蜜芽传媒

Alan Johnston introduces dispatches and analysis from correspondents around the world. In this edition, Sarah Grainger traces the roots of Venezuela's prison crisis and Daniel Schweimler sees the anguish of demoralised fans of relegated Argentinian football club River Plate.

Prison break - with a difference

The people of Venezuela recently watched thousands of the country's troops go into action. But they weren't confronting some invading army, or even a rebel force. The soldiers had been to quell a riot in El Rodeo, a prison complex just outside the capital Caracas. At one point the authorities were even trying to dig a tunnel IN to the prison to drag unwilling inmates OUT.

Sarah Grainger says this was just one more bleak reminder of how violent and out-of-control much of the Venezuelan penal system has become.

The tears of a fan - and a nation

In the world of football, there are some near-legendary longstanding rivalries. Just think of Real Madrid and Barcelona, or Glasgow Rangers and Celtic. In Argentina you've got the two great Buenos Aires clubs -- Boca Juniors, and River Plate. But the almost unimaginable has just happened.

For the first time in its long history, River Plate has been relegated. Daniel Schweimler has been reflecting on this spectacular fall from sporting grace.