Across the World: Venezuela

US pasta factory seized

Venezuelan officials including soldiers on Friday temporarily seized a pasta factory owned by US food giant Cargill in a pricing spat, the latest move by President Hugo Chavez's government against foreign companies.

During a decade in office, the socialist Chavez has nationalized large swathes of OPEC member nation Venezuela's economy, including a rice mill owned by Cargill earlier this year and dozens of oil service companies last week.