Venezuela brushes aside rumors of president's health condition
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez isin good health after he canceled his weekend radio and TV show and participation in a pro-government march, a government official said Monday.

Communication and Information Minister Andres Izarra brushed aside rumors that the president may be in poor health, noting that "there is no reason to be alarmed."

"It would not be strange to me that these rumors come from those interested in destabilizing and generating uncertainty among people," he said.

The 50-year-old president was in good shape and handling government business as usual on Monday, he added.

Izarra made the remarks after about 500 Chavez supporters gathered outside the Presidential Palace to demand an explanation of what happened to the president.

Chavez was last seen in public on Friday. He was expected to attend a march on Saturday to demand US extradition of Luis Posada Carriles, a man with Cuban origin wanted by Caracas for the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner. But his attendance was canceled.

His radio and TV show "Hello President," a fixture to his supporters in which he touches on everything from politics to childhood stories, was also canceled on Sunday.

Izarra said Chavez turned over his airtime to allow the TV broadcast of a volleyball match between Brazil and Venezuela.

Last Sunday, the president was with his family somewhere in the country, as "every human being has a right to do," he said.