Violent police clashes at Argentine pensioners’ protest leave one in coma

 

More than 1,000 riot police were deployed outside the Argentine Congress building after football fans joined a protest by pensioners on Wednesday. Retirees have been gathering each week to demand an increase in the pension and the restoration of certain free medications, which have been hit by President Javier Milei’s austerity programme. Nearly 60% of retirees receive only the minimum pension payment, which is about $340 a month. From 23 March, those who have not completed 30 years of contributions will reportedly be unable to access the retirement pot. Estimates suggest thousands would be affected

 

Argentina: first major protests against Argentina's new president Javier Milei

Aires. Thousands of people are attending demonstrations opposing the president's drastic cuts to public spending. Civil groups and trade unions have called on members to protest Milei's economic shock measures.

Whales surprise two paddleboarders in Argentina

 

Two Argentine paddleboarders were surprised to see a whale swimming next to them in the coastal town of Monte Hermoso.

The pair can be seen paddling next to a whale and at one point they said they were surrounded by 12 of the animals.

During the video one paddleboarder is knocked off of their board by a whale fin but they both said the experience gave them an immense feeling of joy.

Argentina receives 300,000 doses of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

 

In Argentina, as many as 300,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Buenos Aires on Thursday morning, following its approval by the government for emergency use. The Russian-made vaccine will be administered from Monday.

Coronavirus Latin America: Prisoners and priests feed the poor

Of all countries in Latin America, Brazil is being hardest-hit by the coronavirus. As the country struggles to deal with the impact of the outbreak, an NGO called Eu Sou Eu, created by a group of former prisoners, has stepped up to distribute aid to the most vulnerable in Rio de Janeiro: those living in the favelas. Meanwhile, religious, social and private groups across Argentina have come together to try to help the country's most vulnerable during the pandemic. The initiative is called Seamos Uno, or Let Us Be One. Its mission is to distribute one million boxes of food and cleaning products in and around the capital Buenos Aires.

Radio La Colifata: Argentina's 'loony radio'

Mental patients broadcast around the world from an Argentine mental asylum.

More than 20 years ago, a psychology student doing his training at one of Argentina's oldest psychiatric wards kept being asked by his family and friends what it was like to work in there. So, he came up with an idea: to let the patients explain in their own words.

The first radio station to broadcast from inside a mental hospital was born.

Radio La Colifata - slang for "loon", or "crazy person", has been on air from Hospital Jose Borda in Buenos Aires every Saturday afternoon for 23 years - to confront the stigma around mental illness, breaking through the wall in AM, FM and now online.

Defiance of the Mapuche

Why the Mapuche of Argentina and Chile have been pushed to the brink of insurrection in defence of their ancient lands.

The Mapuche people of southern Argentina and Chile have long protested the loss of ancestral lands at the hands of the colonial-era settlers. The settlers followed Spanish conquistadors down the spine of South America in the 16th century, territory that nowadays is dominated by vast privately owned estates and huge timber plantations. Campaigners say the plantations have left the region environmentally depleted and the indigenous inhabitants mired in poverty.

Defiance of the Mapuche (video)

Why the Mapuche of Argentina and Chile have been pushed to the brink of insurrection in defence of their ancient lands

The Mapuche people of southern Argentina and Chile have long protested the loss of ancestral lands at the hands of the colonial-era settlers. The settlers followed Spanish conquistadors down the spine of South America in the 16th century, territory that nowadays is dominated by vast privately owned estates and huge timber plantations. Campaigners say the plantations have left the region environmentally depleted and the indigenous inhabitants mired in poverty.

Free Press in Argentina: A Sign of the Times

In Argentina, a group of journalists investigate land grabs and football as they try to keep their newspaper afloat.

After months of not being paid, a group of Argentinian journalists form a cooperative to take over their newspaper, Tiempo Argentino. One year later, as a wave of anti-government protests erupts across the country, the cooperative struggles to keep their newspaper afloat. 

Determined to have a voice, the journalists are forced to look for ways to reach a larger audience and bring in more revenue. They decide to investigate a real estate scheme involving President Macri and the country's most popular football club, Boca Juniors. 

