International
One dead in unrest at Argentina soccer match: official
AFP
One person died Thursday following violent clashes that started outside a soccer match on the outskirts of Buenos Aires before spilling into the stadium and onto the pitch, authorities said.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas as they attempted to stop fans attending the match between top-flight teams Boca Juniors and Gimnasia y Esgrima from pushing into the already crowded venue.
The unrest outside the Carmelo Zerillo stadium in La Plata, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Argentina’s capital, continued inside, where shocked spectators were seen squeezing through fencing to escape the violence and get onto the field.
“There were about 10,000 people around the stadium trying to get in, some with tickets, some without. Everyone could see that the stadium was very full,” said Eduardo Aparicio, head of a government agency tasked with preventing violence in sports.
“All this is being investigated,” including “the actions of the police,” he added.
Authorities at San Martin hospital in La Plata confirmed the death of 57-year-old Cesar Regueiro from cardiac arrest as he was being transferred from the stadium to a hospital.
A cameraman for sports channel TyC was injured by rubber bullets while dozens of spectators were suffering from the effects of tear gas and had been taken to hospitals, according to local media.
‘The air became unbreathable’
The game was suspended after nine minutes due to a lack of security, referee Hernan Mastrangelo said.
“It affected all of us on the field,” he added. “The air became unbreathable. The situation got out of control and there were no security guarantees.”
Explosions were heard inside the stadium and smoke from the fumes quickly reached the pitch.
The players, the referee and technical staff members were forced to evacuate the field.
At the same time, fans, including children being led or carried by adults, rushed from the stands and onto the pitch, where people were seen sitting or lying down apparently recovering from tear gas exposure.
“The first thing I saw was that people had started to flee the stalls and I began to feel the effects of the gas. I thought about my family and I started to worry,” Nicolas Contin, a Gimnasia player, said from the locker room where he had carried his young son.
“I’m angry about everything that happened.”
The match came at a critical point in Argentina’s Primera Division, with Gimnasia trying to stay in the title race and Boca looking to move into first place.
“What was going to be a party ends in this. It hurts us all what happened, it is tremendous and we regret it,” Boca Juniors manager Hugo Ibarra told reporters.
Clashes inside and outside Argentina’s stadiums have resulted in more than 300 deaths since soccer became professional in the 1930s, with two-thirds of the deaths occurring after the 1990s, according to a local NGO.
The violence in La Plata comes just five days after one of the deadliest disasters in soccer history in which 131 people were killed in a stadium crush in Indonesia.
The incident in the city of Malang also descended into tragedy after police fired tear gas into packed stands.
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Fans of Gimnasia y Esgrima enter to the pitch after the police threw tear gas outside the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium and entered the field during the Argentine Professional Football League Tournament 2022 match between Gimnasia y Egrima and Boca Juniors in La Plata, Argentina, on October 6, 2022. - Police fire rubber bullets and tear gas at football fans attempting to enter the Juan Carmelo Zerillo Stadium, in La Plata, Argentina, resulting in one death and the suspension of the match between Boca Juniors and Gimnasia y Esgrima. (Photo by ALEJANDRO PAGNI / AFP)
International
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to meet Guatemalan leader Bernardo Arévalo next friday
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Monday that she will hold her first bilateral meeting with her Guatemalan counterpart, Bernardo Arévalo, next Friday.
During her press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum detailed that the August 15 meeting will include a brief visit to Guatemala, followed by a trilateral meeting with Belize’s Prime Minister, Juan Antonio Briceño, in Calakmul, Campeche, in southeastern Mexico.
Sheinbaum explained that the meeting was proposed by Arévalo during a phone call last Friday, in which the Guatemalan president invited her to visit Guatemala.
The agenda will begin on Thursday night when Sheinbaum travels to Chetumal to lead her morning press conference on Friday.
Afterwards, she will travel to Guatemala for the bilateral meeting with Arévalo, then return to Calakmul to meet Belize’s Prime Minister Briceño for a trilateral meeting with Arévalo.
Later, Sheinbaum will hold a bilateral meeting with the Belizean leader.
The president announced that many agreements will be announced during the meetings with the southern border countries but avoided providing details to keep them as a surprise for that day.
International
Mexico City airport resumes flights after heavy rain causes flooding and delays
Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport resumed operations on Monday after heavy rains on Sunday evening forced a temporary suspension of flights.
In a statement released Monday morning, the airport explained that due to rainfall measuring between 50 and 77 millimeters, operations were halted amid reports of poor visibility and flooding that caused damage to terminals and a collapse of the airport’s drainage system.
The four-hour suspension to drain water affected 104 flights and nearly 14,900 passengers, who had to be redirected to other airports across the country.
To address the flooding in the airside areas, buildings, and surrounding roads, vacuum trucks and motor pumps were deployed to ensure safe conditions on runways, taxiways, and platforms, allowing flight operations to resume, the Navy Secretariat said.
By 6:00 a.m. local time (12:00 GMT), traffic on runway 05 right – 23 left had not yet fully normalized, nearly six hours after runway 05 left – 23 right had been cleared for use.
International
Mexico supports 81 nationals detained in Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ says president
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that the government is monitoring and providing support to 81 Mexican nationals detained at a facility in Florida known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ She also expressed her opposition to this type of detention center.
During her morning press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum explained that the Mexican consulate in Miami has interviewed the detainees during visits between July 23 and August 11 and maintains ongoing communication with them.
“Our colleague, former Governor of Chiapas Rutilio Escandón, regularly visits the facility to check on the needs of those detained. At the same time, we are working diplomatically to ensure that they remain there for as few days as possible,” she said.
She also emphasized that legal support is provided to those wishing to expedite their deportation to Mexico, as well as assistance for those who choose to pursue legal proceedings in the U.S. before repatriation.
Sheinbaum noted that so far, there have been no reports of human rights violations and stressed the importance of constant communication with the nationals.
“Obviously, we do not agree with these types of detention centers. They are state-run, not federal; they belong to the state of Florida,” she added.
She also explained that in some cases, detainees are later transferred to federal facilities before deportation, provided there are no ongoing legal proceedings.
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