Chavez applauds Venezuela satellite launch

President Hugo Chavez has said the launch of Venezuela's second satellite showed the achievements of his self-styled revolution just days before he seeks re-election, Aljazeera.com website informs.
But the incumbent's rival Henrique Capriles said it symbolised the current government's neglect of problems closer to home.

"We're seeing history ... Venezuela has been with China at the forefront of history," Chavez said after standing to applaud during a video link-up between the presidential palace, a launch center in China's Gobi Desert and a Caracas street party.
As campaigning in the close election race approaches its final week in South America's biggest oil exporter, both political camps are planning their last huge rallies while making last-minute efforts to win over undecided voters.
Opposition candidate Capriles has mocked Chavez, who he says is focused on spreading his socialist project around the world but has done little to address the daily problems of voters such as crime, power cuts and inflation.
A dozen Venezuelan officials were at China's Jiuquan launch center in Gansu province, near the Mongolian border, to watch the rocket carrying the "Miranda" satellite blast off into a clear blue sky.
Venezuelan state TV had broadcast hours of build-up alongside the headline "Space Revolution ... a Sovereign View".