IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Caracas

Venesat-1 'operational'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrated the first anniversary of Venesat-1 satellite's launch on Thursday. During the ceremony, Chavez said Venesat-1 was operational, denying rumors that it had fallen into the sea or fallen from orbit. Venesat-1 was made in China with an investment of $420 million, including training, transfer of technology and construction of electrical substations. China Great Wall Industry Corporation launched the satellite on Oct 30, 2008 in China.