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Sunday, November 29, 2009

Argentina beats Scotland 9-6

Image Source:telegraph.co.uk EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) -Argentina brought Scotland back to earth with a familiar thump when the Pumas won their rugby test 9-6 on Saturday and extended their unbeaten run at Murrayfield to a decade. A week after watching Australia miss a last-minute conversion for a first win over the Wallabies in 27 years, Scotland's luck ran out when center Martin Rodriguez landed a winning drop goal two minutes from the end to cap the Pumas' second-half comeback. 

"We have the ability to win any game but also, as seen today, we have the ability to lose any game,'' Scotland coach Andy Robinson said. For Argentina there was relief after losing to England and Wales on tour. The victory was only the Pumas' second in five tests this year. "We lost against England playing well but with some mistakes. Then we didn't play well against Wales,'' coach Santiago Phelan said. "This game was very important for us. To get a good result is very important for the continuity of this team.'' Scotland deservedly led 6-0 at halftime but two penalties from flyhalf Phil Godman were scant reward for the home side's domination. 

Godmann kicked his first in the 14th minute and the other four minutes before halftime, and in between he missed two other penalty attempts as Argentina was frequently penalized at the breakdown by referee Alan Lewis. Two potential tries in 40 minutes of enterprise were also blown as Scotland appeared on the cusp of its first autumn sweep in seven years. Out of the interval, the Pumas came out a different side, willing to attack more, and Scotland errors suddenly multiplied. 

Thee Pumas hassled at the breakdowns, and Scotland's composure was rattled further when lock Nathan Hines was sent to the sinbin for a spear tackle on winger Federico Martin Aramburu. Rodriguez halved Argentina's deficit with a 50th-minute penalty, and nine minutes later his second penalty tied the score. In the 66th, the center, who has scored all of Argentina's points in its three autumn tests, could have put his side ahead for the first time but he sent a long-range penalty wide. But he made no mistake in the 78th with his drop goal from right in front of the posts. Against top-tier opposition in its last two tests, Scotland didn't score a try. "What concerns me is our ability to finish,'' Robinson said. "We need to keep the scoreboard ticking over and we didn't do that. We came up against a very brave Argentine defense - the swamped and suffocated us in the last 20 minutes.'' Source:cnn.com

Sexton kicks Ireland to win over South Africa; Argentina, New Zealand and Italy also win

LONDON — New Zealand overwhelmed France 39-12 to stay unbeaten on its European tour Saturday, while Jonathan Sexton kicked Ireland to a 15-10 win over South Africa and Australia rebounded from last week's shock loss to Scotland to crush Wales 33-12. 

Thee All Blacks scored five tries through Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina, Jerome Kaino, Cory Jane and Conrad Smith and kept the French scoreless in the second half. It was the fourth straight match that the All Blacks had not conceded a try after previous wins over Wales, Italy and England. In fact, New Zealand hasn't conceded a try in Europe since its World Cup quarter-final loss to France two years ago. Fly-half Daniel Carter added 14 points with two penalties and four conversions. 

Sextonn landed five of his seven kicks to justify his selection ahead of record scorer Ronan O'Gara and give Ireland a third straight win over the world champion Springboks, completing an unbeaten year for the Six Nations champion. Stung by its 9-8 defeat to the Scots, Australia scored three tries in the opening 25 minutes to set up its biggest win in Cardiff since 1991. There was less excitement at Murrayfield, where Martin Rodriguez struck a late drop goal to give Argentina a 9-6 victory over Scotland, while Italy beat Samoa 24-6 for its first victory in 14 matches. 

Althoughh the Irish struggled to get the try their pressure merited, Sexton succeeded with enough of his penalties for a win that was clinched when captain Brian O'Driscoll halted a late South Africa attack with a crunching tackle. South Africa did score the only try of the match through Schalk Burger but was lucky to keep 15 men on the field for the whole game as its discipline crumbled under pressure. South Africa heads home with only a win over Italy to show from four tests. Ireland dominated South Africa in the second half to overturn a 10-6 halftime deficit, taking about two thirds of possession and three quarters of the territory to force the World Cup holder into elementary errors. 

Lockk Andries Bekker was lucky to stay on the field when he dropped his knee and forearm on a grounded opponent, and Sexton struck the resulting penalty to put Ireland 12-10 in front. "We see it as a blessing that we have a world-class fly-half and an up-and-coming fly-half," Ireland coach Declan Kidney said. "We'll need both of them. "We finished the series with a win, which is good for confidence, and we're looking forward to coming back for the Six Nations." Digby Ioane, James Horwill and David Pocock touched down as Australia eased into an early 20-6 lead at Millennium Stadium. "Last week we played too conservative," Australia fly-half Matt Giteau said. 

"We thought we may as well go out there and throw the ball around. We had nothing to lose." Wales fly-half Stephen Jones kept his team in the game with two more penalties, but Giteau kept scoring at the other end and replacement Tatafu Polota-Nau rounded off a sweeping attack for Australia's fourth try late on. Giteau, who missed a last-minute conversion that would have beaten Scotland, won the man-of-the-match award with 13 points and some sparkling open play. He had already put the Wallabies ahead with the first of his three penalties when Ioane touched down in the eighth minute. Restored to the side at centre after recovering from a shoulder injury, Ioane got on the end of a kick from Giteau, who managed to get the ball away despite seeing a big tackle coming his way. Leigh Halfpenny kicked from halfway to trim the deficit to 8-3 but Horwill touched down in the corner after some slick passing in open play and Pocock stretched to place the ball over the line to make it 20-6. 

Australiaa withstood concerted pressure before moving play up to the other end. The ball was spread across field with two passes and Polota-Nau found the gap to go through and touch down. Scotland was on course for an unexpected sweep of November wins when it led 6-0 at halftime through two penalties from fly-half Phil Godman. But Argentina came back strongly and, after Rodriguez kicked two penalties to level the score, the centre dropped the winning goal in the 78th minute to clinch the Pumas' first test victory this month. 

Thee South Americans, who lost to England and Wales over the past two weekends, maintained its record of not having been defeated by Scotland at Murrayfield since 1990. It was Scotland's first loss under new coach Andy Robinson. Luke McLean touched down for Italy in the first half at Ascoli Piceno, and referee Christophe Berdos awarded a penalty try in the closing minutes after Samoa continued to infringe at scrums on its line. Mirco Bergamasco added eight points with two penalties and a conversion, while Craig Gower kicked a penalty and scrum-half Tito Tebaldi slotted a second-half drop goal. The result moves Italy above Samoa into 11th in the International Rugby Board rankings, with Samoa slipping to 12th. It was Italy's first win since they beat Argentina in Cordoba 17 months ago. Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5g9ul1eQENOg1zOwx0O5THf8DVGVg

Vatican meets with Presidents of Argentina and Chile to commemorate 25 years of 'peace and friendship' treaty

Vatican City, Nov 29, 2009 / 11:30 am (CNA).- In an audience with the Presidents of Argentina and Chile yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI praised the work of the two countries in reaching and upholding a lasting agreement through peaceful negotiation. The Pontiff said that the Catholic Church, "following Christ who brought peace to the world, is fully dedicated to bringing about the aspirations of peace and harmony in all of humanity."

