Bolivia denounces Argentina's Macri for munitions and tear gas shipped to aid 2019 coup

Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta announced that evidence has emerged that former Argentine President Mauricio Macri - a close Trump ally - aided Bolivia's 2019 coup with a sizable shipment of crowd control munitions and tear gas.

Over 800 protesters were injured and at least 33 were killed by security forces in the aftermath of the November 10, 2019, coup - which deposed President Evo Morales.

"We have access to a document that shows that the Macri government in Argentina provided material so that social protest could be repressed, and the de facto government of (Jeanine) Áñez could be consolidated," Foreign Minister Mayta declared.

The document - a letter dated November 13, 2019, in which Bolivian Air Force General Jorge Terceros thanks Macri's ambassador, Normando Álvarez García, for his "collaboration" - offers details on the shipment - which arrived in an Argentine Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and included 40,000 AT-12/70 crowd control cartridges; 18 Mk-9 tear gas spray canisters; and 121 CN, CS, and HC gas grenades.

This follows news on June 11th that former right-wing Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno had similarly shipped over 8,000 munitions as well as tear gas on November 16, 2019 - three days after the Macri shipment.

Terceros, like Áñez and several ministers and generals who took part in her 2019-20 regime, have been arrested since President Luis Arce - a close ally of former President Morales - was inaugurated last November following a landslide election victory.

Ambassador Álvarez García, however, was later named labor minister for Argentina's Jujuy Province by Governor Gerardo Morales - a Macri ally who has since distanced himself from the unpopular former president.

Former First Daughter Ivanka Trump was earlier revealed to have met with Bolivian coup leader and far-right figure Luis "Macho" Camacho during a September 2019 visit to Jujuy Province.

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&u=https://www.eldestapeweb.com/politica/venta-de-armas-a-bolivia/fuerte-denuncia-de-bolivia-macri-aporto-armas-para-apoyar-a-la-dictadura-de-anez-20217820480

Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta holding the 2019 letter detailing material support from former right-wing Argentine President Mauricio Macri to Bolivia's dictatorship in the violent days after the 2019 coup.

Macri, a close Trump ally, was quick to recognize the Jeanine Áñez dictatorship - though both he and his surrogates had denied that their support for Áñez went beyond recognition.

Argentine 12-time Grand Prix winner Carlos Reutemann passes away at 79

Argentine racing legend Carlos Reutemann has passed away at the age of 79.

Reutemann won 12 Grands Prix for Brabham, Ferrari and Williams over a 146-race career from 1972 to 1982.

Though he never won the world title many thought his talents deserved, he did finish in the top three in the championship on four occasions, missing out on the 1981 crown by just a single point in a final race showdown in Las Vegas with Brazil's Nelson Piquet.

Reutemann, who also claimed two World Rally Championship podiums in Argentina, turned his attention to politics after hanging up his helmet.

From the racetrack to politics

He was first elected in an upset as governor of his home province of Santa Fe in 1991, riding a wave of popularity for then-President Carlos Menem and becoming a leading figure in the conservative wing of the big-tent Justicialist Party (PJ).

The PJ, founded by the populist leader Juan Perón in 1945, took a turn to the right in the early 1990s - and though Reutemann supported the shift, he avoided becoming closely tied to the increasingly unpopular Menem.

Barred from re-election, he was elected senator in 1995 and in 1999 returned by Santa Fe voters as governor.

Following the country's 2001 collapse, Reutemann was touted as a possible presidential candidate in 2003 - elections Peronists were sure to win, as they were in opposition during the 2001 crisis.

A nepotism scandal nixed his chances, however, leading to the election of center-left Peronist Governor Néstor Kirchner.

Reutemann was instead returned to the Senate, where in 2009 he broke from Kirchner and co-founded the Federal Peronist caucus - a group of 4 center-right Peronist senators opposed to the Kirchnerist majority.

His ties to Peronism were further strained by his 2015 endorsement of hard-right candidate Mauricio Macri - who narrowly won, only to become the first Argentine president to lose re-election amid a 2019 "Macrisis."

Reutemann kept a very low profile, speaking for a total of 10 minutes in 21 years in the Senate. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2017, and died following two hospital stays since May in his native city of Santa Fe.

At: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.12-time-grand-prix-winner-carlos-reutemann-passes-away-aged-79.3bnZRohyUiw5X66koDB5a8.html

Argentine racing great Carlos Reutemann admires a photo of his 1974 Argentine Formula One Grand Prix win, awarded to him by populist President Juan Perón (in photo, at left).

Reutemann was later elected governor and senator as a Peronist - but his steady shift to the right after 2003 distanced him from the largely center-left party.

Jovenel Moise, Haiti's embattled President, killed at 53

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, a former banana producer and political neophyte who ruled Haiti for more than four years as the country grew increasingly unstable under his watch, was killed on Wednesday. He was 53.

Moïse was assassinated at his private home following “a highly coordinated attack by a highly trained and heavily armed group,” interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said.

