Blackout hits large swath of Venezuela
A blackout hit a large swath of Venezuela on Thursday, darkening street lights, shutting down the Caracas subway and prompting the government to announce temporary rationing measures.
The power outage affected the capital of Caracas and 11 states stretching across the northern half of the country, Electricity Minister Ali Rodriguez said.
He told state television Thursday night that power had been completely restored throughout the country about two hours after the outage began. He said it had been a power loss of "enormous size."
A forest fire apparently caused the problem by overheating major transmission lines in western Venezuela and knocking them offline, Rodriguez said. He said that failure forced various power plants to shut down and caused a cumulative drop of about 10,000 megawatts, a large share of the country's generating capacity of roughly 24,000 megawatts.
Vice President Elias Jaua vowed a thorough investigation of the causes of the forest fire. He said it was unclear how the fire started but that "we never stop investigating situations of possible sabotage."
He suggested sabotage wouldn't be beyond some hard-line opponents of President Hugo Chavez, saying Venezuela has "extremist sectors that still don't accept the democratic game."
Various power plants were being gradually restarted after the blackout, Rodriguez said.
But he said that power would be rationed during a three-hour period during the night and that some areas would see rolling blackouts lasting 20 minutes or less. "It will be temporary," Rodriguez said.
In Caracas, the outage forced subway stations to close in the afternoon, and some passengers had to be evacuated from stranded trains. Heavy traffic jams filled the streets, where stoplights were off in some places.
There are no immediate reports of problems in Venezuela's oil industry. The country's refineries are equipped with emergency generators.
Throughout the first half of 2010, Venezuela experienced recurring power outages across the country as a lack of rainfall caused water shortages and starved the hydroelectric dams that produce about three-fourths of the South American country's electricity.
Earthquake shakes wide area of southern Mexico
A magnitude-6.5 earthquake shook a wide area of southern and central Mexico on Thursday, sending people fleeing into the streets, but causing only minor reported damage.
The epicenter was located near Las Choapas, a town of about 83,000 residents about 370 miles (600 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City. It swayed buildings for several seconds in the capital, and in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, people ran from their homes and school children assembled on playgrounds.
Near the epicenter, cracks in walls forced the evacuation of one elementary school, said Bernabe Hernandez Perez, head of civil protection in Las Choapas.
Gov. Javier Duarte de Ochoa said earlier that he had no reports of damage in the oil-producing state.
"Veracruz is completely quiet without problems," he told state television. "It was felt all over the state, but nothing major happened. It was only a scare."
The temblor also was felt strongly in the state of Chiapas, bordering Guatemala, where there also were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, as well as the Pacific coast state of Guerrero.
The U.S. Geological survey said the quake hit at a depth of 104 miles (167 kilometers).
Clinton Dismisses Gadhafi Letter, Reaffirms He Must Yield Power
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday brushed aside a personal appeal from Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi for an end to the NATO air campaign in support of Libyan rebels. Clinton, who discussed the Libyan crisis with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Fratini, said Mr. Gadhafi must yield power and leave the country.
Clinton is dismissing an unusual personal appeal from the Libyan leader to President Barack Obama for NATO to halt its air operations, and reaffirming that an end to the conflict requires Mr. Gadhafi’s departure from power.
In the letter, conveyed to the U.S. government Wednesday, Mr. Gadhafi accuses NATO of waging an "unjust" war against Libya, and that the conflict in the country should be left for Libyans to resolve within the framework of the African Union.
In a text of the rambling note made available to reporters, Mr. Gadhafi repeats charges that al-Qaida is behind the rebellion against him.
The Libyan leader refers to Mr. Obama, the first African-American U.S. president, as a son of Africa and says despite the NATO intervention, he hopes Mr. Obama wins another term in office.
Secretary Clinton addressed the Libyan message at a joint press event with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Fratini.
"I think that Mr. Gadhafi knows what he must do. There needs to be a cease-fire. His forces need to withdraw from the cities that they have forcibly taken at great violence and human cost. There needs to be a decision made about his departure from power, and as the foreign minister said, his departure from Libya," she said.
,
Mr. Fratini, whose government has joined France and Qatar in recognizing Libya’s opposition Transitional National Council as the country’s legitimate government, declined under questioning to publicly call on the United States to do the same.
But he welcomed this week’s dispatch of a U.S. diplomat, Chris Stevens, to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, which she suggested will put the Obama administration in a better position to decide the issue of recognition.
"I know perfectly that the United States has to know more about this group in Benghazi. Maybe Italy did so because we know for a longer time, from inside the country, who they (the rebels) are, how the situation is. So it’s absolutely necessary for these people to be a bit (more) well-known to the public opinion of the rest of the world, to offer the opportunities and the elements that are necessary to take a decision like the one Italy has taken," he said.
