Funes Mori header wins superclásico for River Plate

River Plate’s last win at the Bombonera came in 2004

A late headed goal by Ramiro Funes Mori helped River Plate clinch their first superclásico victory at their rival’s stadium in almost 10 years.

The central defender rose high to seal a 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors at a rain-soaked Bombonera on Sunday evening.

Manuel Lanzini had put the visitors ahead on 57 minutes by chipping over on-rushing goalkeeper Agustín Orión after latching onto a through ball into the box.

Juan Román Riquelme then levelled the game with an exquisite free kick 10 minutes later.

The derby seemed to be heading for a draw when Funes Mori headed home the winner from a Lanzini corner with five minutes left on the clock.

Speaking to Radio La Red, Funes Mori said: “It was great to make history. It’s been 10 years since we’ve won here and it was perfect the way it happened.

“Riquelme scored a fantastic goal and they then had five or 10 minutes where they really came at us, but I managed to silence the stadium by scoring.”

Teacher strike ends after new pay deal agreed

Pupils have missed out on 17 days of schooling

Public schools in Buenos Aires province are set to reopen on Monday after a pay deal was reached to end a long-running teachers’ strike.

Union members voted overwhelmingly to accept the provincial government’s improved pay offer on Saturday.

The deal, which will see wages rise between 27.6% and 38.7% depending on teaching position and length of service, ends industrial action which has delayed the start of the academic year and caused the loss of 17 school days for more than three million pupils in the province.

The average monthly wage of the majority of teachers will now rise from 3,600 pesos ($448 at the official exchange rate) to 5,000 pesos ($621).

Unions leaders rejected a top-level increase of 30.9% earlier this month.

A deal was also agreed allowing individual schools to have more control over their own infrastructure and maintenance budgets.

Roberto Baradel, head of the Suteba union, said: “On Monday, when parents bring their children to school we are going to be able to tell them that teachers not only fought for our salaries but that we also gained fundamental things for school infrastructure.”

He added that the unions’ rejection of mandatory wage negotiations and two legal moves to end the strike had helped teachers achieve the improved pay deal.

Provincial governor Daniel Scioli said his administration would investigate ways of recuperating school hours lost to the strike.

He said: “We are going to continue the dialogue to improve the situation of workers and the quality of education that the children receive in the classroom.

“It is fundamental that the children have classes.”

Judge orders striking teachers to return to classroom

Teachers ignored a previous ruling ending the strike

A judge has ordered the “immediate suspension” of a teachers’ strike which has delayed the start of the school year in Buenos Aires province for more than three weeks.

Judge Vicente Santos Atela, sitting in the Civil and Commercial Court of La Plata on Thursday, ratified an earlier legal ruling that teachers’ unions must instruct their members to return to work.

He also ordered the provincial government to continue wage negotiations whilst ruling that teachers’ wages must not be docked for the period of the industrial action.

Both parties have now been called to a conciliation hearing on 1 April.

The ruling upholds an injunction brought before the courts by provincial ombudsman Carlos Bonicatto calling for an end to the strike.

The injunction was approved by Judge Francisco Terrier on Saturday but the unions, who rejected a 30.9% pay rise by the provincial government earlier this month, have thus far ignored the measure.

General strike called by opposition union leaders

Hugo Moyano is a fierce critic of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

Opposition union leaders have announced that a general strike is to be held by their members next month.

The 24-hour strike, which is set to take place on 10 April, will include train drivers, lorry drivers, farm workers and civil servants.

The action was announced by various unions, including Hugo Moyano’s ‘CGT Azopardo’ and Luis Barrionuevo’s ‘CGT Azul y Blanca’, at a meeting on Wednesday.

A spokesman said the strike would not involve street demonstrations.

The unions are calling on the government to tackle issues such as inflation and the fall in real wages, while also demanding an increase in pensions and lower taxes.

The CGT, the country’s biggest union, split between dissident and pro-government factions in 2012.

Fatal shooting sparks taxi protest in Mar del Plata

Tourists are heading home after the long weekend

Taxi drivers have blocked major roads in Mar del Plata after a colleague was shot dead in an attempted robbery.

Guillermo Marcelo Koiv, 46, was shot several times after two people got into his vehicle at 190 and 25 de Mayo in the early hours of Sunday, police said.

He was assisted by residents who heard the gunshots but died of his wounds on arrival at hospital.

His death has sparked a taxi strike in the coastal city in Bunoes Aires province, with drivers blocking routes 2 and 11 as well as a number of roads in the city centre.

