Latest news of Buenos Aires Times

Late US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in state in Statuary Hall of the US Capitol in Washington on Friday.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes history again, lying in state at Capitol

Today 10:30 Late Supreme Court lay in state Friday at the US Capitol, the first woman so honoured in the United States. Trump set to announce nominee later today.

FOOTBALL & CORONAVIRUS

World Cup ties pose selection dilemmas for Albiceleste

Today 10:25 Putting out an Albiceleste XI for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers is an acute logistical and selection dilemma for Lionel Scaloni. But despite the difficulties, some of Argentina’s old-guard still can’t find a spot in the squad.

by Dan Edwards

While it may seem unlikely, a global pandemic can sometimes be an opportunity. This seems to be the case for Juan Guaidó.

GUEST VOICE

Juan Guaidó’s R2P bet: all bark, no bite?

Today 10:19 While it may seem unlikely, a global pandemic can sometimes be an opportunity. This seems to be the case for Juan Guaidó.

by Andrei Serbin Pont

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Unemployment, the other pandemic

Today 10:15 Will this relentless agitation unleash the kind of volatility that rattles the very standing of the government, less than a year after winning the elections?

by Martín Gambarotta

Firefighters work to put out fires in Villa Giardino, Córdoba.

ENVIRONMENT

Forest fires rip through Córdoba and nine other provinces

Today 10:11 Hundreds of firefighters battled to put out forest fires throughout the country this week, with the worst outbreaks recorded in Córdoba Province.

Pigs are seen at a pig farm in Marcos Paz municipality, Buenos Aires.

EXPORTS & ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

China delivers opportunity and controversy for Argentina’s pork sector

Today 10:00 Proposed deal with China is a chance to boost Argentine exports, but environmentalists are strongly opposed to it.

Argentines, scarred from decades of economic booms and busts, are beginning to withdraw dollar deposits held at local banks after the latest round of measures to tighten capital controls.

FINANCIAL TURBULENCE

Argentines are starting to withdraw dollar savings from banks

Today 09:54 Data suggests savers are now choosing to hold the physical dollars versus keeping them at the bank, on concerns that more severe restrictions could be on the way.

Doctors attend a patient with the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19, at the Professor Alejandro Posadas National Hospital on El Palomar.

HEALTH

Doctors exhausted after six months of battling coronavirus

Today 09:46 Staff at the Posadas Hospital, the biggest in Argentina, are feeling the strain as Covid-19 continues to spread.

Fabiola, pictured with her family. On the right, her police identification photo.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Police deaths in Salta highlight threat facing frontline workers

Today 09:43 Frontline workers are bearing the brunt of Covid-19 in the northern province of Salta, with the deaths of two doctors and three police officers in the past week alone.

by Nick Evans

HUMAN RIGHTS

Court grants Etchecolatz house arrest – but other rulings keep him behind bars

Today 09:35 Infamous human rights violator, guilty of multiple crimes against humanity dating back to 1976-1983 military dictatorship, granted house arrest by court, but previous rulings prevent him from leaving jail.

A woman protesting against the judicial reform.

THE MOST IMPORTANT STORIES OF THE LAST SEVEN DAYS

19th September- 26th September: What we learned this week.

Today 09:29 Our pick of stories from the last seven days in Argentina

EDITORIAL

Keeping abreast of a changing world

Today 09:22 More than superb ammunition for gossip columnists or an accident waiting to happen with the technological hazards of virtual sessions, this disgrace might well prove to be the match lighting a new “Begone with them all” powder-keg.

A doctor throws off his gloves after seeing patient at the Professor Alejandro Posadas National Hospital in the municipality of El Palomar.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Death toll reaches 15,000 as Covid-19 surge continues

Today 09:17 More than 400 fatalities and 12,000 new cases confirmed Friday as total infections nears 700,000.

Alberto Fernandez, President of Argentina.

LA GRIETA

What we've got here is failure to communicate

Today 09:13 There are at least two major elements to conducting public policy: the construction and execution of successful strategic plans and their communication, in order to generate the correct expectations.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Frente de Todos lawmaker, Juan Emilio Ameri.

