tv Venezuela BBC News January 24, 2021 5:30pm-6:01pm GMT
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cold ground, air coming in over the cold ground, misty and murky. lots of low cloud, some rain because there are still numerous flood warnings. the ground is saturated. it comes into the cold air, there'll be some further snowfall. it looks as if the air will hang on in the for the —— far north. not that much rain, but the second weather front coming in wednesday looks more vigorous. we will see more persistent rain. clearly that is a cause for concern. in the meantime, we've still got that snow around. we couldn't have that snow around. we couldn't have that cold air hanging on in the north. if you are heading out, please head to our website where all our warnings are listed.
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hello, this is bbc news with tim wilcox. the headlines: more than 70 cases of the south african variant of covid are identified in the uk — amid concerns the vaccine may be less effective against it. ministers say numbers are being closely monitored. we have an enhanced contact tracing to do everything we possibly can to stop them from spreading. some enjoy the wintry conditions as snow and ice sweep across the uk — but severe weather warnings are in place for many areas. the number of covid—i9 cases in the united states passes 25 million — with the death toll soaring to nearly 418,000. leaving the union — the snp lays out what it's calling a road map to a new referendum on scottish independence. and joy in china — as 11 gold miners who'd been trapped underground for two weeks are rescued.
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now on bbc news. it was once the richest democracy in latin america, but under president nicolas maduro, venezuela has been in an economic tailspin. venezuela was once considered by many as the crown jewel of south america. but that golden era is long gone. its economy is in crisis, oil prices have slumped as has production. and 60% of venezuelans now live in poverty. president maduro has been accused of dragging the economy into freefall but the opposition has not succeeded in unseating him. there is no solution in sight and all the while venezuela is in the grip of covid—i9.
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what is the future for venezuela? and how did it come to this? beauty that has been brought to its knees. venezuela may boast the largest proven oil reserves in the world, but it is now better known for the hunger and economic woes piled on its people each and every day. when this is your only chance of a decent meal, it is worth waiting for. soup kitchens are not new here. before covid—i9, people struggled to work, to pay for basic meals, to survive.
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but the past year has been tougher than ever for venezuelans. those making lunch are mothers themselves and everyone here helps each other out. in these covid—i9 times, the soup kitchen can no longer provide a safe space to eat. instead, every child who relies on lunch brings their own pot to take back home. for dailys, the last year has been a struggle.
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i've been covering venezuela for several years, the suffering is everywhere to see. and every time i return, life feels harder. the same man is in power and the same problems just get worse. venezuela newly rich from vast oil reserves is developing other resources... the collapse of the country's oil industry is astonishing. it was in the 1920s that venezuela became a massive oil producer. by the 1970s, the oil bonanza meant it was the richest
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country in latin america. but the sector is a shadow of its former self. years of neglect and mismanagement and a crash in the oil price, and more recently the us sanctions, have piled on the pressure. the industry has never recovered and that has hit the country hard. more than five million people have now left venezuela. president maduro was elected in 2013. he is being blamed for driving the economy further into the ground. he blames us sanctions for the problems venezuela faces. the us, once the largest purchaser of their oil, no longer buys any. mr maduro was elected for a second term, in a poll that was highly controversial, a vote that the
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opposition boycotted. it was in the shadow of elections deemed neitherfree orfair, but this man started to become well known. as leader of the national assembly, his prominence rose and citing several articles of the constitution, he declared himself acting president, a decision that was backed by around 50 countries. but two years on, despite the political wrangling, the man sitting in the palace is still president nicolas maduro. he is going nowhere for now. in december, the government insisted on holding parliamentary elections to vote for a new national assembly. while the opposition boycotted it once again, there are still those who feel voting is important. candidates rallied, supporters turned up and it's this man, hugo chavez, who keeps them going.
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chavez was the charismatic leader who started the revolution back in 1999. the man who, through socialism, promised a better future for venezuelans, so long forgotten. today, venezuela is not the same as it was. it is poorer, there's malnutrition, unemployment is rising. but chavezismo is a religion not easily given up. this man is the son of president maduro and was one of the candidates running in december�*s election.
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he evoking chavez was a way nito people's hearts. a message believed by many in the crowds. but in among the supporters, there is also apathy, even fear. so often masked in these crowds. people unwilling to talk on camera but who told us they felt compelled to vote for benefits, forjobs, for what is left
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of their livelihoods. unsurprisingly, government loyalists won the election. but the opposition continues to fight on. butjuan guaido has become irrelevant to so many, he's no longer a politician in the national assembly. and despite him arguing that his position still stands because of the corrupt government, fewer people now stand by him. this trip felt very different than the rest.
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normally a country so fixated by the political game, now it feels like there are more people united in batting away politicians of all stripes. rather than opting to pick a side. if nobody can fix the problems, why vote for them at all? jonathan lives with his three children in a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of caracas.
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when covid hit, president nicolas maduro imposed a tough lockdown. life got even harder. and his grip on power ever tighter. with hospitals across the country looking like this, lacking basic sanitation and equipment, the government knew that this system could not cope if the virus took hold. not far away from where jonathan lives, this covid ward has been busy. while the government boasts about keeping numbers relatively low compared to neighbours like brazil, medical professionals warn despite the threats, with such little testing that real numbers are vastly underreported.
