By Hector Pereira Caracas, Jul 7 (EFE).- Signs of an incipient economic recovery in Venezuela are apparent in the country’s GDP growth and lower inflation rate relative to previous periods, although social inequality and the precarious state of basic services remain persistent problems. The recently improved macroeconomic situation in that oil-rich nation, whose economy had …
By Hector Pereira Caracas, Jun 27 (EFE).- To be openly LGBTI in Venezuela means to live without rights that fellow citizens take for granted. An unwritten law bars gay men from giving blood, while trans people struggle to change their names despite the existence of legislation that specifically allows it. More broadly, sexual minorities in …
By Hector Pereira Caracas, Jun 23 (EFE).- Francisco Machado brings a great deal of passion to his role as a doctor, but he is equally dedicated and enthusiastic when putting on a wig, makeup and a dress and transforming himself into his feminine alter ego Vitiliga. “I’m 27 years old and I’m a medical surgeon …
By Hector Pereira Caracas, Jun 14 (EFE).- Drugs, medical equipment, cleaning supplies and office paper are all in limited supply at Venezuelan hospitals. But although that is nothing new in a country racked by recession and hobbled by harsh sanctions put in place by the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, the government …
By Sabela Bello and Hector Pereira Caracas, May 19 (EFE).- She served as Hugo Chavez’s head nurse and also oversaw the administration of Venezuela’s oil wealth, while her husband was the powerful politician’s top bodyguard. Both with a military background, that married couple exuded power and in the eyes of the Caribbean nation’s people appeared …