Protest in Bolivia by payorivero, on Flickr

President Evo Morales has announced the approval of a new law to combat femicide. The new law dictates a 30 year prison sentence for offenders and is part of the governments’ attempt to combat the country’s soaring rates of domestic violence against women.

The law, referred to as the “Comprehensive Law Guaranteeing Women a Life Free From Violence” was signed in the Government Palace in La Paz. The signing was attended by indigenous women’s organisations, feminists, and human rights activists.

The law aims to reduce male violence against women and to provide them protection. Since 2009, 403 women have been killed, and 21 of these killings occurred in quick succession in the first months of 2013. These figures are amongst the highest in Latin America.

Congressman Ever Moya, a vociferous supporter of the law and president of the Human Rights Commission, explained how, thanks to the new law, femicide will be incorporated into the Penal Code. He added that the 30 years incarceration excludes the right to pardon.

Femicide is defined as the killing of a woman on the grounds of her gender. Morales believes that the law will be effective in curbing violence and aggression against women. He also guaranteed to provide the funds for the implementation of the new law.

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

Not for the first time, the mayor of the city of Buenos Aires Mauricio Macri has vetoed several bills, most of which related to social issues, all of which were approved unanimously by lawmakers, including those from his own PRO party.

In total nine laws were vetoed, the most controversial of which was designed to protect companies managed by workers after employers had abandoned them during the 2001 crisis.

Eduardo Montes, vice-president of the Strategic Planning and Educational Evaluation Unit in Argentina (UPEA) told the press that he was surprised by the veto “because it is a law that was consensual, voted by PRO legislators themselves”. The law was presented midway through 2012 and achieved consensus amongst legislators.

Macri’s veto affects some 32 cooperatives, 19 of which have already been in operation for more than a decade. It is believed to affect a further 70 families, and another 300 more indirectly. “Macri does not believe in social ownership and thinks that the workers cannot lead a factory” continued Montes.

La Campora member and legislator Juan Cabandié remarked that by vetoing the law “Macri delegitimises the work of his own legislators”.

Another law that was overturned was a bill designed to provide hereditary subsidising for Malvinas veterans working in public administration in Buenos Aires.

“This law was to protect the families of people who have suffered and suffer consequences of past events, and did not involve a large cost to the City,” said Proyecto Sur deputy, Alejandro Bodart.

Laurence Wiener, Lawyer

When Lawrence Wiener and his partners decided to open up the doors for Wiener-Soto-Caparrós in Buenos Aires in April 2010, they declared it was not going to be a conventional law firm and legal services provider. Instead, they wanted to emulate the best features of a US-style practice, and at the same time capitalise their local expertise.

With a client focus on individuals and companies mostly from English-speaking countries, they offer service driven legal help. Foreign Latin American investors make a big part of their clientele, but they also work with helping start-up companies in Argentina.

We spoke to Laurence Wiener, who is Co-Chair of the Buenos Aires City Chapter of the American Bar Association, about the experience of starting a law firm in the Argentine capital.

What’s your background?

I grew up in California. After graduating from UCLA I moved to Northern California and graduated from U.C. Davis law school. I then became an associate of the San Francisco office of a large law firm. I worked as a trial lawyer but grew restless with pushing paper and not spending enough time in the courtroom. In 1991 I took a one-year sabbatical to study at the University of Buenos Aires. This choice eventually turned into a permanent re-location.

From 1993 to 2001, I worked at a Buenos Aires boutique law firm specialising in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions, eventually becoming a partner and achieving a ground-breaking precedent for US lawyers in Argentina. From December 2001 through April 2010 I was Of Counsel to a large, traditional Argentine law firm. In the context of Argentina’s default, devaluation, economic collapse and recovery I adapted my experience in two legal systems to benefit foreign investors.

Why did you decide to start a law practice in Argentina?

More than anything, the decision reflected the culmination of over 20 years trying to make my professional life work in someone else’s framework. It took me a long time but I realised I could only be satisfied by working with people similarly committed to an intense, principled, fun, challenging and healthy work environment with a great sense of humour. It’s harder to find than you would think, especially with lawyers.

