Bolivian President Evo Morales waves at the end of a press conference at the Quemado presidential palace in La Paz on April 21, 2009. Morales said that Ireland, Croatia and Hungary have no authority to request an international investigation into the shooting of three and the arrest of two other foreigners natives of their countries. On April 16, a police raid in Santa Cruz broke up an alleged assassination plot against Morales, his Vice President Alvaro Garcia and Santa Cruz's opposition...

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez by Larry Klayman, founder of the government watchdog group Freedom Watch, seeking damages for "assault, supporting terrorism, crimes against humanity, violations of civil and human rights, torture" and other crimes. Chavez, however, was amused when he heard about the claims, according to was Fox News. "Lawsuit filed in the United States against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and all his...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez attended the inaugural ceremony. The move took place during Chávez’s trip to Iran as part of the agreement signed between the two countries in March 2007, the Mehr News Agency reported. The bank, which the countries say will be an alternative to institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, is to start operating with an initial capital of $1.2 billion with each party funding...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Venezuela next month to discuss creation of a joint mining company and other bilateral issues, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Friday. "We agreed yesterday that the Iranian president will come to Venezuela in May to give an impetus to bilateral relations," Chavez told local TV in a telephone interview from Tehran, where he is visiting. He said the joint mining company will produce six minerals, and the two sides will finalize...

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khemenei hailed on Saturday as a "courageous" step the Venezuelan government's decision to cut ties with Tehran's archfoe Israel over the Gaza war. Venezuela expelled the Israeli ambassador in January to protest the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip that left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead. Khamenei "hailed the courageous stance taken by the Venezuelan president in cutting ties with the Zionist regime," in a meeting with the...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have urged countries to replace free trade agreements (FTA) with a ‘fair trade’ model which focused on country-specific needs by taking into account each country’s market realities. Chávez termed the present global economic crisis as a spectre and a cancer which even affected the relations among nations. Iran and Venezuela have jointly opened a bank to facilitate funds for...

Basic Industries & Mining (Mibam) Minister Rodolfo Sanz says that primarily by means of international cooperation and solidarity, President Chavez' visit to Iran should be seen as the starting block for a series of business projects that will benefit the majority of Venezuelans. Sanz has been attending a joint Venezuela-Iran commission on the fringe of formal representations between both countries. VHeadline Venezuela News: Sanz says that the most significant result from Chavez' visit...

President Chavez arrived in Iran Wednesday and is expected to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today, VOA reports. The Venezuelan president will also launch a joint development bank with Iran with a starting capital of $200 million, according to the AP. Venezuela recently created similar bilateral development funds with China ($12 billion) and Russia ($4 billion), and is also involved in the creation of a multilateral fund called Bank of the South with South American countries. ...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Iran Wednesday for talks with officials on bilateral issues. Reports say he is expected to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday as well as launch a joint development bank and bilateral investment fund. Mr. Chavez' visit to Iran follows a meeting with Latin American and Arab leaders in Qatar. The Venezuelan president has made several trips to Iran since Mr. Ahmadinejad took power in 2005. Both leaders have forged close ties. ...

Hezbollah is using the same southern narcotics routes that Mexican drug kingpins do to smuggle drugs and people into the United States, reaping money to finance its operations and threatening U.S. national security, current and former U.S. law enforcement, defense and counterterrorism officials say. The Iran-backed Lebanese group has long been involved in narcotics and human trafficking in South America's tri-border region of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Increasingly, however, it is...