Maduro tries the old trick out of desperation: to blame his problems on the US and to excite anti-American sentiment. Take some Haldol, commandante - you need it, and get a one way ticket to Cuba, while you still can!

Maduro' Sarcophagus: Sleep well, baby; have sweet dreams...

Caracas is “a fascist-free territory” except for just one very well known fascist: Maduro himself!

“Freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are universal human rights,” Kerry’s statement read. “They are essential to a functioning democracy, and the Venezuelan government has an obligation to protect these fundamental freedoms and the safety of its citizens.”

» Showdown looms for Venezuela, as protest leader Leopoldo López vows new march
17/02/14 15:44 from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post
MEXICO CITY — After five days of bloody student-led street protests, Venezuela appeared headed for a dangerous new showdown, as opposition leader Leopoldo López said he will emerge from hiding Tuesday to lead a new anti-government march....

BBC News - Venezuelan president on US diplomat expulsions

Monday February 17th, 2014 at 11:01 AM

BBC News - Home

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Venezuela has announced it is expelling three US diplomats, whom it accuses of plotting to sabotage the economy.

President Nicolas Maduro said he has evidence that the trio took part in a power-grid sabotage in September and had bribed Venezuelan companies to cut down production.

Venezuela expels three U.S. diplomats on charges of spurring protests

Monday February 17th, 2014 at 3:34 PM

Reuters: World News

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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela ordered the expulsion of three U.S. diplomats on Monday on charges of recruiting university students to lead demonstrations that have left three dead in the OPEC nation's most serious violence since President Nicolas Maduro's election in April.

• Maduro convoca a una movilización para el sábado como rechazo y condena al "fascismo" - 2/14/2014 - NTN24

Maduro: "Don't worry, be happy; and if you are not, I will kill you!"

BBC News - Venezuela to create 'ministry of happiness'

Monday February 17th, 2014 at 10:54 AM

BBC News - Home

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the creation of a new Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness.

Mr Maduro says the agency will co-ordinate the anti-poverty programmes created by the late President Hugo Chavez, but others suspect the move is purely political, coming six weeks before municipal elections.

The country has inflation of almost 50% and suffers from chronic shortages of basic goods such as staple foods and toilet roll.

Emily Thomas reports.

BBC News - Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro in 60 seconds

Monday February 17th, 2014 at 10:50 AM

BBC News - Home

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has already switched on his Christmas lights at the presidential palace and made sure workers have received their festive bonus - despite it being only November.

Venezuela is holding municipal elections in a few weeks and Mr Maduro, who has been in power for six months, is keen to win votes.

BBC News examines some of the moves he has made since he became president, some of which his opponents claim are aimed at boosting his popularity.

Selected News Stories: "The debate over Puerto Rico’s status needs to be settled once and for all so that its people can focus on fostering a more prosperous future.” - US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR | Venezuela to expel US officials - BBC | Venezuela expulsa a tres diplomáticos de EEUU

» US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR
16/02/14 11:59 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR statehood Issued: February 13, 2014 New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich has filed legislation in Congress calling for a federally sanctioned “Yes” or “No” plebiscite on Puerto...

US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR statehood

By CB Online Staff

cbnews@caribbeanbusinesspr.com; cbprdigital@gmail.com

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich has filed legislation in Congress calling for a federally sanctioned “Yes” or “No” plebiscite on Puerto Rico statehood.

The measure, co-sponsored by fellow Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, mirrors a bill filed in the U.S. House of Representatives last year by Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi. It comes as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is about to release an economic analysis on the impact of statehood.

“In 2012, 54 percent of Puerto Ricans rejected their current relationship with the United States. We have a responsibility to act on that referendum, and this step is critical in that effort. My home state of New Mexico spent 66 years as a territory before gaining statehood in 1912 — the longest of any state,” Heinrich said. 

“Puerto Rico has spent nearly 116 years as an American territory. That’s long enough. The debate over Puerto Rico’s status needs to be settled once and for all so that its people can focus on fostering a more prosperous future.”

Pierluisi’s HR 2000 has yet to be taken up by the House Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over territorial issues.

