Caracas, March 2 (RHC) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced his good physical condition and quick recovery to the nation in a live telephone conversation with the state-run Venezuelan Television channel (VTV).

Madrid, March 2 (RHC)--  Spain's jobless numbers shot to a new record high in February, according to government figures, as people struggled in vain to find work in the recession-bound economy.  The number of job seekers surged 2.44 per cent from the previous month to 4.71 million people, according to the Spanish Labor Ministry report, which is based on the official unemployment register.

Tehran, March 2 (RHC)-- Polls opened in Iran's parliamentary elections on Friday, with balloting for the 290-member parliament.  The country's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was among the first citizens to cast his vote at a polling station in Tehran.

Mexico City, March 2 (RHC) -- The increase of violence in Mexico is proportional to the increase of illegal arms trafficking from the U.S., President Felipe Calderon said at the High-Level Hemispheric Meeting against Transnational Organized Crime, which ends today.

Moscow, March 2 (RHC)-- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned against any foreign interference in his country's electoral process.  Lavrov said that Russia will counteract any interference or pressures from abroad, including those related to financing mechanisms from outside non-governmental organizations.

Santiago de Chile, March 2 (RHC) The recent social unrest in the Chilean Patagonian region of Aysen is far from being resolved following a government announcement that talks with social activists were canceled.

Mérida, March 2 (Venezuelanlysis.com-RHC) -- Venezuela’s Oil and Mining Minister Rafael Ramirez has confirmed that Venezuela will continue to supply Syria with oil, despite international pressure against the Assad government and other nations that maintain relations with the Arab country.

Brussels, March 2 (RHC) -- The European Union (EU) announced it would take more punitive actions against Syria during its spring summit Friday, in Brussels.

Brussels, March 2 (RIA Novosti-RHC) -- Leaders of Eurozone countries agreed to allocate funds faster for the EU permanent bailout fund in a statement on Friday during the second day of the EU summit in Brussels.

Tegucigalpa, March 2 (RHC) --The United Nations human rights office welcomed the news that a Guatemalan judge rejected the claim that a former dictator is protected from being tried on genocide charges under an amnesty law.

Lima, March 2 (ANDINA-RHC) -- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff met with Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo on Thursday at the Planalto Government Palace to discuss bilateral issues and her upcoming visit to Peru.

Washington, March 2 (Xinhua-RHC) -- Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney holds a double-digit lead over the rest of the candidates in new national polls released on Thursday.

Port-au-Prince, March 2 (RHC) -- A meeting of foreign ministers of member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) scheduled for March 2-3 has been cancelled because Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille resigned last week, and a new one has not been appointed yet.

San Salvador, March 2 (RHC) -- The National Land Studies Bureau reported that an earthquake which rated 4.6 in the Richter scale hit the Pacific coast of El Salvador on Thursday.

Russia will do everything possible to prevent a military conflict either in Iran or around it, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told reporters on Friday.