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and like so much of the world, over the christmas period, restrictions were eased and people started to relax. doctors are now warning the country is in the middle of a second wave and one that many fear will be far more serious than the first. but they're still scared about speaking out. lockdown allowed us to prepare with the pandemic. and we did collect some donations and things that allowed us to attend the first patients. but now, we have run out of all of that and it is hard to find people right now who will donate protection equipment and medicine for hospitals, so we are struggling, really. when a patient comes
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in and needs oxygen, are you needing to turn them away and say, we cannot help? right now, we are doing that because all of our beds with oxygen are occupied. and so, new patients that have come from yesterday or the day before, we have been forced to turn them away. all of this in the context of an economy on its knees. this is a country where hyperinflation is rampant. last year, it was around 6,000%. worthless banknotes dumped on the streets tell you all you need to know about the country's problems. in the past year or so, there have been some improvements. allowing the use of dollars, for example. it has released a much—needed pressure valve in the economy. and it has gone some way to reviving it. in caracas, you can see examples
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of that recovery clearly. the hotel is a national icon and it has just been renovated and reopened. the government is hoping it can help boost tourism in this troubled country. the hotel is 2000 metres above sea level and sits on top of a mountain range overlooking caracas and the caribbean coast and it was built in the 1950s during the dictatorship. it was a time the country was oil—rich and it was a show of power, politics and modernity. carlos is one of the managers. he showed me around.
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here for three months and the people are trying to get the level down with a pump but it doesn't get turned on every day and when it doesn't it floods once again. franklin's trying to salvage what he could from his home. franklin explains there is a lake on the other side of the street. recent rains have exacerbated flooding here. covid—19 feels like the least of franklin's problems. the water alone is giving him breathing issues. 2020 has been a tough year. his neighbour shows me into her place. still a government supporter, she does not blame nicolas maduro for all of her struggles. most of the belongings were ruined
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it is hard to comprehend. driving even the shortest distance is a logistical challenge. everywhere you go, you see queues. years of underinvestment and mismanagement made all the harder by us sanctions on the oil sector has led to this. venezuela's once prosperous oil industry up in smoke. the queue for petrol goes all the way up the block and comes back along here and it goes up there, around the corner and up another block and around the street. they have been waiting hours here and sometimes they wait days and you can see people spending their nights in the car. betsy is still exasperated. this is a petrol queue and drivers are waiting in line,
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it is all about survival now. he does not want to be identified, but he has turned the petrol shortage to his advantage. he fills his tank up and sells at twice the price. it may not be legal, but in today's venezuela, people do what they have to do. we've never lived through something like this, he says. he says he also buys fuel from the military and they have access to everything, and are the ones in control. across venezuela, not just in the big cities, life continues to be a struggle. it's dawn on the caribbean coast. but do not be fooled, this is no paradise. they bring in the first catch of the day, but they're disappointed. they will be lucky if they get $3 each from this haul. they'd head back out to sea if they could, but they cannot get hold of the fuel.
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as night falls, one last trip, one last chance for a decent catch. but today is not their day. and they've used a precious tank of petrol for nothing. with no guarantees that tomorrow will be any better. and what will tomorrow bring for venezuela? nobody knows. years of political wrangling and polarisation and attempts at changing the course of the country have led to nothing. a new us administration could mean a new approach, but nobody�*s hopeful of a radical shake—up anytime soon. the only thing that seems guaranteed is more of the same, economic hardship and political stalemate.
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hello there. some of us have seen our first significant snow of the winter today, but it has been causing treacherous conditions out and about on the roads because it has been settling as you can see here in gloucestershire but, even on the faster routes, it settled. it cleared away, but showers followed on, but the snow is still falling in some areas and, with the surfaces damp, ice will be a problem for many through the evening and overnight. treacherous conditions because the snow ground to a halt somewhere, as you can see, across north wales, the north midlands, into southern parts of northern england. those sort of areas across to east anglia seen quite a bit of snow falling and covering the ground, and further centimetres to come as it returns southwards this evening on top of the snow that
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we've already had. it does eventually clear away but it will be treacherous. the snow showers will continue in the north with a widespread frost, freezing fog and temperature is -80 -9. frost, freezing fog and temperature is —8 and —9. so, yes, several centimetres of snow during the day today, more to come this evening, but drier for england and wales and northern ireland. a few showers coming in here, a few more showers for scotland again, even in the central, southern areas, a cold day but not as cold as today because we will not have the cloud cover. more sunshine but it will still feel cold. lighter winds under a ridge of high pressure but that does not last long. by tuesday, a battle with the atlantic are trying to displace the cold arctic air we have been sitting on to the last two or three days but it's reluctant to clear away so you get all the smart, most air which will turn misty and murky, lots of low cloud, some rain, unwelcome because there are numerous flood warnings in force, the rivers are very sensitive to any more rain on the ground
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is saturated. the rain comes into colder and further snowfall, that cold air will hang on in the far north and east of the uk. that first weather front fizzling out, not that much rain on it, but the second weather front will see more persistent rain coming in here so clearly that is a cause for concern. meantime though we still have that snow around. so we could have that cold air hanging on in the north. if you're heading out please do check out our website where all the warnings are listed.
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this is bbc news. the headlines at six... more than 70 cases of the south african variant of covid are identified in the uk amid concerns the vaccine may be less effective against it. ministers say numbers are being closely monitored. we have an enhanced contact tracing to do everything we possibly can to stop them from spreading. the number of covid—19 cases in the united states passes 25 million, with the death toll soaring to nearly 418,000. israel announces it will ban incoming flights from monday evening until the end ofjanuary in order to try and contain the spread of coronavirus. celebrations in china as 11 gold miners who'd been trapped underground
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