Trump keeps sowing doubt over US democracy
Friday, October 21, 2016 Trump keeps sowing doubt over US democracyUS Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump smiles after making what he said was a major announcement, that he’d abide by the election results if he won, to supporters at a campaign rally in Delaware, Ohio, yesterday. DELAWARE, Ohio — Mocking his critics, Donald Trump pledged yesterday to fully accept the outcome of next month’s presidential election — if he wins. Trump’s comments came a day after his stunning refusal in the final presidential debate to say whether he would concede to Clinton if he loses. I will keep you in suspense.”Clinton slammed Trump’s comments as “horrifying,” and fellow Democrats piled on yesterday. In Pennsylvania, Senator Pat Toomey said Trump’s comments were “irresponsible.”US elections are run by local elected officials — Republicans, in many of the most competitive states.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 21, 2016 01:30 UTC
The Indy Eye: Argentine Women March Against Gender Violence
One of these women responding on behalf of the many women murdered in the past few weeks was university student Gaita, who had ‘Enough’ painted on her cheek. “For some young women, abuse is now seen as a normality, and it shouldn’t be that way. They told the Indy that their decision to use ‘Puta feminista’ was their way of regaining power over bad perceptions of women. 9 de Julio, women lay motionless with plastic bags over their faces to represent the dead bodies of the victims of femicide. It was a small demonstration, but powerful and moving: the only thing separating these women from the reality of Lucía Pérez and the 226 women murdered this year was the rise and fall of the plastic bags in time with their breathing.
Source:The Argentina Independent
October 20, 2016 18:10 UTC
France to release dictatorship-era files
Thursday, October 20, 2016 France to release dictatorship-era filesHuman Rights Secretary Avruj says President Hollande made decision after visit to BAFrench President François Hollande has ordered the release of classified documents from the French state relating to the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-83), Human Rights Secretary Claudio Avruj and Argentine Ambassador to Paris Jorge Faurie announced yesterday. Speaking to the EFE news agency, Avruj said the French declassification would “strengthen democracy.”“We all win when more information sees the light of day,” the human rights secretary said. He added that the large number of Argentines with ties to France, including those who fled there during the period of military rule, meant that the forthcoming release of documents would yield large amounts of previously undisclosed information. “There were many exiles and there is a lot of documentation,” Avruj said, adding that it would be necessary to “label and catalogue” the documents prior to their release. French helpThe human rights secretary also confirmed that the French government had contacted the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo human rights group ahead of the announcement via French Ambassador to Buenos Aires Pierre Henri Guignard.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 20, 2016 01:18 UTC
Women stage first-ever general strike in Argentine history
Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Women stage first-ever general strike in Argentine history#NiUnaMenos (“Not One Less”) demonstrators were expanding their demands on the government today as the first women-only general strike in local history takes place. Under the new slogan “We Strike (Nosotras Paramos)”, the unprecedented protest started at 1pm when women halted all activities for an hour, to carry out a “ruidazo” (noise-making protest). We are not the organizers of it, but we agree with protests by social organizations,” said CGT leader Carlos Acuña. In places such as kindergartens and schools, teachers will participate in the strike by giving special lessons on sexual education and gender issues. Behind femicides there is an economic frame that makes women more vulnerable to violence, but also human-trafficking and drug-dealing,” activist María Florencia Alcaraz told the Herald.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 19, 2016 20:37 UTC
Brazil: Dozens Killed in Prison Riot
Authorities are investigating after up to 25 inmates were killed during a riot at Monte Cristo Agricultural Prison in northern Brazil. At 3pm, prisoners from wing 14 broke the locks and invaded wing 12 in a vicious, gang-related attack. In one of the wings there was no forced entry, the prisoners released the hostages. Figures from the National Survey of Penitentiary Information detail a 167% increase in the country’s prison population in the last 14 years. During this time, the figure increased by nearly 400,000 to reach the current total of over 620,000 – a number that constitutes the fourth largest prison population in the world.
Source:The Argentina Independent
October 19, 2016 18:45 UTC
Argentine Women Call National Strike for Gender Equality
Women’s rights organisation Ni Una Menos, alongside approximately 50 other groups and unions are leading a ‘National Women’s Strike’ today. Ni Una Menos have been referring to today as ‘Black Wednesday’ and momentum has been building online with the use of hashtags #NiUnaMenos (Not One Less) and #NosotrasParamos (We Women Stop). Despite the heavy rain, there is still expected to be a large turnout of women today, and men are also encouraged to protest too. Mercedes D’Alessandro, co-founder of Economía Feminista, an organisation with strong ties to Ni Una Menos, explained these economic factors to the Indy. Godoy credits this popularity to the work Ni Una Menos has done to raise awareness and unite women to oppose gender violence and learn more about the issues that affect them.