“Those of us who seek equality and justice through statehood understand that this struggle requires passion and determination, but that it also demands strategic thought and action. The filing of a Senate companion bill to H.R. 2000 demonstrates that the momentum in favor of statehood continues to build. We are closer than ever before to achieving our goal. I thank pro-statehood leaders in Puerto Rico for their support and, in particular, I want to recognize the efforts that former Governor Carlos Romero Barceló has made in the U.S. Senate,” Pierluisi said.

HR 2000, the Puerto Rico Status Resolution Act, is a bipartisan bill that outlines the rights and responsibilities of statehood, provides for a vote in Puerto Rico on the territory’s admission as a state, and describes the steps that the federal government would take if a majority of voters favor admission in a “Yes” or “No” referendum.”

Specifically, the ballot should ask voters a single question: “Do you want Puerto Rico to be admitted as a State of the United States?”

The $1.1 trillion budget approved by Congress last month includes the $2.5 million sought by President Barack Obama to advance a resolution of Puerto Rico’s political status issue. The money would go for voter education and a plebiscite on the island on options that would “resolve” the fundamental question of the island’s future political status.

Wyden and Heinrich have both said that the November 2012 plebiscite showed that a majority of Puerto Ricans don’t favor the current commonwealth status.

Wyden made waves in Puerto Rico last year and drew the ire of the island’s Popular Democratic Party for his blunt dismissal of commonwealth as a future option to resolve the status question as chair of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. He is now chairing the Senate Finance Committee, making him the top tax writer in the upper chamber.

PDP officials ripped the Senate bill.

Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration Director Juan E. Hernández, the García Padilla administration’s point man in Washington, said the bill fails to address the pressing economic needs of the commonwealth and the federal priorities that would improve the lives of nearly 4 million Puerto Ricans.

“This bill shows how out of step some Members of Congress are with what will actually help Puerto Rican families. Puerto Rico needs people to come together to find solutions to our most pressing problems. We need partners on Capitol Hill that will help protect our borders, stem narco-trafficking, encourage a diverse energy portfolio and create federal incentives to boost job creation on the Island. Gov. García Padilla’s administration has been clear from day one that the old political paradigm of statehood being Puerto Rico’s only Washington issue is over. Puerto Ricans in the United States also deserve better than this,” Hernández said.

The $2.5 million in the federal budget for Puerto Rico will be granted to the island’s State Elections Commission “for objective, nonpartisan voter education about, and a plebiscite on, options that would resolve Puerto Rico’s future political status.”

Before any expenditures were made, the U.S. attorney general would have to approve an expenditure plan for “voter education and plebiscite administration, including approval of the plebiscite ballot” and ensure the status options provided to voters weren’t “incompatible with the Constitution and laws and policies of the United States.”

It would mark the first direct federal role in a Puerto Rico status plebiscite since the launch of commonwealth more than 60 years ago.

In a March 2011 report, the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status found that the island’s development needs were hindered by lack of resolution of the ultimate status question. The issue also raises questions about the appropriate federal policies related to Puerto Rico.

It remains to be seen what mechanism would be used to address the status issue. Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla had pledged to convene a constituent assembly this year if Washington doesn’t act. New York Rep. José Serrano and Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi contend the White House language precludes an assembly.

Any federally sanctioned action would likely come at least two years after a locally sponsored referendum on the status issue on election-day in November 2012.

In the plebiscite’s two-question vote, 53.97 percent of voters said they were against continuing Puerto Rico’s current commonwealth territory status. A second question had voters choose among “nonterritorial” alternatives to the current status, with 61.13 percent voting for statehood, 33.34 percent voting for Puerto Rico becoming a nation in a free association with the U.S. and 5.49 percent voting for independence. Some 26 percent of ballots cast were left blank to protest that the status quo was left off the second ballot.

García Padilla maintains that the blank votes dropped support for statehood to just 44 percent. He and his commonwealth Popular Democratic Party argue the ballot was rigged against the current status and that the empty ballots represent a protest against commonwealth’s exclusion from the second question. He had pledged to hold a constituent assembly on the status issue in 2014 if a congressionally binding plebiscite was not held.

