
Mercosur will present a joint proposal to the European Union for a wide ranging trade agreement between the two blocks later this month, announced Brazil' Minister of Industry Mauro Borges, following a visit to Buenos Aires where he met with Economy minister Axel Kicillof and Industry minister Debora Giorgi.

President Cristina Fernández (with a sprained ankle in a boot) and Pope Francis shared on Monday a lunch which lasted two hours and a half at Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. It's the third time the Argentine head of state and Francis meet since he was elected pontiff one year ago.

According to the latest stats from the Argentine Fisheries Under-Secretariat Office, between January first and 13 March, 2014, a total of 31,760.6 tons of squid (Illex argentinus) was landed in Argentine ports. Out of that volume, 213.3 tons correspond to January; 26,391.9 tons to February and in the first two weeks of March, 5,155.3 tons.

Argentina will be present at the Boston Seafood Expo North America, which is considered the most important of the United States and is scheduled for March 16/18, announced the Argentine Foreign ministry indicating it was part of the government's campaign to increase and diversify foreign trade and exports.

Argentine cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich claimed that UK's preference to talk about the Falklands/Malvinas dispute with opposition presidential hopefuls, clearly means that these leaders are willing to a greater flexibility regarding foreign interests in the dispute.

The Argentine government confirmed on Friday that the Paris Club of creditor nations have invited the country to start formal negotiations towards the end of May, apparently following on the proposal made by the Cristina Fernandez administration last January.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry has rejected the possibility that the Barack Obama administration would side with Argentina in the long-standing dispute with hedge funds over the defaulted bonds from the 2001/2 meltdown. Still the US official praised what he considered some “positive steps” by the Cristina Fernandez government.

Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman said he must be doing the right things regarding the Falklands/Malvinas issue because the Foreign Office prefers to talk to members of the opposition.

The historic emblems of Peronism, which has dominated Argentine politics since mid XXth century, have now their representation, Russian style in local 'mamushkas' the egg shaped dolls that fit into one another, apparently promoted by the political group that responds to President Cristina Fernandez son, Maximo Kirchner, as reported by the Buenos Aires press.

British Minister of State for the Foreign Office Hugo Swire has stated London would rather sit at the negotiating table with Argentine opposition presidential hopefuls Sergio Massa or Mauricio Macri to discuss Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty.