Chavez Ties Merkel to Hitler

Venezuela shutting down the links—that happen to be near oil

(NEWSER) - Hugo Chávez has gone after oil conglomerates and media companies, and now he's hitting the capitalist pigs where it hurts: at the golf course. The Venezuelan president is trying to shut down the country's best-known courses, which he believes are part of an anti-Marxist conspiracy, the Independent reports. "Let's leave this clear," he said on his long-running personal TV show, "golf is a bourgeois sport." More»

(AP) - Honduras' ousted president, bolstered by international support, said he will return home to regain control and urged soldiers to stop cracking down on thousands of supporters who have protested his overthrow. Flanked by Latin American leaders who have vowed to help him regain power, Manuel Zelaya said yesterday he would accept an offer by the OAS secretary-general to accompany him back to Honduras. More»

Nations eye alternative regional group

(NEWSER) - Venezuela would jump at the chance to join Cuba as an Organization of American States outcast, reports the AP. The never-shy Hugo Chavez claims the OAS, which suspended Cuba in 1962, serves US interests and says the two countries could form an alternative regional group. Cuba's foreign minister agreed, calling for Latin America and Caribbean states to form a body that "serves our people rather than the Empire." More»

Move part of a larger effort to extend govt's reach, say critics

(NEWSER) - Venezuela is taking steps to shut down an anti-Chávez TV news station as tensions continue to grow between the government and opposition. Authorities have accused the station of "media terrorism" by covering an earthquake before the government released an official report. Three months after winning a referendum that allows him to run for president indefinitely, Chávez is taking an increasingly tough line, reports the Washington Post. More»

Bolivian prez accuses US of assassination plot

(NEWSER) - President Obama defended his friendly chat with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and asked Cuba to free its political prisoners, the Wall Street Journal reports. At the close of the Summit of the America's today, Obama brushed off Republican criticism, saying that turning a new page with Venezuela and Cuba represents "an opportunity for frank dialogue on a range of issues." More»