The statehood New Progressive Party and Puerto Rican Independence Party maintain that the results of the two-step plebiscite represent a clear rejection of the continuation of the current territorial status. Those voting “no” included statehood supporters, as well as advocates of independence and free association.

The White House, meanwhile, has said “the results were clear, the people of Puerto Rico want the issue of status resolved, and a majority chose statehood in the second question.”

“Now is the time for Congress to act and the administration will work with them on that effort so that the people of Puerto Rico can determine their own future,” reads a statement by the White House issued in early December 2012.

» PERFIL CULTURAL EN EL DESFILE BORICUA
16/02/14 08:40 from Opinión - El Nuevo Día
PERFIL CULTURAL EN EL DESFILE BORICUA La reorganización de la junta directiva del Desfile Puertorriqueño neoyorquino presenta una excelente oportunidad para que el evento vuelva a ser el más grande acto de afirmación cultural de la diásp...


Leopoldo Lopez is a former mayor of Chacao, in eastern Caracas

» Venezuela expulsa a tres diplomáticos de EEUU
17/02/14 00:35 from Metro - Últimas noticias
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — El presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro anunció el domingo que ordenó la...

» VIDEO: Thousands join marches in Venezuela
16/02/14 01:06 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Supporters and opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro take to the streets of Caracas in rival marches amid growing political tension.

» Lista de informaciones principales de la AP
16/02/14 13:12 from Metro - Últimas noticias
Domingo 16 de febrero de 2014Allanan vivienda de líder opositor en VenezuelaKerry critica a quienes...

» Piñera condena violencia en Venezuela
17/02/14 00:05 from Metro - Últimas noticias
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — El presidente chileno Sebastián Piñera condenó el domingo "profunda y...

» Venezuela to expel US officials
16/02/14 23:44 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expels three US consular officials, accusing them of meeting students involved in anti-government protests.

» Venezuela opposition leader defiant
16/02/14 20:41 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who is in hiding after the government ordered his arrest, says he will march in Caracas on Tuesday.

» Venezuela hunts opposition leader
16/02/14 14:09 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuelan police raid the houses of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and his parents, blaming him for inciting unrest.

» Asesinan a dos religiosos en Venezuela
16/02/14 13:40 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Un tercer sacerdote resultó herido durante el incidente ocurrido dentro de un colegio en la ciudad venezolana de Valencia.

» Estudiante presenta la verdad de Venezuela
16/02/14 13:04 from Metro - Últimas noticias
Desde hace varios días, Venezuela vive entre protestas de millones de estudiantes y ciudadanos que...

» Allanan vivienda de líder opositor en Venezuela
16/02/14 12:02 from Metro - Últimas noticias
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Miembros de los cuerpos de seguridad allanaron durante la vivienda del...

» Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan Opposition Leader, Sought By Police After Protests
16/02/14 12:00 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that a police manhunt was underway for Leopoldo Lopez, the hard-line opposition leader behind anti-government demonstrations that ended with three deaths. The so...

» Choque entre estudiantes y agentes de la Guardia Nacional en Venezuela
15/02/14 21:07 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Mientras que las fuerzas de seguridad venezolanas usaron gases lacrimógenos, los jóvenes les lanzaron piedras durante la manifestación contra el gobierno de Maduro.

» Thousands join marches in Venezuela
15/02/14 20:04 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Supporters and opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro take to the streets of Caracas in rival marches amid growing political tension.

» Nuevas protestas en Venezuela a favor y en contra de Maduro
15/02/14 16:41 from Metro - Últimas noticias

» Pierluisi: "Este partido no rehuye a cualquier primaria"
16/02/14 16:22 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El presidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), Pedro Pierluisi, afirmó que no es momento de...

» “Ricky” Rosselló asegura que no le interesa presidencia PNP
16/02/14 17:58 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El activista político Ricardo “Ricky” Rosselló aseguró hoy que "por el momento" no le interesa la...

