* Brazilian samba school Vila Isabel, which won the Rio de Janeiro 2006 carnival competition under the aegis of Venezuelan state oil giant Pdvsa, may be prosecuted on charges of copyright violations, Brazilian newspapers reported on March 3rd.

* Vila Isabel, which dedicated its performance in the Rio sambodrome to Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar and Latin American integration, received funds from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' government ranging from USD 500,000 to USD 1.5 million, Efe reported.

* Vila Isabel featured a song named "I am crazy for you, America," whose chorus, name and even compass are identical to a song the current Brazilian Culture minister Gilberto Gil and José Carlos Capinan wrote in 1967. In an interview with newspaper Correio Braziliense, Capinan said he is to fight for his rights.

* "I have always been an advocate of copyright. I do not want people to see this as a meanness, but I want them to understand that I want the authorship of the song to be acknowledged," Capinan added. He sent two letters to Vila Isabel and Chávez' government asking for an explanation.

"Nobody has answered back so far, but I hope that following the victory of the samba school they take sponsorship responsibly," Capinan stressed.
* Former deputy at the National Assembly (AN) for opposition OFM party Guillermo Palacios filed a complaint on March 2nd with the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) against state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) for sponsoring a coach in Rio de Janeiro Carnival featured by Vila Isabel Samba School.

* The leader condemned funding by the Venezuelan Government through the oil holding due to undue expense of domestic assets.

* "Surely indeed, this is not a priority for the country. In should be noted that plenty of people are longing for a solution for their problems, but the country donates billions to other nations for things that are neither necessary nor a priority."

* Palacios requested a thorough enquiry into the funds granted by Pdvsa to the samba school, in addition to alleged undue use of the image of Liberator Simón Bolívar.

* Brazilian samba school Vila Isabel was declared the champion of Rio de Janeiro 2006 Carnival as it performed a chant for Latin American integration.

* There was a tie between Vila Isabel and Grande Rio samba school, but Vila Isabel's samba enredo or theme had a higher score than its rival. Grande Rio theme was the Amazon nature and richness.
 
* Vila Isabel crossed the Rio de Janeiro sambodrome featuring a mosaic of peoples, natural resources and Latin American outstanding figures, especially a 60-feet image of Venezuelan independence and regional integration hero Simón Bolívar, AFP reported.

* Vila Isabel's sponsors included Venezuelan state oil giant Pdvsa with a USD 450,000 donation.

* When the group of jurors announced the winner, Vila Isabel dancers and followers cheered and celebrated, with some of them waving yellow, blue and red flags, the colors of the Venezuelan flag, AP reported.

* Oscar Arnal, president of civil association Cambio Democrático, asked Attorney General Isaías Rodríguez to launch an investigation and subsequent prosecution at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) of President Hugo Chávez for his alleged involvement in embezzlement and mismanagement in connection with the funding of Brazilian samba school Vila Isabel during Rio de Janeiro 2006 Carnival holidays.

* Vila Isabel samba school's performance featured a 60-feet image of Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar.
 
* Arnal claimed: "For Venezuelans, it is hurtful to see how state monies are mismanaged and deviated in an event that derides our top national hero and that left nothing positive for us." He claimed that this Venezuelan government's move is another example of Chávez' "policy intended to make personal political proselytism on gifts to foreign countries, outside the law."

* Since Vila Isabel samba school allegedly received a USD 500,000 donation from state oil holding Pdvsa, Arnal also urged the Attorney General to conduct an investigation into Pdvsa president Rafael Ramírez.

* Civil Protection director Antonio Rivero showed the outcome of Operation Carnival 2006 and matched it with the numbers of 2004 and 2005. He noted that last year there were irregular activities due to a thalweg that resulted in overflowing of rivers in several states.

* Rivero explained that the tourist flow increased by 24.3 percent. "There was a turnout of two million people more than in 2004, when all the activities were completed everyday," he pointed out.

* He claimed a hike of 13 percent in land, sea and air accidents in the aggregate. There were 20 percent more injuries, but 14 percent fewer fatalities.

* As compared to 2005, the number of dead people increased 37.9 percent, for a total of 80, due to transit accidents with multiple casualties, and other air and sea accidents.

* Rivero stressed that the number of people rescued heightened 19 percent as compared to 2004. The total number of emergency health care rose by 8 percent. There were no missing people this year.

* Lara state had the highest number of transit accidents, followed by the states of Carabobo, Miranda, Zulia, Aragua and Táchira. The official noted that despite the significant tourist flow in Falcón and Anzoátegui, the number of accidents, injuries and deaths was fairly low due to the works carried out in both states.

* "The total numbers of this period of Carnival 2006 are as follows: 2,262 transit accidents; 563 injured people and 58 dead people," Marcos Padovani, the director of the National Land Transit Institute (INTT,) reported.

