CARACAS, Tuesday August 05, 2008 | Update
The presidents of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, and Argentina,
Cristina Kirchner, cancelled their travel to the Bolivian city
of Tarija, where they were slated to meet with their Bolivian
counterpart Evo Morales, the Venezuelan leader announced in
Buenos Aires. Chávez accused the United States for alleged
destabilizing actions in Bolivia before a referendum next Sunday,
AFP reported.
"We have decided to cancel the visit to Tarija because there
were some attacks against journalists and against the delegations
from Argentina and Venezuela. These actions represent a resurrection
of fascism," said Chávez who claimed that he had taken
the decision after a phone conversation with Bolivian President
Evo Morales.
Chávez accused the US for the alleged destabilizing
actions in Bolivia. "We accused directly the US empire, as
it is doing everything to prevent our union," the Venezuelan
Head of State said. Chávez attributed the alleged action
to "the imperial despair of Mister Danger," which is the way
Chávez usually calls US President George W. Bush.
11:00 AM. Economy. Based on the official data, more and more families failed to get out of poverty in 2008; the exclusion status of more people moved faster and fewer people are on their way to overcome this situation. According to the data provided by the official National Statistics Institute (INE), last year the poorest homes in the country recorded an average monthly income of USD 401.82, whereas the food basket amounted to 417.77