News of international

Government considers using new IMF reserves for loan payment

26-02-2021 16:58 Argentina is considering using new reserves to be issued by the International Monetary Fund to make a payment due to the lender in September, according to a person with direct knowledge.

BLOOMBERG

IMF’s woes in Latin America set to grow after Ecuador vote

09-02-2021 17:01 IMF risks having to renegotiate its second multi-billion dollar loan in Latin America in as many years following Ecuador’s presidential election.

Economic forecasts

IMF boosts world growth outlook as vaccines outweigh risks

26-01-2021 12:32 IMF improves forecast for global growth this year to 5.5%, betting the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and more fiscal stimulus will offset the immediate challenge posed by the resurgent pandemic.

BLOOMBERG

Argentina seeking US$5 billion from multilateral banks for 2021

22-12-2020 20:41 Argentina is seeking about US$5 billion for next year from multilateral organisations other than the International Monetary Fund, reports Bloomberg.

Abortion bill

Amnesty gathers 250,000 signatures for legal abortion in Argentina

17-12-2020 19:29 Ahead of the Senate vote on legalising abortion in Argentina, Amnesty International collected signatures in support of the bill from numerous countries, including Brazil, Canada, Taiwan, and Britain.

Coronavirus pandemic

Guzmán, Pesce, Massa in isolation after IMF officials gets Covid-19

15-11-2020 20:55 A number of government officials – including Martín Guzmán, Miguel Pesce and Sergio Massa – went into preventative isolation on Sunday, after a member of a visiting IMF mission tested positive for Covid-19.

RUGBY

Pumas revel in All Blacks shock after emotional virus-hit journey

15-11-2020 07:48 Argentina into Saturday's Tri Nations clash in Sydney having not played a Test in 13 months, while enduring coronavirus lockdowns in their homeland and in neighbouring Uruguay before quarantining for two weeks in Australia.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Argentina's perfect start cut short by ever-competitive Paraguay

12-11-2020 23:43 Argentina went into Thursday's World Cup qualifier hoping to extend their perfect start to the competition, but had to settle for a tense 1-1 draw against a combative Paraguay side

by Dan Edwards

International football

Ángel Di María returns to Albiceleste squad for World Cup qualifiers

06-11-2020 18:01 PSG winger recalled to the Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

South America’s posh summer spot to stay shut on Covid

25-10-2020 14:37 Uruguay, home to luxury beach resort Punta del Este, will keep its international borders closed this summer, President Luis Lacalle Pou confirmed last week.

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

Latin America won’t see pre-virus growth until 2023, IMF says

22-10-2020 18:00 Most countries in Latin America will be unable to return to their pre-pandemic growth levels until 2023, says the IMF.

Wine industry

More sales, less profits: Glass half-full for Argentine wine producers

19-10-2020 08:00 In the first nine months of 2020, local wine producers boosted exports by 40.57% compared to last year, with domestic consumption also on the rise. But the glass remains half-empty – lower prices, the rise of cheaper labels and economic crisis have all hurt profitability.

Global pandemic

IMF envisions a sharp 4.4% drop in global growth for 2020

13-10-2020 11:39 International Monetary Fund predicts steep fall in international growth this year as the global economy struggles to recover from the pandemic-induced recession. Argentina's economy now forecast to contract by 11.8%.

BLOOMBERG

Oxfam says IMF loans force spending cuts that exacerbate poverty

12-10-2020 12:39 The vast majority of International Monetary Fund loans extended during the Covid-19 pandemic have suggested or demanded spending cuts that would worsen poverty and inequality, charity group Oxfam says.

BLOOMBERG

Argentina’s new obsession is watching foreign reserves evaporate

05-10-2020 16:14 At brokerages and banks, the calls come in every day with the same question: How many dollars does the Central Bank actually have?

ABORTION DEBATE

Activists renew call for abortion reform in Argentina

27-09-2020 22:06 Activists from Amnesty International stage unusual protest outside National Congress building, as part of a publicity campaign renewing their demand for free, legal and safe abortion in Argentina.

Bloomberg

Argentina yield curve inverts as forex controls spook investors

23-09-2020 16:36 Less than a month after Argentina’s US$65-billion debt restructuring, bond prices show growing concern the government may struggle to pay its obligations.

