June 2026

We thank our readers for messages received, asking how we are, how our families, relatives and friends in Caracas are doing. We were going to write about it, but someone else has done it with such clarity that it’s worth reprinting in full without any further comment.

Delcy Rodríguez, the "acting" president of Venezuela has declared a state of emergency.

What you are watching from Venezuela is more than a natural disaster story. It is a governance autopsy.

Someone went to the trouble of registering a domain that contains the name of this website with a company based in Iceland (IceNetworks Ltd.). The Icelandic angle provides complete anonymity when signing up and the possibility of using cryptocurrencies and cash by mail. The company doesn’t care who does what with their services.

In late March, a Spanish Prosecutor that had issued an international arrest warrant for Alejandro Betancourt in September last year decided that no further actions would be taken and dismissed the case.

The Iberian Peninsula (home to Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar) has a distinguished history of having had some of Europe’s most powerful reigns. Portugal and Spain were global powers once upon a time, controlling vast regions well beyond its borders. Both countries had long and stable dictatorship in the 20th Century, that only came to an end with the peaceful passing of its respective dictators. The 21st Century has seen some spectacular corruption scandals in that region, the kind that would likely topple governments elsewhere.