Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is threatening to close Venezuela’s top anti-government television station in his latest push to weaken the opposition and build a socialist state.
Chavez has already moved against his opponents this year with measures that include stripping control of half of Caracas from the capital’s newly elected mayor and opening corruption investigations against several leaders.
Media-savvy Chavez, known for hours-long speeches often broadcast on all terrestrial channels, now has his critics’ main remaining channel, Globovision, in his sights as his government is reviewing licenses of all private stations.
PHOTO: AFP
Globovision’s closure would draw international criticism but be popular with Chavez’s hardcore supporters. Opposition outrage at such a move would unlikely extend to the wider population, only a small part of which watches the channel.
“Nobody in Venezuela should be surprised if the state takes decisions about certain media companies that are practicing terrorism in our country,” Chavez said last week during a visit to Argentina.
Two years ago he refused to renew the license of the nation’s favorite network RCTV, implicated in a brief coup against him in 2002. International watchdogs said that decision attacked the freedom of expression.
Thousands of students marched on Wednesday in Caracas, some carrying banners bearing Globovision’s logo.
Known for its vehemently anti-government stance, Globovision is accused by Chavez and his supporters of fomenting civil unrest. Most recently the government took exception to its coverage of an earthquake.
Globovision is a small station dedicated to news. It may still broadcast on cable if it loses its terrestrial license. As a mainstay of opposition politics, its closure would be a symbolic blow even though Chavez’s critics will still have access to the OPEC nation’s main newspapers and radio stations.
Less politicized private stations that show soaps, gameshows and more balanced news have the highest ratings and are far more popular than government-run networks.
Chavez has made several threats to Globovision and its owner Alberto Ravell in recent days. On his widely watched weekly television show last week, he said that the “lunatic” Ravell and Globovision would “be finished, or I’m not called Hugo Chavez.”
One media group, owned by mogul Gustavo Cisneros, has softened its former anti-government tone since the coup, but Globovision rarely backs away from a fight with Chavez and is favored by opposition politicians to get their message out.
“Venezuela’s first media terrorist is President Chavez, who every day verbally attacks any sector of the country that does not agree with him,” Ravell said on Tuesday.
RCTV, which lost its terrestrial license two years ago, and Globovision both gave airspace to army officers involved in a short-lived coup against Chavez in 2002.
The decision meant Venezuela’s favorite TV channel, source of highly watched soap operas, disappeared from the airwaves, sparking protests and contributing to Chavez’s defeat in a referendum that would have given him broad new powers.
But the move barely dented Chavez’s long-term popularity and he again enjoys approval ratings above 60 percent despite oil income falling by a half so far this year.
China on Monday announced its first ever sanctions against an individual Japanese lawmaker, targeting China-born Hei Seki for “spreading fallacies” on issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and disputed islands, prompting a protest from Tokyo. Beijing has an ongoing spat with Tokyo over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, and considers foreign criticism on sensitive political topics to be acts of interference. Seki, a naturalised Japanese citizen, “spread false information, colluded with Japanese anti-China forces, and wantonly attacked and smeared China”, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Monday. “For his own selfish interests, (Seki)
VENEZUELAN ACTION: Marco Rubio said that previous US interdiction efforts have not stemmed the flow of illicit drugs into the US and that ‘blowing them up’ would US President Donald Trump on Wednesday justified a lethal military strike that his administration said was carried out a day earlier against a Venezuelan gang as a necessary effort by the US to send a message to Latin American cartels. Asked why the military did not instead interdict the vessel and capture those on board, Trump said that the operation would cause drug smugglers to think twice about trying to move drugs into the US. “There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said while hosting Polish President
Japan yesterday heralded the coming-of-age of Japanese Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing. The nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk-and-lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life. “Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming-of-age ceremony,” Hisahito said. “I will fulfill my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family.” Although the emperor has a daughter — Princess Aiko — the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family’s male-only
A French couple kept Louise, a playful black panther, in an apartment in northern France, triggering panic when she was spotted roaming nearby rooftops. The pair were were handed suspended jail sentences on Thursday for illegally keeping a wild animal, despite protesting that they saw Louise as their baby. The ruling follows a September 2019 incident when the months-old feline was seen roaming a rooftop in Armentieres after slipping out of the couple’s window. Authorities captured the panther by sedating her with anesthetic darts after she entered a home. No injuries were reported during the animal’s time on the loose. The court in the
RSS