12-31-2008

PABLO MILANES: "I DON'T TRUST ANY CUBAN LEADER WHO IS OVER 75 YEARS OLD" 

     VIGO, SPAIN--About to begin a national tour, Cuban singer Pablo Milanés unburdened himself in an interview with the Spanish daily Público. During the interview, when asked about conditions in his homeland, he replied "Very bad, after three hurricanes, a crisis that has not been solved, and leaders who do nothing to pull the nation ahead amid this paralysis. If to this you add the world crisis, well, we're fixed for good."

    Asked if he trusts that Raúl Castro will take steps to move the country ahead, Milanés answered: "I do not trust in any Cuban leader who is older than 75, because all of them [...] overstayed their moments of glory [...] they are ready to be retired. We have to pass the baton to the new generations so they may make another socialism, because this socialism is already stagnant. It gave all it could give [...] but we have to make reforms on many fronts of the Revolution, because our leaders are no longer capable. Their revolutionary ideas of the past have become reactionary and that reaction does not allow for the continuation, for the advancement of the new generation, which has been implementing a new socialism, a new revolution."

    The old revolutionary leaders "simply must retire [...] They did what they had to do in their times. Simply, they are not doing today what they should be doing." The Cuban citizen "can no longer live from promises. The old achievements are there; we must now head toward new achievements, [and] these are accomplished with new thoughts and new dynamics that [the old leaders] are incapable of exercising. We are paralyzed in every sense; we make plans for a future that never comes." There is unrest among the youth, Milanés said. "Young Cubans are molded in a very beautiful manner, but then they have to emigrate in order to project what they studied. It's very sad, because it's not even political exile; it's an economic exile due to the few possibilities that exist in our country."

VENEZUELAN ECONOMY SLOWS DOWN; PURCHASING POWER CRUMBLES

      CARACAS, VENEZUELA-- The interim figures issued by the Central Bank of Venezuela show than in 2008, the GDP grew 4.8 percent versus 8.4 percent in 2007, while oil revenues soared 48.5 percent, from USD 62.55 billion to USD 92.92 billion

    The year-end message of the interim president of the Central Bank of Venezuela, José Ferrer, unveils a sharp slowdown in the domestic economy even though the global financial crisis has not shocked the country. The interim figures issued by the central bank show than in 2008, Venezuela's GDP grew 4.8 percent versus 8.4 percent in 2007, while oil revenues soared 48.5 percent, from USD 62.55 billion to USD 92.92 billion. While the oil sector production rose 3 percent compared to a 4.2 percent fall in 2007, the non-oil sector lost momentum and grew 5.3 percent vs. 9.5 percent in 2007.

     The slowdown is apparent in key areas related to production and job creation. For instance, the growth in the manufacturing sector was 1.6 percent vs. 7.2 percent in 2007; construction 6.7 percent (2008) versus 13.3 percent (2007); trade 3.8 percent versus 16.9 percent; transport and storage 3.6 percent versus 13.5 percent, while the financial sector fell 4.5 percent versus an increase of 17 percent in 2007.
 

HUGO CHAVEZ ASKS INDIA'S ONGC TO CUT OUTPUT  

      NEW DELHI, INDIA---This is the first sign that OPEC member Venezuela is enforcing its share of the group's 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) output cut agreed by the oil group two weeks ago

     Venezuelan authorities asked India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp to reduce output at their San Cristobal oilfield joint venture after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) this month agreed to cut production, an ONGC source said on Tuesday.

     The unofficial notification, expected to be followed by a detailed notice within the next week, is the first sign that OPEC member Venezuela is enforcing its share of the group's 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) output cut agreed by the oil group two weeks ago. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have already informed customers of larger limits on exports. "They (Venezuela) have said we have to cut production. By how much... it is not known to us. It will come shortly. But they have informed us," an official at ONGC Videsh, the Indian firm's overseas investment arm, told Reuters.

12-30-2008

ISRAEL AT 'WAR TO THE BITTER END,' STRIKES KEY HAMAS SITES 

     GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP--Israel's defense minister said Monday the country is engaged in a "war to the bitter end" against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and said the military operation against the terror group would continue and intensify. "We have stretched our hand in peace many times to the Palestinian people. We have nothing against the people of Gaza," Ehud Barak said to a special session of parliament. "But this is an all-out war against Hamas and its branches. The restraint that we have demonstrated is the source of our strength when it is time to fight."

    Israel's air force obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of its overwhelming Gaza assault, striking a house next to the Hamas premier's home, devastating a security compound and flattening a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic terror group. Israel declared areas around the Gaza Strip a "closed military zone," citing the risk from retaliatory Palestinian rocket fire.

     The closure could also help Israel mount a surprise ground assault, should it be ordered. A military spokesman told Reuters the new policy meant that civilians, including journalists, may be barred from a buffer zone of 1 to 2 miles from Gaza. Israel launched the deadliest attack against Palestinians in decades on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns. Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters Monday, while "Hamas is looking for children to kill." "Hamas is targeting deliberately kindergartens and schools and citizens and civilians because this is according to their values. Our values are completely different. We are trying to target Hamas, which hides among civilians," Livni said.

HEZBOLLAH CHIEF URGES NEW PALESTINIAN UPRISING

      BEIRUT, LEBANON-- The head of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah called on Palestinians on Monday to launch a new uprising in the face of Israel's three-day-old assault against Gaza.

     Iran hardliners register volunteers to fight Israel"I join the calls of those Palestinian leaders who have urged a third intifada," Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech beamed on a giant teleivision screen to tens of thousands of supporters gathered in his movement's bastion in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Nasrallah was alluding to Khaled Meshaal, the exiled head of the Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza, who called on Saturday for the launch of a new intifada like those begun in 1987 and 2000.

     The Hezbollah leader has been Israel's public enemy number one since his Shiite militant group fought it to a UN-brokered ceasefire in a devastating conflict in summer 2006 and he almost never appears in public for fear of assassination attempts. Tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters turned out for today's demonstration to mark what Nasrallah called a "day of mourning and solidarity."

IRAN HARDLINERS REGISTER VOLUNTEER TO FIGHT ISRAEL

      TEHRAN, IRAN---A GROUP OF IRANIAN HARD-LINE CLERICS IS SIGNING UP VOLUNTEERS TO FIGHT IN THE GAZA STRIP in response to Israel's air strikes that have killed at least 300 Palestinians, a news agency reported on Monday. "From Monday the Combatant Clergy Society has activated its website www.rohaniatmobarez.com for a week to register volunteers to fight against the Zionist regime (Israel) in either the military, financial or propaganda fields," the semi-official Fars news agency said.

    Israel patrols the coastal waters around Gaza and has declared areas around the enclave a "closed military zone." The hard-line Iranian group, which is headed by some leading clergy, says it has no affiliation with the government and was formed shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks "in any way possible." A religious decree is an official statement by a high-ranking religious leader that commands Muslims to carry out its message. While there is no religious and legal force behind it, Khamenei is respected by many Iranian and non-Iranian Shi'ites.

     Fars said the hard-line group provided volunteers with a registration document called "Registration form for dispatching volunteers to Gaza." It said more than 1,100 people so far had registered for military service against Israel. Khamenei said on Sunday that whoever was killed in the fight to defend Palestinians was "considered a martyr." Iran will send its first ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said. "Iran has dispatched its first plane load of aid, including medicine, to Gaza on Sunday. The second cargo is on the verge of being dispatched," Qashqavi told reporters on Monday. "The first aircraft arrived in Egypt last night."

12-29-2008

INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE GROWS ON ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS TO END VIOLENCE IN GAZA

     GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP--International pressure is mounting on Israel and the Palestinians to halt violence in Gaza, with the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and other countries all calling for an immediate restoration of calm. Protesters knock down barriers near the Israeli Embassy during a demonstration in central London. Angry protests also took place in several cities around the world on Sunday against Israel after its air strikes in Gaza killed at least 270 people and wounded hundreds more.

     In London, hundreds of demonstrators battled riot police in an attempt to enter the Israeli Embassy, according to media reports. But neither side indicated they were ready to heed the calls for calm. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the operation in Gaza "is liable to continue for some time, perhaps more than can be foreseen at the present time." Hamas, too, showed no signs of backing down, saying Israel had violated an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire intended to stem violence in the region. "We will stand up, we will defend our own people, we will defend our land and we will not give up," senior spokesman Osama Hamdan said.

     U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's office issued a statement saying he was deeply alarmed by the violence and bloodshed in Gaza and in southern Israel. The U.N. Security Council ended a four-hour emergency meeting Sunday with a call for an immediate halt to hostilities and a re-opening of border crossings to allow humanitarian supplies to reach Gaza. The Palestinians' U.N. envoy said if Israel does not halt attacks within 48 hours, Arab delegations will demand stronger action from the Security Council.

ISRAEL AIRSTRIKES WIDEN SCOPE AGAINST GAZA-EGYPT TUNNELS

      GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP---Warplanes pressing one of the Israel's deadliest assaults ever against Palestinian militants widened their sights on Sunday, dropping bombs on smuggling tunnels that are a major weapons pipeline for the Gaza Strip's Islamic Hamas rulers. The airstrikes, which initially targeted Hamas security compounds, killed more than 280 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more in its first 24 hours, said Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain. A Palestinian human rights group said among 251 dead it counted, 20 were children under 16 and nine were women.

     The Israeli military said warplanes attacked 40 tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border in the course of four minutes Sunday. Medics said two people were killed and 25 were injured. Witnesses reported large fires and dozens of explosions. Black smoke rising from the area of the attacks was especially dense closer to the Mediterranean, apparently after missile struck a makeshift underground fuel pipeline. Weapons and commercial goods are brought in through the passageways, which have allowed Hamas to stay in power by relieving shortages caused by the blockade Israel and Egypt imposed after the Hamas takeover.

     Shortly after the tunnel attacks, hundreds of Palestinians breached the border fence with Egypt in several places, drawing fire from Egyptian border guards. An Egyptian security official said there were at least five breaches along the 9 mile (14 kilometer) border and hundreds of Palestian residents were pouring in. At least 300 Egyptian border guards rushed to the area to reseal the border. Earlier in the day, Israeli aircraft targeted a top Hamas security installation, a mosque, a TV station and dozens of other targets. They also attacked a Gaza fuel tanker and a major pharmaceutical warehouse. Residents said the fuel and medicines had been smuggled in from Gaza through the underground tunnels, further evidence that Israel was widening its offensive to go after operations that are Hamas' lifeline.
Israel Calls Up Reserves,

ISRAEL CALLED UP 6,500 RESERVE SOLDIERS AND MOVED TANKS TO THE GAZA BORDER

      JERUSALEN, ISRAEL--Israel called up 6,500 reserve soldiers and moved tanks, infantry and armored units to the Gaza border for a possible ground invasion. Some 280 Palestinians died in the first 24 hours of the campaign against Gaza rocket squads. Most of the dead were Hamas police, but the airstrikes also claimed the lives of civilians, including a 15-year-old boy killed Saturday inside a greenhouse.

     Palestinians breached the border fence with Egypt and hundreds poured across the frontier, prompting Egyptian guards to open fire, said officials and witnesses on both sides. Militants in Gaza, meanwhile, fired dozens of rockets and mortars into Israel on Sunday. Two rockets struck close to the largest city in southern Israel, Ashdod, some 38 kilometers (23 miles) from Gaza, reaching deeper into Israel than ever before. The targeting of Ashdod confirmed Israel's concern that militants are capable of putting major cities within rocket range. No serious injuries were reported in any of the attacks Sunday. One Israeli died in a rocket attack Saturday.

