[LINK] "Controversial Nicaragua canal project delayed"

[rfmcdonald]

Al Jazeera reports that the China-backed Nicaragua Canal project has been delayed. Is this a sign of the times, I wonder?

A Chinese company said Wednesday it is delaying the start of construction on a controversial $50 billion inter-ocean canal across Nicaragua until late 2016.

China's Hong Kong Nicaragua Development (HKND) Co. obtained approval for environmental studies of the canal earlier this month. But on Wednesday, a company statement said, "The construction of locks and the big excavations will start toward the end of 2016."

The company gave no reason for the delay, but said, "The canal's design is currently being fine-tuned."

Nicaraguan authorities have already approved the proposed 172-mile route for the canal a mega-project — widely reported as the world’s largest civil engineering enterprise — that has outraged indigenous communities and citizens around the country. The plan has drawn protests from farmers who fear their land will be seized for the project.

Crews broke ground on access roads for the project last December, but have yet to start digging the waterway itself.