Daily Headlines: September 4, 2014

* Argentina: Argentina enacted a measure of revenge for losing the World Cup title match in July and thumped Germany 4-2 in an international friendly held in Dusseldorf.

* Brazil: A pair of polls released yesterday showed that President Dilma Rousseff gained support but is still expected to lose in a likely runoff to challenger Marina Silva.

* U.S.: A new medical study concluded that the sexual risk behaviors among young Latinos vary due to factors like language, country of birth and economic status.

* Venezuela: Producers of U.S. TV drama “Legends” apologized for a scene depicting the Venezuelan government buying nerve gas for using against opposition protesters.

Video Source – TyC Sports via YouTube

Online Sources – Deutsche Welle; The Latin Americanist; Reuters; The Guardian; Medical Xpress

Argentina Falls in World Cup Final Match

Chris Wondolowski’s shot above the crossbar against Belgium. Mauricio Pinilla’s attempt ringing the goalpost in extra time against Brazil. Michael Arroyo not pulling the trigger late versus the Swiss. There were numerous missed opportunities at this year’s World Cup though none may have been bigger than the squandered chances by Argentina in their narrow 1-0 loss to Germany in the title match.

In the 29th minute, Gonzalo Higuain received the ball in space following a defensive lapse by the German backline but he mishit and his shot rolled woefully wide of the goal.  Minutes later, Higuain found the back of the net yet his celebration was cut short as the goal was called back for a clear offsides.

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi also wasted several opportunities in the final match played at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium.  In the early minutes of the second half, La Pulga was alone in front of goal with only German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to beat however he dragged a poor shot low and wide.  Messi’s teammate, Rodrigo Palacio, was also alone in front of Neuer in extra time but has chip ended harmless to the right of the German netminder.

It took until the 113th minute for the scoreless deadlock to be broken when Mario Götze scored from a sharp angle past Sergio Romero’s net.

Messi, who netted a late game-winner in group play against Iran and assisted Ángel di María’s gamewinner in the second round versus Switzerland, was fouled in injury time of the second extra period.  He took it upon himself to try for the equalizer from about thirty years away from goal but his shot sailed high and wide. Two minuets later the final whistle blew and Germany won the World Cup for the fourth time in team history.

Following the match numerous Argentine players such as Messi, who was named as the best player of the World Cup, couldn’t hide their dejection.

Daily Headlines: March 4, 2014

* Uruguay: The U.N.’s International Narcotics Control Board blasted “misguided initiatives” to legalize marijuana use in areas like the U.S. state of Colorado and the South American nation of Uruguay.

* Colombia: Why are German guns in Colombia despite a prohibition on their export from the European country?

* Mexico: Police in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas found six Somali migrants who were lost after having been left behind by smugglers.

* Peru: Remittances to Peru have dropped by 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the previous year even though remittances via money-transfer companies increased 3.1%.
 
Video Source – CNN via YouTube

Online Sources- Deutsche Welle; The Guardian; GlobalPost; LAHT

World Watch: The Perils of Greed

* Bangladesh: The death toll from the collapse of a garment factory last month surpassed 650 as authorities will likely bring up murder charges against the owner of the facility.

* Syria: U.N. investigators concluded that neither the Syrian government or rebel factions have used chemical weapons though U.S. officials partially disagree with such an assertion.

* Germany: Authorities in Germany arrested 93-year-old Hans Lipschis and accrued him of serving as an Auschwitz death camp guard during World War II.

* U.S.: A new study concluded that nearly one in five youth are at risk for suicide if there’s a gun at their homes.

Video Source– YouTube via Channel 4 (Video uploaded on April 28, 2013).

Online Sources – USA TODAY; Reuters; Al Jazeera English; CBC News; NPR

World Watch: Criminal Minds

* Syria: President Bashar al-Assad and other members of his regime may be responsible for “widespread human rights violations” and possible crimes against humanity according to a U.N. report issued on Thursday.

* World: German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked for forgiveness for the state’s role in botching up the investigation into a “neo-Nazi killing spree”, while U.S. President Barack Obama apologized for the burning of copies of the Koran at a military base in Afghanistan.

* India: The government has come under fire for opposing and then backing a Supreme Court ruling that decriminalizes gay sex.

* Somalia: Representatives from over fifty countries are meeting in London in order to discuss the security and future of Somalia.

Video Source– YouTube via Associated Press (“Amateur footage purportedly showing more shelling in the Baba Amr area of Homs, Syria was posted on the internet by activists on Thursday.”)

Online Sources – Voice of America, IOL, BusinessWeek, BBC News, The Guardian

World Watch: Hunger pangs

* Africa: Oxfam called on African leaders to do more to alleviate a growing famine while Human Rights Watch accused numerous political actors for exacerbating Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.

* Germany: On the fiftieth anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall a minute of silence was observed to pay respect to those who died while trying to cross the barrier.

* Iraq: At least 74 people died as the result of a series of bombings in thirteen Iraqi cities.

* China: A Buddhist monk called for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet by setting himself on fire.