In what way are you different from Argentine attorneys?

The most obvious difference is the bi-cultural (US and Argentine) leadership. At times, other Argentine firms may have US attorneys but ours is the only one having them in leadership positions. The truly bi-cultural mix makes a huge difference on our worldview: the way we approach problems and resolutions, treat attorneys, staff and clients, and the quality of our work product, particularly as viewed from abroad.

What is the biggest difference with practising here compared to the US?

The differences are many. Argentina is based on the Continental European legal system inherited from the Napoleonic Code, whereas the US is a Common Law system based on judicial pronouncements inherited, in some cases, from the English courts predating the founding of the US. In substantive terms, the rules are often similar. Procedurally, however, they are worlds apart. The biggest difference is trying to predict judicial outcomes. Because the Common Law system is based on precedent, it is much easier for the lawyer to assess a likely decision. With Argentina’s Code-based system, you lose much of that predictability. The judge acts as a scientist, applying statutes to a case but largely unrestricted by decisions of other courts. That proves very frustrating to clients used to lawyers giving a probability assessment.

Are there any shocking or surprising differences in laws used here compared to the US that bother you?

Not really. What is troubling is the way laws can be manipulated or overturned to accommodate political objectives. Courts as political instruments are perhaps inevitable in any system but the more judges serve political interests the greater the harm to the judiciary and to the rule of law.

What is the hardest part of handling Argentine bureaucracy in your everyday work?

There is no avoiding it. That’s why in Argentina there are job categories (gestor, cadete) that exist in response to that bureaucracy.

How well is your idea of being an unconventional attorney here in Argentina received? What reactions do you encounter?

Twenty years ago, it was received as an oddity but largely ignored. With success comes suspicion and jealousy and I found myself attacked from several corners because I was not an abogado, i.e. licensed to practise in Argentina. Even to this day, despite a global tendency to have lawyers qualified in one jurisdiction but living and working in another, there are some who still express their disdain by addressing me as “Señor” and not the more conventional title of “Doctor”. That’s okay, though. I am still convinced that the title of “doctor” should be reserved for someone who can use a stethoscope and save a life.

Why do clients choose you instead of a traditional Argentine attorney?

More than anything, I am convinced that it is the trust factor. Clients are eased by the feeling that they are accompanied by someone who knows what they are doing and looking out for their best interests in a place that is largely unfamiliar to them. Shared language and culture are keys to building understanding and trust. Simple references to popular culture: like Sean Connery said in The Untouchables, “you have to do it the Chicago Way”, well here we have to do it the Buenos Aires Way, or shared idioms like “that just ain’t clear,” accelerate that bond. After that, it’s all about professional skill and maintaining good communication.

What’s your best advice for moving your business from abroad to Argentina?

Talk to a lawyer first. It is important to assess whether moving your business is required or if you can capitalise on local human and other resources, while lawfully maintaining the business structure abroad.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced this afternoon that she will convene special congress sessions between 18^th and 31^st December in order to address issues to do with the human sex trafficking law.

The announcement comes a day after a court acquitted 13 men accused of being part of a sex ring that kidnapped Marita Veron and forced her into prostitution.

The president has called for the talks in order to amend law no. 26,264, a 2008 human trafficking law, which currently relies on female victims to prove that they did not consent to being a sex slave.

“The reform eliminates that requirement,” says Fabiana Tuez, a member of the Feminist organisation, Casa del Encuentro.

The amendment would also include an increase in the length of jail sentences for those convicted of human trafficking, as well as transferring assets seized in such cases to a fund for victims.

Cristina’s decision to call the special discussion sessions comes after it was revealed that she rung Marita Veron’s mother, Susanna Trimarco, following the recent court ruling and shouted “I cannot believe it, I cannot believe it!”

Congress will also discuss the establishment of a new national holiday on the 31^st of January and humanitarian missions to Haiti.

It’s Friday again!

And if you’re reading this it’s because you survived December 6th, a day that will be remembered as one of the most eventful days in recent history.

Today was expected to be a day to remember, as the much-dreaded December 7th (also referred to as “7D”) was supposed to arrive.