Source:The Argentina Independent
October 19, 2016 15:00 UTC
Industrial decline continues in August as sector plunges by 6.6% on the year
mild improvement on monthly comparison Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Industrial decline continues in August as sector plunges by 6.6% on the yearIndustrial output registered another plunge in August, the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) said yesterday in a report measuring activity in the sector. The year-on-year comparison with August 2015 showed a 6.6 percent decline, the latest indication of how the sector has struggled so far in 2016. That drop was bigger than the average so far this year, as industrial output has declined by 4.7 percent since January when compared to the same months last year. The report showed that no sector is really safe from the current industrial struggle, as they all recorded declines in the yearly comparison. Industrial production has been in decline in the country for some years now, with several factors explaining the fall.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 19, 2016 05:18 UTC
Avruj denies claims of human rights budget cuts
After complaints from activists Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Avruj denies claims of human rights budget cutsHuman Rights Secretary Claudio Avruj denied yesterday that the Let’s Change (Cambiemos) administration is cutting funds to human rights organizations, in the face of claims to the contrary by activists. It’s a reorganization,” said Avruj yesterday. Several human rights organizations accuse the government of wanting to cut funding to such groups by 15 percent in the government’s 2017 budget. Yet Avruj denied the claim, alleging that the 2016 budget had been overestimated. “The Haroldo Conti Cultural Centre only needs seven million pesos to function, but the 2016 budget gave it 28 million pesos, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo University was given 75 million pesos, but it only needs 18 million,” he said.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 19, 2016 02:37 UTC
Macri ratifies the end of state-run soccer
Domestic League Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Macri ratifies the end of state-run soccerThe government said yesterday that free broadcasts of Argentine League soccer will end in January 2017. Macri has already said that he will try to include this clause in the new agreement with private partners. The confirmation was known amid the battle between soccer club officials and the AFA normalizing commission, whose members are accused by some club presidents of acting according to what the Pink House orders them to do. “The reason to name a normalizing commission was to put the administration in order, but I don’t see any improvement. The normalizing commission had specific commitments: to reform the rules and call for elections.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 19, 2016 02:03 UTC
Fears for civilians as battle for Mosul begins
Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Fears for civilians as battle for Mosul beginsSmoke rises as people flee their homes during clashes between Iraqi security forces and members of the Islamic State group fightng for control of Mosul, in Iraq, yesterday. Islamic State militants were preventing people fleeing Mosul, they said, and one said they directed some towards buildings they had recently used themselves. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said that it was known that civilians were being used as human shields. The Syrian Army, meanwhile, accused the coalition of planning to allow Islamic State militants to flee across the border. US President Barack Obama said it would be a difficult fight but Islamic State “will be defeated in Mosul.”Obama is hoping to bolster his legacy by seizing back as much territory as he can from Islamic State before he leaves office in January.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 19, 2016 01:18 UTC
Concern Over Planned Spending Cuts in 2017 Budget
Rights groups have expressed concern over a proposed 15% decrease in funding for human rights issues in the 2017 budget. According to the draft budget bill presented by Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay, the Human Rights Secretariat will receive $110m less than it was assigned in 2016. The draft budget only delegate 0.6% of total expenditure to the Ministry of Science and Technology, whereas the budget allocation oscillated between 0.7% and 0.8% between 2009 and 2016. Last Thursday, 12 officials from the Ministry of Agroindustry resigned over proposed budget cuts to small-scale “family agriculture”. In the budget draft, the projected GDP growth for 2017 is 3.5% (up from an estimated -1.5% this year), with inflation forecast to come between 12% and 17%.
Source:The Argentina Independent
October 18, 2016 19:07 UTC
Real Salaries Down, Unemployment Up According to INDEC
Latest figures released by statistics office INDEC show significant job losses and a declining average real salary for workers. More than 118,000 jobs in the formal have been lost since President Mauricio Macri took office representing the Cambiemos coalition, with the official unemployment rate ticking up to 9.3%. Wages were up by just over 35% compared to the same period of the previous year, but annual inflation was 43.5%, leading to decreased purchasing power for workers and a decline in real salaries of nearly 10%. Macri has vowed to reform INDEC, the national institute for statistics and the census, which had come under fire for providing unreliable data during Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s government. Unions Debate StrikeThe latest labour market data was released as the country’s leading umbrella unions debate whether to take action against the government.
Source:The Argentina Independent
October 18, 2016 13:30 UTC
Good players, but not a national team
Monday, October 17, 2016 Good players, but not a national teamBy Eric Weil / For The HeraldThe general and perhaps obvious verdict after games against Peru and Paraguay in soccer’s South American World Cup qualifying group is that Argentina cannot play without Lionel Messi. He helps to organize the team, yet does not score so many goals as for Barcelona as he plays in a different position. National team coach Edgardo Bauza is looking at a pool of 40 players to make changes, but changes are not likely to improve teamwork. The theory may work in other countries, but not in Argentina where all the good players have to play abroad and even promising ones leave before they have fully developed. Other players were no better and Sergio Agüero even failed to net a penalty, although he did face a very good goalkeeper.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 17, 2016 03:11 UTC
Under-fire Icardi misses penalty
SOCCER — ITALIAN LEAGUE Monday, October 17, 2016 Under-fire Icardi misses penaltyInter loses at a San Siro, banners insulting Argentine striker on displayMILAN — Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi can do no right, it seems, and a missed penalty in a 2-1 defeat against Cagliari in Serie A yesterday won’t help at all. Inter vice-president and club great Javier Zanetti has hinted Icardi could even lose the captaincy. The situation has got so bad that Inter fans even cheered after Icardi sent his penalty woefully wide of the right post in the 26th minute after he had been pushed over by Bruno Alves. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow (today), calmly, with respect to the player and respect to the fans,” Inter coach Frank De Boer said. The match between Chievo and Milan in Verona was a fight for third spot in Serie A.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 17, 2016 01:52 UTC
North Carolina GOP office vandalized
Monday, October 17, 2016 North Carolina GOP office vandalizedA local Republican Party office in the US state of North Carolina was damaged by fire and graffiti of an anti-GOP slogan referring to “Nazi Republicans,” authorities said yesterday. Repucblican candidate for president Donald Trump accused his political rivals on Twitter: “Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP.” Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, tweeted, “The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.” — Herald with AP
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 17, 2016 01:07 UTC