Image – John Moore/Getty Images via The Guardian (“People await food aid distribution in Mogadishu. Human Rights Watch say Somalia's warring factions have exacerbated the crisis.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, Bloomberg, BBC News, The Guardian, MSNBC

World Watch: It's element-ary

* World: Sorry for the corny post title, but it’s worth noting that two new elements discovered by scientists in Russia and the U.S. will be added to the periodic table.

* Libya: International Criminal Court lead prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that Libyan security forces may have raped hundreds of women and that they were sanctioned by Muammar Gadhafi.

* Syria: The International Atomic Energy Agency will report Syria to the U.N. Security Council as a result previously running a secret nuclear reactor.

* Europe: The Spanish government is seeking compensation from Germany after vegetables from the Iberian country were initially suspected as causing a deadly E. coli outbreak.

Video Source – YouTube
Online Sources- Huffington Post, BBC News, The Guardian, Voice of America

World Watch: Beyond Bin Laden

The main headline in the global news from the past 24 hours has been the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. But there were other important news stories over the past few days such as the following:

* Vatican City: The late Pope John Paul II was one step closer to sainthood after Sunday’s beatification ceremony at the Vatican.

* Canada: Voters took to the polls in parliamentary elections that could spell the end to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s five years in power.

* Europe: Austria and Germany became the last two E.U. members to remove immigration barriers for workers from the eight former communist bloc countries.

* Middle East: Israeli President Shimon Peres rejected the unity pact between Palestinian rivals political factions Hamas and Fatah and deemed the agreement a "grave mistake."

Video Source – AP via YouTube
Online Sources- The Telegraph, MSNBC, CSMonitor.com, ABC News

World Watch: Change of heart?

* Vatican: Vatican authorities said that condom use may be acceptable to avoid the spread of AIDS and other diseases yet they are still “immoral” as a birth control device.

* Asia: Tensions increased between the two Koreas after one of the most serious military clashes since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

* Germany: Samuel Kunz, the "world's third most wanted" suspected Nazi, died last week near his hometown near Bonn, Germany.

* Ireland: The Irish government has come under fire over approving an $11 billion bailout from the E.U. and I.M.F.

Image – Getty Images via The Guardian ("The Vatican attempted to clarify the pope's comments about condoms.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, New York Daily News, ABC News, CNN

World Watch: Women's worth

* Congo: Thousands of women marched against sexual attacks days after a report claimed that 15,000 Congolese women were raped in 2009.

* Germany: Will Chancellor Angela Merkel’s claims that German multiculturalism has "failed utterly" mark a shift in immigration policy?

* Philippines: Villagers in low-lying areas have fled for higher and safer grounds due to worries over Super Typhoon Megi.

* Australia: Mother Mary MacKillop, a nun who in the 19th-century denounced sexual abuse by priests, will become Australia’s first Catholic saint.

Image – BBC News (“Many women carried banners with slogans such as ‘No to sexual terrorism’.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, CNN, Reuters, The Guardian

World Watch: Border battle

* Middle East: The UN Security Council strongly rebuked both Israeli and Lebanese authorities for a border clash in July that cost the lives of four people.

* Indonesia: Thousands of residents near the Sinabung volcano worry that it could keep erupting after being dormant for roughly four centuries.

* U.S.: According to researchers the severity of multiple sclerosis may change depending on the seasons.

* Germany: A member of Germany’s central bank has refused to resign after making “disparaging remarks” about Muslims and Jews.

Image – PRESS TV
Online Sources- BBC News, New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Xinhua

The Maradona Mystique

Having watched the World Cup qualifiers, in which Argentina struggled to even make the tournament and got drubbed 6-1 against Bolivia, I felt certain that the albiceleste could only succeed in spite of, not because of, their coach Diego Maradona.

But now, after watching four games in which Maradona's Argentina have run gracefully over their opponents, I'm picking the Argentines to take home the Cup. And why? I'm even more surprised that it's because of the same Maradona I expected to run them into the ground.

While the Brazilians of Dunga have displayed an unmatched technical prowess and the Germans have been methodically, well, German, in picking apart their opponents, the utter passion that Argentina has shown in their games has been nothing short of remarkable.

I'll be the first to admit I don't quite understand the Maradona reverence. I get it, in the sense that the flawed hero holds a special place for true sports fans. By sometimes showing the worst of themselves, the tragic athlete keeps us on the edge of our seat, wondering what will happen next.

The blog BigPondSport says it best:

Almost, but not quite, single-handedly, the Argentina manager has made World Cup 2010 worth watching. His manic presence on the sidelines is almost as mesmerising as was his majestic presence on it.

More so than perhaps any other footballer, Maradona has enthralled and enraged in equal measure; a man blessed with angels and cursed by demons; a man who had everything before snorting it up his nose.

So the reverence makes sense, but I never thought that would turn a man who'd previously coached 23 games (with just 3 wins) into a solid coach. Players-turned-coaches are aplenty is sports, but usually it takes a while to make the transition. Does Maradona have tactical expertise to match his World Cup peers? I'm not sure, but boy does he love his players, and they love him in return. Even taking cultural practices into account, the Argentine coach hugs and kisses his players (with surprising and in its way, touching frequency) like they're his own sons. In return, his players show a passion for their coach that may just propel them to a repeat of Argentina's 1986 glory.

