Puente Pueyrredón was one of the main access routes into Buenos Aires that was cut during today’s national strike (photo: Carlos Brigo/Télam/dsl)
National Strike a ‘Success’: Today’s general strike, which took place across the country, has been deemed a “success” by the organisers, opposition factions of the umbrella CGT and CTA unions. Transport services were disrupted on a national level as subtes, trains, and both urban and long-distance buses around the country went on strike, and flights were also affected. Around 40 pickets were set up on roads around the country, including the main roads into Buenos Aires, disrupting traffic that attempted to enter the capital. As a result of the country-wide disruption to transport services, classes were suspended, despite the teachers’ unions not being involved in the strike, and in the cities of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario, and Mendoza, a large number of people didn’t go to work – either because they actively participated in the strike or due to not being able to physically get there. Whilst the strike was mostly peaceful, although some violent incidents were noted, including two separate attacks on Mar del Plata taxi drivers who continued to work today. In San Luis a municipal inspector has been hospitalised after being hit by a truck, after some “incidents” were noted in the bus station belonging to Transpuntano. It is not yet clear if the two events were related.
Massive Drug Raid by Police in Rosario: More than 3,000 federal security officers were involved in a massive operation against drug trafficking in Rosario yesterday. According to Security Secretary, Sergio Berni, it was “the biggest operation in the history of Argentina”, which involved officers from the Federal Police, Gendarmes, Coast Guard, and Airport Security Police. Underground tunnels were found in various zones of the city, thought to have been used by drug traffickers to escape authorities. Twenty people were arrested after raids on around 100 houses, where at least 1,000 doses of cocaine and paco were found. The operation, which took months of planning, was hailed a success by Berni, and a first necessary step to unravelling the drug web the city is entangled in. He went on to say that around 2,000 officers – 1,500 Gendarmes and 500 Coast Guard officers – will remain in the city for the coming months to reinforce the local security forces and help in the “pacifying” of the city, which has been marred in recent years by increasing levels of violence tied to drug trafficking. In related news, seven high-ranking police officers from the city’s Judicial Division have been relieved of their duties after being accused of having ties to the city’s drug ring.
Chevron Ratifies Vaca Muerta Development Plan: Oil giant Chevron has decided to continue its partnership with YPF to advance the development stage of extraction of the massive shale gas deposits in Vaca Muerta, Neuquén. The plan includes the perforation of 170 new wells this year, and a joint investment of US$1.6bn. The pilot project, which was developed until March, included the development of an area of 20km2 and the drilling of 161 wells. Now the site will be expanded to develop an area of 395km2, including more than 1500 wells, capable of a daily production of 50,000 barrels of oil and 3m cubic metres of natural gas. The total area of the Vaca Muerta field is around 30,000km2. It was also announced that YPF and Chevron have reached a new agreement to explore in Narambuena, a 200km2 region also in Neuquén.
The post Argentina News Roundup: 10th April 2014 appeared first on The Argentina Independent.