His wife, Martine Moïse, was injured in the attack and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

“Haiti has lost a true statesman,” Joseph said. “We will ensure that those responsible for this heinous act are swiftly brought to justice.”

Moïse took office in February 2017, pledging to strengthen institutions, fight corruption and bring more investments and jobs to the Western hemisphere’s poorest nation.

But his administration was plagued by massive protests from the start, and critics accused him of growing increasingly authoritarian. He had been ruling by decree since 2018.

At: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-07-07/jovenel-moise-haitis-embattled-president-killed-at-53

Raffaella Carra, iconic Italian pop star, dies at 78

Italian singer, actor, dancer and TV host Raffaella Carrà — who over the course of a 60-year career became a national pop culture sensation, sold millions of records across Europe and Latin America — has died at 78, Italian media outlets have reported.

Born in Bologna, Carrà started in showbiz as a child, first appearing at age 8 in the 1952 melodrama “Tormento del Passato.”

In 1965, Carrà co-starred with Frank Sinatra in Canadian director Mark Robson’s World War II drama “Von Ryan’s Express.”

In the 1970s, Carrà rose to fame in Italy as a singer and dancer as co-host of the variety show “Canzonissima” - wearing a risquè outfit that marked the first time a woman dared to expose her midriff on TV in Italy.

In 1976, she sang her first major international hit, “A Far l’Amore Comincia Tu” (Making Love Starts With You) - popularized in Spanish-speaking countries as “Explota, explota mi corazón.”

She became very popular in Spain and Latin America - recording “La hora de Raffaella Carrà” for Spanish Television in 1976 and starring in an Argentine musical comedy, “Bárbara,” in 1980.

Carrà released 25 studio albums during her career. A Spanish musical film based around her songs titled “Explota Explota” was released in 2020.

At: https://variety.com/2021/music/news/raffaella-carra-dead-1235011893/

Italian entertainer Raffaella Carrà performing her 1976 Spanish-language hit, Explota, explota mi corazón.

Richard Donner, Director of 'Superman,' 'The Goonies' and 'Lethal Weapon,' Dies at 91

Source: Variety

Director-producer Richard Donner, best known for helming the “Lethal Weapon” film series, “The Goonies” and the original “Superman” film, died on Monday. He was 91.

Donner’s production company confirmed news of his death to Variety, though the cause was not disclosed.

Though not his first bigscreen effort, his big feature break came with 1976’s “The Omen,” starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Thereafter, he brought his craftsmanship to the first “Superman.”

He also branched out into producing (“Free Willy,” “The Lost Boys”), usually with his wife Lauren Shuler Donner — he executive produced the huge 2000 success “X-Men” and later the prequel “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

But his career was highlighted by the “Lethal Weapon” series, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, which elevated him to the ranks of directors generating more than a billion dollars in box office.

Read more: https://variety.com/2021/film/news/richard-donner-dead-dies-superman-the-goonies-lethal-weapon-1235012025/

Legendary director Richard Donner, 1930-2021.

Argentina renationalizes Parana-Paraguay waterway operations

Argentine President Alberto Fernández has renationalized the administration of the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway by decree, granting control to the General Ports Administration (AGP).

The decision, formalized on Thursday via Decree 427/2021, assigns the tasks of the hands control of the river network’s maintenance (including dredging) to the port authority for at least 12 months until a new, long-term international concession is awarded.

The AGP administration extends for some 1,238 kilometers (769 miles) to the Paraná River’s outlet into the River Plate estuary downstream, near Buenos Aires.

The waterway is a key route for exports, carrying 125 million tons of cargo annually and accounting for 80% of Argentine foreign trade.

Extending some 3,500 km (2,175 miles) into central Brazil - it's believed to account for most of the estimated $10 billion in unregistered exports, mainly soy and grains.

Thursday’s decree brings to an end a quarter-century of administration by the Belgian dredging company Jan de Nul and its local partner Emepa since 1995, once the 90-day rollover ruled by Resolution 129/2021 last April expires.

At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/government-hands-control-of-parana-paraguay-waterway-to-port-agency.phtml

Freighters ply the Paraná River near Rosario, Argentina.

The Paraná-Paraguay Waterway, whose operations were privatized in 1995, accounts for most of the estimated $10 billion in unregistered exports (mainly soy and grains).

Senator Jorge Taiana, a leading proponent of its renationalization, noted that the concession had expired and that "in the U.S. the important rivers are dredged by the Army (Corps of Engineers) because it's a matter of national security."

Argentina opens door to U.S. vaccine donations with legal tweak

Argentina will tweak legislation to help the country receive U.S. donations of COVID-19 vaccinations, senior officials said on Friday, a move that could also help unlock deals that have proved tricky with drugmakers like Pfizer.

A decree signed today by President Alberto Fernández will soften legal clauses around negligence, remove a reference to "fraudulent maneuvers" - and create a fund to compensate people harmed by a vaccine.

Pfizer would, in turn, relinquish any claims on sovereign assets such as Central Bank reserves, embassy buildings and military bases as collateral against lawsuits. Only claims on some natural resources royalties would be allowed.

