SPAIN: Puppet Marathon for Building School in Bolivia
The 17th Titirilandia (Puppetland) Festival will conclude with a marathon puppet show, to be held Sunday Aug. 29 in Spain’s capital city in aid of a school in the remote Bolivian mining province of Potosí.
GUATEMALA: New Challenges for Anti-Corruption Commission
New challenges and a long list of shocking cases involving hidden power structures are faced by the new head of the United Nations-mandated International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).
MEXICO: Environmentalist Peasants Seek Justice
Peasant activists Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera hope to find, at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the justice that eluded them in their home country of Mexico, to which they hope to return to rejoin their families.
Argentina beats Angola at basketball worlds
Luis Scola scored 32 points to help put Argentina on the verge of a place in the second round of the basketball world championship with a 91-70 victory over Angola. Scola scored 17 of Argentina’s 23 points in the first quarter to put the South Americans ahead by three. The Houston Rockets power forward finished the first half with 21 points as Argentina took a 45-32 lead into halftime.
Luis Scola Helps Argentina Remain Unbeaten
Argentina defeated Angola, 91-70, essentially securing a spot in the second round of the world basketball championships.
Drilling to reach Chile miners yet to begin
Chilean officials were awaiting the arrival of a main drill and other equipment to begin boring a rescue shaft in a months-long operation to reach 33 miners who have been trapped underground for more than three weeks.
MEXICO: The Voice of the Community Faces Numerous Threats
The Jenpoj (“winds of fire) community radio station in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, which plays an important role in keeping the Mixe indigenous community informed, has had its equipment confiscated and has fought and won a court case to get a broadcast license.
SOUTH AMERICA: Argentine Beef Overtaken by Mercosur Partners
South America’s Mercosur trade bloc is becoming established as the top world producer of beef, with 40 percent of the international market. But while in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay production and exports are growing, Argentina, the home of the legendary “asado” barbecue, is falling behind.
Chile to drill rescue shaft, miner eyes birth video
Resigned to watching his child’s imminent birth on video, trapped miner Ariel Ticona waited for rescuers to start drilling an escape shaft on Monday to save him and 32 companions 25 days after a cave-in.
Argentina midfielder Sosa joins Napoli
Argentina midfielder Jose Ernesto Sosa has joined Italian club Napoli after terminating his contract with Bayern Munich a year early. The German champions said Monday that Sosa has left. He has signed a four-year deal with Napoli. Sosa joined Bayern from Argentine club Estudiantes in 2007 but struggled to establish himself in Munich, scoring two goals in 35 Bundesliga matches.
LATIN AMERICA: Gender Struggles and Achievements – for Men
Men in Latin America are increasingly engaged in raising their children, a change that has been largely forced on them by women’s self-development. However, men are still a long way from taking on a more equal role in housework, and they are still burdened with the obligation to be the main providers.
MINING-CHILE: Make Good on Concern for Worker Safety, Say Unions
While efforts get underway to try to rescue the 33 miners who are trapped 700 metres underground in a mine in northern Chile, trade unions are calling on the country’s political leaders to tackle the underlying problems of worker safety.
Why will Chilean miners’ rescue take so long?
The Chilean miners have been trapped 2,300 feet underground for nearly four weeks. The specific cause of the collapse isn’t yet clear. According to estimates, the 33 miners won’t be rescued until sometime near Christmas, four months from now. The drilling is now under way, but many Web searchers are wondering why the process takes so long. Here’s the layman’s explanation:
