GLOBAL PANDEMIC Global Covid-19 death toll passes two million 16-01-2021 07:37 The global death toll from Covid-19 passed two million on Friday, with the WHO urging mass vaccinations.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Officials preach ‘prevention and care’ as fatalities surpass 45,000 16-01-2021 07:15 More than 200,000 citizens now vaccinated against Covid-19, says Health Ministry; Second flight carrying doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine due to arrive in Buenos Aires today.
Abortion bill Polarised upper house set to vote on legalising abortion 29-12-2020 08:31 A polarised Senate will decide Tuesday whether to legalise abortion in Argentina in a vote experts say could go either way.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Economy posts sixth straight month of growth post Covid-Plunge 26-12-2020 10:25 Argentina’s economy continued to recover slowly from its historic Covid-19 plunge earlier this year, posting the sixth straight month of growth.
BREXIT UK-EU agree historic post-Brexit trade deal 26-12-2020 10:20 Britain and the European Union struck a post-Brexit trade deal on Christmas Eve that they hope will cushion the economic blow of the UK’s imminent departure from the bloc after months of tortuous negotiations.
POLITICS AND THE PANDEMIC The Cabinet creaks 26-12-2020 09:47 The president is trying to drive home the message that he will not be steamrolled by the Kirchnerite wing into sacking half of his Cabinet. by Martín Gambarotta
A DISASTROUS YEAR 2020 is coming to an end, luckily 26-12-2020 09:24 The spotlight on justice is irreversible and its consequences have defined the year, along with the coronavirus. by Beatriz Sarlo
Coronavirus pandemic Bolsonaro backs vaccine campaign despite personal opposition 17-12-2020 14:48 Brazil is negotiating the purchase of 350 million doses of coronavirus vaccines for 2021, including 210 million of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that is largely made in Brazil by the Fiocruz institute, and 70 million of Pfizer's vaccine.
ECLAC Projection UN slashes LatAm economic slowdown projection 16-12-2020 16:06 Executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Alicia Bárcena predicts the region will experience growth of 3.7 percent in 2021.
Covid-19 Pandemic Study shows pandemic threatens fragile democracies 13-12-2020 20:44 A study by Sweden-based organisation, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), found that approximately 60 percent of countries around the world have adopted health and safety measures during the Covid-19 crisis that infringe on democratic principles.
EDITORIAL The first year of the rest of a presidency 12-12-2020 09:08 A bigger game-changer than coronavirus could hardly be imagined, but Argentina remains very much the same country behind the face-masks.
ABORTION DEBATE Lower house set to vote on bill to legalise abortion 10-12-2020 02:54 Chamber of Deputies set to vote on bill to legalise abortion in Argentina. Session due to begin at 11am, with vote on initiative expected to take place in early hours of Friday morning.
Global pandemic Poverty-stricken Brazilians fear looming end of Covid-19 emergency cash 02-12-2020 14:58 More than 67 million low-income workers receive Covid-19 relief payments in Brazil, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Many of them are fearing what lies ahead.
Abortion bill Congress begins debate on bill to legalise abortion 01-12-2020 17:36 Lower house opened debate on the government’s abortion bill on Tuesday, with President Alberto Fernández hoping to legalise the process in Argentina by the end of the year.
Politics & the pandemic In Maradona's shadow 28-11-2020 13:52 Diego Maradona has died and everything else in Argentina will now have to wait. by Martín Gambarotta
DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA (1960-2020) Nation bids chaotic final farewell to its favourite son 28-11-2020 08:56 Huge crowds bade a grief-filled farewell to Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday, before the legendary footballer was buried on the outskirts of Buenos Aires after a chaotic public wake.
G20 Leaders Summit Fernández asks G20 for ‘cooperation and solidarity’ in face of pandemic 22-11-2020 16:22 President Alberto Fernández calls on G20 member nations to prioritise"cooperation and solidarity" in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, while warning Latin America faces a likely "second wave" in the coming months.
