In this week’s roundup…Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez continues his expropriation binge with more land takeovers; Globovisión fights back against the government’s attempts to silence it; Venezuela ranked among the world’s least friendly business climates; half of respondents in a recent poll say they think Venezuela needs a new leader; and Washington Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos is kidnapped from his family’s home in Venezuela.

Associations alert to renewed land seizure, El Universal

The siege on the productive sector is growing with the land seizure reported on Sunday, October 31, by Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez. The “rescue” of 580 hectares at Quíbor Valley, Lara state, has raised the alarm of local growers, who have promised not to allow new abuses. At Quíbor Valley of 43,000 hectares in length, 66% of onions, 66% of sweet pepper and 16% of tomatoes nationwide are produced.

Anti-Chavez TV asks court to annul hefty fine, The Associated Press via BusinessWeek

Lawyers representing an opposition-aligned television channel have urged Venezuela’s Supreme Court to annul hefty fine imposed by the country’s state broadcast regulator.

Venezuela among world leaders — in red tape, The Miami Herald

Following last week’s announcement that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has created two new Cabinet ministries — the Ministry of Ground Transportation and the Ministry of Air and Water Transportation — it may be time to propose a new economic theory: that countries’ economic development is inversely proportional to their number of ministers.

Fifty percent of Venezuelans believe in a change of government, El Universal

A recent opinion survey conducted by consulting firm Alfredo Keller y Asociados in Venezuela found that half of respondents believe that the country needs a change of government and that President Hugo Chávez should not be reelected. The 2012 Presidential Vote and Primaries survey included 1,200 respondents and was conducted during the third quarter this year (July, August and September).

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos kidnapped in Venezuela, The Washington Post

Wilson Ramos, one of the Washington Nationals’ most promising young baseball players, was kidnapped at gunpoint Wednesday night from his family’s home in Venezuela, leaving the team in a state of shock and raising questions about the safety of playing in a country ravaged in recent years by kidnappings and street crime.