The prior language had hampered negotiations with vaccine firms, and the changes could help Argentina step up its vaccine program as it faces cases and deaths among the highest in the world per capita.

Some 53% of Argentine adults have received a first dose - but only 13%, both doses.

The United States recently announced donations of Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to Peru and Colombia.

Argentina, currently facing a second wave of COVID-19, has recorded some 4.5 million cases of the virus and 95,382 deaths. Daily deaths have jumped from 126 in March, to 540 in June.

At: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentina-opens-door-us-vaccine-donations-with-legal-tweak-2021-07-02/

Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti and Presidential Legal Secretary Vilma Ibarra respond to questions during today's press conference in which a decree was announced to create the legal exemptions needed to allow the import of of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Disputes stemming from Pfizer's claims on sovereign assets as collateral - as reported by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in April - had hampered Pfizer's access to the Argentine market of 63 million potential doses.

The country's vaccine program (21.6 million administered thus far) has largely relied on Russia's Sputnik V, China's Sinopharm, and AstraZeneca's Covishield.

Randy Moore will be the first Black Chief of the Forest Service in its 116-Year history

Randy Moore, a 43-year veteran of the United States Department of Agriculture, will be the new head of the Forest Service, making him the first Black leader to head up the agency in its 116-year history, the Biden Administration announced on Monday.

In a press release, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack called Moore “a catalyst for change and creativity in carrying out the Forest Service’s mission to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.”

“Randy has been a conservation leader on the forefront of climate change, most notably leading the Region’s response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California over the last decade,” Vilsack said.

After joining the USDA in 1978, Moore, 66, worked in a variety of roles in forests and grasslands across Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, and also served as Acting Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System and the National Deputy Soils Program manager.

Since 2007, he has served as regional forester for California’s Pacific Southwest Region, where he oversees 18 national forests covering 20 million acres

At: https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/randy-moore-will-be-the-first-black-chief-of-the-forest-service-in-its-116-year-history/

U.S. Forest Service Chief-designate Randy Moore

Mike Gravel, former U.S. senator from Alaska, dies at 91

Mike Gravel, a former U.S. senator from Alaska who read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record and confronted Barack Obama about nuclear weapons during a later presidential run, has died. He was 91.

Gravel, who represented Alaska as a Democrat in the Senate from 1969 to 1981, died Saturday, according to his daughter, Lynne Mosier. Gravel had been living in Seaside, California.

Gravel’s two terms came during tumultuous years for Alaska when construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was authorized and when Congress was deciding how to settle Alaska Native land claims and whether to classify vast federal land as parks, preserves and monuments.

Gravel’s Senate tenure also was notable for his anti-war activity.

In 1971, he led a one-man filibuster to protest the Vietnam-era draft and he read into the Congressional Record 4,100 pages of the 7,000-page leaked document known as the Pentagon Papers, the Defense Department’s history of the country’s early involvement in Vietnam.

Gravel reentered national politics in 2006 - decades after his time in the Senate to twice run for president as a Democrat in the 2008 election ultimately won by Obama.

He launched his quest for the nomination as a critic of the Iraq war, hitching his campaign to an effort that would give all policy decisions to the people through a direct vote, including health care reform and declarations of war.

At: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/27/mike-gravel-former-us-senator-alaska-dies-496563

Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, during his 1969-81 tenure in the Senate - and in his brief, final campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2019.

Argentina reaches debt repayment deal with Paris Club

Argentine Economy Minister Martín Guzmán announced Tuesday that Argentina had reached an agreement with the Paris Club of creditor countries to avoid defaulting on a loan repayment in July.

“We have reached an understanding with the Paris Club to avoid defaulting on July 31, when a grace period was to expire for the repayment of a final tranche of debt of about $2.4 billion,” Guzmán told reporters in the capital.

Argentina will instead make a $430 million payment in the short term - followed by the rest later.

The amount owed was the last repayment on debt renegotiated with the Paris Club in 2014 (then $9.7 billion).

Guzmán pointed out that the new payment dates were not yet fully defined - though the first payment would likely take place on July 31, with the second in March 2022.

Argentina will continue negotiations for rescheduling some $45 billion it owes the IMF - part of a record bailout granted to former President Mauricio Macri in 2018, reportedly at Trump's behest.

Guzmán's successful refinance of $66 billion in foreign debt last August (around a third of the total) trimmed the country's foreign debt service by 35% from a record $17.4 billion in 2019.

At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/guzman-confirms-argentina-has-reached-deal-with-paris-club.phtml

Argentine Economy Minister Martín Guzmán holds a Zoom meeting this morning with the President of the Paris Club, Emmanuel Moulin.

The agreement reached today with the Paris Club of creditor nations averts a default on $2.4 million in Argentina's remaining debt with the club - as well as easing uncertainty in the debt-strapped nation.

Argentina still faces IMF payments of over $18 billion annually in 2022 and 2023, besides other foreign debt service of over $10 billion a year - mostly dating from former President Mauricio Macri's 2015-19 tenure, when massive foreign debts were taken on largely to finance the dollarization and offshoring of private assets.