Iran welcomes Chavez as partner against Western "bullies" [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]:
Related:
Obama: Nuclear Venezuela is OK by him.
Ahmadinejad: "Promise of God is that the enemies of our nations will go one day".

Photo: AFP.

Iran is expanding its diplomatic and economic ties with Venezuela but has no military presence in the South American country, a US general said on Tuesday.
The comments came as Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez denied allegations from the Pentagon that members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force were stationed in his country.
The leftist leader, who often heaps scorn on the United States, called a recent report "absolutely false" at a military ceremony.
The head of US Southern Command, General Douglas Fraser, said Iran was bolstering its relations with Venezuela.
"We see a growing Iranian engagement with Venezuela," Fraser told reporters.
Iran has a "diplomatic, commercial presence" but, "I haven't seen any evidence of a military presence," he said.

It would be somewhat helpful if they just firstly agree, then write the reports and then speak in public, instead of publishing reports and after critizise those same reports. In this case, the report says just the opposite to what this guy says. There is no middleground here: or Iran has military presence in Venezuela or it hasn't.

What they don't get is that each error diminish their capacity to convince people about what they say. And that's not really helpful...

Hugo Chavez is starting to use Twitter to counter his opponents online, forcing a president who often talks for hours to sum up each thought in 140 characters or less.

Chavez urged Venezuelans to watch his newly created account - chavezcandanga - after midnight Tuesday, saying "at that point is when I let loose."

His first tweet in Spanish popped up at 14 minutes after midnight: "Hey how's it going? I appeared like I said I would: at midnight. I'm off to Brazil. And very happy to work for Venezuela. We will be victorious!!"

By late Tuesday, the socialist leader had more than 18,000 followers before posting a single tweet, and that increased to more than 23,000 early Wednesday.

On the 200 anniversary of Venezuelan independence's acts:

Raúl Castro said that Venezuela and Cuba “are increasingly the same thing” and added that he goes back to Cuba very satisfied, because "all our meetings are very important, whether we hold htem here or in Habana”.

On the other hand, Hugo Chávez, took his chance to ratify that he agrees with the "magnificent"speech that Bolivian president, Evo Morales, gave, in which he spoke about "Mother Earth".

Vía.

That speech was pretty interesting indeed. In it, Evo Morales, who was named "World Hero of the Mother Earth (Pachamama)" by the UN last year, has said that coke serves as a plunger and transgenic chickens produce baldness and homosexuality because for growing them, female hormones are used. He also critisized in similar ways Dutch potatoes (video in Spanish).



Evo is also supporting "Coca Colla", a drink made with cocaine, which its producers are hoping would be a Coca-Cola's competitor in the market. No imperialistic drinks in Bolivia!!

If these guys didn't have power over so much people (and in Cuba's case for so many years, now) this would be funny. As it is, they are only a disgrace.

What a dreadful photo!!

Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon's first report to Congress on Tehran's military. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests, "maintains operational capabilities around the world," the report says, adding that "it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela."

Via.

More here and here.

Related: Ahmadinejad is now in Africa, increasing ties with Zimbabwe and Uganda.

China has supplanted the US as Brazil's biggest trading partner, a boom repeated across the region. Once almost invisible in Latin America, China has seen its trade here rise from $10bn a year in 2000 to well over $100bn today. Latin officials are rolling out the red carpet to Chinese delegations and hopping on planes not only to Beijing but also Guangzhou, Nanking and Shanghai.
Unlike the Russians, who grab attention by sending warships to visit anti-US leaders, such as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, but struggle to deliver economic deals, the Chinese are all business. They are importing soy from Argentina, copper from Chile, iron ore from Brazil and zinc from Peru, and export clothes, cars and electronic equipment across the region.
The trade helped Latin America to weather the global economic crisis, but there is concern about a "neo-colonial" pattern in which the region's commodities are sucked abroad while industry loses out to cheap imports aided by China's undervalued currency. When Argentina accused China of dumping goods, Beijing bared its teeth and banned Argentine soya oil, citing safety concerns.

Just yesterday, Chávez announced more investments from China:

President Hugo Chavez has announced an agreement with China that would have the Asian economic giant devote $20 billion to financing long-term development projects in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan president says the financing would go toward industrial and infrastructure projects, among other development plans.
He spoke Saturday during a televised appearance attended by China's natural resources minister.
Chavez is providing few other details about the investments. 

This change is related with the lack of Human Rights' requirements China imposes.