
The Argentine government and the World Bank agreed on Thursday in Washington on a new Strategic Partnership involving an estimated 3 billion dollars in the next three years which will concentrate on loans for education, health care and rural development.

Argentine Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina guaranteed there will be no political or institutional crisis due to President Cristina Fernández health condition and underlined that ‘the president’s team is solid and working with no difficulty”, following her instructions.

Pope Francis has wished President Cristina Fernández a “full health recovery” following the surgery she underwent on Monday at the Fundación Favaloro clinic in Buenos Aires. “I beg you to feel my presence. I guarantee my nearness and prayer,” the ex Argentine cardinal said.

While Argentine presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro confirmed that President Cristina Fernández evolves favourably and is “in good spirits”, the political debate on Wednesday has centred on Vice-president and acting president Amado Boudou whom the opposition argue should not lead the country given his questionable credentials and mounting legal problems

Argentina’s growth has recovered because of an abundant crop but economic activity continues to be contained because of the exchange rate and other administrative controls, according to the IMF latest World Economic Outlook (WHE), Latam and Caribbean chapter released on Tuesday. The IMF statement refers to Argentina’s export duties and the so called ‘dollar clamp’ which bans even saving in US dollars.

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez ‘surgery has been satisfactory and is recovering favourably’ announced early Tuesday afternoon presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro addressing the media and pro-government supporters outside the Fundación Favaloro clinic in Buenos Aires

His nickname is ‘El chino’ (the Chinese) because of his strong Maoist tendencies when a law student. Long a solicitor, Carlos Zanini is Argentine president Cristina Fernandez (and of her deceased husband Nestor Kirchner) most trusted aide and top of the Kirchnerite ‘nomenclature’.

The Falkland Islands joined the thousands of well-wishers supporting Argentine president Cristina Fernandez who is facing a complicated medical condition and on Tuesday will undergo surgery to extract a blood clot in the cranium.

“While Cristina has to step down, he’s riding a motorbike” printed in the front page one of Brazil’s leading newspapers O Estado de Sao Paulo that caught Argentine Vice-president and now acting president a few hours before he was called back to Buenos Aires because of Cristina Fernandez medical condition.

Vice-president and caretaker president Amado Boudou has “the worst negative image” of the Argentine government, according to a leading pollster in Buenos Aires. Mariel Fornoni from Management & Fit made the statement only hours before Boudou, and according to Article 88 of the Constitution, signed as acting president for thirty days during the medical absence of Cristina Fernandez.