Argentine ‘dirty war’ campaigner traces ‘stolen’ grandson

Mrs Carlotto said the news had brought her “enormous joy”

The president of a human rights group dedicated to finding people who were ‘stolen’ as babies by Argentina’s military dictatorship has traced her own grandson.

Estela de Carlotto, head of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo organisation, said her grandson Guido Carlotto, whose adopted name is Ignacio Hurban, came forward for DNA testing after having doubts about his identity.

Mrs Carlotto said those tests had revealed with a 99.9% certainty that the 35-year-old musician was her grandson and that they were now set to meet for the first time in the coming days.

Speaking at a special press conference, she said: “I have found what I was searching for. Now I have my 14 grandchildren with me.

“The empty chair will be filled by him, the empty picture frames will now hold his image.

“They say he looks like a member of the Carlotto family, that he looks like me.

“I did not want to die without hugging him and very soon I will be able to hug him.”

Mrs Carlotto’s pregnant daughter Laura, a student and political activist, was kidnapped by agents of the military junta in 1977.

The 23-year-old later gave birth to her son Guido in a detention centre in La Plata, Buenos Aires province, in June 1978.

He was taken from her hours after the birth and placed with another family.

Laura was killed just a few months later and her body was then handed over to her family.

Guido is the 114th grandchild traced by the organisation. It has not been determined whether his adopted family knew of the circumstances in which he was taken from his biological mother.

The Argentine military dictatorship’s policy was to remove babies from suspected political subversives to prevent them from being raised by families with left-wing sympathies.

Human rights groups estimate that 30,000 people were killed by the junta during its seven-year reign of terror between 1976 and 1983, a period refered to as the ‘dirty war’.

Rioting in Buenos Aires following Argentina World Cup final defeat

Image courtesy of TV Pública – Argentina

Up to 120 people were arrested as rioters clashed with police in the centre of Buenos Aires following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat.

The violence broke out as thousands of people gathered peacefully at the city’s iconic Obelisk monument to celebrate their team’s achievements in Brazil.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas, as well as using water cannons, in an attempt to control groups of people throwing rocks, looting shops and damaging public property.

At least 70 people, including 15 police officers, were injured in the disturbances, a spokesman for the ambulance service SAME said.

Security minister Sergio Berni said the rioting had been planned by criminals who had deliberately sought to ruin the peaceful celebrations in order to facilitate robberies and looting.

Speaking to Radio La Red, he said: “(The disturbances) were not a coincidence, but were planned.

“There was a lot of planning for this to occur and for a great deal of chaos to be generated.

“We had to take action even though nobody likes to take action in a celebration.

“Taking action in such conditions is very difficult, there were children and babies present, and we had to separate the wheat from the chaff.

“This was planned with a lot of brutality, they were criminals who went looking for chaos.”

The incidents started at about 10pm local time when a group of up to 15 people climbed on top of a TV news van and attempted to rip off its antenna.

Dozens of shop windows were smashed and a number of cars were damaged or stolen during the disturbances.

Journalists were also attacked and threatened during the incidents.

Argentines ‘invade’ Río de Janeiro ahead of World Cup final

The majority of Argentina fans in Río de Janeiro do not have a ticket for the game

Río de Janeiro is bracing itself for an “invasion” of up to 100,000 Argentines ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Germany.

Fans from all corners of Argentina have been flocking to the city on aeroplanes, coaches, campervans, cars and even motorbikes in the hope of watching Lionel Messi lift the trophy on Brazilian soil.

The vast majority are arriving without tickets for the clash at the Maracanã Stadium and they are coming in the simple hope of staging a victory party in the home of their greatest football rivals.

Brazil Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo said 26,000 police and army officials would be out in force in the city to guarantee security on the day of the final.

He said: “I am sure that the final will crown the success that the whole world recognises in relation to the World Cup in Brazil.

“Brazil lost on the field of play, but off it we have won and the world applauds this.”

Authorities in the city have set aside facilities normally used for the Rio Carnival as areas where Argentina fans can sleep in their vehicles overnight.

