Reuters: Wave of looting shutters stores, spreads fear in Venezuela
CARACAS/SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (Reuters) - A wave of looting by hungry mobs across Venezuela has left streets of shuttered shops in provincial towns and pushed some store owners to arm themselves with guns and machetes, stirring fear that the turmoil could spread to the capital Caracas.
Worsening food shortages and runaway inflation have unleashed the spate of pillaging since Christmas in the South American country, in which seven people have reportedly died.
The unrest was sparked by shortages of pork for traditional holiday meals, despite socialist President Nicolas Maduro’s promise of subsidized meat to alleviate shortages.
Looters have ransacked trucks, supermarkets and liquor stores across the nation of 30 million people, which ranks as one of the most violent in the world.
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WNU Editor: Venezuela's money is now worthless .... Venezuelan Hyperinflation Explodes, Soaring Over 440,000 Percent (Bloomberg).More here .... In Venezuela, money has stopped working (Washington Post).
More News On The Crisis In Venezuela
Protests In Venezuela Lead To Store Closures In Provincial Towns -- International Business Times
Venezuela’s Oil Production Is Collapsing -- WSJ
Venezuelan bishops accused of “hate crimes” -- Catholic News Agency
Families of Those Killed in Raid on Venezuelan Rebel Cop Demand to See Bodies -- Latin American Herald Tribune
Venezuela is inching closer to collapse -- Patrick Gillespie, CNN