Stories about Latin America from November, 2012
New Governor Elected in Puerto Rico
After a hard-fought election in which there was never a clear trend from the beginning, Alejandro García Padilla was declared elected Governor. In the status plebiscite held along with the general elections, the option of annexation to the United States won for the first time. However, given the massive abstention along with a poorly conceived referendum, the results are not easy to interpret.
Student Dies in Protests in Dominican Republic
On Thursday the 8th of November, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo was the scene of one of several protests against the fiscal reform. During the protest, the police caused the death of 21-year-old medical student, William Florián Ramírez. It didn't take long for the indignation to spread to social networks.
Peruvian Ambassador to Argentina Resigns Over Meeting with Movadef
Movadef, or the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights, which has been accused of being a sort of screen for the terrorist group Shining Path, continues to make a name for itself and not just in Perú, but also abroad. This time it caused the "resignation" of the Peruvian ambassador to Argentina, Nicolás Lynch.
A Historic Road Takes an Online Detour in “La Calle Loíza”
A walk down one of the grittiest streets in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan has a new pit stop, and it’s online. Calle Loíza, in the historic downtown sector of Santurce, is a lively mix of down home Caribbean earthiness and the trendy.
Cuba: Time for Constitutional Reform?
Iván García suggests that Cuba needs a constitution that serves the interests of the entire population.
#8N: New Massive Protest in Argentina
Organized through social media under the hashtag #8N, Argentinians protested across the country against the current government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
Argentina Lowers Voting Age to 16
The possibility to vote at age 16 was passed on the first of November. Although the vote for minors who are 16 and 17 years of age is optional, this change presents a new challenge for Argentinian politicians with respect to the legislative elections of 2013. Here we share some opinions of young new voters.
Brazil, France: Agroecology Helps Reduce Poverty
Respecting the soil is fundemental to us. It is where we get our food from and how we will provide for our children Suelia explains [fr] how the agroecology approach (bringing ecological principles to bear in agroecosystems) has helped many in her community grow a sustainable business model by diversifying...
Ecuador Battles Violence in Sports
Ecuador begins the fight against sports violence after the death of George Murillo León, a 20 year old who was killed in a clash between supporters of football teams Barcelona and Emelec. "No Sports Violence in Guayaquil" is the first campaign to be undertaken by the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sports, Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF), the National Assembly, and the Emelec and Barcelona teams.
U.S. Policy Toward Latin America After the Election
How will Barack Obama's re-election affect U.S. policy toward Latin America? The realistic answer is that policy will not be affected greatly, and the change that occurs will be related more to domestic constituencies than foreign ones. […] In short, at this point we don't have any reason to believe...
Chile at the Internet Governance Forum 2012
Claudio Ruiz blogs [es] about the Internet Governance Forum and Chile's scant participation: there are only two Chileans attending the forum, and both represent civil society.
Indigenous Severely Affected by Colombian Armed Conflict
Servindi [es] published Bulletin N°3/2012 [es] by the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) [es], where they report that the organization will go to the International Criminal Court to denounce that numerous Indigenous people -including several children- are dying of malnutrition or as victims of anti-personnel mines due to the conflict between legal...
Reading Suggestions on Brazil in English
Deep Brazil blog, from the journalist Regina Scharf, provides valuable resources about Brazil in the English language. She recently published one more list of books in English related to Brazil, its culture and people, and earlier this year she published a Brazil Blog List featuring 60 websites about the country...
Red Alert in Guatemala After 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake
Reports on the damages caused by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit off Champerico on the Pacific coast of Guatemala are coming in quickly on Twitter. Netizens are sharing photos and reports with the hashtags #TemblorGT, #TiemblaenGuate, #TerremotoGT, #FuerteSismoGT, #TiemblaenGuate and more.
Yet Another Political Status Referendum in Puerto Rico
In the fourth political status referendum in its history, Puerto Rico is prepared to choose whether to be annexed to the United States, independent, or a sovereign US commonwealth. Given that the vote, regardless of the results, does not bind Congress to act in any way, —and the failure of three previous referendums—, there is little hope that any change in political relations will be achieved between Puerto Rico and the United States.
Mexicans Weigh in on US Presidential Election
Romney? Obama? Does it matter? Is the American electoral system a model to follow for other countries? Here we have compiled some reactions shared by Mexican netizens regarding the November 6, 2012 elections in the USA.
Puerto Rico Votes Today
The website of the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico (Comisión Estatal de Elecciones-CEE) will be constantly offering updates on today's elections in the Island.
Bolivia's Ruling Party: A Growing Presence on Twitter?
Global Voices contributor Pablo Andrés Rivero monitors how politicians in Bolivia use Twitter. In his latest report on his blog [es] he shows that members of the ruling party (MAS, Movement for Socialism) have started to participate more on Twitter and are growing their list of followers on that social...
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