The Holy Father hosted the Presidents in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, marking the first time a Pope has met with two female presidents from traditionally Catholic countries at the same time. Also present were Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.

The Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina was designed to resolve a longstanding dispute between the two nations regarding the land and seas at the southernmost tip of the South American continent. In a time of great tension between the neighboring countries, episcopates from both sides called for Pontifical mediation to avoid armed conflict. Pope John Paul II, in his "untiring labor as messenger and architect of peace, didn't hesitate to accept this delicate and crucial task," said Pope Benedict yesterday.

In his address to the Presidents, the Pontiff put great emphasis on the positive results of reaching a "decent, reasonable, and impartial solution, thereby avoiding armed conflict..." This historic accomplishment, he continued, has contributed to the mutual benefit of the countries, by reinforcing "feelings of fraternity" manifested in the common successes of the two through "cooperation and integration."

Pope Benedict XVI also called the relationship between two nations the "fruit, in great part, of the Catholic tradition" and praised them as "brothers with a common vocation of fraternity, respect and friendship."

This treaty, said the Holy Father, is a "luminous example of the force of the human spirit and of the will of peace in face of the barbarity and injustice of violence as a way to resolve differences," and, he added, it has been a model for other Latin American countries.

On the need for non-violent resolution, he referenced the words pronounced by Pope Pius XII at the beginning of World War II, "Nothing is lost with peace. Everything can be lost with war."

The Holy Father also included in the address an appeal to "those called to serve citizens, from the highest levels of national governments," asking them to maintain "firm moral conviction" in "the constant search for the common national, regional, and global good."

The achievement of peace, he concluded, "requires the promotion of an authentic culture of life, that respects the dignity of the human being fully, united to the strengthening of the family as a basic cell of society. It also requires the fight against poverty and corruption, access to quality education for everyone, solidarity in economic growth, the consolidation of democracy, and the eradication of violence and exploitation, especially against women and children."

Source:catholicnewsagency.com

Argentina's YPF raises proven crude reserves

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Repsol's Argentine unit YPF (REP.MC)(YPFD.BA) announced an increase in its proven crude reserves of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent on Thursday, bucking a downward trend in the country. YPF, Argentina's biggest energy company, said it had also increased its contingent crude resources by 500 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) as part of a company drive to boost its reserves in the South American nation. 

Contingentt resources are subject to a final decision being made on whether to extract them. "We've renewed projects that were already under way and launched new ones that have given us very good results in terms of oil and natural gas finds," YPF Chief Executive Sebastian Eskenazi said in a statement. The company said it had invested some $3.75 billion in its exploration and production division over the last three years. No significant new reserves have been found in 15 years in Latin America's No. 3 economy. Proven oil reserves fell 9 percent between 2001 and 2008, while proven reserves of natural gas sank 39 percent. Oil and natural gas exports have plunged and drilling of exploratory wells has slumped due to the economic crisis that peaked in 2001/2002 and government price controls since then. YPF, which controls more than half of Argentina's refining capacity and nearly 40 percent of its oil output, produced an averge 214,770 barrels of crude per day in 2008. (Reporting by Helen Popper; Editing by Jan Paschal) ((helen.popper@thomsonreuters.com; +54 11 4318 0655; Reuters Messaging: helen.popper.reuters.com@reuters.net)) ((For help: Click "Contact Us" in your desk top, click here [HELP] or call 1-800-738-8377 for Reuters Products and 1-888-463-3383 for Thomson products; For client training: training.americas@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646-223-5546)) Source:reuters.com

Fabio Capello wants England World Cup warm up against Argentina













One man banned: Diego Maradona's current touchline ban would have been served before a possible World Cup warm up match against England Photo: GETTY IMAGES




The national team will play two matches after the end of the domestic season, once Capello gets his full squad together for their final preparations, but Argentina are his preferred opponents for the one remaining fixture before that time.

Argentina would make ideal opposition as Capello continues this policy of matching England against the world’s best as well as gaining experience of facing a South American side.

Plans for the matches, reports the Daily Mail, will not be finalised before next week’s draw in Cape Town.

Maradona will have served his touchline ban handed to him for insulting comments towards journalists in the wake of Argentina’s qualification after a fraught campaign and his side’s presence would be a huge draw at Wembley.

Such a high profile fixture would also be welcome by England’s beleaguered World Cup 2018 bid that is desperate for a positive story after weeks of unrest within the bid team.


Capello has been keen to test his players against some of the best sides in the world and has gleaned valuable information from defeats to Spain and Brazil as well as matches against fellow qualifiers France, Germany and Holland.


Source:telegraph.co.uk

Call her Argentina's Almodovar

Director Lucrecia Martel has made three feature films since 2001, and while each has its own tone and narrative, they all share a location, certain themes and visual style that have made her one of the most distinctive directors to emerge this decade. All three films can be seen in the Cinematheque Ontario series, Holy Girls & Headless Women: The Films of Lucrecia Martel, starting today in Toronto. 

In particular, her most recent film, The Headless Woman, gets its Canadian theatrical premiere over the next week. With two of her films accepted in competition at Cannes, and Pedro Almodovar signed on as her producer and mentor, Martel is the most high-profile of the younger filmmakers lumped into the category of the New Argentine Cinema, emerging out of Argentina's economic and social chaos around the turn of the millennium. Martel's region is Salta Province, in northwest Argentina. Her social milieu is the conservative middle-class, and her stories a full of sexual and class tensions and foreboding. Visually, Martel's films are dense and impressionistic, often shot in close-up or with a shallow depth of field, as if throwing the viewer into the middle of the story's moral tangles. 

Herr first feature, 2001's The Swamp, explored two families in a crumbling vacation home dealing with heat, rain, alcoholism, accidents, claustrophobia and spiritual malaise. Martel's second film, The Holy Girl, which was accepted in competition at Cannes in 2004, had similarities - sweltering heat, pools of water and simmering sexuality. The titular character, a 14-year-old girl, is the daughter of a lonely divorcée who runs a local hotel. When a man rubs against her during a street show, the convent-trained girl sees the event as a calling and she sets out to save him, even if it ruins him. Martel's most recent film may be the most complex and maddening so far, an unsolved mystery that puts the viewer in the perspective of a partly amnesiac woman. Vero (Maria Onetto), a middle-aged woman with a new blond dye job, drives off from a swimming party alone in her car. Distracted when her cellphone drops, she hits something with her car and bangs her head. She doesn't stop to find out what she hit, but we see a dead dog lying on the road - and what about those hand prints on the car window? Were they left by the children playing in her car earlier, or are they fresh? In any case, the prints are soon washed away by a torrential rain storm. Vero goes to the hospital, then a hotel (the drive, the rain and the hotel have distinct echoes of Marion Crane's journey in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho). 

