Dec 10, 2014
Nobel Peace Laureates Draw Attention To Children's Rights
(Image source: Getty Images / Nigel Waldron)
BY SEBASTIAN MARTINEZ
Malala Yousafzai received her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Wednesday, but she wasn't alone.
Slightly overlooked, prominent children's rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi also received the prize in recognition of his work to liberate children from slavery in India.
Although Yousafzai naturally attracted more attention — she's the youngest laureate ever, and her shooting in 2012 made headlines globally — the two have something in common: They both work on behalf of children. (Video via Nobel Foundation)
Satyarthi said, "I refuse to accept that all the temples and mosques and churches and prayer houses have no place for the dreams of our children."
For more than 30 years, Satyarthi's work has included leading raids on factories and mines in India that often bind whole families into forced labor, and he has reportedly freed tens of thousands of children. (Video via The Guardian)
Yousafzai has focused her efforts on the education of children, girls in particular, and it was because of her vocal support for children's right to be educated that the Taliban tried to kill her. (Video via World Bank)
The pair's recognition this year is especially significant considering the United Nations says 2014 has been one of the worst years for children around the world.
A report the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, put out this week detailed how the number of international crises, from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to the rise of ISIS, have piled on and interrupted the lives of millions of children. (Video via UNICEF)
"As many as 15 million children are caught up in violent conflicts in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, the State of Palestine, Syria and Ukraine. ... Globally, an estimated 230 million children currently live in countries and areas affected by armed conflicts."
UNICEF also pointed out the sad irony that this report comes on the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and said it was beholden on all nations to make 2015 better.
This video includes images from Getty Images and music from Chris Zabriskie / CC BY 3.0.
Friday 26 December 2014
Spain's Princess Cristina facing trial
Dec 22, 2014
Spain’s Princess Cristina To Face Unprecedented Fraud Trial
(Image source: Getty Images / David Ramos)
BY CLIFF JUDY
A long-running investigation that got a Spanish princess banned from royal events and may have even played a part in her father abdicating the throne will go to trial.
In unprecedented accusations, prosecutors say Princess Cristina helped her husband embezzle millions of dollars from local governments nearly a decade ago. While her attorneys have repeatedly declared her innocence over the years, prosecutors say a company run by Cristina’s husband vastly overcharged to run sporting events and then transferred some of that money to another company owned by the couple. (Video via Sky News & Euronews)
The scandal not only tarnished the princess’ reputation, but that of her father — an impressive feat when you consider how beloved King Juan Carlos was during his four decades on the throne.
Instead of keeping control of Spain as a dictator when he was named king in the mid-70’s, King Juan Carlos led the country’s transition into democracy and free elections.
Still, when the king abdicated the throne in June, his health, a lavish hunting trip during tough economic times and the lingering investigation into his daughter were among the most cited reasons Juan Carlos stepped down. (Video via BBC)
Princess Cristina and her husband are two of more than a dozen defendants who’ll now stand trial in the tax fraud case. She remains sixth in line to the Spanish throne.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
Friday 21 November 2014
euronews Videos
A flamboyant aristocrat and Spain’s richest woman, the Duchess of Alba has died aged 88. Maria del Rosario Cayetena Fitz-James had reportedly more titles than any other person on the planet. A one-time society beauty, in later life with her shock of frizzy hair – sometimes dyed a whimsical red at other times a snowy white – she fascinated and appalled in almost equal measure. She was thrice married. Six years after the death of her first husband she wed a defrocked Jesuit priest. But it was the union with her third husband which provoked a bigger scandal. Three years ago she wed a civil servant 25 years her junior. She mixed with world figures and was famous for hosting Jackie Kennedy on her visits to Spain. Her antics filled the gossip columns and gripped viewers of TV chat shows even during the final months of her life. She rubbed shoulders with royalty and was often described as the “rebel noble”. Art was a passion and she amassed a private collection said to rival any in Europe. An abiding image for many Spaniards is when the Duchess entertained onlookers in Seville at her third wedding. She kicked off her shoes, hiked up her dress and performed an impromptu flamenco dance outside her palace.
Tuesday 28 October 2014
Saturday 21 June 2014
Felipe VI
Jun 19, 2014
Can Spain's Felipe VI Restore Monarchy's Image?
