Argentina: HS Students Occupy Schools Demanding Higher Budget

Argentine high school students have taken over 15 schools in Buenos Aires to demand an increase in the city's education budget. The right-wing city government has cut the education budget, leading to shortcomings in school infrastructure and a need for building repairs and maintenance. Students charge that their activism has been targeted by city authorities but that they have the support of their parents and teachers. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentine Voters to Select Parlasur Representatives

In the upcoming October 25 general elections, for the first time ever, Argentine voters will directly elect 43 representatives to the Parlasur, the Mercosur parliament. Its members were previously selected by the country's legislators. The Mercosur is a regional trade and integration body comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Paraguay. The direct election will bring the issue of regional integration directly before the voters. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires

Argentine Legislators Express Solidarity with Ecuador

Members of the Argentine congress formed a parliamentary friendship group with Ecuador on Thursday and expressed their support for President Rafael Correa's government. The legislators will be presenting a motion to be voted on in congress in solidarity with Ecuadorean democracy. Social organizations, intellectuals and political activists will also be mobilizing in support of the Citizens' Revolution. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina Investigating HSBC for Economic Offenses

Argentina Federal Tax Agency authorities and legislators flew over to Paris to meet with former HSBC employees as part of their investigations into allegations that international banks committed economic felonies. The HSBC is accused of capital flight, tax evasion, and money laundering. Following the visit, authorities will seek to bring those guilty to justice and prepare new financial regulations to avoid such fraudulent banking practices in the future. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina: First Space Engineering Degree in Latin America

The first academic degree in Space Engineering has been created at the University of San Martin in Latin America. According to the university’s School of Science and Technology, the goal is to generate the necessary knowledge to support the country’s growing space research industry. The move comes less than a year after the first Argentine satellite was launched into orbit. Two more are planned for the coming year, indicating a promising future for Argentina in space technology. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires for teleSUR. 

Argentina to Boost Social Welfare Allowances

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez announced on Monday that she would be sending a bill to Congress to increase social welfare payments. The bill would mandate two mandatory increases per year in the country's two most important social welfare programs, the universal child allowance and the universal pregnancy allowance, and in other similar plans. Current funding for these programs will be immediately increased by 30%. The bill is expected to be supported by both the ruling party and the opposition. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Malvinas Dispute Still An Open Wound in Argentine Society

Argentina's claim to the Malvinas Islands remains an ongoing issue in the South American country. An event was held at the Malvinas Museum on Wednesday to mark the day of reaffirmation of Argentina's sovereign rights to the Malvinas Islands. The day of affirmation coincides with the anniversary of when Argentina first settled the archipelago in 1829. The issue has received renewed attention as veterans of the 1982 war with Great Britain have received recognition and financial compensation for their service. Despite London's refusal to negotiate a settlement to the dispute over what Britain calls the Falkland Islands, the issue remains high on Argentina's diplomatic agenda. Argentina has received in its claim from the rest of Latin America. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

FAO Lauds Argentine Efforts to Eradicate Hunger

Argentina was recognized by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) for its efforts to eradicate hunger. At the FAO's 39th biannual meeting held in Rome, President Cristina Fernandez said the achievements were possible due to the country's improved distribution of wealth, which has also led to advances in health and educational levels. The FAO's representative in Argentina, Valdir Welte, stressed the role of small farmers in feeding the country, as agribusiness has largely focused its efforts on exports. Welte praised Argentine government agricultural programs that train the urban and rural population on how best to make use of limited available land, offer financial support to family farms, legalize property ownership, and provide infrastructure for growers to market their crops. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina: President Fernandez to visit Pope Francis on Sunday

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez will visit Pope Francis this Sunday in what will be mostly a ceremonial meeting. This will be the fifth time the two heads of state have met since Pope Francis took office in 2013. The meeting was requested by the Argentine government and is seen as a prelude to the Pope’s visit to the country in July. It is also widely interpreted as support for the efforts of the Fernandez government to reduce poverty and implement changes for the benefit of the country. Although many Argentine politicians have requested meetings with Pope Francis, Fernandez is the only official who has been welcomed at the Vatican.

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires for teleSUR.

