Ottawa
Native affairs changes: Canada’s federal government has a secret plan to overhaul the rules governing Indian affairs, the Globe and Mail reported this week. The newspaper cited classified documents that propose sweeping changes, including a new mandate that all native leaders be selected by secret ballot and subject to term limits. Under current rules, some chiefs serve for life. Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl disputed the newspaper report, saying there was “no legislation planned.” But the documents indicate that new rules would be enacted as a policy, not a law, which means they could be implemented without legislation.
Mexico City
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Watch your purse: Mexico assigned an additional 800 police officers to Mexico City International Airport this week, after a string of armed robberies of travelers exchanging money. At least 18 people, five of them foreigners, have been robbed at the airport over the past few months. Police said the victims were robbed after leaving currency exchange booths. Mexico has been stepping up efforts to make tourists feel safer since the U.S. State Department issued a warning several weeks ago advising American college students to be especially vigilant if they head to Mexico for spring break. “Avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable,” the department advised. Around 100,000 Americans hit Mexico’s beaches every March.
Havana
Fidel loyalists ousted: President Raúl Castro replaced 10 government ministers this week, including Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque and chief Cabinet officer Carlos Lage, both of whom were close aides and ideological allies of Castro’s brother Fidel. U.S. analysts said the shake-up was a sign that Raúl Castro is consolidating political control. “Raúl is putting his stamp on the government,” said William LeoGrande of American University in Washington, D.C. “If anyone had a doubt about who is in control, with this it can be put to rest.”
Caracas, Venezuela
Army takes over rice mills: President Hugo Chávez ordered the military to seize Venezuela’s rice processing plants this week, saying private producers were evading government price caps. Chávez said if rice producers did not comply with government price controls, he would nationalize them. “I don’t have any problem expropriating,” he said. “And I’ll pay them with bonds, too. Don’t think I’ll pay them with hard cash.” The intervention was Chávez’s first significant use of new powers he was given in a referendum two weeks ago. One of the rice producers affected was U.S. food company Cargill.
