In this week’s roundup…The Venezuelan doctor who predicted that President Hugo Chávez has “less than two years to live” is forced to flee the country; a hostage standoff at Venezuela’s top prison ends without fatalities; Chávez refuses to recognize Libya’s new government in a sign of solidarity with his long time ally, Moammar Gadhafi; and two new reports label Venezuela one of the “14 most violent countries in the world” and Latin America’s weakest link.

Doctor Who Warned of Chavez Death Says He Had to Flee Venezuela, Bloomberg Businessweek

A Venezuelan doctor who claimed that President Hugo Chavez has less than two years to live because of cancer said he was forced to flee the country.

Inmates free employees held inside Venezuelan prison, ending hostage standoff, The Associated Press via The Washington Post

Venezuela’s top prison official said Tuesday that inmates who had seized more than 50 guards and other prison workers in the Tocuyito lockup have released the final 12 hostages, ending a tense standoff in which prisoners were demanding transfers. Penitentiary Minister Iris Varela said the hostages were released after authorities vowed to transfer hundreds of prisoners to another facility. “Nobody is any longer in a hostage situation,” said Varela, speaking on state television.

Former baseball executive takes key behind-the-scenes role against Chavez in Venezuela, The Washington Post via The Associated Press

A former baseball executive is plotting strategy for Venezuela’s political opposition, and he’s on a winning streak. Ramon Guillermo Aveledo helped the opposition make major gains in congressional elections last year, and then convinced a diverse array of parties to agree to compete in a presidential primary for the first time next February. The bearded 61-year-old is now setting his sights on channeling the opposition’s momentum into a broad-based challenge against President Hugo Chavez next year.

Venezuela’s Chavez says he won’t recognize new government in Libya, The Washington Post via The Associated Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that he won’t recognize Libya’s new government and predicted more war in the country. The Venezuelan leader condemned the killing of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, whom he had considered a friend. He defended Gadhafi throughout the conflict and strongly criticized NATO’s military involvement in the country.

Venezuela among the 14 most violent countries in the world, El Universal

Six out of the 14 countries featuring very high levels of armed violence in the world are in Latin America, according to the second edition of the report “Global Burden of Armed Violence” released Thursday by the secretariat of The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, a diplomatic initiative launched in 2008. “One quarter of all violent deaths occurred in just 14 countries,” the report on armed violence and development said.

Morgan Stanley sees Venezuela as LatAm’s weakest link, El Universal

In its latest report, Morgan Stanley claims that Latin America is more prepared than ever to deal with the worsening global crisis, but it labels Venezuela as the region’s most vulnerable country.