Commuters languish because labor protests block highways.
Venezuela's key steel industry is paralyzed by a bitter strike. Across the nation, state workers are demanding billions in pay and pensions owed them. With the escalating sense of disorder, Hugo Chavez warned that he may decree a state of emergency to end one of the biggest challenges of his two-year presidency. If someone asked me about the probability of declaring a state of emergency, I would say the probability is getting higher. Two days later, he embarked on a three-week tour to Russia, the Middle East and Asia to promote Third World solidarity and solicit investment.