Beef relief -- Argentina stops butchers carrying half a cow
The traditional image of an Argentinian butcher weighed down by half a cow carcass on his back could be consigned to history after a government ruling.It ruled Monday that the "half-animal" cut can be preserved -- but butchers are no longer allowed to carry it on their back.
news.yahoo.comWhy 70% Inflation Is Just One of Argentina’s Problems: QuickTake
Argentina is facing some of the world’s highest inflation, with rates that have topped 70%. The government is on its third economy minister since July and President Alberto Fernandez’s leftist coalition looks permanently split. South America’s second-largest economy has almost no access to international capital, and it owes over $40 billion to the International Monetary Fund. Any bright spots? So far, a population hardened by decades of economic crisis has not turned to the kind of violent stree
washingtonpost.comWhy 70% Inflation Is Just One of Argentina’s Problems
Argentina is facing some of the world’s highest inflation, with rates that have topped 70%. The government is on its third economy minister since July and President Alberto Fernandez’s leftist coalition looks permanently split. South America’s second-largest economy has almost no access to international capital, and it owes over $40 billion to the International Monetary Fund. Any bright spots? So far, a population hardened by decades of economic crisis has not turned to the kind of violent stree
washingtonpost.comWhy 70% Inflation Is Just One of Argentina’s Problems: QuickTake
Argentina is facing some of the world’s highest inflation, with rates that have topped 70%. The government is on its third economy minister since July and President Alberto Fernandez’s leftist coalition looks permanently split. South America’s second-largest economy has almost no access to international capital, and it owes over $40 billion to the International Monetary Fund. Any bright spots? So far, a population hardened by decades of economic crisis has not turned to the kind of violent stree
washingtonpost.comMacron refused to take a Russian PCR test, the Kremlin says — so he faced Putin at a 20-foot-long table
When French President Emmanuel Macron met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, the future of European security was on the table. But many Internet users were more interested in the table itself.
washingtonpost.comWhy Argentina, IMF Are Wrestling Over Bad Debt, Again
The fact that Argentina is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for emergency aid to stave off default might not sound surprising -- if agreed, this would be the 22nd IMF loan for South America’s second-largest economy in seven decades. What’s unusual is the size of the IMF package being renegotiated and the complications posed by the pandemic, which hammered an already staggering economy. The conflict this time isn’t just between a left-leaning government that wants more freedom to spend and IMF officials pushing for budget cuts, but between the government and even more liberal members of its own party. That’s kept tension high even after a preliminary deal was struck in late January, as Argentina’s foreign reserves dwindle. The stakes are also significant for the IMF, which has sunk a bigger share of its resources into a single country than ever before.
washingtonpost.comBomb targets health workers in Afghan capital, killing 1
A bomb targeted a minibus carrying medical workers in the Afghan capital Wednesday morning, killing one person, a Kabul police official said. Three medics were wounded and taken to hospitals by police, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. The bus was taking the doctors, nurses and other health workers from Kabul toward northern Panjsher province when it was attacked in the northern district of Kalakan in Kabul province, he added.
news.yahoo.comMexican agency bars candidate accused of rape from running
(AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s elections agency has withdrawn ballot registration for a ruling-party state candidate who was nominated despite accusations of rape against him. The decision drew the wrath Friday of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has defended candidate Félix Salgado and criticized women's groups who objected to his candidacy. “This is an attack on democracy,” Lopez Obrador said, saying that “high powered, mafia interests” wanted Salgado disqualified as candidate for the governorship of southern Guerrero state. Salgado was chosen as candidate by a poll of Morena party members despite nationwide protests over the fact two women accused him of rape. AdFormer Guerrero state prosecutor Xavier Olea told The Associated Press that the current governor of Guerrero, Hector Astudillo, ordered him in 2017 not to investigate one of the rape accusations against Salgado, though Astudillo has denied that.