The protest has caused long traffic jams as tourists head home following the end of a long weekend created by a national holiday.

Donato Cirone, head of a taxi drivers’ union in the city, said: “We’ve been asking the authorities for an increased police presence but unfortunately we know the police do not have the means necessary.”

Nearly 900,000 tourists to travel over holiday weekend

Up to 90% of the tourists will head to destinations in Argentina

Almost 900,000 Argentines are to take advantage of this Monday’s national holiday by travelling to tourist destinations, a government survey has found.

The Ministry of Tourism study indicates that 897,000 people will travel during the long weekend created by the National Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice on 24 March.

The survey estimates that each tourist will spend an average of 1,144 pesos ($144 at the offical exchange rate), amounting to a total spend of 920m pesos ($116m).

More than 10% of those travelling are set to head to destinations outside of Argentina.

The last time the official holiday, which marks the coming to power of the military dictatorship in Argentina in 1976, allowed for a long weekend was in 2008 when it also fell on a Monday.

Human rights groups estimate 30,000 people were killed by the junta during its seven-year reign of terror.

Minister confirms Paris Club debt talks

Argentina owes the Paris Club countries in the region of $10bn

Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich has confirmed that Argentina is to begin negotiations with the Paris Club about settling its long-standing debts.

Mr Capitanich told reporters at his weekly press conference that the government would start talks with the organisation of creditor states on 26 May.

He said: “Argentina has recieved a formal invitation to begin conversations.

“When the initial process begins it will be necessary to reach agreement on the amount of debt, the terms of cancelation, the forms and conditions of payment and also what the initial payment will be.”

Argentina has debts toataling about $10bn with 15 of the 19 countries which form the Paris Club.

The debt is the result of the 2001-2002 economic crisis in Argentina, which led to the country defaulting on about $100bn.

Trainee bus driver killed in armed robbery

Union leaders have called for extra security measures for drivers

A trainee bus driver has been killed by armed men who opened fire after robbing passengers on a bus in Buenos Aires province.

Police said driver Leonardo Paz, 22, was shot after the robbers were confronted by an armed off-duty police officer on the number 56 bus in Villa Madero in the early hours of Friday morning.

Mr Paz, who had only started work at the DOTA bus company four days ago and who had been driving while accompanied by a training instructor, died of his wounds in hospital.

The incident has sparked a 12-hour bus strike affecting services in Buenos Aires province and Capital Federal until midnight.

A police spokesman, speaking to Télam news agency, said the two suspects had boarded the bus, which had been carrying about ten passengers, at the intersection between Boulogne Sur Mer street and the Riccheri motorway.

They had opened fire when an off-duty Federal Police officer sitting at the back of the bus identified himself and withdrew his gun.

The spokesman said: “The police officer did not fire on board the bus, but the delinquents got off and continued to fire.

“It was at this moment that the bus driver was wounded.”

Roberto Fernández, of the UTA transport union, said a strike had been called to highlight the need for extra security measures to protect drivers against crime.

He said: “We will not stand for the insecurity that we have to work under on a daily basis anymore.

“We are striking to see if the authorities decide to offer the protection that bus workers deserve.”

New holiday created to honour former president

The former president was Governor of Santa Cruz for 14 years

The province of Santa Cruz has declared the 27 October as an official holiday in honour of former President Néstor Kirchner.

The provincial legislature passed a proposal by Deputy Stella Maris García to make the date of Kirchner’s death a public holiday on Thursday.

Mr Kirchner, who was born in Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz, died of a heart attack, aged 60, in 2010.

He served as the province’s governor from 1991 until assuming the presidency in 2003.

His wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, succeeded him as president in 2007.

Teachers continue strike after rejecting new pay offer

More than three million pupils have been left without classes

Teachers’ unions in Buenos Aires province have threatened to continue striking “indefinitely” after rejecting an improved pay offer from Governor Daniel Scioli’s administration.

Union leaders turned down a 30.9% pay rise to be paid in two instalments following wage negotiations on Tuesday.

An original offer of 25.5% last week sparked the industrial action that has delayed the start of the school year for more than three million pupils.

Head of the FEB union Mirta Petrocini said: “We are not going to return to our schools until this proposal is improved substantially.

“The offer was not what we were expecting, we are sure that the province can make an improved proposal.”

Negotiations are still taking place on a national basis to set the minimum pay level for teachers’ wages and strikes have also been held in other provinces across the country.

The standard minimum level must be respected by provincial governments during their own individual salary negotiations.