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.

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.

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.

Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the United Nations

In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown, Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters; Today, it is an honour for me to be speaking again after a long time. Being here with such honourable people is a great moment in my life. I don't know where to begin my speech. I don't know what people would be expecting me to say. But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me. I would like to thank my nurses, doctors and all of the staff of the hospitals in Pakistan and the UK and the UAE government who have helped me get better and recover my strength. I fully support Mr Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General in his Global Education First Initiative and the work of the UN Special Envoy Mr Gordon Brown. And I thank them both for the leadership they continue to give. They continue to inspire all of us to action. Dear brothers and sisters, do remember one thing. Malala day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights. There are hundreds of Human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education, peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them. So here I stand... one girl among many. I speak – not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights: Their right to live in peace. Their right to be treated with dignity. Their right to equality of opportunity. Their right to be educated. Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same. Dear sisters and brothers, I am not against anyone. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorists group. I am here to speak up for the right of education of every child. I want education for the sons and the daughters of all the extremists especially the Taliban. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me. I would not shoot him. This is the compassion that I have learnt from Muhammad-the prophet of mercy, Jesus christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of non-violence that I have learnt from Gandhi Jee, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learnt from my mother and father. This is what my soul is telling me, be peaceful and love everyone. Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword” was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. And that is why they killed 14 innocent medical students in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they killed many female teachers and polio workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa and FATA. That is why they are blasting schools every day. Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring into our society. I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, “Why are the Taliban against education?” He answered very simply. By pointing to his book he said, “A Talib doesn't know what is written inside this book.” They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to the hell just because of going to school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. Islam says that it is not only each child's right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility. Honourable Secretary General, peace is necessary for education. In many parts of the world especially Pakistan and Afghanistan; terrorism, wars and conflicts stop children to go to their schools. We are really tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering in many parts of the world in many ways. In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour. Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria. People in Afghanistan have been affected by the hurdles of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do domestic child labour and are forced to get married at early age. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by both men and women. Dear fellows, today I am focusing on women's rights and girls' education because they are suffering the most. There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But, this time, we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women's rights rather I am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves. Dear sisters and brothers, now it's time to speak up. So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of peace and prosperity. We call upon the world leaders that all the peace deals must protect women and children's rights. A deal that goes against the dignity of women and their rights is unacceptable. We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education for every child all over the world. We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, to protect children from brutality and harm. We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant – to reject prejudice based on cast, creed, sect, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave – to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential. Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child's bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world. Because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness. Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education First.