Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez officially reset the country's official time by 30 minutes, effective Sunday. With the move, Venezuela is now four-and-a-half hours earlier than the Greenwich Mean Time, from the previous four hours advance.

The time change is not a daylight saving time measure, but a permanent change initiated by President Chavez, who is set to also change the nation's currency to the strong bolivar by January 1, 2008.

To ensure that Venezuelans and the international community is informed of the nation's official time change, a massive information dissemination campaign was launched. The electronic watch on top of the Torre Previsora on Plaza Venezuela reflected the new time when the sun shone on Caracas.

Malls will comply by opening to the adjustment time. Church bells will toll 30 minutes later. But observers said the clocks at the Simon Bolivar International Airport was still stuck to the old time. There were no reports if domestic and international travelers flying out of Caracas missed their flight due to the 30-minute difference. Some airlines, however, changed their flight plans to fit the time change.