<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Venezuela's Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel has cautioned that the United States may be looking at targeting other nations once the current war on Iraq is over. Rangel's comments come during a visit to Santiago, Chile as part of his whistle-stop Latin American tour to explain the current Venezuelan political situation in the country to its neigbors. 

"The United Nations has received a blow that now leaves our peoples' sovereignty defenseless. What they are today doing to Iraq can also be carried out against other nations. No one is safe from now onwards because the only safeguard, the UN, has collapsed. 

Rangel's comments come amid strong criticism from leading Venezuelan government representatives, including President Hugo Chavez Frias himself who has openly defied the US by slamming their invasion on Iraq. 

Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2003 By: Araceli De Leon

Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 20:39:20 -0500 From: Araceli De Leon araceli.deleon@verizon.net To: editor@vheadline.com Subject: Janet Kelly

Dear Editor: I am shocked to hear of the death of Janet Kelly. She was a friend, and a great adoptive Venezuelan, a scholar and one of the few and intelligent voices that I have heard in recent years. Venezuela loses Janet when it needs her the most. I wish to send her sons, Juan Pablo and Daniel my regrets for her passing.

Araceli De Leon araceli.deleon@verizon.net

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Opposition grouping Coordinadora Democratica has sent a letter of complaint to Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria over violence that broke out last weekend before an opposition demonstration.

CD claims that what occurred on Caricuao, in southwest Caracas, came as a direct result of President Hugo Chavez Frias' efforts to obstruct opposition demonstrations as part of an overall clampdown on his opponents.

According to opposition leader Pablo Medina the government has created an artificial border in Caracas with government supporters on the west and opposition supporters in the east of the city.

Medina accused Bolivarian Circles of taking action to prevent opposition marches in the west of the city, trying to ensure that it remains a pro-government stronghold.

More gains for oil futures March 25, 2003: 11:33 AM EST

LONDON (Reuters) - World oil prices extended gains Tuesday as Iraq resisted a U.S. military thrust toward Baghdad and tribal violence in Nigeria kept shut nearly 40 percent of the country's crude output.

U.S. light crude gained 61 cents to $29.27 a barrel after a $1.75 jump Monday. London Brent crude added 45 cents to $26.54 a barrel.

U.S. and British forces faced tough resistance from Iraqi fighters as they opened an assault on Republican Guards defending approaches to Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, in a campaign aimed to oust President Saddam Hussein.

Oil fell 25 percent last week as traders bet on a short war with little damage to Iraq's oil industry, which exported 1.7 million barrels a day to the 77 million bpd world market before the conflict.

But confidence in a quick war waned after the weekend as U.S. and British forces suffered casualties and saw slower progress.

"The market is responding to difficulties in the Iraq campaign. It had priced in the perfect war and had gone so far as building in a victory discount, which is now being eroded," Sydney, Australia-based oil analyst Simon Games-Thomas said.

A series of bloody clashes in Nigeria forced closure at the weekend of just over 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) of the 2.2 million bpd produced by Western oil firms in the African OPEC nation.

Ethnic groups in the Niger Delta are battling for a greater share of the country's oil wealth.

Nigeria is one of the top six oil exporters to the United States, where fuel supplies have been running at 27-year lows partly due to a Venezuelan general strike.

Nigeria averaged 560,000 bpd to U.S. refiners last year, where its crude is valued for its high gasoline content. Nigeria also exports to Europe and Asia.

"Nigerian crude is not the kind of stuff you want to be short of," said Paul Horsnell, oil analyst at J.P. Morgan. "It's very serious. It's not a little local disturbance."

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries could make up any shortfall in supply from Nigeria, OPEC's fifth largest producer, OPEC President Abdullah al-Attiyah said Monday.

The group has also pledged to make up for the disruption to Iraqi exports but now has only the slimmest of spare capacity cushions.  

<a href=www.dailyherald.com>Carlos Zambrano By Bruce Miles Daily Herald Sports Writer Posted March 25, 2003

MESA, Ariz. - At 6-feet-5 and 245 pounds, Carlos Zambrano is a bear of a young man.

He's a hungry bear, too. So don't tell him that spring training is meaningless.

Zambrano felt the full meaning of spring training last year when he was sent to Class AAA Iowa just as the Cubs were breaking camp.

Even Zambrano had to admit the demotion was well earned. He had a horrific spring, going 0-1 with a 14.18 ERA, having given up 23 hits and 21 earned runs in 13º innings pitched.

"It was my fault; I understand that," said the 21-year-old right-hander. "I didn't pitch well. They see all the pitchers, and if they see somebody is not ready for the big leagues, they have the last choice."

This year, Zambrano is part of the Cubs' starting rotation, but he's not counting on a thing. It shows in his pitching, too.

Entering tonight's start against the San Diego Padres, Zambrano is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA, pretty respectable numbers in the hitter-happy Cactus League. The strikeouts (12) are going up, and the walks (7) are coming down.

"I'm just a little more experienced," said Zambrano, a native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. "I just came in my mind that I have to make the team and that I don't have anything for sure. That's why I'm working so hard, to make the team."

As is the case with so many young players on the Cubs, a dose of perspective comes in handy when talking about Zambrano.

The Cubs signed him as a nondrafted free agent in 1997, right after his 16th birthday. When he made his major-league debut in August 2001, he became the first player born during the 1980s to appear in a game for the Cubs.

On Opening Day, he will be the youngest player to start the season with the Cubs since Greg Maddux (20) in 1987.

Like all major-leaguers, Zambrano remembers his debut well. How he uses the memory says a lot about how far he has come.

"I'm not afraid," he said. "The last time I was afraid in the big leagues was when I first came up. When I came off the bench, I saw 40,000 people. That was amazing. Anybody can be scared. People who told me they weren't scared when they came up to the big leagues, I don't believe that.

"Always with your first something, you're scared. But you have to be in control. You have to think, 'That's your game,' and you're there.

"That was one game. It was the beginning of my career. Just throw the ball and enjoy the game. That's what I was thinking when I was in the bullpen warming up that day."

Zambrano had a rough go of it that day, losing 10-2 to the Brewers after not allowing a hit until the fourth inning. He worked in relief the rest of his time in Chicago that year and thought he might have a job last spring.

It didn't work that way, and that bitter memory has fueled his desire this year, making him one of the Cubs' more pleasant surprises of the spring.

"He's looked good most of the days," manager Dusty Baker said. "I like his attitude, the way he works and the fact that he wants it. There's something to that. He wants it badly."

That work ethic has been noticed by pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who is seeing Zambrano for the second year.

"I think he's more confident in what he's doing," Rothschild said. "He's a year down the road, too, so he's matured as a pitcher. His delivery has been pretty consistent. He works. He works in between (starts). He works at everything."

Zambrano worked his way back to the Cubs by mid-April last year. After a stint on the disabled list, he ended up in the rotation, gaining his first victory as a starter July 6 against the Braves' Tom Glavine for the first of two straight victories over Atlanta.

Overall, he went 4-8 with a 3.66 ERA, but he threw the ball well enough in the second half of the season to get himself penciled into the rotation.

Working with new catchers Damian Miller and Paul Bako this spring, Zambrano has seen his confidence grow - but not to the point of cockiness.

"One thing about this spring training, when I want to throw something, Miller calls the same pitch," Zambrano said. "That's being on the same page. It makes me feel good because it makes me feel that I'm smart, because those catchers are smart.

"I like the competition. I like to be in the position of having to fight somebody for a job. It's makes me feel like I can do it. It pushes me to be better than anybody else."