A new wave of power outages in Caracas left many parts of Venezuela’s capital city in the dark last week and authorities scrambling to get the power back on. Power outages have been a recurring issue for the country, with the last major outage taking place this past June during…
Activists Calling For Further Investigation After Deaths of Venezuelan Inmates
As more light is shed on the deaths of 35 inmates in a western Venezuelan prison last week, activists are questioning the legitimacy of the story provided by prison officials. Officials have said that the conflict at the David Viloria prison began last Monday, when inmates began a protest for…
Venezuelan Trans Woman Wins the Crown at Miss International Queen Pageant
A Venezuelan trans woman earned the title of Miss International Queen this week in Thailand, at a pageant which bills itself as the world’s largest beauty pageant for transgender candidates.Isabella Santiago, 22, surpassed 21 contestants from 18 different countries to win the Miss International Queen pageant on Nov. 7 in…
Venezuelan Activists Choose Art, Not War
Following the 2013 death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, the Latin American country has been rocked by conflict between right-wing politicians and the revolutionary activists and workers who support Chavez’s lefist Bolivarian movement. To further their cause, some of these activists have taken to the nation’s streets and neighborhoods to…
Venezuelan Government Censorship Causes Journalists to Turn to the Internet
The Venezuelan government’s hold on the country’s media is no surprise to many people in and outside of the country. Recently, this control made headlines around the world when one of the nation’s oldest newspapers, El Impulso, announced that they would be stopping circulation due to a lack of advertising,…
Venezuela Ranks Poorly for the Safety and Well-Being of its Elderly Population
Venezuela is not a very good place to grow old. The 2014 Global AgeWatch Index, developed by HelpAge International, ranks Venezuela among the bottom quarter of the index, alongside many impoverished African nations. Venezuela is ranked 76th out of 96 nations, well below any other South American country. The index…
Venezuelan Soldiers Receive New Cars While Civilians Wait in Line for Nonexistent Food
With so much political turmoil and violence taking over the country recently, Venezuelans have undergone more tension and stress than most people can even imagine. As details about the Venezuelan army — and the perks that soldiers receive — start seeping into mainstream news stations, it’s clear that the disaster…
Foreign Debt Maturity and Falling Oil Prices Put Additional Pressure on Venezuela
Venezuela has been a country in crisis, both economically and as far as its identity is concerned, for several years now. President Nicolas Maduro is determined to follow the socialist pathway laid out by his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in spite of the soaring inflation, maxi-devaluations, and food and basic…