SCANDAL IN CONGRESS

Lawmaker resigns post amid breast-kissing scandal

Today 09:05 Frente de Todos lawmaker Juan Emilio Ameri dramatically suspended from Congress after kissing his partner’s breast during a remote videoconference session with fellow legislators. Hours later, he resigned his post.

It is hard to know what is going on in Alberto’s mind because, like Humpty Dumpty, when he speaks the meaning of the words he utters depends on the circumstances.

AS I SEE IT

The incredible shrinking peso

Today 08:58 The desperate attempts that are being made to keep the dollar out of arm’s reach are bound to prove counterproductive; it is the government’s way of inadvertently warning people that, yet again, the economy is going under.

by James Neilson

Cecilia Avila holds her daughter Triana, as she stands outside her makeshift home at the Guernica encampment.

POVERTY & THE PANDEMIC

Land occupations and rising poverty pose problems for Peronism

Today 08:53 The eviction of squatters at the Guernica encampment in Buenos Aires Province has been temporarily delayed – but the problems it poses and represents aren’t going away anytime soon.

Miguel Pesce interviewed by Jorge Fontevecchia.

PERIODISMO PURO | INTERVIEW

Miguel Pesce: ‘A dollar at 130 pesos would inflict unbearable levels of poverty’

Today 08:45 Following a week of difficult announcements, Central Bank chief Miguel Pesce sits down for a feature-length interview to explain the government’s logic in what he describes as “very arduous situation, aggravated by the action of speculators.” Nevertheless, Pesce remains optimistic over 2021 growth, lower inflation and export possibilities.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

In this file photo taken on February 23, 2020, members of the Viradouro samba school perform during the first night of Rio's carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Pandemic postponement

Rio postpones world-famous carnival over Covid-19

Yesterdat 12:36 Rio de Janeiro's world-famous carnival parades became the latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, as officials announced event's indefinite postponement for the first time in more than a century

A view of the German carmaker Volkswagen's plant in São Bernardo do Campo, 25 km south of São Paulo, Brazil.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Volkswagen pay-out to Brazil regime victims reopens debate on justice

Yesterdat 12:31 Volkswagen confirms it has signed a historic deal with the Brazilian state and federal prosecutors to pay US$6.4 million in compensation for its part in atrocities of military dictatorship.

In this file photo taken on March 13, 2019, Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi (right) celebrates a goal with Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez.

FOOTBALL

'Nothing surprises me anymore' – Messi laments Suárez departure

Yesterdat 12:24 Lionel Messi bid an emotional farewell on Friday to Luis Suárez, the day after the Uruguayan striker had said tearful goodbyes to Barcelona after the club sent him to Atlético Madrid.

An evening harvest in Buenos Aires Province.

BLOOMBERG

In Argentina’s soy stand-off, US rivals emerge as winners

Yesterdat 12:18 Argentina’s tightening currency restrictions are wreaking havoc in everything from corporate debt to Netflix subscriptions. But there’s one unintended beneficiary: US soybean crushers.

A picture of Oscar Farías, who died of Covid-19 on April 27, is seen at his son's house in Buenos Aires, on June 30, 2020.

Global pandemic

Latin America's virus victims, and the spaces they leave behind

Yesterdat 12:11 Global deaths from the coronavirus have almost reached the grim threshold of one million. Around one-third of fatalities were in Latin America, where countries with overstretched medical resources are preparing for a further onslaught.

BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS

Rout in billionaire family's bonds shows no-one trusts Argentina

Yesterdat 11:55 For all of Argentina’s assurances that a round of capital controls announced last week are only temporary, investors are making the opposite bet – and the evidence is there for all to see.

Relatives of the ARA San Juan submarine's lost crew stage a rally in Mar del Plata in this file photograph.

