Argentina

• Saturday, May 17th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Governors creep into the Argentine farmers' conflict

  Argentine provincial governors, from different angles have called on the striking farmers and the government to resume dialogue as the only way out to the two months stand off over a sliding grain and oilseeds export tax system which is “harming” the Argentine people and institutions.

• Friday, May 16th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine farmers' conflict becoming an attrition process

  Striking Argentine farmers opposed to a hike in export taxes decided on Thursday to extend the stoppage for another week but also sent a letter to President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner requesting an “urgent meeting” following on her Wednesday appeal for a national dialogue.

• Thursday, May 15th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine media reacts to government attacks on Clarin

  The Argentine association of newspapers, Adepa, publicly expressed concern about attacks from “government and government related sectors” against the Argentine press in general and particularly against editors and journalists from Clarín.

• Thursday, May 15th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Farmers' conflict begins to impact growth indexes

  The Argentine economy expanded at an annual 7.9% in April closing the first four months of 2008 with at an annual growth rate of 7.5%. This would be the sixth year running that the Argentine economy has been expanding vigorously after five years averaging 8.5%.

• Thursday, May 15th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina rates 103 out of 190 countries in institutional quality

  Long obsessed with its image in the eyes of such international monitors as the United Nations Human Development Index or Transparency International, Argentina has had its own international Institutional Quality Index for the past two years.

• Wednesday, May 14th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Growing political support for Argentine farmers protest

  Argentine farmers continued with their round of political contacts visiting Congress in Buenos Aires while officials from the Kirchner administration said governors should not feel obliged to receive farmers' delegations and anticipated that “new beneficial alternatives” were under consideration by the government.

• Wednesday, May 14th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchners double conciliatory tone challenges farmers

  A double message on Wednesday from the Argentine government forced a new scenario for the ongoing conflict with the striking farmers who have been protesting since early March against the taxing system.

• Tuesday, May 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Cordoba and Santa Fe provinces support farmers' claims

  Argentine striking farmers confirmed on Monday a powerful supporter in their conflict with the President Kirchner administrations over the grains and oil seeds export taxes controversy.

• Tuesday, May 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Inflation “rapidly raveling” Kirchner's economic model

  

  Former Argentine Economy minister Roberto Lavagna and considered the architect of the spectacular recovery of the Argentine economy following the 2001/02 melting and default said that former president Nestor Kirchner “does not understand economics” and his economic model is “rapidly raveling”.

• Tuesday, May 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Erupting volcano imperils two million sheep in Patagonia

  Two million sheep in the Argentine Patagonia province of Chubut are suffering the consequences of the ash blanket spewed by the eruption of the volcano Chaiten in neighboring Chile according to primary estimates from local authorities.