Montreux Jazz Festival 2010, by Britto
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The new Montreux Jazz Festival poster is out, with Romero Britto, Brazilian neo-pop artist providing the bright and lively artwork. This is not Britto’s first work for the Festival: some will remember that he did the poster work for the 33rd Montreux Festival in 1999.
His work is energetic, lively and fresh, defined by a harmonious use of colour and space. His style is on the edge between the directness of marketing and the subtlety of fine art. Think of Paul Klee with a spray can.
North and South Korea navy ships have exchanged fire along the countries’ disputed Western maritime border. The Northern vessel was reportedly hit by gunfire, and one North Korean was killed, and three injured, after it crossed a demaracation line Tuesday, 10 November, say several reports in Seoul, South Korea. CNN, Los Angeles Times.
Colombia may make a complaint to the United Nations and the Organization of American States, following Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ call Sunday, 8 November for his country to prepare for war, and prepare the people for war. Chavez has been irritated by Colombia’s newly signed bases agreement with the USA, which will allow a US military presence in Colombia. Chavez says that this is a preparation for an invasion of Venezuela. CNN, Reuters India.
China says it has executed nine people involved in the deadly rioting in Urumqi, in China’s Xinjiang province last July. The US urged China to ensure that detentions and judicial processes be handled “in a transparent manner”, according to US State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly. AFP, New York Times
The Honduran government issued a decree 27 September limiting civil rights on the eve of an expected massive demonstration in the capital Tegucigalpa in favour of ousted President Manuel Zelaya. The measures make it easier for the army to arrest protesters, and allows the government to act against pro-Zelaya media. The government refused entry into the country 27 September of a delegation from the Organisation of Amerian States (OAS) that flew into Tegucigalpa in the hope of reopening talks aimed at defusing the crisis. In Washington, the US representative to the OAS called on the de facto government to exercise restraint and caution and said Zelaya’s return to the country without a settlement was “irresponsible and foolish”, adding that he should “desist … from acting as though he were starring in an old movie.”
Brazil’s president Lula da Silva said while in Venezuela that he would ignore a Honduran government demand to hand Zelaya over to Honduran authorities within 10 days to face trial, or to grant him asylum in Brazil. Zelaya has spent the past week in the Brazilian embassy after secretly returning to the country. Lula has warned the Honduran de facto government to respect the integrity of the Brazilian embassy in Honduras. Honduras has cut electricity and water supplies to the embassy. The Vienna convention on diplomatic rights prohibits the use of force against diplomatic personnel and installations. It also proscribes the use of diplomatic installations for political purposes. Zelaya has been using the media to call for his supporters to converge on Tegucigalpa to force an end to the political crisis. At least one person was killed following clashes with the police over the weekend.
Ousted president Manuel Zelaya returned to Honduras overland from Guatemala, and immediately took refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Zelaya called on his supporters from a balcony at the Brazilian embassy to converge on the capital to reverse the coup. The interim government of Roberto Micheletti said Brazil would have to accept responsibility for any violence, and imposed a 24-hour curfew, which provoked chaos in the streets as tens of thousands of people tried to get home in time before the curfew took effect. The airports were closed.
Interim President Roberto Micheletti called on Brazil to give Zelaya up to face charges. “I insist that the courts are waiting so he can present himself there and pay for the crimes he committed.” he said. Organization of American States President Miguel Insulzo said he was ready to travel to Tegucigalpa to work out a solution to the crisis. BBC, CNN, El Heraldo, La Prensa, Reuters
The Honduran government is defying international pressure to allow former President Manuel Zelaya, deposed 28 June, to return to power. An Organization of American States (OAS) mission of seven American foreign ministers urged the interim government of Roberto Micheletti to accept a plan worked out by Nobel prize-winner Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica, which would allow Zelaya to return to power to serve out his term in exchange for amnesty for the interim government.
Micheletti said Tuesday 25 August at the conclusion of the two-day mission that Honduras would hold elections 29 November as scheduled “whether or not the world recognizes the result” and that “nobody is coming here to impose anything on us, unless troops come from somewhere else and force us.” The US has instructed its embassy in Tegucigalpa not to issue visas to Hondurans. BBC, CNN, El Heraldo (Spa)
Honduras’ ousted president Manuel Zelaya is in neighbouring Nicaragua at the head of a caravan of vehicles set to cross the border near El Progreso, Honduras. He has said he hopes the soldiers guarding the border will lay down their arms and recognize him as their president. The de facto government in Honduras imposed a 18:00 to 06:00 curfew on the border region and has said it will arrest Zelaya if he enters the country. US and Organization of American States (OAS) officials have counselled caution, warning of the possibility of violence. CNN, El Heraldo.hn (Spa)
Violent clashes at the airport at Tegucigalpa, Honduras late 5 July between supporters of ousted president Manuel Zelaya and soldiers claimed the lives of at least two people. Zelaya’s small airplane was denied permission to land by the interim government, and the runway was blocked by military vehicles. The government said it would arrest Zelaya if he landed. Zelaya was bundled out of the country 28 June after attempting to institute changes to the constitution permitting a second presidential term. The government has said it will hold new elections but will not permit Zelaya to return. The Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN General Assembly have condemned the actions. BBC, CNN, Tiempo (Spa)
A defiant Manuel Zelaya, until recently president of the Central American nation of Honduras, told a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Nicaragua 29 June that he would return home this week. The Honduran military had bundled Zelaya onto a plane to Costa Rica early the previous day. US President Barack Obama called his ouster a coup and a “dangerous precedent”. In a bid to extend his four-year term, Zelaya clashed with congress, the supreme court, the Catholic church and even his own party, the Liberals. Elected as a centre-right candidate, Zelaya has increasingly allied himself to Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. In the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, troops fired tear gas at protestors who were supporting Zelaya. BBC, Los Angeles Times, NYT
Cuba says it has no interest in joining the Organization of American States (OAS), but the group of 35 nations 3 June voted strongly to reverse the ban on the island nation, in place since 1962, when “the US led the push to suspend Havana at the height of the Cold War,” according to CNN. The OAS has put some strings on Cuba’s possible membership, putting in place a system that requires dialogue on human rights.
Cuba and the US have agreed to talks about improving migration from the island to the US to make it safer and more orderly. They will also discuss direct mail service between the two countries. Senior State department officials in Washington confirmed Saturday that Cuban officials have left open the possibility that future talks might include other topics, such as disaster-preparedness, counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism. US President Barack Obama earlier lifted restrictions on family visits and remittances to Cuba.
This comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to Honduras for a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), where calls for Cuba’s readmission to the group will be debated. CNN, USA Today
An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck near the Gulf island of Roatan early in the morning 28 May, causing six deaths and extensive damage in towns on the Northern coast of Honduras and the Gulf islands. It was followed a half-hour later by a 4.8 magnitude aftershock. In El Progreso, a section of a bridge across the Ulua River collapsed.
The government of Honduras says that a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) which it is hosting 2 and 3 June in San Pedro Sula will go ahead. CNN, El Heraldo (Spa), La Prensa (Spa)
