Penn pays Chavez a second visit

Sean Penn has rejoined the political dialogue in Venezuela after meeting the country's president for a second time since 2007.

Venezuela's state-run news agency reports Penn accompanied Hugo Chavez during the inspection of a natural gas pipeline on Sunday.

State media did not broadcast images of Penn at the event.

Chavez has praised the actor for his criticism of the US war in Iraq since he first visited the leader last year as a freelance journalist.

The Oscar winner joins politically-minded celebrities Danny Glover, Kevin Spacey and British supermodel Naomi Campbell, who have also visited Chavez in recent months.