Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio has summoned for questioning several former and current officials of Buenos Aires Trains (TBA) in accordance with the investigation into the Once train accident of 22nd February.

As part of the inquiry, Judge Bonadio has ruled that officials from TBA dating back as far as 2003, including former transport secretaries Ricardo Jaime and Juan Pablo Schiavi, must now testify in court.

Among others who will be called to testify, Roque Cirigliano, rolling stock manager for TBA, figures among the big names in the investigation into the accident that claimed 51 lives and injured 700 people.

In addition to collecting statements from the management of TBA, others from the operational area of TBA and Sarmiento Railway will be called to testify in court.

The direction of the investigation, based on information collected by experts since late February, now suggests that Judge Bonadio will target the lack of maintenance and administration of resources in the years leading up to the accident.

Federal Judge Claudio Bonadío, who is heading the inquiry into the Once train crash has ordered to look into the grants paid to TBA as part of the inquiry into the accident which killed 51 people.

So far four judicial actions are underway amid increasing scrutiny into the state of Argentine train service. Earlier this week, Judge Bonadío banned top officials including TBA boss, Claudio Cirigliano and the ex-transport secretary, Juan Pablo Schiavi, from leaving the country.

Federico Delgado, the federal prosecutor asked Bonadío to look into the company’s financial expenditure.

“The prosecution suggests that the court obtain the relevant documentation in order to determine, with the help of expert accountants, how much money was paid to [TBA] in grants for the service and how that money was used,” he said to Infobe.

Last Friday the General Auditor Office (AGN) signalled their unanimous support for a report that criticised the millions of dollars the state gave the Cirigliano Group despite the evident lack of investment that reaches the rail service.

Auditor Leandro Despouy pointed out that there were “multiple breaches by the company in the tasks of maintenance and application of funds from state subsidies,” despite a marked increase in government investment.

Six days after an incident in which a yacht crashed through a canoe at the San Fernando Island, another injured victim, two year-old Tatiana Mac Dougall, has died from severe head injuries.

Last Friday, the girl was sailing with her mother, Lorena Rojas, her sister Daiana, and her cousin Vanina, when a 15-meter yacht hit their canoe, splitting it in half. Lorena was instantly killed, while the three girls fell into the water. Daiana was rescued by a cousin in a boat nearby and Vanina, suffering minor injuries, managed to spot Tatiana floating nearby.

The victims were taken by boat to the hospital René Favoloro, where they received critical care, before Tatiana was transferred to the Patrona V. Lamb hospital in San Fernando.

The yacht that hit the canoe was commanded by Eduardo Cantón, a Uruguayan businessman who was accompanied by five other passengers. Witness Clarín Patricia Moraschi, an aunt of the girls, reported that the men in the yacht took no action to assist and proceeded as though nothing had happened.

The Mac Dougall family is now calling for an investigation into the case and has alerted other sailors about the yacht.

Throughout the week, Tatiana’s condition worsened as blood clots in her brain left her unconscious. She was pronounced dead today.

Going forward, the case will be in the hands of Facundo Osorus Soler under the charge of manslaughter.

The UN special mission is investigating a possible coup organised by Ecuadorian opposition parties in the chaotic events that happened on the 30^th of September 2010 in the capital city of Quito. During a protest, president Rafael Correa was hospitalised after being hit by tear gas, at least one person died and 250 were wounded.

Yesterday the special mission confirmed it was a “serious destabilisation of democracy”. Following the president’s request for further investigation in October last year, the UN is looking into the catalysts of the incident.

The special mission will look into versions from various political organisations, academia and “stakeholders in civil society”.

Members of the UN delegation will meet with Ecuadorian officials to evaluate whether there was an attempted coup, and send a report to the general secretary of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon.

The investigation will also cover previous complaints made by Ecuadorian media who claim there was an illegal concealment of information surrounding the event. Correa has criticised the media for worsening the situation at the time.