     Despite 250 Israeli airstrikes and the call for reserves, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said there were no plans to occupy Gaza. Speaking Sunday on "Meet the Press," Livni said the Israeli assault came because Gaza's Hamas rulers were smuggling weapons and building up "a small army." But, she said, "Our goal is not to reoccupy" the Gaza Strip, which Israel left in 2005 after a 38-year occupation. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a fierce rival of Hamas' who controls only the West Bank and has little influence in Gaza, urged the Islamic militant group to renew a truce with Israel that collapsed last week.

12-28-2008

ISRAEL WARPLANES POUNDED A DOZENS OF HAMAS SECURITY COMPOUNDS IN GAZA STRIP KILLING OVER 200 PEOPLEAND WOUNDING 270 OTHERS

     GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP--Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing at least 200 people and wounding 270 others in the single bloodiest day of fighting in decades. Most of those killed were security men, but civilians were also among the dead. Hamas said all of its security installations were hit and responded with several medium-range Grad rockets at Israel, reaching deeper than in the past. One Israeli was killed and at least four people were wounded in the rocket attacks. With so many wounded, the Palestinian death toll was likely to rise.

     The air offensive followed weeks of intense Palestinian rocket and mortar fire on southern Israel, and Israeli leaders had issued increasingly tough warnings in recent days that they would not tolerate continued attacks. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel would expand the operation if necessary. "There is a time for calm and there is a time for fighting, and now is the time for fighting," he told a news conference. He would not comment when asked if a ground offensive was planned.

     The strikes caused widespread panic and confusion in Gaza, as black clouds of smoke rose above the territory, ruled by Hamas for the past 18 months. Some of the Israeli missiles struck in densely populated areas as children were leaving school, and women rushed into the streets frantically looking for their children. Most of those killed were security men, but civilians were among the dead.
 

PALESTINIAN ROCKETS KILL 2 PALESTINIAN SCHOOL GIRLS IN GAZA

      GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP---A rocket fired by Palestinian TERRORISTS fell short of its target in Israel on Friday, striking a house in northern Gaza and killing two schoolgirls. The attack came as Israel sent mixed signals regarding its plans for Gaza. Israeli defense officials say politicians have approved a large-scale incursion into the territory. But at the same time, Israel appeared open to international pressure against an invasion, prying open its border with Gaza on Friday to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid.

     None of Gaza's militant factions claimed responsibility for the deadly rocket attack on the house in Beit Lahiya. Gaza Health Ministry official Dr. Moiaya Hassanain identified the two victims as 5-year-old Hanin Abu Khoussa and her 12-year-old cousin, Sabah Abu Khoussa. Three other young people were wounded, Hassanain said. The girls were the first Palestinian civilians inadvertently killed by militants since their truce with Israel began collapsing six weeks ago. Family members and medics said they were killed by rocket fire

     Israel's crossings with Gaza have been largely clamped tight since Islamic Hamas militants seized control of the coastal strip in June 2007, with only the barest essentials allowed in since a June 19 truce with Gaza gunmen began unraveling six weeks ago. On Thursday, however, Israel's Defense Ministry said it agreed to open its cargo crossings into Gaza to avoid a humanitarian crisis there. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the decision followed consultations with defense officials and calls from the international community, suggesting Israel might not be impervious to international pressure to resume the truce.

MORE THAN 150,000 PAKISTANIS MARK 1 YEAR SINCE BHUTTO KILLED

      ISLAMAB, PAKISTAN--More than 150,000 Pakistanis flocked to the mausoleum of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Saturday after some walked hundreds of miles (kilometers) to offer flowers and kiss her grave on the first anniversary of her assassination. Some mourners beat their heads and chests and wailed. Several burst into tears. "I am taking these flowers to take home and will show my daughters this gift," said 41-year-old Saifullah Khan.

     Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack on Dec. 27, 2007, as she was leaving a rally in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, just outside the capital of Islamabad. She was campaigning to return her Pakistan People's Party to power in parliamentary elections, a scenario supported by the United States, which admired her secular credentials. Her assassination shocked the world, magnifying revulsion at rising militant violence in Pakistan as well as conspiracy theories that the country's powerful spy agencies were involved.

      Her widower, Asif Ali Zardari, took over Bhutto's party after her death and was elected president in September in the midst of a crushing economic crisis and soaring violence by militants also blamed for attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The country of 160 million is now facing a fresh crisis triggered by last month's terror attacks on Mumbai, which India has blamed on Pakistani militants. Zardari said his late wife "gave voice to the voiceless, strength to the weak and motivation to the people to strive for a goal higher than life." "The tyrants and the killers have killed her but they shall never be able to kill her ideas that drove and inspired a generation to lofty aims," he said, according to Pakistan's state-run news agency.

12-27-2008

FORMER PRO-HUGO CHAVEZ MAYOR OF CARACAS HAD 4,000 GUNMEN ON PAYROLL  

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA--The surprise electoral defeat last month of Hugo Chávez's candidate for metropolitan mayor of the capital Caracas -- and the consequent change of city government -- has helped cast light on some of the more unsavory activities that went on under outgoing mayor Juan Barreto.

    One result is that a large, though so far undetermined, number of hired gunmen may suddenly be out of a job. The gunmen, belonging to armed political organizations loyal to the leftist government, are thought to be among some 4,000 city employees who have failed to show up for work since the new mayor, Antonio Ledezma, was sworn in two weeks ago.

     ''Altogether, we've found more than 9,000 employees on short-term contracts,'' said Richard Blanco, a top city official. ``We're carrying out an investigation to find out who and where they all are.'' According to the new mayor's spokesman, David Pérez Hansen, many of the missing 4,000 worked as bodyguards and motorcycle escorts for leading Chávez supporters, known as chavistas, who had no direct connection with City Hall. “They include members of parliament,'' Pérez Hansen said.
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GUINEA CHIEF ASKS WORLD TO PREVENT COUP

      CONAKRY, GUINEA-- Guinea's national assembly president appealed to the international community on Wednesday to prevent an attempted military coup from succeeding in the West African bauxite exporter. "The international community must mobilise to prevent the military from interrupting the democratic process as laid down by the constitution," Aboubacar Sompare told Reuters.

    Speaking by telephone, he said the coup-plotters were searching for him, but that he was in "a safe place". Following the death of long-serving President Lansana Conte on Monday, Sompare should, under the constitution, take over as interim head of state to organise elections to choose a new president within two months.

    But a group of officers and soldiers calling themselves the National Council for Democracy and Development announced on Tuesday the suspension of the constitution and the government in a coup attempt which split the armed forces. "The situation hasn't been resolved yet. Loyalists and coup-mongers have met in the (main military) camp but they haven't been able to reach an agreement," Sompare said.

8 BODIES FOUND IN PLASTIC BAGS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO

      CHIAPAS, MEXICO--Eight bodies were found stuffed in plastic garbage bags and dumped on a rural road near the Guatemalan border in an area plagued by drug violence, authorities in southern Chiapas state said Tuesday. The victims have yet to be identified, but police believe they may include Mexicans, Guatemalans or Colombians. A state Justice Department official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said the bodies were discovered by a farmer. At least one had bruises and marks indicating he may have been tortured.

    The bodies were found near the town of Tuxtla Chico, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of another border settlement where Mexican and Guatemalan drug traffickers engaged in a series of gunbattles that killed 17 people last month. Brutal slayings by drug cartels are on the rise in Mexico, and officials estimate that more than 5,300 people have died in organized crime-related slayings this year.

    On Sunday, the decapitated bodies of eight army soldiers were found along an urban boulevard in the southern state of Guerrero. In a press statement on Tuesday, Mexico's Defense Department slammed what it called "inappropriate and hurtful" comments on the soldiers' deaths. While the department did not specify what had offended it, one Mexican newspaper ran an editorial cartoon Tuesday titled "December Decorations" that showed the hand of a drug trafficker hanging severed heads with military-style haircuts on a Christmas tree as if they were ornaments.

12-24-2008

SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE: "CONDITIONS IN VENEZUELA KEEP WORSENING"

     WASHINGTON, D.C.--The US Secretary of State hopes that she improved the relation with Latin America; however, she added: “No doubt, we are not very popular in Venezuela.”    Outgoing US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is leaving office with the feeling that she improved the relation with Latin America, in spite of the fact that the region "antipathy" towards the United States is historical, said Rice in an interview with AFP on Monday.

     "We must have some historical perspective. When there was not some dislike towards the United States from Latin America? In the 70's? In the 80's?," wondered Rice. "We left behind that Cold War period, when the US looked at Latin America in the context of a world fight with the Soviet Union," said Rice. However, this new era "has released the US policy, allowing the country to have good friends from both left and right," she added.

       "As long as they are friends who rule in democracy, who defend free trade, who open markets," said the US Secretary of State. "No doubt, we are not very popular in Venezuela," Rice added. The top US diplomat did not commented on an alleged US intelligence report, according to which Venezuela could be helping Iran to carry nuclear material to Syria. "It is really remarkable that conditions in Venezuela keep worsening and that the Venezuelan government energy seems directed outwards, instead of facing those significant problems," she said.

KUWAIT'S MINISTER OF PETROLEUM URGE OPEC MEMBERS TO OBSERVE OUTPUT CUT

      KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT--Kuwait's Minister of Petroleum urged the parties to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to abide by a record cut of the output agreed by the group to spike oil prices, reported Kuwait's state-run news agency KUNA.

    "There is an overall commitment on the (production) levels, but they need to be enlarged," said Mohammad al-Olaim. "Kuwait will promise to enforce its share. The OPEC decision was taken to be implemented, and not as anything for the media."

     Oil prices dropped below USD 40 a barrel after the OPEC agreement last Wednesday to reduce its output by 2.2 million bpd in order to recover the prices struck by falling demand, according to Reuters. Olaim fears that market conditions will continue being tough the first half of 2009.

VENEZUELA OIL EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES DOWN BY 168,000 BPD

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Exports of Venezuelan oil and byproducts to the United States averaged 1.18 million bpd in January-October of this current year, according to the data provided by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical arm of the US Department of Energy.

    This number showcases a reduction of 168,000 bpd, or 12.4 percent, compared with the shipments made in the same term last year, when 1.35 million bpd were marketed.

    While a light recovery by 7.4 percent was noted last October, compared with the prior month -from 944.000 to 1.01 million bpd- the total amount of hydrocarbons sold to the United States accounted that month for 1.15 million bpd versus 1.38 million bpd in October 2007. This means a gap of 239,000 bpd or 17.2 percent.

12-23-2008

HUGO CHAVEZ IS HELPING IRAN IN TRANSPORTING NUCLEAR MATERIALS

     WASHINGTON, D.C.--HUGO CHAVEZ is helping Iran transport to Syria material that is used for the manufacture of missiles and thus evading the sanctions of the UN, the Italian daily said Sunday, according to various western intelligence services, among them the CIA. According to La Stampa, citing informants from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and other western secret services, Iran is using planes of the national Venezuelan company Conviasa to transport to Syria material that is used to make missiles.

    Syria and Iran confirmed an agreement in 2006 for military cooperation. This material (computers, parts for motors), is being provided by the Iranian industrial group Shahid Bagheri (SBIG), set out in the attachment to Resolution 1737 of the UN for its participation in the Iranian ballistic missile program. The object of this agreement is to provide materiel for the Revolutionary Guards, according to the morning paper, that does not offer other details.

    In exchange for the airlift, Tehran is making available to Caracas members of its Revolutionary Guards’ elite unit, Al Quds, in order to train and build up the Venezuelan secret service and police. The Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadiinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez share a repulsion toward the United States, and particularly the government of its current president, George W. Bush. The western countries, led by the United States and Israel, accuse Iran of pursuing military ends with its program of uranium enrichment. The U.N. has adopted four resolutions – three of them with sanctions- demanding that Iran suspend its nuclear program. Tehran asserts that it only is pursuing civilian uses.

