Chavez moves troops to Colombian border, closes embassy

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered 10 divisions of troops to the Colombian border Sunday, March 2 in response to the Colombian government’s display of force in Ecuador. Chavez also closed the Venezuelan embassy in Colombia’s capital of Bogota. The operation, which Chavez referred to as “cowardly murder,” led to the killing of key members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym, FARC. For the last 40 years this group has been attempting to overthrow the Colombian government. Currently they hold some 750 hostages in the Colombian forests. Chavez, working as of late with FARC, claimed if the attacks had occurred on Venezuelan soil, they would have been seen as acts of war.

Violent attacks continue in Pakistan

Violence continued in Pakistan last Friday with another suicide attack. Forty-five were killed and 82 wounded in the attack, which occurred at a funeral for the district superintendent who was killed earlier in the day. This was yet another attack in a long line of violent attacks occurring in the area. Unrest in the region remains high just weeks after the nation’s parliamentary elections. This recent attack is the second in less than a week that killed at least 40 people.

Putin’s prodigy wins Russian presidential race

Dmitri Medvedev, the Russian president-elect after the March 2 election, has vowed to work closely with current president Vladimir Putin as he decides the future of the country. Medvedev, who was picked for the job by Putin, said the high voter turnout is an indication the people of Russia are interested in Russia’s future. Putin takes the victory to be a reaffirmation of the policies put in place during his eight-year stay in office and intends to remain highly involved in politics as Medvedev’s prime minister. Experts believe this could lead to an unconstitutional third term for Putin, who would be first in line for the presidency should Medvedev resign.

Iraq welcomes Iran’s president

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a historical visit to Baghdad March 2, to officially meet with leaders of the new Shiite-led Iraqi government. This was the first visit time an Iranian president has visited Iraq. The countries were bitter enemies when Saddam Hussein’s Sunni government was in power. Ahmadinejad held talks with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki about strengthening the countries’ political, economic and cultural cooperation. Ahmadinejad said a unified and powerful Iraq is in the best interest of Iran and all its neighbors.

Peace talks halted in Israel

Palestinian leaders announced they suspended peace talks with Israel until their military aggression in Gaza ceases. Israel is responding to ongoing civilian-targeted rocket attacks from Palestinian rebels in Gaza. The two-day death total last weekend was over 70 as Israel issued three air strikes at militant bases in Gaza. The Palestinian leaders said peace talks would only resume if the military operations are halted, but Israel has stated they will not stop anti-terrorism measures. The White House condemned the fighting and called for the peace talks to resume, stating there is a distinction between terrorist rocket attacks that target civilians and self-defense.

World news compiled from http://cnn.com, http://bbc.com, http://times.com.