Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, both traditional foes of the US and Western powers, will sign eight cooperation agreements today, state media said.
The accords will be signed in Caracas, Venezuela’s ABN news agency said. Venezuelan Ambassador to Tripoli Afif Tajeldine said five agreements have already been signed with Libya, Venezuela’s top African ally, but he did not provide the figures or domain involved.
“Libya is the gateway to Africa for us because it is a country well-known for its socialist policies that plays an important and strategic role for us,” he said.
Qaddafi was on Venezuela’s scenic Isla Margarita, where a two-day summit began on Saturday, bringing together nine South American presidents and some 20 African leaders.
Chavez’s other high-profile guests at the Caribbean resort destination included Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Marking his first visit to Latin America since he came to power 40 years ago, Qaddafi was also set to assist to a military parade today flanked by Chavez and be decorated by Venezuelan authorities, diplomatic sources said.
During his recent travels to Libya, Chavez received a medal commemorating the “40th Anniversary of the Great Revolution of Al Fateh” on Sept. 1. Libya’s official JANA news agency said the decoration was “awarded for the first and only time” as a sign of “thanks and respect” for Chavez’s participation in the “festival of festivals.”
Qaddafi found a warmer welcome in Venezuela for his preferred sleeping quarters — a traditional Bedouin tent — than in New York, where he caused a stir after trying to pitch his olive green encampment at an estate outside Manhattan while he attended the opening of the UN General Assembly.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
Ireland, the UK and France faced travel chaos on Saturday and one person died as a winter storm battered northwest Europe with strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice. Hampshire Police in southern England said a man died after a tree fell onto a car on a major road near Winchester early in the day. Police in West Yorkshire said they were probing whether a second death from a traffic incident was linked to the storm. It is understood the road was not icy at the time of the incident. Storm Bert left at least 60,000 properties in Ireland without power, and closed
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