The Latest: Chinese, Russian vaccines to arrive in Mexico
Health officials say the first shipments of the Chinese and Russian vaccines will be used in low-income neighborhoods of Mexico City or its suburbs. — Millions of vulnerable U.S. residents will need COVID-19 vaccines brought to them because they rarely or never leave their homes. Johnson & Johnson in December agreed to provide up to 500 million doses of its vaccine to COVAX through 2022. Ad“If we are to end the global pandemic, life-saving innovations like vaccines must be within reach for all countries,” Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in a statement. The state health department has scheduled vaccination clinics during the weekend to replace those postponed due to a winter storm.
Trump global media chief faces GOP backlash over firings
The criticism of Michael Pack is unusual because its coming from supporters of President Donald Trump who had backed his controversial nomination to run the U.S. Agency for Global Media over staunch Democratic objections. Those moves have alarmed Democrats who fear Pack intends to turn the agency into a Trump administration propaganda machine. There was no public explanation of why Pack would dismiss any of the officials, let alone those favored by conservatives. Ambassador Fernandez was the greatest asset America had in foreign broadcasting, Gorka wrote on Twitter shortly after the dismissals became public. In addition to Fernandez and Fly, Pack also removed the head of Radio Free Asia, Bay Fang, and the acting chief of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting on Wednesday.
Don't be surprised if China swoops in to prevent another default in Argentina, analysts say
Argentina is thought to be on the brink of falling into its ninth sovereign default, prompting some analysts to speculate whether the crisis-prone South American country might be tempted to accept funding from China. This is certainly not a base case, but it is in the back of people's minds," Jimena Blanco, head of Latin America at Verisk Maplecroft, told CNBC via telephone. "China's relationship with Latin America has been developing for the last 10 years, so it is not a farfetched thought. There is no reason why we should not foresee China providing the funding in exchange for commodities." Argentina is the world's top supplier of soymeal livestock feed and third-largest corn and soybean exporter, according to Reuters.
cnbc.comArgentina election: Incumbent concedes defeat in presidential vote
The result would mark a dramatic return to high office of former President Cristina Fernndez, Alberto Fernndez's vice presidential running mate, former boss and what critics say might be the power behind his throne. Macri told supports at his headquarters that he had called Alberto Fernndez to congratulate him and invited him for a breakfast chat Monday at the Pink Presidential Palace. "We need an orderly transition that will bring tranquility to all Argentines, because the most important thing is the well-being of all Argentines," Macri said. Authorities said Fernndez has 47.83% of the votes compared to 40.66% for Macri, with 91.21% percent of the votes counted. Alberto Fernndez greeted sympathizers who gathered outside the gate of his apartment chanting: "Alberto presidente!"
cnbc.com'You can't rule anything out in Argentina': Default risk casts a shadow over presidential election
Presidential candidate for ''Frente de Todos'' party Alberto Fernandez and Mauricio Macri, candidate for ''Juntos por el Cambio'', during their participation in the debate ''Argentina Debate 2019'' in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. It is widely expected that Argentina's President Mauricio Macri will be defeated by the opposition ticket of center-left Alberto Fernandez and populist ex-leader Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The first round of the presidential election comes as the country is facing a debt crunch, with the worst rout of the country's stock market in decades raising fears of a possible default. The latest opinions polls indicate that Fernandez could beat the center-right incumbent by almost 20 percentage points on Sunday. That would almost certainly be enough to win the presidency outright.
cnbc.comArgentina's election surprise triggers historic stock market and currency crash
Erica Canepa | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesArgentina's peso and stock market sold off steeply Monday after the country's center-right leader, President Mauricio Macri, performed poorly in primary elections. The main Argentine stock market plunged more than 30% on Monday, marking the second-biggest one day slump anywhere since 1950, Reuters reported. The election result had earlier prompted Argentina's euro-denominated bond to fall 11 cents lower, according to data reported by Reuters. 'A very volatile day'The presidential primaries were viewed by many as a referendum on Macri's painful economic reforms. Speaking to supporters shortly after the result, Macri recognized that his team had suffered a "bad election."
cnbc.com