It is the 10th anniversary of the 2001 financial crisis in Argentina and we managed to get some of the best books and documentaries gathered in this financial crisis material round up to make you an expert on the subject. Check it out!

Documentaries:

‘Memoria del saqueo’

This documentary creates a timeline between the military dictatorship of 1976 until the beginning of the protesting in December 2001.

It reports 25 years of economic, financial and social problems because of the countries exorbitant debt as well political and financial corruption in government sectors.

This documentary is a complaint of the plundering of resources by multinational corporations with the complicity of the national government.

According to the director Pino Solanas, little has changed in Argentina since 2003: “the looting goes on.”

Director: Pino Solanas. Countries: Argentina/France/ Switzerland. Duration: 120 minutes. Year: 2004. Language: English and Spanish

‘The Take’

In the beginning of the Argentine economic collapse of 2001, former employees of the newly shut Forja plant in a suburban area of Buenos Aires, take over the factory as a part of a new movement that encourages workers to occupy bankrupt businesses to create jobs in an attempt to recuperate their means of living.

Locking themselves inside and with no bosses, 30 former auto-parts workers start running the once silenced factory and refuse to leave.

This act has the power to shake the basis of the whole globalization debate.

The president of the new worker’s co-operative, Freddy, and the head of the Movement of Recovered Companies, Lalo, know that their struggle is only beginning. Having to face a bureaucratic rampage amongst going to courts, dealing with cops and politicians, they know their success is far from secure. Their future is uncertain: they can either be granted legal protection or be evicted from the factory.

The presidential elections sets the background, having Carlos Menem – known as the main responsible for the crisis – as the front-runner. Menem’s supporters are the factory owners, who will get the factories back from the workers if their candidate wins.

Now the workers have to fight their bosses, the bankers and the whole economic system that do not really care about all the lives they affect by shutting down plants.

Directors: Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein. Country: Argentina/ Canada. Duration: 87 minutes. Year: 2004. Language: English and Spanish

‘The Argentina Experiment’

Greek documentary film maker Yorgos Avgeropoulos was living and working in Argentina between 2001 and 2002, during the crisis. He now returns to the country to re-examine the economic, political and social situation of Argentina and how it is handling the consequences of the collapse it faced ten years ago.

The documentary creates a parallel of what happened in December 2001 and what is happening now in Argentina ten years later.

According to the documentary, the ending of the neoliberal economic model in Argentine economic calamity of 2001 left 39 people dead – murdered by the police and bank securities – 30,000 collateral damages (suicides, heart attacks and strokes) and over 50% of the population submerged in poverty and misery.

Director: Yorgos Avgeropoulos. Country: Argentina. Duration: 100 minutes. Year: 2010-2011. Language: English, Spanish and Greek

Books:

‘Broken Promises? – The Argentine Crisis and Argentine Democracy’

Editors Edward Epstein and David Pion-Berlin have brought together an impressive group of Argentine and American experts to contribute to in this book. This is considered to be the first comprehensive account of the 2001 Argentine economic collapse.

The book shows insights of the role of the police and the military, as well as the analysis of the behaviour of the population and politicians as the economic crisis develops.

It also portrays the Argentina emerging from the crisis and the complexities of contemporary Argentine democracy.

Editors: Edward Epstein and David Pion-Berlin, 296 pages. Publisher: Lexington Books. First edition: March 2008. Language: English

‘History of The Argentine Crisis’

According to author Mauricio Rojas, “there are countries which are rich and countries which are poor. And there are poor countries, which are growing rich. And there is Argentina.”

Rojas’ book explains in a summary the journey and the reasons that lead Argentina to its economic and financial crisis in 2001. The text is written in a simple and accessible manner, perfect for the lay in Argentine politics or the ones that want to understand the crisis but not in depth.

Explaining the Argentine golden age between 1860 and 1930, which the country growth increased astonishingly, there came 70 years of stagnation as well as political, economical and especially social issues.

