has been bankrolled by the region's most famous petro-nation: Venezuela. Yet Venezuelan novelists themselves rank among the least read and translated writers in the entire continent.

A Look At The Legacy Of Hugo Chavez From The Ground Up

Steve Inskeep — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:44:30 +0000

In the days before elevators, there was no such thing as a penthouse on the top floor. The highest floors of a building had cheaper rents because the stairs were hard to climb.

Caracas, Venezuela, is organized roughly the same way, with many poor neighborhoods climbing up the sides of a mountain valley. Some of the poorest homes are among the most remote, accessible not by any road but by alleyways and long flights of stairs.

Up one of those flights of stairs, we found a woman whose life says a lot about Venezuela and by extension about Latin America.

Venezuela's Next Leader Has To Figure Out What To Do With All That Oil

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:45:38 +0000

As Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez thought in grandiose terms, and his country's vast oil riches enabled him to act on his vision. But Chavez died before he had to deal with the flaws in his model, and some hard choices await his successor.

Key to Chavez's notion of "21st Century Socialism" was the redistribution of Venezuela's oil earnings.

Campaign Heats Up Ahead Of Sunday's Vote To Replace Hugo Chavez

Phil Latzman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:30:47 +0000

This Sunday, Venezuelans return to the polls for yet another presidential election.

This vote is to replace the late Hugo Chavez, who died of cancer last month after winning re-election in October.

Chavez Looms Large As South Floridians Prepare To Vote In Venezuela Election

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:13:14 +0000

Hugo Chavez died in March, but his ghost still lingers in Venezuela. He was president for well over a decade and, according to journalist Rory Carroll, his oversize influence hasn't faded.

"It's slightly surreal, because Chavez has never been more ubiquitous in Venezuela than now. His face greets you from the airport the moment you arrive; there are posters of him everywhere; there are fresh murals of him around the city; his voice booms from the radio; recordings of him singing the national anthem fill government rallies," Carroll says.

Unable To Vote In Miami, Local Venezuelans Mobilize For Road Trip To New Orleans

Emily Bello-Pardo — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:02:00 +0000

Absentee ballots. Polling centers open for days on end. Early voting. All of these are ways in which Americans can vote for their nation’s elections. So they might be shocked to hear me tell them that 19,542 Venezuelans living in the United States have to go through a much more grueling process to be able to do the same thing they can do rather easily.

With Venezuela Still In Mourning, Campaign Season Begins Again

Phil Latzman — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

With the country still in mourning over the death of Hugo Chavez, election season has begun again in Venezuela.

In Upcoming Venezuelan Vote, Hugo Chavez Looms Large

Juan Forero — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:46:04 +0000

The tall and imposing Nicolas Maduro stepped forward last week to be sworn in as Venezuela's interim leader following the death of President Hugo Chavez.

Before the country's packed congressional hall, he swore to complete Chavez's dream to transform the OPEC power into a socialist state, allied with Cuba and decidedly opposed to capitalism and U.S. interests in Latin America.

It's a dream Maduro says will not die, even with the death of El Comandante.

Ahmadinejad Says Chávez Will Rise With Christ; Is Chastised By Cleric

Eyder Peralta — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:07:00 +0000

Just before leaving for Venezuela to attend the funeral of Hugo Chávez, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad penned a laudatory tribute for the late president.

"[Chavez] is alive, as long as nations are alive and struggle for consolidating independence, justice and kindness.

The Morning After Hugo Chavez's Death: What Happens Next For Venezuela And Its Allies?

Sammy Mack — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is dead. Public reactions from South Florida's sizeable Venezuelan ex-pat community were jubilant on Tuesday night. In Venezuela, less so.

The big question this morning: what happens next for Venezuela and its allies?

Hugo Chavez Is Dead: Here's What You Should Know

WLRN Staff — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:35:43 +0000

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is dead, says the country's Vice President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro made the announcement on Tuesday.

You can find the latest updates on what this means for Venezuela--and how South Floridians are taking the news--right here.

And be sure to check back; We'll be updating this post regularly.

Venezuelan Team's Request For A Moment Of Silence For Hugo Chavez Turned Down

Dan Grech — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:31:27 +0000

Venezuela's national baseball team was warming up ahead of Tuesday evening's exhibition game against the Miami Marlins in Jupiter, Fla., when news arrived that President Hugo Chavez had died.