A man at the hotel recognizes her and takes her up to a room. He makes love to her. The next morning, he drops her off at home. When she emerges from the shower, she finds her husband Marcos. Marcos has just returned from a hunting trip, and there's a dead deer on the kitchen counter. Her maid tells her she's late for the office and calls her a cab. She walks into a waiting room. She stands looking confused, and an assistant puts on her coat. It seems she's a dentist, and has work to do. She wears a quizzical smile on her face like a comic mask, trying to guess what is expected of her. The lover of the earlier scene, Juan Manuel, is a relative by marriage, married to Josefina, who is either Vero's sister or cousin. Josefina and Juan Manuel have a teenage daughter, Candita, who suffers from hepatitis and hangs out with the local street girls. Candita is apparently sexually attracted to Vero. As they watch a video of an old family wedding, we discover Vero has two grown daughters and that the wedding guests, years before, included some well-connected political types. During a shopping trip, Vero tells Marcos that she thinks she killed someone in her car the weekend of the storm. At first Marcos tells her she's mistaken. Like Hamlet, all occasions do inform against her: A gardener tells her there's a fountain or pool buried underneath her back yard. The silhouettes of children pop up at the edge of the film frame; there are the sounds of water and children's voices. Then, when it appears Vero may have reason for her premonitions, the men folk descend quietly and efficiently to wipe away any evidence of a crime. Though it's theme of middle-class, willful amnesia is obvious enough, The Headless Woman is effective as a kind of existential horror story, about a woman who finds evidence of her existence has been erased. Someone is dead, but it is Vera who has become a ghost of a human being. Source:theglobeandmail.com

Argentina to Spend $157 Million to Build 4 Navy Patrol Vessels

BUENOS AIRES – The Argentine government announced that it plans to spend 600 million pesos ($157.8 million) to build four ships for the purpose of “preserving national sovereignty in territorial waters and (Argentina’s) exclusive economic zone.” 

Thee Multipurpose Oceanic Patrol Boats represent “Argentina’s largest investment in naval defense equipment in more than a decade,” Defense Minister Nilda Garre said in a ceremony on Friday. “President Cristina Fernandez has already made the decision and granted the multi-year budget with which (the four vessels) will be built at the Tandanor-Alte Storni complex,” the minister added. Garre made the announcement at a ceremony to mark the 130th anniversary of the Tandanor shipyards, which in 2007 returned to state hands after being privatized in 1991. Tandanor, one of the biggest ship-repair yards in South America, has facilities within the port zone of the city of Buenos Aires, occupying a 21-hectare (52-acre) area with 1,400 meters (4,590 feet) of wharf space. Source:laht.com

Argentina narrow gap on Irish at Golf World Cup

ARGENTINA trimmed Ireland's advantage at the Omega Mission Hills World to two shots after picking up an early gain at the start of today's testing second round foursomes. Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell combined brilliantly yesterday to card a superb 14 under par in the opening round fourballs to move into a three-shot lead. But with second round playing partners Rafa Echenique and Tano Goya combining to birdie the opening hole of the undulating Olazabal Course at Mission Hills Golf Club, the lead was trimmed to two. Japan slipped five shots off the pace with an early bogey with defending champions Sweden, Italy, China and Singapore improving to nine under to join Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada in pursuit of Ireland. Canada remained at eight under with Wales, the United States and Venezuela posting early gains to move six shots off the pace. USA duo Nick Watney and John Merrick reached the turn in three under with Venezuela picking up three shots over their opening eight holes. England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher started with two early birdies but a bogey left the pair seven under following yesterday's disappointing 66 in fourballs. World number eight Sergio Garcia continued to struggle alongside Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano as the pair wiped out three early gains with three consecutive bogeys after the turn following yesterday's dismal three-under 69. Source:dailyrecord.co.uk

Ireland Leads Argentina By Three Strokes At World Cup Of Golf

Jay Gilmore - AHN Sports Contributor Shenzhen, China (AHN) - Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell lifted Ireland to a three-stroke lead over Argentina in the World Cup of Golf. They shot a better-ball 58 against Tano Goya and Rafael Echenique. McDowell and McIlroy combined for 12 birdies. McIlroy scored an eagle on the par-5 15th hole. Goya and Echenique shot 11-under par 61. Japan is a shot behind Argentina and the United States team of Nick Watney is tied for 15th with a score of 67. Watney had four birdies. Ireland is playing for it's third World Cup. Source:allheadlinenews.com

Shane Williams helps Wales to a convincing win over Argentina

Shane Williams races clear of Argentina's defence to score a try at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Photograph: David Jones/PA To kick, to run – perchance to dream: the options seemed to paralyse Wales to the point of inertia until all those old instincts came bubbling to the surface, the shackles were flickeringly loosened and the disgruntled congregation had a bit of rugby to talk about. 

Nott much, mind. This was some way short of a feast, more a curled sandwich. Perhaps it was the media pressure. Maybe it was internal doubt. But, every time a player, from either side, found himself in space it was as if a major public debate was going on inside his head. The danger, of course, in worrying about external pressure and the wishes of a nation hungry for a return to traditional values is that sometimes it is no bad thing to kick. 

Thee players looked confused, often, as to when that might be. The game is played at such pace and with such physicality that the time left for thinking is reduced to near zero. And that set the pattern for the scoring. All four tries, three of them Welsh, two of them by Shane Williams, only one in an awful first half, came from broken play so had drama invested in their execution. But it was altogether a messy affair, blighted by Welsh handling errors in the first half and illuminated only when both teams entered into a contract to abandon the boot in the second. The modern curse of kicking away possession to avoid potential punishment at the now brutal breakdowns is yet to be exorcised, though. It took only five minutes for the first kick from hand to send sighs of frustration around the stadium – and it was Williams, the prince of the running game, brought back from temporary exile, who chipped through, although it was a tactically apt choice, with the cover closing and no visible means of support to sustain his run. T

Thenfollowed a nine-kick rally – the rugby equivalent of clay-court tennis – that ended with Hook kicking dead as the boos oozed up from the crowd. When would this end, this trial of the masses? Stephen Jones, it was, who saw an opportunity more attractive than an ISA. He sensed Argentina napping after giving up one of many penalties, tapped and darted 35 metres at an angle to dive over in the corner. 

Blessed relief. Mr Clancy was being inordinately hard on the South Americans, though, missing Martyn Williams offside as well as a late hit off the ball on Gonzalo Tiesi. Rodrigo Roncero was having a nightmare, collapsing at the scrum twice then getting the worse of some finger-pointing handbaggery with Williams (M). But, to their credit, Argentina did not lose focus. Led by their towering leader, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, a stand-out man of the match, and sustained by the point-scoring expertise of Martin Rodriguez, they harried and crunched, closing corridors of certainty and then driving with purpose up the middle. Wales led 13-3 turning around and Shane Williams had had enough of the stalling. Luke Charteris charged down Agustin Figuerola's kick from the set piece, Williams picked up the scraps then, stepping off left and right feet, weaved his way past half a dozen bewildered tacklers to score one of his specials. 