(Image source: CBS)
BY ERIK SHUTE
Even amid a shocking World Cup elimination, the streets of Madrid had something to cheer about Thursday as Spain crowned a new king.
"There are ceremonies to mark a new king of Spain. King Felipe VI was formally sworn in. The ceremony was low-key. His father, Juan Carlos, abdicated the throne at age 76." (Via WABC)
The 46-year-old king takes the throne at a time when the Spanish monarchy's ratings are at their lowest point. The country faces a double-dip recession and unemployment rates reaching 26 percent. (Via Flickr / Richter Frank-Jurgen)
The king's father, former King Juan Carlos I, ruled for more than 40 years but announced his abdication three weeks ago. He's credited with bringing democracy to Spain but also sinking the monarchy's reputation with a luxury lifestyle and no transparency. (Via Euronews, Flickr / Pedro de Matos)
While speaking to the Spanish Parliament, Felipe VI urged for a united nation. The Washington Post quotes him speaking to lawmakers:
"Today, more than ever, the people rightly demand our public lives be guided by ... moral and ethical principles."
In response to the speech, BBC News added: "But this cannot be business as usual for the Spanish monarchy, and the new king seems to accept that. Now, he has to deliver on his promise."
Many in the media pointed out the normally extravagant ceremonies now depicted a humble beginning Thursday. CBS noted they seemed deliberately simple to downplay the monarchy's grandiose image.
Standing at Felipe's side through each reception was his wife, Queen Letizia Ortiz. "Good Morning America" explains her marriage is a true Cinderella story and similar to another famous royal couple.
"She's a blue-collar beauty and he a blue-blood prince educated at Georgetown. … Her middle-class background has many comparing her to another famous royal, and like Kate, she's quickly becoming a fashion icon." (Via ABC)
Headlines have dubbed her the "middle-class Queen," and others drew comparisons to Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton. (Via CTV, The Globe and Mail)
As the ceremonies finish, the royal family will write their own history with some uncertainty.
In a recent poll by Spanish newspaper El Pais, crowning Felipe boosted the popularity of the royals. However, nearly two-thirds of Spanish citizens also support the idea of a referendum on whether Spain should continue to be a constitutional monarchy.
Thursday 19 June 2014
Tuesday 17 June 2014
Spanish King's abdication
Jun 2, 2014
Spain's King Juan Carlos To Abdicate The Throne
(Image source: Wikimedia Commons / Aleph)
BY ELIZABETH HAGEDORN
He was once considered one of the world’s most popular monarchs. Now, Spain’s King Carlos will abdicate after almost 40 years on the throne. (VIa Flickr / UNWTO OMT)
In 1975, he became Spain’s first crowned head of state when Spain’s military dictator Francisco Franco died after decades in power. (Via Wikimedia Commons / Jack E. Kightlinger, Wikimedia Commons / Revista Argentina)
Seventy-six-year-old Juan Carlos is credited with overseeing Spain’s smooth transition from fascism to democracy. (Via ITN)
His son, 46-year-old Crown Prince Felipe, will now succeed him. (Via Flickr / Richter Frank-Jurgen)
Spain’s Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, made the announcement Monday, explaining the king was stepping down for personal reasons. But analysts took that to mean Juan Carlos was leaving the throne because he’d lost public support.
“This announcement perhaps is a chance for Prince Felipe — Crown Prince Felipe — to take over a fresh start, to rekindle the popularity.” (Via Sky News)
Until fairly recently, the king's popularity was high. But a series of missteps coupled with a poor economy had many calling for him to step aside. (Via Flickr / Pedro de Matos)
His reputation took a hit in 2012 when it was revealed he went on an expensive elephant hunting trip at a time when Spain was in the middle of a recession and millions were unemployed. (Via The Guardian)
Making things worse, his daughter Princess Cristina and her husband are currently caught up in a long-running investigation into their spending habits. (Via PressTV)
Critics also questioned whether the 76-year-old king was still fit for the throne. He’s suffered from poor health in recent years, including a broken hip in 2012 and several surgeries. (Via The Wall Street Journal)
A poll released in January found 62 percent of Spaniards wanted Juan Carlos to step down. Contast that with public opinion in 2012 — when 80 percent of the country said they supported him. (Via The Telegraph)
The Guardian offers some insight on the stunning reversal. “Many, particularly young Spaniards, began to see the king as part of Spain's problems, drawing parallels between him and the economic and political powers that had driven the country into the economic crisis.”
