Grab bag

Gilberto Landaeta, allegedly the #2 guy in Danilo Anderson's one-time extortion racket, is taken off Anderson's murder investigation, to "spend more time with his other cases." Yoraco Bauza, another alleged Anderson co-racketeer, now leads the case.

Tony Blair calls on Venezuela to respect the norms of the International Community. Chavez tells him to piss off.

Luis Vicente Leon thinks 55% of Venezuelans want to vote for someone other than Chavez. He doubts any single oppo candidate can bring together that many votes, however.

The Prosecutor General's Office is asking for a 23 year sentence for Sumate leaders, in a pre-trial hearing that violated constitutional due process from literally the first day.

EADS-CASA says the sale of 12 Spanish military transport planes to Venezuela is "not viable" if US proprietary technology has to be replaced, since it would entail virtually redesigning the whole plane. The announcement endangers the sale of Spanish naval patrol ships to Venezuela.