Thug Hugo Chavez Continues Taking Over Everything and Silencing His Critics

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Venezuela Chavez Nationalizes Iron Companies

(Reuters) President Hugo Chavez on Thursday ordered the nationalization of several iron companies, part of a drive to build a socialist state in the OPEC nation.

Chavez, who has already nationalized many of Venezuela's largest industries, named iron briquette makers Comsigua, Orinoco Iron and Matesi among the companies to pass into state hands.

"Matesi, nationalize it. ... Orinoco Iron, nationalize it," Chavez said to cheering workers in a televised speech.

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Chavez Targets TV Station to Hit Opponents

(REUTERS, CARACAS) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is threatening to close Venezuela’s top anti-government television station in his latest push to weaken the opposition and build a socialist state.

Chavez has already moved against his opponents this year with measures that include stripping control of half of Caracas from the capital’s newly elected mayor and opening corruption investigations against several leaders.

Media-savvy Chavez, known for hours-long speeches often broadcast on all terrestrial channels, now has his critics’ main remaining channel, Globovision, in his sights as his government is reviewing licenses of all private stations.

Globovision’s closure would draw international criticism but be popular with Chavez’s hardcore supporters. Opposition outrage at such a move would unlikely extend to the wider population, only a small part of which watches the channel.

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Venezuelan police raid home of Globovision president

(CNN) — Venezuelan federal investigators on Thursday night raided the home in suburban Caracas of the president of Globovision, a privately run television station.

The cause for Thursday’s action by the Body of Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations (CICPC) was not immediately clear, the station said in a posting on its Web site.

The station delayed broadcasting images of the raid for almost an hour because it occurred as President Hugo Chavez was delivering a televised address to the nation about his plans for nationalization of certain businesses, it said.