Power cut paralyses Venezuela (70% of country)

By artappraiser on Fri, 09/06/2013 - 1:31am |

Associated Press in Caracas, 4 Sept., 2013

Venezuela was plunged into darkness on Tuesday when the country's main power distribution network failed, depriving 70% of the country of electricity and creating traffic chaos in much of Caracas.

The electrical energy minister, Jesse Chacón, appeared on state TV to explain that the failure was in the "backbone" that carries electricity from the Bajo Caroni region, where 60% of Venezuela's power is generated.

President Nicolás Maduro said on Tuesday night that 14 of 23 states had lost power for much of the day and blamed "sabotage", suggesting opposition groups were responsible. He said service had been progressively restored with some exceptions, including the oil-producing state of Zulia. Maduro blamed "the extreme rightwing", as he has in the past, via Twitter.

Power was restored in Caracas by nightfall [....]

URL:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/power-cut-paralyses-venezuela

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Political sparks fly after Venezuela blackout
By Andrew Cawthorne in Caracas, Reuters, Sep 5, 2013

One of the worst power outages in Venezuelan history has given a jolt to President Nicolas Maduro's government and revived opposition accusations that its socialist policies and incompetence are wrecking the country.

Even though Venezuela's 29 million people have endured sporadic blackouts since 2009, there was widespread shock at the extent of this week's outage across two-thirds of the nation.

In the capital Caracas, which the government strenuously shields from rationing, the power went off throughout Tuesday afternoon, causing chaos on the streets.

"This isn't the Third World, it's the Fifth World!" griped student Marilyn Morales, 26, recounting how first she was trapped in underground transport, then had to lend a doctor her iPhone to use as a torch during an appointment in a dark clinic.

Some Venezuelans in the provinces watched the pain in Caracas with a measure of schadenfreude, saying it was about time the privileged residents of the capital, known as "caraquenos," saw what they endured regularly [....]

by artappraiser on Fri, 09/06/2013 - 1:36am

Venezuela looks to Colombia for food aid
By Mery Mogollon & Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times (via McClatchy), Sept. 13, 2013

CARACAS, Venezuela — An immediate $600 million increase in farm exports from Colombia to Venezuela announced this week could help bail out two presidents who are mired in political problems tied to food and farming.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday that the initial shipments of Colombian beef, powdered milk, cooking oil, margarine and eggs - all scarce items in supermarkets here in recent months - will begin arriving next week to help create a three-month reserve of foodstuffs.

Venezuela will hold elections for all mayors and city councils on Dec. 8, in which scarcities as well as recent electricity blackouts and high crime are certain to be issues. The government is under pressure to improve living conditions for Venezuelans, who have been hit by a 30 percent annual inflation rate with food prices soaring even more.

In Bogota, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos also announced the huge farm products deal on Thursday, saying it was just the start of a program that would raise annual shipments of his nation's farm products to Venezuela by 20 percent [.....]

by artappraiser on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 8:44pm

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