» "Ricky" Rosselló llega a Arecibo al ritmo de "La macarena"
16/02/14 10:33 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El fundador del movimiento Boricua ahora es!, Ricardo "Ricky" Rosselló, llegó hoy a la cancha...

» Asamblea del PNP aprueba nuevo reglamento
16/02/14 13:17 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) aprobó hoy el reglamento de la colectividad durante su asamblea...

» 81Inicia asamblea del PNP
16/02/14 12:33 from Home - El Nuevo Día
81 Inicia asamblea del PNP 11:00 a.m. La actividad en la que votarán por un nuevo reglamento se realiza en el coliseo Francisco "Pancho" Padilla, en Arecibo Asesinan a septuagenario frente a su residencia en Bayamón Orlando Vega: 20 años...


» Líderes del PNP comienzan a llegar a la asamblea
16/02/14 11:00 from El Nuevo Día : Política
Votarán por un nuevo reglamento

» Jóvenes del PNP protestan contra el Gobierno de García Padilla
16/02/14 10:56 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Ricardo "Ricky" Rodríguez indicó que la actividad se ideó para protestar por las decisiones que ha tomado el Gobierno respecto al aumento de algunos servicios básicos.

» Governor: We'’ve created 41,145 jobs
15/02/14 23:37 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
Governor: We’ve created 41,145 jobs Issued: February 13, 2014 Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said Tuesday that 41,145 jobs have been created since the start of his administration in January 2013, putting him 82... This post has been gener...

» Obama: Ley contra gays es negativa para ugandeses
16/02/14 17:44 from Metro - Últimas noticias
RANCHO MIRAGE, California, EE.UU. (AP) — El presidente Barack Obama advirtió el domingo a Uganda...

» US Rep. Doc Hastings to retire; oversees PR issues in House
17/02/14 08:55 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
US Rep. Doc Hastings to retire; oversees PR issues in House Issued: February 13, 2014 Veteran Republican Rep. Doc Hastings, who oversees Puerto Rico issues in the lower chamber of Congress as chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources....

US Rep. Doc Hastings to retire; oversees PR issues in House

By CB Online Staff

cbnews@caribbeanbusinesspr.com; cbprdigital@gmail.com

Veteran Republican Rep. Doc Hastings, who oversees Puerto Rico issues in the lower chamber of Congress as chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, announced Thursday he’ll retire at the end of the year.

Hastings is considered a critic of statehood for Puerto Rico. He ordered a Government Accountability Office study in late 2011 on the budget impact of statehood for the island. The results of that study are pending.

In the meantime, the Hastings-headed House Natural Resources Committee has not taken up legislation filed in the lower chamber by Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi last May calling for a “Yes” or “No” vote on Puerto Rico statehood. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich filed a companion bill to HR 2000 in the upper chamber this week.

Hastings, 73, represented central Washington for two decades and was a key voice in public lands and energy policy. His district includes national forests, federal wilderness areas, the Grand Coulee Dam, the Yakama Indian Reservation and two massive federal irrigation projects that provide water for much of the state, as well as a vast array of croplands, vineyards and orchards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

» Caribbean Finance Ministers Meet in St Kitts and Nevis
17/02/14 05:30 from Caribbean Journal
TweetAbove: St Kitts (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Ministers of Finance from across the Eastern Caribbean held meetings this weekend in St Kitts. The officials were on the island to attend the 78th Meeting of the Monetary Cou...

» Científicos descubren el lado más atractivo de nuestro rostro
16/02/14 17:35 from Metro - Últimas noticias
De acuerdo con el profesor de psicología de la Universidad Wake Forest, James Schirillo, los...

» Fallece el escritor mexicano Federico Campbell
16/02/14 16:43 from Metro - Últimas noticias
MEXICO (AP) — El escritor, ensayista y periodista mexicano Federico Campbell falleció, informó el...

» Suman 532 las muertes por gripe registradas en México
16/02/14 16:21 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Se pidió a la población extremar medidas preventivas como el lavado frecuente de manos, las visitas al médico y evitar la automedicación para hacer frente al virus.

