Venezuelans pray as Chavez condition worsens

CARACAS: Backers of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez prayed and called off New Year's Eve festivities Monday as the cancer-stricken leftist leader took a turn for the worse, fueling doubts about his political future.

Venezuelans prayed in church and a downtown square after the government announced that Chavez suffered "new complications" from a respiratory infection following his fourth cancer-related surgery on December 11 in Cuba.