THE VENEZUELA GOVERNMENT AWAITS INFORMATION ON ALLEGED RELEASE OF COLOMBIAN HOSTAGES

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA--The government of  Hugo Chávez is waiting for further information on the potential release of six hostages by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) before making any comments, said on Monday Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro.

    "We cannot make any remarks yet in this regard, because we have received only the news on the media. We should prove that the information comes from reliable sources," said Maduro, according to a press released on Monday.Last Sunday, the FARC promised to deliver six hostages to a commission to be headed by Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba, AFP reported.

     For her part, Córdoba commented she would like Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to join her. Chávez acted as middleman earlier this year to deal with the release of six Colombian people kidnapped by the guerrillas.

12-22-2008

complaint against hugo chavez at the international criminal court

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA--A group of Venezuelan lawyers filed on Wednesday a complaint against President Hugo Chávez before the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The lawyers accused Venezuela's leader of crimes against humankind for the violation of human rights of political and common prisoners in the country. 

     Hermán Escarrá, the representative of the prisoners, explained that the complaint "is based on Article 7" of the Rome Statute, which is related to "crime against humanity" in case of acts committed against human rights, EFE reported. Escarrá said that the aforementioned Article describes as a "crime against humanity when there is a State policy (it means that it cannot be related to a particular case), in order to commit attacks such as imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of the fundamental rules of international law." 

     Escarrá said that the Venezuelan prisoners are retained in prison beyond the legal limits to remain in preemptive custody. They have been held in prison for 4 to 6 years, while the Venezuelan law states that the time in prison pending trial should not exceed two years, he added. Escarrá charged that "in Venezuela there is a dictatorship in disguise."  The ICC never makes comments on the allegations filed. Its members only declare on claims that, after the study of the relevant cases, are admitted to launch a formal proceeding.

33 LATIN AMERICAN PRESIDENTS MET IN COSTA DO SAUIPE, BRAZIL

      SAUIPE, BRAZIL--The summit of 33 Latin American and Caribbean rulers that brought together for the first time all the countries of the region with the exception of the United States or the European Union, was convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is also one of the major architects of the South American Community of Nations (Unasur)During the Unasur summit, Hugo Chávez stressed the need to strengthen integration.

     The presidents Presidents agreed that deeper integration is of the essence to face the global financial crisis, although the difficulties to reach agreements on specific areas were clear.

"The United States is not the boss here anymore," boasted Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on Tuesday on arriving in Brazil and hailed the rendezvous of the Latin American summit without "the aegis" or the look of the United States and with Cuba's appearance. "The important thing for independence in this hemisphere is for us to meet without the Empire (…) A new history, a new stage, is beginning," said the head of state on arriving in Costa do Sauipe, northeastern Brazil. "We are taking a way that was missed long time ago, the time of (Simón) Bolívar, of (José) Martí, of our founding fathers. Here we are, talking, from the South," he added.

brazilian congress approves venezuela's entry into mercosur

    SAO PAULO, BRAZIL--The lower house of Brazil's congress has approved Venezuela's entry into Mercosur, a key decision that could lead to that country's membership in the South American trade bloc. The vote in the Chamber of Deputies was 265-61 against, with six abstentions. After several meetings with the presidents of the member countries, Venezuela is now virtually a full member of the trade block

    The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved Wednesday night the protocol that allows Venezuela to join the Common Market of the South (Mercosur). The motion will be discussed later by the Brazilian Senate. Argentina and Uruguay, two of the other full members of Mercosur have already approved Venezuela's admission.  The vote in the Chamber of Deputies was 265-61 against, with six abstentions.

    Some legislators who oppose the leftist government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva voted against Venezuela's membership. They argue that Venezuela could disrupt international trade negotiations developed by the trade group with other countries. Brazil presides over Mercosur during the second half of 2008.  Lula had repeatedly said that his government was committed to achieving the full membership of Venezuela during his presidency.

12-21-2008

GUANTANAMO PRISON CLOSING PLANS BEING DRAFTED

     WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Defense Department is drawing up plans to close the Guantánamo Bay military prison in anticipation that one of President-elect Barack Obama's first acts will be ordering the closure of the detention center associated with the alleged abuse of terror suspects.

    Defense Secretary Robert Gates ''has asked his team for a proposal on how to shut [the detention center] down, what would be required specifically to close it and move the detainees from that facility while at the same time, of course, ensuring that we protect the American people from some dangerous characters,'' Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters on Thursday.

     The prison, built to hold suspected terrorists after the 2001 U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan, now houses about 250 detainees, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and others accused in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Obama, who has asked Gates to stay on as his defense secretary, has said he wants to close the prison within two years of taking office on Jan. 20. Gates also has spoken publicly about the need to close the facility.

U.S., MEXICO TO KICK OFF $1.4 BILLION ANTI-DRUG PLAN

      WASHINGTON, D.C.--The United States and Mexico pledged Friday to redouble efforts in the war against drugs. Top officials from both countries met at the State Department to discuss the Merida initiative, a U.S. program to help Mexico fight drug trafficking and organized crime. The $1.4 billion plan, proposed by President Bush in 2007, funds training, equipment and other assistance for Mexican law enforcement. Congress recently approved an initial $197 million, which the Bush administration made available to Mexico this month.

    "The United States and Mexico have reaffirmed a commitment to enhanced partnership, cooperation, training, assistance [and] information-sharing, built on the premise that we have a shared responsibility to confront these criminals and protect our citizens, and that success requires increased cooperation," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after the group's first high-level policy meeting.

    The meeting was attended by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Office of National Drug Control Policy chief John Walters, and senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The Merida program begins after an increase in drug-related violence in Mexico over the past year, much of which is believed to be the result of turf battles between rival drug gangs.

MEXICO PLANE CRASH INJURES OFFICIALS, REPORTERS

     PIEDRAS NEGRAS, MEXICO--A small plane carrying government officials and television reporters crashed in northern Mexico on Friday, seriously injuring all five on board. It was at least the fourth plane to crash this year with Mexican government officials on board. The Cessna Centurion crashed just before reaching the airport in the industrial town of Ramos Arispe, said Coahuila state Civil Protection director Segismundo Doguin.

    Coahuila water commission chief Rafael Reyes, his assistant, two TV Azteca reporters and the pilot were hospitalized in serious condition. They had been surveying water levels at regional dams. The cause of the accident was under investigation. Mexico has had a history of problems in the operation and maintenance of government aircraft.

    In November, the interior minister and 15 others died when a jet plowed into a Mexico City neighborhood. A month earlier, a plane crash killed the Baja California state finance secretary. And in September, the U.S. and Mexican heads of the International Boundary and Water Commission were killed when a plane crashed near the border. Earlier this month, a government Learjet plunged into a lake in central Mexico, killing two pilots.

12-20-2008

3 RUSSIAN WARSHIPS VISIT COLD WAR ALLY CUBA

     HAVANA, CUBA--A Russian anti-submarine destroyer and two logistical warships docked in Cuba on Friday, a thumb-your-nose port call aimed at Washington in waters just 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Florida. The arrival extends a tour that included stops in Venezuela and Panama and shows Moscow's desire to flex some muscle in America's backyard. It comes even as President Raul Castro reaches out to the U.S., offering to negotiate directly with President-elect Barack Obama and proposing an unprecedented swap of political prisoners.

    "That is Cuba's diplomatic specialty, playing both sides, or all sides, on every issue," said Daniel Erikson, director of Caribbean programs at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank.  Russians sailors in white and tan dress uniforms stood at attention on the deck of the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer, which chugged into Havana Bay amid a cloud of gray smoke. The ships will be moored here until Tuesday and the crew planned a tour of Havana that includes a trip to a Cuban naval school.

    A ceremonial Cuban cannon fired a 21-blast salute that rattled the windows of nearby buildings, and a naval band waiting on a cruise ship dock played the Russian and Cuban national anthems. A hulking barge that frequently ferries U.S. food to the island happened to be waiting in the area but had to move to make room for the Russian warships. It was unclear whether it had any American cargo aboard.

OIL CRASHED TO FOUR-YEAR LOW NEAR USD 40 DESPITE OPEC MANDATORY CUTS

      NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK--Oil traded near USD 40 a barrel on Thursday, at its lowest levels in more than four years, despite OPEC's announcement of a record production cut. New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January, was down five cents at USD 40.01 a barrel, off a low of USD 39.19. The contract closed at USD 40.06 a barrel yesterday at the New York Mercantile Exchange, a decline of USD 3.54.

    Brent crude oil for February delivery rose 10 cents to USD 45.63 a barrel, off a low of 45.35, after falling USD 1.12 to close at 45.53 yesterday in London. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the cartel that produces about 40 per cent of the world's crude, approved a record output cut of 2.2 million barrels of oil a day on yesterday.

     Ministers of the 13-member OPEC, meeting in Oran, Algeria, agreed to the output reduction in a bid to shore up prices that have slumped because of falling demand in a slowing global economy since hitting record highs above USD 147 in July. It was the third time in three months that OPEC has lowered production, and the largest reduction since the cartel introduced production quotas in 1982. Before the latest cuts, OPEC's official daily output target was 27.3 million barrels a day but analysts said the cartel was producing slightly more than this as some members tried to boost income.

HUGO CHAVEZ COLLECTED 4.7 MILLION SIGNATURES TO BACK AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA---Cilia Flores, the chair of the National Assembly (AN), is certain that dissenting sectors are desperate because the collection of signatures to support a draft amendment to the Constitution is a victory of the Venezuelan people. "The opposition's despair is because we are working on a great victory and the National Assembly is a tool of the people to speed up the procedure and call a referendum right away," said Flores.

    She noted that the people were able to call the referendum of the amendment only by collecting signatures and submitting them to the National Electoral Council (CNE). "But the process was too burdensome and for this reason the parliamentarian way was taken. We are in keeping with the desire of the people, who want, in the short term, a referendum to approve the amendment."

    Further, the AN chair reported that 4.7 million collected signatures to back the draft amendment to the Constitution "fully ensure that this proposal will be endorsed." Flores insisted on saying that President Hugo Chávez's leadership should remain for long time to consolidate the revolution and prevent anybody from taking the accomplishments away from the people.

12-19-2008

CUBAN DICTATOR RAUL CASTRO PROPOSED A SWAP OF POLITICAL PRISONERS WITH 5 CONVICTED cUBAN SPIES IN THE uNITED STATES

     BRASILIA, BRAZIL--CUBAN DICTATOR RAUL CASTRO'S offer to release political dissidents in exchange for the release of five convicted Cuban spies in U.S. prisons was the most specific proposal yet to ease ties with the United States since Obama, who takes office on January 20, was elected in November.

    Castro's comments are likely to fuel growing expectations in Latin America that the Obama administration will help thaw U.S.-Cuba ties that have been frozen since Washington imposed an economic embargo in 1962. "Let's do gesture for gesture," Castro told reporters during a visit to the Brazilian capital Brasilia. "These prisoners you talk about -- they want us to let them go? They should tell us tomorrow. We'll send them with their families and everything. Give us back our five heroes. That is a gesture on both parts," he said, referring to the convicted Cuban spies.

    Castro, who at one point was visibly irritated by a reporter's question about political dissidents in Cuba, was on the last day of his first foreign trip as president. A U.S. court in June upheld the convictions of the so-called "Cuban Five," who are serving long prison sentences for spying and conspiracy to commit murder, but opened the door to new and possibly lighter sentences for three of the men. The men are celebrated by many in Cuba as national heroes who were spying on armed exile groups in Miami to prevent attacks on their country and are victims of Washington's campaign against the communist-run island. The United States regularly calls for the release of political dissidents held in Cuban prisons.

