Caracas, Venezuela
Caracas Mayor Juan Barreto says he will expropriate two private golf courses in a wealthy enclave of the city and build low-cost housing on them. Barreto, an ally of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, says it is “obscene” for the members of the Caracas Country Club and Valle Arriba Golf Club to play golf within sight of the Venezuelan capital’s slums. He has ordered the “forced acquisition” of the clubs, which, he says, cover enough land to house 10,000 people. The Chavez government has seized large farms and redistributed parcels to the poor, but the seizure of the golf courses would be the first expropriation of urban land. Barreto’s political opponents called the move “electoral demagoguery.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Mickey 17: 'charming space oddity' that's a 'sparky one-off'The Week Recommends 'Remarkable' Robert Pattinson stars in Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi comedy
-
EastEnders at 40: are soaps still relevant?Talking Point Albert Square's residents are celebrating, but falling viewer figures have fans worried the soap bubble has burst
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
