www.sfgate.com Friday, March 14, 2003
(03-14) 11:29 PST (AP) --

Arrests warrants are out for seven executives of the state-oil monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. The seven are in hiding.

Secret police stormed an opposition march Saturday in an attempt to arrest oil executive Juan Fernandez, who made a surprise brief appearance. The police clashed with protesters, and Fernandez got away.

Opposition leaders have denounced the arrest warrants as political persecution. Chavez says strike leaders must be imprisoned for at least 20 years for inflicting suffering on the population.

Ortega is third Chavez opponent to seek asylum abroad.

Last year, Colombia granted asylum to business leader Pedro Carmona, the figurehead in an April coup that ousted Chavez for two days. El Salvador granted asylum to another alleged coup leader, Vice Admiral Carlos Molina Tamayo.

Chavez opponents accuse him of steering Venezuela's economy into recession with leftist policies. They also say he has accumulated too much power under the guise of a "social revolution" to help the poor.

Chavez says his foes resent his efforts to end social inequality and his success in wresting power from two corrupt traditional parties that ruled Venezuela for 40 years until his 1998 election.

Chavez fired 15,000 workers from the oil monopoly -- almost half the workforce -- for participating in the stoppage. He has threatened to close down four private television stations that gave supportive coverage to the strike.

Venezuela's oil industry -- the source of half of government income and 80 percent of export revenue -- is recovering from the strike. Oil production has reached 2.9 million barrels a day, according to the government. Fired PDVSA executives say it's only 2.1 million barrels a day, about two-thirds of what it was before the strike.

Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter before the strike.

A study by Banco Provincial this week predicted Venezuela's economy would shrink more than 40 percent in the first three months of the year. That would follow a 9 percent contraction in 2002.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

In a weird incident, which seems to becoming common place as rumor takes over from facts, Accion Democratica (AD) leader and opposition chief negotiator, Timoteo Zambrano has come out with a red face after requesting the International Red Cross to search for the estranged wife of President Hugo Chavez Frias, Marisabel Rodriguez.

Reporters discovered Marisabel  shopping for shoes in her native Barquisimeto where she told them that she is in good health and was surprised to hear breaking news that she had “disappeared.”

The former First Lady says she continues to get on with her life keeping a low profile.

“What happened today is a dangerous game at a time when the country needs understanding.”

Zambrano has tried some damage control saying he was tipped off that the President’s former wife was missing. “I can’t reveal the source but it wasn’t, as some media sources allege, a family member … I acted in good faith and am glad to find that she is well."

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) executive secretary Pablo Castro has confirmed that CTV president and failed national stoppage instigator, Carlos Ortega has asked the Costa Rican government for political asylum.

Ortega was reported in residence at the Embassy since early Friday morning. Castro claims, “We are organizing all the necessary red tape so that Ortega can leave the country.”

In a later report Castro retracted and has denied that Ortega is at the Embassy at the moment.  Ambassador Ricardo Lizano has not confirmed the breaking news.

• Sources indicate that the Embassy is keeping the matter under wraps.

An arrest warrant was issued for Carlos Ortega after he refused to turn up for a court hearing about his part in the two-month long national stoppage.

news.bbc.co.uk Last Updated:  Friday, 14 March, 2003, 22:20 GMT

Costa Rica has granted political asylum to a leader of the recent failed strike to oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Carlos Ortega, who faces rebellion and incitement charges, walked into the Costa Rican embassy in Caracas on Friday, saying he feared for his personal safety.

The trade union leader, who had been in hiding, played a key part in the two-month strike which paralysed Venezuela's vital oil industry.

Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Lucas Rincon said Mr Ortega would be given safe passage out of the country.

Popular support

"For humanitarian reasons... [Costa Rica] decided to grant asylum and it has communicated as much to the Venezuelan Government," a Costa Rican foreign ministry statement said.

Hundreds of flag-waving supporters of Mr Ortega surrounded the embassy to cheer him, chanting "Ortega, friend, the people are with you!"

Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel issued a statement in which he did not criticise Costa Rica's decision to grant Mr Ortega asylum but condemned the two-month strike he had helped organise.

"Dangerous events occurred which endangered the life and physical safety of the population," he said.

Crackdown

Mr Ortega had been in hiding since 20 February when a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

The president of the one-million-strong Venezuelan Workers Confederation was initially accused of treason, rebellion and incitement though the charge of treason was later withdrawn.

Chavez regards strike leaders as traitors

Another leader of the strike, Carlos Fernandez of the Venezuelan business confederation Fedecameras, is currently under house arrest awaiting trial on the same charges.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for seven fugitive executives of the state oil monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela SA.

President Chavez has allowed two other major political foes to leave the country over the past year:

• Pedro Carmona, who briefly replaced him as president during April's coup, was allowed to leave for Colombia

• Naval officer Carlos Molina, who faced an investigation for his part in the coup, was granted refuge in El Salvador

Venezuela's strike, which petered out in February, was the culmination of unrest against President Chavez, a populist leader with leftist tendencies who narrowly survived a coup in 2002.

His critics accuse him of amassing power and damaging the economy with his policies.