ILLEGAL ESPIONAGE CLAIMS

Officials: Intelligence services spied on relatives of ARA San Juan's lost crew

Yesterdat 01:37 Defence Minister Agustín Rossi and AFI trustee Cristina Caamaño say families of submarine's missing crew were subject to illegal espionage from intelligence services during Mauricio Macri administration.

SCANDAL IN CONGRESS

Lawmaker suspended after kissing partner’s breast during Congress session

24-09-2020 23:24 Salta lawmaker Juan Emilio Ameri was dramatically suspended from Congress on Thursday night after he kissing his partner’s breast during a remote videoconference session with fellow legislators.

New financing programme

IMF says it will send mission team to Argentina in October

24-09-2020 18:50 IMF says a mission team will visit Argentina at the start of next month, as talks over a new financing programme begin in earnest.

A doctor is pictured at the Dr Alberto Antranik Eurnekian Public Hospital in Ezeiza, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bloomberg

Argentina’s virus outbreak rages while region gets some relief

24-09-2020 15:13 As some relief finally arrives to countries across the region, Argentina is seeing cases spread to ill-prepared interior provinces and daily death records set on multiple days this week.

Police and protesters converge during a demonstration, Wednesday, September 23, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky. A grand jury has indicted one officer on criminal charges six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police in Kentucky. The jury presented its decision against fired officer Brett Hankison Wednesday to a judge in Louisville, where the shooting took place.

US Racial Unrest

Dismay over Breonna Taylor spills into America's streets

24-09-2020 14:22 No officers were charged for the killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, causing another wave of protests in the United States over racial injustice.

Members of leftist organisations hold signs during a protest against economic measures taken by the government in Buenos Aires on September 17, 2020.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Unemployment in Argentina rises to 16-year high of 13.1%

23-09-2020 19:37 Joblessness rose to 13.1% in the second quarter of the year, INDEC reveals, revealed Wednesday, pushed higher by economic turmoil and the coronavirus pandemic.

FOOTBALL

Ángel Di María gets four-match spitting ban

23-09-2020 18:32 Paris Saint-Germain winger receives a four-match ban for spitting during game which saw five players red-carded and claims by Neymar of racial abuse.

This handout picture released by Bolivian Presidency shows Bolivia's interim president Jeanine Añez speaking during a press conference.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Bolivia's leader criticises Argentina at UN for harbouring Evo Morales

23-09-2020 18:18 Bolivia's interim leader criticises Argentina for its "harbouring" of the country's former president Evo Morales, who she accuses of conspiring to foment unrest in her country.

University students march holding a poster with a message that reads in Spanish: "Who killed them?" during a demonstration against a wave of massacres, in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, September 21, 2020.

Murders in Colombia

Wave of massacres signals new chapter in Colombia's conflict

23-09-2020 17:35 Rather than a national dispute between guerrillas and the state, violence in rural Colombia is now marked by a patchwork of local feuds between criminal groups who fight over drug routes, illegal mines and even gasoline smuggling routes.

View of the empty Puente de la Mujer rotating footbridge in Puerto Madero neighbourhood in Buenos Aires City, seen on March 20, 2020 during the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Covid-19.

Bloomberg

Argentina yield curve inverts as forex controls spook investors

23-09-2020 16:36 Less than a month after Argentina’s US$65-billion debt restructuring, bond prices show growing concern the government may struggle to pay its obligations.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters and journalists as he arrives to give a news conference on the new coronavirus at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, March 27, 2020.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

Brazil rejects deforestation concerns on EU-Mercosur deal

23-09-2020 16:12 Brazil hits back at European reluctance to finalise EU-Mercosur trade deal, saying a French report on environmental concerns is motivated by "protectionist interests."

President Alberto Fernández records his broadcast to the United Nations at the Casa Rosada.

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Fernández reiterates Malvinas sovereignty claim in first UN appearance

22-09-2020 22:40 President expresses support for multilateralism and challenges world leaders to use the health crisis as a moment of inflection to find solutions for other scourges as well.

A man walks in front of the national Congress building during the lockdown imposed by the government to tackle the spread of the new Coronavirus, Covid-19, in Buenos Aires on June 9, 2020.