Claudio Magnavita, tourism minister for the state of Río de Janeiro, said: “There is an Argentine invasion of Brazil, some 100,000 are expected to arrive in the city.”

Five killed as plane crashes into River Plate near Uruguay

Image courtesy of C5N

Five people have been killed after an aeroplane crashed into the River Plate estuary in heavy fog.

The pilot and four Argentine businessmen died when the Beechcraft twin-engine turboprop aircraft crashed into shallow water 6km from Carmelo airport in Uruguay on Tuesday afternoon.

Four surviving passengers were airlifted to safety after they managed to raise the alarm by communicating with air traffic control from the wreckage.

The aircraft, which had been taking eight passengers to a business meeting in Carmelo, had taken off from San Fernando airport in Buenos Aires province 15 minutes before the crash.

Álvaro Loureiro, a Uruguayan Airforce spokesman, said the pilot had been ordered to return to San Fernando after being refused permission to land at Carmelo due to the foggy conditions.

He said: “The information that we have is that this flight, given that it could not land at Carmelo, was returning to San Fernando and it was then that it had the accident.”

Argentine Security Minister Sergio Berni, who was taken on an official fly over the crash site, said one theory was that the accident had been caused by a combination of bad weather and engine failure.

He said: “Everything indicates that it has crashed nose first because of how the tail has detached.

“When we flew over we passed through two or three banks of fog and you could see absolutely nothing.

“Experience tells us that surely the plane has suffered engine failure and with the bank of fog maybe (the pilot) could not see the river when he attempted to land.”

‘World’s largest dinosaur’ found in Patagonia

The bones were discovered in rock dating from the Late Cretaceous period

The bones of what is believed to be the largest dinosaur yet discovered by mankind have been unearthed by a team of paleontologists in Chubut province.

Researchers from the Museum of Paleontology Egidio Feruglio in Trelew announced the discovery of giant fossils belonging to seven individual dinosaurs on Friday.

Based on measurements of the thigh bones, the dinosaur, which is yet to be named, is estimated to have been 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall.

It is believed the creature, which was discovered in a desert close to La Flecha, would have weighed up to 80 tonnes, the equivalent of 14 African elephants.

José Luis Carballido, who part led the excavation, said: “When we began to excavate the thigh bone, we were surprised by its size.

“However, we were even more shocked as we excavated different fossils such as ribs, a hip bone, a complete tail and a complete humerus.

“These bones let us see that these were big animals that ate and moved in groups.”

The team of paleontologists were alerted to the site after a local farm worker came across the remains in an area about 260km (135 miles) west of Trelew.

Experts from the museum said the dinosaur belonged to the plant-eating group of dinosaurs known as sauropods.

The bones were discovered in rock dating from the Late Cretaceous period of about 95 to 100 million years ago.

The previous holder of the world’s biggest dinosaur crown was the Argentinosaurus, which was discovered in Neuquén province in Patagonia in 1987.

Sabella names Demichelis in provisional World Cup squad

Demichelis played in all of Argentina’s games at the World Cup in 2010

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella has sprung a last-minute surprise by naming Manchester City defender Martín Demichelis in his provisional 30-man squad for next month’s World Cup in Brazil.

The former Bayern Munich and River Plate player had not been expected to make the list as he had not been called up to the national squad since November, 2011.

However, it appears the 33-year-old old forced his way into Sabella’s thinking with a sting of impressive performances during the Premier League title run-in.

Other surprises on the list include former Wigan Athletic striker Franco Di Santo, now playing in Germany for Werder Bremen, and Sporting Lisbon midfielder Fabián Rinaudo, who finished last season on loan at Catania in Italy.

As expected, Sabella resisted the temptation to include Juventus striker Carlos Tevez within his group of forwards.

The squad will be reduced to 23 players on May 20.

The 30 players included on the provisional list are:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero, Mariano Andújar, Agustín Orion.

Defenders: Ezequiel Garay, Federico Fernández, Pablo Zabaleta, Marcos Rojo, José María Basanta, Hugo Campagaro, Nicolás Otamendi, Martín Demichelis, Gabriel Mercado, Lisandro López.

