Argentina's iconic 'Bridge House' restored

After a year and a half of restoration works, Argentina's iconic "Bridge House" - arguably the country's best-known example of mid-century Modernist architecture - was reopened as a house museum.

The house, located in seaside Mar del Plata, was designed by Argentine architect Amancio Williams (1913-1989) and his wife, Delfina Gálvez Bunge (1913-2014), and built between 1943 and 1946.

They designed the house, which spans a stream in a heavily wooded property, for Williams' father, composer Alberto Williams (1862-1952).

To accommodate the composer's love of nature, the 2,950 ft² home - perched on an arch and pylons like a bridge - affords a 365° view of the surrounding woods. But the composer fell ill shortly before its completion, and never lived there.

The Williamses sold the property in 1968, and the house - originally named the "Stream House" - acquired its "Bridge House" nickname on account of a radio station that operated there until its closure by the last dictatorship in 1977.

Its owner at the time, Héctor Lago Beitía, maintained the house until his death in 1991 - after which it fell into severe disrepair. It was purchased by the city in 2012, which cleaned the derelict interiors and replaced its windows.

Only in 2020 did the federal government take a formal interest in restoring the emblematic house.

"I got in touch with (Mar del Plata Urban Planning Director) Magalí Marazzo after watching her host a special on the house," President Alberto Fernández recounted. "I was so impressed, I asked (Culture Minister) Tristán Bauer about it, and he said: of course I know about the Stream House; my grandfather built it. He owned a local construction firm, and the Williamses hired him."

"So I called (Public Works Minister) Gabriel Katopodis and told him: don't explain why it's in such shambles - just know that it's essential we restore it," Fernández, visibly moved, concluded.

The president was joined by all three in tonight's reopening ceremony.

At: https://www-argentina-gob-ar.translate.goog/noticias/esta-tarde-se-reinaugura-el-museo-casa-del-puente-en-mar-del-plata-la-emblematica?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Argentine Culture Minister Tristán Bauer, President Alberto Fernández, Mar del Plata Urban Planning Director Magalí Marazzo, and Public Works Minister Gabriel Katopodis lead reopening ceremonies for Argentina's iconic "Stream House."

The 1946 structure - known locally as the "Bridge House" - is arguably Argentina's best-known example of mid-century Modernist architecture.

Home to a radio station in the 1970s, it was abandoned after its last owned died in 1991 and fell into severe disrepair.

Tory councillor said 'all white men should have a black man as a slave' in recording

A Conservative politician is being investigated after an audio recording said to be him saying ‘all white men should have a black man as a slave’ was unearthed.

Andrew Edwards is a councillor at Pembrokeshire County Council in Wales and has left the local Tory party while the probe takes place.

Mr Edwards, a self-employed hairdresser, is also accused of saying that black people are ‘lower class than whites’ in the 16-second audio clip.

At: https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/12/tory-councillor-said-all-white-men-should-have-a-black-man-as-a-slave-in-audio-18600368/

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez inaugurates 100,000th public housing unit since 2019

In an emotional ceremony in the northern Argentine city of Santiago del Estero, Argentine President Alberto Fernández inaugurated four new public housing developments - including the 100,000th public housing unit completed in his 40 month-old administration.

“It is an immense joy to know that we have handed over the keys to the homes, because it means that they will have a better quality of life,” Santiago del Estero Governor Gerardo Zamora said.

“The fact that we are presenting the 100,000th home is no minor detail - given that public housing works were paralyzed a little over three years ago.”

Under Fernández's predecessor, right-wing President Mauricio Macri, just 14,000 public housing units were completed in his 2015-19 tenure - despite a doubling of the foreign public debt to nearly $200 billion.

The president emphasized the relevance of public works investment in the country's North - long home to some of the highest poverty rates in Argentina.

“The North has (received) 40% of those 100,000 houses,” Fernández noted. “We want an integrated Argentina and we are going to work tirelessly until we reach that goal.”

Public housing developments have become the only realistic way to access proper housing for many working-class and poor Argentines in recent decades.

At: https://sde-gob-ar.translate.goog/2023/04/12/alberto-fernandez-entrego-la-vivienda-n-100-000-de-su-gestion-en-santiago-del-estero/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Flanked by Argentine Housing Minister Santiago Maggiotti, President Alberto Fernández, and Governor Gerardo Zamora, a young family receives the deed to the 100,000th public housing unit completed under Fernández's 40 month-old administration.

The Procrear subsidized mortgage line, launched in 2012, and Fernández's Own Home program - which builds homes with federal funds but for private ownership - have sought to mitigate the country's estimated 3.5 million-unit housing deficit (20% of the existing total).

But since the late 1970s, declining real wages, the dismantling and privatization of the National Mortgage Bank, the scarcity and cost of mortgages, and skyrocketing rents, have left millions of lower-income Argentine families without access to decent housing.

