Don't Blame IMF Says Former Argentine Chief Official.

MERCO PRESS/
Alberto Fernandez, former cabinet chief and close advisor to the Kirchners, said the IMF is not the cause of the country’s poverty.
He said that Argentines “tend to blame others and look for responsibilities outside the country”. He added that “we are told that Argentina’s poverty and indigence are the fault of the IMF because they were cruel with us: and no, that’s not true, we are to blame”.
“The cause of poverty in Argentina is with us, simply because we spent more than what we should and this led to borrowing”, underlined Fernandez.

Argentina Apologizes To U.S. Ambassador For Tomato Throwing Incident.

MERCOPRESS/
Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner formally received the new U.S. ambassador Vilma Martinez and apologized for an incident last Thursday at the University of Cuyo in Mendoza, where Martinez was unable to give a lecture and dodged a tomato.

Argentina Leads World In Number Of Shrinks.

WSJ ONLINE/
In a 2008 study, Argentina had 145 psychologists per 100,000 residents, more than the 85 of second-place Denmark or ninth-place U.S. with 31. Many analysts office in a Buenos Aires neighborhood known as "Villa Freud."

Maradona Lashes Out Against Argentine Media And Its Soccer Coverage.

MERCOPRESS/
At a press conference in Montevideo at the end of the crucial match between Argentina and Uruguay, Coach Diego Maradona attacked Argentine journalists who he said smeared the image of the national team, and insulted them before the cameras.
After barley beating Uruguay 1-0, Maradona, who led his country to World Cup glory in 1986, used crude terms to attack repeatedly "those who did not believe" in him.

Tiny Uruguay Threatens Argentina's Soccer Chance.

GLOBALPOST/ UPDATE, 15/10/2009: Uruguay LOST 1-0!
For Details: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/091012/world-cup-soccer-maradona-montevideo

Today is the final day of South American qualification for the 2010 World Cup as Uruguay faces a formidable Argentina soccer team.
While Uruguay considers its neighbor Argentina a rival, Argentina sees Uruguay as nothing more than a second-rank soccer team and pest.

Argentine Senate Approves Media Bill; Clarin Shares Plummet.

BLOOMBERG/
Argentina’s Senate approved a bill that limits television and radio ownership and will force Grupo Clarin, the country’s biggest media company, to sell off assets.
The Senate voted 44-24 for the law. President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner said it would “democratize” the airwaves. The law limits ownership of cable and broadcast operations in a single market. Clarin holds 73 percent of Argentina’s radio, television and cable licenses.

What Happened To Argentina's Economy?

NYTIMES/ECONOMIX BLOG/Wonkish Economic Article/Edward L. Glaeser, economics professor at Harvard.
"A century ago, there were only seven countries in the world that were more prosperous than Argentina (Belgium, Switzerland, Britain and four former English colonies including the United States), according to Angus Maddison’s historic incomes database. In 1909, per capita income in Argentina was 50 percent higher than in Italy, 180 percent higher than Japan, and almost five times higher than in neighboring Brazil. Over the course of the 20th century, Argentina’s relative standing in world incomes fell sharply. By 2000, Argentina’s income was less than half that of Italy or Japan."

UN Quality Of Life Survey; In Latin America...Argentina Does The Best.

COLOMBIAREPORTS/
In Latin America, Argentina does the best in the UN quality of life survey, occupying the 49th spot on the 182-country list, followed by Uruguay, Cuba, Bahamas, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Panama, Brazil and Colombia.
The UNDP used 2007 statistics on life-expectancy, literacy and GDP per capita to determine the well-being of nations

IMF Says Argentina Withholding Information Is "Odd."

BLOOMBERG/
Argentina’s decision to withhold information from members of the IMF about its economic policies is “somewhat odd,” the IMF’s Director for the Western Hemisphere Nicolas Eyzaguirre said.
Eyzaguirre, at a press conference in Istanbul, said that Argentina had a “duty” as a member of the IMF and Group of 20 to share information with other members of those groups.
Economists and politicians have questioned the accuracy of Argentina’s statistics since January 2007, when then-President Nestor Kirchner began changing personnel at the statistics institute in a bid to “improve operations.” Critics say the institute, known as Indec, underestimates inflation and overestimates growth and production.

