News of buenos aires

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Metropolitan area blues

Yesterdat 07:29 The display of bipartisan civility, even with disagreements behind the scenes between Buenos Aires City and Province, is now routine. Yet the volatility has not gone away.

by Martín Gambarotta

ex-president discharged

Former president Carlos Menem released from hospital

03-07-2020 23:28 Menem, who turned 90 on Thursday, was admitted to intensive care at the Los Arcos private clinic in Buenos Aires on Thursday suffering breathing difficulties.

Coronavirus pandemic

Cold, windswept and frozen, Buenos Aires returns to isolation

03-07-2020 03:37 On a chilly winter Wednesday, a lonesome Buenos Aires reverted to the first and most restrictive phase of the quarantine, in a renewed bid to halt the advance of Covid-19.

INTENSIVE CARE

Ex-president Carlos Menem back in hospital with breathing difficulties

02-07-2020 16:17 Former president, who turned 90 on Thursday, re-admitted to hospital just three days after being discharged. He remains in an intensive care unit.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina surpasses 50,000 Covid-19 cases, new restrictions on way

26-06-2020 02:58 President Alberto Fernández set to announce return to strict lockdown in Buenos Aires metropolitan area, running from July 1 to 17.

BUSINESSES, SHOPS, STORES

Double whammy of virus and recession forces closures in the capital

25-06-2020 00:59 According to a survey by the Federation of Commerce and Industry of Buenos Aires, at least 18 percent of the 110,000 businesses in the capital have shut down since the coronavirus began.

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Fernández TV

20-06-2020 09:02 Time will tell if the delays with the Vicentin and wealth tax bills are a deliberate strategy by the president to buffer the complaints by the lobbies who have historically clashed with Kirchnerismo.

by Martín Gambarotta

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Covid-19 surge concerns officials, as politicians join sick list

20-06-2020 08:44 Argentina records more than 2,000 infections in a day for first time since crisis began; María Eugenia Vidal tests positive, President Fernández told to limit activity, stay home.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Officials debate future of quarantine, likely to limit public transport

15-06-2020 16:10 National, Buenos Aires City and provincial health ministers meet to debate future of quarantine and preventative steps to tackle Covid-19, as officials in Chaco announce return to stricter lockdown in province.

Global pandemic

Tears of joy as Argentine parents finally meet their surrogate-born baby

15-06-2020 09:00 After a lengthy delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, a group of Argentine couples were able to finally meet their new children, born to surrogates in Ukraine.

Former president

Ex-president Carlos Menem admitted to intensive care with pneumonia

14-06-2020 12:15 Menem hospitalised with severe pneumonia. Former head of state tested for coronavirus, but results came back negative.

Argentina

'We live with racism and marginalisation,' assert Afro-Argentine activists

11-06-2020 16:23 Three activists from different cultural backgrounds explain what it means to live as a member of the black community in Argentina, which, according to the last census, numbers more than 150,000.

by Stephanie Peuscovich

THE PERONIST PROFESSOR

President Fernández keeps up with UBA teaching commitments online

10-06-2020 17:00 President Alberto Fernández thanks his students for their patience and understanding, as he finds time among the pandemic to teach theory of crime and penal law class.

Back to school?

Education Minister: 85% of schools in Argentina will likely re-open in August

09-06-2020 16:32 Education Minister Nicolás Trotta says that 85% of students may be able to return to classes in August. Schools in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area will have to wait until infections in the region begin to drop off.

PROTEST IN BUENOS AIRES

Demonstrators march on US Chamber of Commerce over death of George Floyd

06-06-2020 09:40 The rally, called by the left-wing Frente de Izquierda Unidad, was in support of the “popular uprising” being witnessed in the United States, organisers said.

Coronavirus pandemic

Mayor confirms Necochea 'babyshower' newborn has coronavirus

05-06-2020 15:25 Newborn tests positive for coronavirus, but is otherwise in good health, according to officials. Her mother was infected with Covid-19 after attending babyshower party in Necochea.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

‘I chose to stay’ – Argentine med student details life on Spain’s Covid-19 frontline

30-05-2020 10:35 When the coronavirus pandemic hit, third-year med student Celeste Basaez, on residency in Barcelona, had a choice: head home or join her hospital’s fight on the frontlines against Covid-19.

by James Francis Whitehead

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Doctors rally for better wages and protection during pandemic

28-05-2020 00:07 Protest at the Obelisk sees dozens of doctors demand better wages and greater availability of personal protective equipment.