Amid rebel complaints that the air campaign has lagged since the United States ceded the lead role in operations to NATO partners a week ago, Clinton said the allies have performed well given shifting tactics by pro-Gadhafi forces.
"We do know it is difficult when you have a force such as that employed by Gadhafi that is insinuating itself into cities, using snipers on rooftops, engaging in violent, terrible behavior that puts so many lives at risk, for air power alone to be sufficient to take out those forces. So given the mission that NATO is performing, it is performing admirably," she said.
Clinton said she and Fratini discussed how NATO can accelerate the training of rebel forces, a conversation expected to continue next week when both attend a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Berlin.
Their talks also covered the surge in migration of Tunisians and others to Italy since political unrest began in the region.
Clinton said Italy is "bearing more than its share of responsibilities" on migration flows, while Fratini said it is not just an Italian problem but a "truly European issue" and that Italy wants more burden-sharing.
Mass Grave Found in Mexico
Authorities in Mexico say security forces have found at least 59 bodies in a mass grave in the northern state of Tamaulipas, near the U.S. border.
Government officials said police and military personnel found the mass grave while investigating the March 25 disappearance of several buses in the area. The state prosecutor's office said they are trying to determine whether the grave contains the bodies of the bus passengers.
Eleven suspects were arrested during the investigation.
The grave in the township of San Fernando is in the same area that 72 Central American migrants were found shot to death last August. Survivors of the attack say the victims were shot for refusing to work for an illegal drug cartel.
Also Wednesday, thousands of people in a number of Mexican cities protested the violence that accompanies Mexico's fight against the illegal drug trade.
Drug-related killings have taken some 34,000 lives since 2006, when the Mexican government launched an offensive on drug trafficking.
Charlie Sheen live show bombs in Detroit
Actor Charlie Sheen was booed off stage by fans on the first night of his Violent Torpedo Of Truth: Defeat Is Not An Option one-man show in Detroit.
The former Two And A Half Men star had initially been greeted with rapturous applause, but fans reportedly began to walk out within 15 minutes.
Sheen had promised to tell "the real story", but critics said he instead gave "a series of nonsensical rants".
The show ended after an hour when Sheen failed to return after a musical break.
Entertainment Weekly described the show as an "unmitigated disaster".
"The padded and disjointed show was a hodgepodge of video clips and Sheen-isms that felt hastily assembled and misjudged the patience of even the hardest of hardcore fans," it said.
The Hollywood Reporter said: "Call it 'tiger blood' or 'Adonis DNA' if you will. Just don't call it entertainment."
Sheen opened with a monologue saying: "I am finally here to identify and train the Vatican assassin locked inside each and every one of you."
After talking about his "napalm dripping brain" and describing himself as "a giant and leaky bag of mayhem", he added: "Is anybody else as confused by this as I am?"
He also showed film clips including one he wrote, produced and directed entitled RPG, but was abruptly halted after more booing from the audience.
The 45-year-old responded to one heckle by saying: "I already got your money, dude."
He later told the crowd the show was "an experiment" adding: "You paid your hard-earned money without knowing what this show was about."
Fans walked out chanting "Refund!" and were quick to express their disappointment outside.
"I was hoping for something. I didn't think it would be this bad," said Linda Fugate from Detroit, who said she paid $150 (£93) for two tickets.
"I expected him to at least entertain a little bit. It was just a bunch of ranting," said Rodney Gagnon, who travelled from Ontario in Canada for the show.
Others blamed the audience: "I thought it was good. It was what I expected," Lori Caputo of Battle Creek, Michigan, told USA Today.
"I was disappointed in everybody booing."
The Detroit performance was the first of 22 sold-out planned shows in 20 US and Canadian cities.
Sheen's publicist Larry Solters declined to comment after the show.
Sheen was fired from hit comedy Two and A Half Men last month amid a frenzy of US media reports on his controversial personal life.
Meanwhile, Martin Sheen has spoken to the BBC about the "roller coaster ride" his family have experienced in trying to support his son.
"Charlie is dealing with the most profound problems and addiction - there's no secret, his behaviour has been an example of that," he told Kirsty Young on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.
LeBron James becomes minority stakeholder in Liverpool
Basketball star LeBron James has become a minority stakeholder in Liverpool after signing a representation deal with the club's owners.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has struck a deal to partner the Miami Heat player's marketing firm to become his exclusive worldwide representative.
The report in the Wall Street Journal said James received an undisclosed stake in Liverpool as part of the deal.
"This is a great opportunity for me," said NBA star James.
"The first time I stepped on an NBA court I became a businessman."
Referring to Liverpool's title honours James added: "Eighteen championships. I see myself trying to do the same things they have."
The Wall Street Journal said Maverick Carter, chief executive of LRMR Branding & Marketing, had expressed his desire to build James' portfolio internationally.
"We're not interested in talent or athlete representation but we think he is one of the most remarkable athletes of his time," FSG and Liverpool chairman Tom Werner told the newspaper.
"We believe we can open doors for LeBron and LeBron can open doors for us. Without purchasing Liverpool, we never would have been able to have this conversation."
Privatisation of Bahamas telecoms company completed
The privatisation of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) was completed on Wednesday, with the sale of 51 percent of the shares to Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC).
The government of The Bahamas has received the purchase price of $210 million from CWC paid in full, as well as in kind and cash completion dividends from BTC amounting to $14.3 million.
CWC has taken management control effective Wednesday.
One of the effects of the revised Sector Policy is that, as of Wednesday, the clock has started ticking for the liberalisation of cellular services. The process for liberalisation will commence three years from April 6, 2011.
“This privatisation, a process started 14 years ago, is essential for the advancement of the Bahamian economy. It is no longer about telecommunications; rather we are now in a world of converged communications. Technology advancement is moving at a lightning fast pace, requiring huge investments, economies of scale and deep technical expertise. The Bahamian people deserve and indeed, rightly demand, more minutes for less money, more products with better quality, excellent service and more business and profit opportunities for themselves,” the government said in a press statement.
The government also said it is committed to making The Bahamas an international business centre of choice, committed to giving Bahamians access to the latest and best technologies available in communications and committed to opening the economy for the further participation of progressive, innovative Bahamian entrepreneurs.
“The vision for BTC of the government and CWC, is that BTC will continue to be recognized as a Bahamian company, operating for the benefit of the people and the economy of The Bahamas; that it will be viewed as a great customer centric and sales and marketing organization, which offers excellent value for money, that delivers the services that customers want, and that it will be a company that Bahamians choose to buy from and work for,” the government added.
CWC is a global full-service communications business that operates communications businesses in thirty-eight countries through four regional units -- the Caribbean, Panama, Macau and Monaco and Islands -- and has close to $2.5 billion revenues. Its services are highly complementary to those of BTC and include mobile, broadband and domestic and international fixed line services, as well as pay-TV, data centre and hosting, carrier and managed service solutions.
Dramatic rescue in Ivorian city
French forces have snatched the Japanese ambassador to safety from near the embattled presidential residence in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan.
Soldiers traded fire with guards at the residence where Laurent Gbagbo is ensconced, refusing to stand down as president, French officials said.
France, the former colonial power, has called on Mr Gbagbo to resign after losing November's election.
Forces loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, are besieging the residence.
They were driven back when they tried to storm the site in a chic district of Abidjan on Wednesday, after talks on a cease-fire and Mr Gbagbo's departure ran into difficulty.
The incumbent president continues to insist he won the election, despite international recognition of Mr Ouattara's victory.
Mr Gbagbo says Mr Ouattara's troops want to kill him but they say they have strict orders to capture him alive.
'A lot of blood'
Late on Wednesday, French helicopters moved in to evacuate the Japanese ambassador, Okamura Yoshifumi, and his aides after his home near the presidential residence was invaded by unidentified gunmen.
They were taken to safety in a French military camp at Port-Bouet, south of Abidjan, the French embassy said.
The French said they had acted after a request from Japan and the UN.
During the operation, French forces exchanged fire with fighters defending Mr Gbagbo's residence.
Speaking before his rescue, Mr Yoshifumi told AFP news agency that a group of "mercenaries" had occupied his residence for five hours.
While he and others sheltered in a safe room, the gunmen used his residence as a firing-point to launch rockets and fire machine-guns and cannon, he said.
He said he had later found that four people employed at the residence, security guards and a gardener, had "vanished", and there was "a lot of blood" in the house.
It was not clear if the gunmen were part of the forces defending the nearby presidential residence or the attacking forces loyal to Mr Ouattara.
France has troops in the country alongside UN peacekeepers, attempting to maintain security around Abidjan under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said neither French nor UN troops were involved in the new offensive against Mr Gbagbo.
Failed assault
Speaking by phone to French radio on Wednesday and sounding defiant, Mr Gbagbo denied he was hiding in a bunker.
"I am in the residence - the residence of the president of the republic," he said.
Earlier he denied he was surrendering, saying he was only negotiating a truce.
Approaching the compound in pick-up trucks modified to carry heavy machine guns, Mr Ouattara's troops attempted to storm the residence but faced stiff resistance from inside the property's walls, where Mr Gbagbo's supporters were said to be dug in with mortars and rocket launchers.
After several hours of fighting the sounds of battle died away.
Local residents, Western officials and representatives of Mr Ouattara's forces conceded that Mr Gbagbo's men had held out.
Mr Juppe said Mr Gbagbo's "intransigence" had led to the collapse of UN-brokered talks aimed at negotiating an orderly departure.
