WORLD
January 12, 2010 | By Mery Mogollon and Chris Kraul
Reporting from Bogota, Colombia, and Caracas, Venezuela -- Nurse Luisa Perez Garcia thought there was no time to lose. So, first thing Monday morning, she rushed down to the Electropolis appliance store in the Sabana Grande section of Caracas and bought a new TV and refrigerator, purchases she had hoped to defer until later this year. Garcia was among the thousands of Venezuelans flocking to stores to snap up appliances, auto parts, electronics and other imports before they feel the full impact of President Hugo Chavez's decision last week to officially adjust the nation's currency for the first time since 2005.
BUSINESS
August 29, 2006 | Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer
Officials announced Monday that China had agreed to invest $5 billion in energy projects here, a deal that underscored the Asian nation's way of doing business in Latin America: Lock up significant natural resources with promises to fund huge public works projects. China's investment will be poured into new and mature oil fields through 2012, Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez told state television.
WORLD
February 15, 2008 | From Times Wire Reports
More than 100 celebrities, including singer Shakira and soccer star David Beckham, have backed a Spanish pop star in a dispute with Venezuela over a concert that was canceled after his criticism of President Hugo Chavez. The Latin Grammy music awards organization also supported Alejandro Sanz, one of Latin America's most popular singers, saying cancellation of the concert smacked of censorship. Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, singer Ricky Martin and actress Penelope Cruz also signed a letter protesting Venezuela's decision.
ENTERTAINMENT
September 1, 2009 | Reed Johnson
In his new documentary "South of the Border," Oliver Stone is shown warmly embracing Hugo Chávez, nibbling coca leaves with Evo Morales and gently teasing Cristina Elizabeth Fernández de Kirchner about how many pairs of shoes she owns. These amiable, off-the-cuff snapshots of the presidents of Venezuela, Bolivia and Argentina, respectively, contrast with the way these left-leaning leaders often are depicted in U.S. political and mass media circles. That's especially true of Chávez, the former military officer turned democratically elected socialist leader, who has become the ideological heir apparent to Fidel Castro and the bête noire of Bush administration foreign policy officials.
WORLD
January 26, 2010 | By Mery Mogollon and Chris Kraul
Reporting from Caracas, Venezuela, and Quito, Ecuador -- Protests broke out in Venezuela on Monday after cable companies dropped transmission of a popular channel that the government declared had broken telecommunications laws by not broadcasting President Hugo Chavez's speeches. Government critics and supporters of Radio Caracas Television took to the streets of Caracas, the capital, and several other cities after companies dropped RCTV's programming under threat of losing their licenses.
WORLD
April 8, 2008 | Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer
Grimacing from contractions, expectant mother Castuca Marino had more on her mind than birth pangs. She was nervous about whether she and her newborn child would make it out of the hospital alive. Interviewed as she stood in the emergency room of Concepcion Palacios Maternity Hospital here last week, Marino had heard news reports of six infant deaths there over a 24-hour period late last month.
WORLD
January 12, 2009 | Chris Kraul
Venezuela took control this weekend of a Chinese-built communications satellite, part of a deepening trade relationship that some say illustrates waning U.S. influence in Latin America. Accompanied by Chinese technicians at a communications facility in western Guarico state, President Hugo Chavez presided at a ceremony in which Venezuela formally assumed operation of the Simon Bolivar, a $400-million satellite that China launched in October.
WORLD
July 9, 2006 | Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer
In his classic 1936 film, "Modern Times," Charlie Chaplin has to work so fast tightening bolts in a steel factory that he finally goes crazy. In a memorable scene that has become a metaphor for labor exploitation, the Little Tramp is run through the factory's enormous gears. For President Hugo Chavez's socialist government, the film is more than just entertainment: It's become a teaching tool.
WORLD
September 16, 2005 | Paul Richter and Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writers
The Bush administration declared Thursday that Venezuela had failed to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking, a move likely to worsen already strained relations between the countries.
WORLD
February 2, 2008 | Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer
Authorities in Venezuela said Friday that Wilber Varela, the leader of Colombia's Norte del Valle drug cartel, had been found shot to death in the Venezuelan resort town of Merida. The location of the killing underscores the evolution of drug trafficking in the region. Increasing amounts of Colombian cocaine destined for U.S. and European markets flow through Venezuela, and as much as one-third of all the narcotic powder is now thought to transit there.