Coronavirus pandemic

Automobile industry restarts production with limited shifts

27-05-2020 16:26 Sector returns to work after receiving authorisation from the government to restart production with limited shift patterns.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Just seven properties were sold in Buenos Aires City in April

27-05-2020 15:05 Just seven properties were sold in the capital last month amid the coronavirus lockdown – a 99.7 percent drop in comparison with the same month last year.

QUARANTINE BREACH

Eight arrested after police raid orthodox Jewish wedding in Once

26-05-2020 16:07 Eight people – the bridal couple, the rabbi and five of the 150 guests, including the parents of the couple and the best man – were arrested by police after breaching quarantine to host wedding.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Villa in Buenos Aires Province sealed off amid surge in Covid-19 cases

26-05-2020 14:54 Authorities shut off Villa Azul, a low-income neighbourhood in Buenos Aires Province, after 92 new cases of Covid-19 are confirmed. Residents may not leave without permission.

Coronavirus pandemic

City government details new restrictions on commerce, transport

26-05-2020 09:40 City government announces new restrictions on commercial activity and shopping, new controls on circulation of people in and out of the capital and closing of 11 train stations.

Coronavirus pandemic

Officials confirm details of new permit to circulate during lockdown

25-05-2020 09:55 Officials have confirmed details of how citizens and residents can re-apply for permission to circulate via the Certificado Único Habilitante de Circulación (CUHC).

NEW MEASURES

Quarantine extension: new permits, more checkpoints, less public transport

24-05-2020 09:20 Authorities are concerned by the spread of the virus amid an increase in circulation of people on the streets and on public transport.

Coronavirus pandemic

Government extends quarantine for 15 more days amid rise in infections

23-05-2020 22:30 President Fernández announces Argentina will extend government's mandatory social isolation until June 7, amid an acceleration in the spread of the new Covid-19 coronavirus.

Coronavirus pandemic

Fernández, Rodríguez Larreta, Kicillof agree 'no margin' to loosen quarantine

21-05-2020 02:10 President, provincial governor and city mayor agree there is "no margin" to further liberalise quarantine measures in Greater Buenos Aires, given current state of affairs.

Coronavirus pandemic

Villa 31 community leader's death from Covid-19 sparks anger

19-05-2020 02:22 Ramona Medina, key Villa 31 community leader and resident, dies just days after denouncing 12 days without drinking water in her barrio. 'La Garganta Poderosa' accuses authorities of failing to protect residents in vulnerable neighbourhoods.

BLOOMBERG

Buenos Aires Province cut to selective default by S&P global

15-05-2020 23:22 Argentina’s largest and most populous province is considered to be in selective default because negotiations with creditors are ongoing, making the proposal a “distressed exchange,” according to an S&P statement.

Coronavirus pandemic

Infections spike in poverty-stricken Villa 31, worrying authorities

14-05-2020 15:55 Villa 31, one of Buenos Aires' poorest and most densely populated barrios, has shown a spike in the number of Covid-19 infections, worrying authorities hoping to ease the capital's two-month lockdown later this month.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Mara the ex-circus elephant arrives in Brazil to enjoy retirement

14-05-2020 09:06 Mara spent much of her life as a circus attraction, then was brought to the Buenos Aires City Zoo in 1995. Now, she's set for a new life at a sanctuary in Mato Grosso.

Coronavirus pandemic

Some non-essential stores reopen for business in Buenos Aires

12-05-2020 22:23 City authorities began allowing some "non-essential" shops and businesses to reopen on Tuesday, easing coronavirus restrictions in place in the capital since March 20.

DEBT RESTRUCTURING

Buenos Aires Province misses debt payment, extends deadline for offer

12-05-2020 17:20 Provincial government extends deadline to creditors to consider US$7-billion restructuring offer, following a similar move the national government.

