
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez sent a bill to Congress on Thursday aimed at helping the government tap more central bank reserves to help repay foreign debt and defend the country's currency.

The Patagonian province of Chubut said that contrary to what happened earlier this week in Tierra del Fuego, there is no ban on any cruise vessel flag and all are welcome to dock and make use of the provincial ports’ services, particularly Puerto Madryn which belongs to the South Atlantic sea tourism circuit.

By John Fowler (*) - I handed the family's passports to a rather stern-looking official behind a desk, while my wife and mother-in-law passed through into the departure lounge with our daughter, who was just a few months short of her first birthday. Along with the passports, I also handed over three white identity cards. These were issued by the country through which we were in transit on our way to holidays in Britain from our home in the Falkland Islands.

Negotiations must start from a position of trust and “it is hard to trust a Government who so easily break their word, and who deny our right to exist as a people”, said Falklands lawmaker Roger Edwards in response to the announcement by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on direct air-links to the Falklands.

Next March 26 the Falkland Islands will be holding an ‘opening’ ceremony to celebrate the release of another 3.5 square kilometres which have been cleared from mines and other explosives planted by Argentine forces during the 1982 invasion.

Argentina exported 24.479 tons of fish and shellfish valued at 81.4 million dollars in January 2012, according to the latest statistics from the National Health and Agri-food Quality Service, Senasa. This represents a fall of 13.2% in volume and 5.6% in value compared with the same month last year, 28.198 tons and 86.2 million dollars.

The investigation into the causes of the train crash in a main terminal in Buenos Aires which killed 51 people and injured over 700 has surfaced other technical flaws confirming the serious deterioration of the system, according to a report from the Transport Regulation National Commission, CNRT.

The Falkland Islands government and tourist industry admit to being confused and thus unable to comment in any great detail on the recent decision, apparently, by the Argentine provincial Government of Tierra del Fuego, turning away from Ushuaia two British flagged cruise ships earlier this week.

Falkland Islanders reacted with skepticism and further distrust to the latest announcements by Argentine president Cristina Fernandez regarding air links with Argentina, while Falklands’ elected lawmakers said the proposal was too ‘muddled’ and with errors for the local government to respond.

Spain and Argentina formed a working group to resolve their “differences” over YPF, the Argentine oil company majority-owned by Madrid-based Repsol-YPF, Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria said.