* Marcos Padovani, director of the National Terrestrial Transit Institute (INTT), said "in Carnival 2006 there were 2,262 car accidents with 58 people dead and 563 injured."

* Padovani said INTT had 315 checkpoints nationwide, besides the regular 120 checkpoints they have throughout Venezuela.

* The road authority issued 1,732 traffic tickets and arrested 55 people for driving under the influence of alcohol. INTT admonished 6,609 motorists.

* Early on February 28th, holidaymakers that departed from Caracas to other towns in Venezuela for Carnival holidays started traveling back home, amid a special terrestrial transit deployment intended to safeguard drivers and passengers in roads nationwide.

* Colonel Antonio Rivero, head of the Civil Protection Agency (PC,) said some 74,000 officers with the Civil Protection Agency, fire brigades, national park rangers, the Directorate for Intelligence, Security, and Prevention (Disip,) the Scientific, Penal and Criminalistics Investigation Agency (Cicpc,) the National Armed Force (FAN,) and the Terrestrial Transit Agency are taking part in a nationwide special operation to protect holidaymakers while they travel back home, official news agency ABN reported.

* PC estimated that some 11.5 million traveled during this holiday. Some 350,000 people were expected to return to Caracas on February 28th.
 
* Rivero stressed that the most visited states this year were Falcón, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, Anzoátegui, Sucre and Vargas (following the opening of an alternate road linking the Venezuelan capital with that coastal state.)

* Vila Isabel samba school, the champion of Rio de Janeiro Carnival in 1988, rocked the 70,000-seat sambodrome on February 27th by performing a parade that honored Latin American peoples and featured a 60-feet much criticized image of Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar.

* Venezuelan state oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (Pdvsa) partly funded Vila Isabel samba school impressive parade. Revelers cried "Champion!" while floats dedicated to Mayan, Aztec and other regional cultures crossed the sambodrome.

* Simón Bolívar's outstanding float closed the Vila Isabel extraordinary performance before a cheering crowd.

* Created in 1946, Vila Isabel samba school is based in a middle class neighborhood north Rio de Janeiro. Until mid-80's it was a heaven for leftwing intellectuals and university students. Following its victory in Rio de Janeiro Carnival in 1988, it was low profile until 2005, when sources disclosed that Pdvsa was to fund Vila Isabel parade this year.

* Dancers crossed the sambodrome singing the song "I am crazy for you America / Vila sings to Latinity." Revelers wore typical Latin American outfits and waved Latin American flags. They sang one of the verses in Spanish, in a signal that language does not bring people apart.
 
* One of Vila Isabel floats was a representation of one of the most outstanding Latin American myths, the Plumed Serpent, symbol of the Aztec culture. It was followed by other floats dedicated to other pre-Columbian cultures.

* Presidential candidate for opposition Primero Justicia party Julio Borges branded as an outrage a series of donations Hugo Chávez' administration has made to other governments in the region, rather than investing state monies in Venezuela.

* Borges made reference specifically to state-run oil holding Pdvsa's donation of USD 1 million to Brazilian samba school Vila Isabel. "In Rio de Janeiro, Vila Isabel samba school was given "a little gift" of USD 1 million for a parade that should not be a priority for any serious government. Obviously, the government continues to waste our money to post Pharaonic banners at the sambodrome and pay advertisements in Portuguese language in (regional TV network) Telesur."

* "The worst thing here is the fact that Chávez' gifts exceeded USD 16 billion in 2005."

* Borges also rejected the use of Bolívar's image in Vila Isabel samba school float this year in Rio de Janeiro carnival parade.

* "We have to put up with Bolívar's image being used inappropriately in a carnival parade. Bolívar's image should rather be honored," Borges added.

* The ministers of Infrastructure, the Interior and Justice, and Information and Communication, Ramón Carrizález, Jesse Chacón and Yuri Pimentel, respectively, on February 26th at 11:00 a.m. opened a temporary route linking Caracas to Venezuela's largest airport and second largest seaport.

* The three officials were in the first cars that traveled the 2.4 km road.

* Even though he was expected to attend the event, President Hugo Chávez did not show up.

* The freeway linking Caracas to coastal Vargas state was closed last January 5th, following collapse of Viaduct 1. Car traffic was then deviated to the Caracas-La Guaira old route, a twisting road traversing west Caracas slums.

* "The Bolivarian Government paves the way. We kept our promise on this February 26th," read banners along the newly opened road.

* Carrizález, together with Chacón, Pimentel, and Vargas mayor Alexis Toledo, and pro-government deputy José Albornoz, offered a brief news conference.

* Carrizález apologized on behalf of Chávez for not attending the event. "He (Chávez) has designated us to open this work. Even though many people have scornfully called it a trail, this is a road meeting all engineering standards."