It sets the scene for the beginning of the 20^th century, when the country was richer than France, Italy and Sweden and its long and hard fall into bankruptcy.

The book also talks about the Perón years and its importance to Argentina, besides all the corruption, populism, nationalism and protectionism.

After years of inflation, aborted reforms, regional conflicts and political scandals, the country finds itself in a delicate political and financial situation.

Originally published in Swedish and later translated to English, Spanish and Portuguese, this book is highly recommended if you want to read a short but profound text to understand how such a powerful and country fell into financial failure.

Author: Mauricio Rojas, 130 pages. Publisher Cadal / Timbro. First edition: December 2003. Language: English, Swedish, Spanish and Portuguese

‘The Crisis of Argentine Capitalism’

Author Paul H. Lewis begins his book describing the development of the Argentine industry, emphasizing the period after World War II, in which Argentina had become the most industrialized nation in Latin America.

Lewis considered Perón and his military colleagues responsible for the end of the evolution of Argentine economy aiming dynamic capitalism.

He also describes the political disputes amongst peronists and anti-peronists between the years of 1955 to 1987 and points out how the post-Perón governments failed to incorporate the trade union movement in their list of priorities, causing – amongst other things – economic stagnation and an increase on the levels of violence.

This book is ideal for people who want a deep study on the roots of the Argentine instability and decline in the times before the crisis – or how Lewis calls “the politics of political stagnation” -, as it describes Argentina’s entrepreneurial classes in relation to foreign capital, labour, the government and the military.

It also differs from previous studies because it does not focus on parties or governmental institutions, but in pressure groups and their organization, development and political activities.

Author: Paul H. Lewis. 594 pages, Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press. First edition: February 1992. Language: English

‘And the money came rolling in (and out)’

Author Paul Blustein managed to expose in his book the flaws of the financial system worldwide and shows Argentina’s efforts in the 90s to become one of the developed countries – even being praised by the IMF, the World Bank and Wall Street.

Blustein – who also wrote a book about the IMF called “The Chastening”- gathered in “And the money came rolling in (and out)” hundreds of interviews with politicians, economists, stock market investors as well as parts of internal documents showing how the IMF ignored the vulnerabilities in the Argentine economic policy.

The narrative of the rise and fall of Argentine economy is very clear and makes the reading flow, being considered by many top publications such as The Economist and New York Sun to be a “page-turner”.

Author: Paul Blumstein. 304 pages, Publisher: PublicAffairs. First Edition: March 2005. Language: English

Candela, the Hurlingham girl who had been missing for over a week, was found dead yesterday, marking a tragic end to the search for the 11-year-old girl.

Candela had disappeared on Monday 22^nd August, after which time her family launched a search with over a thousand Buenos Aires police and the help of other organizations.

Her body was found inside a black bag by two women looking for valuables in a trash dump about 35 blocks from the victim’s house.

The first autopsy reveals that the child was murdered by suffocation sometime between late Monday and early Tuesday of this week.

Police suspect that the murder was an act of vengeance against the father, who is currently doing jail time at the Magdalena prison for being part of a gang of truck hijackers.

The police are analyzing a call received by the family last Monday, in which a man said: “Now you’re not going to find her ever again. You’ll never find her. I promise you. Until this asshole returns the money you’re never going to find her again. You should ask your husband where he left the money.”

Police have located the phone booth from where the telephone calls were made. Through the security cameras at the establishment, they hope to identify the person who made the calls.

This morning, the family held a wake for Candela, and the Hurlingham municipality ordered a suspension of all classes in the district.

The official version of Allende’s death states he committed suicide during the coup on 11th September 1973. Human Rights protection organizations belie than information.

In 1990, Allende’s body was exhumed and a second autopsy was carried out. This time, there will be no autopsy, but other actions will be taken to elucidate the truth.