TRADE & COMMERCE

In midst of global recession, Argentina sets out in search of new markets

15-09-2020 18:16 Argentina is looking for new markets for its products in a world sunk in recession. The goal: to raise annual exports from US$65 to US$100 billion, according to government official Jorge Neme.

IMF DEBT TALKS

Guzmán: Argentina wants IMF deal with no payments until 2024

13-09-2020 22:50 Economy minister says Argentina wants to delay all IMF loan repayments until 2024 at the earliest in interview with La Nación.

Brexit

EU demands UK drop a planned law that breaches Brexit deal

10-09-2020 16:08 Britain left the political structures of the EU on January 31 and will make an economic break when an 11-month transition period ends on December 31.

BREXIT

Boris Johnson’s move to break international law sparks outrage

08-09-2020 19:16 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s threat to break international law over Brexit was slammed by members of his own party on Tuesday, who warned it will damage the UK's global standing.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

Bolivia contacts ICC over ex-president Evo Morales alleged crimes

06-09-2020 16:05 Bolivia's government contacts International Criminal Court to denounce former president Evo Morales for "crimes against humanity" relating to last month's mass roadblock movement in troubled nation.

BLOOMBERG

White House pushes for new Ecuador IMF accord as deadline nears

25-08-2020 14:46 “Ecuador has proven that there’s the utmost political will,” says Trump's pick for IDB chief Mauricio Claver-Carone. “It’s a high priority in the region for us and the IMF needs to bring Ecuador over the top.”

BLOOMBERG

Government seeks to reach new IMF agreement before April

07-08-2020 00:49 Government seeks deal with the International Monetary Fund over a new financing programme before the end of March, in order to renegotiate US$2-billion payment owed to the Paris Club that matures in May.

Interpol operation

Mafia fugitives arrested in Palermo in drug-smuggling sting

24-07-2020 16:42 Three alleged members of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta mafia organisation were arrested in Buenos Aires last week and are now being processed for extradition to Italy. The sting was part of a larger Interpol investigation of 45 members of the organisation who are spread across the world.

PERIODISMO PURO / INTERVIEW

Hernán Lacunza: ‘We can’t reset the economy every four years, as we’ve been doing since 1945’

18-07-2020 08:30 Former finance minister Hernán Lacunza on Argentina’s debt restructuring efforts, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, inflation and more.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

INTERVIEW

Stephen Walt: 'The pandemic has hurt the United States more than China'

08-07-2020 23:03 Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard University, says that Americans are sick of Trump. "If the rivalry between the US and China continues to intensify, South America will probably have to pick sides," he warns.

by Leandro Dario

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

World Health Organisation remains alive to Covid-19 threat, despite criticism

04-07-2020 09:18 Under fire for misleading comments on transmission, face masks and its dealings with China, the WHO’s local branch in Argentina says it’s delivering results in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

by Jennifer Heiman & Anina Hoffman

Travel and tourism

Limited flights to Madrid, Paris and Amsterdam restart in Argentina

29-06-2020 08:00 Once a week, special flights operated by various airlines will depart from Ezeiza, with flights also scheduled for Miami, Rome and Tel Aviv. Travellers will have to maintain a 14-day quarantine at their destination and sign a declaration that inhibits them from making claims against the government.

Global pandemic

IMF predicts Argentina's economy will slump 9.9% in 2020

25-06-2020 01:16 Warning of the biggest slump since the Great Depression, International Monetary Fund warns coronavirus crisis will sink global economy in 2020, predicts global collapse in GDP of 4.9%.

AIRLINES & TOURISM

LATAM airline departs Argentina as virus crisis hits home

20-06-2020 10:03 Chilean-Brazilian airline LATAM – which filed for bankruptcy in the US last month – announces its subsidiary in Argentina will cease operations for an indefinite period. More than 1,700 jobs now at risk.

Bloomberg

IMF builds a US$107 billion safety net under key Latin Economies

19-06-2020 19:34 After markets suffered a free-fall in the first quarter, Chile and Peru rushed to join Mexico and Colombia as the only nations in the world with access to the Fund’s Flexible Credit Line, or FCL.

