Stories from 23 July 2012
Spain: King's Controversial Son-in-law Gets Salary in Millions
Amid austerity cuts, the Duke of Palma and son-in-law of the King of Spain Iñaki Urdangarín's new salary has caused a scandal in the country. Urdangarín will receive a 1.5 million euro salary as well as 1.2 million euro in-kind this year, after renewing his contract with the telecommunications company Telefónica. Urdangarín is also currently being investigated for misappropriating public funds, for which he could be sentenced up to 18 years in prison.
India: Fellowships At Pad.ma
Kracktivist informs that Pad.ma, an online archive of densely text-annotated video material, is offering Fellowship to Indian and non-Indian individuals for experiments and research with video archives.
Sri Lanka: Remembering 23rd Of July 1983
Shubha remembers the dark days of the Sinhalese-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka which began on the 23rd of July 1983, in the aftermath of a funeral of 13 Sri Lanka...
Mauritania: Outrage Over the Murder of a Worker
In the early hours of Sunday [July, 15], Guard Forces (police) in Mauritania attacked a group of workers on strike, at the headquarters of the Mauritanian Copper Company [MCM], where they work. The attack led to the death of a worker for the first time since the sixties of the last century. The case sparked the interest of Mauritanian activists. Mohamed Abdou summarizes their online reactions.
Armenia: Human Rights Record Scrutinized at UN
Armenia's human rights record was scrutinized by the United Nations Human Rights Committee earlier this week in Geneva, 14 years after its last consideration before the committee in 1998.
Paraguay: Tweets for Federico Franco on his Birthday
E'a [es] aggregates tweets dedicated to Federico Franco on his birthday. Federico Franco is the new President of Paraguay after Fernando Lugo was removed from office on June 22, 2012....
Peru: Gearing Up for the London 2012 Olympics
Just a few days before the London 2012 Olympic Games kick off, Peruvian netizens share their views and thoughts about this important sports event.
South Sudanese Marathoner to Compete Under Olympic Flag
South Sudanese marathoner Guor Marial will not carry his country's flag during the London Olympics. South Sudan, which gained independence last year, is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
Portugal: Tugaleaks Bank Account Deemed as Terrorist and Closed
Website Tugaleaks, which aims to serve since December 2010 as Portugal's Wikileaks, had its bank account for donations arbitrarily closed on July 13 with no official communication [pt]. Tugaleaks contributors...
Colombia: Scientific Community Concerned Over Resignation of Top Official
The resignation of Jaime Restrepo Cuartas, director of the Administrative Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Colciencias, has raised concern among the scientific community about the future of Colciencias (the main source of funding for most Colombian scientists) and the future of research in general in the country.
Russia: Hacker Hell, Scourge of the RuNet
When noted Russian anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny's email and Twitter accounts were hacked, it came as no surprise that the hacker "Hell" took responsibility. A legendary figure in the RuNet, the hacker can either be characterized as a Kremlin shill or a professional troll.
Bahrain: Elderly Men Arrested for “Protecting Women” from Police
The elderly are not immune to arrest for taking part in "unlicensed" protests in Bahrain, where demonstrations should be sanctioned by the state. According to netizens, two elderly men were arrested for "protecting women from the police" in the village of Karzakan.
Brazil/Portugal: Homophobia and the “Apparent Invisibility” of LGBT
On the blog No que tange, Maycon Lopes shares [pt] his experiences of being a homosexual in Brazil, where homophobia “motivates terrible killings”, and compares to situations he faced while...
Tajikistan: Learn the National Anthem to be a Doctor
Tajikistan's Deputy Health Minister has recently announced [ru] that “without knowing the national anthem, doctors will not be able to correctly diagnose their patients”. Netizens have responded to the announcement with...
Spain: Street Protests are Unstoppable
Since the miners arrived in Madrid on strike against the 63% cuts to their sector, demonstrations haven't stopped in Spain. We share images of the protests in Madrid, the capital city.
United States: Weaving Poetry on the Streets of New York
The most recent edition of the multimedia poetry series "El Tejedor" [The Weaver] features the work of Latin American and Caribbean poets in New York City.
