Venezuelan Drivers Face Long Lines for Fuel as New Payment System Flops

Frustrated Venezuelan drivers faced lengthy lines for gasoline in border states on Tuesday as the government struggled to roll out a new payment system that President Nicolas Maduro says will reduce smuggling of heavily-subsidized fuel. Maduro says the payment system will pave the way for charging international prices for fuel - a massive increase given that gas is now almost free - as his government seeks to shore up state coffers amid a hyperinflationary economic meltdown. Any increase would mark the first time in 20 years that the OPEC member has significantly raised domestic fuel prices, which have been a sensitive issue ever since deadly riots broke out in 1989 in response to austerity measures that included higher gasoline prices. More…