El reportero news services
CARACAS, Venezuela: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accused Washington of
fomenting student-led protests against Venezuela for not renewing the
license of an opposition-aligned television station.
Flanked by Chávez during a speech that all of Venezuela’s TV channels were
forced to broadcast, Ortega said his government supported his host’s
decision not to renew Radio Caracas Television’s (RCTV) broadcast
license and warned against “Yankee intervention” in Venezuela’s affairs.
“I see youngsters on the news marching and protesting, it’s really sad.
They’ve been injected with hate,” said Ortega, referring to a series of
recent street demonstrations by thousands of students who accuse Chávez
of restricting freedom of expression.
“In Nicaragua, the Yankees took control of the people and filled them with hate” during
the 1980s amid a civil war pitting US-backed Contra rebels against the
Sandinista government, Ortega said.
RCTV, was forced off the air on May 27 after
Chávez refused to renew its license, citing the channel’s conduct
during a failed coup in 2002 and alleged violations of broadcast laws.
Rice’s call for OAS action on RCTV fails
On 4 June the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, called for the
Organization of American States (OAS) to investigate Venezuela for a
possible breach of the OAS charter. Significance: The confrontation
between the U.S. and Venezuela over the cancellation of RCTV’s
broadcast license dominated proceedings at the OAS annual meeting in
Panama which should have been focused on energy issues. No other OAS
member followed the U.S.’s lead.
Mexico City’s mayor wants to sweep away vendors
Street vendor Jessica Alvarez hawks Christmas lights made in China at her
stall in downtown Mexico City. Street vendor Jessica Alvarez hawks
Christmas lights made in China at her stall in downtown Mexico City.
Aztec warriors spotted an eagle holding a serpent in its mouth and, struck by
the omen, founded the canal city of Tenochtitlan, precursor to the
Mexican capital.
Seven hundred years later, the momentous location is hidden at the edge of a huge sea of street vendors. Tarps
crowd sidewalks, techno music blares and customers squeeze through
narrow openings in the chaos.
It’s not just Mexico City’s creation story that’s swamped. Street sellers obscure a great swath of
Mexico City’s colonial history and finest baroque architecture —
centuries-old churches, armories and museums.
But that may be about to change
Six months into his term, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is embarking on
an ambitious plan to rid downtown Mexico City of its legion of street
vendors. The plan would tidy up the streets, and what some consider the
most visible symptom of Mexico’s dysfunctional economy. Cox News
Service contributed to this report.