Coronavirus pandemic

Virus deaths surpass record high for second straight day

22-09-2020 22:25 Argentina reported a daily high of 470 deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, the second straight day that a record number of fatalities has been recorded.

Former president

Mauricio Macri spends night in hospital, has 'benign tumour' removed

22-09-2020 22:12 Former president hospitalised for intestinal studies consisting of endoscopy for polyps in his colon. Doctor confirms procedure was scheduled beforehand and resulted in removal of "benign tumour."

More than 300 firefighters battled forest fires on Monday night in Córdoba Province.

FLAMES RAGE

New forest fires rip through Córdoba Province

22-09-2020 18:19 Forest fires ripped through Córdoba Province on Monday night, sparking dozens of evacuations and leaving at least two firefighters with severe burns.

The Bodega Santa Julia Finca Maipu vineyard in Mendoza.

Bloomberg

Mendoza Province said to win majority support for debt swap

22-09-2020 18:02 Mendoza set to become first provincial government to successfully reach a deal to restructure its own foreign debt, following in footsteps of national government.

Buenos Aires Province has been cut to selective default by S&P Global Ratings after it missed a deadline to make a US$150-million payment.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Argentina's GDP slumped 19.1% in second quarter of 2020

22-09-2020 17:30 INDEC says economy posted sharpest quarterly contraction in recent history, though still narrowly beating economists’ forecasts.

Nurses are given medical attention after clashes with City Police.

CLASHES WITH POLICE

Protesting nurses wounded in clashes with City Police

22-09-2020 09:16 Police officers clashed with protesting nurses outside the Buenos Aires City Legislature on Monday, with a number of demonstrators walking away wounded.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he is surrounded by supporters while visiting the residence of an adviser in Brasília, on August 23, 2020. Bolsonaro on Sunday threatened to punch a reporter repeatedly in the mouth after being asked about his wife's links to an alleged corruption scheme. "I so want to pound your mouth with punches," the far-right president said when a reporter from O Globo, posed the question.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Bolsonaro faces growing pressure to green Brazil economy

22-09-2020 08:38 As environmental problems bruise Brazil's international image, bankers, business executives and even agribusiness firms are calling for a greener economy, adding to pressure on outspoken president.

Sex workers rally to protest against police brutality and coronavirus restrictions during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, in Buenos Aires.

Protest in capital

Sex workers stage protest in Buenos Aires

22-09-2020 01:25 Sex workers demand right to return to work, denounce police violence and demand reopening of hotels, as group warns they face “situation of extreme vulnerability.”

In this photo provided by the United Nations, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, left, and General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, from Turkey, confer prior to the start of the General Assembly meeting commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, Monday, September 21, 2020.

75 YEARS OF UNITED NATIONS

Born to prevent war, UN at 75 faces a deeply polarised world

21-09-2020 23:44 “We have a surplus of multilateral challenges and a deficit of multilateral solutions,” declares António Guterres, as UN secretary general leads celebrations marking organisation's 75th anniversary.

A doctor walks at the Professor Alejandro Posadas National Hospital in the municipality of El Palomar, Buenos Aires Province, on September 18, 2020.

Coronavirus pandemic

Health Ministry confirms 429 new deaths, highest daily toll yet

21-09-2020 23:26 Argentina reported a daily record of 429 deaths from Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the country’s fatalities to 13,482.

BLOOMBERG

Argentines are finding it almost impossible to purchase dollars

21-09-2020 19:28 Savers are finding it impossible to buy dollars through official channels as banks struggle to adjust to rule changes that tightened restrictions.

The national flag flies outside the Casa Rosada.

BLOOMBERG

Argentina’s new bonds plunge deep into distressed territory

21-09-2020 17:11 Argentina’s new dollar bonds have plunged back into distressed territory just two weeks after the nation restructured almost US$65 billion in debt.

