Chavez on the offensive
The week's news at a glance.
Caracas
President Hugo Chavez sent soldiers to take over civilian police stations in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, this week. Angry citizens rushed out in protest, shouting “Get out!” and banging pots and pans. Chavez said strikes by some officers during a six-week labor dispute were threatening public safety. “We must impose authority,” he said. Opposition leaders accused Chavez of trying to scare them into dropping calls for a referendum on his rule, which they said was leading the country to ruin. Foreign diplomats are trying to broker a peaceful solution, said political analyst Michael Shifter, but hope is fading. “The situation is very volatile and could easily get out of control,” he said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Tattoo prediction
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published