Argentina

• Thursday, July 31st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Aerolineas and Austral rated among worst air carriers

  

  Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral have been rated among the worst air carriers out of a total of 90 in five continents according to the Argentine Tourism Law Association, Aadetur, which ranks them 81 and 82.

• Thursday, July 31st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine building industry declining tendency accelerates

  

  Argentine construction activity fell the most in more than four years last month as faster inflation and a farmers strike threatened to undermine a five year running expansion of the economy.

• Wednesday, July 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentines remain uneasy about domestic markets

  

  During the second quarter of this year, an estimated 8.5 billion US dollars left Argentina, double the worst quarter in 2007 and higher than the most negative of private forecasts, according to the latest information from the Argentine Central Bank.

• Wednesday, July 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Russian officials inspect Mar del Plata fish plants

  

  A delegation from Russia's Federal Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Control Service (Rosselkhoznadzor) this month visited the South Buenos Aires Regional Centre of the National Food Safety and Quality Service (SENASA), and a number of fisheries plants and vessels of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, July 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Farm leaders become most popular figures in Argentina

  

  Argentine farm leaders involved in the recent stand off with the administration of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner have soared in public opinion consideration according to the latest survey released this week in Buenos Aires by Giacobe and Associates.

• Wednesday, July 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine farmers reject gov. attempts to divide them

  Argentine farmers' organizations have anticipated that they will only meet with government officials as a group and reject efforts to divide them. The warning follows statements from Argentina's new Agriculture minister who argued the liaison committee lacks “representativeness” hinting he would talk to each farm association on an individual basis.

• Wednesday, July 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine electricity rates hiked in July from 10 to 30%

  

  Faced with energy shortages after years of minimum investment, neglected maintenance and frozen rates the Argentine government announced this week electricity hikes to the tune of 10 to 30% for residential customers, the first since 2002.

• Monday, July 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Former Argentine economy minister admits errors

  

  Argentine former Economy minister Martín Lousteau spoke to the press about his brief period in office for the first time and while maintaining his continued faith in President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, made some criticisms of the national government and called for the removal of Domestic Commerce Secretary Guillermo Moreno, who he described as “unerringly inefficient” and with whom he admitted having had a significant conflict.

• Sunday, July 27th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Two to one disapproval of Mrs. Kirchner's gov.

  

  By a margin of two to one Argentine public opinion disapproves of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's performance, according to a survey from consultants MBC-Mori and released Sunday by Buenos Aires daily Perfil.

• Sunday, July 27th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US marines land for military exercise in Puerto Belgrano

  

  United States marines, as well as from Chile and Brazil were involved in an amphibious exercise with the Argentine Navy in Puerto Belgrano home port of the Argentine fleet. The exercise was described by the Argentine media as evidence of a growing military rapprochement between the two countries.