News of argentina

QUICK TRIP TO ASUNCIÓN

From Paraguay, Macri says Peronist government should be ‘given time’

Today 01:15 Former president Mauricio Macri uses private jet owned by tobacco company to visit Asunción for talks with ex-Paraguay president Horacio Cartes and current leader Mario Abdo Benítez.

'Echizen Maru' in Ushuaia

57 sailors onboard fishing ship in Ushuaia test positive for Covid-19

Yesterdat 23:17 Argentine fishing boat docks in Ushuaia after 35 days at sea, after crew begin showing signs of coronavirus. Reports say 57 of the 61 crew-members onboard the 'Echizen Maru' – who all isolated for 14 days before setting sail – have tested positive for coronavirus, puzzling experts.

Facundo Astudillo Castro

UN demands ‘exhaustive’ probe into 22-year-old’s disappearance

Yesterdat 13:48 Facundo Astudillo Castro was last seen on April 30 after being stopped by police in Buenos Aires Province for breaching Covid-19 lockdown. UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances demands ‘all possible hypotheses’ be considered, as family alleges officers may have been involved in their relative’s disappearance.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina surpasses 100,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19

12-07-2020 21:06 Health Ministry confirms 2,657 new cases of Covid-19, taking Argentina past the symbolic 100,000 barrier.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Argentina selected as testing site for Covid-19 vaccine

11-07-2020 07:55 Joint project, led by German company BioNTech and the US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, is one of 12 vaccines that are being tested on humans worldwide.

CORRUPTION & THE COURTS

Lázaro Báez granted house arrest but yet to be released

10-07-2020 16:32 Alleged Kirchnerite frontman, who stands accused of raft of corruption offences, granted house arrest by court, prompting angry reaction from his future neighbours. Release will not be until next week at earliest, with row over high bail set as part of condition.

EU-MERCOSUR TALKS

EU watchdog opens probe into Mercosur trade deal

10-07-2020 12:16 EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly confirms investigation will be opened into historic trade deal with Mercosur, after environmental and rights groups complained that the deal does not respect the EU’s legal obligations.

AIRLINES & AVIATION

LATAM secures new financing to help stave off bankruptcy

09-07-2020 17:47 Latin America's biggest airline says it has secured US$1.3 billion in financing from a US investment fund to help it survive the aviation industry crisis brought on by the coronavirus.

Coronavirus pandemic

Macri: 'The government has tried to diminish freedoms' during pandemic

09-07-2020 01:50 Former president breaks silence in online interview, vowing to strengthen his Juntos por el Cambio coalition ahead of next year's midterms and accusing the Alberto Fernández administration of seeking to "diminish freedoms."

TECHNOLOGY

Argentina holds talks with Huawei over adoption of 5G technology

08-07-2020 15:29 Government holds talks with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei as it explores options for the adoption of advanced 5G technology.

Coping with quarantine

Keep happy: Porteños try to make the most of quarantine

08-07-2020 14:57 Experts say quarantine measures have increased anxiety, uncertainty and feelings of extreme weariness. Some, however, have found a positive side to the pandemic.

BLOOMBERG

Puzzling wheat prices raise fears of manipulation in Argentina

08-07-2020 00:34 Farmers in Argentina are worried that wheat price anomalies are a sign the government is starting to meddle in grain markets just months into its four-year term.

Coronavirus pandemic

Fernández wishes Bolsonaro a speedy recovery from Covid-19

07-07-2020 23:28 Peronist leader sends his Brazilian counterpart a letter wishing him a speedy recovery, after Bolsonaro confirmed Tuesday he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina registers record 75 deaths from Covid-19 in one day

07-07-2020 02:43 More than 80,000 people have now been infected with Covid-19 in Argentina. To date,1,582 fatalities have been recorded.

SCIENCE & NATURE

Fossil of giant 70m year-old fish found in Patagonia

07-07-2020 01:52 Paleontologists find the remains of a predator fish that was more than six meters long near Lago Colhué Huapial in Chubut Province.

BLOOMBERG - OPINION

Mohamed A. El-Erian: Argentina's debt proposal deserves support

07-07-2020 01:35 It would be in neither side's long-term interest to allow the theoretical best to be the enemy of the attainable good – what is now on the table warrants support by both Argentina and its creditors.

DEBT RESTRUCTURING

Fernández: New offer to creditors on way, deadline moved to August 4

05-07-2020 22:10 Argentina to present new offer to bondholders on Monday, with deadline extended until August 4.

BLOOMBERG

Creditors allege Vicentin soy giant siphoned off US$400 million

05-07-2020 08:10 Banks are asking a New York judge to subpoena more documents from bankrupt soy-export giant Vicentin, saying there may have been “major international financial impropriety” that saw US$400 million drained from the firm.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

World Health Organisation remains alive to Covid-19 threat, despite criticism

04-07-2020 09:18 Under fire for misleading comments on transmission, face masks and its dealings with China, the WHO’s local branch in Argentina says it’s delivering results in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

by Jennifer Heiman & Anina Hoffman

DEBT RESTRUCTURING

Casa Rosada dismisses rumours of Guzman’s departure

04-07-2020 09:06 BlackRock, other creditors, big businessmen and ministers are questioning the economy minister’s approach to debt restructuring talks, but Guzmán retains the confidence of Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

FISCAL PARADISE?

Uruguay’s new tax residence rules spark interest among Argentines

04-07-2020 08:24 Seeking to attract immigrants with high purchasing-power, Uruguay has relaxed its fiscal residence requirements – triggering a rush of consultations from Argentines.

ANALYSIS

Sino-American dispute a looming threat for Argentina and Brazil

04-07-2020 07:57 The relationship between Buenos Aires and Brasilia is in intensive care and the lack of coordination between the two governments exposes the region to an external vulnerability – becoming a place where the US and China settle their differences.

by Leandro Dario

Coronavirus pandemic

Cold, windswept and frozen, Buenos Aires returns to isolation

03-07-2020 03:37 On a chilly winter Wednesday, a lonesome Buenos Aires reverted to the first and most restrictive phase of the quarantine, in a renewed bid to halt the advance of Covid-19.

FOOTBALL & CORONAVIRUS

Metegol humano: How to play football during the pandemic

02-07-2020 23:12 Football-starved locals have found a way to play while social distancing – dubbed 'metegol humano,' the system designed for the coronavirus pandemic involves dividing the field with white chalk into 12 rectangles and restricting each player to a defined space.

Femicide in quarantine

Feminist organisation: one femicide every 29 hours in Argentina

02-07-2020 16:32 Feminist organisation Mumalá recorded at least 143 femicides in Argentina during the first six months of 2020, according to new report.

Coronavirus pandemic

New phase of stricter lockdown begins in Buenos Aires

02-07-2020 00:17 Officials said Wednesday that the new measures were working well – the Buenos Aires City government said that on Wednesday 107,000 vehicles had used the capital's highways, a 33 percent drop from one week ago.

Secessionist threat?

Mexit? Cornejo says Mendoza could thrive as ‘an independent country’

30-06-2020 21:28 Amid a row over a hydroelectric dam project, Alfred Cornejo lets rip at national government, accusing it of "harming" Mendoza and declaring that the province would thrive as an independent nation.

Coronavirus in Patagonia

Bariloche covered in snow but stripped of tourists, thanks to Covid-19

30-06-2020 17:37 Snow has fallen in Bariloche, but the streets and slopes are quiet in the famed tourist destination. Local businesses estimate that losses this month alone will be around 3.6 billion pesos (about US$48 million).

Former president

Carlos Menem leaves hospital after pneumonia scare

30-06-2020 12:41 Former president and senator for La Rioja Province was discharged from hospital on Monday after two weeks receiving treatment for pneumonia.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Argentina's economy tanked in April as virus hit home

30-06-2020 12:33 Construction was the worst hit industry, plummeting 86.4%, with hotels and restaurants not far behind (down 85.6%). Manufacturing, down 34.4%, and business, which lost 27%, were also hard hit.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina records highest daily death toll yet from Covid-19

30-06-2020 00:23 Forty-eight people died from Covid-19 in Argentina over the last 24 hours, Health Ministry officials said Monday, lifting the total number of fatalities to 1,280.

EX-ARGENTINA MANAGER

Carlos Bilardo does not have Covid-19 and was misdiagnosed, says brother

30-06-2020 00:05 Argentina's 1986 World Cup winning coach was diagnosed with Covid-19 by mistake, his brother has revealed.

BLOOMBERG

Economy plunges more than expected after lockdown

29-06-2020 23:10 Economic activity fell 17.5% in April from the previous month, and 26.4% from a year ago, the government reported Monday.

POLICE BRUTALITY

Tucumán: Probe into police opened after man 'suffocated' during arrest

28-06-2020 19:09 Investigation opened in northern province after death of 43-year-old Walter Ceferino Nadal, in circumstances allegedly similar to death of George Floyd in United States.

Coronavirus pandemic

Carlos Bilardo, Argentina's 1986 World Cup coach, tests positive for coronavirus

28-06-2020 08:42 82-year-old, who suffers from a brain disorder and lives in a nursing home, tests positive for coronavirus but without displaying any symptoms, according to local media reports.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Fernández tightens AMBA lockdown until July 17 amid virus surge

27-06-2020 07:36 Government cranks up coronavirus lockdown in capital, as Peronist leader calls on citizens in Buenos Aires metropolitan to respect restrictions and ‘return to isolation’ until July 17.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina surpasses 50,000 Covid-19 cases, new restrictions on way

26-06-2020 02:58 President Alberto Fernández set to announce return to strict lockdown in Buenos Aires metropolitan area, running from July 1 to 17.

WHAT NEXT?

Brazil, Argentina issue warnings as locust swarm crosses region

26-06-2020 00:16 Both the Argentine and Brazilian governments issue warnings as locust swam crosses border region.

Gender Violence

NGO: More than 70 femicides in Argentina during quarantine period

26-06-2020 00:01 71% of the femicides took place in the victim's home, according to the latest report from the La Casa del Encuentro NGO.

by Nadia Galán

Videoconference

Latin American leaders ask IMF, IDB, World Bank officials for support

25-06-2020 01:34 Presidents of nine Latin American nations ask International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank for support during virus crisis, including restructuring of debt.

Global pandemic

IMF predicts Argentina's economy will slump 9.9% in 2020

25-06-2020 01:16 Warning of the biggest slump since the Great Depression, International Monetary Fund warns coronavirus crisis will sink global economy in 2020, predicts global collapse in GDP of 4.9%.

BUSINESSES, SHOPS, STORES

Double whammy of virus and recession forces closures in the capital

25-06-2020 00:59 According to a survey by the Federation of Commerce and Industry of Buenos Aires, at least 18 percent of the 110,000 businesses in the capital have shut down since the coronavirus began.

Global pandemic

Stranded surfer says government should repatriate his dogs too

25-06-2020 00:53 33-year-old surfer Michael Graef is stranded in Peru because of the coronavirus lockdown. He says he wants to go home, but not without the dogs which he has adopted on his travels.

Coronavirus pandemic

Seven residents of City nursing home die of Covid-19

25-06-2020 00:42 Seven elderly residents at a nursing home in the capital have died after suffering "severe" symptoms of the Covid-19 coronavirus, the City government said Wednesday.

FOOD & DRINK

World's best restaurant serves food in phase with the moon

24-06-2020 19:22 Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco – the first foreign chef ever to get the maximum three Michelin stars in France – said he decided to make the leap during the coronavirus lockdown as he sought solace in his vegetable patch.

MARKETS

Argentina risks losing emerging markets status, warns MSCI

23-06-2020 23:27 Concern about market accessibility in Argentina prompted MSCI to flag the country during this year's 2020 rating review. Turkey was also warned.

BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS

In perennial economic crisis, Argentina faces worst year yet

23-06-2020 23:15 Some analysts are predicting a record contraction for Argentina's economy this year, with double-digit estimates of decline beginning to emerge.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

INDEC: Economy contracted by 5.4% in first quarter of 2020

23-06-2020 20:37 Unemployment rose to 10.4% in the first three months of the year, before the coronavirus lockdown kicked in, national statistics bureau reveals.

Global pandemic

Coronavirus decimating indigenous Latin American communities

23-06-2020 09:39 Indigenous people in Latin America have been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic due to weak immune systems and centuries of state neglect.

BA CITY & PROVINCE

Officials to tighten AMBA lockdown if curve continues to accelerate

23-06-2020 00:29 As officials report new daily high of confirmed cases, Fernández, Kicillof, Rodríguez Larreta meet at Olivos and agree to tighten restrictions in Buenos Aires metropolitan area if curve continues to accelerate.