LATIN AMERICA

BBC - Londoners may have the oldest underground railway in the world but

it is not held in great affection, unlike the Metro in Venezuela which

is punctual, cheap and held in the highest esteem. Opened in 1983, the

Metro carries over one million people a day. . . Eighty-four per cent of

the passengers do not own cars. You never have to wait more than a few

minutes for a train.

The stainless steel carriages and the handsome stations are kept

spotlessly clean. Signs are clear and elegant. And the stations, in red

brick, glazed tile and concrete, are well-equipped with escalators. Like

the trains themselves, they are also air-conditioned. So, even though

the system is packed at rush hour, it is never oppressive. . .



Fares are cheap, ranging from a few pence for a single ticket to less

than a pound for a ticket valid for ten journeys. . . The Caracas Metro,

as run by the government, is more than a means of transport. It is a

whole scheme of education in citizenship. . .



Edgar, a trade union leader who is not addicted to airy-fairy ideas,

says it is the result of a very successful campaign, started when the

first piece of track was inaugurated two decades ago. The idea was to

get the Caraquenos to behave well and the campaign for city pride

continues to this day.



The Metro declares: "The passenger must be persuaded and not told off,"

adding, "the example of the Metro may be extended to other activities

and other parts of the country." "Be a Metro citizen," says an advert in

the carriages, "don't throw litter."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4583268.stm



BBC - Peru has withdrawn its ambassador to Caracas for consultations, in

a protest against what it considers interference by Venezuela in its

election campaign. On Tuesday, President Hugo Chavez backed the

nationalist Peruvian candidate, Ollanta Humala, saying he shared the

battle against free trade. It is the latest row between Mr Chavez and

his neighbors in the region.

Mr Humala, an ex-military man who led a rebellion in 2000, is winning

growing support ahead of Peru's April election. Mr Humala was invited to

Caracas earlier this week to meet the Venezuelan leader and attend a

news conference which was also attended by Bolivia's President-elect Evo

Morales.