Ecuador eases access to guns amid spike in violence

Ecuador is allowing civilians to carry guns in response to growing insecurity, potentially worsening the country's violence by giving criminals greater access to weapons.

President Guillermo Lasso announced a decree on April 1 that lifts a 12-year-old ban on civilians carrying firearms in public.

Those who seek to carry a gun must be over 25 and pass a psychological evaluation, a drugs test, and receive a certificate of skill in handling and using firearms. Anyone with a criminal record or history of domestic violence remains banned from purchasing a firearm.

Ecuador's pre-existing gun law specifies that civilians may only own “personal defense” weapons - meaning specific types of pistols, revolvers, and shotguns.

The president's announcement comes amid a period of extreme violence in the country. Last year, murders in Ecuador rose more than 80%, with experts pointing the finger at the country's drug trafficking groups.

At: https://insightcrime.org/news/ecuador-eases-access-guns-amid-spike-violence/

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso announcing the lifting of a 12-year-old ban on civilians carrying firearms in public.

The country's murder rate has jumped from 5.6 per 100,000 in 2017 (a level comparable to that of the U.S. that year) to 25 per 100,000 - one of the highest in the world.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) cautioned that the decision “will only create a constant atmosphere of terror for the population, with more violence, crime and murders” - and warned of a possible rise of paramilitary groups.

Argentina found liable in multi-billion-dollar suit over 2012 YPF oil firm takeover

U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ruled today against the Argentine state in a lawsuit over the 2012 re-nationalization of Argentine energy conglomerate YPF - although YPF itself was found not liable.

While the judge didn’t set a figure for the compensation, Argentina may have to pay US$7 billion to US$19.8 billion, right-wing Buenos Aires daily La Nación said on Friday, citing estimates provided by the funds.

The lawsuit was originally presented against Argentina in 2015 by the Argentine-based Petersen Group - which owned 25% of YPF up to 2012 - for not making a tender offer when Repsol’s shares were expropriated, thus giving them an exit from the company.

Petersen then sold the trial rights to Guernsey-based litigation finance firm Burford Capital Limited - the one now litigating against the country. Eton Park, which had held 4% of YPF, sold Burford 75% of their trial rights too.

Argentine authorities are expected to appeal.

At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/argentina-found-liable-in-multi-billion-dollar-suit-over-ypf-oil-takeover.phtml

U.S. Southern New York District Judge Loretta Preska, and the headquarters of of Argentine energy firm YPF - the country's largest company of any kind.

While Judge Preska found YPF itself not liable to a failure to make tender offers to minority shareholders during YPF's 2012 renationalization, she did find the Argentine government at fault.

The lawsuit - snapped up in 2015 by litigation finance firm Burford Capital for $18 million - may put Argentina on the hook for $7 billion to $20 billion - well in excess of the $5 billion paid to former YPF owner Repsol for a 51% stake.

Argentina, currently struggling with a $180 billion public foreign debt, is expected to appeal - and may ultimately settle.

Fernandez, Biden hold talks amid Argentina's economic strain

Source: Washington Post

President Alberto Fernández of Argentina used a White House meeting Wednesday to spotlight the economic strain his country faces as he looks for President Joe Biden to back Argentina’s effort to renegotiate with the International Monetary Fund on terms of $44 billion debt.

The United States has veto power in the IMF, so any sign of support from Biden to revise requirements to the debt agreement would be seen as a positive for Argentina while talks continue.

In comments to reporters at the start of their meeting, Fernández noted that Argentina’s economy has endured the “worst drought” in the country in more than 90 years.

He also noted the Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused rippling effects on his country’s economy and others.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/29/biden-argentina-alberto-fernandez-imf-debt-economy/b08be8cc-ce6e-11ed-8907-156f0390d081_story.html

Argentine President Alberto Fernández and U.S. President Joe Biden at the Oval Office this afternoon.

Biden lauded Fernández's stand on democracy, human rights, and against Russia's invasion of Ukraine - which has hit Argentina's already-stressed balance of payments hard.

Fernández thanked Biden for his donation of millions of Covid vaccine doses during the depths of the pandemic in 2021, and for Biden's support in Argentina's efforts to refinance a nearly $200 billion foreign debt inherited from the right-wing Mauricio Macri administration.

“I think we have an enormous opportunity to increase our economic interchange, our economic integration on everything from clean energy to critical minerals to technology to security,” Biden said.

Buenos Aires Herald returns after six-year hiatus

The Buenos Aires Herald, closely associated with Argentina’s British and American communities, as well as tourists, returned as an online daily after shutting down in 2017.

The English-language journal, founded in 1876, later earned internal renown for its coverage of the “disappeared” – people who were forcibly abducted, tortured and murdered by the state during Argentina's last dictatorship in the late 1970s – when much of the country’s media stayed silent.

