
Argentina officially has 5.208 COVID 19 confirmed cases with a death toll of 273 since the pandemic broke out. However the country is suffering from even more acute disease infection, the mosquito-transmitted dengue, with some 25.000 confirmed cases, and of which 5.601 in the last three weeks.

The government of Argentina and its biggest bondholders are clashing over plans to restructure US$ 65 billion in foreign debt, with little sign of either side budging in last-ditch talks to strike a deal.

The Argentine Navy sighted and arrested early Monday a Chinese jigger which was illegally operating in the country's EEZ. The report says that the ocean patrol vessel ARA Bouchard detected the Hong Pu 16, fishing with its Automatic Identification System turned off, but full lights on to catch squid.

The Argentine Coast Guard arrested on Sunday a Portuguese trawler poaching in the country's EEZ, and will in the next few hours be escorted to the port of Bahía Blanca where it will face charges.

By Martin Guzman (*) – The following piece was published in the Sunday editions of the Financial Times, ahead of a critical countdown in May for Argentina's debts and its creditors:

Argentina is willing to keep working toward a deal to restructure its debt if an offer that expires on Friday is rejected, the economy minister said. Economy Minister Martin Guzman told Argentine daily Clarin in an interview published on Sunday that he is seeing a “growing understanding” with bondholders ahead of a May 8 deadline for the offer that creditor groups already criticized.

The Argentine Ministry of Defense and the Navy paid tribute to the courage and glory of the 323 sailors who died during the sinking of the cruiser ARA Belgrano, on 2 May 1982, at the beginning of hostilities with UK during the South Atlantic conflict.

Defense minister Agustín Rossi called on Argentines to claim sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands with the same character displayed by the Argentine pilots during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict with the UK and underlined it's up to the new generations to make sure the Malvinas cause is not forgotten.

Argentines staged loud protests in Buenos Aires and most large cities on Thursday evening, banging pots from balconies, and later applauding, in a show of opposition to the government's release of prisoners, allegedly to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Foreign minister Felipe Sola said Argentina is “not abandoning Mercosur, and did not leave any chair at the table”. Furthermore, this Thursday a round of ministerial talks will be taking place, requested by Paraguay, to keep analyzing the legal and institutional framework that some members pretend to speed a list of negotiations with other countries.