Venezuela Takes Fifth Miss Universe Title

After we posted last week on a documentary about Miss Venezuela, it seems that the country has nabbed its fifth Miss Universe title.

The victorious Dayana Mendoza is from Amazonas State (yes, that’s where the tributaries of the Amazon River are), but like so many Venezuelans, she also has family in New York City.

Yesterday’s win makes Venezuela second only to the U.S. — and tied with Puerto Rico — for the record number of Miss Universe titles. The last time Venezuela took home the sash was in 1996.

Read more about how Venezuelans are reacting to the news.

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Venezuela’s Top National Park Turns 50

Venezuela’s most-visited national park turns 50 this year!

Parque Nacional El Avila is just outside of Caracas, encompassing the steep, forested mountains that stand between the capital city and the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean. Hiking on the more than 100 miles of trails that criss-cross El Avila is a common Sunday ritual for many residents of Caracas, who take in breathtaking vistas of the landscape and the city below.

Alternately, visitors can take the teleferico (the cable car seen here) to the top, which stands 7,000 feet above the city. Here, there are refreshments resting spots, including an ice skating rink and the famous Hotel Humboldt.

El Avila was decreed a national park on December 12th, 1958. This year, to mark the anniversary of its founding, events are taking place throughout the year. To read more in Spanish, click here.

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Behind the Scenes With Miss Venezuela

You’ve probably heard that Venezuelan women are some of the most beautiful in the world. Well, it’s part coincidence, part hard work.

This 22-minute documentary by Journeyman Pictures ventures into the Miss Venezuela scene — and the strange world of head honcho Osmel Sosa — to see the drama and the personalities behind the scenes of Venezuela’s huge beauty industry. Get ready for some controversial stuff: plastic surgery, dieting, and racism.

Click here to watch.

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Images from the Caracas Underground

The Caracas metro is a point of pride for the city. It’s fast, clean, affordable, and safe — a favorite means of transportation for residents of the nation’s capital since 1983. Want to know more? Visit C.A. Metro de Caracas.

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Venezuela Vies for World Domination… at Dominoes

In Venezuela, dominoes are considered a sport. This is according the Orlando Sentinel, which reports today that Disney World is hosting the 6th Annual Domino World Championship this week to determine the top tiles player.

The head of the International Domino Federation, which organizes the event, is a Venezuelan man named Lucas Guittard. Many others involved also hail from Venezuela.

It is no coincidence, for the game is well-loved throughout the country, from Caracas to Canaima. Players often take it seriously, whether they compete in official matches or simply while sipping rum with friends.

This week’s world domino competition will be filmed by ESPN Deportes and aired later this summer. In the meantime, read this article from the New York Times about how dominoes are played in Haiti.

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Venezuela Proposes Global Alternative Media Network

Last week, Venezuela hosted the 7th Conference of Information Ministers of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. The event brought representatives from 80 countries together to discuss common projects.

One of these was a proposal from Venezuela to create a Non-Aligned News Network (NNN). The network would provide news from and for the 118 countries that make up what is known as the “Global South.” Often, countries in the developing world must rely on news produced abroad, but the new initiative could break their dependence on foreign media.

Venezuelan Communication Minister Andres Izarra explained that the purpose of the initiative is to “balance information and democratize the presence of the countries of the South in worldwide communication.”

To read more, click here and here.

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Happy Independence Day, Wherever You Are!

Feliz Dia de Independencia!

July 5th marked the 197th anniversary of Venezuela’s independence from Spain. In honor of that event, we invite readers to send pictures of themselves holding the Venezuelan flag to venworld (at) veninfo.org

The best ones will be posted on this site. Be sure to tell us your name and where the picture was taken.

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Venezuela Reacts to Colombia Hostage Rescue

Yesterday’s rescue of 15 hostages in Colombia was celebrated widely.

U.S. citizens Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves, and Thomas Howes returned safely to Texas, and Ingrid Betancourt was reunited with her children. Watch BBC footage of the happy return here.

The Venezuelan government expressed satisfaction with the liberation, according to Bloomberg. Here are some excerpts of a statement released in Spanish by the Ministry of Foreign Relations on its website:

“The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, has undertaken intensive efforts in favor of a humanitarian accord in Colombia. His mediation brought the first liberations of Colombian citizens held hostage by the FARC. …Hence we appreciate and share in the happiness brought by the liberation and reunion in all its magnitude.

Our government reiterates its public appeal to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to liberate the captives it still holds. We hope as well that this will open a path to a humanitarian accord, the dismantling of the war, and the achievement of peace.”

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Ingrid Betancourt and 3 U.S. Men Rescued in Colombia

Breaking news! We just heard that the government of Colombia has announced that it “rescued” 15 captives held by the FARC in Colombia.

The freed captives include French-born politician Ingrid Betancourt and U.S. military contractors Marc Gonsalves, Tom Howes, and Keith Stansell (pictured here).

This would have happened a lot sooner if Uribe had not canceled the humanitarian mediation by President Chavez! He brokered the release of six civilian hostages in January and February of this year.

UPDATE: read articles by the AP, Reuters, BBC, and Al Jazeera.

ANOTHER UPDATE: more from the New York Times, Bloomberg, and AFP.

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Venezuelan Music Tip: Autopista Sur

Autopista Sur is one of the best new rock bands on the scene in Venezuela. The quartet formed in 2005, and has performed at clubs and festivals throughout the country, often alongside other groups we like, such as Los Amigos Invisibles and Papashanty.

The band members are all from Caracas, and they gather inspiration from the urban landscape and the awkward fractures of its modern aesthetic. To read more in Spanish, click here.

To hear music by Autopista Sur and watch videos, visit their MySpace page. The song featured in the video below, “Caracas se quema” (Caracas is burning) is the title track of their brand new album.

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Bank of the South Begins with $10 Billion

The Bank of the South (or in Spanish, Banco del Sur) is an institution that promises to help Latin American countries help themselves.

Founded late last year, the Bank has just announced it will begin operations with US$10 billion in startup capital. This amount may climb to as much as $20 billion. Each country’s contribution is directly proportionate to the size of its economy. Member states are Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (see their economy ministers pictured here).

What are the benefits? The new Bank of the South gives countries a new option for how to finance development programs. Priority areas are infrastructure, industry, housing, transportation, and human capacity-building.

Most importantly, the Bank creates an opportunities for cooperation and mutual assistance among countries in the region. Instead of relying on financial institutions like the IMF, which issued loans tied to policy demands, nations can soon borrow on their own terms.

Read more about the IMF’s decline in Latin America in the this report and this opinion piece.

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