The Herald, which - like most Argentine newspapers - had suffered steadily-declining circulation since the 1970s, was purchased by the owners of the country's largest business daily, Ámbito Financiero, in 2008 - and in 2015 by the Indalo Group, which owns Argentina's top-rated progressive cable news network, C5N.

The Indalo Group is currently pursuing litigation against members of the right-wing Mauricio Macri administration (2015-19) for political persecution, including alleged attempts to use pro-Macri courts to seize the group.

A key defendant in the case, Macri fixer Fabián “Pepín” Rodríguez Simón, has had an Interpol Red Notice issued against him in 2021 for avoiding subpoenas to testify. Rodríguez Simón, 64, is reportedly living in neighboring Uruguay - whose courts are still mulling his extradition.

The Herald's main competition in this new chapter will be the centrist Buenos Aires Times, owned by the Perfil Group.

At: https://buenosairesherald.com/op-ed/editorial/the-buenos-aires-herald-is-back

A sign of the times, a 2016 headline in the Buenos Aires Herald, Argentina's best-known English-language daily, presages its closure a year later.

Its owners revived the daily - long a favorite among Argentina's English-speaking community - this Friday.

The Herald earned international renown for helping expose Nazi activities in Argentina in the 1930s and '40s - and for raising awareness of the country's disappeared during the last dictatorship in the late 1970s.

It later earned the ire of Argentina's largely right-wing media for its criticism of former President Mauricio Macri, whose sharp utility rate hikes - and alleged use of allied courts against the Herald's owners - helped lead to its closure in 2017.

Right-Wing Radio Host Calls For Execution of Obama and Others if Trump's Indicted

Source: Mediaite

Pete Santilli, a right-wing radio host, advocated recently on his show for the execution of former President Barack Obama along with former Attorney General Eric Holder and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice if former President Donald Trump is indicted this week — as Trump has claimed he will be.

This comes after Trump’s post on Truth Social over the weekend where he alleged that he will be arrested Tuesday stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation over a hush-money payment to adult star Stormy Daniels.

The video was posted by Right Wing Watch on Twitter Monday and shows Santilli raging for the military’s involvement so that the “criminals” can be held accountable.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/right-wing-radio-host-calls-for-execution-of-obama-and-others-if-trumps-indicted/

Fascist firing squad fan Pete Santilli

After brutal assault, Yanis Varoufakis urges progressives to focus on 'what really matters'

Recovering from a brutal assault that left him with a broken nose and cheekbone, leftist Greek lawmaker Yanis Varoufakis on Tuesday urged progressives "not get distracted" from the railway accident that killed 57 people last month or the neoliberal "privatize everything doctrine" he blames for the disaster.

Appearing on ANT1's Kallimera Ellada ('Good Morning, Greece') on Tuesday, Varoufakis — the parliamentary leader of the left-wing MeRA25 party and former finance minister in 2015 — said he needs to "thank the public hospital staff" because "they worked miracles" to treat his fractured cheekbone and nose, which was broken in six places during the Friday evening assault by a group of young men the lawmaker described earlier as "hired thugs."

"The oligarchic establishment is trying to exploit my injuries in the most hideous, Goebbels-like manner."

"I will recover," he said, brushing off more questions about the attack. "But those 57 from the train accident in Tempi won't, and their families' pain cannot be treated" — a reference to the February 28 collision of passenger and freight trains in Larissa.

At: https://www.commondreams.org/news/yanis-varoufakis

Former Greek Finance Minister and leftist leader Yanis Varoufakis speaks to the media in Athens on Tuesday.

He was brutally attacked three days earlier in an Athens restaurant by men he described as "hired thugs."

Varoufakis had earlier blamed rail privatization for a recent rail accident that cost 57 lives.

SVB collapse: Peter Thiel's role scrutinized as spark of bank run

Tech mogul and Republican campaign donor Peter Thiel is being accused of sparking the run on the bank that forced regulators to close down Silicon Valley Bank.

Journalists and critics have turned their focus on Thiel in the wake of SVB's collapse, accusing him of influencing businesses to withdraw their funding from the bank. His efforts are thought to be the first that eventually sparked the bank run, leading to California regulators intervening.

"To be clear, SVB did not properly hedge its risks against two threats, 1) concentration of influence by Peter Thiel, 2) rising interest rates," tweeted investigative journalist Dave Troy.

"That was mismanagement, but it still wasn't fraud, and they still have sufficient assets to meet nearly all of the bank's obligations."

At: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/svb-collapse-peter-thiel-silicon-valley-

Soft coup?

On Thursday night, Founders Fund - the venture capital fund co-founded by Peter Thiel - advised companies to pull money from the now-insolvent Silicon Valley Bank.