Page 11 - at
P. 11
WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 17 September
Venezuela extends border crackdown to 3rd state
FABIOLA SANCHEZ the two neighbors. cifically say he was closing Colombian President Juan in Venezuela have returned
Associated Press Maduro late Tuesday night any border crossings, au- Manuel Santos reacted voluntarily, saying they fear
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) said that a state of emer- thorities in Colombia said angrily Wednesday to reprisals.
— President Nicolas Mad- gency had been broad- Wednesday that Venezu- Maduro’s latest move.Co- While Maduro and Santos
uro has closed another ened to encompass 10 elan security forces had set lombia’s government has have both called for direct
bridge connecting Ven- more municipalities on up a barricade preventing protested the treatment of dialogue to reduce ten-
ezuela with Colombia as Venezuela*s western edge, cars from crossing the Jose some 1,500 of its nationals sions, at attempt by South
he extends a month-long including a few in the state Antonio Paez bridge that deported under the crack- American neighbors to
crackdown on smuggling of Apure, the third district to connects the provincial down. mediate a solution has so
along the border that has face such restrictions. capital of Arauca with the Another 16,000 of the over far failed to bring the two
fueled tensions between While Maduro didn’t spe- plains of Apure. 5 million Colombians living leaders together.q
‘Pope Plan’ transforms Havana, Cuban city known for decay
A. GARCIA vation only when a pope is Workers apply a fresh coat of paint to the walls surrounding the done, supposedly because
M. WEISSENSTEIN about to place Cuba in the archdiocese residence, in preparation for the visit of Pope Fran- of a lack of supplies.
Associated Press international spotlight. cis, in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. Francis will visit “They announced the
HAVANA (AP) — Windows “At least we’re getting Cuba from Sept. 19-22, before arriving in the United States, mak- pope’s visit, the materials
looking out on the Church some benefit from the ing him the third pontiff to visit the island nation. appeared and they put
of the Sacred Heart were pope’s visit, although it’s a the pedal to the metal to
covered with tattered shame that things only get (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) finish all the repair work,” he
newspapers. Wheel-swal- fixed on special occasions,” said. His building still needs
lowing potholes pitted the said Carmen Silvano, a stu- ticularly in Havana, where cases, meaning problems to have floors redone and
streets. Paint peeled off the dent who lives in the cen- people have greater ac- as simple as a blown light- windows repaired, among
walls in sheets. tral Havana neighborhood cess to foreign capital and bulb can go unfixed for other projects.
Then the pope said he was near the church that serves building supplies. Mean- months or years. “Inside, the ceilings are in
coming to town. as headquarters of Cuba’s while, the communist gov- Dayron Rivero, a social bad shape, but at least
Crews of workmen showed Jesuits. ernment remains respon- worker and self-employed they gave it a coat of paint
up as if from nowhere State media have said next sible for the communal ar- barber, said the govern- and it looks better,” he said.
this summer, smoothing to nothing about the re- eas of apartment buildings ment had promised to A short drive away in
streets, patching walls and pairs and renovation, but and old mansions roughly repair the neighborhood the Playa neighborhood
painting facades in pas- Cubans have sardonically divided among more than around the church for around the Apostolic Nun-
tel shades of pink, blue branded it “Plan Papa,” or a dozen families in some years but no work was ever ciature, where the pope
and green. Across Ha- “The Pope Plan.” Havana will stay during his time in
vana, hundreds more la- residents say similar flurries Havana, tooth-rattling gul-
borers planted palm trees, of renovation preceded lies and holes in the streets
cleaned up trash and re- Pope John Paul II’s ground- have been filled in, build-
paved sidewalks. As Pope breaking 1998 visit and ings have been painted
Francis’ Saturday arrival Benedict XVI’s trip in 2012 gleaming white and yellow
nears, a whirlwind of re- but things quickly fell back and piles of debris have
newal has hit a city known into disrepair. cleared from the streets.
for its decay, leaving ordi- Thanks to reforms put in Yet, just a block from the
nary people appreciative place by President Raul Nunciature, streets are still
of the repairs but indignant Castro, Cuban single-family rutted, debris is uncleared
that the government un- homes are being redone at and facades are fading
leashes the forces of reno- unprecedented rates, par- and unpainted.q
Puerto Rico to improve sewage system, reduce pollution
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Protection Agency said lantic Ocean, among other EPA regional administrator, Justice. The agreement re-
(AP) — Puerto Rico’s wa- the federal government places. said in a statement. places three previous ones
ter and sewer company waived civil penalties in the “This agreement will re- The company also agreed between the Aqueduct
has agreed to invest $1.5 case given Puerto Rico’s duce the massive amount to invest $120 million to and Sewer Authority and
billion to upgrade its sys- economic crisis. The island’s of untreated sewage and build sanitary sewers for an the U.S. government. Of-
tem as part of a settlement Aqueduct and Sewer Au- other pollutants that harm impoverished community ficials noted that previous
with the U.S. government thority had been accused major waterways in the San in the capital of San Juan projects under prior deals
to help cut down on water of releasing untreated sew- Juan area, improving water that is expected to help are no longer necessary
pollution, officials said this age and other pollutants in quality and public health some 20,000 people as part given the island’s drop in
week. the San Juan Bay, the Con- conditions for thousands of of a deal that also involved population as people flee
The U.S. Environmental dado Lagoon and the At- people,” Judith Enck, an the U.S. Department of to the U.S. mainland.q
