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NEWS ABOUT: Hugo Chávez

For Chavez, the End Is Near

Referendum will keep him in power, but Venezuelan economy makes it 'irrelevant'

(Newser) - Hugo Chavez has a slight lead in tomorrow’s referendum that would allow him to extend his rule in Venezuela, but the realities of the country’s economy make the issue “mostly irrelevant,” Edward Schumacher-Matos writes in the Washington Post. No matter the outcome, his days are numbered.... More »

Chavez Marks Decade in Power

President gives Venezuela today off amid attempts to continue reign

(Newser) - Hugo Chavez declared a national holiday in Venezuela today to celebrate his 10th anniversary as the country’s president, Reuters reports. The festivities come during efforts by Chavez supporters to extend presidential term limits, and amid fears from some quarters that his increased power is evolving into dictatorship. But Chavez... More »

Chavez Cronies Hit Vatican HQ With Tear Gas

Supporters also attack opponents of lifting term limits for leader

(Newser) - Supporters of Hugo Chavez have claimed responsibility for a tear gas attack on the Vatican's headquarters in Caracas, reports CNN. Three canisters landed deep inside the building, which has been sheltering an anti-Chavez student leader wanted by police since June. Several people were overcome by fumes. Gas attacks elsewhere in... More »

Chavez Quietly Courts Western Oil Firms

Falling oil prices force Venezuelan prez to swallow his pride

(Newser) - The falling price of oil is forcing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to quietly make overtures to the Western oil companies he used to harass and shun, reports the New York Times. Chavez needs the foreign expertise and purchasing power to help boost Venezuela's declining production and income. The lure of... More »

Venezuela Yanks Free Fuel for Poor Americans

Plunging price of oil forces Chavez to freeze fuel aid program

(Newser) - Venezuela has halted its gifts of free fuel to America's poor, the New York Times reports. The controversial foreign aid project supplied heating oil to 200,000 low-income households in 23 states and on Indian reservations, but the plunge in the price of oil has hit Venezuela hard and President... More »

Stone Shooting Chavez Flick

Director sticking with politics for follow-up to W

(Newser) - Controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone is following up his Bush biopic with a documentary on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the new wave of Latin American leftism, Variety reports. Stone, who joined Chavez earlier this year in an effort to broker a deal to free hostages held by Colombian rebels, has... More »

Hello? Barack Here. No, Really

Pol suspecting a prank hangs up on president-elect

(Newser) - Blame radio's drive-time zoo disc jockeys for a new skepticism among politicians. GOP Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen received a phone call from someone identifying himself as Barack Obama. She hung up on him, thinking it was a radio show prank—and even complimented him on his Obama impression. The only... More »

Chavez Seeks Power Until 2021

Launching new constitutional battle on term limits

(Newser) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is again maneuvering to stay in power for at least another decade, the BBC reports. Chavez plans to seek a constitutional change that will allow him to seek re-election indefinitely, he told a weekend rally. Chavez lost a referendum just a year ago on a series... More »

After 10 Years, Chavez Faltering

But still blustering

(Newser) - After 10 years in power, Hugo Chavez is as blustery as ever. He’s predicted the end of “the evil capitalist mode,” told the IMF to “commit suicide,” and this week invited Dmitry Medvedev and a flotilla of Russian warships down for joint exercises. But beneath... More »

Medvedev Gets Cozy With Castro

Moscow seeks to extend influence in Latin America

(Newser) - Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is in Cuba strengthening ties with the Castro regime and attempting to broaden Russia's influence in Latin America, the BBC reports. Medvedev arrived in Havana yesterday from Venezuela where he and Hugo Chavez signed deals promoting nuclear energy and developing closer military ties. Russia is expected... More »

Chávez Welcomes Russian Navy

Medvedev makes first visit to Caracas

(AP) - Russian warships arrived in Venezuela today, a show of strength aimed at the US as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America. Venezuelan sailors fired off cannons in a 21-gun salute as the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko docked in La Guaira, near Caracas. Russian sailors dressed in black-and-white uniforms... More »

Opposition Scores Key Gains in Venezuela Election

But president's backers retain majority of power

(Newser) - President Hugo Chávez’s supporters held onto a strong majority in yesterday’s local elections in Venezuela, but the opposition party won a number of key victories, the AP reports. Chávez backers won 17 of 22 gubernatorial seats, while the opposition took the mayor’s office in Caracas... More »

Latin American Nations Reject DEA

Bolivia, Ecuador latest to repudiate US anti-drug operations

(Newser) - Some Latin American countries are pushing back against the US by cutting off DEA operations, the Christian Science Monitor reports. President Evo Morales, saying DEA agents "worked to conduct political espionage," gave them 3 months to leave Bolivia. Ecuador, meanwhile, has refused to renew the US lease on... More »

Miami Man Convicted in $800K Suitcase Scandal

Businessman was Chávez agent, jury says

(Newser) - The international political funding scandal known as Suitcasegate took a new, diplomatically fraught turn yesterday when a Miami court convicted a businessman of conspiracy and of acting as an "unregistered agent" of the Venezuelan government. The trial concerns a suitcase filled with $800,000 that was intercepted in Buenos... More »

Penn Hangs Again With Pal Chavez

Actor and anti-American leader tour natural gas pipeline

(Newser) - Sean Penn is again in Venezuela visiting President Hugo Chavez, the New York Post reports. The two met last year, and the actor calls Chavez—who tends to be critical of the US, to put it mildly—"a fascinating guy," while the prez and equally ardent Bush-hater has... More »

Chavez's Stature Shrinks as Price of Oil Plummets

Venezuela's largesse depends on high volume, expense

(Newser) - Hugo Chavez’s days as an international sugar daddy may be ending, at least for now. Chavez has made a habit of lavishing gifts on his political allies, but with crude around $70—less than half its peak price—he may not have the wealth to spread, the Christian Science ... More »

Chavez: 'Hola, Comrade Bush'

Irony of White House plans to buy stakes in banks isn't lost on Venezuelan prez

(Newser) - A smirking Hugo Chavez noted the US bank bailout yesterday and duly welcomed George W. Bush to the club of socialist leaders, reports Reuters. Hailing "Comrade Bush" was high praise from the man who has variously referred to his American counterpart as the devil and a drunk, but Chavez... More »

Mexican Boutique Sells Bulletproof Duds

Specialty boutique sells protective shirts, jackets to anxious customers

(Newser) - As drug-related violence skyrockets in Mexico, anxious shoppers are buying bulletproof shirts and jackets for protection, the New York Times reports. A boutique in Mexico City sells only bulletproof garments, including leather jackets, polo shirts, windbreakers, and even tuxedo shirts. Who's willing to pay up to $7,000 for such... More »

Chavez Building Reactor With Russian Support

Only for 'peaceful purposes,' Chavez insists

(Newser) - In his latest challenge to Washington, Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez has announced that his nation is developing a nuclear reactor—with Russian support, Reuters reports. "We are interested in development of nuclear energy, of course for peaceful purposes—for medical purposes, for  electricity," Chavez said yesterday at a... More »

Resurgent Russia Vows to Beef Up Military

'Colossus' created with $1B Venezuela military loan, oil deal

(Newser) - Russia signed a $1 billion military loan deal with Venezuela yesterday while pledging to upgrade its own military, the New York Times reports. The country plans to ratchet its defense budget back up to Cold War levels next year and intends to have new warships built by 2020. President Dmitry... More »

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