
The Chilean government has renewed its 'explicit' support for Argentina's sovereignty claims over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, according to Daniel Filmus, the Argentine official head of the special department for affairs relative to the Malvinas Islands, who is currently in a political tour in Santiago.

The Argentina government formally announced on Monday the primary and national elections calendar, which for the first time includes direct vote for representatives to the Mercosur parliament. Simultaneous primaries will be held on 9 August while the presidential election on 25 October.

Argentina's Lower Houe Impeachment Committee has a busy week ahead, with the agenda including a request to evaluate Supreme Court Justice Carlos Fayt’s 'psychophysical condition'. The committee will also treat impeachment requests against Prosecutor General Alejandra Gils Carbó, foreign minister Hector Timerman and vice-president Amado Boudou.

Some twenty private organizations representing commerce, agriculture and other activities openly supported in a Friday release Argentina's Supreme Court and Judiciary, rejecting what was described as hostile expressions from some government officials.

Economy Minister Axel Kicillof confirmed the Argentine government will be filing a complaint against speculative or 'vulture' funds for seeking to seize the accounts of the Argentine embassy in Belgium, and the Argentine mission before the EU in Brussels, adding hedge funds are the most “despicable and repugnant” of the world financial system.

The Argentine government denied on Thursday it was 'persecuting' Supreme Court Justices but kept the pressure on by insisting the process to re-elect Chief Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti was full of irregularities and members could have committed 'ideological falseness'.

The Argentine government in a late release on Thursday strongly denied an 'inexact information' related to alleged embargos by speculative funds (or vulture funds) on bank accounts from the Argentine embassy and its staff, in Belgium, and said that the attempts to freeze 'embassy funds' are but a new extortion attempt and a clear procedure abuse which could be sanctioned by Belgian tribunals.

Argentina's Justice Carlos Fayt, the oldest member of the Supreme Court (97) and questioned by the government of president Cristina Fernandez, which demands evidence of his health and mental conditions, has said through his lawyer, Jorge Rizzo that he is not concerned about a possible impeachment hearing raised against him, since 'he is used to this kind of attacks'.

Brazil has proposed reviewing Mercosur rules so that its members can enjoy more 'liberty' to negotiate trade agreements with other blocks or third parties, because even when Mercosur is an indissoluble marriage, this does mean that relations can't be discussed and thus a 'different speeds' group should not be discarded.

For a third year in a row the United States will be the top wheat supplier for Brazil, displacing Argentina from its historic position, according to the latest release from Brazilian consultancy Trigo & Farinhas. This piece of information is significant given the world prices for grains and wheat planting prospects in South America.