Argentina

Avi Farber, a junior philosophy major at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, tries to spend as much time in nature as possible, and an Institute for Study Abroad program in Mendoza, Argentina, “seemed like a fitting place to end up.’’ Mendoza, a province of about 1 million people on the eastern side of the Andes in the heart of wine country, is a popular stopover for adventure travelers, especially climbers on their way to Aconcagua, the highest...

Argentina's government on Thursday revoked the commuter railway concession for a company whose train crashed in February, killing 51 people and injuring 703. The Trains of Buenos Aires company, which operated some commuter rail lines in the capital region since the operations were privatized in 1995, failed to adequately maintain equipment, ignored multiple sanctions and fines, and allowed quality to seriously deteriorate, Planning Minister Julio...

Pau Gasol, the Memphis Grizzlies' 7-foot center, had 25 points and 9 rebounds and Spain used another impressive performance to beat Lithuania, 89-67, yesterday and advance to the semifinals of the FIBA World Championships at Saitama, Japan. Spain (7-0) will play Argentina (7-0) today. "The team who beats us is the team that plays really well," Spain coach Pepu Hernandez said. "We know we can lose if we don't do the right job and be the team we have been until this moment. They can beat us, but it will be difficult.

Argentina's nine-year economic expansion appears to be slowing sharply, according to analysts, who predict growth of 2.5 percent to 3 percent this year, half the 5.1 percent projected by the government's 2012 budget and down sharply from last year's 8.9 percent rise. Some economists are even predicting recession before year's end, saying recently imposed currency and trade restrictions, high inflation, price controls and capital flight are making it tougher to protect Argentina from the global slowdown.

FIFA and Nigeria’s soccer federation are investigating Argentina’s 4-1 loss in Nigeria on Wednesday after betting patterns suggested it was targeted by match fixers. It is the highest profile match yet in a wave of suspicious recent international exhibitions, often with goals scored from penalty kicks. The match “was one that we had an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing FIFA investigation,’’ soccer’s world governing body said Saturday. FIFA was “working closely’’ with its betting monitoring agency, Early Warning System, which tracks wagers...

LAS VEGAS - Argentina will get to defend its Olympic gold medal. Luis Scola scored 27 points and Argentina, playing without four NBA players from the team that won the gold in 2004, beat Brazil, 91-80, yesterday in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas basketball tournament to earn a berth in the Beijing Olympics. Scola, who signed with the Houston Rockets, and Carlos Delfino, who plays for the Toronto Raptors, were the NBA stars for this Argentina team, which lost one game in this tournament - 91-76 to the United States in the second round.

LAS VEGAS -- Argentina, which trailed by 17 points early in the second half, scored the last 6 points of regulation and beat Brazil, 86-79, in overtime last night to remain unbeaten in the FIBA Americas tournament. Argentina (6-0), which had already secured a semifinal berth, will close the second round tonight against the United States. Regardless of the outcome of the matchup of unbeatens, Argentina did what it had hoped to accomplish: avoid the US in the semifinals. They will finish as the first and second seeds and can't meet until the title game.

Linas Kleiza scored 30 points to help send Lithuania into the quarterfinals of the world championships with a 78-67 win over China in Istanbul. China jumped out to a 16-5 lead, but Lithuania used a 16-2 run in the second quarter to go ahead, 36-31, with 3:20 left. A 16-3 run put Lithuania up, 64-51, entering the fourth quarter. China came within 67-62 with 5:10 left, but Kleiza scored 10 straight points to put the game away. Liu Wei scored 21 points for China, while Yi Jianlian of the Washington Wizards added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Argentina and Russia reached the Davis Cup semifinals yesterday while defending champion Croatia was eliminated. In the semifinals in September, the United States will play at Russia and Argentina will host Australia, which won its 28th and last championship in 2003. Argentina held on to oust Croatia, 3-2, with Juan Ignacio Chela rallying to beat Sasa Tuksar, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), in the final match. Russia beat host France, 4-1, after Dmitry Tursunov downed Richard Gasquet, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7)

JOHANNESBURG — Even though Lionel Messi baffled Nigeria’s defenders, Argentina still had to sweat out Diego Maradona’s first World Cup victory as a coach. Gabriel Heinze scored on a diving header in the sixth minute, the only one of seven shots on goal Argentina converted in its 1-0 win yesterday. Heinze took advantage of weak defense to power in his header from 12 yards off Juan Sebastian Veron’s corner kick. After that, it was nothing but missed chances for Albiceleste.

