CARACAS, Tuesday September 30, 2008 | Update
Politics
A group of 41 US Representatives have asked Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez to strengthen human rights and political
pluralism in his country, following the expulsion of two NGO
Human Rights Watch (HRW) activists.
In a letter sent to Chávez and made public on Tuesday,
the lawmakers, both Democrat and Republican, strongly condemned
the expulsion of José Miguel Vivanco, the Director for
the Americas of HRW, and Daniel Wilkinson, deputy director
of the NGO, on September 18, after disclosing a report criticizing
the Venezuelan government, reported Efe.
''Human rights reporting should never be viewed as a violation
of sovereignty or an act of subversion,'' said the letter,
sent to Chávez on September 26.
''Ironically, by expelling Human Rights Watch staff from
your country, you have underscored and reinforced the concerns,
criticisms and conclusions detailed in the (HRW) report,''
added the letter.
11:00 AM. Economy. Based on the official data, more and more families failed to get out of poverty in 2008; the exclusion status of more people moved faster and fewer people are on their way to overcome this situation. According to the data provided by the official National Statistics Institute (INE), last year the poorest homes in the country recorded an average monthly income of USD 401.82, whereas the food basket amounted to 417.77