Vancouver
Doorknobs banned: Vancouver is doing away with doorknobs. The city’s new building code mandates that all new construction must install levers instead of twistable knobs on doors, and on faucets as well. While private citizens won’t be required to replace existing knobs, some government buildings have already done so. The art deco doorknobs on the historic City Hall building were replaced with levers last year. Levers are easier for elderly and disabled people to operate, not to mention anyone carrying something. “It is simply good design,” said former building inspector Will Johnson, who helped write the new code. “It allows for homes to be built that can be used more easily by everybody.”
Mexico City
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Kickback charges: A string of recent accusations that Mexican lawmakers engage in colossal corruption has sparked threats of lawsuits and demands for investigations. Mayors have complained that members of Congress demand kickbacks for including infrastructure projects in the federal budget. Last week, an anonymous legislator said that Luis Alberto Villarreal, leader of the National Action Party in the lower house, had taken $45 million in such kickbacks. Villarreal is threatening to sue, but some of his own party members have asked him to step down pending an investigation. Party officials said the accusations were simply smear tactics by the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, which wants to create a new anti-corruption body.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
To the streets: Honduras was in political crisis this week after a disputed presidential election. Juan Orlando Hernández, the candidate of the conservative governing party, won with 34 percent, but Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, in second place with 29 percent, refused to accept the results, saying they had been secured through widespread fraud. Castro is the wife of leftist ex-president Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup in 2009 and hoped to return to power through his wife. “We are going to defend our triumph at the ballot box,” Zelaya said, “and if necessary will take to the streets.”
Buenos Aires
Fernández moves left: Back at work after her brain surgery, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner replaced the economy minister and the central banker last week with appointees who are expected to increase government intervention in the economy. The new economy minister, Axel Kicillof, is a Marxist who oversaw the renationalization of the main airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, and the expropriation of assets from Spanish oil giant Repsol. The new central banker, Juan Carlos Fábrega, was head of a large, state-run bank. The appointments disappointed economic analysts who had hoped Fernández would bring down inflation and boost foreign exchange reserves.