Sometimess there is a price to pay for hasty invention, though. On the hour, a quick throw-in by Gareth Cooper to Shane Williams had the ball spinning across field, but the attacking line was unstructured and too deep, so Jonathan Davies, inevitably, kicked, Rodriguez charged it down, gathered, scored and converted to reduce the gap to a single score. Within moments, Welsh hearts were set beating hard again by, who else, shimmering Shane, who collected another loose ball, spotted unattended acreage that was too good to resist and ran it round under the posts, giving the faithful a little salute to cap it off. He was back, to the relief of himself, his coach Warren Gatland, Welsh fans and supporters of running rugby everywhere. "We tried to play some rugby," Gatland said. "Overall, it was a very pleasing performance. We're looking forward to Australia next week. I'm pretty happy. Nice to see Shane back on the scoresheet. Great to see him make a few breaks." You could say that. Source:guardian.co.uk

Argentine Minister: Argentina May Sell Bonds To Local Banks

BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--The Argentine government is considering selling a new series of bonds to local banks, Economy Minister Amado Boudou told La Red radio late Thursday. "We're looking for the greatest number of possible measures to have access to voluntary credit markets as soon as possible," Boudou said. Argentina is also working on a proposal for holders of about $20 billion in defaulted debt who refused to accept a 2005 swap. 

The government hopes that resolving the conflict with the so-called holdouts will allow it to return to international credit markets next year. Argentina has been unable to place bonds overseas since its massive default in 2002. Efforts are also underway to reach a deal with the Paris Club of lending nations, which hold $6.7 billion in defaulted Argentine debt. -By Shane Romig, Dow Jones Newswires; 54-11-4103-6738; shane.romig@dowjones.com Sorce:wsj.com/

US could 'do more' on Middle East: Argentina













Mahmud Abbas (L) and Cristina Kirchner


BUENOS AIRES — Argentine President Cristina Kirchner on Monday urged the United States to "do more" to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as she held talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

"The United States could do more than it is doing" to relaunch negotiations between the two sides, Kirchner told a joint press conference with Abbas in Buenos Aires.

"We cannot ignore the role the United States has, by virtue of their particular weight, in bringing Israel back to the negotiating table" and restarting talks on accords signed by previous Israeli governments, she said.

Peace talks have been on hold since the beginning of the year and remain stalled over Israel's refusal to halt settlement construction, which the Palestinians have set as a precondition for negotiations.

Abbas Monday repeated his call for a "complete halt" to settlement building.

"What we are calling for is what is included in the road map: that Israel completely halt all settlement construction, including natural growth," he said.

"It is what Obama said in Cairo," Abbas added, referring to an address to the Muslim world that US President Barack Obama made in Egypt in June.

Obama and his administration have repeatedly called on the Israeli government to halt settlement construction in accordance with the road map peace plan.

Last week, Obama criticized Israel's announcement that it would launch new construction in annexed east Jerusalem saying settlement construction "embitters the Palestinians in a way that could end up being very dangerous."

The announced construction of 900 new homes outraged Palestinians, prompting them to say they would unilaterally seek UN recognition of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders.

Yet Abbas was quick to stress that Palestinians were not readying for a new intifada, or uprising, similar to the previous two that erupted in 1987, and in 2000.

"The Palestinian people are thinking not about that, but about negotiations leading to peace," he said.

More broadly, Kirchner reiterated her country's position that Argentina "has been clear and forthright about the need for a Palestinian state with secure borders for Israel," while adding that her government condemns all forms of religious extremism.

"All parties must comply with international law and fulfill the agreements," Kirchner said.

Abbas is on a two-day visit to Buenos Aires as part of a tour of several South American nations, and comes a week after Israeli President Shimon Peres visited Argentina and Brazil.

During his own recent visit to Brazil, Abbas and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized Israel's decision to continue settlement expansion, with Lula saying the work "must be frozen."

The Palestinian leader also called on Lula to play a greater role in international efforts to reach an agreement on Middle East peace.

Abbas, accompanied on his trip by his foreign minister Riad al-Malki, among other officials, closes his visit to Argentina on Tuesday with a visit to Congress, before continuing his regional tour to Chile, Paraguay and Venezuela.

Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ge7CSk4E_Z9nhCKvwayvm_ogdcRQ

Rugby-Argentina look to turn attacking platforms into tries

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Argentina must turn the attacking options they created against England last weekend into points to beat Wales on Saturday, said coach Santiago Phelan.

"We must work on our attacking system, we still have a lot to improve in that area," Phelan, whose side lost 16-9 to England at Twickenham last Saturday, said.

"We must take another step forward to launch the game and distribute our players," he was quoted on Argentine newspaper websites as telling reporters in Cardiff.

"It's probably partly due to the little preparation time (we have) or that not all the backs we able to be at our previous training meetings," Phelan said.

"I want us to have more and more confidence to attack our rivals."

"We need a bit of work on our finishing. We created more (than England), we broke the gain line several times, we won the duels, that's why it hurt to lose," said hooker Mario Ledesma.

England scored the only try of the match at Twickenham in a rare attacking option in which they caught the Pumas a man short in defence on the wing.

Mauricio Reggiardo, Phelan's assistant and a former Pumas prop, said: "We have to dare to attack more. On Saturday, we got good possession in the scrum and we didn't always take advantage of it to create play.

"Worse, though, would be not to create any situations. Against England we had four try chances and unfortunately didn't score. We lack the final thrust."


Source:reuters.com

Eight dead, 15,000 evacuated in Argentina, Uruguay

Severe flooding claimed at least eight lives in Argentina and Uruguay, authorities said Thursday.

About 15,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the northern portions of both neighbouring South American countries.


In Argentina, two young men drowned in an overflowing river Wednesday, while a child was killed by a mudslide at his home. On Thursday, a rescue worker and another young man were killed when they tried to swim across a swollen river.


Three people drowned in Uruguay.


The Argentine provinces of Chaco, Corrientes and Entre Rios and the Uruguayan provinces of Artigas, Salto and Paysandu on the Brazilian border were the hardest hit.


The heavy rain of recent days followed months of drought in northeastern Argentina. Environmental experts have long warned that deforestation in the country's warmest areas would make the climate more extreme, with more droughts and more flooding.


Forests have been cut in large areas that are now devoted to agriculture, growing mostly soybeans, reducing the soil's water-carrying capacity.

Source:sify.com

Wales bring back big guns for Argentina match

Warren Gatland has made six changes to the Wales team for Saturday's match against Argentina. Jonathan Davies, the 21-year-old Scarlets centre, replaces Tom Shanklin in the centre after the British and Irish Lions player was injured in the 17-13 win over Samoa on Friday. Jamie Roberts moves to outside centre to accommodate Davies, while there are recalls for a quartet of 2009 Lions with wing Shane Williams, fly half Stephen Jones, hooker Matthew Rees and flanker Martyn Williams all returning after being rested. 

Garethh Cooper is the surprise inclusion at scrum half, at the expense of Dwayne Peel. Cooper started against New Zealand earlier this month, but Peel was among Wales' best players during the 17-13 victory over Samoa. On the bench, there is an opportunity for Dan Lydiate, the uncapped Dragons flanker, while Ospreys centre Andrew Bishop - called into the squad as cover for Shanklin yesterday - is also a replacement. 

 "Jonathan came on at inside centre on Friday when Tom Shanklin was injured, and he acquitted himself well," Gatland said. "That's his natural position. He plays there for his region and is comfortable there. "Jamie is the more experienced player and more than capable of playing at 13, and we are looking forward to the continuation of the partnership from the second-half last weekend. With James Hook going so well at full back, it was important for us to continue his international development in that position." 

Andd as for Lydiate's call-up to the substitutes, Gatland said: "Dan has impressed in training. We have selected a small squad, and he is the only one who has not been involved so far, so we felt it was important for his development that he gets the opportunity to win his first cap and put what he has learnt into practice." Wales team to play Argentina. J Hook (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), J Davies (Scarlets), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), G Cooper (Cardiff Blues); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), M Rees (Scarlets), P James (Ospreys); A-W Jones (Ospreys), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons); A Powell (Cardiff Blues), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Jones (Ospreys, capt). Replacements: H Bennett (Ospreys), D Jones (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), D Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), D Peel (Sale Sharks), A Bishop (Ospreys), T James (Cardiff Blues). Source:timesonline.co.uk/

Scotland's forthcoming game against Argentina


Scotland's forthcoming game against Argentina at Murryfield is likely to be a difficult test, Thom Evans has predicted.

The winger, who made his debut in Test rugby against Argentina, expects an encounter similar to the physical matchup that took place at the Gigante de Arroyito Stadium in Rosaria in 2008.

Evans, who is set to earn his eighth cap when the two teams meet this weekend, said that the game felt like it was taking place in a gladiator's arena.

"There was barbed wire round the pitch and the crowd were shaking against the fence," he stated, adding that he expects the Argentines to be "just as physical" this time around.

"I'm ready for it and feel I've matured as a player a lot," he remarked.

The Scots are favourites to emerge victorious from Saturday's clash and are priced at 1/2 to win with Bet365 (Go to Bet365 »), while Boyle Sports (Go to Boyle Sports ») are offering odds of 4/7.

Source:freebettingonline.co.uk

Off-colour England struck down by fear against Argentina


Last season it was Johnson's fist thumping into the Croke Park seating that encapsulated his frustration. Here, it was his very demeanour. There was only one positive from the torturous victory over Argentina, namely that it was a win. Everything else, bar the clattering resilience of Lewis Moody, was grim, grim, grim. It was quite the most awful performance seen at Twickenham.

Johnson invariably masks his true feelings. An hour or after the referee, Nigel Owens, had brought a merciful end to proceedings, Johnson stood, hunched and world-weary in the gymnasium of Twickenham's west stand. A swinging punch-bag might have made a better outlet for his pent-up frustration. Instead it was a battery of notebooks and microphones.

"It was a long 80 minutes," he conceded. "I can't deny it was a tough game to watch, particularly in the first half."

If the end result of various training camps is to hoof the ball endlessly and aimlessly into the gloomy Twickenham skies, England would be better disposed to meet on a Friday night, have a few beers, sketch out a few ideas and play it as they see it. It would certainly work out cheaper for the Rugby Football Union. And it would undoubtedly be more fun to watch. More productive, too. Oh, for a glimmer of elation in England's play.

England are paralysed by anxiety. They have the collective body language of a nervous wreck. They lack ambition because they lack belief. Again, Johnson did not duck the charge.

"You can hammer them but our job is to get them into the best shape," he said. "But we do need to go out there and be bloody aggressive."

England talk a good game at the moment. And then play a terrible one. Johnson does not rule with an iron fist. He is inclusive and receptive. Well, perhaps he should try the beetle-browed, frighten-the-living-daylights-out-of-them approach. For his mild-mannered way is having the opposite effect to the one intended. England are playing like jumpy schoolkids, terrified of offending those on high. There is no initiative, no spark, no nerve. They lack cojones, as the Argentines might say. Against Australia, England waited until the game was well and truly done before they gave it a lash. Here, the more upbeat tempo came only after a half-time pep talk from the coaches. Why? Where is the leadership, either from the captain, Steve Borthwick, or the half-back decision-makers? Johnson spoke about getting messages on to the field at one point. Why do a team of professional athletes need messages? Why not send a milk bottle and some rusks while they're at it? England are badly in need of liberation.

Jonny Wilkinson felt that the side were spooked by the appalling weather conditions of Friday evening and Saturday morning. The team made up their mind there and then that they would take no chances, play risk-free rugby.

So much for making Twickenham into a fortress, a call to arms on pre-match publicity blurbs. The marketing hubris came back to haunt England. Even if you accept the need to play a kick and chase game, a tactic that has served, and continues to serve, Argentina well, then at least implement it with some wallop.

Wilkinson, who missed three second-half pots at goal (as, in the game, did Argentina), was at fault from hand, his kicks either not accurate enough or not high enough. And as for the chase, it was non-existent save for the lone figure of Moody. Without belittling the Leicester man's courage and gung-ho running, it is not the most difficult trick to master. Where were the others? Moody was the entire cavalry.

England eventually did find fruition through a 70th-minute try from Matt Banahan after good build-up work in particular from James Haskell, Borthwick and Moody. Perhaps the monkey might now slide off England's back. No one expects them to beat New Zealand next time out, so they can give it a real crack. The Twickenham faithful can but hope. There were jeers at half-time. Johnson did not bridle at that. "We deserved it: they had every right not to be happy."

Changes in personnel for New Zealand will bring about some remedy, with lock Simon Shaw's inclusion an imperative, as is the switching of Ugo Monye to the wing. Monye was hapless at full-back and deserves better.

But above all else, England need a sea-change in attitude. They need to break free of their careworn state of mind. This was a game they dared not lose. Fair enough. They won. It just did not feel like it.

Source:telegraph.co.uk

Christmas holidays abroad: Argentina to Chile and saddling up for a trek to the end of the world

When I was a boy, I thought of South America as being the home of the flamboyant Hollywood superstar Carmen Miranda - the Lady with the Tutti-Frutti Hat - who in the early Forties was the highest-paid star in the movies. 

She wore her amazing headgear - a pyramid of bananas, strawberries, lemons and whatever else was available at the fruiterers - in a musical called The Gang’s All Here in 1943. But she first excited my adolescent interest in the earlier Down Argentine Way, in which her over-the-top sexiness outshone even the gloss of legs-up-to-here Betty Grable. Perhaps something stuck in my erotic memory cells: certainly Argentina has always resonated as a country that had to be visited one day. Well, it took nearly 70 years – but at last I find myself touring this fascinating and beautiful nation, with my wife Lynne. 

After flying to Buenos Aires, we stay first at a pampas estancia, or ranch – the lovely La Oriental, about three hours out of the city. Then we travel west for a few days to another estancia, Peuma Hue, near the resort town of Bariloche. This beautiful estancia has more than 500 acres of mountains, pristine forests, creeks, waterfalls and lush valleys, and is run by a dedicated conservationist, Kathryn Hoter, who provides wonderful, organic, full-board food, and 12 warm and luxurious rooms in houses and log cabins. 