Coronavirus lockdown

International flights at Jorge Newbery Airport postponed until December

12-05-2020 13:13 Nearly all international flights at Buenos Aires City's Jorge Newbery Airport have been postponed until December 1, the government has announced.

Animal rights

Mara the elephant leaves Ecoparque for new home in Brazil

11-05-2020 12:53 Mara the elephant, a native of India, began her journey from Buenos Aires to a sanctuary in Brazil on Saturday in a move experts hope will improve her quality of life.

Lockdown restrictions

Children in Buenos Aires finally get nod to leave homes for recreation

11-05-2020 09:27 Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta announces all kids in the capital can leave their homes for one hour either on Saturdays or Sundays, depending on the final number of their parents' DNI card.

ARGENTINA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Another mass infection at nursing home prompts evacuation

09-05-2020 11:10 At least 33 confirmed cases of Covid-19 linked to Recoleta care home.

ARGENTINA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

President extends general quarantine by two weeks as death toll nears 300

09-05-2020 09:37 Flanked by Kicillof and Rodríguez Larreta, Alberto Fernández lashes out at opposition ‘lies’ over lockdown.

by James Grainger

Life during quarantine

In Latin America, face masks become a form of expression

07-05-2020 12:51 Rarely used in Latin America outside hospitals before the coronavirus pandemic hit hard, face masks are now compulsory in many countries — and they're becoming a colourful part of daily life and cultural expression.

PLANE CRASH

At least two killed after air ambulance crashes near Esquel

06-05-2020 09:16 Pilot and co-pilot believed to have survived crash involving small Learjet 35A plane, which had been refitted for medical purposes.

Coronavirus pandemic

Buenos Aires City and Province account for 70% of Covid-19 deaths in Argentina

05-05-2020 12:43 Buenos Aires Province, the country's most populous region, has recorded 99 deaths at the time of writing, with 82 registered in the nation's capital.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina’s coronavirus death toll rises to 249

04-05-2020 13:53 Three new deaths from Covid-19 coronavirus were confirmed this morning by Health Ministry officials, bringing the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 249.

ARGENTINA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Infections in Argentina top 4,500 as death toll rises to 225

02-05-2020 11:20 Use of face masks obligatory on streets and in public spaces in Buenos Aires City, starting Monday.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Celebrating May Day in the midst of a pandemic

01-05-2020 19:13 Across the globe workers celebrate, strike and demonstrate for International Workers' Day. In Argentina, essential employees are praised by the government while demonstrations take place during a lockdown.

Coronavirus Pandemic

City officials: 124 Covid-19 cases confirmed in Buenos Aires' villas

01-05-2020 16:53 Villa 31 de Retiro has the most cases of Covid-19 out of all the City's shantytowns, with 57 infections confirmed. Villa 1-11-14 follows with 48 cases. City government says it has plans to mitigate social circulation of the virus.

Coronavirus pandemic

As cases rise, City officials analyse new dates for 'peak of the curve'

01-05-2020 12:42 City government now forecasts that the "peak of the curve" could occur between the last week of May and the first week of June, after a rise in the number of people infected in the last few days.

by Ezequiel Spillman

ANSES

President Fernández fires ANSES chief Alejandro Vanoli

30-04-2020 15:19 Buenos Aires Province Community Development Minister Fernanda Raverta, a La Cámpora militant and former Unidad Ciudadana national deputy

Domestic Violence

Domestic abuse victim who killed her husband demands justice

29-04-2020 14:00 Paula Córdoba suffered 20 years of domestic abuse, and killed her husband in 2019 with her daughter’s help, stabbing him 185 times in the process. She's now free, but she feels like the State has abandoned her, she explains.

by Nadia Galán

Life during quarantine

Tango dancers go solo in quarantine, awaiting embrace lost to pandemic

29-04-2020 13:11 Teachers are maintaining a minimum income from online classes, but they can't replace the connection that makes the dance so powerful for many.

Coronavirus pandemic

UK government confirms 2 charter flights for Brits stranded in Argentina

29-04-2020 01:19 Around 320 British travellers currently stranded in Argentina will be able to return home on two flights, scheduled for May 7 and 12, departing Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport.