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Argentine prosecutor seeks life for eight rugby players over murder

Photo: AFP

January 26 | By AFP |

Prosecutors in Argentina on Wednesday asked for life imprisonment for eight rugby players on trial over the killing of a teenager outside a nightclub three years ago, a crime that shocked the nation.

The defendants, aged between 21 and 23, have been in pre-trial detention since the attack.

“I ask that they be sentenced to life in prison as co-authors of doubly aggravated homicide” as it was not committed in self-defense and was “premeditated,” prosecutor Juan Manuel Davila said at court in Dolores, a city 220 kilometers (136 miles) south of Buenos Aires.

Following an argument between two groups of people inside a nightclub in the popular seaside resort of Villa Gesell on January 18, 2020, the eight defendants allegedly attacked Fernando Baez, an 18-year-old law student, after they had been ejected by door staff.

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The players from a small provincial club in Zarate, north of Buenos Aires, allegedly attacked Baez from behind and then beat him to death on the ground.

Images of the attack were caught on surveillance cameras, and by the telephone of one of the defendants.

“They formed a circle around (Baez). They all struck him and when they didn’t, they stopped anyone coming to help him,” said Davila.

The prosecutor added that witnesses had heard the players shout racist insults at the victim as they beat him.

Baez family lawyer Fernando Burlando agreed with the prosecution’s request, saying it was “enough to sentence the defendants to life” behind bars.

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The assailants preyed on Baez’s “defenselessness, with no risk to the pack,” according to the prosecution.

“They killed for killing’s sake, it is truly inexplicable. They didn’t care who,” Burlando said. “Their plan was to take (Baez) as a trophy. The synchronization of actions allowed them to build an impenetrable wall” around their victim.

The attack struck a chord in Argentina. It sparked protests in several cities, and prompted the South American country’s rugby authorities to institute behavioral courses for almost 4,000 players of the game.

In a nation marked by wide social inequality, rugby is traditionally played and watched by the wealthy. Baez was the son of a bricklayer and a caregiver, both Paraguayan immigrants.

A verdict in the trial is expected on January 31.

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International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

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International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.

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