Takingg it in his stride: Richard Johnson saddles up There are horses to ride along the estancia’s two miles of lakeshore, some really tough climbs for the enthusiast, miles of trails for hikers and, 15 minutes away, Bariloche’s ski slopes - the best in Argentina in winter. From Peuma Hue it’s an awesome two-hour drive through magnificent lake and mountain scenery to the little port of El Bolson at the eastern end of Lago Puelo. On the quayside the Argentinian customs officials check our bags and stamp our passports and we board a turbo-driven rubber boat for what proves to be an extremely bumpy voyage. When we reach the approaches to the river our boatman pauses briefly and, alarmingly for Lynne, hands out life jackets. ‘For the rapids,’ he announces. I’m used to rapids so I’m looking forward to a thrilling few minutes. As it turns out, these rapids are easy stuff – though Lynne thinks they’re great. 'You see that wire above our heads?’ says our tiller man, pointing to a slightly sagging cable that crosses the swirling waters. ‘That’s the border between Argentina and Chile.’ Living a dream: Actor Richard Johnson goes in search of a fantasy El Bolson sits on a river that connects Lago Puelo, in Argentina, to Lago Inferior, which is in Chile. Appropriately enough, Lago Inferior is lower and the difference in altitude produces the rapids we go slip-sliding down. Once in Lago Inferior, it’s an easy 20-minute ride until we reach a small jetty. ‘This your pick-up point,’ the boatman informs us as he unloads our luggage. I look around for a welcoming party. Nobody. The boatman is on his portable radio. ‘They delayed for a few minutes,’ he says, then gets back in his boat and putters away. It’s a lovely, calm summer’s day now, so we sit on the jetty and dangle our feet in the water. An hour later we hear voices and the jingle of harness, and a substantial pack horse and two young men appear out of the trees. The men load up the horse with our two disgracefully heavy bags, strapping one to each side of the saddle for balance, and the beast sets off with its handler up the hillside’s steep trail. The smaller, wirier of the young men smilingly volunteers to carry Lynne’s backpack. ‘The age of chivalry still exists among the young of this country,’ I muse old-fartishly. The trail is steep and winding, and after ten minutes I’m finding myself extremely short of puff. ‘Cuanto distancia mas?’ I enquire of our guide. ‘Un kilómetro.’ Cap that! Richard's wife Lynne crosses a Chilean lake in the shadow of Osorno volcano ‘OK,’ I think, and let him carry my backpack as well. So? He’s used to the hillside...and he’s probably 60 years younger than me. When we reach the sunlit meadow at the top of the trail, we see a middle-aged gentleman waving to us from the gate of a small house. ‘How charming,’ I think, and wave back. ‘He customs man,’ says the guide. We go into the chap’s modest office, where he takes an inordinate amount of time checking our passports. Maybe he doesn’t see too many people and wants to keep us as long as possible. He asks us what our professions are. ‘Writer,’ I reply, bold as brass, and this is pencilled into the form with approval. But Lynne’s answer of ‘software engineer’ meets with a puzzled ‘Que?’ Lakeside luxury: Loungers on a terrace at Hotel Melia Patagonia He thumbs through his handbook to find the list of professions. There is much shaking of his and the guide’s heads. ‘Tell him you’re a housewife.’ I hiss. ‘Certainly not,’ says Lynne. ‘Software engineer,’ she repeats stubbornly. ‘Mecánica?’ he asks slightly incredulously. ‘Mecánica de coche?’ Lynne looks at me. Well, why not, this could go on and on. So Chile becomes the holiday choice of a female motor mechanic. After posing for photographs with us, the officer returns to his post, and we continue along the relatively flat path to the next lake, Lago Las Rocas – and our ultimate destination. Our guide’s boat is tethered to a tree, waiting. We putt-putt for 20 minutes, round a corner of the lake and there it is: tiny, a hint of a house peeking through the trees...Isla Las Bandurrias. As we get nearer we see the elegant figure of our hostess, Françoise Dutheil, waving to us from the landing stage. Soon we’re inside her nearly-too-charming house, where lunch is laid out on the refectory table in the living room. The house is built almost entirely from local ‘found’ wood from the forest, the lake and Françoise’s mainland farm. It is, as a result, notably short of hard, straight lines. As we admire the beautiful home-made fabrics and art that adorn the room, Françoise tells us that getting her builder to use ‘crookedy wood’ in the construction was the hardest part of the job. Up the creaky, windy staircase is our room, which has a little window overlooking the lake. There are bedrooms, too, for Françoise and her daughter, Cathy, who looks after the organisational and horse-riding side of their tiny travel business, Open Travel, with great charm and efficiency. A five-minute walk from the main house is the Cottage, where there are sleeping quarters for six (or eight at a pinch), two bathrooms and a living room with a wood-burning stove in the kitchen area. It also has a delightful veranda, with stunning views of the lake and mountains and a stairway leading down to a little bathing beach. Both houses are entirely ‘off-grid’. Not just because there isn’t a grid to be on in a place as remote as this, but because Françoise is a committed conservationist, fiercely determined to sustain the beauty and resources of her little realm. Lighting and power come by way of solar-powered batteries; hot water Later that day, two young French women arrive. They have trekked on horseback from Puerto Montt, with Cathy as their guide, spending a night en route at a rustic farmhouse. They have booked the Cottage for a two-night stay. In the evening we all dine in the Main House, where Françoise and her cook’s cuisine show all the delicacy of the French tradition. Françoise tells us that she grew up in France and married a Buenos Aires psychiatrist, but became a widow at a very young age. Disenchanted with city life, she decided to leave the capital after her husband’s death, and discovered the island 37 years ago. She had immediately ‘fallen in love’ with it. She found that to buy it, she would have to purchase a farm on the mainland that went with it. ‘Land was so cheap in those days, I just couldn’t refuse,’ she says. The farm now produces much of the food for the table and supports the 15 or so horses Cathy owns. Next day is Christmas Eve. Rain has been forecast, but in fact it turns out to be a lovely summer’s day – we’re in the southern hemisphere, don’t forget. We chug across the lake with Cathy in the dinghy, going to meet our horses for an afternoon’s riding in the forest. Lynne is very new to riding. After some stressful childhood experiences, she grew up with a healthy distrust of the creatures. It’s really only because I’ve told her this is going to be the gentlest horse’s back she’s ever likely to encounter, that most of the trek will be at a walk, and that we will never go faster than a guardsman’s trot, that she has agreed to give it a go. We set off on the trail, part of which passes through the ancient almost-rainforest, with mighty hardwood trunks soaring skywards, moss-encrusted branches sometimes brushing our faces, and many little streams carrying melting snow-water into the lake. ‘There aren’t many fish,’ says Cathy. ‘The water’s too acid for them. Such as there are live very deep – this lake is 400ft in places - and they grow very big.’ Lynne has some difficult moments as her horse trots uphill, or puts its head down to cross streams, but she carries on gamely, and her fears begin to be replaced by exhilaration. ‘I can’t believe I’m actually enjoying this,’ she tells me when we take a pit stop at a mountain farmhouse. I’ve a feeling this is an experience that could change her life. The farmer invites us to help ourselves from his cherry tree, as is the custom when horsemen come to call. Picking cherries from a horse’s back enables one to reach fruits that earth-bound hands cannot. I enthusiastically bite down on the first cherry that I pick, not realising it consists of less flesh and more stone than your average supermarket offering. Ker-unnnch! Result: one lost lower-jaw front tooth and a gaping black hole in my smile. (Oh, well, fix it when I get home...) Later, back at Las Bandurrias, a superb festive dinner of turkey with many different accompaniments – in the European manner – is served for all who are staying this Christmas Eve. There’s plenty of fine Chilean wine and lots of stories and laughs, as if the fact that we have known each other for only a few hours is of no significance. I ask for a Chilean joke and get: ‘How does an Argentinian man commit suicide? He climbs to the top of his ego and throws himself off.’ Same thing as the Scotsman, Englishman and Irishman jokes, I suppose. We feel that, for this night, we are the Isla’s family, and in keeping with this spirit, Cathy brings out a selection of thick, hand-made Chilean slipper-socks, a pair for each guest, and a memorable souvenir for the years to come. Christmas Day is glorious, with not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the low 80s. Lynne leads a bathing party into the lake. ‘It’s Christmas Day!’ she yells enthusiastically from time to time. We think about the other places we’ve spent Christmas in recent years: South Africa, Ecuador, Seattle (Lynne’s home town), Thailand (when we escaped the tsunami by a fortunate chance), and decide lovely Bandurrias Island is best of all. Later, the French girls and Cathy leave to trek on horseback back to Argentina and, after their departure, Lynne and I move into the Cottage. Our remaining three days pass blissfully. Lynne’s riding improves all the time, helped by all-day excursions, taking picnic lunches at the river or neighbouring lakes. On our last morning, we say a sad goodbye to Françoise, take the dinghy across the channel to the mainland and ride our horses through gentle upland farms to where the road to the outside world begins. Here a car is ready to take us to Puerto Varas, our next Chilean destination. The route lies, again, through beautiful Andean mountain scenery. At one point we take the car aboard a ferry and chug slowly up another of the huge lakes, stopping once or twice for a farmer to unload sheep. At another, we stop the car to watch horses wade out into the giant Lago Ranquilan to graze on the rich carpet of floating weed in the shallows. In this mountain country, horses are the most commonly seen animals: they’re the most important means of transport, after all. After five hours – only the last few miles on a metalled road – we reach Puerto Varas, where we are booked for two nights into the luxurious Hotel Melia Patagonia. Puerto Varas is situated at the northern end of Lago Llanquihue, one of the largest in South America. Opposite the Melia Hotel, at the far end of the lake, is the perfectly shaped, snow-capped cone of the Osorno volcano, and we choose a room facing it. Tired from our long journey, we go down to eat in the restaurant. It’s pretentious and very expensive (which perhaps explains why it’s almost empty). We get the impression that the hotel, though almost new, was designed for another era. Late last century, perhaps. Puerto Varas is a pretty town, with the slightly faded charm of many old-established resorts. There are plenty of shops selling hand-made articles from the area, and one or two decent restaurants: we particularly liked the Mediterraneo and the Rada, both of which have excellent staff and fresh fish of every kind. Next day at 8am we set out on the Sailing the Andes trip. This is organised tourism at its best, it seems to me: not too many people, not too expensive, ‘ooh-ah’ scenery all the way. We take a bus to Petrohue, then enjoy an hour-long journey by catamaran across Lago Azul, with views dominated by cloud-wreathed volcanoes. Then it’s another bus for the short trip to the pleasant Hotel Natura, arriving in time for lunch. Next morning there’s yet another bus, another boat, lunch, another bus, and a final, spectacular boat trip lands us back at Bariloche in Argentina. It sounds rather hectic, but actually it’s very gently paced and there’s lots of time to eat and sleep and make friends with fellow passengers. Then there’s the air, the volcanoes drawing the eye like magnets, the crystal waters of the lakes reflecting the blue of the sky... I honestly don’t think I’ve seen more impressive mountain scenery, even in the Himalayas. In Bariloche we stay at the nice, old-style Tunquelen Hotel, a five-minute taxi ride from the landing stage. By now it’s New Year’s Eve and Archie, the Scottish chef, cooks a many-coursed Hogmanay dinner. In the small hours, from the balcony of our room, we look down over another huge lake, dotted with fir-clad islands and ringed by mountains. Moonlight glints on the water. Dreamy! Our route has described almost a circle, from Bariloche to Bariloche; it has lasted 11 cherishable days. You could tag on a couple of nights in swinging Buenos Aires (try the Casa Calma Wellness Hotel, which is downtown, green and gorgeous) and be home after a couple of weeks you won’t forget. Getting thereSunvil Traveller (020 8758 4774, www.sunvil.co.uk) offers tailor-made trips throughout South America. A 14-night itinerary similar to Richard's costs from £4,699 per person. Price includes B&B at the Casa Calma in Buenos Aires, the Estancia La Oriental near Buenos Aires, Isla Las Bundurrias, Hotel Melia Patagonia and Hotel Tunquelen, with return BA flights from Heathrow, transfers, excursions and internal flights. Source:dailymail.co.uk

