U.S. once embraced Chávez, files show/Los EE.UU. abrazaron a Chávez, segun documentos

The U.S. government eagerly reached out to Venezuelan presidential candidate Hugo Chávez in 1998 and moved quickly to denounce a rumored coup plot against the man who is today one of the Bush administration's toughest foes, newly declassified State Department documents show ( full information)/El gobierno de ESTADOS UNIDOS buscó con impaciencia al candidato presidencial venezolano Hugo Chávez en 1998 y se movió rápidamente a denunciar un rumoreado del golpe contra el hombre que es hoy uno de los enemigos más elocuentes de la administración de Bush; nuevos documentos desclasificados del Departamento del Estado demuestran.

South America opening new regional bank/Banco del Sur, ¿realidad o utopía?

South American representatives are preparing to open a new regional bank that will supersede the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The BBC reported Sunday that the new Southern Bank will support economic and social projects throughout the region thanks to funding from countries like Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. Economists said that the bank, which will operate out of the Venezuelan city of Caracas, was necessary after a series of failed moves by IMF and World Bank officials (full information)/ Mandatarios sudamericanos firmarán este domingo en Buenos Aires el acta fundacional del Banco del Sur, un organismo de crédito regional que se presenta como una alternativa al Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y al Banco Mundial (BM) ( información completa)

Venezuela PdVSA Signs Joint Venture With Belarus Co/ EMPRESA MIXTA ENTRE VENEZUELA Y BELARÚS EXTRAERÁ 18 MIL B/D

Venezuela's Petroleos de Venezuela, or PdVSA, has partnered with Belarus state-run company Belorusneft in a joint-venture company to explore and develop oil and natural gas in the Andean country, one of several joint ventures between the two nations. The new company's activities will focus on fields located in the Guara Este area in the Anzoategui state, and Lake Maracaibo fields located in Western Venezuela, according to a copy of the joint venture accord published in the Official Gazette ( full information)/El ministro de Energía y Petróleo y presidente de Pdvsa, Rafael Ramírez, dio inicio ayer a la perforación del tercer pozo del bloque Junín I en la Faja del Orinoco, que forma parte de las actividades que desarrolla la empresa mixta constituida entre la estatal venezolana y Belorusneft para la cuantificación y certificación de reservas de crudo. ( información completa)