In this week’s News Roundup…Hugo Chávez blazes the campaign trail amidst accusations of collaboration between his administration and Colombia’s main rebel terrorist group, FARC. Meanwhile, blackouts and electricity rationing continue to plague Venezuela’s industries and citizens.

Hugo Chávez on campaign trail – again, Financial Times
There may be another year and a half to go, but that hasn’t stopped Hugo Chávez from already starting his campaign for re-election. It is, after all, what he does best – he has won over a dozen elections since coming to power. Ironically, though, the fact that Chávez has spent so much of the past 12 years campaigning – and not enough time solving Venezuela’s problems – may explain why he feels he needs to spend so long this time persuading his people to re-elect him, given that the country’s doggedly persistent problems remain all too evident.

Factbox: Key facts about Colombia’s FARC guerrillas, Reuters
Colombian leftist guerrillas may have tried to assassinate rivals of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and trained his supporters in urban warfare, an analysis of thousands of seized rebel documents shows. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, is at its weakest in decades after the deaths of top commanders and a string of desertions prompted by government bounties and improved military intelligence and training. But the rebels remain a potent force in some areas, helped in part by their involvement in the lucrative drug trade and alliances with other armed groups.

Venezuela Asked Colombian Rebels to Kill Opposition Figures, Analysis Shows, The New York Times
Colombia’s main rebel group has an intricate history of collaboration with Venezuelan officials, who have asked it to provide urban guerrilla training to pro-government cells here and to assassinate political opponents of Hugo Chavez, according to a new analysis of the group’s internal communications.

Venezuela begins electricity rationing after blackouts, BBC
Venezuela is rationing electricity after blackouts affected nearly half the country earlier this week. A senior energy ministry said power would be cut off for three hours a day in 19 of the country’s 23 states. The authorities hope the move will help make the distribution system more stable. They say the blackouts were caused by failures in transmission lines. Critics blame the government for not investing enough in new electricity projects. Last year, Venezuela had to cope with rolling blackouts for months.