Venezuela, Latin America | featured news

The United States has expelled two Venezuelan diplomats, a State Department official said Monday, a diplomatic tit-for-tat following the Latin American oil giant’s expulsion of two American military attaches last week.

President Hugo Chavez, the fiery populist who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America, died Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer.

With modesty and a touch of humor, President Barack Obama extended a hand to America's hemispheric neighbors and offered a Cold War foe the hope of a "new beginning."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday called President Obama "ignorant," saying he has a lot to learn about Latin America.