US President Donald Trump wraps up his speech at a campaign rally at Fayetteville Regional Airport, Saturday, September 19, 2020, in Fayetteville

US SUPREME COURT

Trump to make court pick by Saturday, before Ginsburg burial

21-09-2020 16:11 US president says he expects to announce pick for the Supreme Court by week’s end, before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is buried.

Customers eat sunday lunches at tables outside restaurants in Soho, in London on September 20, 2020 as the British government consider fresh nationwide restrictions after an rise in cases of the novel coronavirus. The government this week tightened restrictions on socialising because of a surge in coronavirus cases, and imposed local lockdowns across swathes of the country.

Global pandemic

UK public warned to get serious as Covid toll set to surge

21-09-2020 09:02 England is on track for about 50,000 coronavirus cases a day by mid-October and a surging death toll unless the public gets serious about preventive action, top UK advisors warn.

Peru's President Martín Vizcarra attends the start of a house-to-house coronavirus testing drive and food distribution in Villa el Salvador, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, September 15, 2020.

Impeachment bid

Peru president survives impeachment vote amid virus turmoil

21-09-2020 08:49 Martín Vizcarra easily survives an impeachment vote after opposition lawmakers failed to amass enough support to oust the Peruvian leader struggling with one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.

In this file picture taken on August 15, 2020, smoke and flames rise from an illegally lit fire in Amazon rainforest reserve, south of Novo Progresso in Para State, Brazil.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

Key EU states fear Mercosur pact may hurt Amazon

21-09-2020 08:22 EU commissioner admits not all EU nations "are aligned" on trade deal with Mercosur nations, as fears historic accord could hurt the Amazon grow.

Anti-government protesters in cars demonstrate in downtown Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Coronavirus pandemic

Anti-government protesters take to streets across country

20-09-2020 22:30 Rallies take place in cities across Argentina for a second consecutive Saturday, as demonstrators express anger at coronavirus lockdown, currency controls, controversial transfer of judges and judicial reform bill.

Commuters wearing protective masks wait for a bus in Mexico City.

Global pandemic

Latin America's cities bustle like Covid is gone – but it’s not

20-09-2020 21:57 In Latin America’s big cities, as in other places around the globe, it almost feels like the virus never happened.

Leopoldo Bruglia, Pablo Bertuzzi, Germán Castelli.

CORRUPTION, CONGRESS & THE COURTS

Fernández issues decree formalising removal of judges probing CFK

19-09-2020 10:25 Opposition walks out of Senate vote to decide fate of magistrates promoted during Macri presidency, accusing government of seeking impunity for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, President of IDB.

INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Claver-Carone promises to unify region after winning IDB vote

19-09-2020 10:19 Ex-Trump aide wins vote to become new president of the Inter-American Development bank, making him first non-Latin American head of institution.

FORMER PRESIDENT RE-EMERGES

Why Macri re-appeared and broke his silence

19-09-2020 10:13 Former president returns to prominence with scathing La Nación column. Sources close to the PRO leader describe his view of Cristina, Alberto and the opposition coalition.

by Ezequiel Spillman

AS I SEE IT

Making the most of failure

19-09-2020 10:01 Argentina has long been in the hands of individuals who reach power by attributing the country’s woes to the stupidity of their political rivals, but who once in office do not have the slightest idea of how to improve matters.

by James Neilson

Flowers and light candies outside the US Supreme Court Friday, September 18, 2020, in Washington, after the Supreme Court announced that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at age 87.

Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

McConnell vows quick vote on next US Supreme Ct justice; Biden says wait

19-09-2020 09:59 Ruth Bader Ginsburg's untimely death cast an immediate spotlight on the crucial high court vacancy, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell quickly vowing to bring to a vote whoever US President Donald Trump nominates.

Argentina’s exasperating affair with the dollar is a recurring issue.

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Dollar blues

19-09-2020 09:51 Argentina’s exasperating affair with the dollar is a recurring issue.

by Martín Gambarotta

The future of Argentina: chavism VS neoliberalism.

CULTURAL CRUSADES

Is Argentina really on track to become the next Venezuela?

