International News for Jan. 18 - 31

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from CNN, the New York Times and ABC News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Haiti
Jan. 19 - Awe-inspiring stories of survival have surfaced following the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti Jan. 12. On Jan. 18, an eight-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl were pulled from the debris of a two-story building in Port-au-Prince. On the same day, two female students were saved from the rubble of a Port-au-Prince university. On Jan. 19, a Haitian was rescued from under a three-story Port-au-Prince supermarket, where he reportedly ate peanut butter and jelly to survive. Currently, international organizations such as Save the Children, Doctors without Borders and the Red Cross are providing nourishment, medical care and other forms of relief. The death toll to date has reached over 150,000 in Port-au-Prince, according to a Haitian government minister.

Venezuela

Jan. 23 - Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), a cable TV channel in Venezuela, was removed from the airwaves after it omitted an entire address by President Hugo Chavez in its broadcast. The Venezuelan government, which considers presidential speeches to fall under a category of mandatory programming, determined that RCTV's broadcast violated several Venezuelan media laws. This broadcast was not RCTV's first infringement of federal telecommunication laws. RCTV, a network known for its criticism of the president, failed to renew its broadcast license in 2007 and has chosen not to play the Venezuelan national anthem. The channels Ritmo Son, America TV, Momentum, American Network and TV Chile were also penalized for not broadcasting the presidential speech. In response to the closing of these six TV channels, Venezuelan citizens have taken to the streets to protest media freedom. Two student protesters have been killed in the aftermath of the protests to date.

France
Jan. 26 - Thirty-two members of the French National Assembly recommended a partial ban on full-facial veils in several public places, including schools, hospitals and in mass transit vehicles. Veils include the burqa and niqab, which is a full veil worn by some Muslim women that only shows the eyes of the wearer. The proposal was issued after six months of deliberation, which included soliciting feedback from a diverse pool of 200 French citizens. A full ban was not suggested because legislators could not agree on this resolution; a full ban would also be challenged in many European courts. Parliament will vote on the resolution after the March regional elections in France.

China

Jan. 31 - In response to a Jan. 29 arms deal between the United States and Taiwan, China has terminated plans for future military visits between the U.S. and China. Additionally, the country has threatened to impose sanctions on U.S. companies selling weapons to Taiwan, which include helicopters, air missiles, ships, minesweepers and other machinery. The U.S. is committed to supplying Taiwan with defensive weapons under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which requires the U.S. to help defend Taiwan from attacks launched from the Chinese mainland. For the most part, however, the U.S.-initiated arms trade was a response to China's refusal to increase sanctions on North Korea and Iran.