THE US STATE DEPARTMENT REJECTED RAUL CASTRO'S PROPOSAL TO SWAP POLITICAL PRISONERS FOR FIVE CONVICTED CUBAN SPIES

      WASHINGTON, D.C.--"The issue of political prisoners held against their will, merely for making peaceful protests, is independent of the case of the five spies tried and convicted under due process of the US judicial system," the department's deputy spokesman Robert Wood told AFP. The five Cubans were convicted of espionage conspiracy against the United States and sentenced in a Miami, Florida federal court to long prison terms in June 2001.

     They include an aerodrome construction engineer, two international relations graduates, an economics graduate and a pilot. The men had argued that they were monitoring Florida-based anti-Castro groups to prevent terrorist attacks on Cuba, and that their work was not directed against the US government.

     In Cuba, there are 219 political prisoners behind bars, including 67 adopted as prisoners of conscience by rights group Amnesty, according to the illegal Cuban Commission of Human Rights and Reconciliation. Castro did not state a number of dissidents which could be involved in a possible exchange for the five Cubans. It also challenged Washington's longstanding effort to isolate Havana by formally welcoming Cuba into the Rio Group of Latin American nations.

CUBAN DISSIDENTS IN HAVANA REJECTED DICTATOR RAUL CASTRO'S OFFER

     HAVANA, CUBA---Cuban dissidents in Havana REJECTED DICTATOR RAUL CASTRO'S offer. "It's vulgar blackmail because these men should never have been prisoners and that's why they can't be used as bargaining chips," said Laura Pollan, a leader of a group of prisoners' wives. Castro spoke after a meeting with leftist Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during a first official trip overseas since formally replacing his ailing brother Fidel in February.

     Castro also said that Cuban officials were prepared to speak with Barack Obama "wherever and whenever he decides... in conditions of absolute equality." After a weekend visit to Venezuela to see his chief ally President Hugo Chavez, Castro on Tuesday and Wednesday attended a meeting of 33 countries making up Latin American and the Caribbean that handed him a diplomatic victory over the United States.

     The summit concluded with an appeal to Obama to end the 46-year-old US economic embargo imposed on Cuba, and the "immediate" scrapping of reinforced sanctions brought in by outgoing President George W. Bush over the past five years.

12-18-2008

OPEC AGREES TO CUT PRODUCTION BY 2.2 MILLION BARRELS A DAY

     ORAN, ALGERIA-- The OPEC cartel agreed on Wednesday to cut production by 2.2 million barrels a day, the group’s largest ever cut, in an effort to put a floor on oil prices.  After riding a wave of rising oil prices for nearly a decade, the world’s top exporters are struggling amid a weakening global economy, a dizzying slump in oil consumption and a sharp downfall in prices.

    It is the third time producers reduced their output in as many months. Since September, members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have pledged cuts totaling 4.2 million barrels a day, or nearly 12 percent of their capacity, a record in such a short time.  “OPEC’s decision takes into account the destruction of demand, and takes into account the long term interest of the oil industry to make sure we are still going to be having investments in the sector,” Chakib Khelil, OPEC’s current president, said at a news conference after the meeting, which was held under tight security in the coastal Algerian town of Oran.

    Mr. Khelil said the group wanted to “eliminate” an overhang of commercial oil inventories, which now stand at 57 days of supplies, down to 52 days. He said he hoped the move would help stabilize prices, and eventually push up them up to around $80 a barrel in the long term. “We have five days of excessive stocks that could really lead to a collapse in prices,” he said.  In a move reminiscent of 1998, when oil fell below $10 a barrel, OPEC asked outside producers, like Russia, to trim their production. But Mr. Khelil refused to answer questions about how much Russia would reduce its output.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BROWN SAYS IRAQ MISSION WILL END BY LATE MAY

      BAGHDAD, IRAQ--Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the British mission in Iraq will end no later than May 31, 2009. Brown made the announcement Wednesday during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. He says he plans to provide details to the British parliament about troop withdrawal on Thursday.

    Brown also called for the unconditional release of five British hostagesheld in Iraq since 2007. His announcement follows news that the Iraqi government issued a resolution calling for all non-U.S. troops to withdraw by the end of July.

    Britain is the second-largest contributor to the international military coalition in Iraq after the United States. About 4,000 British troops are now in Iraq, mostly in the country's south.

IRAQI SHOE-THROWER FACES CHARGES OF ATTACKING HEAD OF STATE

     BAGHDAD, IRAQ---The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush appeared before an Iraqi investigative judge Wednesday and will face charges of attacking a head of state, a judicial spokesman said. Muntathar al Zaidi, a correspondent for the Baghdadiya television station, remains in government custody. Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul Sattar Beroqdar said Zaidi would face trial after the judge's investigation finished. He didn't give a timeline for the process.

    Iraqis on the street continue to show support for Zaidi, who disrupted a news conference Sunday in Baghdad by Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.  University students rallied for Zaidi in Fallujah on Wednesday, drawing the attention of U.S. forces. Students raised their shoes and threw rocks at American soldiers, who reportedly opened fire above the crowd. Protesters said that indirect fire wounded one student, Zaid Salih. U.S. forces haven't confirmed the account.

    "We demonstrated to express our support for Muntathar al Zaidi, but we were surprised with the entrance of the U.S. military," said Ahmed Ismail, one of the protesters. "Unconsciously, we raised our shoes expressing our support for al Zaidi, but they attacked us." Dr. Thair al Jomaili treated Salih at a hospital and said that he was fine. The doctor said that the bullet went through one of Salih's feet.

12-17-2008

CUBA JOINS RIO GROUP

     COSTA DO SAUIPE, BRAZIL-- Latin American leaders used Cuba's entry into the Rio Group to call on President-elect Barack Obama to end the U.S. embargo of the Caribbean island.

    At a summit of 33 Latin American and Caribbean nations, Cuba was formally introduced Tuesday into the Rio Group. The group was formed in 1986 to help end armed conflict in Central America. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he hopes Obama will end the embargo. He says it no longer makes political or economic sense.

     Cuban dictator Raul Castro thanked his fellow Latin American leaders and reminisced about the Cuban revolution during a 20-minute speech. He says Cuba's entry into the group indicates a new, more independent era for Latin America is dawning.

SHOE-THROWER IN IRAQ MILITARY CUSTODY, 'SUFFERED BROKEN BONES' 

      BAGHDAD, IRAQ--The journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush was handed over to the Iraqi military, an Iraqi official said, as hundreds took to the streets Tuesday for a second day demanding his release. Muntadhar al-Zeidi suffered a broken arm and ribs after being struck by Iraqi security agents, his brother said.

    Durgham Zaidi was unable to say whether his brother had sustained the injuries while being overpowered during Sunday's protest against Bush's visit or while in custody later. Al-Zeidi was turned over by the prime minister's security guards to face further investigation by the military command in charge of enforcing security in Baghdad, the official told The Associated Press.

     The reporter was initially taken into custody by Iraqi security and interrogated about whether anybody had paid him to throw his shoes at Bush during a news conference Sunday in Baghdad, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. He could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush. The offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

venezuela denies meddling in panama's electoral process

     PANAMA CITY, PANAMA---Venezuelan ambassador to Panama Jorge Luis Durán denied claims that the government of President Hugo Chávez is stepping in the Panamanian electoral process by funding the campaign of Balbina Herrera, a Social Democrat and candidate for ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD).

     In statements to Panamanian newspaper La Prensa, Durán, a former military officer, described as "speculations" the reports about the alleged Venezuelan financial aid. The diplomat said that it was a smear campaign staged by the opponents of Herrera, DPA reported. Chávez and the PRD candidate have never met, he added.

     "People who say that President Chávez is funding a Panamanian candidate are lying and manipulating the truth. We hope that the winner will be the one chosen by people. We (the government of Venezuela) will try to maintain good relations with the new authorities." The PRD candidate has rejected comments on alleged economic support from Venezuela and denounced the plan as "a dirty propaganda."

12-16-2008

SHOE THROWER HATES THE UNITED STATES AND ADMIRES "CHE" GUEVARA

     BAGHDAD, IRAQ--THe Iraqi TV reporter who hurled his shoes at PRESIDENT George W. Bush was kidnapped once by militants and, separately, detained briefly by the U.S. military - a story of getting hit from all sides that is bitterly familiar to many Iraqis. Over time, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, a 28-year-old unmarried Shiite, came to hate both the U.S. military occupation and Iran's interference in Iraq, his family told The Associated Press on Monday.

     Several thousand people demonstrated in Baghdad and other cities to demand al-Zeidi's release. The attack was the talk of the town in coffee shops, business offices and even schools - and a subject across much of the Arab world. He was held Monday in Iraqi custody for investigation and could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush.

     A day after the attack, al-Zeidi's three brothers and one sister gathered in al-Zeidi's simple, one-bedroom apartment in west Baghdad. The home was decorated with a poster of Latin American revolutionary leader Che Guevara, who is widely lionized in the Middle East. Family members expressed bewilderment over al-Zeidi's action and concern about his treatment in Iraqi custody. But they also expressed pride over his defiance of an American president who many Iraqis believe has destroyed their country.

VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE SAID CUBA IS READY TO RECEIVE US TOURISTS

      HAVANA, CUBA-- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said that the island's society is ready to receive tourists from the United States in the event that Washington liberalizes tourist travel there, banned up to now by its 46-year-old embargo against the communist-ruled nation. "Our tourism and our people are ready. It's barbaric to prohibit a citizen from visiting his family," the Cuban leader said Friday in a statement quoted by the state news agency Prensa Latina.

     Lage pointed out that while U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama has mentioned "enabling Cubans residing in the United States to travel, he has said nothing about the right of U.S. citizens that is included in the Constitution." "Among the things that it (the Constitution) talks about, and it doesn't say much because it isn't very long, is the right to travel, but that is violated by the embargo of the United States against Cuba," he said.

      The Cuban vice president said that "he (Obama) has talked about travel for Cuban citizens living in the United States and the sending of remittances." "That's the situation that existed before" the administration of the current president, George W. Bush, he said. Last week ex-dictator Fidel Castro said in one of his regular articles of reflections that Cuba can speak with Barack Obama wherever he wants, although without "carrots" or "sticks." The island's current dictator, his brother Raul Castro, has also told the U.S. on three occasions of Cuba's readiness to hold talks "without conditions" to resolve bilateral differences.

RUSSIAN WARSHIPS ARE TO VISIT CUBA FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE COLD WAR 

     HAVANA, CUBA--The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support ships from a squadron on an extended visit to Latin America will arrive in Havana on Friday for a five-day stay, Igor Dygalo, a navy spokesman said on Monday. It will be the first visit by Russian warships to the Communist-led island 145km from the United States since the 1991 Soviet collapse, Dygalo said.

    The voyage is widely seen as a show of force close to US shores and a response to the US use of warships to deliver humanitarian aid to Russia's neighbor Georgia after their war in August. The ships' visit coincided with a Latin American tour by Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, who raised Russia's profile in the region and met with Fidel Castro, the former Cuban dictator.

     The Russian ships in Latin America now have held joint exercises with the navy of Venezuela, whose president Hugo Chavez is a fierce US critic, and the Admiral Chabanenko became the first Russian warship to sail through the Panama Canal since World War II. The destroyer and two support vessels left Nicaragua on Sunday after delivering $200,000 worth of medicine, computers and other humanitarian aid, Nicaraguan spokesman Juan Morales said. The Peter the Great remains in the Caribbean but will not visit Cuba,

12-15-2008

ANGRY IRAQI REPORTER THROWS SHOES AT PRESIDENT BUSH IN BAGHDAD AND YELLED IN ARABIC "THIS IS A FAREWELL ... YOU DOG!" 