» Colombian army corruption 'unveiled'
16/02/14 16:41 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos promises a full investigation into allegations that senior army officers were involved in massive corruption.

» Colombia captura a presunto narco buscado por EEUU
16/02/14 14:02 from Metro - Últimas noticias
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — La policía colombiana capturó a un presunto miembro de una red...

» Cuba mob hotel Capri back in business
16/02/14 12:22 from Caribbean Business
Cuba mob hotel Capri back in business HAVANA — In its heyday, Havana’s Capri hotel and casino was the playground of me ... InterCaribbean Airways expands to PR Issued: February 16, 2014 InterCaribbean Airways has launched direct service ...

» The Havana Book Fair Behind the Scenes
16/02/14 00:19 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
Behind the shelves there is another International Book Fair. One barely perceived among the partitions and walls of the exhibition areas. The national newspapers will never report on it, but these parallel and hidden events sustain the o...

» Asesinan septuagenario frente a su casa en Bayamón
16/02/14 11:40 from Metro - Últimas noticias
Un septuagenario fue asesinado a tiros hoy frente a su residencia en la urbanización La Milagrosa,...

» House Democrats To Push Votes On Minimum Wage, Immigration
16/02/14 11:13 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are determined to cast an election-year spotlight on Republican opposition to raising the minimum wage and overhauling immigration laws. To try to accomplish that in the GOP-controlled House, Democrats a...

» These Countries Mull Over Marijuana Legalization After Uruguay Ruling
16/02/14 10:44 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
The marijuana legalization experiments underway in Washington state, Colorado and Uruguay have prompted or accelerated discussion about changing pot laws in many nations, and activists say momentum is building in advance of a special Uni...

» El precio de la desigualdad
16/02/14 10:30 from CNE - Centro Para Una Nueva Economía - Center for a New Economy
Joseph Stiglitz será el orador invitado a la Conferencia Anual del Centro para una Nueva Economía 2014 que se llevará a cabo el viernes 21 de febrero a partir de las 12:00PM en el Hotel Vanderbilt. El CNE cedió este importante recurso, g...

» Retiran toneladas de huevo en polvo ante riesgo a la salud
16/02/14 10:23 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Autoridades temen que estén contaminados con salmonella.

» Caribbean Photo of the Week: Pirate’s Bay in Tobago
16/02/14 09:00 from Caribbean Journal
TweetThe latest Caribbean Photo comes from CJ reader and frequent CPOTW contributor Sabine Fröhlich, who sent in this snapshot of Pirates Bay near Charlotteville in eastern Tobago. Do you have a great CPOTW? Send it to news@caribjournal....

» EEEUU: Mujer reconoce homicidio en entrevista
16/02/14 04:30 from Metro - Últimas noticias
SUNBURY, Pennsylvania, EE.UU. (AP) — Una mujer acusada con su marido de matar a un hombre al que...

» 82El Viejo San Juan se convierte en un circo
15/02/14 19:59 from Home - El Nuevo Día
82 El Viejo San Juan se convierte en un circo 06:05 p.m. Celebran el Primer Festival Internacional de Circo y Artes de Calle de Puerto Rico Continúan las protestas en contra del gobierno de Venezuela Rechazan la muerte de tres personas y...

» EEUU: Expulsan a más militares por mala conducta
15/02/14 17:27 from Metro - Últimas noticias
WASHINGTON (AP) — El número de soldados estadounidenses expulsados del ejército debido a delitos o...

» Guerra por narcotráfico provoca primera masacre del año en Ponce
15/02/14 17:27 from Primera Hora : Noticias
La pugna por el control de puntos de drogas entre dos poderosos bandos pudo haber sido el detonante del incidente registrado en la Ciudad Señorial.

» Bahamas-China Visa Exemption Agreement Officially Begins
15/02/14 16:30 from Caribbean Journal
TweetAbove: the Bahamas By the Caribbean Journal staff The new mutual visa exemption agreement between the Bahamas and China has officially taken effect. The agreement, which was signed in December 2013, allows Bahamian and Chinese citiz...