The Venezuelan government has ordered nearly all McDonald's restaurants in the country closed for 48 hours for what it calls irregularities in the fast-food chain's financial books.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was due in Moscow on Thursday, his second visit within months as Russia increases its ties with the U.S. foe after fighting a war against American-allied Georgia.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has added a large Spanish-owned bank to the list of companies to be run by the government in the oil-exporting nation, furthering his plans of building a socialist state.

U.S. imports of Venezuelan oil fell 11.7 percent during the first four months of the year compared to the same period in 2007, the U.S. government said Monday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Thursday threatened to stop selling oil to European countries if they apply a new ruling on illegal immigrants that is criticized in Latin America and by human rights groups.

Venezuela is seeking to remove Exxon Mobil as the operator of its joint-venture refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said Wednesday.

President Hugo Chavez Thursday announced the immediate nationalization of Venezuela's cement industry, a move that will hit Mexico's Cemex, just a year after Chavez launched a wave of state takeovers.

Venezuela is preparing a "windfall" oil tax to boost the OPEC nation's revenues from record crude prices, only months after leftist President Hugo Chavez's nationalization crusade forced out two of the world's largest energy companies

Venezuela is not interested in seeing oil prices rise further and is pushing to stabilize the market, President Hugo Chavez said after visiting the site of a Brazilian refinery being built to process Venezuelan crude.