World Scene

Chavez wants soap operas scrubbed of capitalism

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has asked film producers to make "socialist soap operas," with government help if needed, because there's too much capitalism on television.

"A while ago, I was in Cuba and they broadcast soap operas there, not capitalist soap operas but with a social content, socialist" soap operas, Chavez told a group of filmmakers and scriptwriters who were weekend guests on his weekly radio and television show, "Alo Presidente."

"I'm going to ask that we make socialist soap operas (in Venezuela), instead of capitalist ones."

Chavez offered government help to producers following his advice.

"We can also make good movies," he added. "Not capitalist movies that are poison and incite our children to take drugs and even push them into crime."

In 2006, Chavez opened Villa del Cine, a filmmaking center outside Caracas that produces full-length and short films and documentaries.

Sextuplets on oxygen but healthy in Italy

A 30-year-old Italian woman gave birth to four baby girls and two boys on Sunday, the largest multiple birth in Italy since 2003.

The mother and babies all are in good health following the caesarian birth in the southern city of Benevento, near Naples, Italian news agencies reported.

However, the children were born after just 29 weeks of pregnancy and weigh between 610 and 800 grams. All are on assisted breathing apparatus.

Doctors said the multiple birth probably was due to fertility treatment taken by the woman, and not due to in vitro fertilisation.

Italian law prohibits more than three embryos to be transferred into the womb.

US pandas get some help with lovemaking

Two pandas at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, attempted to mate before zoo officials determined they had not been successful and artificially inseminated the female, Mei Xiang.

Zoo officials say Mei Xiang and Tian Tian tried to mate on the weekend. After carefully observing the pair for several hours and determining mating had not been successful, the pair were anesthetized and semen from Tian Tian was removed to inseminate Mei Xiang.

Zoo officials say timing is critical in panda mating because there is only about one day a year in which conception can occur.

Mei Xiang was also artificially inseminated last year, but she did not give birth.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have produced one cub, Tai Shan, who was born in 2005 following artificial insemination.

AP-Reuters

(China Daily 01/12/2010 page10)