Argentina

• Wednesday, May 28th 2014 - 22:12 UTC

  Seven years and 650 million dollars later, Argentine icebreaker Irizar still under repairs

  

  The Argentine government is putting pressure on contractors so that the Navy's flagship icebreaker Almirante Irizar, partially destroyed by fire in 2007, can begin sea trials later this year. However over-costs and mismanagement of the funds invested, estimated at over 650 million dollars, could have purchased a new vessel of three second hand according to critics in Congress.

• Wednesday, May 28th 2014 - 08:40 UTC

  Five killed as small plane goes down in the River Plate coast; four survived

  

  A small plane crash landed on Tuesday into the Río de la Plata river with nine passengers on board. Four of them were successfully rescued and transferred to hospitals in Buenos Aires and Uruguay, and at least five people were reported dead.

• Tuesday, May 27th 2014 - 08:48 UTC

  UK physics professor fired from US university for conviction in Argentina on drugs

  

  University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has fired the 70-year-old physics professor who was arrested in 2012 after flying to Argentina to meet the woman who he thought was a former Miss Bikini World and instead was arrested by drug agents after getting entangled in a scheme to smuggle two kilos of cocaine.

• Tuesday, May 27th 2014 - 08:42 UTC

  Argentina promises no gas shortage this winter, but industry has already suffered the first cuts

  

  Argentina's Planning minister Julio De Vido guaranteed publicly on Monday that there will be no gas cuts next winter (21 June), while Energy Secretary Daniel Cameron described the “situation as the best in the last four years”.

• Tuesday, May 27th 2014 - 08:34 UTC

  Argentina in another negotiating round with the Paris Club of creditors

  

  Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof has assured that progress has been made with creditors in the Paris Club as the politician left Monday evening for France in preparation for talks with the financial institution over restructuring Argentina's debt, estimated in 9.5bn dollars.

• Monday, May 26th 2014 - 21:15 UTC

  Shrimp saves the day for Argentine seafood exports in first four months

  

  Argentina seafood exports totaled 116,738 tons during the first four months of the year, which shows an increase of 2.9% over the same 2013 period in 2013, when 113,419 tons were shipped abroad. Strong shrimp exports helped offset lower volumes of fish.

• Monday, May 26th 2014 - 08:24 UTC

  Argentine industrial activity drops 4.2% in April; auto industry hit by lower sales

  

  After a decade of growth, the Argentine government faces this year a decline as industrial output falls and a high inflation rates hits consumer spending and new investment. The Argentine economy grew steadily recovering from a 2001-2003 debt crisis and expanded 3% last year but it stumbled in the fourth quarter and could slid into a recession at the start of this year.

• Monday, May 26th 2014 - 06:50 UTC

  Argentina: CFK returns to the fold: attends Tedeum and read Francis de Assisi Peace prayer

  

  President Cristina Fernández, CFK, addressed on Sunday the crowd which had gathered in the historic Buenos Aires Plaza de Mayo to mark the anniversary of Argentina's May Revolution, calling on those present to remember all the people who helped create an independent nation.

• Saturday, May 24th 2014 - 10:05 UTC

  Vatican-Casa Rosada controversy: the Pope's missive, a letter or a telegram?

  

  Argentina's Secretary to the Presidency Oscar Parrilli said on Friday that the letter sent to President Cristina Fernandez and which caused a controversy with local Church officials, is “authentic”. Argentine ambassador to the Vatican Juan Pablo Cafiero was contacted by Pope Francis to confirm the situation.

• Saturday, May 24th 2014 - 07:13 UTC

  British fans travelling to the Cup in Brazil warned about 'Argentine gangs'

  

  If the recent protests and demonstrations across Brazil prior to the World Cup are any indication of the domestic and public violence that is expected to happen, fans, of all nationalities must be cautious, as the Brazilian military police has warned.