Uruguay: Brazil tried to buy our support
“The Brazilian government received with profound discontent and surprise the statement from Chancellor Nin Novoa,” Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said. Brazil considers Uruguay a strategic partner.”Brazil labelled Nin Novoa’s statements as “not compatible with the excellent state of the relationship between Brazil and Uruguay.”‘Bullying’ CaracasEl País cited the official transcript of the meeting,which is not publicly available yet. As Uruguay held the chair last, it plays a leading role in seeking to transfer the responsibility, despite resistance from Brazil and Paraguay. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last night lashed out at Brazil during his week television and radio programme. Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes has long been a rival of Maduro’s but Uruguay under President Vázquez has more or less maintained the affinities built during José Mujica’s tenure.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 17, 2016 03:11 UTC
Brazil justice authorizes probe on Rousseff
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 Brazil justice authorizes probe on RousseffSÃO PAULO — A Brazilian Federal Supreme Court justice (STF) has authorized the opening of an investigation into suspended President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for allegedly working to obstruct the course of a sweeping corruption probe, the GloboNews news channel said last night. In June, Zavascki barred the use of some wiretaps — also leaked by GloboNews — that showed Rousseff and Lula negotiating the cabinet appointment. Only the STF can authorize investigations against Rousseff and Cabinet ministers, because they enjoy immunity from prosecution. Late last month, a federal judge pressed charges against Lula for allegedly working to obstruct the work of investigators in the Car Wash probe. Rousseff had been publicly mulling the idea of a plebiscite for weeks as the Senate moves closer to the impeachment vote.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 17, 2016 02:48 UTC
Leones on verge of historic Olympic medal
Olympics — Men’s fields hockey Wednesday, August 17, 2016 Leones on verge of historic Olympic medalArgentina players celebrate after beating Germany 5-2 to set up an Olympic final against Belgium. Although Argentina’s women’s national field hockey team won four Olympic medals (silver at Sydney 2000 and London 2012 and bronze at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), the men’s team have never reached the last four at Olympic Games. Argentina and Belgium gatecrashed the Olympic field hockey festival and reached their first men’s final together. Seconds later, the players were embracing and group hopping all over the Olympic Hockey Stadium, too, roared on by hundreds of fans. The Dutch fans, unprompted, spurred their team to start singing, then the Belgium team went a capella, loudly, with their fans echoing them.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 17, 2016 02:48 UTC
Soros cashes in as Barrick posts great first half
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 Soros cashes in as Barrick posts great first halfBy Luzi Ann JavierBloombergBillionaire George Soros isn’t waiting around to see if this year’s surge in gold-mining shares will last. After climbing 169 percent in the first half, its best-ever performance for the period, Barrick shares have slipped from a three-year high reached last month. The holdings in Barrick slumped by 18.35 million shares to 1.07 million shares, according to a filing released Monday. As Soros cut his stake in Barrick, he bought 240,000 shares of SPDR Gold Trust, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the price of gold. At the end of June, Paulson & Co. owned 4.8 million shares of the ETF, a US filing showed.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 17, 2016 00:33 UTC
McLaughlin, TV provocateur and pioneer, dies
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 McLaughlin, TV provocateur and pioneer, diesNEW YORK — John McLaughlin, the conservative political commentator and host of the namesake long-running television show that pioneered hollering-heads discussions of Washington politics, has died. No cause of death was mentioned, but an ailing McLaughlin had missed the taping for this past weekend’s show for the first time in the series’ 34 years. Since its debut in April 1982, The McLaughlin Group upended the soft-spoken and non-confrontational style of shows such as Firing Line, Washington Week in Review and Agronsky & Co. with a raucous format that largely dispensed with politicians. McLaughlin also played himself on episodes of ALF and Murphy Brown and was ridiculed as a speed-talking egomaniac by Dana Carvey on Saturday Night Live. “My theory is people say under pressure for the most part what they really mean,” McLaughlin said.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 16, 2016 21:11 UTC
Energy Minister Aranguren Justifies Utility Bill Increases Before Committee
Energy Minister Juan José Aranguren today appeared before a special committee comprised of representatives from the Chamber of Deputies to justify the steep increases in utilities, collectively known as tarifazo. [We found] there were distribution issues; high subsidies; obsolete infrastructure; prices below the costs needed to generate energy; prices that had artificially been kept low. In 2010 we imported all our energy, despite being the second country in the word in terms of oil and non-conventional gas reserves,” Aranguren said. Electricity bills rose by 40 percent, while gas bills rose by less than 200. When it comes to gas bills, we pay about 18 percent of what Uruguayans, Chileans and Brazilians pay,” the minister finished.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 21:00 UTC
Protest For More ‘Adequate’ Retirement Funds Disbanded With Water Cannon
A pensioners’ protest for more adequate retirement funds got out of hand today when police removed protesters, most of an advanced age, using force and a water cannon, even, after they refused to clear one of the car lanes they were blocking. Pagina 12 reports that the head of the Independent Retirees’ Movement, Mariano Sánchez, believes that, “It is an embarrassment that a retiree receives no more than AR $4,900. A retirees’ funds’ bill passed by the Macri administration was recently enacted. It seeks to readjust the amount of money pensioners receive from the government, after years of gross government mismanagement of retirement funds. Basically, retired Argentines have been chronically shortchanged when it comes to receiving their retirement funds — many simply haven’t gotten any and many others have been given sums far below what they need to live comfortably.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 19:52 UTC
