President Hugo Chavez

Colombia warned its forces were on "maximum alert" and were prepared to defend against any attack, amid rising tensions with neighboring Venezuela. Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva issued the warning after a meeting of the country's national security council in Arauca, a city on the eastern border with Venezuela. He said President Alvaro Uribe and the military forces of Colombia were intent on remaining calm "because they know there are provocative forces on the border that must be avoided at all cost." But this "does not mean that we are not prepared or are not on maximum alert to prevent any aggression against Colombia, ... Read Full Story

Hugo Chavez is defending alleged terrorist mastermind Carlos the Jackal, saying the Venezuelan imprisoned in France was a "revolutionary fighter." Chavez mentioned the Venezuelan — whose real name is Ilich Sanchez Ramirez — during a speech saying: "I defend him. It doesn't matter to me what they say tomorrow in Europe." Ramirez gained international notoriety during the 1970s and 80s as the alleged mastermind of deadly bombings, killings and hostage dramas. He is serving a life sentence in France for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informant. The leftist president has previously called Ramirez a friend, and a controversy ... Read Full Story

From a devastating food crisis in Guatemala to water cuts in Venezuela, El Nino has compounded drought damage across Latin America this year. The occasional seasonal warming of central and eastern Pacific waters upsets normal weather patterns across the globe and occurs on average every two to five years. Typically lasting around 12 months, El Nino reappeared once again in June. Guatemalan authorities blamed it for the nation's worst drought in 30 years, which has left almost 500 people dead from hunger since the start of the year. Around 36,000 hectares (90,000 acres) of corn and bean crops were lost, officials said. "El Nino ... Read Full Story

SAN ANTONIO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan soldiers on Thursday blew up two makeshift foot bridges that stretched across the border to Colombia in the latest incident to stoke a diplomatic dispute between the Andean neighbors. Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva criticized the destruction of the bridges as a violation of international law. The long-simmering spat has been mostly limited to diplomatic barbs in the past. But the current crisis is raising the risk of more violence along the volatile frontier where rebels, drug gangs and smugglers operate. General Eusebio Aguero, Venezuela's army commander in the Tachira border region, ordered his soldiers to destroy the ... Read Full Story

Venezuelan troops blew up two foot bridges that connect the country with Colombia, aggravating tensions along the border that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said could lead to war. Venezuelan soldiers dynamited rope suspension bridges crossing the Tachira River near the Colombian hamlet of Ragonvalia, in the northeastern province of Norte de Santander, Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said in a statement yesterday on the ministry’s Web site. Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizalez said the bridges were used to move contraband. “It’s almost like somebody’s hitting a piece of flint trying to get a spark going,” said Adam Isacson, director of the Center for ... Read Full Story