Protesters opposed to proposed austerity measures clashed with police outside Argentina's Congress on Wednesday as lawmakers discussed next year's budget. Dozens of people threw rocks while police in riot gear responded with rubber bullets and water cannons. Local television said that at least twenty-seven people have been detained but there were no confirmed reports on injuries.
Argentina will pay for unforeseen increases in the cost of cooking gas following public outrage and opposition in Congress to stymie the plan which would have seen consumers paying increased gas prices in 24 installments from January 2019.
The lower house of Argentina’s Congress on Thursday narrowly passed a Bill to legalise abortion through 14 weeks of pregnancy after a tight vote on a proposal that has divided the South American nation.
The Argentine Congress passed the government's capital markets reform bill on Wednesday, seeking to boost a troubled economy by reducing the power of market regulators and loosening restrictions on some funds investing in Argentina. Investors and economists consider the reform bill key to President Mauricio Macri's effort to boost investment in the country, whose capital markets are far smaller than regional peers.
In his speech to Congress marking the opening of this year’s legislative session, Argentine president Mauricio Macri defended his business-friendly government’s so-called “gradualist” approach to economic reforms from critics who argue he should move faster to cut government spending and lower taxes in order to boost growth and attract investment.
Nearly 200 phantom workers at Argentina's parliament have been caught in a crackdown on employees who only show up sporadically for their jobs, it has been reported. According to La Nacion, the Argentine Congress implemented a new attendance control system for employees two months ago, and it has already caught 190 who had not shown up for long periods without a good explanation.
Twenty three newly elected Senators took the oath of office in Argentina on Wednesday morning including ex presidents Carlos Menem, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa and Cristina Fernandez. The midterm election to renew a third of the Upper house was held in October and the new legislature will formally begin 10 December.
Julio De Vido, an ex-minister in former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's government, was jailed after turning himself in to authorities on Wednesday, marking an anti-corruption milestone in a country known for impunity.
The Argentine Senate unanimously (58/58) passed a bill with a special pensions' scheme, described as exceptional and optional for those citizens who were involved in the Malvinas war. The vote was cheered by the veterans present at the session's discussion.
The 13th September joint statement between Argentina and the UK is a new bilateral convergence of common interests and the possibility, in the framework of a new dialogue and cooperation, of sovereignty discussions resumption on the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich islands and adjoining maritime spaces question, Argentine Deputy foreign minister Carlos Foradori told the Lower House Foreign Affairs committee during a summons on Wednesday.