19-09-2020 09:44 Cristina’s old agenda – the one that expired in 2015 with her last presidential mandate – appears to be back on the table.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Two individuals are stopped by Border Guard officers, attempting to smuggle bags of coca leaves.

NORTHERN ARGENTINA

Covid border closures prompt surge in coca smuggling

19-09-2020 09:40 Coca leaves grown in Bolivia can be sold for 10 times its value in Argentina, and with borders closed, the shortage in supply has lead to surge in smuggling.

by Nick Evans

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Centenarians overcome the odds to survive coronavirus

19-09-2020 09:33 Yolanda Gugliotti, 109, and Francisca Arguello de Samame, 101, were both given the all-clear this week after being infected with Covid-19.

CAPITAL CONTROLS

Pesce and Guzmán split over curbs on dollar purchases

19-09-2020 09:26 Government’s economic team split on latest crackdown, as well as how long new rules should remain in place.

THE WEEK IN ARGENTINA

What we learned this week: September 12 to 19

19-09-2020 09:18 Stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.

EDITORIAL

Anything but green

19-09-2020 09:11 The intensified capital controls so rattling market confidence may have been a hasty improvisation but were in no way on the spur of the moment – on the contrary, they stem from months of procrastination and denial.

Thomas Casavieja poses for a picture during an interview inside the Banco Nación branch where he works, in Buenos Aires, on September 9, 2020.

TRANS RIGHTS

More than just a quota – trangender workers hail new inclusion policy

19-09-2020 09:06 Trangender workers praise Argentina’s job quota inclusion policy, saying it’s a step towards acceptance for a much discriminated against community.

Virginia García Beaudou, professor, advocate, author and communications specialist.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Virginia García Beaudoux: ‘Feminism makes diversity visible’

19-09-2020 08:59 Professor, advocate, author and communications specialist Virginia García Beaudoux has been studying sexism in politics since the late 1990s. In an interview with the Times, she discusses female leadership, diversity, prejudice and more.

by Anina Hoffman

TRADE & BUSINESS

Fernández asks firms to trust Argentina amid reports of ‘exodus’

19-09-2020 08:47 Business decisions by Falabella and Glovo grab the headlines and spark speculation, with the former announcing it will shutter four stores and the latter selling off all its Latin America operations.

A doctor, dressed in full protective gear, looks out from an intensive care unit designated for COVID-19 patients.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Government extends coronavirus lockdown until October 11

19-09-2020 08:33 Government warns citizens not to relax as infections reach 613,000. Buenos Aires City to relax some measures as surge in cases draws attention to inland provinces.

CAPITAL CONTROLS

Fernandez defends new currency controls as blue dollar soars

19-09-2020 08:25 Economists question wisdom of new Central Bank measures, which hit small savers as well as companies. Blue dollar closes week at more than 140 per greenback.

In this July 31, 2014, photo, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in her chambers in at the Supreme Court in Washington.

Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

18-09-2020 21:07 Champion of women's rights and United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died from complications of pancreatic cancer, according to the court.

Coronavirus pandemic

Equine serum tested on Covid-19 patients at 18 health centres

18-09-2020 15:15 Clinical studies of a hyperimmune equine serum to combat Covid-19 are being carried out on patients in 18 hospitals in Argentina.

In this December 31, 2019 file photo, Pope Francis stops by the Nativity exposed in St. Peter's square after presiding over vespers of the Feast of St. Mary and Te Deum of Thanksgiving at year's end, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope seeks to 'liberate' Virgin Mary from the Mafia

18-09-2020 14:15 Pope Francis gives blessing to new Vatican think tank that seeks to prevent the Mafia and organised crime groups from exploiting the image of the Virgin Mary for their own illicit ends.

Gonzalo Higuaín, pictured in training for Inter Miami.

FOOTBALL TRANSFERS

Higuaín heads to MLS, signs for Beckham's Inter Miami

18-09-2020 13:24 Argentine number 9 signs for David Beckham's Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami, day after departing Juventus.