Midfielders: Fernando Gago, Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega, Angel Di María, Maximiliano Rodríguez, Ricardo Alvarez, Augusto Fernández, Enzo Pérez, José Sosa y Fabián Rinaudo.

Forwards: Sergio Agüero, Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuaín, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Rodrigo Palacio, Franco Di Santo.

Minister labels train workers’ bonus demands as ‘crazy’

The work-to-rule measure has caused long delays

Transport and Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo has labelled bonus payment demands by train workers undertaking industrial action in Buenos Aires as “crazy”.

Staff on the Sarmiento line, which links Once station in the capital to neighbourhoods west of the city, have been staging work-to-rule action on the route since Monday.

The measure, which union officials say could last until the weekend, has resulted in delays of up to 45 minutes for commuters using the line.

The workers are demanding a 40% pay rise and also claim they are owed a compensation payment resulting from the transfer of the train operating company into government control in 2012.

Mr Randazzo, speaking at the unveiling of new carriages for the line on Tuesday, said negotiations had stalled over new demands by union officials for a productivity bonus.

He said: “There is no possibility of recognising a compensation payment. It is not authorised and I am not going to do anything that I cannot explain publicly.

“Negotiations began yesterday but (the workers) have shown absolute inflexibility, not over whether they receive a compensation payment as they know they are not entitled to it, but over an extraordinary bonus for productivity.

“There are 320 employees on the Sarmiento line and they have undertaken 49 days of strike action on 120 days this year.

“Thus to recognise demands for an extraordinary bonus for productivity would be absolutely crazy.”

Union official Rubén Sobrero said the compensation payment had been paid to workers on other railway lines and that employees on the Sarmiento line had been ignored as they were viewed by ministers as being in opposition to the government.

He said: “(Randazzo) thinks the earth revolves around him and that everything we do is to harm him.

“If they do not want to pay us because we are opponents, then that is up to them, but we want equal conditions.”

Murder probe after family of eight die in house fire

Image courtesy of C5N

A murder investigation has been launched after a couple and six children died in a house fire in Buenos Aires province.

Karina Flamenco, 38, her partner Gastón Olivera, 31, and her six children, aged between four and 13, were trapped by the blaze at their ramshackle home in Parque San Martín, Merlo, in the early hours of Thursday.

Neighbours managed to break down a wall and rescue five of the children from the flames but all later died on arrival at hospital. Ms Flamenco, Mr Olivera and one child died at the scene.

A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Ms Flamenco’s ex-partner Cristian Méndez, 30, on suspicion of murder.

Governor of Buenos Aires province Daniel Scioli confirmed that police were treating the fire as arson.

He said: “We are putting in maximum effort, our police force is working arduously to find the brutal murderer who caused this incomprehensible tragedy.

“The person who committed this crime is a beast as there is no other name for someone who would cause something like this.”

The names of the children who died in the fire are: Ian, four , Nayla, five, Alejo, six, Sakira, 10, Briana, 11 and Yael, 13.

PSA Peugeot-Citroën lays off 1,000 workers due to falling sales

The firm reported record sales in Argentina in 2013

French car manufacturer PSA Peugeot-Citroën has temporarily laid off 1,000 workers at its plant in Buenos Aires province blaming a fall in sales.

The firm has announced the indefinite suspension of a production shift at its factory in Villa Bosch, where more than 3,000 staff are employed.

A spokesman said the measure had been taken in order to adapt stock levels in light of a drop in sales in the first four months of this year.

He added laid-off workers would receive 65% of their salary until the company had analysed “how the domestic market was evolving.”

The announcement follows a one-week suspension of a production shift which affected 800 employees at the plant last month.

Plane forced to land in Canary Islands after drug scare

The woman was immediately taken to a hospital on the island

An aeroplane flying from Buenos Aires to Madrid had to make an emergency landing in the Canary Islands after an Argentine woman suspected of smuggling cocaine capsules inside her body collapsed.

Spanish police said the pilot diverted the plane to Gran Canaria after being informed by crew members that a 23-year-old woman had fallen seriously ill during the flight on Saturday.

A spokesman said surgeons later removed 58 capsules, containing a total of 496g of cocaine, from her body.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling following the operation.