“No canal,” say Nicaraguan protestors

Thousands of Nicaraguans have taken to the streets of the capital Managua in opposition to their government’s plan to construct a canal spanning the width of the country.

The protestors, many of whom live along the proposed route of the US$50bn 172-mile waterway, and who face the very real prospect of losing their homes, waved flags and chanted anti-government slogans as they marched.

The finalised route was announced in July and the scheduled start of construction on 22 December is fast approaching. Officials have set an ambitious timetable of five years for construction of the 172-mile-long waterway, which will be wider and deeper than the Panama Canal it is designed to rival.