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Venezuela Celebrates Liberation of 15 FARC Hostages

Ingrid Betancourt (right) standing next to her mother Yolanda Pulecio shortly after she was freed. (ABN)
The Venezuelan government expressed its “jubilation” Wednesday about the liberation of 15 hostages who had been held captive for years by the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC). Venezuela also reiterated its call for the FARC to liberate all its hostages.

Venezuela Urges United Response to Food and Energy Crises at MERCOSUR Summit

10 South American countries agreed to allow passport-free cross-border travel at the MERCOSUR summit Tuesday.
At the 35th Summit of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) on Tuesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez advocated deepening South American independence from imperialist countries through united responses to social problems.

Brazil and Venezuela Strengthen Bilateral and Regional Integration

Lula said the "extraordinary" oil accords with Venezuela will improve national sovereignty, and Chávez said relations with Brazil are at an "optimum level." (El Universal)
The President of Brazil, Lula, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez met in Caracas last Friday to discuss the progress of bilateral accords regarding the production and distribution of energy and food, MERCOSUR, educational exchange, border relations, and the nascent South American Defense Council.

Venezuela Halts Mining in Forest Preserve, but Renews Permit Discussions

Over the past three years, the Venezuelan government has announced policies to benefit small-scale gold mining cooperatives in the Imataca Forest region.
Despite the Venezuelan Environment Ministry’s proclamation of sweeping restrictions on mining in southeastern Venezuela’s Imataca Forest, Toronto-based Crystallex and Spokane, Washington-based Gold Reserve, Inc. have told investors that the ministry might still grant them permits for new gold mines.

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President Chavez and the FARC: State and Revolution

When President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela called on the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, to end their armed struggle and declared the ‘guerrilla war is history’, he was following a path taken by many revolutionary leaders in the past. Why did he do this?

U.S. Military Looks to Colombia to Replace Base in Ecuador

An article by the Colombian weekly magazine Cambio suggests the U.S. military base in Manta, Ecuador, will be moved to a new location in Colombia after the U.S. military’s contract with Ecuador expires in 2009. The likely new host for the U.S. base is Colombia’s Palanquero air force base in Puerto Salgar, 120 miles north of Bogotá.

Venezuelan Recycling Workers Struggle for Justice

“Once they got their wages, [the workers] occupied the installations and demanded that the company go, then they occupied the offices and demanded that the administration of Sincreba [Merida Waste Incineration and Recycling System] retire”, Simon Rodriguez told Green Left Weekly.

Wilpert Takes Stock of the Bolivarian Revolution

Wilpert has not just produced a comprehensive look at the social, economic and political transformation that has shaken the foundations of Venezuela over the past decade; he has also delivered a sharp rebuke to one of the trendiest, if dubious, political theories to appear on the academic left in recent years.

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