Examinations will be carried out by the UN’s anthropologist, Luis Fonberbrider and specialists from Argentina, Colombia, Spain, United Kingdom and the U.S.

The name of former Chilean president appears on a list of 726 complaints filed by the prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Santiago de Chile, Beatriz Pedrals, before judge Carroza.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the news agency of AMARC-ALC

The Chamber of Deputies in Chile this Tuesday approved a commission to investigate the accident in the San Jose coal mine. The Commission will analyze what caused the landslide of the site in the Atacama region. There are still 33 miners trapped within the rubble.

The approval of the investigation came after a formal request from the Official Alliance of Chile. The Commission of Mining and Energy will investigate what could have caused the landslide. They will also determine the legal and administrative disposition of the affected miners and those within the industry for future occurrences.

They will also revise the doctrine of the National Service for Geology and Mining in regards to the authorization and fiscalization of the mining industry in Chile. They will also investigate the background of teh San Jose coal mine, which was reopened in 2008 after being shut down in 2007. The Commission will present a report in less than 60 days.

33 miners are still trapped some 300 meters below surface in the coal mine. There are drillmen continuously working on the mine and reporting on the miners’ conditions.

Story courtesy of Agencia Pulsar, a news agency run by AMARC-ALC network of community radios

The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, came out against the criminal investigation launched against him for his alleged wiretapping ring that included opposition party members, calling it a “media show,” according to the website ‘Infobae.com’. Macri also requested that his trial be held in a political court.

“This investigation runs the risk of turning into something less than serious or into some media show that wouldn’t have the same formality that a political court would have to shed light on such a serious accusation like the one that has been made against me,” Macri announced to reporters.

Macri´s supporters echoed his words.

“Here the path is always driven by an investigative committee. But what the opposition does not have is clear rules. And that’s how it is with almost all of the members of the opposition. It’s clear that they want to keep this going until next year and put on a show” Martin Ocampo, an official for the Commission of Constitutional Matters, told ‘Clarín’.

The head of the Buenos Aires city government hopes that the investigation does not interfere with the elections in 2011, ‘Clarín’ said.

On Monday, the Commission of Constitutional Matters will hold a discussion on how it will handle this wiretapping affair, according to ‘Infobae.com’.

Biros, bypasses, blood transfusions. What do these three wonderful exhibitions of innovation have in common? For one, they are all Argentine inventions. But inevitably, as we continue to hurtle towards the future of cutting-edge design, technology and enterprise, the words ‘invention’ and ‘innovation’ conjure ever-changing images. Thus, almost half-way through the year 2010, the biro, the bypass and the blood transfusion all find themselves fading into the realms of antiquity; taking a backseat in Argentina’s fast-paced journey towards new discoveries and developments.

So which ground-breaking contraptions and ideas are surging forward in the world of innovation; and which Argentine inventors’ offerings are set to change our lives forever?

Giving a Platform to Possibility: ‘Innovar’

The investigation begins at the Ministry of Science and Technology. No matter how revolutionary an idea may be, without funding and state backing, it remains just that: an idea. Before a product can come into fruition, it must be patented (a patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention).

Responsible for patenting prospective inventions, the Ministry of Science and Technology is the driving force behind the development and production of all inventions which emerge from Argentina. However, further to this, in its bid to support and promote the work and ideas of up-and-coming inventors, the ministry – six years ago – created the competition: ‘Innovar’. According to its chief coordinator, Pablo Sierra, the venture serves to “give a very real and indispensible platform to possibility”.

With this year’s deadline for entrants set for May, Sierra envisages that the number of projects exhibited in Buenos Aires’ Centro Cultural Borges will surpass the 2630 showcased in 2009. He explains that the principle aim is “to make visible projects with true innovative potential”.

“We only accept prototypes,” he says, “or endeavours which have already undergone some degree of production and development. This is not an ideas competition.” The majority of entrants are university students, professors and societies, as well as those working in the fields of investigation and technological production.

