Venezuela’s $100 billion oil industry is seeing the first drop in funding in five years from some of its closest partners, as concern mounts President Hugo Chavez’s battle with cancer is creating a political vacuum, people familiar with the matter said.
The government, which for a decade has disclosed credit lines from China when they’re signed, has announced none since April, according to a report released Jan. 13 by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, known as UNAM. Russian and Indian companies are withholding planned investments in Venezuelan oilfields, according to eight oil company executives and consultants who declined to be identified because they weren’t authorized to talk about the matter publicly.
She’s the babe who wanted the authorities to believe she had no idea the guy she was living with was the leader of the Zodiacs kidnapping gang and that there were three hostages in the house.
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your posts included in next Monday’s Carnival, please email me: faustaw2 “at” gmail “dot” com.
The big stories last week were Hugo Chavez’s nationalizing American food producer Cargill in Venezuela, and the change in the Cuban Communist regime. Developing this week: Nicolas Sarkozy’s first state visit to Mexico, and Lula’s visit to the White House on Saturday.
The Sarko visit, in today’s podcast:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni spent the weekend at the beach and touring Aztec ruins with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Sarkozi’s first state visit to Mexico starts today. He’s expected to discuss the upcoming G-20 meeting, economic crisis and the Florence Cassezcase.