Andy Roddick and Ryan Harrison lost singles matches Sunday, giving Argentina an unassailable 2-0 lead over the United States on the opening day of the Team World Cup. The eight-nation tournament on clay is a warmup for the French Open, which starts in one week. Roddick, playing his first tournament since March, lost to Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-2 in the Red Group. Leonardo Mayer followed by outlasting Harrison 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. In the Blue Group, defending champion Germany leads Russia 1-0 after Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-0, 6-2. Serbia took a 1-0 lead over...

Marlen Esparza of the United States is a step closer toward a place on the U.S. women's Olympic boxing team. She reached the third round of the 112-pound class at the women's world boxing championships Sunday by defeating Pamela Paola Benavidez of Argentina 20-10. Esparza is within one bout of the flyweight quarterfinals. The championships feature 10 divisions but the focus is on three: flyweight, lightweight (132 pounds) and middleweight (165). Those will be the only classes when women's boxing makes its Olympic debut in London.

Activists say Argentina now leads the world in transgender rights after giving people the freedom to change their legal and physical gender identity simply because they want to, without having to undergo judicial, psychiatric and medical procedures beforehand. The gender identity law that won congressional approval with a 55-0 Senate vote Wednesday night is the latest in a growing list of bold moves on social issues by the Argentine government, which also legalized gay marriage two years ago. These changes primarily affect minority groups, but they are fundamental,...

Adults who want sex-change surgery or hormone therapy in Argentina will be able to get it as part of their public or private health care plans under a gender rights law approved Wednesday. The measure also gives people the right to specify how their gender is listed at the civil registry when their physical characteristics don't match how they see themselves. Senators approved the Gender Identity law by a vote of 55-0, with one abstention and more than a dozen senators declaring themselves absent — the same margin that approved a "death with...

Miguel Galuccio sat quietly with a nervous smile as Argentina's president suddenly thrust the youthful oil executive from obscurity into one of the nation's most high-pressure jobs: leading the newly state-controlled energy company. As political leaders applauded, an even younger man sitting beside him, Axel Kicillof, draped his arm around Galuccio's shoulders, sending an unmistakable message that the president herself reinforced: Together, these men will manage the nation's top priority right now, YPF SA, the new symbol of Argentina's government-guided...

"Anita" may be about a young woman with Down syndrome (the astounding Alejandra Manzo, in her film debut) but it isn't naively uplifting in the way of a movie made for Lifetime television. Set in Buenos Aires, it's an unsentimental portrait of one lost soul among the city's outcasts. Opening moments feature the too-little-seen Argentine actress Norma Aleandro as Anita's widowed mother, Dora. These low-key scenes reveal much about their mother-daughter relationship. Dora dotes on her adult daughter with a brusque tenderness that comes from close...

MOSCOW -- Admitting he was downright scared, Marat Safin composed himself and won the Davis Cup title for Russia. The two-time major champion had 16 aces in beating Jose Acasuso, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) yesterday in the deciding match, giving Russia a 3-2 decision over Argentina for its second Davis Cup crown. "There were some very difficult moments today," Safin said. "It was tough to control the match. Everything worked out. " Safin lost his opening singles match Friday, blaming the indoor carpet at Olympic Stadium.

IRUYA, Argentina -- Leaving this secluded village was more difficult than we could have imagined. It wasn't just that Iruya , a hamlet tucked among jagged mountains in the middle of nowhere, offered beautiful scenery. We literally couldn't leave because two trucks were blocking the way. Access is so tight here, with buildings hugging narrow, cobblestone streets, that the few residents who own vehicles simply park them in the middle of the road. A few folks gathered to watch the gringos in their dusty compact rental car try to figure it out. Finally, we located the truck...

Tennis John Isner's big serve and solid forehand proved too strong for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he defeated the Frenchman, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) 5-7, 6-3, on Sunday in Roquebrune, France, to send the United States into the Davis Cup semifinals against defending champion Spain. Tsonga had chances, but could only break his serve once as the Americans took an unassailable 3-1 lead over France to reach the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time since 2008. Isner won both his singles in style, dispatching Gilles Simon on Friday and refusing to get rattled against Tsonga.

Having beaten Roger Federer's Switzerland and France on the road, the U.S. Davis Cup team now awaits a more daunting obstacle — defending champion Spain in the semifinals. John Isner sent the Americans into the next round by winning Sunday's opening singles match — a 6-3, 7-6 (4) 5-7, 6-3 victory over sixth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. The U.S. is in the last four of the Davis Cup for the first time since 2008. "We've had the worst draw you could possibly imagine.