Earthquakes Hit San Juan: Six earthquakes measuring between 2.7 and 5.3 on the Richter scale were registered in San Juan this morning by the National Institute of Seismic Prevention (INPRES). The tremors were felt between 3.16 and 8.48am from the southern end of the province, bordering with Mendoza, and the northern end, bordering with La Rioja. The largest quake, measuring 5.3 degrees, was registered at 6.52am and it was felt by the residents of the capital city, San Juan, though there were no damages or injuries. Its epicentre was 180km from the city, in the border between Argentina and Chile, with a depth of 130km.
Mayor Hits Protester, Apologises: Héctor Vega, the mayor of the town of Machagai, Chaco, punched a man during a town meeting in which residents were protesting the murder of an ironmonger and his daughter. The incident occurred as the man, a shopkeeper, was addressing the crowd. “After strongly criticising my administration and myself, [the shopkeeper] finished his speech by screaming out loud that ‘if the mayor wasn’t able to look after his children, he won’t be able to look after us’,” said Vega, who lost one of his children to a traffic accident in 2010 and another one committed suicide last year. “That’s when, in an immediate reaction, I punched him, and after some jostling the police quickly intervened,” he added. The mayor later apologised for his actions, saying he felt “ashamed and hurt by this disgraceful circumstance I had to go through,” though he explained that “there are limits to everything and this was absolutely unbearable for me.”
Cristóbal López Accused of Illegal Campaign Donations to FpV: Businessman Cristóbal López and his associates made over $500,000 in unlawful donations to the Frente para la Victoria (FpV) campaign for the mid-term PASO election in August 2013, according to an audit by the National Electoral Justice obtained by newspaper Clarín. Political party financing law prohibits contributions of donations by people or entities involved in the gambling industry or that have been licensed to provide other services or works to the public sector. López, who allegedly donated $30,000 himself, is the CEO of Grupo Indalo, a conglomerate with companies in the casino and gaming, media, oil, and other sectors. Clarín reports that López did not contribute to the main election after realising he was not legally allowed to make donations, and that FpV claimed to have returned all of the illegitimate funds. A further audit by the Electoral Justice will determine if this is true.
The post Argentina News Roundup: 4th April 2014 appeared first on The Argentina Independent.