Argentina

• Tuesday, February 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina's agro-business contributes with 44% tax revenue

  Of every ten pesos of tax revenue collected by the Argentine Treasury, 4.4 pesos originate in the country's agro-business. Fiscal pressure on Argentina's primary production, (cereals, oil seed, meats) plus the industrialization process is in the range of 32%, ten points higher than for the rest of the economy, reports Buenos Aires daily La Nacion.

• Tuesday, February 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina announces building of second high speed train

  A second high speed train for Argentina was announced last week by President Cristiana Fernandez de Kirchner. Three consortia submitted bids to build the Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata high-speed link.

• Monday, February 11th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine mining exploration expanded 21% during 2007

  Mining exploration in Argentina expanded 21% in 2007 over 2006 with a record 600.000 meters drilled reported in Buenos Aires the Mines Secretariat. Looking back to 2003, exploration activity soared 265% and investments 748% reaching 1.7 billion US dollars.

• Sunday, February 10th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Cristina ready to travel and patch up relations with USA

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is preparing for an agenda of international meetings, both at home and overseas, with the purpose of fulfilling her electoral promise that global relations will be paramount for her administration, reports the Buenos Aires press.

• Saturday, February 9th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina's inflation controversy expands; IMF rebutted

  

  Argentina's controversial Statistics and Census institute, Indec, further fueled dispute over the accuracy of official data when it announced that the January consumer price index, CPI, rose 0.9%, the same percentage as November and December and well below reliable private estimates of 2%.

• Thursday, February 7th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  IMF asks Argentina about inflation data reliability

  

  The International Monetary Fund has asked Argentina's statistics office INDEC to clarify some methodology changes it introduced last year, echoing concerns among economists, statisticians --and public opinion-- over the reliability of the country's inflation data, reported the Buenos Aires press

• Wednesday, February 6th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  F Times: Argentine energy model “unsustainable”

  

  The energy model championed by Argentine President Cristina Fernández and her husband, former President Néstor Kirchner, keeping domestic energy prices and utilities tariffs artificially low to boost an economy recovering from a debt and devaluation crisis in 2001-2002, looks increasingly unsustainable.

• Wednesday, February 6th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Russian icebreaker supplying Argentine Antarctic bases

  

  The Russian icebreaker Vasili Golovnin contracted by the Argentine government to help with this year's Antarctic season is currently supplying fuel to Argentina's permanent base Marambio in the Antarctic Peninsula.

• Tuesday, February 5th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Humans' rights: Argentine dirty war trial opens

  

  The last army chief from Argentina's dictatorship and five other retired officers went on trial Tuesday for their alleged roles in the illegal detentions and torture of dissidents during military rule.

• Sunday, February 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Investigation unveils fraud with Malvinas war veterans' pension

  The Argentine federal justice has opened an inquiry into the Malvinas war veterans' pension scheme following on claims that at least 700, and possibly thousands, of non combatants are collecting monthly payments.