Argentine Protests Target Gender Violence Against Women

Every 30 hours a woman is killed in Argentina. Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators participated in rallies in Buenos Aires and other cities against femicides and other manifestations of machismo, such as in the workplace and the media. The protests were called by journalist and feminist organizations and organized through the social media. Activists say that while the legislation adopted in recent years is progressive, effective policies must be developed by all branches of government to address gender violence against women and other forms of sexism and attend to victims of such practices. Yesterday's massive rallies reflect the struggle underway in Argentine society against machismo. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina: HSBC Investigation Extended Due to Allegations of New Crime

The local branch of the HSBC bank is accused of tax evasion and money laundering operations. The Financial Information Unit of Argentina’s anti-money-laundering office accused HSBC of hiding documents that prove its deliberate participation in money-laundering maneuvers for over US$6billion, thereby harming the Argentine economy. The FIU is anxious to avoid more cases of capital flight and tax evasion, which have been taking place in Argentina for years. Its spokesperson says this is not the first time HSBC has engaged in such processes and that it has also been accused of similar offenses in other countries in conjunction with criminal organizations. In Mexico, for example, HSBC was fined US$1.9 billion for laundering approximately US$7billion for the Sinaloa cartel. And the Treasurer at the time is the current manager of the Argentine branch. This kind of conduct speaks volumes about multi-national financial powers who have no problem violating local legislation and sovereignty as long as they can pursue maximum profits. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires for teleSUR.

Argentina: Che Guevara Eye Clinic Opens

Hundreds of people gathered in Cordoba City in the central region of Argentina for the inauguration of the Dr. Ernesto “Che” Guevara Ophthalmological Clinic on Thursday. It is part of the Operation Miracle health care initiative of the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of our America (ALBA), conceived by former Venezuelan and Cuban presidents, Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, to provide free medical attention to people affected by visual diseases. Operation Miracle has restored the eyesight of millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean. The clinic was built by the A Better World is Possible Foundation with the endorsement of the Cuban and Venezuelan governments. It is inspired by the Cuban health care model and the Venezuelan Barrio Adentro medical program developed since 2004. Clinic Director Lucia Coronel said that the project is the result of years of work, while Che Guevara’s daughter Aleida said that the fact that the clinic has been built in a country that is not yet part of Alba means that “we do not work with government, but instead with peoples.” 

Laureano Ponce reports from Córdoba, Argentina, for teleSUR.

Argentina: Court Injunction Blocks Citibank Hedge Fund Transactions

The Argentine judiciary issued an injunction at the request of the Economy Ministry blocking Citibank from implementing any deal with hedge funds that would damage the national economy. The injunction will block the payment of locally issued bonds and require Citibank to abide by Argentine law and not agreements entered into by its home office with vulture funds. The court decision strengthens Argentina's defense of its national sovereignty against speculative movements by the vulture funds. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina: May Revolution Celebrated by a Million People

More than a million people turned out in Buenos Aires to celebrate the 205th anniversary of the May Revolution on Monday. Carmen Lorefice, a Mother of the Plaza de Mayo called for the continuation of policies implemented by ex President Nestor Kirschner since 2003 and carried on by his wife and current President Cristina Fernandez. The center of the celebrations was the historical Plaza de Mayo, where they wound up on Monday with a huge popular rally addressed by the President, who called on the people to defend what they have achieved in recent years. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires for teleSUR.

Latin America's Largest Cultural Center Opens its Doors

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez inaugurated the Nestor Kirchner Cultural Center in Buenos Aires yesterday. The cultural center is Latin America's largest, covering 100,000 square meters. It is expected to receive five million visitors per year. In her opening remarks, Fernandez said that from 2003 to 2015, the Argentine government had allocated US$14 billion to cultural infrastructure, not including the cinema institute and other Cultural Ministry projects. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina: Celebrations Mark May Revolution Continue

Celebrations continue in Argentina marking the May Revolution, which launched the country's War of Independence in 1810. The occasion is being marked by open air cultural festivals over the weekend in the emblematic Plaza de Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires featuring the country's top performers. Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the concerts. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentina Nationalizes Railways

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez presided over a rally Wednesday to celebrate the recently enacted law nationalizing the country's railways and mark the anniversary of the May Revolution of 1810, which led to the nation's independence. The law is considered a major step in reasserting Argentine national sovereignty, undermined by previous neoliberal governments. 

Laureano Ponce reports from Buenos Aires.