venezuela

• Venezuelans voted Sunday to do away with presidential term limits, allowing Hugo Chavez to potentially rule for life. — Christian Science Monitor
• American automakers GM and Chrysler have until tomorrow to present the federal government with a viable turnaround plan or else the government can recall their emergency loans. — CNN



• Investigators are examining the cockpit tapes from flight 3407, which crashed in Buffalo last week. The plane was on autopilot until just before it went down. — AP
• Today France's top judicial body recognized the French government's responsibility for deporting Jews during World War II. Thousands of Jews were deported from France to the Nazi death camps during the occupation. — AP

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Drug traffickers now join rappers and models who have been ditching the dollar for the more exquisite euro.

White House drug officials announced this week that cocaine is being rerouted from the US and heading through Venezuela to West Africa eventually reaching its final destination — Europe.

With such a weak dollar, drug dealers have more to make by hustling in the Old World. Meanwhile, reports of cocaine use are up in Europe, and down in the US. Sounds like there will be some major blowouts in the discothèques this summer.

Of course drug enforcement officials credit the US war on drugs. Bush's drug policy director says successful control of US-bound routes in Mexico and Columbia are squeezing suppliers into Venezuela. The US alleges that Venezuela, a political adversary, acts as a cocaine safe haven, and is doing nothing to stop the drug trade.

Can Europe be more successful in convincing Venezuela to come down hard on the drug trade? Is a drop in cocaine use a benefit of a weak dollar and economy in general?

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In the ever complicated environmental tussle between clean fuel and responsible use of resources the differing opinions over the use of biofuels has produced an interesting contrast of ideas — fueled by Ethanol.

Sean Penn, actor/activist has just initiated a cross-country trek using a fleet of biodiesel buses carrying about 300 people that will burn the corn fuel for 1,800 miles from the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and ending in New Orleans for the annual jazz festival. Penn appeared twice yesterday at Coachella. He said of the trip, "I see this as a reckoning. My generation and those that came before have to recognize the numbing of incentive that we've passed on to the change hungry, imaginative, smarter than us youth of today." To see the larger implications of Penn's good intentions, read more

Yesterday, the Organization of American States (OAS) declared last weekend's Colombian raid in Ecuador a violation of sovereignty. The US was the only state to support Colombia's decision to enter Ecuador and kill 24 rebels, including a top commander of the insurgency group FARC. So what's the deal with FARC?

FARC is the world's largest, and richest insurgency group, currently waging war with the Colombian government. A Marxist group, its mission is the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, and the end of foreign influence by multinational corporations, and the US government.

Taxes levied on drug-traffickers give FARC $300 million in revenue each year. Of course, drug use among the 10,000 - 15,000 rebels is forbidden. Ransom collected from FARC's 3,000 plus kidnappings a year, also bankrolls the group. FARC, which pulls most of its support from rural areas, was founded in 1964, as the military wing of Colombia's Communist Party.

Colombia, with the full support of the US, maintains that Venezuela and Ecuador are assisting the rebels. Colombia is an important US ally, receiving $600 million a year in aid. Leftist countries in the region see the government in Colombia as nothing more than a US puppet.

For more informative background resources, read more

President George Bush condemned Venezuela yesterday saying, “We firmly oppose any acts of aggression that could destabilize the region." The statement comes amid growing border tensions in South America over Venezuela’s and Ecuador’s militarization along the Colombian border.

Venezuela and Ecuador have mobilized their armies in reaction to a Colombian incursion into Ecuador on a mission to assassinate a high level commander of FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia), Raul Reyes.

FARC is a militant organization currently waging war with the Columbian government from bases located within Ecuador. The Columbian government has caused a great deal of tension in the region by illegally entering Ecuador to attack FARC. At this point, both Venezuela and Ecuador are likely to back down since Columbia has the full support of the United States.

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Hugo Chavez, 53, is the president of Venezuela. A while back, he addressed the UN General Assembly the day after George W. Bush declaring that the room stank of sulphur because "the devil" had been there. I wasn't quite sure if he was joking or serious, but it looks like Chavez is serious about his anti-American sentiment.

Chavez's irreverent and revolutionary positions have made him internationally controversial. Recently, he made the news for a failed referendum, his first major electoral defeat. The president hoped to centralize his power and remove term limits. Voters rejected the proposal by a slim margin.

Chavez, a former soldier, came to power in 1998 on the backs of soaring oil revenues and class unrest. As president he has nationalized major companies, asserted government control over oil projects, withdrawn from the International Monetary Fund and represented anti-American attitudes in Latin America. He has also cracked down on the freedom of the press often dominating television with his long-winded national addresses.

Still Interested? For additional info, read more

This weekend folks in Venezuela set a new world record for the largest pot of soup. The government of Venezuela prepared a giant 3,960 gallon cauldron of "sancocho" stew in downtown Caracas. The stew contained 6,600 pounds of chicken, 4,400 pounds of beef and tons (literally) of veggies.

Although the pot officially held 5,413 gallons, workers stopped at 3/4 full due to security reasons. However there was enough stew to serve 60,000 to 70,000 people.

The whole stunt was done to show that despite recent supply problems in Venezuela, the state-run market has plenty of reserves of all products.

Source: Washington Post via Spluch