Venezuela

Miguel Gutierrez/European Pressphoto Agency

Venezuela’s economy is dominated by the oil industry, and it has the largest proven reserves of crude oil in the world. President Hugo Chavez, who was elected in 1998 on a populist platform, consolidated state control over the economy and nationalized its telephone and electricity companies. Chavez was succeeded upon his death by his vice president, Nicolas Maduro, who was elected president in 2013.
President Maduro’s government has faced ongoing protests and civil unrest since the beginning of 2014. There are growing signs that Maduro’s support in the region is dwindling, as neighboring countries have expressed concern about his government’s response to the crisis, including the aggressive treatment of protesters.
Scroll below to learn more about Venezuela using our article archive and chronology of breaking news.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2014

State Department is imposing travel restrictions on Venezuelan officials whom it considers to be responsible for human rights abuses; move follows embarrassing episode for Washington in which it tried and failed to get custody of former Venezuelan general Hugo Carvajal, who is wanted in United States on narcotics charges. MORE
Jul. 29, 2014

American prosecutors claim Hugo Carvajal, former head of Venezuelan military intelligence, was on payroll of Colombian drug lord, invested his own money in drug trade and coordinated shipments of cocaine; unsealed federal indictments shed light on accusations of ties between Venezuelan military and law enforcement and Colombian narcotics traffickers. MORE
Jul. 25, 2014

Aruban officials say they have arrested former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal at the request of American authorities, who have accused him of involvement in drug trafficking. MORE
Jul. 15, 2014

El Universal, one of Venezuela's leading pro-opposition newspapers, has been sold in transaction shrouded in mystery, fueling growing concerns over independence of news media; paper is the third major media outlet to change hands since death of former Pres Hug Chavez and election of Pres Nicolas Maduro. MORE
Jul. 9, 2014

Economic chaos in Venezuela is taking its toll on multinational companies in country, as currency restrictions and major devaluation cause profits to evaporate; Pres Nicolas Maduro has been unable to come up with consistent set of policies to curb inflation and other ills, although there are signs reforms may be on the horizon. MORE

Articles

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Mexico Advances in Little League World Series

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Juan Garza pitched five strong innings to lead Mexico past Venezuela, 11-1, on Tuesday in a Little League World Series elimination game in South Williamsport, Pa.

August 20, 2014, Wednesday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Baseball , Little League World Series , Mexico , Venezuela , Nashville (Tenn) , Canada

Chicago Wins in Little League World Series

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Joshua Houston struck out five in five innings, and Jackie Robinson West of Chicago beat Pearland, Tex., 6-1, in an elimination game on Tuesday in the Little League World Series.

August 20, 2014, Wednesday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Baseball , Little League World Series , Chicago (Ill) , Texas , Mexico , Venezuela

Chicago Rallies Late at Little League World Series

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Joshua Houston’s tiebreaking single in the fifth inning lifted Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West to an 8-7 victory over Cumberland, R.I., in the Little League World Series on Monday.

August 19, 2014, Tuesday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Little League World Series , Czech Republic , Puerto Rico , Venezuela , Baseball , Chicago (Ill) , Rhode Island , Mexico , Australia , Washington (State) , Texas , Rapid City (SD)

Venezuela as a Distressed Seller

By CHRISTOPHER SWANN

A drop in the value of heavy-oil assets makes it a bad time to sell Citgo, a refinery and pipelines operator in the United States. But Venezuela needs the $15 billion that a sale could raise, notes Christopher Swann of Reuters Breakingviews.

August 14, 2014, Thursday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: United States , Venezuela , Citgo Petroleum Corp , Lazard LLC , PDVSA , Nationalization of Industry , Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline

Stealth Censorship in Venezuela

By DANIEL LANSBERG-RODRÍGUEZ

How the Maduro government has outsourced repression of the media to the private sector.

August 7, 2014, Thursday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Maduro, Nicolas , Censorship , Freedom of Speech and Expression , Venezuela , Chavez, Hugo , Freedom of the Press

U.S. Bars Travel by Top Venezuelan Officials

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

Limits affecting cabinet members, agency heads, mayors, judges, and members of the military and the police were imposed in response to human rights abuses by the Venezuelan government at antigovernment demonstrations.

July 31, 2014, Thursday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Aruba , Venezuela , Law and Legislation , United States International Relations , United States , Drug Abuse and Traffic , State Department , Embargoes and Sanctions , Netherlands , Carvajal, Hugo

Venezuelan Officers Linked to Colombian Cocaine Traffickers

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

The head of Venezuelan military intelligence was on the payroll of a Colombian drug lord, invested money in drug shipments and coordinated the shipment of cocaine, according to prosecutors.

July 29, 2014, Tuesday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Organized Crime , Drug Cartels , Extradition , United States , Cocaine and Crack Cocaine , Carvajal, Hugo , Aruba , Bribery and Kickbacks , Venezuela , Drug Enforcement Administration , Colombia , Drug Abuse and Traffic

Former Venezuelan Intelligence Chief Arrested in Aruba

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

Aruban officials said they arrested the former Venezuelan general at the request of American authorities, who have accused him of involvement in drug trafficking.

July 25, 2014, Friday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Aruba , Carvajal, Hugo , Maduro, Nicolas , Extradition , Venezuela , United States International Relations , Drug Abuse and Traffic

Influx of South Americans Drives Miami’s Reinvention

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

As South Americans flock to Miami, their influence has transformed the city’s once recession-dampened downtown, enriched its culture and magnified its allure for businesses.

July 20, 2014, Sunday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Argentina , South America , Cuba , Brazil , Miami (Fla) , Hispanic-Americans , Latin America , Venezuela , Immigration and Emigration , Cuban-Americans , Colombia

Sale of Paper in Venezuela Raises Fears on Freedom

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

Secrecy surrounds the new ownership of a leading pro-opposition newspaper, El Universal, leading some to suspect the hand of government supporters in the deal.

July 15, 2014, Tuesday

MORE ON VENEZUELA AND: Chavez, Hugo , Venezuela , News and News Media , Maduro, Nicolas , Rojas, Elides J , Freedom of the Press , Newspapers , El Universal

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Venezuela at a Glance

Official Name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Capital: Caracas (Current local time)
Government Type: Federal republic
Head of State: President Nicolás Maduro Moros
Population: 28.9 million
GDP Per Capita: $13,600
Currency: bolivars (VEB)
Website: presidencia.gob.ve

Related Links: Hugo Chavez

Venezuela Navigator

A list of resources about Venezuela as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.

Multimedia

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Hugo Chávez’s Rise to Power

Mr. Chávez rose from poverty to unrivaled influence in Venezuela as its president, consolidating power and wielding the country’s oil reserves as a tool for his Socialist-inspired change.