Remember? 7D! The day that the National Government had been advertising for months as the day in which Grupo Clarín‘s hegemonic dominance of terror was going to come to an end, prompting humanity to leave its current state of slumber and transition to a higher plane of consciousness that brings forth a new age of global understanding.

And yet, today feels totally anticlimactic. Because it was yesterday that the unexpected (and probably jealous) “6D” ended up stealing all the attention.

It’s hard to sum up in a few words the humongous amount of shit that happened yesterday. The feeling of anxiety, the uncertainty, the despair and the hilarious Twitter jokes that helped us engage in collective catharsis.

Last night, hundreds of newspaper editors around the country were scratching their heads thinking of a single headline that could easily convey the wave of catastrophes that befell upon us without splashing the front cover with the word CHAOS.

Let’s just say that if yesterday had been a TV show, it would have been 24. And I’m not sure even Jack Bauer could have handled the pressure.

Suggested soundtrack for the following read: this. And don’t forget to like the Weekly News Roundup on Facebook so you can keep up with future updates.

The following takes place between 8 AM and midnight, on December 6th 2012:

• 

  President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner holding a copy of Clarín. And she's holding it weird. What's up with her left arm? It looks like one of those action figure arms that bend in a weird way. You know which ones I mean? It's like they try really hard to make them look human but dude, no. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  [8:00 AM] It’s raining in Buenos Aires and yet the heat is suffocating. The humidity is through the roof and millions of women complain about having a bad hair day. I know this seems like the end of the world but trust me, it gets worse. A lot worse.

• [9:11 AM] I should have suspected it was going to be a horrible day when on my way to a meeting I stepped on a banana peel and crash landed on the sidewalk like some loser. Yes, bad shit happens to me too but at least I exorcise my demons via Twitter. I know this is personal and unrelated but sorry, I just had to talk about it. And to whoever left that banana peel there on purpose: fuck you.

• [09:45 AM] The action begins. A container in Puerto Madero filled with drums of mercury catches fire. Local networks announce we’re all going to die very quickly.

• [10:32 AM] No, wait! Turns out it’s not mercury! Phew! No, it’s actually a chemical compound used in pesticides/insecticides that explodes when making contact with water. Rain water possibly leaked into the container, starting the fire upon contact. Firemen arrive and try to put the fire out with more water. Container explodes (obviously). Dense toxic cloud begins to hover above Buenos Aires. Authorities order the evacuation of offices and schools in Puerto Madero, San Telmo, Retiro and the downtown area. A putrid smell invades the city. Local networks announce we’re still going to die, only a slow and painful death.

• [10:53 AM] As hundreds of terrified parents double park their cars in front of their children’s schools in the downtown area causing traffic chaos and people run for their lives under the rain to escape the stench, former Deputy Mayor of Buenos Aires and current national lawmaker Gabriela Michetti casually tweets that she’s “enjoying the wonderful smell of the jasmines sitting atop her desk”. She becomes the most hated person on Twitter.

• [11:15 AM] The local authorities recommend the population to stay home, close doors and windows and  turn the AC off. Thousands begin to contemplate suicide. Not because of the poisonous cloud, but because of the suffocating heat inside their homes. All windows locked and the AC off? In this humidity?! Goodbye, cruel world.

• [11:20 AM] It is still raining. All Subte stations in the area close and the service is interrupted. The Retiro station is shut down before the last train arrives to the platform. Passengers get off the train and realize they are trapped inside, breathing the contaminated air. Oops!

• [11:25 AM] All trains in the Mitre line suspend their services to Retiro. People trying to escape the area are royally fucked.

• [11:27 AM] You know how you keep talking about taking a cruise someday and enjoying a non-eventful holiday? Well if you ever do, make sure your cruise has not been docked next to a fucking toxic cloud. It was like “Speed 2“, only less exciting and with better acting. It’s OK though, they sent the cruise to high seas for precaution and the only downside was that the tourists could not visit Palermo Soho and buy overpriced crap they would have never used anyway.