Monday’s surprise announcement makes Juan Carlos the first Spanish king to pass the throne to one of his children since 1885. (Via Euronews)
Interestingly, the news follows a similar rare move from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. A year ago, she announced she would abdicate in favor of her son. (Via BBC)
In a news conference Monday, Prime Minister Rajoy said the constitution would be amended to allow Juan Carlos to abdicate. Unlike his father, Felipe's reputation has remained relatively untarnished, with his approval rating actually going up in recent years.
Tuesday 22 April 2014
Apr 17, 2014
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel-Winning Author, Dead At 87
(Image source: Flickr / Jose Lara)
BY MATT PICHT
Literary giant and Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez has died at the age of 87.
Márquez's death was confirmed to various media outlets by close friends and family Thursday afternoon. The author had suffered several years of declining health following a cancer diagnosis in 1999. (Via CBS)
Born in 1927, Márquez was raised by his grandparents in the town of in Aracataca, Colombia. He began his writing career as a journalist before turning to fiction with the novella "Leaf Storm." (Via The Guardian)
Márquez's most famous novel by far is "One Hundred Years of Solitude." The novel was a definitive work in the genre of magical realism, which confuses the border between the real and the supernatural. (ViaHarperCollins Publishers)
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" cemented Márquez's place as one of the most important authors of the twentieth century. His work especially resonated throughout Latin America, where he was affectionately known as "Gabo."
In 1982, Márquez won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Gabo used his acceptance speech to speak about the difficulties Latin American literature faced when trying to communicate to a Western audience. "Our crucial problem has been a lack of conventional means to render our lives believable. This, my friends, is the crux of our solitude."
Márquez did not shy away from politics, and his close friendship with Fidel Castro was the subject of a huge controversy. U.S. officials branded Márquez "subversive" and denied him a visa for many years. (Via CNN)
Politicians mourned the author's death Thursday. Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos tweeted, "A thousand years of solitude and sadness at the death of the greatest Colombian of all time." And President Obama added in a statement, "The world has lost one of its greatest visionary writers."
Márquez is survived by his wife Mercedes Barcha and his two sons, Rodrigo and Gonzalo.
Friday 28 February 2014
Monday 17 February 2014
Sunday 9 February 2014
Spain's Princess Cristina Testifies In Corruption Case
Feb 8, 2014
Spain's Princess Cristina Testifies In Corruption Case
(Image source: The New York Times / Samuel Aranda)
BY COLLIN RUANE
Spain's Princess Cristina appeared in court to face questions about alleged corruption Saturday — making her the first member of the Spanish royal family to appear in court as part of a criminal investigation.
"Princess Cristina is being investigated over the business dealings of her husband who's alleged to heave defrauded regional governments of millions of euros." (Via BBC)
The New York Times reports the princess' husband is accused of using his connections as part of Spain's royal family to gain no-bid contracts from regional governments and then "siphoned millions of euros from the contract fees and channeled them to other companies and offshore accounts."
The Independent notes Princess Christina, in turn, is accused of misusing that money to pay for her lavish lifestyle, including a remodeling of her Barcelona mansion.
Princess Cristina has had little to say to reporters. The BBC said Saturday's court date was a "closed-door hearing" and adds Princess Cristina did not have to answer any questions from reporters before going into the courtroom.
But a Spanish newspaper editor explains to CNN, Princess Cristina plays a big role in handling the finances of the company she and her husband own.
"They use that company, Inda says, to pocket the public money, and to pay the lowest possible tax or simply cheat the treasury. In that business, Princess Cristina is the one who signs the annual reports."
CNN adds the legal developments involving Princess Cristina have "riveted" people in Spain. It comes as a recent poll from the European Commission finds 95 percent of Spaniards believe corruption is widespread the country.
And as NPR notes, the royal family's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since the late 1970s — around the same time Spain implemented its democratic government.
To be clear, Princess Cristina hasn't been charged with any crime, but The Telegraph notes she's being called a suspect in the investigation. Under Spanish law, only the King of Spain has immunity from prosecution.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)