Argentine president Cristina Fernandez underwent this week several medical exams which have revealed normal results, announced presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro at a press conference in Government House in Buenos Aires.
The Paraguayan Senate finally passed on Tuesday afternoon, with a large majority a protocol for including Venezuela as full member of Mercosur. The protocol, which was submitted to Congress by President Horacio Cartes, was supported 29-10.
The Tierra del Fuego Malvinas Question Provincial Observatory Advisory Council held its last meeting of the year at the Malvinas Foundation building and among other issues named former Falklands Islander Alejandro Betts as Technical Advisor to the Observatory.
Marking the 30th anniversary of the return of democracy to Argentina, President Cristina Fernández referred to the wave of lootings across the country and police force protests, and stated that “they were no coincidence”, during a rally from the Government House in Buenos Aires on Tuesday evening.
Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Monday that they will give Argentine authorities an extended deadline in order to improve upon disputed national statistics, giving the nation until March 2014 to make the necessary changes.
The rash of looting and rioting which has spread to most of Argentina's provinces as the police went on strike or protest demanding better pay and working conditions has taken the political system by surprise, which has been slow in reacting to the gravity of the situation.
While facing the challenge of police unrest that has spread to half of the Argentine provinces the government of President Cristina Fernandez is designing a plan to counter the threat of further rioting and looting on 20 December, the anniversary of the worst day of the 2001 crisis which forced the resignation of then elected president Fernando de la Rúa and was followed by the largest sovereign debt default in Argentine history.
The Paraguayan Senate is expected to vote this Tuesday the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur as full member in an extraordinary meeting, according to Senator Julio César Velázquez from the ruling party. To have the Venezuelan protocol approved 23 out of 45 Senators have to lift their hands, but according to previous surveys only 15 are expected to dissent.
The Argentine police crisis in demand for higher salaries and better working conditions and which prompted protests and further lootings in several provinces last week and during the weekend rapidly spread on Monday to other districts.
The Argentine police unrest in demand for higher wages which started last Monday in Cordoba has rapidly spread to at least eight other provinces and the central government in Buenos Aires is preparing for a major challenge. It has already sent special gendarmerie forces to Santa Fe and Cordoba, on request from the governors.