20% Of Kids Say It’s Ok To Pay Bribes [Argentine Post]
The Argentine Post has an interesting summary of a survey by the Argentine education ministry conducted on public school students aged 11-15. 20% of the students surveyed say it’s sometimes or always ok to pay a bribe while 30% say it’s ok to avoid paying taxes. Check out the article for other interesting details.
Argentina Strikes Give Travelers Holiday Headache [Bloomberg]
Subway workers in Argentina walked off their jobs today, disrupting travel for as many as one million commuters as employee demands for increased pay and job security disrupt banks, taxi service and the holiday season. Gas station owners and about 140,000 bank workers plan to stop work next week. Cab drivers are threatening to stay off the roads Dec. 24 and 25, when many residents will try to shuttle between holiday parties.
Human remains found in Argentine detention center [Associated Press]
Inside a once-secret detention center where political dissidents were tortured and killed during Argentina’s dictatorship 25 years ago, forensic anthropologists have discovered a pit containing 10,000 bone fragments. The first discovery of human remains inside a detention center confirms the testimonies of hundreds of survivors who have said for years that authorities tortured, killed and burned the bodies of political opponents, they said Tuesday…
Argentine lower house passes questioned tax breaks [Reuters]
Argentina’s lower house passed early on Thursday a package of tax breaks that the administration hopes will stimulate the economy but critics say could encourage money laundering instead.The law includes huge tax cuts on undeclared offshore funds that are repatriated, tax incentives for companies that put under-the-table workers on the books, and deals for tax evaders who sign up for payment plans.
Argentina’s Buenos Aires Scrooges Forced to Rescind Ban on Christmas Carolers [LAHT]
The decision by the government of Buenos Aires this year not to authorize the tradition of caroling in the street on Thursday sparked a heated controversy among defenders of the Christmas spirit which eventually was settled by the revocation of the measure.
Argentina looks to taxis to get economy moving [AP]
Argentina’s government hopes 15,000 new taxis will help get the economy moving. President Cristina Fernandez says the government will offer taxi drivers credits on half the value of a taxi at a below-market interest rate of 11 percent It’s part of a series of programs to boost production and ease credit in South America’s second largest economy.
Going pinker on the Plata – Gay Tourism in Buenos Aires [Economist]
Gay tourists have flocked to Buenos Aires since Argentina’s 2002 currency devaluation made it one of the world’s most affordable destinations. Tourism officials reckon that at least a fifth of foreign visitors to the city are gay.