Defibrillators

Ethanol feud involves Venezuela, BrazilA pointed disagreement over ethanol was creating friction between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as they joined leaders from across the region today for a South American energy summit.Their dispute — framed by a U.S.-Brazil ethanol agreement and Chavez’s staunch anti-U.S.

politics — appears likely to be a major point of debate at the summit, where Chavez will be seeking support for projects ranging from a regional bank to a natural gas cartel aimed at reducing Washington’s influence in Latin America.The United States and Brazil are the world’s two biggest producers of ethanol — an alcohol-based fuel made from crops such as sugar cane or corn.

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