Venezuela's Chavez Says He's Coup Hero, Not Villain *** CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez portrayed himself on Friday as the heroic survivor of the coup against him last month, saying the plotters planned to kill him and denying charges that he ordered a massacre of demonstrating opponents. Giving his first public testimony to a parliament inquiry into the April 11-14 coup, the left-wing former paratrooper pilloried his foes as "Nazis" and defended his self-proclaimed "revolution" in the world's No. 5 oil exporter. "They wanted to kill me ... I was on the brink of death," Chavez, who brandished a small silver crucifix and a miniature blue copy of the constitution, told a National Assembly commission at the presidential palace. ***
Argentina bank freeze partly lifted***The banking freeze has kept deposits locked up since last December to protect the nation's fragile banking industry from collapse. But the government's plan does not give the public unfettered access to its cash, as so many have been demanding in daily protests.
Faith shattered
Instead, President Duhalde has offered to swap 30bn pesos ($8.5bn) of deposits for government bonds that can be converted to cash in either five or 10 years' time. Deposit holders who do not want the bonds will be given bank certificates that they can use to buy big ticket items such as properties and cars.
The restrictions on cash withdrawals remain in place, but the government is also going to allow exporters to open dollar bank accounts for foreign trade. The hope is that the package will help stoke consumer demand, which has all but dried up in the country's worst economic crisis in its history.***