Argentina

• Monday, January 8th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Lavagna with “slim” chances of beating incumbent candidate

  

  Former Argentine Minister of Economy Roberto Lavagna could become “the main opposition candidate” but his chances of winning October's presidential elections are “slim” said a reputed Argentine political analyst and public opinion polls expert

• Saturday, January 6th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Kirchner's obsession with one digit inflation and subsidies

  Argentina managed in 2006 to keep inflation below the two digits (9.8%) as promised earlier in the year, but the Buenos Aires press reveals the cost of such an achievement: the equivalent of 1.47 billion US dollars in Treasury handouts to keep the most sensitive items in the consumers and wholesales indexes in line with the target.

• Saturday, January 6th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina, Mexico in deal to boost trade by 350 million dollars

  A new accord between Argentina and Mexico has come in force as from January 1st whereby they increased to about 1,500 the number of bilateral trade products with a sliding scale that will lead to zero tariff in ten years time, Argentina's Foreign Affairs ministry said.

• Saturday, January 6th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine peso, 25% below “equilibrium exchange point”

  

  Five years after the melting of the Argentine economy and one of the country's major financial setbacks including a massive devaluation, Argentina has the least valued currency against the US dollar, according to a panel of economists from J P Morgan investment bank.

• Friday, January 5th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Lavagna makes official his presidential candidacy

  Argentina's former Minister of Economy Roberto Lavagna announced Thursday he would be running for the presidency in next October's election with the purpose of offering an “overcoming alternative”.

• Thursday, January 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Maradona upset with Boca over Bush daughters

  

  Argentina's top football star Diego Maradona said he's feeling a “bit distant” from his heart team Boca Juniors and criticized the club's president Mauricio Macri for having presented the visiting daughters of US President George Bush with the team's colors.

• Wednesday, January 3rd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Soaring temperatures put heat on Argentina's powergrid

  

  Summer has come to Argentina with a vengeance, bringing temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius this week and almost unbearable loads on the power system.

• Wednesday, January 3rd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Real-time positions of fishing vessels available on-line

  The Undersecretariat of Fishing and Development Activities of the Delta Area is now publishing on its web site maps that show the real-time positions of fishing vessels equipped with satellite monitoring devices, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs (MAA) reported.

• Wednesday, January 3rd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina reaffirms sovereignty rights over Falklands

  Argentina reaffirmed Wednesday its “imprescriptible sovereignty rights” over the Malvinas/Falkland Islands and questioned the United Kingdom's reluctance to address the issue.

• Wednesday, January 3rd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Buenos Aires port security reinforced

  

  Argentina's Coast Guard on Wednesday reinforced security in Buenos Aires ferry Terminal following the decision by picketers who are blocking access to neighboring Uruguay in protest over the building of a pulp mill, to impede daily river shuttles to Montevideo.