Venezuela's Chavez: An Outsized Personality, A Domineering Figure

Juan Forero — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:45:13 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYYQT21p7l8

'Weston-zuela' Welcomes News Hugo Chavez Is Dead

Christine DiMattei — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:33:28 +0000

It was busier than usual inside Café Canela last night, but owner Ramon Peraza repeatedly came out from behind the counter to give new arrivals a hug or a handshake. All of them were jubilant.

But Peraza struggles to describe his emotions.

“I feel that my heart is very, very happy and quiet, quiet. We are waiting for this for many years,” says Peraza

When Peraza says the word “quiet,” he makes a soothing gesture over his chest.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Has Died, Vice President Says

editor — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:12:16 +0000

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez, has died, Vice President Nicolás Maduro announced in a televised statement.

Chávez died at a military hospital in Caracas at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday. He was 58.

In power since 1999, the former military commander became an icon of socialist policies in Latin America. With his country's oil wealth as backup, he launched fierce and unyielding criticism of the United States and its allies.

The AP reports:

"During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally.

Venezuelan Government Releases Photos Of Chávez In Cuba, Says He's On Breathing Tube

Eyder Peralta — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:43:24 +0000

The Venezuelan government has released photographs of ailing President Hugo Chávez, who has not made a public appearance since he left for Cuba in December.

According to Venezuela's El Universal, Chávez, 58, is breathing with the help of a "tracheal cannula," or as El Nacional reports, a kind of tube inserted during a tracheotom

Taking The Pulse Of Venezuelan-American Sentiment After Chavez' Delayed Swearing In

Phil Latzman — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:05:36 +0000

With an ailing Hugo Chavez still in Cuba, and perhaps on his deathbed, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans now living in South Florida are anxiously awaiting word of what happens next.

El Arepazo 2 on N.W. 79th Avenue in Doral is their unofficial headquarters.

Anniversary Of The Earthquake In Haiti And Spotlight On Poet Richard Blanco

Elaine Chen — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

On The Florida Roundup: Saturday marks the third anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. How has it affected us in South Florida, home to the nation’s largest Haitian diaspora? We take your calls on what you have seen in Haiti and what responsibility we have to this country less than 700 miles away. Why has development been so slow after so many promises?

Sick In Cuba, Chavez Is Likely To Miss His Swearing In

editor — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:19:40 +0000

In the Bolivar Plaza of downtown Caracas, supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrive carrying photographs of their leader and singing songs urging him on. Music blares from loudspeakers, repeating over and over, "Chavez, my commander, is here to stay."

Chavez, however, is most definitely not here, and increasingly many Venezuelans wonder if he'll ever be back. He flew to Cuba, Venezuela's closest ally, for an operation that took place on Dec. 11.

'Complex And Difficult Days' Without Chavez, Venezuelan Vice President Warns

Krishnadev Calamur — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:26:42 +0000

Venezuelans must prepare for "complex and difficult days" after President Hugo Chavez' cancer surgery, the country's vice president says.

"He was very clear in his request that the people back him and keep him in his thoughts as he undergoes treatment, and also that our people be serenely prepared to face these hard, complex and difficult days that we're going to live through. ...

How Obama and Romney Differ On U.S. Relations With Cuba And Haiti

The Florida Roundup — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:06:21 +0000

Floridian Sues Venezuela To Regain His Lock Of Liberator Simón Bolívar 's Hair

Rick Stone — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:35:28 +0000

How Education Figures Into The Presidential Race

Elaine Chen — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:14:00 +0000

On this week's show: we focus on education and compare the policies of the presidential candidates.

President Obama and Mitt Romney agree on issues such as paying teachers based on student performance. The main difference between the two is on the question of vouchers.

Chávez Reelection Could Send More Venezuelans To South Florida

Rick Stone — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:01:33 +0000

More fallout from the Venezuelan election. A real estate agent tells the Miami Herald's Alfonso Chardy there's nothing like fear to touch off capital flight.

President Hugo Chávez’s reelection could prompt a further exodus of Venezuelans to South Florida, leading more entrepreneurs to seek U.S. green cards in return for investments and more people to buy properties from Key Biscayne to Weston, real estate agents and immigration attorneys said Tuesday.

NEWSCAST: South Florida Reacts To Chavez

WLRN Miami Herald News — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:56:00 +0000

Venezuelans living in South Florida are reacting to the reelection of Hugo Chavez and the Florida Board of Education is meeting today in Orlando.

Check out these stories and more in WLRN Miami Herald News.