• [11:30 AM] Website of local tabloid Cronica runs this headline, Twitter explodes.

• [11:34 AM] Several people begin to report dizziness, and a burning sensation in throat and lungs. If they end up turning into zombies I’m gonna be sooooo pissed.

• [11:35 AM] Drama queens appear.

• [11:45 AM] Local authorities begin to suggest that the toxic spill may not be deadly after all, just “moderately hazardous.” Security Secretary Sergio Berni offers press conference from Puerto Madero in hazmat suit looking like a badass version of Jack Bauer, he becomes the most loved/mocked person in the media.

• [12:00 PM] Thousands of evacuees are disappointed after learning that the deadly cloud is actually not deadly and they have to return to work.

• [12:32 PM] The rain stops.

• [1:00 PM] Nothing happens, which is kinda of a bad omen.

• [2:00 PM] Sky turns black. It starts raining again, but this time it’s a torrential rain. People look outside their windows and find out they are unable to see the other side of the street.

• [3:00 PM] It is still raining like crazy. People begin to exchange gazes of confusion and legitimate concern. This rain is not normal. “Maybe it’s some kind of toxic rain, a result of the toxic cloud,” says a Twitter user clearly well versed in meteorology and with a degree from the University of Just Pulled That Out of my Ass.

• [4:00 PM] Everyone’s greatest fears become a reality when a flash flood hits many areas of the city, specially Palermo’s ugly sister (Belgrano).

• [4:15 PM] Cronica decides to go with another groundbreaking headline: “From Chernobyl to Venice“. Twitter explodes again.

• [4:30 PM] Because things are apparently kinda dull today, coach drivers decide to go on strike and block the exit of the Retiro bus station, trapping inside the facilities all passengers who were planning on going away for the weekend.

• [5:00 PM] As the heavy storm continues to flood the city, news break of a shootout at the DOT shopping mall. Initial reports suggest a group of 50 savages have entered the mall and begun ransacking stores and cannibalizing people or something. Seems legit.

• [5:10 PM] All subway lines interrupted due to severe flooding. Severe as in “completely under water”. More traffic chaos ensues.

• [5:15 PM] Blackouts are registered throughout the City as a result of the intense storm. Thousands complain about not being able to check their Twitter feed for snark.

• [5:23 PM] Buenos Aires finally collapses. The Arroyo Vega overflows and the busy commercial corner of Blanco Encalada and Cabildo Av. now looks like a disaster scene from The Bible, with hundreds of people trapped in over a meter of water. God help us all.

• [6:10 PM] A tornado?!  Are you fucking kidding me?! What’s next, Godzilla?!

• [6:30 PM] The rain stops, but it’s too late. Entire neighborhoods in the Greater Buenos Aires area and the City, including Palermo and Belgrano (the ones you care about) are flooded.

• [6:37 PM] Turns out the angry mob at the DOT was just protesting that due to the building’s poorly designed drain system, their settlement (Villa Mitre) was flooded, so they decided to take it out with the stores. There were no shots fired, no people eaten. Happy ending, kind of.

• [6:40 PM] People finally embrace the fact that they are bound to live in a third world version of Atlantis forever and start kayaking through the flooded streets of Belgrano, laughing maniacally.

•  [6:41 PM] Rumors begin to surface suggesting that a federal court has decided to extend the injunction on the Media Law requested by Clarín, a move that would effectively ruin the National Government’s celebrations prepared for December 7th (when the injunction was set to expire). In the newsroom where I work, I begin banging my head incessantly on my keyboard. This is the longest day of my (journalistic) life.

• [6:49 PM] Worst fears confirmed: the injunction has been extended. Millions of anti-Kirchnerites celebrate throughout the country while the Government just stands there, jaw-dropped in disbelief. The 7D mythology has been exterminated only a few hours before the celebrations began. In the newsroom, I try to cut my veins with one of those plastic spoons but my colleagues restrain me and talk me out of it by bringing Jesus into the conversation.

• [7:11 PM] The entire cabinet convenes with the President in an emergency meeting at the Olivos presidential residence.

• [7:30 PM] Godzilla finally shows up.

