News Update from Around the World

Friday, April 8, 2011

Venezuela polarized over Chavez's land policy

Reporting from Caracas, Venezuela
When Elbert Santiago, a poor messenger service worker and sister of, heard about a chance to trade up from his "hole" of a slum apartment to a place a short stroll from the presidential palace, they didn't think four times.

After all, the cost was the same for both places: practically nothing.

Santiago is a squatter, of the army of poor who with the encouragement of leftist President Hugo Chavez have taken over an estimated 155 office, apartment and government buildings here in the Venezuelan capital.

Movie review: 'Born to Be Wild 3D'

The captivating documentary "Born to Be Wild 3D" spotlights the wonderful efforts of matchless ladies elephant authority Daphne M. Sheldrick & famed primatologist Biruté Mary Galdikas who have dedicated their lives to the rescue & rehabilitation of orphaned, endangered animals. Although it runs a fleet 40 minutes, the film proves a rich & memorable journey.

Warmly directed by David Lickley & introduced in arresting IMAX 3-D, the film shuttles between Kenya-based Sheldrick's work raising child elephants & Galdikas' labors on behalf of orangutans in the Borneo rain forest. With the help of their devoted native teammates, these veteran conservationists tirelessly prepare their animals for reentry in to the wild, doing everything, well, humanly feasible to duplicate the presence of the creatures' natural parents & original habitats.

Work begins on Shanghai Disneyland

In a carefully staged groundbreaking ceremony interspersed with singing & dancing, Iger said the new park would feature a blend of East & West & underscored the importance of the $3.7-billion project for Disney.

Reporting from Shanghai-
Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert A. Iger was joined by Shanghai's Communist Party chief & the city's mayor Friday to officially commence construction of a long-awaited theme park that will give the Burbank company a critical beachhead in mainland China.

Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare privatization plan

But because commercial insurers cost more to run than government designs, the Wisconsin Republican's proposal to privatize Medicare beginning in 2022 would actually spark a dramatic increase in how much the nation spends on healthcare for the elderly, according to an independent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Reporting from Washington-
When House Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan unveiled his blueprint this week for cutting federal spending by $5.8 trillion over the next decade, they argued that a revamping of the government's health safety net would rein in skyrocketing costs.

Another NATO airstrike has killed rebels

The incident followed the death of 13 rebels last weekend when a NATO warplane mistakenly opened fire on the fighters, according to the rebels' military command. The latest episode was met with frustration among the opposition's leaders, who accused the West of not moving aggressively to cease Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi's forces as they besiege cities & advance on the rebels' battle positions.

Reporting from Benghazi & Tripoli, Libya.
Libyan rebels were killed in an airstrike Thursday that the opposition's top general blamed on NATO.