
Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof denied point blank that Argentina defaulted on its debt and described such statement as an atomic nonsense. The minister gave a press conference in Buenos Aires a day after the failed negotiations with holdouts in New York and claimed ”those who today cheer the apocalypse, applauded the 2001 (crisis).”

After negotiations between the Argentine government and the speculative funds, led by US Special Master Daniel Pollack failed, New York District Judge Thomas Griesa called for a new hearing between the parties for Friday at 12 pm (Argentina time).

Argentina failed to strike a deal to avert its second default in more than 12 years after talks with holdout creditors and special mediator Daniel Pollack ended without a settlement on Wednesday.

The head of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and second-in-command of the FIFA international football governing body passed away at the Sanatorio Mitre private medical center where he had been hospitalized for a cardiac failure earlier on Wednesday.

The meeting between Argentine private bank representatives and the 'holdouts' over the debt held by the hedge funds has been adjourned and will be resumed on Thursday, according to Buenos Aires financial daily Ambito.com.

“Unfortunately no agreement was reached and Argentina will imminently be in default”, admitted Daniel A. Pollack, the Special Master appointed by Judge Thomas P. Griesa to conduct and preside over settlement negotiations between Argentina and its holdout bondholders. Pollack emphasized that with default “the ordinary Argentine citizen will be the real and ultimate victim”.

“Special Master” Daniel Pollack, the mediator appointed by US judge Griesa to resolve the dispute between Argentina and the speculative funds' holdouts said the parts talked “face to face” for the first time and assured a new meeting will be confirmed during the day. If a deal is not reached Wednesday sunset Argentina could again fall into default.

President Cristina Fernández addressed fellow heads of state at the Mercosur summit in Caracas, where she thanked members of the bloc for their support over the ongoing fight with holdout investors in the New York courts and underlined that Argentina “has paid debt obligations religiously”.

The father of Juventus forward Carlos Tevez, Segundo Tevez, has been released after being kidnapped for more than eight hours in the city of Morón, in Buenos Aires province. The player later thanked those who had sent their support during the ordeal.

Argentina will sent a negotiation team to New York on Monday for further talks with a US court-appointed mediator Daniel Pollack in its debt dispute with holdout investors, Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said earlier, with just two days left to avert a default.