     BAGHDAD, IRAQ--President Bush made a farewell visit Sunday to Baghdad, Iraq, where he met with Iraqi leaders and was targeted by an angry Iraqi reporter, who jumped up and threw shoes at Bush during a news conference. Bush ducked, and the shoes, flung one at a time, sailed past his head during the news conference with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in his palace in the heavily fortified Green Zone.

    The shoe-thrower could be heard yelling in Arabic: "This is a farewell ... you dog!" He was dragged out of the room, screaming. Hurling shoes at someone, or sitting so that the bottom of a shoe faces another person, is considered an insult among Muslims. As the man continued to scream from another room, Bush said: "That was a size 10 shoe he threw at me, you may want to know."

    Bush had been lauding the conclusion of a security pact with Iraq as journalists looked on. Watch Bush duck the shoe  "So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?" Bush told a reporter in response to a question about the incident. "Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers. "It's a way for people to draw attention. I don't know what the guy's cause is. But one thing is for certain. He caused you to ask me a question about it. I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it.

IRAN PROPOSES 2 MILLION BARREL PER DAY OPEC CUT 

      THERAN, IRAN-- The Iranian Oil Ministry says Iran is proposing a cut in OPEC's production of up to two million barrels per day.

    The ministry's Web site quotes Iran's Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari as saying Iran would push for a production cut of 1.5 to 2 million barrels per day at organization's meeting in Algeria. Nozari said Sunday the proposal is to provide balance to the oil market.

    The cartel is grappling with how to reverse plunging crude prices. A meeting in Cairo last month left the decision to cut prices for Wednesday's session in Oran, Algeria. Oil prices have plummeted from a high near $150 in July to around $45 — severely straining the Iranian economy.

RUSSIAN WARSHIPS LEAVE NICARAGUA BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DEPARTURE DAY

     MANAGUA, NICARAGUA--A Nicaraguan army official says three Russian navy ships have left the Central American country after a brief visit here that stirred heated debate and underscored deep political divisions.

     Lt. Col. Juan Morales says the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support vessels left today after delivering $200,000 in medicine, computers and other humanitarian aid.  Morales denied the ships left early because of opposition to the visit. They were scheduled to leave Monday.

    Leftist President Daniel Ortega said he was authorized to approve the visit, but opposition lawmakers argued that the constitution requires congressional approval for visits by foreign military forces.  The warships previously visited ally Venezuela and sailed through the Panama Canal.

12-14-2008

cuban dictator raul castro arrives in venezuela for talks with hugo chavez

     CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Hugo Chavez greeted Cuban CUBAN DICTATOR Raul Castro with an effusive hug and military honors Saturday morning here as the Cuban leader began his first trip abroad since officially replacing his ailing brother Fidel in February.  They are scheduled this afternoon to lay a wreath at the tomb of Simon Bolivar, the 19th century independence leader who is Venezuela's greatest hero and serves Chavez's guiding star.

    Castro and Chavez are then supposed to sign a series of bilateral agreements at the Miraflores presidential palace. Officials from both countries have been meeting in Caracas to find ways to increase trade between the two countries. Venezuela is Cuba's most important trading partner, delivering nearly 100,000 barrels per day of crude, diesel and jet fuel to the island nation.

    In turn, Cuba has up to 30,000 medical personnel, sports coaches and agricultural advisers working in Venezuela. The trip has attracted little advance press coverage in Venezuela and Cuba. But Chavez said on Wednesday, in announcing the visit, that the trip was important because Fidel Castro had taken his first trip abroad to Venezuela immediately after the Cuban Revolution nearly 50 years ago. Press accounts have said Raul Castro felt pressured by Chavez to visit Venezuela before a trip on Tuesday to Brazil for a meeting of Latin America and Caribbean nations.

GLORIA CUENCA: "THE MEDIA DO NOT CHANGE PEOPLE"

      CARACAS, VENEZUELA--"It is his (Hugo Chávez's) own business... he is the one who is afraid of being overthrown by his proletarian masses".  Gloria Cuenca is opposed to continued reelection. It is not that Gloria Cuenca downplays communicational hegemony, but she warns: "when there is a will, not necessarily there is a way." In her opinion, nobody is tuned to the state-run media.

    What are the dangers of the communicational hegemony?

    As soon as they declared the Cuban-style Marxist-Leninist revolutionary process, they have sought communicational hegemony because no totalitarian, absolutist system like this can accept independent criteria and freedom of expression. Now, then, you may want it, but not necessarily can do it. They have the money to keep a huge radio and television network. However, the people do not watch or listen to them, and this has been fully shown. It seems very interesting to me, because we, communicators have wondered for many years whether the media can change the people's mind, or the media manipulation, as they say, can turn a democrat into a pro-dictator or a communist into a democrat.

(Click here and read the complete interview.)

RUSSIAN WARSHIPS ARRIVED AT THE CARIBBEAN PORT OF BLUEFIELDS WITHOUT NICARAGUAN CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL

     MANAGUA, NICARAGUA--The arrival of Russian navy ships at the Caribbean port of Bluefields caused heated debate Friday in an already deeply divided Nicaragua. Leftist President Daniel Ortega claims he is authorized to approve the visit, but opposition lawmakers say the constitution requires congressional approval for visits by foreign military forces. They presented a letter to the Russian ambassador asking for the ships to stay out of Nicaraguan waters.

    In a statement issued in Moscow, Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said the visit "has no political overtones and was agreed upon ... in adherence to all necessary procedural norms." Ortega was a close ally of Moscow when he served as president in the 1980s and fought U.S.-backed Contra rebels. Nicaragua was the only country that followed Russia in recognizing the independence of two separatist regions in Georgia after the Russian-Georgian war in August.

    Nicaraguan army spokesman Gen. Adolfo Zepeda said the Russian ships will deliver humanitarian aid at a ceremony planned for Saturday in Bluefields, but did not provide specific information on the contents of the aid. Local media reported that the ships arrived Friday, but Nicaraguan officials were not immediately available to confirm that. The Russian navy says the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support vessels are scheduled to leave Monday.

12-13-2008

two individuals held in alleged theft of money bound for cuba

     MIAMI, FLORIDA--Complaints about remittances never being delivered to Cuba by a Hialeah business led investigators to charge three people running the place. The heartless crime, police say, became clear when angry crowds on three separate days gathered outside Isla Express wire service during last year's holiday season:  They wanted to know where tens of thousands of dollars destined for family members in Cuba had gone. One year later, authorities said Thursday, two of Isla's three operators were jailed on charges of illegal money transfers. One has vanished.  The money disappeared, too.

    ''These people were waiting for food and medicine,'' Hialeah Police Chief Mark Overton said of the victims in Cuba. Investigators say Isla Express scammed at least 502 customers of some $189,000 in late 2007, taking their money but never delivering the funds to family in Cuba. Norberto Alzar surrendered Thursday. Eiler Rubio was arrested Wednesday. Prudencio Garcia Leon is a fugitive believed to be in Cuba.

   Each is charged with operating an unauthorized currency transmitting business. Grand-theft charges have not been brought because investigators cannot go to the Communist island to prove the money was not delivered. ''Although we may have hundreds of potential victims, we can only prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, these particular charges,'' explained Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle. (More in INTERNATIONAL NEWS-MIAMI)

HUGO CHAVEZ ANNOUNCES CUBAN DICTATOR RAUL CASTRO'S VENEZUELA VISIT

      MOSCOW, RUSSIA--Venezuelan Hugo Chávez has gushed many times that Cuba's Fidel Castro is like a ``father.'' Cuban vice president Carlos Lage has been just as effusive: ``Cuba has two presidents: Fidel and Chávez.'' So it's no surprise that Castro's successor, his younger brother Raúl, will make his first overseas trip since becoming Cuba's president in July 2006 to Venezuela.  ''(This) has for us the same significance of the visit of Fidel in 1959,'' Chávez said Wednesday, announcing Raúl Castro's visit on Saturday. ``Raúl is going to repeat history.''

    But Raúl isn't Fidel -- and his relationship with Chávez isn't as close as his older brother's.                         ''It's Fidel who Chávez idolizes ... Chávez considers himself to be a descendant of Fidel,'' said Brian Latell, formerly the CIA's top Latin America analyst and the author of the book, ``After Fidel: Raúl Castro and the Future of Cuba's Revolution.''

     Sergio Rodríguez, a senior official at a Venezuelan government foreign policy institute in Caracas, called the trip ``symbolically important ... The trip sends a signal by Raúl that he wants to maintain strong relations between the two countries.'' However, Maria Teresa Romero, an international relations professor at Venezuela's Central University, says the trip matters more to Chávez than it does to Raúl Castro.

PDVSA BOOKS CRUDE OIL CARRIERS IN THE UNITED STATES  

     LONDON, ENGLAND--Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) retained three very large crude carriers (VLCC) in the United States, increasing the rumors of its potential use of vessels to store at least six million barrels of oil in the sea, said sales representatives on Thursday.

     Sources of the carriers industry said on Wednesday that Iran had stored at least 12 million barrels in tankers near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. Dealers said that the state-run oil company had booked in November the Front Energy, of 300,000 tons, for three years, and 320,000-ton carriers Eliza and Ioanna, also for three years.

     "Pdvsa has booked them for its purposes. Nobody knows why. It could be for storage or for business with China," said an agent quoted by Reuters. "We have heard the same, but also have heard that they could remain there, empty," said a source of the oil business.

12-12-2008

mARACAIBO MAYOR MANUEL ROSALES SUBPOENAED TO HEAR THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Opposition leader and Maracaibo Mayor Manuel Rosales' appearance on Thursday at the Attorney General Office was a formality to hear the charges against him, reported Rosales' attorney Álvaro Castillo.

    "In any criminal proceeding, where there is an investigation, the defendant needs to appear. This was what was made today, when we appeared at the Attorney General Office to hear the grounds for Manuel Rosales' accusation. It was a very formal ceremony, where we were apprised of each charge. From now on, we will exercise our right to defense," Castillo explained.The lawyer noted that, in accordance with the Organic Code of Criminal Procedure, he should keep confidential the contents of the records.

     "We cannot list the issues related to the indictment; we just want to mean that today a proceeding was followed as part of the criminal process in the stage of discovery. If anything is named, I would violate the confidentiality of the records and commit a crime." "We will use any evidence to show that the charges filed have not grounds; that they are based on evidence that cannot be proven, and we will show it in the stage of discovery," added Castillo.

RUSSIAN NAVY WARSHIPS TO VISIT NICARAGUA

      MOSCOW, RUSSIA--A Russian navy squadron will visit Nicaragua, the navy said Thursday, a symbolic reward for an old ally as the Kremlin seeks to project its power into Latin America. Nicaragua is the only country that has followed Russia in recognizing the independence of two separatist regions in Georgia after the Russian-Georgian war in August. Nicaragua was a close ally of Moscow in the 1980s under President Daniel Ortega, who returned to power in 2006.

    Navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support vessels will arrive Friday at the Nicaraguan port of Bluefields for a four-day visit.  The Kremlin has moved to rebuild old alliances with Cuba and Nicaragua and cultivate new friends such as Venezuela - part of efforts to expand Russia's global clout and flex its muscles close to the United States.

    The Admiral Chabanenko is part of a Russian squadron visiting Latin America in the first such deployment to the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War. The voyage is widely seen as a reflection of Kremlin annoyance over the U.S. use of warships to deliver aid to Georgia after its war with Russia. The squadron, led by the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, arrived in Venezuela last month. The visit coincided with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's trip to Venezuela and other countries in the region.

