Worldcrunch
CARACAS — The rigid black-and-white vision of a Venezuela divided between government supporters and opponents obstructs any understanding of the multiple identities that have emerged since the start of mass anti-government protests in February. For those looking in from the outside, the media have presented a veritable caricature of events. The situation reminds me of […]
PARIS — Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, on the verge of collapse, has ruined the hopes carried by the policies of the far left. Vladimir Putin’s Russia will make a similar demonstration of inanity with those across the political spectrum — those of the far-right, or if you prefer, of extreme nationalism. The two elected dictators have […]
A year after the death of President Hugo Chávez, food and consumer shortages are spreading through Caracas along with protests. Blame over-regulation or capitalistic hoarding?
From Kiev to Caracas, what people are saying as the news turns…
From tumult in Kiev to the two Koreas from space, nine photographs of key events moving the world.
The media criticism heaped on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has prevented an objective assessment of the protesters, who may not be quite as democratic as they’re portrayed.
The battle at hand on the streets of Caracas and beyond may be more fractured than it first appears.
The Chavez-Maduro regime has corrupted democracy and impoverished the nation in a perfect storm of political strong-arming, cheap oil, and public apathy. The time is now to react.
The dire state of the economy and vanishing press freedoms are two key signs that Venezuela is a nation on the edge of disaster.
Gentlemen, throw away your razors and kiss that soft upper lip good-bye: Movember is here. Every year since time immemorial (OK, 2004), men the world over stop shaving for the month of November to raise awareness about prostate cancer and other men’s health issues — all while looking positively fabulous. Here at Worldcrunch HQ, the […]
What’s the price of John Lennon’s childhoood home? Or the scalp of a president? Find out how the news added up over the past week…
Haven’t finalized your Halloween costume yet? Don’t worry! Worldcrunch has been browsing the news archives of recent months looking for good ideas, bad puns and other ways to abuse the powers of photoshop. Scary, right…??
Despite the high profile women presidents of Brazil and Argentina, the fairer sex is notably underrepresented in cabinet positions across Latin American governments.
With the ownership change of the 24-hour news channel Globovision, the last remaining television source for reporting that challenges the government is gone.
BUENOS AIRES – Washington’s blatent public pressure to keep Edward Snowden from obtaining political asylum has fed a new wave of anti-Americanism worldwide. It also represents a test for the United States’ bilateral relations with several countries, including Russia and those in its own “backyard.” What explains the willingness of Barack Obama’s government to pay […]
Monday, June 30, 2014 ISIS DECLARES CALIPHATE IN IRAQ AND SYRIA Jihadist group ISIS has renamed itself “Islamic State” and declared the areas it occupies in Syria and the territories conquered in recent weeks in Iraq as an Islamic “Caliphate,” promising “a new era of international jihad.” According to The Independent, the move “has huge […]
CARACAS – The ongoing shortage of basic products – including food, personal hygiene products and medicine – is having a huge effect on Venezuela. President Nicolas Maduro and his government have made several announcements to fight the shortage and have accused the opposition of fanning the flames. Meanwhile, people continue to struggle to find the […]
BUENOS AIRES – After a period when South American regimes seemed untouchable, the forces of opposition have revived in Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela. Up until a few months ago, South American presidents seemed invincible. They were reelected automatically. If someone faced a term limit, a successor would be designated who would later achieve a crushing, […]
Brazil is just the latest, though largest, recent example of a Latin American country that has seen grassroots movements catch fire from below.
It’s more than just an easy target…
BUENOS AIRES – The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Venezuelan counterpart, Elias Jaua, was certainly one of the most significant during the recent annual assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Guatemala. During their 40-minute encounter, the two top diplomats agreed to reopen a dialogue at the highest […]
-Op-Ed- LIMA – Last January, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that he and Venezuelan parliament president Diosdado Cabello were both the target of an assassination plan – without unveiling the conspirators’ identity. In March, he said the Pentagon and the CIA were hatching a plan to murder opposition leader Henrique Capriles and frame him for […]
In the first interview with the foreign press since his victory, the new Venezuelan President tells Le Monde that he will carry on Hugo Chavez’s policies, both at home and abroad.
VENEZUELA AL DÍA, EL TIEMPO (Venezuela), CNN MEXICO (Mexico). Worldcrunch CARACAS – As the country remains tense following the election of Hugo Chavez’s handpicked successor, Venezuela’s National Assembly erupted in violence, as a brawl broke out between members of the ruling party (United Socialist Party) and representatives from the opposition (Democratic Unity Roundtable, which unites […]
CLARÍN (Argentina) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuelan politics continues to attract the world’s attention. After the death of Hugo Chavez and the recent election of his no-less outspoken successor, Nicolas Maduro, eyes have now turned to the newly anointed Sports Minister: Alejandra Benítez, the Olympic fencer best known for posing nude just before last year’s London […]
In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez’s handpicked heir will find securing his narrow victory was nothing compared to actually serving as president of a country with deep structural ills.
