Venezuela deports paramilitary warlord to Colombia

Venezuela turned over a prominent Colombian paramilitary warlord to Colombian authorities on Thursday.

Chavez foe convinced of winning opposition primary

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles is heading into Venezuela's first opposition primary warning that Hugo Chavez's foes must choose a strong candidate if they want to win back the presidency and halt the country's slide into chaos.

Mayor, police chief shot and wounded in Venezuela

Venezuelan authorities say the mayor of a small town in eastern Venezuela has been wounded in a shooting along with the local police chief.

Chavez's opponents gear up for Venezuela vote

Outmatched time and again at the polls by President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan's opposition leaders are trying a new strategy to unseat the populist leader this year, holding the nation's first presidential primary to choose the strongest challenger.

Suspected kidnappers of Mexican diplomat arrested

Police have arrested two men and a woman suspected of participating in last week's kidnapping of Mexico's ambassador to Venezuela and his wife.

Top Colombian warlord arrested in Venezuela

Venezuela says it has arrested on murder and drug trafficking charges the last major Colombian far-right paramilitary warlord still at large.

Americas

ALBA bloc of nations to see new members

Suriname and St Lucia are seeking membership in the ALBA group of left-leaning nations, as the bloc continues to flex its muscle and take jabs at the United States.

VENEZUELA

Venezuela’s Chávez celebrates failed coup that launched his political career

Twenty years ago, Chávez tried to seize power by force. Now, the president is courting controversy as he celebrates that failed uprising.

Chavez celebrates 20th anniversary of coup attempt

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrated the 20th anniversary of the failed coup attempt that launched his political career on Saturday, presiding over a military parade while fighter jets and helicopters roared overhead.

ALBA countries to pool funds in joint bank

An eight-nation bloc of Latin American and Caribbean countries agreed on Sunday to deposit 1 percent of their international reserves into a jointly administered development bank as they seek to deepen economic cooperation.

Chavez: Iran sanctions hurt joint auto venture

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that international sanctions on Iran are impeding some of his country's business deals with Tehran.

Colombia rebel undergoes tests at Caracas hospital

A Colombian rebel commander who has been detained in Venezuela since May was taken to a military hospital because of health problems, Venezuelan authorities said Friday.

Cuba's Raul Castro visits Venezuela's Chavez

Cuban President Raul Castro flew to Caracas on Friday to attend a meeting with other allies of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who was at the airport for the arrival.

Chavez raps allies for posing kids with rifles

President Hugo Chavez is strongly condemning an armed pro-government group for allegedly allowing children to pose with assault rifles. He says it could hurt his image ahead of Venezuela's presidential election.

Venezuela passes anti-terrorism law

Venezuela's congress has approved a law aimed at fighting organized crime and terrorism, though opposition lawmakers say they fear it could be used to crack down on dissent.

Iran-Latin America

Iran’s HispanTV aims to woo Latino viewers

Interested in Persian cooking or the U.S. plot against Syria? Iran wants viewers to tune into its new Spanish-language satellite TV station.

Venezuelan Crime

Mexican ambassador briefly held hostage in Venezuela

Mexico’s ambassador to Venezuela was briefly held hostage Sunday night in Venezuela, as the nation has been fighting off a surging crime wave.

Mexican diplomat freed after abduction in Caracas

Mexico's ambassador to Venezuela was kidnapped and then freed hours later on Monday, prosecutors and diplomats said.

Chavez taps hardline generals for inner circle

President Hugo Chavez has been filling top posts in Venezuela's armed forces with hardline political loyalists, raising concerns among critics that the military leaders might not accept the results of this year's election if it goes against him.