Argentina

• Saturday, August 16th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Menem indicted in Río Tercero explosion case

  

  Federal Judge Oscar Valentinuzzi yesterday indicted former president Carlos Menem in connection with the 1995 explosion of the Río Tercero's munitions plant in Córdoba province that killed seven people, and ruled that there is a lack of enough evidence regarding then army chief-of-staff and current ambassador to Colombia Martín Balza.

• Friday, August 15th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Former president organizing challenge to Kirchners' power

  

  Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde said his counterpart Nestor Kirchner suffers a profound “psychological impairment” and compared a recent speech of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner husband to those from Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.

• Thursday, August 14th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  YPF announces plans for off-shore drilling in Santa Cruz

  

  Argentine Oil Corporation YPF announced this week a 500 million US dollars annual investment plan to be mainly implemented in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz to help sustain hydrocarbons extraction in the San Jorge Gulf basin

• Thursday, August 14th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine farmers attracted by the allure of fail-safe soy

  

  Despite the recent dip in prices soybeans keep attracting Argentine farmers who for the coming 2008/09 season are expected to dedicate a record area to the oilseed crop.

• Thursday, August 14th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina: Moody downs debt 6 levels below invest grade

  

  Argentina's foreign debt rating outlook was cut on Thursday to stable from positive by Moody's Investors Service, which cited “heightened political volatility”. This means Argentina's rating stands at B3, six levels below investment grade.

• Wednesday, August 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina's official inflation: even most faithful misbelieve

  Enough is enough. Even the most loyal of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner officials are rebelling against the latest consumer prices index released on Monday by the Statistics and Census Office, Indec.

• Tuesday, August 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Official July inflation further impairs Cristina's image

  

  Argentina's Statistics and Census Office, Indec, announced Monday that July consumer prices index reached 0.4%, below analysts' forecasts and market estimates, further deteriorating the credibility of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration.

• Tuesday, August 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchners' Argentina debt rating drops to Paraguay level

  

  Argentina's foreign debt rating was cut Monday by Standard & Poor's from B+ to B, five levels below investment grade and in line with countries such as Jamaica and Paraguay. Concerns over slower economic growth, lower tax revenue and mounting investor mistrust in inflation data which erodes confidence in the government have been decisive for the new rating.

• Monday, August 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina to buy 2008/98 bonds to help calm markets

  The Argentine government announced the purchase of 2008 and 2009 bonds, --plus interest payments in advance-- in an effort to ease markets which have shown great anxiety over the political situation and economic slowdown of Argentina, particularly last week.

• Monday, August 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchners declared solid bank account and 38 properties

  

  Argentina's ruling couple Cristina and Nestor Kirchner assets in the first half of the year increased significantly while the Education minister Juan Carlos Tudesco figures as the richest man in the cabinet, according to their income disclosures published over the weekend in the Buenos Aires press.