With one of the world's highest murder rates, Venezuela's daily Russian roulette with violent crime now has an added spin: the threat of political violence due to the country's election impasse. Cardinal Jorge Urosa, the archbishop of Caracas who has appealed to Venezuelan leaders to tone down their rhetoric, with little apparent success, worries about the dovetailing trends in a deeply divided society. "There is an increase in aggressiveness generally among the Venezuelan people and we have to reduce it, eliminate it and strive to respect life," he told AFP.

The United States voiced hope Wednesday for a "productive" relationship with Venezuela as it welcomed the appointment of a new envoy to Washington by the successor of leftist leader Hugo Chavez. President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday named ruling lawmaker Calixto Ortega as the charge d'affaires at the embassy in Washington after the United States clarified that it was not seeking sanctions over Venezuela's disputed election.

By Pablo Garibian CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro named a new acting head of its U.S. diplomatic mission in Washington on Tuesday and sent an offer of dialogue after attacking the United States for "interference" in a row over his election. Disputes between Venezuela and the United States were common during Hugo Chavez's 14-year socialist rule of Venezuela, leaving both nations without ambassadors in each other's capitals.

There may be two sides to every story, but in Venezuela you're not likely to find them in the same television newscast. Divided into warring camps like the rest of the country, the media gives the public split views of the political crisis that has gripped Venezuela since the death of leftist leader Hugo Chavez on March 5, after 14 years in power. "We have chosen two battle fronts: elections and the media, where two visions of the country are confronted," said Maryclen Stelling, a sociologist and member of the Global Media Observatory.