'Bourgeois' Golf Courses Tee Off Chávez

Chavez says he'll cut off the oil if Colombia attacks

(NEWSER) - Hugo Chavez has again threatened to cut off Venezuela's oil exports to the US. The Venezuelan leader says he'll stop the flow of oil if his country is attacked by close US ally Colombia, the BBC reports. Chavez has cut off diplomatic relations with Colombia over accusations that Venezuela is harboring left-wing Colombian rebels, and put his army on high alert. 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»

Metal companies nationalized 'to build platform for socialism'

(NEWSER) - Hugo Chavez has ordered the nationalization of several large iron and steel companies in Venezuela, AFP reports. The president said the takeovers marked the start of a "process of nationalization to create an industrial complex." The move, which follows the nationalization of 39 oil service providers, would help build a "solid platform of socialism," Chavez said. 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»