CLARIN, LA CAPITAL (Argentina); 20 MINUTOS (Spain); TELESUR (Venezuela); REUTERS Worldcrunch CARACAS – Unrest after Sunday’s Venezuelan elections has left at least seven dead and more than 60 injured, with president-elect Nicolas Maduro and his opponent Henrique Capriles each blaming the other for provoking the escalating violence. Maduro, speaking early Wednesday, also blamed the CIA […]
CLARIN (Argentina); EL NACIONAL (Venezuela); AP Worldcrunch CARACAS – Protests in the Venezuelan capital have turned violent in the wake of presidential electoral results, which gave Nicolas Maduro a slim majority but prompted opposition calls for a recount. After Sunday night’s official declaration of Maduro as winner with 50.7% of the vote, opposition candidate Henrique […]
EFE; BBC; FRANCE24 (France); EL UNIVERSAL, EL NACIONAL (Venezuela) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor Nicolas Maduro declared himself the narrow winner of Venezuela’s highly anticipated presidential election, but his opponent has already demanded a recount. The Spanish news agency EFE reported the final tallies were 50.66% for Maduro and 49.07% for rival candidate […]
EFE; CLARIN (Argentina); LA TERCERA (Chile); EL UNIVERSAL, TELESUR (Venezuela) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Campaigns have officially closed in Venezuela ahead of Sunday’s election showdown between the heir to Hugo Chavez’s legacy, Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Just five months after reelecting Chavez, the country is being called back to the polls following the […]
As Sunday’s election looms, Folha de S. Paulo sits down with, and gets a ride from Nicolas Maduro, the fiery former bus driver and heir apparent to Hugo Chavez.
After the death of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela is set for the second presidential election in less than six months. Chavez’s handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro faces challenger Henrique Capriles.
SANTIAGO – Venezuelan television network Globovision has announced it had accepted a purchase offer, and its sale would be finalized shortly after the presidential election on April 14. Globovision’s board of directors explained that they were selling the station because its operation had become both legally and financially impossible due to harassment from the government […]
Worldcrunch CARACAS – An animated video has been released by ViVe, the cultural TV channel owned by the Venezuelan government, depicting Hugo Chavez passing into immortality. The short video shows El Comandante being welcomed into the afterlife by famous Latin American heroes of the past that it felt best represented Chavez’s political ideals. From right […]
EL PAIS (Spain); TELESUR (Venezuela); REUTERS Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez never tired of accusing the U.S. government of all types of nefarious deeds. His hand-picked successor, acting president Nicolas Maduro, is keeping up the tradition. First, days after Chavez’s death, Maduro accused Washington of somehow infecting “El Comandante” with his fatal […]
TELESUR (Venezuela) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuela has launched an inquiry to determine if late President Hugo Chavez’s cancer was caused by “foreign enemies.” Acting President Nicolas Maduro told teleSUR that Venezuelan officials were convinced that “Chavez was poisoned by dark forces that wanted to be rid of him.” “He had an illness, a cancer that […]
MOSCOW – When word first came out in 2011 that Hugo Chavez was suffering from a serious illness, a Russian military source predicted the consequences of the end of the Chavez era: not only could Moscow lose contracts already signed, but it might also never get paid for weapons it has already delivered to Caracas. […]
NO COMMENT TV Worldcrunch CARACAS – A parade of world leaders, including Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, joined ordinary Venezuelans Friday at the state funeral of Hugo Chavez, who died this week at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer. The ceremony was led by an emotional Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who declared: “Mission […]
CARACAS – When Hugo Chávez took office for the first time in February 1999, Venezuela was on the edge of an economic abyss due to the ravages caused by almost 40 years of corruption from traditional political parties. The reach of poverty touched almost 80 percent of the population. This ticking social time bomb was […]
EL NACIONAL, VENEZOLANA DE TELEVISION, EL CARABOBEÑO (Venezuela), DIARIO POPULAR (ARGENTINA) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuelans have been lining up over the past 24 hours around the Venezuelan Military Academy in the capital to say their last goodbyes to the late President Hugo Chávez. Meanwhile, Chief of the Presidential Guard in Venezuela, General José Ornella offered […]