Indian Military

MOSCOW: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reached a deal with Russia on Friday to build the South American country's first nuclear plant, as questions arose why a nation rich in oil and gas would feel the need to venture into atomic energy.

The two nations also signed other energy agreements. Russia has cultivated close ties with Chavez's government to expand its global clout and counter US influence in Latin America.

The ITAR-Tass news agency said Russia plans to build two 1,200 megawatt nuclear reactors at the Venezuelan plant. The cost of Friday's nuclear deal wasn't immediately announced.

The deal is likely to raise concern in President Barack Obama's administration but continues a pattern of Russia pressing to export its nuclear expertise.

Russia has just completed Iran's first nuclear power plant and recently reached new deals to build nuclear reactors in China and Turkey. It's talking with Indian officials about building a dozen of nuclear reactors there and also wants to build a nuclear reactor in the Czech Republic.

WASHINGTON: The US military has provided an updated estimate on the cost of running Air Force One and the amount is a staggering $181,757 per hour.

The figures that were first published by a taxpayer watchdog group showed the cost of shuttling around President Barack Obama, who is said to have spent more days abroad in his first two years than any other president.

The estimates over the years based on government and independent reports have always shown a steep cost for presidential travel, but the figures provided by the 89th Airlift Wing appears to be higher than any previous reports.

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation had first published it in a presidential travel report this week. "It's astonishing. It's far higher than any other ... figure that's been reported on," Fox News quoted policy analyst Demian Brady, who wrote the study, as saying.

"It's very surprising, and of course it's just a fraction of the overall cost involved with presidential travel," he stated.