International Crime

Two leaders of Turkish criminal organisation arrested in Argentina

12-06-2020 16:00 Two leaders of a Turkish criminal organisation have been arrested in Buenos Aires; the pair have been wanted internationally for more than a year accused of at least 28 criminal acts.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Latin America's stricken airlines facing long haul to recovery

31-05-2020 08:11 IATA aviation body estimates it will take at least that time for the region's airlines to inch back to their pre-pandemic level for domestic and regional flights. Long-haul services to the United States and Europe will take until 2024 to come back, it predicts.

Bloomberg

Flybondi bets on flights in Argentina to survive virus crisis

18-05-2020 17:23 Low-cost carrier will focus on domestic flights as long as demand for international travel remains subdued due to the coronavirus pandemic, says executive.

Coronavirus lockdown

International flights at Jorge Newbery Airport postponed until December

12-05-2020 13:13 Nearly all international flights at Buenos Aires City's Jorge Newbery Airport have been postponed until December 1, the government has announced.

Mercosur negotiations

Argentina on board for Mercosur trade talks after 'gradual change in discourse'

10-05-2020 10:00 A teleconference this Thursday assessed the courses of action on the Mercosur negotiations already concluded with the European Union, the ongoing negotiations with Canada, Korea, Singapore and Lebanon, and the deepening of agreements already signed with Israel and India.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Celebrating May Day in the midst of a pandemic

01-05-2020 19:13 Across the globe workers celebrate, strike and demonstrate for International Workers' Day. In Argentina, essential employees are praised by the government while demonstrations take place during a lockdown.

Domestic Violence

Domestic abuse victim who killed her husband demands justice

29-04-2020 14:00 Paula Córdoba suffered 20 years of domestic abuse, and killed her husband in 2019 with her daughter’s help, stabbing him 185 times in the process. She's now free, but she feels like the State has abandoned her, she explains.

by Nadia Galán

IMF BACKS B.A.

IMF chief Georgieva: Argentina faces a particularly 'difficult' moment

16-04-2020 08:42 "It is really a difficult time for everyone, but in particular, it is difficult for countries that entered this crisis facing already complex challenges," says IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva.

Coronavirus consequences

IMF chief predicts worst economic downturn since Great Depression

09-04-2020 22:32 IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva says it's clear that the global economy has now entered a recession that could be as bad or worse than the 2009 downturn.

BLOOMBERG

Suspension of local debt payments shows not all bondholders are equal

06-04-2020 16:11 Plan to stop payments on some dollar-denominated debt burns investors who put their faith in domestic bonds, improves outlook for holders of international notes.

Coronavirus pandemic

Government postpones local debt payments due in dollars until end of year

06-04-2020 09:23 The government has issued a decree to defer close to US$9.8 billion in local dollar-denominated debt payments until 2021.

Coronavirus pandemic

ILO warns pandemic could make another 25 million jobless

18-03-2020 18:12 An estimated 24.7 million more people will become jobless as a result of the coronavirus crisis, warns International Labour Organisation, on top of the 188 million registered as unemployed in 2019, the study found.

Coronavirus pandemic

IMF rejects Maduro's bid for emergency US$5-billion loan to fight virus

18-03-2020 10:18 Fund says request can't be considered because there was no clarity among its 189 member states on who it recognises as Venezuela's rightful leader: Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó.

DEBT TALKS

Washington backs Alberto on debt but fears the ‘CFK risk’

14-03-2020 10:08 The United States government is backing President Alberto Fernández’s debt restructuring efforts and hopes he will emerge strengthened after a successful outcome.

by Patricia Valli

Coronavirus consequences

Coronavirus throws international competitions into chaos

11-03-2020 16:13 As sporting events in more countries on Wednesday are cancelled or pushed behind doors to avoid spread of coronavirus, problems are mounting up.

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Thousands rally to demand gender equality in National Feminist Strike

09-03-2020 22:48 Demonstrators call for legal and free abortion, gender-pay equality, and end to gender violence during two days of rallies across the country.

Alleged femicide

Body of missing 25-year-old woman found dead in Paraná

09-03-2020 14:24 The body of 25-year-old Fátima Acevedo, who had been missing since March 1, was found in a well on Sunday in the provincial capital on Entre Ríos.