Wales Coast to 33 - 16 Win Over Argentina

CARDIFF (Reuters) - Two Shane Williams tries and a fine all-round display by fly half Stephen Jones earned Wales a comfortable 33-16 victory over Argentina at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday. The diminutive Williams and classy Jones were both on hand to pounce on three opportunist tries between them as Wales were always in control of Santiago Phelan's spirited side. "Shane is like a fantastic Premiership striker. 

He is one of those guys who you always like having because if anyone is going to be on the end of something it is him," captain Ryan Jones told reporters. "Steve is a fantastic tactician, he knows the game inside out. He can control the game just as good as any world class 10 in the world," the number eight added. Wales, who dominated from the start, opened the scoring after nine minutes with a Jones penalty. Ten minutes later the fly half was on the board again, this time with a quick tap penalty which caught the Pumas napping as he stole over the try line and added the conversion. 

Forr all their possession Wales failed to stretch their first-half lead and the 13-3 halftime score could have been closer had Argentina centre Martin Rodriguez not slammed a penalty against the post before converting another just before the break. Thirty seconds after the restart Wales added a second try when Williams charged down a clearing kick before scything through the Pumas' defence to score between the posts, leaving Jones the easiest of conversions. Rodriguez hit back with two well-taken penalties to keep the visitors in touch at 20-9 before winger Leigh Halfpenny's thunderous halfway line penalty stretched the lead again. 

