The 19-nation Group of Rio meeting begins today at the Hotel Herradura, but Hugo Chavez, embattled president of Venezuela, will not be here, according to word early today from Caracas.

Chavez is under strong pressure at home in Caracas because a general strike is entering its fourth day.

The authoritarian Chavez took to the television Tuesday to give his side of the story, and he ordered the national television chains to run his speech. Wearing a red beret, the former military leader could be seen on cable in Costa Rica delivering a fiery talk to his supporters at Miraflores, the Venezuelan presidential palace.

But the television network struck back. As Chavez spoke, a protest from the television stations scrolled across the screen. It cited Venezuelan law and said Chavez broke the law by commandeering the television coverage.

Meanwhile, in Caracas, anti-government labor unions in Venezuela are vowing to strike indefinitely to support dissident oil industry workers.

Petroleum industry analysts say a prolonged strike could have a major impact on world oil markets.

Venezuela is an OPEC member and is the world's fourth largest oil exporter. It pumps more than 2.4 million barrels of crude oil each day, exporting nearly one million barrels daily to the United States.

Venezuelan oil industry workers are at odds with President Hugo Chavez over management of the state-run company, Petroleos de Venezuela.

The president's opponents say the strike, now entering its fourth day, has disrupted operations at several oil refineries. The government insists oil production is still normal.

Paraguay’s president
accused of corruption

ASUNCION, Paraguay — President Luis Gonzalez Macchi has been officially charged with corruption.  State prosecutor Javier Contreras Wednesday alleged that Gonzalez Macchi skimmed $16 million from the Central Bank for personal use in a "high interest" investment operation in the United States.

A presidential spokesman says the accusation is ridiculous. A judge will decide if there is enough evidence to ask Congress to open impeachment proceedings against the president. However, the Paraguayan Congress is dominated by the presidents' supporters.

MEXICO CITY, Mexico - The ruling party is condemning a decision by the Senate that blocks President Vicente Fox from traveling to the United States and Canada next week. 

National Action Party leaders told the Mexican newspaper Reforma Wednesday that the decision contributes nothing to the country's well-being and is irresponsible. The ruling party also suggested the move jeopardizes international confidence in Mexico. 

On Tuesday, four opposition parties in the Senate voted 71-41 to deny President Fox permission to travel abroad. It was the first time in Mexican history that the Congress blocked a president from leaving the country. By law, Mexico's presidents are required to seek congresional approval before they go abroad. In a televised address late Tuesday, President Fox lashed out at his opponents, accusing them of stopping progress by curtailing his travel. 

Opposition party leaders say the president has spent too much time abroad and is neglecting important issues at home. Fox said his trip was intended to focus on protecting the rights of immigrant workers and on attracting foreign investment to Mexico. 

U.S. Congress to divide
immigration service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. lawmakers are moving forward Wednesday on a proposal to break up the struggling Immigration and Naturalization Services. 

The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is discussing a proposal that would divide the INS into two branches — one for processing immigration applications and one for enforcing immigration law. INS Commissioner James Ziglar recently told Congress he agrees the agency needs an overhaul, but he and the Bush Administration would rather wait to let a recent internal reorganization take effect. 

But House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner said nearly three decades of attempts to fix the agency by giving it more money and allowing it to fix itself have not worked. He said the country cannot afford to wait, and it is time to move legislation. 

The INS has come under heavy criticism in recent weeks after mailing approved visas to two of the dead Sept. 11 hijackers, more than six months after the terrorist attacks. 

The proposal would go to the full house for vote if passed by the committee this week. The Senate is working on similar legislation. 

The U.S. Postal Service has announced that starting June 30, the cost of sending a first class letter in the United States will rise three cents to 37 cents. 

The new rate was approved in February and the effective date was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Postal Service's board of governors. 

Postal board chairman Robert Rider is quoted as saying the June increase will help the agency cope with its financial problems, but said the governors recognize repeated rate increases are not the long-term answer.