Argentine former cabinet chief and now dissident lawmaker Sergio Massa, the governor of Buenos Aires province Daniel Scioli and Mauricio Macri, mayor of Buenos Aires City outstand as the strongest presidential hopefuls for next year's primaries (August) ahead of elections to succeed Cristina Fernandez in October 2015.
Argentine presidential couple Nestor and Cristina Kirchner's former Transport Secretary Ricardo Jaime was indicted last week for unlawful enrichment and impounded for 40 million Argentine Pesos (approx 5 million dollars) He's the first of very close former aides of the powerful couple to face a jail sentence.
The Argentine government said on Friday there is no turning back of current policies despite the massive national strike that paralyzed the country on Thursday and insisted that the real impact was the result of the roadblocks in the accesses to the main cities.
The Economist has a piece on Argentina's president Cristina Fernández, an X-ray on her character, reactions, but also strong points, and what can be expected of what is left of her mandate that ends in December 2015. Even with her clout dwindling Cristina Fernández remains the most powerful politician of Argentina.
Argentine organized labor leader Hugo Moyano called on the government of president Cristina Fernandez to take note of Thursday's strong mobilization across the country after unions affiliated to the Teamsters figure and gastronomic heavyweight Luis Barrionuevo caused widespread disruption.
US oil giant Chevron and state-controlled YPF unveiled plans Thursday to spend another 1.6 billion dollars to develop Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale formation for oil and gas projects. The investment comes on top of 1.2 billion Chevron agreed to spend last year for a shale pilot project.
Argentina and Chile defense ministers Agustín Rossi and Jorge Burgos Varela met in Buenos Aires 'to continue advancing and deepening' the bilateral relation, which this year will have a special celebration motive: the 30th anniversary of the Peace and Friendship treaty which definitively put an end to the Beagle Channel longstanding dispute.
The American Task Force Argentina (ATFA), an organization which unites several bond holders from the Argentine default of 2001, questioned on Thursday the “lack of transparency” within President Cristina Fernández administration, during a video conference with reporters.
In a strong reply to the IMF report on the Argentine economy forecasting 0.5% expansion in 2014, the administration of President Cristina Fernandez said the multilateral organization suffers of an 'ideological bias' and its recipes only prompted the 'worst social and productive crisis in the history of Argentina'.
Argentina will witness on Thursday a new test of political clout and influence between the administration of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez and dissident organized labor, headed by teamster Hugo Moyano who has called for a national strike, anticipating it will have a resounding massive support and turnout from the Argentine people.