19 April 2012

Stories from 19 April 2012

Mexico: A Toy Collection Could Change the Future of Mexico

  19 April 2012

A 65 year old man had a personal collection with more than a million old toys, mostly made in Mexico. Mexican Architect Robert Shimizu, along with his son, decided to open their house as a toy museum. Their subtitled video documentary A Mexican Toy Story tells the story of how it came to be and how they believe that through toys, Mexico can recover its path.

Mexico City Netizens Celebrate World Bicycle Day

  19 April 2012

Netizens in Mexico City are celebrating World Bicycle Day by sharing their cycling experiences through blogs and Twitter. They are also trying to raise awareness about the risks of using bicycles as a means of transportation is such a busy city.

Panama: Italian Scandal Rocks Martinelli Government

  19 April 2012

Links between Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli and Italian citizen Valter Lavitolla have placed the Panamanian government in the eye of the story, following the arrest of the Italian at the Rome airport on accusations of bribery and corruption. Fingers have been pointed at other members of the Panamanian government for allegedly taking bribes during tendering for contracts to build prisons.

Cuba: Absent at the Summit of the Americas

  19 April 2012

At The Cuban Triangle, Phil Peters blogs about Cuba's absence at the Summit of the Americas, which was held this week in Cartagena, Colombia. Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia's president, addressed the issue of the US trade embargo on Cuba, calling it an “anachronism.” “We cannot be indifferent to a process...

Cuba: New Video Series “Just Another Cuban”

  19 April 2012

Penultimos Días alerts readers to a series of videos, “Un Cubano Más,” produced and posted on YouTube by Eliécer Avila, the University of Information Sciences student who famously questioned former president of Cuba's National Assembly Ricardo Alarcón about why Internet access is heavily restricted in Cuba.

Spain: The King and the Elephants

  19 April 2012

King Juan Carlos was operated due to a hip fracture after he suffered a fall when he was in Botswana, Africa, hunting elephants. In a country suffering a severe financial crisis, with over 5 million unemployed, protests have not ceased to take place online.

Cuba: What Did Pope Benedict XVI Leave Behind?

  19 April 2012

Two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI left the island, Cuba returns to normalcy. Elaine Diaz offers a review of the different conversations and debates after the Pope's visit that have appeared on Cuban digital blogs and social media.

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...

Senegal: An Innovative Way to Monitor the Presidential Elections

  19 April 2012

During the second round of the Senegalese presidential elections, journalist Papa Alé Niang of channel 2stv was able to give results trends as early as 9pm thanks to the work of monitoring team Sunu 2012. This project was devised and created by Cheikh Fall in 2008 and has proved an invaluable tool in monitoring practices during this campaign.

Macedonia: Lead Smelting Company Sues Environmental Activist

  19 April 2012

Greenbox blog reports [mk] that Toni Dimitrievski, director of Мetrudhem, the corporation that intends to restart the lead smelting factory in the city of Veles, has filed a lawsuit against environmental activist Igor Smilev for “endangering security,” “unauthorized recording,” “slander” and “insult,” requesting EUR 20,000 in damages. So far, only...