"The conditions set by President Ouattara are very clear: he demands that Laurent Gbagbo accepts his defeat and recognises the victory of the legitimately elected president," he told parliament.
"That's where we stand today, so sadly the arms have begun to talk again."
Following two days of advances in Abidjan by pro-Ouattara forces the city's four million people remain mainly inside their homes.
Soldiers, ex-rebel fighters, militia groups and mercenaries are battling for control of the streets, says our correspondent. The main banks have been closed for nearly two months and few people have the funds to stock up on food.
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the violence, with the UN refugee agency reporting an increase in the number of Ivorians crossing the border into neighbouring Liberia.
The International Criminal Court says it is preparing to investigate reports of human rights abuses during the fighting.
Last November's election was intended to reunite Ivory Coast which split in two following a northern rebellion in 2002.
The electoral commission pronounced Mr Ouattara the victor, but Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council said Mr Gbagbo had won.
The US, the UN and the EU recognised Mr Ouattara as the winner, but both candidates had themselves sworn in as president and a stand-off ensued.
Skirmishes and battles between the rival forces have since taken place across Ivory Coast, culminating in Mr Ouattara's troops sweeping into Abidjan at the end of March.
LIME Signs US $3.7 Million Contract To Build National Broadband Network For The Government Of Jamaic
LIME, the Caribbean’s only full service telecoms provider, today signed a five-year agreement with the Government of Jamaica, valued at more than US $3.7 million, to build out a major portion of the broadband island-wide network which will provide internet connectivity to public schools, libraries, post offices and other locations across Jamaica.
The island-wide broadband network, which will increase public internet access significantly, is being financed through the Universal Service Obligation (USO) levy which gives the Jamaican Government revenue from charges for incoming international calls. The levy is managed by the Universal Access Fund Company Ltd. The network will provide high speed connectivity throughout the country, eventually bringing even the most remote locations online.
Speaking at the agreement signing, which was held at the Office of the Prime Minister, Managing Director for LIME in Jamaica & Cayman, Garry Sinclair said: “This project, involves two major areas where LIME has been working tirelessly to make a difference – the infusion of ICT in Education and the increasing of access to ICT to the general population in order to bridge the digital divide within Jamaica and the digital divide between the Jamaica and more developed nations.”
He added, “So while all of us at LIME are excited about the commercial side of this project, the real thrill is that we will be part of an initiative that will be a critical catalyst in the development of our country.”
Jamaica’s Minister with responsibility for Telecommunications, Daryl Vaz said: “Internet service is a critical and important ingredient in national advancement and economic development and therefore we have developed and are pursuing deliberate strategies for accelerating the deployment of high-speed connectivity throughout the length and breadth of the country.”
Managing Director of the Universal Access Fund Company Limited, Hugh Cross said: “We are fully aware of the correlation between growth in Gross Domestic Product and access to the Internet. The World Bank has indicated that for every 10% increase in high speed Internet connections the increase in economic growth is 1.3%. We are committed to pursuing every available strategy to grow the national economy and this island-wide broadband initiative is consistent with that objective.”
Through its Foundation, LIME Jamaica has been providing free internet access to primary and secondary schools islandwide for the past six years. At present, more than 300 schools are benefiting from this programme.
Portugal calls for EU financial bail-out
Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said that he has asked the European Union for financial assistance.
Mr Socrates said the country was "at too much risk that it shouldn't be exposed to".
The government has long resisted asking for aid but last week admitted that it had missed its 2010 budget deficit target.
Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out.
"I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," Mr Socrates said.
"Above all, it's in the national interest."
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be processed "in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable".
He also reaffirmed his "confidence in Portugal's capacity to overcome the present difficulties, with the solidarity of its partners".
Borrowing costs
Mr Socrates did not say how much aid Portugal would ask for. Negotiations will now be underway and the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said rescue loans could amount to as much as 80bn euros ($115bn; £70bn).
Mr Socrates was speaking after Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said it was necessary to resort to financial aid from the EU.
Earlier, the government raised about 1bn euros after tapping the financial markets in order to repay loans, but will have to pay a higher interest rate to lenders.
Portugal's cost of borrowing has risen sharply since the minority Socialist government resigned last month after its proposed tougher austerity measures were defeated in parliament.
Since then several rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt.
An informal meeting of European finance ministers had already been scheduled for Thursday in Budapest. Portugal was not originally on the agenda but is expected to be discussed.
The UK Treasury Minister Mark Hoban will attend. A source at the Treasury said that the bilateral loan the UK offered to the Irish Republic was "very much a special case" and a similar offer is "not on the table" for Portugal.
Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at IHS Global Insight, told the BBC that Portugal might organise "some sort of bridging loan" in the short term.
But he added: "The real big loan over several years will require a medium-term plan and I don't think that can be agreed until the new government comes into place."
Elections are likely to take place in a few months' time.