Ham shortage hits holiday meals in Venezuela

CARACAS, Dec 31: Shortages in Venezuela have now hit an essential part of traditional Christmas and New Year's meals, leaving frustrated citizens with a new holiday chorus: "We want our ham!"
Ham has been in short supply, sending people fed up with shortages of this and other essentials into the streets to protest.
"We didn't have it for Christmas and it won't be here for the New Year," complains Miriam Brito during a protest in Caracas.
Similar small demonstrations have multiplied throughout Venezuela, but the government of President Nicolas Maduro -- whose country was once one of the wealthiest in Latin America -- has promised that ham would be among foods sold at subsidized prices.     -AFP