Following the sudden death of former president Néstor Kirchner last week, The Indy took to the streets to hear what the Argentine public had to say about his legacy and the future of politics in their nation.

On 30th September Ecuador became a scene of political violence as President Rafael Correa was attacked by his own police force and was detained in a Police Hospital, where is he is said to have feared for his life.

Diego Maradona: the topic on the tip of everyone’s tongue at present. The Indy hit the streets to find out what people thought of his sudden departure as coach of the national squad.

The suburbs of Vicente López and San Isidro – located north of the capital on the Río de la Plata – will soon receive a facelift – and the $2.75bn urban development project will destroy Paseo de la Costa, a public park on the banks of the river. The Argentina Independent hit San Isidro to find out what locals thought of the plans.

Earlier this month, interior trade secretary Guillermo Moreno announced that there would be a ban on imports that compete with products readily available in Argentina. In the two weeks that followed, many companies did not receive sanitations certificates and some trucks coming from Brazil were stopped at the border. These trucks were later allowed to pass.

In 2002 Uruguay announced controversial plans to build a massive paper mill on the banks of the river Uruguay, which marks the country’s border with Argentina. The mill is in Fray Bentos, directly across the river from Gualeguaychú, a popular Argentine holiday destination and host to the country’s biggest carnival celebrations.

The Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo have recently come into the headlines, as a legal tug of war has been going on between the organisation and Clarín media mogul Ernestina Herrera de Noble’s adopted children to find out their real identity. The de Noble children were forced by court order to take DNA tests in December 2009 to find out whether or not they are children of the disappeared.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner recently declared that the rise in the price of meat was due to the fact that farmers have kept their cattle in the fields longer to feed them more so that they would supply more meat. Her conclusion was that farmers would make more profits.

Buenos Aires city major Mauricio Macri ratified legislation allowing the new Metropolitan Police, who hit the streets of the capital earlier this week, to carry taser guns. After pointing out that citizens insecurities are rising, Macri also said that the “cutting-edge technology used for dissuasion” will be carried in specific neighbourhoods, mainly the 12th District.

The recent decision of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to pay US$6.6bn of the Argentine debt to the IMF with the currency reserve of the Central Bank has been strongly controversial. After countering her decision, the bank’s president, Martin Redrado, was fired, only to be reinstated by the decision of a judge.