VENEZUELA DEBT RATING OUTLOOK LOWERED TO NEGATIVE BY CREDIT RATING AGENCY STANDARD & POOR (S&p)

     NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK--Political consideration will likely delay needed adjustment in economic policies, said S&P. Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's lowered on Wednesday to negative from stable Venezuela's debt rating outlook, saying that political consideration will likely delay needed adjustment in economic policies. S&P maintained Venezuela's foreign debt rating at "BB-/B", Reuters reported. 

    "We revised the outlook because political considerations in Venezuela will, in our view, likely delay needed adjustments in economic policies given the sharp drop in international oil prices," said S&P analyst Robert Sifón Arévalo, as quoted in the statement.

    Standard & Poor's revised its projection for Venezuelan oil exports in 2009. "Venezuelan oil exports will average $40 a barrel next year after averaging $87 a barrel this year," S&P said in its statement.

12-11-2008

cuban police arrested opposition activists prior to human rights day celebration

    HAVANA, CUBA-- Up to a dozen human rights activists were detained in Cuba in police operations apparently intended to keep them from attending Human Rights Day events in Havana yesterday, according to exile groups in Miami. Wednesday's events were being organized to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

    Protests were planned by various Cuban dissident groups, including the Ladies in White organization formed by wives and female relatives of 75 dissidents and independent journalists who were rounded up during a 2003 crackdown on political dissent. The Federation of Latin American Women, a group that lobbies for an end to Cuba's dual currency, said Cuban State Security agents beat their members and broke one woman's hand.

    ''They did not even ask for identification,'' FLAMUR President Belinda Salas said in a statement. ``My husband Lazaro got such a beating that he was bleeding profusely through his mouth and head, plus he was struck hard on his testicles. . . . They ripped my blouse, leaving me naked, and the beating left me with a fractured hand.'' The incident occurred when several state patrol cars arrived in Havana's Vedado neighborhood, FLAMUR said. The whereabouts of some who were picked up by police cruisers was unknown.

CZECH REPUBLIC VACLAV HAVEL, POLISH LECHA WALESA AND  SOUTH AFRICA FREDERIC WILLEN DE KLERK VOICE "CONCERN" ABOUT FREEDOM IN VENEZUELA

      PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC--Former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel and two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Polish leader Lech Walesa and South African Frederick Willem de Klerk, Wednesday expressed their "concern" over the situation of freedoms in Venezuela.

    In a joint declaration published on Wednesday in Prague on the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, the three former presidents, among other prominent individuals, expressed "their concern over the situation of freedom, peace, rule of law and democracy in Venezuela," EFE reported.

     According to the signatories of the document, under apparent freedom and respect for democratic processes, the impartiality of the Venezuelan legal system has deteriorated, and the "individual freedoms of Venezuelans have been limited, as evidenced by the fact that the government does not tolerate dissent and different thinking."   Regarding the closure of Venezuelan private TV network Radio Caracas Televisión, the statement rejected "the mechanisms of persecution, including the loss of freedom of expression and manipulation to silence protests, against those who have spoken out against the current system."

BRITAIN COULD BEGIN IRAQ PULLOUT IN MARCH

       LONDON, ENGLAND--Britain could start withdrawing most of its remaining 4,100 troops from Iraq in March because "significant progress" has been made in improving security, the government said on Wednesday. A Ministry of Defense spokeswoman said the progress made in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, where the majority of the British troops in Iraq have been serving, would enable "a fundamental change of mission in early 2009."

     The spokesman would not confirm or deny the specific date of March 2009 cited in British newspaper reports as the start date for the final pullout, but said: "Our position remains that we will judge it on military advice at the time, but there has been significant progress." She said that thanks to Iraqi, British and coalition efforts, Basra was a city "which has now been transformed."

     "As such, we are now expecting to see a fundamental change of mission in early 2009," she added in a statement. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was U.S. President George W. Bush's strongest ally over the U.S.-led March 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. Blair sent 45,000 troops to join the U.S.-led military action but the war cost him public support. Figures compiled through late November show 176 British forces have died in Iraq since the invasion.

12-10-2008

WEALTHY VENEZUELAN BUSINESSMAN IN HUGO CHAVEZ'S BRIEFCASE SCANDAL GETS 15 MONTHS IN PRISON

    MIAMI, FLORIDA-- A wealthy VENEZUELAN businessman accused of participating in a South Florida coverup of Venezuela's $800,000 donation to an Argentine presidential candidate was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Monday for conspiring as an illegal foreign agent in the United States. Carlos Kauffmann, a partner in Venezuela's largest privately owned oil company, cut a plea deal earlier this year that required testifying against a former business partner, Franklin Durán, at his federal trial in Miami this fall.

    Durán was convicted of conspiring and acting as an unregistered Venezuelan agent. For that cooperation, Kauffmann, 37, received a prison term far less than the five-year maximum sentence on the conspiracy charge. He was also fined $25,000 by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard. Kauffmann, who has been in custody since his arrest last December, is expected to be released early next year. He testified about the partners' paying heavy bribes to Venezuelan officials in exchange for multimillion-dollar government contracts -- the corrupt backdrop to the pair's ultimate favor to assist the country's spy agency in the coverup in South Florida. '

     'The DISIP official further stated that the government of Venezuela wanted the assistance of Antonini in concealing the source and destination of the seized funds,'' according to a statement filed with Kauffmann's plea agreement. ``Franklin Durán assured the DISIP official that [Durán] had Antonini under his control.'' Durán later told Kauffmann about the plan, according to the statement.

OPEC OIL PRICE FALLS BELOW 40 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2005 

       VIENNA, AUSTRIA--The price of the oil basket of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has plummeted in recent days and, for the first time since January 12, 2005 last Thursday was sold below USD 40. After dropping to USD 36.67 last Friday, the basket price recovered slightly on Monday and stood at USD 37.54.
 
     The Secretariat of OPEC in Vienna reported on Tuesday the price of its reference crude oil for the past three days after the oil organization remained closed two days (Friday and Monday), EFE reported  The slight upturn shown by OPEC crude oil on Monday was far from the strong increase of US oil benchmark (WTI) and Europe oil benchmark (Brent), which rose on Monday by 7.1 percent and 9.2 percent, respectively.
 
     Oil prices rebounded on Monday as OPEC appeared set to announce a cut in its output during its meeting in Algeria next December 17.  Last October, the 13 members of the oil group agreed to reduce OPEC output by 1.5 million barrels a day to contain the continuing drop of oil prices.

HUGO CHAVEZ WELCOMED AT MIRAFLORES PALACE FORMER FARC HOSTAGE INGRID BETANCOURT

       CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Hugo Chávez welcomed on Monday at Miraflores presidential palace former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was held hostage by the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) for more than six years.

    Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro received and had a brief talk with Betancourt while she waited for President Chávez, reported state-run news agency ABN. This is Betancourt's first visit to Venezuela after being rescued by the Colombian army on July 2nd, 2008 during the "Operation Check."

     Ending 2007, the Venezuelan president strived to get the release of Betancourt and other hostages of the FARC. That time, the Venezuelan government succeeded in the release of seven people, including Betancourt's running mate Clara Rojas. Meanwhile, the French Embassy in Caracas said that Betancourt would deliver a press conference on Tuesday at the diplomatic premises, after she suspended a news conference she was scheduled to offer at the French Embassy on Monday.

12-09-2008

PERUVIAN AUTHOR MARIO VARGAS LLOSA LAMBASTES HUGO CHAVEZ'S PROPOSAL ON INDEFINITE REELECTION

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA---- "A philosophical system or a great legal corpus is not needed to know that in a country like Venezuela, those who are in office want to be there forever," said the Peruvian author in Caracas Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa blasted on Monday in Caracas the attempt of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at going ahead with his continued reelection by means of a constitutional reform that will be submitted for the people's consideration early 2009.

    Before being conferred an honorary PhD at Simón Bolívar University (USB), the author warned that the proposed amendment is intended to validate "being forever in office that just could turn out to be dictatorship," DPA quoted.

    "A philosophical system or a great legal corpus is not needed to know that in a country like Venezuela, those who are in office want to be there forever. Their behavior clearly leads to that conclusion," he said during a press conference prior to the ceremony. In Venezuela, "there is an authoritarian project which, happily little by little, not all of a sudden, is undermining the foundations of democratic life in this country and, sure enough, this draft constitutional reform just seeks to validate the fact of remaining in office forever."

MARACAIBO MAYOR MANUEL ROSALES THINKS HIS DETENTION WOULD BE "SHAMEFUL, ARBITRARY" 

       CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Incoming Maracaibo mayor Manuel Rosales promised on Monday not to evade a subpoena to appear next Thursday at the Attorney General Office and defend himself against corruption charges. However, he warned that a potential detention would be "shameful, arbitrary."

     "It would be a shameful event in front of Venezuela; it would be an arbitrary event, a breach of the Constitution and the laws and, of course, the Venezuela's people will judge that. I will take up whatever I will have to," he told reporters, Efe reported.

     The investigation into Rosales for alleged corruption, drug traffic and coup attempt was publicly requested by President Hugo Chávez, who last month insisted on saying that the then Zulia state governor and now brand-new mayor should be imprisoned.

IRAN AND ECUADOR SIGN 12 AGREEMENTS

       THERAN, IRAN --The Iranian official news agency says Iran and Ecuador signed 12 memorandums of understanding during a visit by the Ecuadorean president to Tehran.

    IRNA says the agreements signed during President Rafael Correa's visit were in the fields of industry, energy, oil, banking, health and commerce.

     During Sunday's signing, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the two countries would triumph over ''arrogance or the U.S.'' by cooperating.  Correa arrived in Iran on Friday for a five-day visit, the first by an Ecuadorian president to Iran. Iran is working to improve relations with South American nations with left-leaning leaders opposed to the U.S.

12-08-2008

OPEC PRESIDENT PREDICTS OUTPUT CUTS

    ALGIERS, ALGERIA----Oil markets should brace for a surprise decision on output cuts when OPEC meets Dec. 17, the cartel's president said Saturday, suggesting that reductions could be deeper than expected. "A consensus has formed for a significant reduction of production levels" by the 14-member Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC President Chakib Khelil told The Associated Press. The OPEC head would not discuss how deep the output cut would be, but said it could be "severe," and noted that some analysts are predicting cuts of as much as 2 million barrels per day.

    An output decision that startles markets would help bolster plunging oil rates, Khelil said. "The best way is to surprise them," he said. Oil prices settled Friday at a four-year low of $40.81 a barrel. In July, prices peaked at record highs above $140 a barrel. OPEC previously announced a 1.5 million barrel-a-day reduction in October, but the decision failed to halt the fall in prices. Markets have been expecting another cut at the Dec. 17 summit. "The stronger the decision, the faster prices will pick up," Khelil said.

    "OPEC needs to take quick action to reduce the offered quantities because the market is oversupplied," said Falah al-Amiri, head of the state oil marketing arm SOMO. He said OPEC would adopt "limited cuts" at the Dec. 17 meeting but did not elaborate on the possible amount. Khelil predicted demand would rise by mid-2009, saying a fair price for oil would be at "at least $70" per barrel. Too-low prices are not in the interest of oil-consuming countries either, he said, because they hinder investment and exploration for future production. He noted that several offshore drilling projects were already being postponed around the world.

RUSSIAN WARSHIP SAILS THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL

       PANAMA CITY, PANAMA--A Russian warship has sailed through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II. The Admiral Chabanenko had earlier completed manoeuvres with Venezuela's navy, coinciding with a Latin American tour by the Russian president. The 50-mile (80km) canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was shut to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Correspondents say the Russian ship is sending a symbolic message in what the US sees as its sphere of influence.

