Caracas Chronicles

The Venezuelan Center for Disease Classification (CEVECE) was founded in 1955 and for years spearheaded the region’s efforts to develop trustable, comparable and standardized epidemiologic data. Now, its future looks as grim as expected in a country facing the worst health crisis in the continent.

Venezuelan Art students deal with many obstacles: little access to technical resources and supplies, crime, decaying infrastructures, few teachers left, a practically nonexistent industry and no hope of things getting better any time soon. How come there are still people studying art, then?

We took to the streets in order to take a closer look at the motor vehicle census 2018. We didn’t see long lines; but desinformation, political proselytism, confusion and fear of losing the little we have left.

As the healthcare crisis worsens, several reports have come to light regarding the death of 16 children in a Barquisimeto hospital. The deaths are attributed to bacteria serratia marcescens and the negligence of authorities who would rather silence the victims than help prevent more cases.

Several Venezuelan digital news outlets have been under serious cyber-attacks recently and news site El Pitazo was blocked for the third time in a year. Nobody explains the reasons behind the decision.

Isaac López and over a dozen of his neighbors went to jail for protesting in their town square. He still has to show up in court every fifteen days and spend his monthly salary defending himself of a crime he didn’t commit.

Venezuelan military and police forces have become the worst type of authority: bullies with a badge. The government loves them, but society resents them.

The first university in Venezuela was founded in 1721 and officially started functioning as such on this day in 1725. It later became the UCV, the house that, to this day, defeats the shadows.

We interviewed Juan Requesens a few days before he was snatched from home by the government's intelligence police. There's still no information of the young legislator's whereabouts.

The ANC has behaved the way we expected: as an instrument of political control. Nonetheless, will this political monster grow even more powerful against its enemies? Or against itself?

We could argue that there’s a powerful triad keeping the government in power. Decreasing population, money sent in by the diaspora and gubernamental handouts. It seems to be working, but for how long?

Trash is all around us in the fine city of Maracaibo. Mayor Willy Casanova won’t do anything about it, and people don’t know what to do with the trash. Or perhaps they do: burn it.

Enrollments in the military don’t fulfill the quota and soldiers’ salaries are insufficient. Apparently, only a few want to be part of the Venezuelan Armed Forces and participate in the country’s integral development.

NPR’s Planet Money hosts Sarah Gonzalez and Alisa Escarse interviewed Rubén Galindo, CEO of AirTM, and Mila, who used to save her money on sacks of sugar.

“Hell on Earth” is how Maracaibo residents describe the city undergoing a terrible electricity crisis, unthinkable in any other modern nation. And you know what the government will do about it: absolutely nothing.

The witch hunt that’s just starting won’t distinguish between criminals and innocents.

Under CONATEL’s orders, pay-TV carriers were forced to take down Deutsche Welle for broadcasting a documentary on Venezuela. As if this weren’t enough, they dismissed the incident reports as “fake news”.

As the border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela awaits a response from The Hague, the Esequibo struggles with illegal gangs who are violently imposing their will.

Cuba pulled off one of the great intelligence feats of all times: gaining virtual control of a much larger, much richer country without firing a shot. So why did they let Venezuela collapse?

The deliberate shortage of newsprint for most Venezuelan papers has been a good strategy for the communicational hegemony. But it now seems like it has backfired and blown up all over their presses, too.

José Ibarra’s last paycheck was five million bolivars, less than two dollars. He spends one million only in transport. He hasn’t bought a new pair of shoes in three years and when he tweeted a photo of his worn out shoes, Venezuelans stepped up to help.

Venezuelan public universities are on the brink of collapse. Will they ever be able to stand on their feet again? How can universities reconquer their autonomy? Spoiler alert: it’s about money.

There are still more questions than answers about what happened on Saturday at Bolívar Av. Here’s what we do know.

Naky weighs in on the facts as the smoke clears after an incident during the 81st anniversary of the National Guard, which the government is treating like an assassination attempt against Nicolás Maduro.