[originaltext] Venezuela. Thousands of oil workers have gone on strike to de

Venezuela. Thousands of oil workers have gone on strike to demand a pay increase. Union leaders say 90% of the country’s 40,000 oil workers have stopped working. However, the Venezuelan oil industry officials say operations remain the same. They say it will be one week until the strike affects oil exports. The oil workers are demanding a 15% pay increase ordered for all government workers by President Hugo Chavez. The state-owned oil company says the presidential order does not include oil workers. Also Venezuelan school teachers went on strike demanding a similar pay increase.
Q: Why have Venezuelan oil workers gone on strike?

The British government says it will decide within two days if it will start an animal treatment program to halt the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.  Britain’s National Farmers’ Union has requested a quick decision. On Wednesday animal experts in the European Union gave Britain the choice to start a treatment program. 180,000 farm animals in the Cumbria and Devon areas would receive the treatment. Also in Moscow E. U. officials have protested Russia’s ban on European meat imports. They say the 3-week ban is too strong because of measures the E. U. has now taken to control the disease.
Q: How long is the Russia’s ban on European meat imports?