Bloomberg Coronavirus roars back in Brazil as infections top six million 22-11-2020 08:28 Last week, Brazil reported almost 68,000 new Covid-19 cases in a single day, an all-time high that eclipses the previous record by more than 20% and rivals the numbers seen in the United States, whose population is 50% bigger.
EDITORIAL November’s sky is chill and drear 21-11-2020 10:51 With the government falling into line with the quarantine fatigue felt by much of the nation, a vacuum has opened up in the public agenda. There was already plenty of jostling last week to fill it – from both wings of the coalition government.
ARGENTINA US$3-billion ‘wealth tax’ bill clears lower house, heads to Senate 21-11-2020 10:20 Chamber of Deputies votes in favour of one-off levy for those with largest fortunes. Bill, which Peronist lawmakers hope will raise US$3 billion, now goes to Senate.
INTERNATIONAL APPROACH Wealth taxes and extraordinary contributions – how other nations handle it 21-11-2020 10:14 Worldwide Germany and France are the two most practical examples of that class of taxes labelled “solidarity."
ABORTION BILL Fernández starts push to legalise abortion before end of year 21-11-2020 09:59 President Alberto Fernández sends bill to Congress seeking to legalise abortion in first 14 weeks of pregnancy, firing the starting pistol on another epic legislative showdown.
Abortion bill Fernández sends Congress bill to legalise abortion in Argentina 17-11-2020 17:36 President Alberto Fernández said Tuesday that his government had sent a bill to legalise abortion to Congress, firing the starting gun on what is likely to be another epic legislative showdown.
ECONOMIC MEASURES Ban on lay-offs and dismissals extended until end of January 17-11-2020 16:33 Government publishes decree in Official Gazette extending ban on dismissals and lay-offs until January 29
HUNT FOR VACCINE In new breakthrough, Moderna's Covid vaccine nearly 95% effective 16-11-2020 12:58 US biotech firm Moderna on Monday announced its experimental vaccine against Covid-19 was almost 95 percent effective, another major breakthrough in the quest to end the pandemic.
US ELECTION 2020 'Time will tell': Trump hints at election loss, talks up vaccine efforts 14-11-2020 11:01 President comes close but stops just short of acknowledging he lost the November 3 election to Democrat Joe Biden.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Inflation reached 3.8% in October, highest monthly rate of year 12-11-2020 17:05 Prices in Argentina have risen by 26.9% since turn of the year, reveals INDEC national statistics bureau.
Abortion bill Abortion bill will be sent to Congress in November, says Ibarra 11-11-2020 01:43 Legal & Technical Secretary Vilma Ibarra confirms that bill will be sent to Congress this month, with debate to take place in extraordinary sessions.
BLOOMBERG BlackRock's Fink says Argentina won't soon regain investor trust 06-11-2020 08:15 Blackrock Inc. CEO Larry Fink said Argentina has a long way to go before it can regain investor confidence.
US ELECTION 2020 Poverty stalks United States' middle class amid pandemic 01-11-2020 09:27 Eight million more people have been driven into poverty as the United States struggles with the world's biggest coronavirus outbreak – triggering tens of millions of layoffs and a sharp contraction in growth.
CFK'S OPEN LETTER Unity, in whatever form 31-10-2020 09:24 Both former presidents have given their blessing to an initial conversation that could work towards a broader social consensus. by Agustino Fontevecchia
ABORTION BILL Activists revive struggle for 'urgent' legalisation of abortion in Argentina 31-10-2020 09:15 Campaigners for the legalisation of abortion call on supporters to paint Argentina green; President Alberto Fernández says bill is on the way.
ABORTION BILL Fernández set to relaunch delayed bid to legalise abortion 28-10-2020 22:40 President Alberto Fernández is preparing his government to send a bill to allow the voluntary interruption of pregnancy to Argentina’s lower house before the end of the year. Inside Congress, however, the countdown has already begun.
Abortion reform Fernández says government is 'finishing work' on bill to legalise abortion 27-10-2020 17:14 Peronist leader says in an interview that his government is putting the final touches to a bill to legalise abortion and that it would soon be sent to Congress.