      Ties between the two superpowers have become strained because of Washington's plan for a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic - something Moscow is firmly opposed to. Panama said the passage of the ship had no political significance, as the canal is "open to all the world's ships". The canal journey, the naval exercises and President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the region have been seen as aimed at strengthening Russia's influence in the region.

     In the naval exercises, about 1,600 Russian and 700 Venezuelan sailors on four Russian ships and 12 Venezuelan vessels took part in the VenRus 2008 joint exercise. They had originally been scheduled to last three days, but both Venezuelan and Russian officials said the manoeuvres had been successfully completed in one day. The first and only time Soviet warships used the Panama Canal was in 1944, when the USSR and US were fighting as allies against Hitler, the Russian embassy in Panama.

IRAN AND ECUADOR LOOK TO BOOST TIES 

       TEHRAN, IRAN--Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Ecuadorian counterpart have announced they are looking to improve bilateral relations.

     Following Saturday's meeting with Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, Iran's president was quoted as saying by state television that increased cooperation is in their mutual interests.

     Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa arrived in Iran on Friday for a five-day visit, heading a delegation that included foreign, oil and defense ministers. The meeting follows similar efforts by Iran to strengthen ties with other South American nations, such as Venezuela. Correa said the two countries would soon open embassies in their respective capitals. Correa's visit is the first by an Ecuadorian president to Iran.

12-07-2008

iran president mahmoud ahmadinejad welcomes ecuador president rafael correa

    TEHRAN, IRAN--The presidents of Iran and Ecuador pledged an expansion of diplomatic and other relations on Saturday, the latest sign of closer ties between Tehran and leftist South American governments that have annoyed Washington. Ecuador is seeking loans from friendly nations like Iran and Venezuela as plunging oil prices are hurting the Andean country's revenues, but President Rafael Correa made no mention of this after talks with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

    Correa, who arrived in the Iranian capital late on Friday for an official visit expected to end on Tuesday, said the two OPEC members would open embassies in each other's capitals in January, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. Iran, at loggerheads with the United States over the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear programme, has sought to boost international support including in South America where it has also courted Bolivia and Venezuela.

    "The Ecuadorian government is determined to expand and deepen ties with Iran," Correa, a leftist former economy minister, said. "We have had good expansion of ties so far and we are hopeful we will be able to deepen that," ISNA quoted him as telling reporters. Correa has threatened not to repay Ecuador's sovereign bonds worth around $3.8 billion, saying they were acquired illegally by past administrations. A debt default could shut down credit lines to the government and local businesses, analysts say. Ahmadinejad, who often rails against the West, said after meeting Correa that Iran and Ecuador were determined to expand ties in all fields. He gave no details.

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS AWARDED THE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR PRIZE TO JAILED CUBAN JOURNALIST RICARDO GONZALEZ ALONSO

       PARIS, FRANCE-- A Cuban journalist who has been behind bars for five years and has another 15 years left on his sentence was awarded Reporters Without Borders' Journalist of the Year award. Ricardo González Alfonso, 58, was arrested in 2003 when the Cuban government conducted a nationwide sweep against dissent. He was one of 26 reporters imprisoned.

    A former correspondent for the Paris-based press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, he was accused of being in the pay of the United States and ``undermining Cuba's independence and territorial integrity.''  González is a former employee of the state television agency who was in charge of children's broadcasting. He started working for the opposition Cuba Press in 1995, and became a correspondent for Reporters Without Borders in 1998. He tried to train independent journalists, who often lack basic reporting skills.

   ''We chose Ricardo because he really tried to improve independent journalism on the island with the creation in 2001 of the Manuel Márquez Sterling association, a kind of journalism school he created,'' said Reporters Without Borders' Americas desk director Benoit Hervieu. ``After that, he published a review called De Cuba, but unfortunately there were only three editions of the review.'' It was shut down by the government. González is currently at the Combinado del Este prison in Havana, where he is reported to be in poor health. ''He remains a symbol of the triumph of the independent journalist on the island,'' Hervieu said. González's prize, awarded Thursday in Paris, was picked up by Alejandro González Raga, a Cuban journalist who was released from prison in February and exiled to Spain.

CARACAS MAYOR ANTONIO LEDEZMA TOLD HUGO CHAVEZ THAT HE SHOULD NOT MISTAKE DECENCY WITH WEAKNESS

       CARACAS, VENEZUELA--"President Chávez, please do not mistake decency, civism for weakness. You are as legitimate as we are." You were elected by the Venezuelan people, as we were. You are obliged to govern with tolerance and under the Constitution and the laws of the Republic," said Ledezma. Ledezma, Maracaibo mayor Manuel Rosales, and state governors Henrique Capriles and Pablo Pérez, delivered a joint press conference. Ledezma reported on arbitrary removal of powers from mayors and state governors who are not members of the pro-government party.

    "It is intended to prevent the success of our managements," he lamented, but added, however, that regardless of the government tricks and stumbling blocs, they will continue working for the people. "We are taking up our incumbencies in the middle of a storm and we are convinced of such harshness. For this reason, we need to get all the sectors of Venezuela together and condemn the ongoing political persecution by some government entities to harass state governors and mayors. This is the plight of (Zulia state mayor) Manuel Rosales," said Ledezma during a press conference.

     The brand-new mayor was accompanied by Miranda governor elect Henrique Capriles Radonski, incoming Zulia state governor Pablo Pérez, and the new Maracaibo mayor Manuel Rosales, in addition to other opposition representatives.  He claimed that they are not seeking a portion of power, but peace and agreement.

12-06-2008

primer minister vladimir putin said russia will use venezuelan BASES "if necessary"

    MOSCOW, RUSSIA--Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that although "Russia has an agreement with Venezuela (...) under which, if necessary, we are allowed to use their ports for refueling and victualling our warships," there is no need to build permanent military bases. He also stressed that Russia has superb relations with the South American country. 

     "I think Cuba's authorities will not reject," the possibility that Russia uses ports in the Caribbean island, Putin stressed.  "Today there is no necessity for the construction of permanent military bases in Venezuela and Cuba," said Putin during his live participation in a TV show in which he answered questions from the Russian audience. 

     He also expressed his surprise at the reaction of the international community to the first Venezuelan-Russian naval maneuvers in the Caribbean, which is a traditional US area of influence.    Previously, he said that he expected "positive changes" in the relations between Russia and the United States when US president-elect Barack Obama takes office next January.

VENEZUELAN OIL BASKET FALLS TO USD 39.59 

       NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK-- The average price of the Venezuelan oil basket ended the week at USD 39.59, a loss of USD 1.09 compared to the average oil price of the previous week (USD 40.68), reported on Friday the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.

    The weekly average (USD 39.59) represents less than half the 2008 average of USD 92.76 per barrel, far from the national record high of USD 132.53 reached on July 2008. However, the 2008 average price of USD 92.76 is higher than the average price of USD  64.74 reported by the Ministry of Energy last year, as well as the USD 56.45 reported in 2006 and the USD 45.39 a barrel that the crude oil barrel averaged in 2005.

     Oil prices showed a "volatile behaviour" amid concerns over global economic woes and the increase of oil commercial inventories in the United States," said the Venezuelan Ministry in its website. The volatility is also due to "expectations surrounding the decision to be made by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at its next meeting in Cairo on Saturday," the statement added.

MEXICAN CEMEX REQUEST THE WORLD BANK ARBITRATION AGAINST VENEZUELA 

       MONTERREY, MEXICOD--Mexican Cemex, the third largest cement maker in the world, applied at the World Bank for international arbitration against the Venezuelan government for seizing its assets, reported on Thursday a corporate source. Last August, the government of President Hugo Chávez expropriated Cemex's property as part of a nationalization schedule to control the cement output in the country, Reuters quoted.

     "I can confirm that Cemex made an application for arbitration. The following now is to appoint agents and the arbiter," said the source, who asked for anonymity and did not provide further information. The complaint was filed with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), an adjunct to the World Bank, on October 30th.

     Cemex had claimed in August that the move violated the Constitution, international law principles and treaties on reciprocal protection of investments. Afterwards, the talks with Chávez's government were resumed in order to make a deal and get indemnification. The cement maker, which operates in more than 50 countries, had asked for USD 1.3 billion, but the Venezuelan government promised half the amount

12-05-2008

MEXICO SENDS CUBANS HOME UNDER NEW ACCORD

    MEXICO CITY, MEXICO--  Mexico is sending illegal Cuban migrants home for the first time under a new immigration accord. A Mexican immigration official says authorities are preparing to send the Cubans back to the communist island after they were caught in Mexico.

    The official is not releasing additional information.  Cuban immigrants trying to reach the United States have turned to Mexico in recent years after it became harder to enter through Miami. Almost all were given temporary visas in Mexico and continued on to the U.S.

     In October, Mexico agreed to send the Cubans home. An Associated Press photographer in Cancun saw about 60 immigrants being loaded on to buses early Thursday, and some said they were being sent to Cuba. A Cuban Embassy official had no information.  

CHILEANS STILL ANGRY OVER GENERAL EDWIN DONAYRE'S ANTI-CHILE REMARKS

      LIMA, PERUE-- Tensions between Chile and Peru remained high Monday after last week's revelation that Peru's top army general Edwin Donayre said at a party that Chileans in Peru would be sent back in coffins or body bags. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met Monday morning with her domestic advisers to discuss the matter after the Peruvian general appeared unrepentant over the weekend, the Chilean government reported on its Web site.

    Peruvian President Alan García had called Bachelet last week to say that the statements by Gen. Edwin Donayre are not the official policy of Peru. Bachelet said at the time she was satisfied with García's explanation and it was "up to the government of Peru to take measures." "We are not going to let Chileans pass by," Donayre says in the amateur-quality video as he offers a toast. "Chilean who enters will not leave. Or will leave in a coffin. And if there aren't sufficient coffins, there will be plastic bags."

    Tensions rose over the weekend when Donayre, who is scheduled to retire Friday, was widely quoted in Peru and Chile as saying that he will not be forced to resign early due to external pressure. "I was named commander general under a presidential mandate and I can only be relieved under such an order. Not by necessity nor under pressure from another government," Donayre said, acording to the Peruvian Andina news agency.

THE CHILEAN GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ACCEPT GENERAL EDWIN DONAYRE'S APOLOGY OVER BODY BAGS' REMARKS 

       SANTIAGO DE CHILE, CHILE--Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met Monday morning with her domestic advisers to discuss the matter after the Peruvian general appeared unrepentant over the weekend, the Chilean government reported on its Web site. Peruvian President Alan García had called Bachelet last week to say that the statements by Gen. Edwin Donayre are not the official policy of Peru. Bachelet said at the time she was satisfied with García's explanation and it was "up to the government of Peru to take measures."

    Tensions rose over the weekend when Donayre, who is scheduled to retire Friday, was widely quoted in Peru and Chile as saying that he will not be forced to resign early due to external pressure. "I was named commander general under a presidential mandate and I can only be relieved under such an order. Not by necessity nor under pressure from another government," Donayre said, acording to the Peruvian Andina news agency.  Further heightening tensions, Donayre was quoted as saying that Peruvian citizens have a right to say whatever they want at private functions.

    "I want to express and specify that it was not a speech nor a public act," Andina quotes the general as saying. "The situation in which what happened at a private gathering was spread worries me." After Bachelet's meeting with top aides Monday, government spokesman Francisco Vidal declined to say whether Chile's ambassador to Peru would be recalled in light of Donayre's weekend statements. "General Donayre's declarations in the past 24 to 48 hours only convince us that we are right and that our government's posture is reasonable," Vidal said on the Chilean government Web site.

