Venezuela, world’s No. 2 in oil reserves, goes dark - President claims sabotage

Venezuela, one of the top 10 oil exporters and No. 2 in proven crude reserves, went dark on Tuesday. The massive blackout hit parts of the capital, Caracas, and at least 11 of Venezuela’s 23 states — according to media reports, 70% of the country’s population was affected.

Traffic in Caracas snarled without traffic lights and people had to be evacuated from stalled underground trains. The military was called to keep order. The power was out at the building housing the Ministry of Energy and the state-controlled oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PdVSA.

One of Venezuela’s main transmission lines faltered, and power was out for about three hours before being gradually restored. The oil industry was not affected as oil refineries are powered by separate plants, the BBC reported.

In a series of tweets, President Nicolas Maduro blamed sabotage by the “extreme right” intent on making Venezuela unstable. Read more >>

Eleven children killed in a Nato air strike

Spreading democracy one death at a time...

Eleven children have been killed in a Nato air strike in eastern Afghanistan, officials and witnesses say. At least one woman was reportedly killed and a further six are believed to have been injured in the incident in Shigal district, Kunar province.

Nato confirmed that "fire support" was used in Shigal after a US civilian adviser died in a militant attack, but said it had no reports of deaths. Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the killings. A statement issued by his office said he had already issued a decree banning aerial attacks on civilian areas.

Villagers and officials told the BBC that the casualties were inside their homes when they died. Photographs apparently sent from the scene to international news agencies appeared to show the bodies of several dead young children, surrounded by Afghan villagers.

A local official said eight Taliban insurgents had also died in the air strike on Saturday, which is reported to have caused the roofs of several houses in three villages to collapse. Read more >>

Americans Consume EIGHTY Percent of the World's Pain Pills

Americans consume 80 percent of the world's supply of painkillers -- more than 110 tons of pure, addictive opiates every year -- as the country's prescription drug abuse epidemic explodes. That's enough drugs to give every single American 64 Percocets or Vicodin. And pain pill prescriptions continue to surge, up 600 percent in ten year, thanks to doctors who are more and more willing to hand out drugs to patients who are suffering.

As more people get their hands on these potentially-dangerous drugs, more are taking them to get high. Their drug abuse leads to 14,800 deaths a year -- more than from heroin and cocaine combined. 'We've become a society of wusses,' Long Island, New York, pharmacist Howard Levine told the BBC. Mr Levine stopped carrying all of the major addictive prescription drugs after he was robbed twice by addicts looking to get high.

Nationwide, police are reporting increases in robberies and other crimes by people who are addicted to oxycodone and hydrocodone, the key ingredient in most prescription pain pills. One of the people lured into crime by drug dependency was Rich Elassar, 36, who once owned a successful business in New Jersey. More...

Tunisia - armed gangs continue to loot and burn

Image via WikipediaIn the capital of Tunis and other areas of the country, residents reported knife-wielding and balaclava-clad gangs attacking apartments and homes. Organised groups were said to be attacking shops, hospitals and factories. Many had piled into stolen hire cars and careered around the city and suburbs, stopping only to smash and burn.

One young lawyer who hastily left his office in the centre of Tunis for the quieter southern suburbs said: "There's complete confusion and everyone is trying to understand who is behind this, whether it's Ben Ali's militia clinging on. Yes, there has been isolated looting of shops. But the gangs seem organised; they are inciting thieves.

"They seem to be making trouble to convince public opinion that things were better under the dictatorship. Joy has turned to extreme caution and fear for people's safety." Read more...

15% of US households had food shortages in 2009

Almost 15% of US households experienced a food shortage at some point in 2009, a government report has found.

US authorities say that figure is the highest they have seen since they began collecting data in the 1990s, and a slight increase over 2008 levels.

Single mothers are among the hardest hit: About 3.5 million said they were at times unable to put sufficient food on the table.

Hispanics and African Americans also suffer disproportionately.

The food security report is the result of an annual survey conducted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Households deemed "food insecure" experienced a period of inadequate food supply as a result of their economic situation, but did not necessarily remain without sufficient food for the entire year.

Although the number of food insecure households has risen sharply since the recession, the USDA says the growth rate has slowed, particularly toward the end of 2009.

The BBC's Katie Connolly, in Washington, says the results will be seen as somewhat surprising in a developed country that is also facing the problem of rising obesity rates. More...