ARGENTINA: Reports that an agile Argentine thief snatched the purse of one of the twin daughters of US president George Bush while US secret service agents were nearby had local media in a buzz yesterday.
"Bush's bodyguards couldn't handle San Telmo purse-snatcher," read a headline on the website of official news agency Telam.
Telam said a government source, who asked not to be named, confirmed a report on an ABC News website blog regarding the robbery. Different local reports said the alleged purse-snatching happened on Sunday or on Monday.
Barbara Bush (24), who has the same name as her grandmother, was in a restaurant in the San Telmo neighbourhood when her purse was taken, Telam reported. It was not clear whether she was outdoors or indoors at the time.
Nor was it known how long Mr Bush's daughter had been in Argentina.
Some reports said she had been in Paraguay earlier, in an activity related with the United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef.