
Argentina's Economy ministry will have increased control over the national statistics and census agency, Indec, announced on Tuesday the government in a bid to restore credibility to the country's consumer price data.

The Peronist government of the Argentine province of Buenos Aires will grant a special pension to the nationalist group of 18 civilians who in 1966 took command of a commercial flight to Rio Gallegos and had it re-routed to the Falkland Islands with the purpose of taking over the Malvinas for Argentina.

Argentina's primary budget surplus plunged 65% in June compared to year earlier, marking the seventh straight month of worsening budget results, the government said on Monday.

European Union Foreign Relations Commissar, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Monday that the Spanish presidency of the European Union in 2010 “should be a good moment and opportunity” to resume the stalled discussions of the European block with Mercosur.

Argentine Economy minister Amado Boudu discarded the implementation of “shock measures” and anticipated some changes will take place “to strengthen some institutions”. But he emphatically confirmed the continuation on course of “the 2003 political project”.

In May, for the eighth month running the number of foreign tourists visiting Argentina has dropped, mainly because of the global crisis, the A/H1N1 virus flu pandemic and domestic inflation.

Argentina’s trade surplus jumped 91.7%, equivalent to 9.8 billion US dollars in the first half of this year compared to the same period a year ago, according to the latest release from the country’s statistics office, Indec.

Magnasco, one of the oldest dairy farms in Argentina with a history of more than 50 years has ceased activities and will dedicate its farmland to potatoes. The family business which owns four dairy farms and rents another five took the drastic action because “there’s no way of making of profit” with the erred agriculture policies from the administration of the Kirchner couple.

Argentina will seek to remove from the bonds market nearly 40% of its sovereign debt and meet all its financial obligations, Economy Minister Amado Boudou was quoted by a Buenos Aires daily on Sunday.

Argentina declared a nationwide alert on Friday after pigs in the province of Buenos Aires were confirmed to have the A/H1N1 flu virus, health authorities said. Thousands of people have contracted the virus in Argentina and 137 people in the country have died.