Radio La Colifata: Argentina's 'loony radio'

How a radio station that broadcasts from inside a psychiatric hospital changes attitudes towards mental illness.

More than 20 years ago, a psychology student doing his training at one of Argentina's oldest psychiatric wards kept being asked by his family and friends what it was like to work in there. So he came up with an idea: to let the patients explain in their own words.

The first radio station to broadcast from inside a mental hospital was born.

Radio La Colifata - slang for loon, or crazy person, has been on air from Hospital Jose Borda in Buenos Aires every Saturday afternoon for 23 years - to confront the stigma around mental illness, breaking through the wall in AM, FM and now online.

Radio La Colifata: Argentina's 'loony radio'

How a radio station that broadcasts from inside a psychiatric hospital changes attitudes towards mental illness.



More than 20 years ago, a psychology student doing his training at one of Argentina's oldest psychiatric wards kept being asked by his family and friends what it was like to work in there. So he came up with an idea: to let the patients explain in their own words.

The first radio station to broadcast from inside a mental hospital was born.

Radio La Colifata - slang for loon, or crazy person, has been on air from Hospital Jose Borda in Buenos Aires every Saturday afternoon for 23 years - to confront the stigma around mental illness, breaking through the wall in AM, FM and now online.

In-patients produce and present the shows that range from politics to sports - and over the years, millions of Argentinians have been tuning in.

UK surveillance under scrutiny

A media post-mortem into the UK's surveillance report. Plus, why five years on in Argentina the media looks so familiar.

It has been close to two years since Edward Snowden blew the lid off the mass surveillance carried out by the US's National Security Agency and by the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). And it has taken almost that long for the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (the ISC) to figure out what to make of it all in order for an "informed and responsible" debate—as the committee put it—that balances the individual's right to privacy with our collective right to security to take place.

The ISC's report concludes that the GCHQ's surveillance fell within the legal framework and was necessary for uncovering terrorists and cybercrime. These findings are not surprising: the report's authors were appointed by the government. The committee members were supposed to know what GCHQ spies were up to but they did not. It look Snowden to tell them. These findings did not go down well with those close to the story, including Snowden, who provided this British jury with all of the evidence. Some think the state protects their citizens from terrorism; civil liberties groups disagree.

The death that divided Argentina's media

The contradictory coverage of a suspicious death; plus, the growing politics behind the world's most watched TV show.


Twenty-one years ago, the bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires claimed the lives of 85 people. In January 2015, the unsolved mystery of the bombing may have claimed another life - that of Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor who was accusing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of orchestrating a cover up of the attack. Nisman was found dead in his apartment from a bullet to the head.

From the time of his death to the judge throwing the case out of court this past Thursday, the coverage that has unfolded across both sides of the domestic media divide has become a story in itself. Media organisations close to the government have been at pains to discredit Nisman's case and throw his motives into question. Private media with an axe to grind against the government have grasped at any chance to direct the focus of speculation against the president.

What's More Important: A Football Friendly or The Players Health?

While that may seem like a rhetorical question it isn't.  Brazil and Argentina will play an international friendly in Beijing where the current air pollution air alert level is currently orange  the second highest level.  You'd think that the health of the players might be a concern but apparently not.  In capitalism profit  trumps everything.

From the Guardian:

An orange pollution alert – the second highest level – has been issued by officials after pollution levels rose 20 times the maximum daily exposure recommended by the World Health Organisation, with Brazil’s players confined to their hotel for much of the week.

The air quality, which is roughly equivalent to Brazil's performance against Germany in the last World Cup, has Brazil manager Dunga planning to make a large number of substitutions "so that the players will not be affected by it." But after enduring a 60-minute training session at the Bird's Nest Stadium, it seems it's already too late for that.

“The air is a bit strange, sometimes you think it’s the middle of the night. It’s very dusty,” [Coutinho] said.

Those sentiments were backed up by the former Manchester City forward Robinho: “It’s difficult to breathe. My throat is dry, it’s like we’re standing next to a bonfire, like hot smoke.”