South America News

High Times in Mar del Plata

Police in Mar del Plata, Argentina could never have expected the tale that would unravel after a seemingly routine drug bust. The story they found themselves part of after a 2 am arrest is still causing the lawmen to shake their heads in wonderment.

UPDATED: Smoke Returns to Buenos Aires

UPDATE 4/23 7:42 The dense cloud of smoke has returned to Buenos Aires, bringing with it a familiar smell and the expected round of transportation cuts. Visibility has dropped to 400m in the city and large sections of Rutas 9, 12 and 14 are all closed. Retiro bus station has stopped service to the northern part of Argentina as well as Brazil and Uruguay.

BsAs Darkened By Smoke From Delta Grass Fires

Smoke clouded the Buenos Aires skyline this afternoon, the result of island grass fires in the Parana Delta. Strong winds are driving the smoke down river, creating severe visibility problems on the highways and enveloping the city in an acrid odor. The fires are located 30 minutes north of Buenos Aires and provincial governments are proving unable to extinguish them.

The Simpsons To Be Disappeared In Argentina?

Lorenzo Pepe, former Argentine Congressman and staunch Perón supporter, has called for the latest episode of The Simpsons to be censored because of a scene in which Juan Perón is referred to as a dictator.

It’s Good To Be The Queen

In the past two weeks the Kirchners have launched an organized offensive against Clarin, the largest independent newspaper in Argentina. Although widely believed to be pro-Kirchner, Clarin drew the ire of Christina with a political cartoon criticizing her handling of the campo crisis.

Two Bed, Two Bath and Walking Distance to a Plaza

The current housing crisis has caused people throughout Argentina to homestead in abandoned buildings. In Santa Fe a group of men have taken the squatting epidemic to a new level by seizing a community plaza and constructing a pair of houses on it.

61*

It’s official, Carlos Pellegrini High School students REALLY don’t want to go to school. The Buenos Aires public high school recently received it’s 61st bomb threat…. this year.

Dengue Deaths Mount in Rio de Janeiro

Brazilian citizens are mobilizing to combat dengue fever, which has infected over 57,000 people and killed 67 so far this year.

2 Chicken Empanadas, 1 Ham & Cheese… And What Kind Are Those?

Health inspectors had an unpleasant surprise this week when they paid a visit to French, a Buenos Aires pizzeria. Aside from the typical lack of hygiene found in most Buenos Aires fast food restaurants, the inspectors also found 2 dog bodies hidden in the restaurant freezer.

Argentina Seizes Livestock Using Emergency Powers

The Argentine government has begun taking emergency action to restock the nation’s shelves after a 3 week strike left stores empty.

Florkey, Cruising Round A Corner Near You

Presidential daughter Florencia, affectionately referred to as Florkey, has been raising eyebrows with her salacious fotoblog. Interspersed with images from her mother’s inauguration and the goings on inside the Casa Rosada were photos of drunken nights out with friends, usually in poses that would make any unelected parent cringe.

A Weekend of Uncontrollable Futbol Violence

Futbol-related violence, a problem so ingrained in Argentine sporting that gangs are on the payrolls of the major clubs, resulted in unimaginable death and destruction this weekend.

Two people were murdered, nearly 200 arrested, a Mercedes Benz van was torched, a car was upended and one person was sent to the hospital with multiple stab wounds and a permanently disfigured face from the attack.

Barras Bravas: The Intertwining of Violence and Fanaticism

By Tom Croasdell
On the night of Monday 6th August 2007, Gonzalo Acro, accompanied by a friend, were approached by three men on a street in Villa Urquiza, Buenos Aires, whilst walking home from the gym. The trio opened fire, and left the pair for dead on the pavement.
Three days later, a spokesman at the Pirovano [...]

News From the Rest of America

News from around Latin America. Yellow fever spreads; Colombian rebels free four hostages; Ecuadorian government promises further protection to it’s Indigenous peoples; Air and boat disasters leave 72 dead in Brazil, Venezuela, Chile; Guatemalan hostages released.

“If You Have A Gun At Home, You Have A Problem”

By Tom Croasdell
Between 1997 and 2005, gun-related crimes killed 20,752 people in Argentina
6th July 2006 was a normal winter day in Buenos Aires. At around 5pm, 27-year-old Martín Rios hopped off the number 80 bus in the capital’s northern neighbourhood of Belgrano, and suddenly opened fire on random passersby. He injured six people and killed [...]

No Way Out: Corruption in a Stagnant Democracy

In the wee hours of 4th August 2007, customs officials at Aeroparque Jorge Newberry in Buenos Aires searched the suitcase of a US-Venezuelan businessman named Antonini Wilson. The US$800,000 that they found set off a series of events that has led to a US investigation, Argentine calls for Wilson’s extradition, and angry denials of wrongdoing by Argentine president Cristina Kirchner. The suitcase scandal has once again reminded Argentina of a shadow that has darkened its political landscape for much of its history: corruption.

Worst. Houseguest. Ever.

On his first papal tour of South America, Pope Benedict XVI ingratiated himself to his hosts by… well, speaking his mind. From IntelDaily.com:
“Christianity was not imposed by a foreign culture,” said Ratzinger in Aparecida, Brazil. He was ignoring the colonial relationship of the European powers to the Americas that was based on stealing the wealth [...]

News from the Rest of America

A looming energy crisis has Boliva, Argentina and Brazil in negotiations.
Drug traffickers in Mexico City attempt to car bomb police officials.
Fidel Castro announces his resignation , ending the longest uninterrupted reign of any modern world leader. Fidel’s Cuba in Facts & Figures .
Bolivia experiences massive floods leaving 48,000 homeless and officials fearing that their provincial [...]