• [7:57 PM] People begin to freak out again as the Buenos Aires sky
  

  I have a feeling that if Jack Bauer lived in Buenos Aires he would have perished by around noon. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  acquires this sort of reddish hue that either heralds the end of times or means that a nuclear bomb just went off. Whatever the case may be, I’m ready. Bring it.

• [8:24 PM] In social networks, the expression “6D” starts to become “a thing”. I hate humanity.

• [9:30 PM] Tony Bennet is singing at the Gran Rex and I’m missing it because I have tons of work to do thanks to this interminable day.

• [10:30 PM] Cristina leaves for Brazil to attend a Mercosur summit licking her wounds and in a very, very bad mood. Like me, basically.

•  [11:59 PM] The coach drivers’ strike ends one minute before midnight, all passengers are freed. At the same time, the storm recedes, the water levels decrease, the cleaning staff at the DOT mall mumbles in discontent, Cristina is flying to Brazil with her blood pressure probably through the roof and the chairmen of the Grupo Clarín sacrifice a few babies to thank Baphomet for the blessings received. All in all a  pretty productive day.

Starting from today all tobacco products going out to public must contain written and graphic warning labels about health related risks for the potential consumers. A new law extends for the actual products and commercials.

The law was confirmed back in April 2012. According to the Ministry of Health, tobacco smoking causes over 40,000 annual deaths in Argentina. Until now, cigarette packs included phrases like “Smoking is harmful to health”, which were not strong enough to prevent their massive consumption.

New written warnings contain phrases that respond to the standards of the World Health Organisation, such as: “Smoking causes cancer”, “Smoking causes emphysema” etc.

Mario Virgolini, a coordinator of the National Tabacco Control Programme in the Ministry of Health, brings examples of other countries like Brazil and Canada, where the strong messages on cigarette packs “stimulated the smokers to give up smoking”. He adds that the new messages “help to raise aware about the damage that a smoking habit causes, as the consumer faces another reality.”

Buenos Aires mayor Mauricio Macri yesterday vetoed the ‘non-punishable’ abortion law passed on the 28th September which would have served to legalise abortion in cases of rape or life endangerment of the mother. This news comes just days after the announcement that the first legalised abortion would take place next Tuesday for a woman who had been involved with human trafficking.

The law would have allowed women who were raped to obtain an abortion at any time throughout the pregnancy, and without parental consent for minors from the age of 14.

According to the city government, the new legislation “exceeds” what was established by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation on the 13th March and that its vetoing will ensure that the resolution of the City’s Ministry of Health remains in force. The law was passed with a small majority of 30 votes to 29, and faced controversy from the outset from pro-life groups and the city government.

The decision to veto the law, however, has met opposition from the city, especially in light of the lack of explanation for it. “Macri does not explain why the law exceeds what was established by the Supreme Court… Because it clearly does not,” states Kirchnerist deputy María Rachid.

The latest veto comes as the 107th since the beginning of Macri’s term in office, marking a new record in the history of the city

Today around 11.30am Chilean students restarted protests in front of the University of Santiago. The demonstration was initiated by the Asociation of Secondary School Students (ACES), Coordination of the Secondary School Students (CONES) and supported by the Confederation of the Chilean Students (CONFECh) and a few other social organizations in the country.

This morning’s protest turned violent within its first minutes. Several students intended to break down the barriers of the authorized line. Police reacted immediately with tear gas and water jets; students responded with stones and Molotov cocktails.

This student protest is directly connected with those that kicked off in May 2011. This time, the objective of the protest is to influence debates about the budget law for 2013, which the government plans to approve by the end of the month. Earlier this week, President Sebastián Piñera signed a tax reform that seeks to increase tax revenues by US$1bn annually in order to fund improvements in the education system. He has already approved a law that would reduce the interest on loans for university students from 6% to 2%.

One of the leaders of CONFECh, Noam Titelman, argues that the government should increase the public education budget rather than pretending to improve it.

Plastic Bags (courtesy of Ambientate Argentina)

Buenos Aires is taking steps to get plastic shopping bags out of the city with a regulation that will slowly take the product away from store checkouts.