Argentinaa have struggled for tries on their travels but the impressive Rodriguez grabbed on after charging down a Jonathan Davies kick to score before adding the conversion to put them seven behind on the hour. However, any creeping fears for Wales coach Warren Gatland would have lasted just minutes as Williams seized on a loose ball in plenty of space to score his second try, which Jones duly converted. Argentina, who had given scrumhalf Agustin Figuerola his first start and handed lock Mariano Sambucetti a place following a four-year absence, faded badly towards fulltime and Halfpenny added another long range penalty to put the gloss on a 33-16 win. 

"There are a couple of things to tidy up in our performance going forward, we still feel there is another level in us and a level we are going to have to get to next week if we are going to beat Australia," Gatland told reporters. "It's an expectation that we want to compete with the best in the world and it's as much internal pressure as it is external." Gatland was also pleased to see Williams nearing his best after the highs of last season and his World Player of the Year award. "It has been tough for him, in terms of that World Player of the Year and the pressures he was under, he said, "He knows as well he hasn't played as well as he is capable of...and it's just pleasing to see him get his form back and a bit of confidence." Wales finish their November internationals against Australia, while Argentina, who lost to England last weekend, travel to Scotland. Source:nytimes.com

GB call up for Herbert for Argentina Tests

HOCKEY ace Beckie Herbert has been named in the Great Britain squad for next month’s five test series against Argentina. The Leicester Hockey Club leading goal scorer will travel to Salta for the games on 12-18 December. GB head coach Danny Kerry said: ‘This is the earliest a GB squad has ever assembled for such a test series during an Olympic cycle and we look forward to developing a number of parts of our game playing against the world’s current number two side.’ Source:thisisjersey.com

Maradona hails Messi after Argentina defeat

MADRID — Argentina coach Diego Maradona hailed Lionel Messi's performance in the 2-1 defeat to European champion Spain on Saturday, saying the forward is slowly becoming the "leader" of the team. Messi struck a 61st-minute penalty in the visitor's improved second-half performance, only for Xabi Alonso's 86th-minute penalty to squash the comeback. Alonso also opened for the host. "It wasn't brilliant but the team responded well against the European champion," 

Maradona said. "It works for me, it works a lot for me because the team reacted very well." Messi was more involved in Argentina's play than in recent World Cup qualifiers, when the young Barcelona forward received criticism for failing to emulate his club play for country. But he didn't appear to stand out and was replaced by winger Diego Perotti in the 84th. "Leo played marvelously well today, little by little he's becoming the team's leader," Maradona said at Vicente Calderon Stadium. "It's what I want, what I hope for." Messi was one of the few bright spots during a first half when Argentina barely threatened Spain's goal "I leave here happy because in the first half they were much better than us but we resolved the problem," said Maradona, whose team was particularly troubled by Spain forward David Silva. 

"The second half was all ours. Our only problem was a lack of definition." Spain coach Vicente del Bosque called it a classic Argentina performance, filled with aggressive, combative play. "We expected a rough, tough match," the Spanish coach said. "That's no criticism of Argentina, it's praise because they're a super professional team." Maradona will travel to FIFA headquarters on Sunday for a special hearing convened after the 49-year-old World Cup winner's expletive-filled tirade against journalists following a victory at Uruguay last month. Maradona is facing up to a five-match ban and a heavy fine. "I'm going to go and declare and nothing more," Maradona said. Source:usatoday.com

Required Reading | Argentine Soul Food


Two very different pieces of travel writing loom large in “Cocina Confidential,” Stephen Metcalf’s foodie adventure story from our winter travel issue. The first, “The Return of Eva Perón” by V.S. Naipaul, was written more than 30 years ago, but it’s still talked about in more introspective quarters of the Argentine capital — and not always with affection. “To Naipaul,” Metcalf writes, “Argentina was less a country than a staging ground for absurdist public traumas that never add up to an actual history. From dictatorship to hyperinflation to, more recently, the currency crisis, which plunged the economy into chaos in 2001, cataclysm seems to come naturally to Argentines.”

The second book is about places that function as a kind of Zoloft for the national anxiety that Naipaul describes, chicken soup for an Argentine soul addled by one too many public traumas. Well, maybe not chicken soup. More like cow intestines, fried squid rings that Metcalf says “melt in your mouth like buttery lozenges,” and ultra-quaffable malbec. The sacred place where these things are served up in unholy proportions is called the bodegón. It is the subject of Metcalf’s story and is also the subject of “Bodegónes de Buenos Aires,” a definitive guide to these repositories of Argentine heartiness, written by the Italian-born, Buenos Aires-based food critic Pietro Sorba. “When you are in a bodegón, you feel like you are in Buenos Aires,” he tells Metcalf. “You breathe its history. Its real history. The eternal Buenos Aires.”

Source:nytimes.com

Maradona to face FIFA hearing over outburst


Argentina coach Diego Maradona will appear before a FIFA disciplinary committee on Sunday over his foul-mouthed outburst last month, soccer's world governing body said on Tuesday.

Maradona could be sidelined from matches in next year's World Cup if FIFA decide to hand him a stadium ban for his rant at the end of the 1-0 win in Uruguay that guaranteed his team a place at the finals in South Africa.

The volatile Argentina coach, who was kicked out of the 1994 World Cup as a player for a doping offence, will travel to FIFA's headquarters in Zurich for the hearing after his team's friendly in Spain on Saturday.

"The disciplinary hearing related to the head coach of Argentina, Diego Armando Maradona, and the incidents following the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Uruguay and Argentina on 14 October 2009 will be held at the home of FIFA in Zurich on Sunday, 15 November," FIFA said in a statement.

The hearing will start at 1300 GMT.

"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Marcel Mathier, will grant the head coach of Argentina a hearing, which will take place the day after the international friendly match between Spain and Argentina in Madrid."

Maradona rounded on his critics immediately after the final whistle of the match in Montevideo.

He launched into an expletive-filled rant when interviewed on the touchline and produced another outburst in the post-match media conference broadcast live on several television networks.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced two days later in Cairo that disciplinary proceedings would be opened against Maradona.

The 1986 World Cup winner had been heavily criticised for Argentina's defeats by Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay that took the twice world champions to the brink of failing to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1970.

The Argentina Football Federation (AFA) has also already sent a report to FIFA, saying: "Maradona was acting in a state of violent emotion over arguments with journalists in the days before the match."

Maradona's tenure has been marked by clashes with players, coaches, journalists and directors since he took charge midway through the qualifiers in October 2008 following the resignation of Alfio Basile.

The first controversy began less than one week after he started the job when a row over the AFA's refusal to let him appoint former captain Oscar Ruggeri as assistant coach led to speculation that he could quit.

Playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, a central figure at the 2006 World Cup and for Basile in the 2010 qualifiers, quit saying Maradona did not live by "the same codes".

Maradona has also had differences with 1986 World Cup-winning coach Carlos Bilardo, who was appointed the AFA's technical director of national teams.

Bilardo appeared to be installed as someone Maradona could turn to for support but the coach has said he will make all the decisions and the older man should "stay up in the directors' box in suit and tie" with AFA president Julio Grondona.

Source:go.com