TRAVEL & TOURISM Domestic flights restart in Argentina after seven-month stoppage 23-10-2020 02:14 Argentina resumed regular domestic flights on Thursday after an interruption of seven months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Services are limited to essential workers and those needing medical treatment for now, with only Formosa maintaining ban on aviation.
Coronavirus pandemic Nurses in Buenos Aires protest for professional recognition 22-10-2020 22:39 Hundreds of nurses and surgical assistants in the capital marched on Wednesday to press for pay increases, professional recognition and improved working conditions in the teeth of the Covid-19 pandemic.
BLOOMBERG Creditors blast Argentina for post-restructuring bond blow-up 22-10-2020 22:22 Argentina Exchange Bondholders group and the Argentina Creditor Committee rip government for mismanaging the economy, saying country is headed for disaster just seven weeks after restructuring US$65 billion in debt.
IMF MISSION TEAM DEPARTS IMF predicts 11.8% GDP slump, says talks will start in November 17-10-2020 10:18 IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva says Argentina needs “a credible and comprehensive economic agenda that balances supporting the economy and people in this difficult time.”
Coronavirus pandemic Government approves return of domestic flights 16-10-2020 03:07 Transport Ministry authorises restricted return of domestic flights. Initially services limited to essential workers, exceptional circumstances and those needing medical treatment, with tourism and trips abroad unlikely before December at the earliest.
CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS The sound of silence: the lockdown soundtrack 14-10-2020 16:29 Every crisis in Argentina has its own soundtrack. The coronavirus pandemic gave us the sound of silence. by Joanna Richardson
TRAVEL & TOURISM Argentina eyes return of regular commercial flights, initially at weekends 12-10-2020 18:40 Transport Ministry working on the possible return of commercial weekend flights, both domestic and international, after seven months of standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic.
BLOOMBERG - OPINION El-Erian: Argentina and Ecuador diverge after bond restructurings 11-10-2020 09:18 A month after finalising historic “zoom” debt restructurings, Argentina and Ecuador find themselves on starkly different paths toward economic and financial improvements.
FOREIGN (AND DOMESTIC) POLICY Venezuela: Argentina's old/new problem 10-10-2020 09:07 It doesn’t really matter whether Cristina is calling the shots, whether her henchmen are acting independently, or if Alberto is acting out of his own accord, trying to please his vice-president and keep his coalition united. The end result is the same: increased uncertainty, which ultimately feeds Argentina’s risk thermometer: the dollar-peso exchange rate. by Agustino Fontevecchia
US 2020 Election US vice-presidential debate takeaways: pandemic looms over a more civil fight 08-10-2020 13:13 US Vice-President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris faced off on Wednesday in the only vice presidential debate of the US 2020 Presidential Election.
BLOOMBERG – OPINION Bolsonaro’s addiction to Covid cash could make Brazil go bust 07-10-2020 16:12 Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's populist push already has some investors smelling fiscal disaster. by Mac Margolis
Global pandemic Up to 150 million could join extreme poor, warns World Bank 07-10-2020 15:40 Up to 150 million people could slip into extreme poverty, living on less than US$1.90 a day, by late next year, says World Bank.
CRIME & SECURITY Crime spirals out of control in troubled Rosario 05-10-2020 00:01 Rosario, Argentina’s third-largest city, has been suffering for years from escalating violence and the proliferation of drug gangs.
Global pandemic Pope: Market capitalism has failed in pandemic, needs reform 04-10-2020 09:04 In new encyclical, Argentine pontiff says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the “magic theories” of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics.
Global pandemic Cold but safe: Argentines in Antarctica rarely don masks 03-10-2020 17:03 As Covid-19 cases surge in their homeland, there are at least some Argentines who feel secure: the scientists and military personnel at the nation's bases in Antarctica, the only continent without reported cases.
EDITORIAL The poverty trap 03-10-2020 09:27 It is a sad reflection on a general resignation to economic decline that this confirmation of massive poverty failed to act as a national wake-up call in most circles.