· July, 2012

Stories about Western Europe from July, 2012

Spain: Fighting Catalonia's Wild Fires

  31 July 2012

The terrifying fires that continue to devastate the Catalan comarca of Alt Empordà have given way to the citizens' initiative #1Català1Arbre, launched on Twitter by Oriol Puig. The goal is to "create coordination, cooperation and a strong collective consciousness until the fires are extinguished."

Wales: Imagining the Welsh Language Web

  31 July 2012

For the 600,000 speakers of Welsh the Internet represents a galaxy of new opportunities to use and see their language. But what exactly is 'y we Gymraeg' - the 'Welsh language web' - and how can it benefit the language's speakers?

Greece: Photo ‘Road Trip’ Around Europe Debt Crisis

  27 July 2012

‘We Are The Pigs‘ – in reference to the derogatory PIGS acronym – is a crowdfunded photojournalism ‘road trip’ venture, to collect people's stories from European countries affected by the debt crisis. The project, started by two young Central European women journalists frustrated with the stereotypical hyperbole and abuse levelled in the media...

London Olympics: Ambush Marketers Be Warned!

  26 July 2012

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has taken stringent measures to try to ensure no ‘ambush marketing’ tactics are used during the London 2012 Olympics. A common feature at modern major sporting events, ambush marketers try to sneak in promotions of their brands and companies in front of the crowd and, most importantly, the TV cameras. Sports law bloggers and marketers posted their opinions on ambush marketing and the London Olympics.

Spain: King's Controversial Son-in-law Gets Salary in Millions

  23 July 2012

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.

Portugal: Tugaleaks Bank Account Deemed as Terrorist and Closed

  23 July 2012

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 were finally told the account had been closed based on Act 25/2008 [pt] of money laundering and terrorist financing, which...

Spain: Street Protests are Unstoppable

  23 July 2012

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.

Greece: Fake Dyslexia Certificates for Children

  21 July 2012

In ‘Where Everything Is Possible‘ [el], blogger Theodoris Georgakopoulos criticizes the news that Children's Hospital employees in Athens, Greece, have been involved into issuing fake documents certifying dyslexia. He mainly puts the blame on those parents who labelled their children with a disability to facilitate their final high school exams. @Haris_Nk...

Wales: The State of Welsh Language Blogging

  21 July 2012

In the 1990s, William Owen Roberts, a Welsh author and playwright, remarked that writing in Welsh is akin to "writing on the edge of catastrophe". If that is the case, a Welsh language blogger might be half way off the edge already.

Pre-Olympics 2012: What’s Buzzing

  20 July 2012

With the 2012 London Olympics drawing closer, activities relating to the Games are heightening every day. From countries participating in the Games to their athletes preparing to score their best, the world's online audience is coming alive and getting ready for this extravaganza.

Spain: Deputy Apologizes for Insult

  19 July 2012

Due to the outcry produced by parliamentarian Andrea Fabra's declarations, she had to publicly retract [es] (PDF) and present a written apology after having declared “¡qué se jodan!” (“Fuck them!”) when President Mariano Rajoy announced the harshest social cuts in the history of Spanish democracy. The letter is an apology to the House of Representatives...

Spain: Controversy After Supreme Court Nullifies Catalan Immersion

  17 July 2012

The debate over language in Catalonia has heavily occupied the blogosphere, ever since Spain's Supreme Court nullified linguistic immersion for children between three and six-years-old. Linguistic immersion used to guarantee proficiency in Catalan for native speakers of other languages.

Kenya: Mau Mau Freedom Fighters Take Battle to British Court

  17 July 2012

Three former Mau Mau freedom fighters have taken the British government to the High Court in London demanding an apology and damages for brutality they suffered during the British colonial rule in Kenya. Tweets are pouring in in support of their fight for justice. @JeromeTaylor and @TandemLaw are tweeting live from the courtroom.