
Argentina has cut 461 million dollars in annual tax breaks granted as investment incentives to big oil companies operating in the country, the government said on Friday, as part of a wider austerity program.

Following on Argentina’s track the Brazilian government created a special unit to monitor and control imports in the framework of the country’s new trade policy implemented by the administration of President Dilma Rousseff.

Argentina’s flag carrier ended the last twelve months with a drop in the number of passengers transported, totalling 6.017.886, which is 5.97% less than in 2010. However income from the sale of tickets reached 1.334 billion dollars, which is 14% higher, according to the latest numbers available.

Brazilian Secretary of Foreign Trade Tatiana Prazeres will be travelling to Buenos Aires next Monday to address with Argentine counterparts the extent of the last set of measures implemented by the administration of President Cristina Fernandez to slow down the flow of imports.

Britain warned Argentina against cutting off an air link to the Falklands as part of an economic blockade of the Islands, reports the Evening Standard. Buenos Aires is threatening to stop a weekly flight from Punta Arenas in Chile to Port Stanley by refusing permission for it to use Argentine airspace.

The UK is taking advantage of the diplomatic conflict escalade with Argentina over the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute to distract public opinion from serious domestic problems such as unemployment, said Argentine Vice-president Amado Boudou.

The head of Argentina’s organized labour CGT umbrella unions’ boss Hugo Moyano broke his silence to state his relationship with the Argentine government is “suspended” but dismissed for the time being, the possibility of staging a national strike.

President Cristina Fernandez would need a third term in office to complete her transformation of Argentina, her vice president said Thursday, feeding her opponents’ fears that the newly re-elected leader will try to change the constitution and stay in power beyond 2015.

Meryl Streep may have been nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady but Argentine critics reviewed the film as ‘mediocre’ during its premiere in Buenos Aires on Thursday.

Argentine President Cristina Fernández ruled out that the Government is planning to set a ceiling on this year’s collective bargaining and said that unions must “carry on with their salary negotiations freely by taking corporate profit into account.” She announced, however, the creation of a committee in order to follow them closely.