So far this month, 143 people have been murdered in Caracas. Between Friday night and this morning, the death toll increased by 15.
Caracas is a notoriously dangerous city, and weekend death tolls in the dozens are not unusual.
Just today, there was a shootout inside the Galerias del Avila mall in the La Candelaria neighbourhood of Caracas. According to witnesses, assailants fired at least seven shots, and it is unclear at this time if anyone was injured. The shooting occurred at approximately 2:00 PM.
Below is a picture from the scene:
Apolitical Military an “Aberration”: Army Chief
General-in-Chief Vladimir Padrino Lopez, the Chief of Strategic Command of the Army, said in an interview today that a neutral, apolitical army – as is prescribed in the constitution – is an “aberration”. Lopez explained:
When it [the Constitution] says ‘apolitical’, it’s taking away all of its [the army’s] ability to reason. When it says that it [can’t make political decisions], it’s taking away its capacity to discern, to take decisions.
(…)
When Chavez came in 1999, he found a country that was de-politicized. He used to say that one of the biggest things that was happening in the country was that true politics was coming back.
Lopez also spoke on what Maduro calls the “civil-military union”, an amorphous blend of civilian and military life in which every citizen is charged with the responsibility to defend the revolution as would the army. Maduro’s critics argue that the constitution does not allow for such a union between the army and the civilian population. To Lopez, however, the union is important to guarantee peace in the country, and said that the concept is now mature enough to be put into practice.
Can of Coke = 250 Litres of Gas
In an article published in El Pais today, the author notes that the price Venezuelans pay for a single can of Coca-Cola in their corner market is equivalent to 250 litres of gas at their local station.
The ridiculously low gas prices are the result of a combination of factors, including the fact that gas prices in the country have been frozen since 1996. This, combined with a skyrocketing inflation rate, gives rise to the absurd prices Venezuelans pay at the pump.
When the topic of raising gas prices – even minimally – to help fill government coffers comes up, as it does from time to time, it tends to encourage heated debate, as cheap gas prices have been around for so long that many Venezuelans consider it a birthright. Most famously, the Caracazo of 1989 – which resulted in riots and deaths – began mostly as a response to the government’s announcement of a plan to raise gas prices.
Finally, an Argentinian flag spotted at the World Cup Final today, bearing the image of Chavez:
In Venezuela 