If Maradona pulls this off, his legend will be forever cemented. Perhaps just in time for him to self destruct, insult everybody he feels doubted or disrespected him, and then start the whole, wonderful process over again.

Image Source: Getty Images/Bleacher Report

Online Sources: GoalyMoaly, BigPondSport, Goal.com, ESPN Soccernet

World Watch: Information Society

* China: Google may soon shutdown its Chinese site due to government censorship and strict government controls of the Internet.

* Nigeria: Violence continued today in the Niger delta area of Nigeria with the detonation of a pair of car bombs.

* Germany: Church officials suspended a German priest in the middle of a child sex abuse scandal that has affected Pope Benedict XVI.

* Thailand: Protestors backing ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have threatened with “pouring 1,000 liters of their own blood” in front of the Thai parliament.

Image – MSNBC
Online Sources- InformationWeek, Al Jazeera English, New York Times, ABC Online

Daily Headlines: March 4, 2010

* Argentina: Gonzalo Higuian took advantage of a defensive lapse and the goalkeeper’s blunder to score the lone goal in yesterday’s Argentine friendly win over Germany.

* Venezuela: The Venezuelan government said that it would cooperate in a Spanish investigation accusing them of having ties to ETA and the FARC.

* Bolivia: President Evo Morales pledged half of his March salary in order to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti and Chile.

* Latin America: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights filed two cases against the governments of Peru and Ecuador regarding alleged human rights violations.

Image – Times Online (“Body blow: Higuain places the ball past Adler, the Germany goalkeeper, to give Argentina victory.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, CNN, Xinhua, BBC News, Inside Costa Rica,

World Watch: This land is whose land?

* Israel: The government of Israel defied calls by the White House to not expand the construction of new settlements in the West Bank.

* Europe: A series of German AIDS awareness ads featuring depictions of Hitler and Stalin have raised the ire of European AIDS groups.

* Africa: Several African countries have called for the removal of international sanctions against Zimbabwe and its controversial President Robert Mugabe.

* U.S.: How bad is the budget crisis in California? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated state funding for a program that paid for six domestic violence shelters.

Image- MSNBC
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, MSNBC, BBC News, Guardian UK

Daily Headlines: July 22, 2008

* Cuba: President Raul Castro called for providing private farmers with increased access to government-controlled lands.

* Peru: At least twenty-five people died when two buses crashed into each other near a coastal town.

* Nicaragua: The government honored the widow of Erich Honecker- the former East German leader who was in charge of constructing the Berlin Wall.

* Colombia: President Alvaro Uribe backed away from a referendum project which planned to redo the 2006 presidential election.

Image- MSNBC (“A farmer collects tomatoes on a tractor in a farm in Guira de Melena, 80 miles south of Havana.”)

Sources- AFP, Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle

Daily Headlines: May 17, 2008

* Venezuela: Hugo Chavez apologized to German chancellor Angela Merkel for calling her the political descendant of Adolf Hitler.

* Dominican Republic: President Leonel Fernandez appears to be on his way to keeping his post after yesterday’s general elections.

* Cuba: More reforms could be coming to the island according to the state-run press.

* Argentina: Soybean futures in Chicago rose in trading over renewed protests between argentine farmers and the government.

Sources- Reuters UK, The Latin Americanist, Xinhua, Monsters & Critics, Bloomberg

Image- eluniversal.com

Daily Headlines: May 13, 2008

* Venezuela: Hugo Chavez seemed to have godwinated German Chancellor Angela Merkel in comparing her to the “German right” which descended from Adolf Hitler.

* U.S.: Presidential hopeful John McCain quiere su voto.

* Mexico: Mother’s Day was a day of remembrance for mothers in Ciudad Juarez over the disappearances of hundreds of young women.

* U.S.: According to the Associated Press, over half of the 504 people who became new citizens at a ceremony last weekend were from the Dominican Republic.

Sources- CBS News, Center for International Policy, Boston.com, Urban Dictionary, Reuters

Image- MSNBC

Daily Headlines: May 19, 2007

* Quick follow-up: Thirty years in jail awaits the convicted Brazilian mastermind behind the assassination of environmentalist nun Dorothy Stang (image).

* The reality of “communism” in Cuba- The German state of Bavaria struck a $500 million economic deal with Cuba.

* Looks like former Mexican leader Ernesto Zedillo will have a hard time being named the next World Bank president.

* Venezuela’s Supreme Court refused to hear a legal challenge by soon-to-be-shutdown network Radio Caracas Television.

* A San Francisco-based businessman was convicted of raping a seven-year-old boy in Mexico.

* Brazil’s legislature is considering a bill to eliminate visa requirements from five countries including the U.S. and Japan.

* Mexican soccer player Salvador Carmona was hit with a lifetime suspension after failing yet another doping test.

* Opposition politicians in Nicaragua are not pleased with the passage of a public information bill.

Links- Guardian UK, BBC News, Miami Herald, MSNBC, ESPN Soccernet, The Latin Americanist, People’s Daily Online

Image- BBC News