Stories about Latin America from October, 2011
Nicaragua: Blogger Argues Digital Journalism in the Country is on the Right Track
Carlos R. Fonseca says [es] he was surprised when participants in a discussion panel at the Universidad Centroamericana affirmed that digital journalism in Nicaragua is “stagnant”. Carlos argues that digital journalism in the country is actually progressing. However, he also admits there is room for improvement and lists specific issues...
Guatemala: Three Generals Finally Arrested and Indicted for Genocide
Guatemalan courts are set to face a challenge without precedent in the country: prosecuting genocide. After three decades of failed efforts to prosecute the Guatemalan Army, three generals stand accused of perpetrating genocide and other war crimes against the Maya Ixil people.
Mexico: Discussing the Possibility of Recall Elections
The Chamber of Deputies in Mexico has been discussing a political reform for weeks. But the initiative that reached the floor lacks elements that its supporters considered essential, like the "recall of the mandate", most commonly known as recall elections.
Brazil: Belo Monte Dam Construction Site is Occupied
Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) reports [pt] that 600 people have occupied Belo Monte Dam construction site in Altamira, brazilian state of Pará. Journalist Beth Begonha (@BethBegonha) said [pt] that Kayapó people from the village of Gurupira will join the protest shortly. This action was decided yesterday, with news that the...
Brazil: Is the Ruling Party an LGBT Ally?
Marcelo Gerald published a series of posts (part 1, 2 and 3) [pt] on the blog Eleições Hoje (Elections Today), that analyses the position of the ruling party in Brazil, PT (Worker's Party), towards the LGBT community.
Cuba: Lessons from Libya
“Watching the fall of dictators, one after another, thousands of miles away, we can only reflect on the sequel such a process could generate on our own island”: Yoani Sanchez thinks that Qaddafi's death holds some lessons for Cuba.
China and Brazil: On anacondas and dragons
Johan Lagerkvist from ChinaRoader looks into the dynamic between the authoritarian China and democratic Brazil in the future international politics.
Guatemala: Photo Essay Tells Story of Staunch Anti-Mining Activist
Photojournalist James Rodríguez has published a photo essay on the conflict around the Canadian-owned Marlin gold mine. He highlights the bravery and persistence of anti-mining activist Diodora Hernandez, who “was shot point-blank on the right eye outside her home in the small community of San José Nueva Esperanza – only...
“Law Without Borders” Between Brazil, Angola and Portugal
Brazilian lawyer and researcher Vanessa Bueno, based in Portugal, launched the blog O Direito Sem Fronteiras (Law Without Borders) [pt] where she gives tips and writes reviews about legal issues, especially for migrants between Portugal, Brazil and Angola. She has also created a group on Facebook aiming to promote debate.
Argentina: Presidential Elections, a Review of Blogs
Argentina's presidential election had a pretty predictable result: the reelection of the current president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The large victory motivated many bloggers to analyze the political situation.
Cuba: “Exterior” & “Interior” Blockades
Generation Y and Havana Times blog about today's United Nations vote on the US-Cuba economic embargo.
Cuba: Watching Hurricane Rina
Circles Robinson, writing at Havana Times, says that “Cuban weather forecasters…envision Rina making a landing as a major hurricane (over 110 mph) sometime Thursday night or Friday.”
Mexico: President Signs Law Two Years After Daycare Centre Fire
On June 5, 2009, a fire in a daycare centre claimed the lives of 49 children and left 76 injured. The childrens' parents campaigned for a bill to improve the country's daycare centres, which has just been signed into law by the Mexican President.
Venezuela's “Twitter Addiction”
With so many thing happening in Venezuela and abroad, Liliana Fasciani wonders [es] if filling up pages with writing is worth it, especially now that Twitter has become so popular in Venezuela. Luis Carlos Díaz blogged about this issue in July [es] and August [es] of 2010, and again earlier...
Nicaragua: Journalist Launches ‘The Nicaragua Dispatch’
Tim Rogers writes a guest post for the Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas Blog on his recently launched site The Nicaragua Dispatch: “The idea is not only to inform readers about what’s happening here behind the headlines, but also provide people with a virtual meeting place to gather, share...
Mexico: Nonprofit Supports Low-Income Women Entrepreneurs
Food blogger Lesley Téllez highlights the work of CREA, “a Mexico City nonprofit that supports women entrepreneurs in low-income communities”. Lesley shares photos of food she made using some of these women's food products.
Brazil: Journalists Collaborate with US State Department
Luis Cezar, from the blog Brasil Que Vai, publishes a paper by Helena de Souza which reports on documents released by Wikileaks that link journalists from the main Brazilian TV network and one of the largest in the world, Rede Globo, with the US State Department.
Chile: State Security Law, Violence Deterrent or Repression?
On October 18, Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter invoked the State Security Law to punish the persons responsible for the burning of a bus during the protests supporting the student movement. The country's citizens comment on this controversial measure.
Honduras: Blogger's Facebook Account is Shut Down
‘La Gringa’, from La Gringa's Blogcito, says her Facebook account was disabled because someone filed a complaint about her username (‘La Gringa’, her internet pseudonym) after she published a series of posts on crime in Honduras. She explains why she uses a pseudonym and points out that an online petition...
El Salvador: A Look at Relief Efforts as Water Recedes
The rain has stopped and water is starting to recede in El Salvador; Tim's El Salvador Blog now looks at relief efforts after torrential rains hit El Salvador and other parts of Central America.
Chile: Students Storm Former Congress Building
Robert L. Funk reports on the storming of the former Congress building in Santiago by students during “a Committee meeting to which the Education Minister had been invited”. Protesters refused to leave, and the President of the Senate, Guido Girardi, “declared that as the parliament is a public institution and...
About our Latin America coverage