Following in the province of Buenos Aires’ footsteps, the regulation will implement a series of steps to gradually replace plastic bags. The first tier came into effect on 19th June, when people should have stopped receiving plastic bags from kiosks, pharmacies and deliveries.

From the beginning of August, supermarkets and convenience stores will have to provide biodegradable equivalents to plastic bags or incentives for people who bring their own bags.

The move is a step toward reducing waste in the city of Buenos Aires, which sends 6,000 tonnes of garbage to landfill each day. The issue of rubbish disposal has been a hot topic in the last few months, as the province of Buenos Aires, where the landfills are located, debates a bill that, if passed, will gradually decrease the amount of waste entering the province. From January 2014, no waste would be allowed to enter the province from another district.

Although the law in question – 3147 – was passed in 2009, the city just resolved to regulate it. In its 9th May official bulletin, the city announced the approval of the schedule that would remove plastic bags from checkouts.

Resolution 155/APRA/12 reads that the law “aims to promote the production of biodegradable bags” and “the gradual reduction and subsequent ban on non-biodegradable bag use by businesses.”

Greener Alternatives

The official bulletin also notes “that the plan should also consider the conversion of the biodegradable bag manufacturing sector, developing a schedule for the gradual replacement of non-biodegradable bags with biodegradable bags as well as awareness campaigns for the population.”

The only industries exempt from the law are those that require plastic bags for sanitary reasons, like meat and vegetable sellers and the hospital sector.

Exemptions will also be made for supermarkets and convenience stores that supply customers with new bags that are 55cm wide and 60cm high, 50% of which are green and 50% of which are black. The move is an attempt to get people to recognise the need to separate garbage into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.

Stores who wish to use paper bags must follow other regulations as well, according to the city’s website.

“They must be made ​​with certified paper to ensure environmental sustainability in its production cycle,” it says, noting the paper must follow international certification systems, be made from alternatives like cane sugar or be made with least 80% recycled paper.

The plastic bag ban means the Argentine capital is joining a slew of cities around the world that are banning plastic bags, including Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Mumbai among many others.

Ecoexist is a company that makes eco-friendly bags in Argentina. “The ecological bags have many advantages,” Ecoexist member Sebastián Javelier says in a blog post, publicised on the company’s site, which notes the city’s new stance. “The main one is that the consumer is fully aware that an environmental problem exists, but doesn’t know quite what to do as an individual. These bags intuitively help to reduce garbage, one of the three most important problems of urban life, along with water care and disposal of batteries and electronic waste.”

The province of Buenos Aires moved to limit the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in 2008, and gave stores a two-year period to adjust before enforcing the law.

To find out what locals think about the initiative, click here.

With an overwhelming 55 votes in favour, Argentine Senators approved a law last night that allows people to change their registered gender to that which they are, not necessarily the gender they were assigned at birth.

The law – which passed at 9.10pm last night – says everyone has the right to recognition of their gender identity, as each person feels, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. As such, any person may request a registry correction regarding gender, and change of first name and image if they do not coincide with their self-perceived gender identity, without any judicial or administrative proceeding.

Moreover, the Argentine newspaper La Nación pointed out today that minors can now change their name with a parent’s permission. If they cannot get a parent’s permission, they can do so through the court system.

La Nación pointed out that more than a thousand supporters waited yesterday in front of Parliament for the passage of the law, which also provides that the hormone treatments and gender reassignment surgery should be covered by health plans without having to wait for a judge’s approval. Minors, too, can be operated on, but only if a judge authorises and someone who wishes it must wait 60 days.

The Parlamentario, an Argentine outlet that focuses on changes in law, reported on the discussion before the law was passed.

Front for Victory Senator Ada Itúrrez, who is also head of the General Law Committee of the Senate, said it was sad the law had not yet been passed.

“It is sad to have in our hands to be able to change these realities and we have not done it,” the senator said. “What are we waiting for? More deaths? More humiliation? More abuse?”

Radical Civic Union Senator Eugenio “Nito” Artaza said that “after this law, many will face the sun,” referring to the party support the project.