
Germany's Wintershall signed on Tuesday a farm-in contract with the Argentine Patagonia province of Neuquén to explore Vaca Muerta’s shale gas and oil field. Under the terms of the joint-venture agreement Wintershall together with Gas & Petroleo de Neuquen will explore and develop the Aguada Federal block and are committed to invest 80 million Euros.

The registry of new cars in Argentina soared 13.5% last year establishing a record of 955.203 vehicles, compared to 2012, and also above the 860.000 units of 2011, which was the standing record, according to the Argentine association of automobile dealers, ACARA.

The newly appointed Argentine Central bank chairman Juan Carlos Fábrega strategy to make the money exchange markets converge does not seem to be working: on Tuesday the 'blue' or parallel dollar soared to a new record, 10.85 and 10.90 Pesos, while the gap with the official rate again climbed to almost 60%.

Argentine President Cristina Fernández resumed on Tuesday her official activity in the Government House, after spending 18 days with her relatives in the Patagonia province of Santa Cruz. She arrived in Buenos Aires late Monday night and is scheduled to make a public appearance on Wednesday.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez works everyday and is complying with her constitutional responsibilities said cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich on Monday responding to opposition voices that have criticized the leader who remains in the Patagonian city of El Calafate. He also announced that the president would be returning to Buenos Aires this week.

Industry, Energy and Mining Minister, Roberto Kreimerman, said Uruguay would try to settle disputes with Argentina in order to reestablish trade relations, but he also recognized Uruguay’s relationship with Argentina 'will never be the same'. The minister revealed that 32 million dollars of Uruguayan exports are blocked at Argentine Customs.

The great English player David Beckham could come out of retirement and sign a short term deal for Argentine giants River Plate, reports Argentine website Diario Veloz.

Even when there has been no official reply from London to Argentina's message to mark the 181th anniversary (January 3) of what it considers the usurpation of our Malvinas Islands, there was a strong reaction from Tory MPs when it was revealed that UK contributes several million pounds in aid programs to Argentina.

Argentine former senator Daniel Filmus on Monday afternoon will be inaugurated as head of the newly created Secretariat of Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and adjoining maritime spaces in the South Atlantic Affairs, which will press forward with Argentine claims over those territories.

Successful trade missions to Uruguay and Chile and the growing support and know-how links with Scotland for the development of the Falkland Islands oil and gas industry were mentioned as some of the 2013 highlights by Roger Spink, president of the Falklands Chamber of Commerce in his Christmas speech.