· April, 2012

Stories about Breaking News from April, 2012

Bolivia: TIPNIS Indigenous March Again

  27 April 2012

Over 500 members from Bolivian Indigenous organisations gathered in Trinidad, approximately 600 kilometres from La Paz, and began on April 27, 2012, at 8 pm (GMT) a march to Bolivia's Seat of Government for the second time. They are opposing Bolivia's governmental plan to built a road that would cut off right...

Colombia: “San Andrés belongs to Colombia”

  26 April 2012

Nicaragua has presented a claim [es] in the International Court of Justice over the sovereignty of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, which is currently part of Colombia's political map after a treaty signed by both countries in 1928. Many in Colombia have expressed their desire for San...

Madagascar: Rare Deposit-Rich Land Sold to French-German Group

  25 April 2012

French group Rhodia and German company Tantalus announced the signing of a Letter of Intent to exploit a 300 km-long region filled with rare deposits [fr] in the Ampasindava peninsula in the North-West of Madagascar. The group expects to produce 15,000 tons a year within the next 18 months, a total...

Colombia: What Did the VI Summit of the Americas Leave Behind?

  21 April 2012

Netizens commented on various events, some serious and some lighter ones, related to the Sixth Summit of the Americas. They also shared their opinion on the agreements that were reached (like the free trade agreement between Colombia and the U.S.) and on those that did not meet consensus.

Portugal: Community-occupied school violently evicted

  19 April 2012

Community members resisted eviction from the Es.Col.A in Fontinha [pt] in Porto this morning. The abandoned, disused school was being used by a self-organized collective for after-school classes, recreational activities – watch their story (with English subtitles). While broadcast media report the violent police eviction, protest continues. #Fontinha and #ocupai...

Colombia: Free Trade Agreement with U.S. to Take Effect on May 15

  17 April 2012

After the close of the Sixth Summit of the Americas, President Barack Obama and President Juan Manuel Santos announced that the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States will take effect starting next May 15. While citizen media [es] users show skepticism [es], mass media outlets [es] present it as a...

Colombia: Explosions near the US embassy in Bogotá

  15 April 2012

On the night of April 13, against the backdrop of the Summit of the  Americas [es] (a meeting of the continent's heads of State), explosions were heard [es] near the location of the United States Embasy in Bogotá. No one was injured as a result of the incident  [es], and...

Guinea-Bissau: Military Attack Citizens in Demonstration

  15 April 2012

According to Simão Mendes National Hospital [pt], the military attacked citizens in a demonstration this morning, April 15, in front of the National Parliament of Guinea-Bissau. On Facebook they have posted a picture of a stabbed patient who arrived at the hospital, “before they [the military] come and take our...

Egypt: The Fall, Rise and Fall of Omar Suleiman

On April 6 Omar Suleiman, Egypt's former vice president and intelligence chief, announced his candidacy for president. On April 13, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to protest. Then, in a surprising turn of events, on April 14 it was announced that Suleiman was one of ten candidates barred from standing in the elections.

Spain: King Juan Carlos and the Elephant in Botswana

  15 April 2012

Days after Felipe Juan Froilan accidentally shot himself in the foot during shooting practice, his grandfather, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, fell while he was hunting and broke his pelvis. This would have been minor news, had it not been for the fact that he was hunting elephants in Botswana on...

Russia: Ilya Varlamov, Omsk's Blogger-Mayor?

RuNet Echo  13 April 2012

In the city of Omsk, a local activist group has arranged online primaries for opposition candidates, in order to nominate one for the city's June mayoral election. Popular Muscovite photoblogger Ilya Varlamov has emerged as the contest's front runner, but what impact could his candidacy have on regional politics?

Perspectives on North Korea's Unsuccessful Rocket Launch

  13 April 2012

North Korea launched a rocket on April 12, despite international warnings of censure and further isolation. But to its embarrassment, the rocket disintegrated right after the launch and its remnants fell into the sea. This incident stirred up numerous debates in the South Korean Internet.

Guinea-Bissau: Coup d'Etat and the Angolan Military Mission

  13 April 2012

At nightfall on April 12, the military started yet another coup d'etat in Guinea-Bissau. In recent weeks, allegations of "generalized fraud" in the presidential elections, and the announcement of the withdrawal of the Angolan military mission in the country, had raised the tension levels in the military and political arenas.