Venezuela, once the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, is still recovering from the strike.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Thais J. Gangoo

VHeadline.com lifestyle correspondent Thais J. Gangoo writes: A short word that brings the spice to our lives!  

There's no night life in Caracas without a cold beer ... no one of ever knew how important it was for us until last December when it practically disappeared from our kitchens, discos, supermarkets and even liquor stores, giving the chance to our traditional “Guarapita” to show up again more than ever before. Of course, no one could find our queen, so people started inventing all kinds of cocktails so they could enjoy at least a nice “Dominoes game” during the strike.

 A couple of months ago, people would pay up to Bs 3,000 for only one beer. Right now we can find a beer for even Bs 350each!  No wonder now the streets of Caracas are full of people from all ages after 12 in the morning hanging out with their buddies, drinking beer, dancing and having all the fun they missed during the strike. Although, asking for a beer has become not an easy task for some. There are so many options to order a beer. And it has been the idea of the owners of many places located in Caracas so people can keep their pockets from being empty. We can see them served in big jars, buckets, bottles and all kinds of containers. We can enjoy a beer in so many ways!

What about those Venezuelans who life overseas?  Can they find a “Birra” wherever they are?

In many places around the world people can ask for one and experience the taste our cherished beer ... I'm pretty sure our VHeadline.com readers in the US can find it easily because I did, when I lived there ... you guys are going to love it!

Beer is one of the most famous beverages in the world and it has become one way of helping people to celebrate any occasion  and relax. Now, here comes a question: What is it in beer that makes it so special? Beer is just a mixture of some barley, hops, water and yeast besides those special other ingredients each company has. Going through several steps until we get the final product delivered anywhere we are ... the “Birra” ... that’s how we call it in Venezuela, our faithful friend anytime. Moreover, there are many facts about beer that we don’t know about.

For instance…  Did you know that...

Just like cereals, beer is a rich source of B vitamins ?

Drinking a bottle of beer a day can reduce the risk of kidney stones about 40%?

The first to brew beer where the Egyptians?

It takes 1500 gallons of water to make 1 barrel of beer?

Beer is less fattening than milk?

In the Andes, a corn based beer called Chicha is produced by allowing Amyltylic Enzymes in human saliva to break down starches into sugars?

The world Guinness World Beer record in 1979 was reached when Steven Petrocino drank a liter of beer in 1.3 seconds?

Isn’t that interesting?  We all drink it if not every weekend once in a while, but maybe some of us didn’t know these facts about beer. I'm pretty sure there is still a lot more information about it.

After midnight… 

Last week, I was invited to go out to a well known place located in Las Mercedes. For all our VHeadline.com readers who don’t know ... Las Mercedes is like South Beach for all the “Caraquenos” ... it's the neighborhood where all the streets are decorated with lights and all kinds of designs specially made for the discos, pubs, and restaurants there. Places for all tastes ... from the most elegant places to the informal cafeteria ... and, if you're lucky enough, you get to see the stars from the TV shows and even famous characters we have seen on the news lately...

Sometimes our eyes are not fast enough to see the newest bikes and cars that some like to show off when they go out ... people go to Las Mercedes to have fun, and show off what they've got!

It’s the place to be … if you want to be seen!

Get the party started…

After-hours making calls and deciding what time to meet in that place, we finally got there. We had agreed that we would meet there at 10 o’clock, however, just like most Venezuelans, some of our friends got there after 11 or so. It is funny, but some things we’ll never change, and one of them is the quality of being late sometimes when we go out to party.

When we got there, the place was empty ... for a moment I thought people were not going out as much as before for any reason, and I truly couldn’t believe it. Venezuelans like to party no matter what! Anyway, we ordered a bucket-full of beers and waited for the others. Of course we couldn’t forget the popcorn and the chicken wings!

Amazingly, the place was packed after almost 1 o’clock in the morning ... people do go out and they do enjoy it!

Later and later each day, and I keep wondering why ... why do we go out that late, when we could go out earlier and have more time to have a blast?

That’s a good question that some of our VHeadline.com readers might like to wonder about ... try to answer and even help me understand.

After a few hours, we left the place and drove around the city. Oh, what else can we ask for? At that time you can see it all you have never seen before; from some silly fights to the newest romance being born. You can even seen others helping their buddies get back on their feet or get them into a taxi, making sure they get home safe.

Of course there is a sad side to the story too … a little girl, or a little boy, selling flowers and all kind of things to bring home some money, and even a homeless person looking inside a trashcan to get something to eat. Sadly, there is always the other side of the story.

Before going home…

At the end of the night (or should I say the beginning of the day?), it's impossible to miss an “Arepa,”  a “Cachapa,” or even a hot dog on the street ... that’s the best part for some Caraquenos … there nothing like having a great time with your buddies drinking beer and dancing ... and then before going home, to have “Breakfast” around 5 o'clock.

Hopefully, we all remember what we did the night before, after we wake up. And believe me ... if we don’t. that means we probably had such a great time. Don’t think too much about the hangover you probably got thanks to the “Birra.” We all wish to have a delicious soup waiting for us to start the day again and wait for our welcome Monday!

There is no doubt about it….

“Venezuelans bring the spirit to the party, and the beer is the Queen of our weekends!”