Perception Of Sleaze Reduces Support For Argentina's President.

GUARDIAN.UK/
Argentina's first couple, the Kirschners, recently declared their ownership of 28 properties valued at $3.8m, four companies worth $4.8m and bank deposits of $8.4m.
Since coming to power in 2003 their wealth exploded from $1.7m to $12m.
Many Argentinians believe this growth is a result of influence over local authorities for financial gain. Opposition members of congress have called the property bonanza a scandal and demanded an inquiry.

Pilot Arrested, Accused Of Piloting Argentine"Death Flights."

GUARDIAN.UK/
Spanish police arrested a former Argentine military pilot for his role in "death flights" where hundreds were thrown from navy planes into the sea between 1976 and 1983. Juan Alberto Poch, 57, was arrested on a Dutch holiday jet he was to fly to Amsterdam.

Argentina Plans Paris Club Repayment And Return To Equity Markets.

MERCOPRESS/
In a budget submitted to its congrss, Argentina plans to reach agreement with holders of the country’s defaulted debt to return to international lending markets.
Argentina defaulted on almost 100 billion USD of sovereign debt in 2001. Investors with 30 billion USD of bonds refused to participate in a 2005 exchange, which offered 33 cents on the dollar. Argentina has been unable to sell bonds in international markets since the default due to the dispute with the holdouts.

Argentina, Ecuador And The IMF.

THE ECONOMIST/
"When the world economy was booming and prices for South America’s commodities were high, several left-wing governments in the region liberated themselves from what they denounced as the oppressive tutelage of the IMF, and embarked on a dash for growth powered by big increases in public spending." Today, such policies are harder to finance.

Argentine Man Convicted Of Stabbing Novia 75 Times Gets... a 5-Year Sentence.

LAHT/
A court in southern Argentina sentenced a man to five years in jail for killing his girlfriend while drunk by stabbing her 75 times and beating her with a dumbbell. With a unanimous verdict that was harshly criticized by the prosecuting attorney and the victim’s family, the judges ruled that drinking alcohol before the crime made Ramon Sosa, 32, behave negligently and without criminal intent.

Buenos Aires: Latin America's Most Wired City.

GLOBALPOST.COM.
Buenos Aires has become a destination for information technology companies and an incubator for start-ups.
Logos signaling Wi-Fi connections are everywhere: in coffeeshops, bars, hotel lobbies, gymnasiums, even hair salons and virtually all of the connections are FREE. There is even Wi-Fi at gas stations, and in the subway, that actually works.

Argentine Proposal To Double VAT On Imported Electronics Meets Stiff Opposition.

WSJOURNAL.
A proposal to institute an "impuestazo," or big tax, that doubles--to 21%--the value-added tax on most electronics goods not produced in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego special economic zone is being heavily lobbied against in the nation's Senate by multinational electronics makers.

Low Popularity Polls For Argentina's Ruling Couple.

MERCOPRESS.COM.
Public opinion numbers for Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her husband, Nestor Kirchner have plunged to a record low since they took office: 23%and 21%.

Argentine Bus Driver Returns Lost $460,000 To Owner.

LAHT.
A bus driver in San Juan, Argentina returned a suitcase containing more than $460,000to the executive who left it on the bus while going to the bank. The bus driver only got an $80 reward.

Latin American Leaders Push For More Time To Rule.

GLOBAL POST.COM.
Across Latin America, presidents are pressuring lawmakers to change their constitutions to allow for multiple presidential terms — a trend that began in the 1990s. Here's a brief history of the most recent cases.

El Nino Brings Rain Hope To Argentina's Soybean Crop.

BLOOMBERG.
Argentina may produce as much as 50 million tons of soybeans in its next harvest as rains created by El Nino break the worst drought in a century.