Demonstrators hold signs during a rally in Buenos Aires on September 17, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

POVERTY & THE PANDEMIC

Protesters call on government to block eviction of Guernica camp

18-09-2020 11:05 More than 1,500 people protested in Buenos Aires on Thursday, calling for the government to prevent the eviction of land occupied by poverty-stricken families and homeless individuals.

MINING

Chile court shuts Pascua Lama gold mine over environmental fears

18-09-2020 10:44 Chile's environmental court issues final order to close Canadian company Barrick Gold's huge Pascua Lama mining project, on hold since 2013 over environmental concerns.

This file aerial photo taken on August 23, 2019 shows a deforested piece of land in the Amazon rainforest near an area affected by fires, about 65 km from Porto Velho, in the state of Rondonia, in northern Brazil.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

France says opposes EU-Mercosur trade deal over deforestation concerns

18-09-2020 10:38 France opposed to free-trade deal in its current form due to "major" concerns about deforestation in the region, the government said on Friday.

COPA LIBERTADORES

Argentine sides return to action in Copa Libertadores

17-09-2020 23:52 All five of Argentina's Copa Libertadores participants were back in action in the continental competition this week, dusting off the cobwebs after the extended, seemingly endless absence forced upon them by the coronavirus pandemic.

by Dan Edwards

A general view of the Congress on December 19, 2019.

BLOOMBERG

Offshore millionaires become target of wealth tax bill

17-09-2020 19:34 Government plans to broaden bill imposing taxes on the rich in order to reach non-residents and their investments in Argentine companies, according to lawmaker Carlos Heller.

CONGRESS, CORRUPTION & THE COURTS

Fernández signs decree formalising removal of judges investigating CFK

17-09-2020 19:21 In wake of Senate vote boycotted by opposition, president signs three decrees to annul transfers of three judges involved in corruption cases against Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

In this August 13, 2020 file photo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi waves as he arrives at the the team's hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.

WORLD FOOTBALL

World Cup fixture pile-up overshadows FIFA Congress

17-09-2020 16:43 When the 70th FIFA Congress meets on Friday, one issue will very much be on members’ minds – how to find time in the football calendar for hundreds of qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup.

by Anthony Harwood

Bloomberg

Pesce, Guzmán split over curbs on dollar purchases

17-09-2020 16:19 Argentina's economic team split on latest crackdown, as well as how long new rules should remain in place.

French President Emmanuel Macron attends the podium ceremony after the finish line atop the Loze pass (Col de la Loze) at the end of the 17th stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 170 km between Grenoble and Meribel, on September 16, 2020.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

NGOs ask Macron to 'bury' EU-Mercosur agreement

17-09-2020 03:12 More than 30 NGOs join forces, sending open letter to French leader Emmanuel Macron asking him to "bury" EU-Mercosur trade deal over environmental concerns.

Bolivian presidential candidate for the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, Luis Arce (right), speaks next to his running mate David Choquehuanca during a press conference in La Paz on September 14, 2020 ahead of the October 18 general elections.

BOLIVIAN ELECTION

Evo Morales' candidate rides high in polls ahead of Bolivia vote

16-09-2020 23:39 Former economy minister Luis Arce polling at 29.2% ahead of October election, well ahead of his nearest rival, former president Carlos Mesa, who polled at 19% in most recent poll.

The headquarters of state-run energy firm YPF.

BLOOMBERG

YPF leads Argentina corporate bond rout on new forex limits

16-09-2020 23:27 Corporate bonds from Argentina posted their biggest decline in six months on Wednesday as a new round of capital controls and government restrictions on access to dollars threatened to provoke a wave of defaults.

A general view of Casa Rosada governement palace during the lockdown imposed by the government against the spread of the new Coronavirus, COVID-19, in Buenos Aires, on June 9, 2020.

Bloomberg

Argentina bonds fall with tighter foreign-exchange controls

16-09-2020 23:23 Argentine bonds fell Wednesday after the government expanded restrictions on foreign exchange in an attempt to hold onto US dollars as reserves dwindle.