Argentina Is Importing Quinoa, A South American Crop, From Indonesia
While the grain is naturally produced in Argentina, the country usually imports quinoa — though not normally this much. While the government and various other organizations have dedicated time and money to promote the local production of quinoa, Argentina usually imports quinoa from Peru and Bolivia, the two largest producers of quinoa in the world. However, according to an article in Clarín, Argentina has imported eight tons of quinoa from Chile and 22 tons from Indonesia in the last six months. Clarín culled this data from the National Agrifood Health and Quality Service of Argentina (Senasa), who reported that Argentina imported 192 tons of quinoa in the first six months of 2016, a 501 percent increase when compared with the same time period in 2015, in which Argentina imported 32 tons of quinoa. Locally produced quinoa is often sold in-country, primarily in small health stores called dietéticas, at regional fairs and in local supermarkets.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 19:07 UTC
Beyond Fernet Con Coca: Learning To Love Argentina’s Favorite Spirit
I felt proud: this was the first time I had ever finished a whole Fernet drink. Okay, fair enough it wasn’t 100% Fernet, but it was one hell of a start. In this cocktail, coke is replaced by a mix of soda, sweetened up by a subtle touch of Punt e Mes. There, coke was nowhere to be found, and was instead replaced by lighter, fresher ginger soda. With a ginger beer in hand (La Serrana, craft beer), I decided to take it to the next level.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 19:07 UTC
Salí del Molde: Buenos Aires’ Escape Room
Salí del Molde is a situational “escape game” in Buenos Aires where you and your crew of friends (or colleagues if your HR department has a cooler take on team-building) get locked in a room for an hour and try to find a way out by solving a set of tasks and riddles. Each room has a different mission with a different background story, with different scenarios varying in difficulty level. It’s time to start thinking your way out. Going with as many friends as you muster (up to 6 per room per game) is definitely recommended. Rundown on Sali del MoldeWhere:Gallo 1570How much:AR$ 550 per room for 60 minutesGames in English are available upon request.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 17:26 UTC
Macri Encourages Argentine Provinces To Help Receive Syrian Refugees
The Macri administration is asking for the provinces’ support in the process of taking in 3,000 Syrian refugees. As reported by La Nación, the hope is that provincial the governors will not only coordinate “logistics” with the Casa Rosada, but also help with employment and housing. The decision to add the provincial governors to the plan to help with the intake of refugees comes after concerns raised by the Syrian Foundation authorities in Argentina over the dilemma of housing and employing the refugees. Foreign Minister Susanna Malcorra told La Nación, “it’s a very sensitive issue. Argentine is set on receiving 300 refugees from Syria in the next few months.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 17:15 UTC
More Security For Macri Following Threats, Vehicle Getting Pelted By Rocks
Following a number of threats against President Mauricio Macri and an incident last Friday that saw protesters hurl rocks at a government vehicle transporting the head of state, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced that the President’s security would be tightened. Bullrich spoke to América TV on Sunday and revealed plans for a fortified vehicle to safely transport the President. For the time being the President will be transported in a fortified vehicle courtesy of the Federal Police. “Macri, basura, vos sos la dictadura” (“Macri, you’re garbage, you’re the dictatorship”) was one of the chants voicing discontent. Despite the fact that measures are being taken to tighten security, Bullrich told Todo Noticias that these are more precautions to be taken.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 16:30 UTC
Argentine Long-Distance ‘Micro’ Bus Fares Increase By 26 Percent
Not so great news after a long weekend of sunny bliss: The fare for long-distance bus (micro) fares has increased by 26.35 percent to accommodate increases in gas prices and higher bus driver salaries. This is the first authorized change in long-distance bus fares the Macri administration has enacted. The exact rate has gone up to AR $1.15 per kilometer from AR $0.9, which may not seem like a huge jump but could potentially add up over time. Up until now, the cheapest bus tickets out of Retiro were to Rosario (AR $300), Mar de Plata (AR $460), Córdoba (AR $780) and Mendoza (AR $845). This announcement comes only a month after the dreaded Subte price hike that never actually happened (but will surely happen, at some point).
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 14:48 UTC
Prosecutors Ask That Cristina Be Questioned On More Corruption Charges
The prosecutors state that “there is no way” that Báez could “justify the surprising economic power that he obtained” in a short amount of time. It’s not just Cristina and Báez, though. The prosecutors have also asked Federal Judge Julián Ercolini to call a total of 34 people into questioning and for their assets to be seized. Other people included in the prosecutors’ request are:Martín Báez, Lázaro Báez’s eldest son, who faces the same charges that are leveled against his father. Judge Ercolini has to decide whether or not to accept the prosecutors’ request: only then can Cristina be called to the federal courthouse Comodoro Py for questioning.
Source:The Bubble
August 16, 2016 14:26 UTC
Venezuela on track for record oil output drop
Tuesday, August 16, 2016 Venezuela on track for record oil output dropAn oil worker walks past a drilling rig at an oil well operated by Venezuela''s state oil company PDVSA. In the 12 months to June, Venezuela’s crude output fell nine percent to 2.36 million barrels per day (bpd), while the Organization of Petroleum Exploration Countries (OPEC) has boosted its output by four percent, according to the group’s official figures. Venezuela’s oil minister and PDVSA president, Eulogio Del Pino, last month confirmed a 220,000-barrel-per-day production decline — around eight percent — so far this year compared with 2015. However, he said the “circumstantial fall” had been “contained.” The Oil Ministry later said the country’s output rebounded in July to 2.54 million bpd, without giving comparative figures. Energy consulting firm IPD Latin America in May predicted that Venezuela’s crude output will average 2.35 million bpd in 2016, a 400,000-barrel-per-day decline from last year.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 16, 2016 00:33 UTC