Creating Connections

“The fundamental importance of ‘Innovar’ is that we are able to create connections, initiating worthwhile endeavours where there may never have otherwise arisen the opportunities,” opines Sierra. “We facilitate communication and articulation: two key elements of production and invention. Via this platform, potential consumers are brought into contact with potential consumer goods. Emerging inventors are given a fantastic opening to the market into which they aspire to explode.” Through ‘Innovar’, these inventions are introduced into the public sector: whether the target consumers are businesses, institutions or a very particular clientele, relationships are formed and negotiations can be made.

Considering the bigger picture, Sierra points out that Argentina’s most electrifying offerings to the world of innovation and invention are currently in agriculture and healthcare. This is thanks to the high level of expertise which filters through the ranks of specialists in these fields. He mentions one such development which was a direct product of the 2006 ‘Innovar’ competition: a set of machines and programmes – now employed on an international scale – which use state of the art equipment and hyper-intelligent systems to independently manage the harvest of entire orange groves.

Once it was clear that these systems could work, there was probably little holding back the development of this large-scale production. However the world of Argentine invention is a rabbit warren with far more to discover than just examples of big-time success and mass usage.

The Asociación Argentina de Inventores: An inventors circle

Delving deeper, examples of innovation take different – less elaborate, yet equally interesting – forms. Magnetic curtains, two-way cupboard doors and flattery-ensuring camera stands were amongst the selection of products strewn across the meeting rooms of the Asociación Argentina de Inventores (AAI).

Since November 1990, this Buenos Aires group of inventors has met every Monday at 6.30pm to discuss their newest endeavours. Whether old or young, with ideas, prototypes or the finished product, the members of this community aim to assess, feedback to and orientate one another, in order that the process of development may unfold.

As each inventor vies to pitch or explain the next contribution, the room oozes with creative juices. However, regardless of how fast they flow, or with what intensity or passion, onlookers are perhaps left a little sceptical as to where this will all lead. Aníbal Cabrera, the current president of the AAI, declares that the purpose of the organisation is to help inventors understand and work towards the state patenting process, to introduce their product to the market.

He champions Argentine innovation and gushes that the country is home to some of the most “frontier-transcending manifestations of creativity”. But success stories within the group are few and far between. Cabrera blames this on the impenetrability of the appropriate industries, due to a lack of contact with them – which he feels should be provided by the state.

The Inventor, the Individual

Innovar’s Pablo Sierra begs to differ: “It is true that Argentines have a unique way of thinking, which often results in some strikes of real ingenuity. But invention takes more than this: it takes strategy, organisation and collaboration. It is not uncommon for great ideas to be thought up here, but appear years later on the market as a finished product elsewhere. If the idea hangs in the air long enough, inevitably it will be picked up, diffused, modified and developed in a place where these processes seem better understood and are far slicker. If an inventor is not willing or ready to take this on board here, the government cannot put money into his or her idea.”

Even Cabrera admits that collaboration is perhaps not an Argentine forte. He jokes: “We’re good at inventions. Language is an invention… so are lies. We do both of those very well here! We work superbly as individuals, dreaming up the most outlandish and wonderful designs. But Borges wrote about ‘Nuestro pobre individualismo’ (our poor individualism), and he’s right; I’ve spent years wondering how we even manage to get married, let alone work as a team on a project which someone feels is entirely their own.”

The challenge continues regardless, and the AAI exudes a sense of progress. Not just in the production and publicity of their inventions, but also in the gradual development of their understanding of the processes involved, the market and the movements of the world of innovation: A world which, no matter the project at hand or the boundaries it hopes to break, revolves around strategy and alliance.

For more information on the annual ‘Innovar’ competition, visit: www.innovar.gob.ar

For more information on the AAI, visit: www.inventores-aai.org.ar

Argentina celebrates its national ‘Día del Inventor’ on 29th September each year, on the birthday of its most famous inventor to date: Ladislao José Biro.