Shoppers line up alongside a newly re-opened toyshop in Buenos Aires.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

INDEC says inflation in August reached 2.7%

16-09-2020 18:24 Consumer prices in Argentina increased 2.7% in August and have risen 18.9% since the turn of the year.

Yoshihide Suga is applauded after being elected as Japan's new prime minister at parliament's lower house in Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020.

Asia

Yoshihide Suga named Japan's prime minister, succeeding Abe

16-09-2020 15:54 Japan's Parliament elected Yoshihide Suga as prime minister Wednesday, replacing long-serving leader Shinzo Abe with his right-hand man.

The world economy will shrink 4.5 percent this year, less than the six percent forecast in June, the OECD said.

Bloomberg

World economy seen withstanding virus better than forecast

16-09-2020 15:35 OECD upgrades the global outlook, but makes huge downward revisions to a number of emerging markets. India, Argentina, Mexico and South Africa will suffer more than predicted in June, it says.

In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks at a press conference at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Experts cite 'crimes against humanity' in Maduro's Venezuela

16-09-2020 15:25 Independent experts for UN's top human rights body accuse Maduro administration of torture and killings, claiming security forces have used techniques like electric shocks, genital mutilation and asphyxiation against detainees.

Racing Club and Peru’s Alianza Lima play behind closed doors.

Football

Copa Libertadores restarts despite coronavirus risks

16-09-2020 15:19 Six months after it was stopped by the coronavirus pandemic, the Copa Libertadores restarted on Tuesday with teams at different levels of readiness.

The Central Bank of Argentina stands in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019.

CURRENCY CONTROLS

Central Bank tightens currency controls as peso weakens

16-09-2020 10:29 Central Bank tightens conditions for the purchase of foreign currency, to prevent hoarding, preserve reserves and discourage demand for US dollars.

The Congress building, pictured during the coronavirus lockdown.

Budget proposal

Fernández's first Budget projects 5.5% growth in 2021

16-09-2020 01:17 Government's budget bill forecast for 2021: economic growth of 5.5%, primary fiscal deficit of 4.5%, inflation at 29% and 102 pesos per dollar.

There were clashes between demonstrators and police in Laferrere after the death of a six-year-old boy in a drag race.

BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE

Protesters clash with police after six-year-old killed in illegal drag race

16-09-2020 00:33 Tensions rise again in Buenos Aires Province as demonstrators clash with police in Gregorio de Laferrere. Protesters demand justice after six-year-old boy is run over in illegal drag race.

TRADE & COMMERCE

In midst of global recession, Argentina sets out in search of new markets

15-09-2020 18:16 Argentina is looking for new markets for its products in a world sunk in recession. The goal: to raise annual exports from US$65 to US$100 billion, according to government official Jorge Neme.

In this September 6, 2017 photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), fish swim in a reef at Pearl and Hermes Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

ENVIRONMENT

World isn't meeting any biodiversity goals, UN report finds

15-09-2020 15:29 Countries are set to miss all of the targets they set themselves a decade ago to preserve nature and save Earth's vital biodiversity, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks during his daily morning press conference in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua State, Mexico.

LATIN AMERICA

Mexican president wants referendum on judging predecessors

15-09-2020 15:19 Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday asked the Senate for a referendum on whether to prosecute five of his predecessors over allegations including corruption.

MONEY IN SPORT

Messi joins exclusive club of sporting billionaires

15-09-2020 14:36 Argentine superstar's career earnings of over US$1 billion places the six-time Ballon d'Or winner in a group of mega-wealthy sports figures containing just Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather and his great rival on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo.

In this January 15, 2020 photo, the newly elected head of the Inter-American Development Bank, Mauricio Claver-Carone, speaks to the press after meeting with Bolivian Foreign Minister Karen Longaric in La Paz, Bolivia.

IDB Presidency

New IDB boss Claver-Carone says he'll work for all of Latin America

15-09-2020 12:40 Mauricio Claver-Carone has been voted the new president of the Inter-American Development bank, making him the first non-Latin American head of the institution.