12-04-2008

MEL MARTINEZ WON'T SEEK SENATE REELECTION

    MIAMI, FLORIDA--U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2010, closing a chapter in an extraordinary success story of an empty-handed Cuban refugee and setting off a free-for-all over his open seat. The longtime Republican lawmaker made the announcement at a press conference in Orlando, which he called ``my only true home since I left Cuba.''

    Martinez, a lawyer, was elected mayor of Orange County in 1998. President Bush tapped him to serve as Secretary of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2001 and urged him to run for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Martinez answered the call, and did so again when Bush asked him to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee November 2006.

     But he stepped down from the political post less than one year later, battered by the fierce fight in Congress over immigration and weary of juggling his responsibilities to his party and constituents Martinez said he announced his retirement two years early to give potential candidates enough time to build campaigns. ''The call to public service is strong, but the call to home, family and lifelong friends is stronger,'' Martinez said.   Martinez's slumping poll numbers and slow fundraising have fueled speculation for months that he would not seek reelection, though he said the prospect of a tough race had nothing to do with his decision.

VENEZUELAN STUDENTS BEGIN CAMPAIGNING AGAINST INDEFINITE REELECTION

      CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Venezuelan students, as well as political parties, have assumed that President Hugo Chávez will achieve his goal to amend the Constitution in order to implement indefinite presidential reelection. Even though the proposal is unconstitutional, both students and political organizations agree that they must get to work immediately and launch an information campaign and street demonstrations for people to reassert the opinion they expressed on December 2, 2007, when Venezuelans rejected Chávez's proposed changes to the Constitution.

     "We should not fall into the trap of pointless discussions. We cannot lose time since we need time to organize. We just have three months left (until the referendum on the constitutional amendment). Let's stand firm and vote. I trust in the feelings of the Venezuelan people," said Yon Goicoechea, leader of the pro-democracy student movement in Venezuela.

     "We already took a decision: the Venezuelan people reject indefinite mandates. That's the reason why I feel we can win. We are going to win again. We have to be aware that in this new election we will have to ratify what we have already said," he added

VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MANUEL ROSALES: THEY WANT TO "LYNCH" WHOEVER AT ODDS WITH CHAVEZ'S ETERNAL PRESIDENCY

       CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Rosales regretted that the government lack of mercy on the opposition is intended to make President Hugo Chávez remain in office forever Manuel Rosales, the new mayor of Maracaibo, the capital city of western Zulia state, reported that he will face any and all charges and make any appearances that may be needed to show he is not guilty.

     In addition, he regretted that the government lack of mercy on the opposition is intended to make President Hugo Chávez remain in office forever. "I will face whatever I have to face, because this is a revolution of thieves, of corrupts, who try to politically lynch all of us, who oppose Chávez's coronation," said Rosales.

     "All that President Chávez wants is to crown himself as the perennial Venezuela's president and I am for him one of the stumbling blocs. For this reason, they want to wipe me out, because since he ordered to chase me and corner me, all the powers turned on and this is the best evidence of lack of justice here. All in all, I will face them."

12-03-2008

TUMBLING OIL PRICES ARE TO WEAKEN VENEZUELA'S ECONOMY

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Since oil bills are usually paid 90 days following crude oil delivery, Venezuela has not felt the actual impact of diving oil prices. In fact, the country is still enjoying the oil windfall from the time when oil prices exceeded USD 100. However, as soon as oil revenues stop flowing in, both public accounts and economic growth will be seriously shocked.  The Venezuelan oil basket ended last week at USD 40.68 and next year's budget was prepared based on an estimated oil price of USD 60.

    According to official estimates, state-run oil giant Pdvsa will export 2.9 million barrels of oil a day. Therefore, oil revenues should amount to USD 174 million per day. However, based on last week's price, Venezuela's oil revenues would total USD 117.9 million per day, that is, USD 56 million less than expected. 

    Oil prices are likely to rebound following new output cuts implemented by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the seasonal effect of winter. However, all indicators suggest that the price of oil in 2009 will be much lower.  As a consequence, Venezuela would be forced to cut public spending, thus deepening the economic slowdown. In the first nine months this year, economic growth was 5.6 percent versus 8.4 percent in the same period of 2007.

HUGO CHAVEZ'S OIL EXPORTS TO US ON FALLING

      CARACAS, VENEZUELA--In September 2008, Venezuela barely exported to the US an average of 107,000 bpd of by-products versus 159,000 bpd sold in August 2008. Exports of Venezuelan oil and by-products to the United States continued the downward trend in September, when the volume of oil and by-products shipped to the US declined 254,000 barrels per day (bpd). 

    In total, the US received an average of 1.05 million barrels per day of Venezuelan oil and by-products in September, that is 19.4 percent below the shipments in August and 264,000 bpd (19.5 percent) less than the volume exported in September 2007, according to the data released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical arm of the US Department of Energy.

     These data were influenced by a 17.6 percent decrease (202,000 barrels per day) in the amount of crude oil sold to the US, but particularly by a 32.7 percent fall in the volume of Venezuelan by-products traded, a behaviour which has been strengthening over the past months. In September 2008, Venezuela barely exported to the US an average of 107,000 bpd of by-products versus 159,000 bpd sold in August 2008. As a result, the accumulated average between January and September 2008 stood at 153,000 bpd, 80,000 bpd (34.3 percent) below the average registered during the same period of 2007.
 

COLOMBIAN CONGRESSPERSONS ASK THEIR PRESIDENT TO DEMAND HUGO CHAVEZ FOR SPYING

   BOGOTA, COLOMBIA--Parliamentarians of Colombia asked President Álvaro Uribe on Monday to file charges against the Venezuelan government with international organizations for spying ex consul general in Maracaibo (the capital city of western Zulia state) Carlos Galvis, who was recalled as a dispute arose with Caracas.

     Last Sunday, Bogotá decided to recall Galvis at the request of Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez for making comments on the results of the Venezuelan election for state governors and mayors. However, the Colombian government planned to issue an official notice to express disappointment for the recording of a telephone conversation between the ex consul and an advisor to President Uribe, AFP quoted.

     "We are asking the government to file a complaint at international organizations, the UN (United Nations), the OAS (Organization of American States), to punish such a spying action of Hugo Chávez's administration as they ordered to tap telephone conversations of a Colombian diplomat," said Senator Jairo Clopatofski.

12-02-2008

venezuela, russia started naval exercises in the CARIBBEAN sea

    CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Venezuela's state news agency says three days of joint naval exercises with Russia will kick off in Venezuelan waters on Monday.

     The state-run Bolivarian News Agency says the operation involving 11 Venezuelan and four Russian ships has been christened Venrus 2008. Saturday's report said exercises will include anti-aircraft defense and tactics to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. Some will involve helicopters and planes.

     The Russian squadron arrived in Venezuela on Tuesday, led by the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great - the first deployment of its kind since the Cold War. It's widely seen as a demonstration of Kremlin anger over aid delivered by U.S. warships to Georgia after its fighting with Russia. Russian officials deny that.

HUGO CHAVEZ SCHEDULES REFERENDUM ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM FOR JANUARY

      CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Hugo Chávez set a date for a constitutional amendment which allows for indefinite reelection. According to him, December is enough to prepare everything and the referendum could be held in January. "I will ask you just one thing. If we are to do it, it is to get a landslide victory, to knock out. Further, if we are to do it, let us do it now. It is now or never. I would not like to spend 2009 in a debate, saying that Chávez is a tyrant or half tyrant," he reasoned.

     He asked the opposition to get ready for the polls. "Opposition brainy analysts have said that I was left without the cities; they must be glad. Now, you take soap to do the laundry; go and buy your espadrilles because you will have to dance a joropo," said Chávez, meaning that he will put up a fight.

      "This may be perfectly prepared in December, and then in January, straight away, from the very beginning of the year, the people's crushing, armored attack, and at the forefront, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, battalions, patrols, patrollers, the Bolivarian people, the youth, missions, and Miranda Front," he added.

MIAMI JUDGE SETS VENEZUELA BUSINESSMAN KAUFFMANN'S SENTENCE IN SUITCASE SCANDAL

   MIAMI, FLORIDA--Venezuelan-US businessman Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson sued his former partner and close friend Franklin Durán for USD 640,000 and asked that Durán is prosecuted in a new jury trial, reported Argentinean newspaper La Nación.

    According to the newspaper, Antonini waited until the final pleadings of the suitcase trial, where he was the victim, and went on the offensive.  Antonini is still living in Florida with his wife and two daughters, while the extradition filed against him by the Argentinean government is still deadlocked in the US Department of Justice, confirmed La Nación, pending the final closing of the criminal trial.

     US District Judge Joan Lenard will read on Monday the first judgment and will set Carlos Kauffmann's sentence. A week later, on Monday 8, Moisés Maionica will be sentenced and seven days later, the US Judge will unveil the sentence for Uruguayan Rodolfo Wanseele Paciello.

12-01-2008

PERUVIAN PRESIDENT ALAN GARCIA SAID THE RUSSIAN-VENEZUELAN EXERCISES ARE NOT NEEDED

    LIMA-PERU--Russian-Venezuelan naval exercises in the Caribbean are "I would dare say, an unnecessary show-off," said on Thursday Peruvian President Alan García. During a meeting with foreign reporters in Lima, García attributed the exercises to "some people who like to hobnob with big fishes," apparently in reference to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, DPA reported.

     The Peruvian ruler conceded that some superpowers, such as China and Russia, were expected to have a higher profile in Latin America. In his opinion, the foreign policy of US President-elect Barack Obama will possibly make room for it. "I can take the place you are leaving," was his rationale to illustrate the issue.

     García, regarded as an ally with Washington, met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last Monday in Lima, and clarified that the appearance in the hemisphere of other superpowers is positive in economic and trade terms. "There is not need to be against the rich in order to work for the poor. I have left behind this easy concept," he added.

VENEZUELA'S CONATEL STARTS A NEW PROBE INTO NEWS TV CHANNEL GLOBOVISION

      CARACAS, VENEZUELA--Officials from Venezuela's National Telecommunication Commission (Conatel) visited the seat of private TV news channel Globovisión to give notice of another administrative investigation into the television network, for alleged solicitation to public order disturbance when the station broadcast remarks of then Carabobo state governor candidate Henrique Salas Feo before the National Electoral Council (CNE) stated he was the winner.

    According to CNE director Vicente Díaz, the statements of now Carabobo governor-elect Salas Feo came after the top electoral body published the first official bulletin of electoral results. Therefore, they do not imply any electoral offense.

     Meanwhile, Globovisión's legal counsel Ana Cristina Núñez confirmed that "Conatel has no powers to address issues related to election results." Further general director of the TV news channel Alberto Federico Ravell said that the investigation was launched because the Venezuelan President and his cabinet are grieving after they lost political ground in the country.

THE VENEZUELAN NATIONAL JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION (CNP) WARNS AGAINST THREATS ON GLOBOVISION

   CARACAS, VENEZUELA--the Venezuelan National Journalists' Association (CNP said "Venezuela just finished a successful local election. Nobody in the country has the hegemony. The political power is now more shared than ever before. The result of the people's will compels our political leaders and all the state authorities to talk to the benefit of all Venezuelans, regardless of their stances. Therefore, the National Journalists Association (CNP) makes an appeal to answer to this request for dialogue and rapprochement."

     "Recent threats of administrative proceedings against TV news channel Globovisión make us think that a government sector ignores this sovereign appeal to look for understanding. We are facing renewed attacks on freedom of expression. It is a ploy aimed at harassment and self-censorship of Venezuelan journalists and media."
    The National Telecommu-nications Commission (Conatel) has opened two administrative proceedings against TV news channel Globovisión. For the National Journalists Association, it is unacceptable that a media outlet and its professionals may be punished on the grounds of retaliation instead of justice and impartial law enforcement.