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☆ G20 New Delhi summit 2023: Which countries and leaders will attend?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A paramilitary soldier stands guard outside Le Meridien hotel during a rehearsal ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, September 2, 2023. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER RISHI SUNAKSunak is expected attend the summit on his first official trip to India as Britain's prime minister. GERMAN CHANCELLOR OLAF SCHOLZScholz has said the upcoming G20 summit in India remains important despite the absence of Russia and China. SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSARamaphosa has expressed full support for India's G20 presidency while conveying his intent to attend the summit. BANGLADESH PRIME MINISTER SHEIKH HASINABangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi, according to Indian media reports.

Persons: Le, Adnan Abidi, JOE BIDEN Biden, Biden, XI, Li Qiang, Xi Jinping, Xi, VLADIMIR PUTIN, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, JUSTIN TRUDEAU Trudeau, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, RISHI SUNAK Sunak, KISHIDA, ANTHONY ALBANESE, YOON SUK, YEOL Yoon, OLAF SCHOLZ Scholz, EMMANUEL MACRON, Modi, SAUDI ARABIA'S CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA Ramaphosa, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, ALBERTO FERNANDEZ Fernandez, BOLA TINUBU Tinubu, LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, URSULA VON DER, CHARLES MICHEL The, SHEIKH HASINA, Sheikh Hasina, ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, JOKO, Aftab Ahmed, Shivangi, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Criminal Court, ICC, BRITISH, AUSTRALIAN, SOUTH, Associated Press, SAUDI ARABIA'S CROWN, African Union, NIGERIA'S, LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA Brazil, OF, EUROPEAN, CHARLES MICHEL The European Union, BANGLADESH, Thomson Locations: Le Meridien, New Delhi, India, DELHI, India's, Ukraine, U.S, RUSSIAN, Russia, South Africa, Africa, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Saudi, SHEIKH HASINA Bangladesh, Bangladesh, MELONI Italy

☆ 'New scenario' opens for Argentina with BRICS invitation, Fernandez says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez speaks during a news conference at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, June 26, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - A "new scenario" opens for Argentina with the invitation for the South American country to join the BRICS group of developing nations, President Alberto Fernandez said on Thursday. Argentina wanted to join BRICS - a group currently made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - because of the bloc's geopolitical and financial importance during a difficult global context, Fernandez said in a speech. Argentina was invited to join BRICS along with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as the group convenes in South Africa this week. By joining BRICS, Argentina will act as an important interlocutor and potential broker for consensus with other nations, Fernandez added.

Persons: Alberto Fernandez, Adriano Machado, Fernandez, Gabriel Araujo, Kylie Madry, Christina Fincher, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, South, BRICS, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, BRICS

☆ Argentina's cabinet chief says harvest should bring economic relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Nicolás Misculin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Argentina's Cabinet Chief and vice presidential pre-candidate Agustin Rossi gestures in his office during an interview with Reuters, at the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace, in Buenos Aires, Argentina July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianBUENOS AIRES, July 21 (Reuters) - Argentina's financial crisis, which has been marked by exchange rate volatility and soaring inflation, should start abating in November and December, with large foreign currency inflows from the wheat harvest, cabinet chief Agustin Rossi told Reuters on Friday. Argentina's prolonged financial crisis has been aggravated by a ferocious drought that reduced crucial agricultural exports by an estimated $20 billion this year. "(Inflation) does not go down with abrupt devaluation... We do not believe that this is necessary in Argentina," Rossi said. "We are optimistic, we believe that we will find a way," Rossi said of the IMF talks.

Persons: Agustin Rossi, Agustin Marcarian, " Rossi, Nestor Kirchner, Rossi, Sergio Massa, Alberto Fernandez, Nicolás Misculin, Alexander Villegas, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Argentina's, Reuters, Casa, REUTERS, Peronist, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Agustin Marcarian BUENOS AIRES, Vaca

☆ US hostage envoy Roger Carstens quietly traveled to Venezuela this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens quietly traveled to Venezuela this week, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to CNN Wednesday. Carstens traveled to the capital city of Caracas for “discussions about the welfare and safety of US nationals wrongfully detained in Venezuela,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of all wrongfully detained US nationals in Venezuela at every opportunity,” they said. ‘Signing his death warrant’The family members of the detained Americans, all of whom have been detained more than a year, are increasingly worried about their loved ones. Tillery told CNN that the US is “signing his death warrant” by not securing Kenemore’s release.

Persons: Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, ”, “, Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, Luke Denman, Airan Berry, Nicolas Maduro, Jeana, Tillery, Gustavo Cárdenas –, Jorge Alberto Fernandez, – Jose Pereira, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Matthew Heath, Osman Khan –, Biden Organizations: CNN, Hostage Affairs, State Department, United Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, United States, Venezuelan

Buenos Aires wants faster payouts and easier economic targets. "More than a debt, it's a crime," President Fernandez wrote in a tweet on Thursday, citing a new government auditor report that concluded the original deal had lacked the required impact study and not passed through proper legislative channels. Fernandez, who has criticized the original deal before, called for an investigation "with all the weight of the law." Powerful but divisive Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a previous two-term president, called the original deal "scandalous" and a "scam" of the Argentine people. Macri and the IMF have defended the original deal as necessary to restore Argentina's economic stability.

☆ Argentina's Kirchner says she won't run for president, slams IMF
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUENOS AIRES, May 16 (Reuters) - Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said on Tuesday she will not run for president in the elections scheduled for October, claiming that the country's judicial system would disqualify her after her high-profile corruption case. In a post on her blog, Fernandez de Kirchner, who served as president for two terms between 2007 and 2015, said she would not enter into a "perverse game" or a "democratic facade" that would result in the judicial system disqualifying her. Late last year, Fernandez de Kirchner - who commands rock-star crowds of supporters - was sentenced to six years in jail on corruption charges, disqualifying her from holding public office. The ruling Peronist government of President Alberto Fernandez is facing a tough battle to fend off a challenge from the conservative opposition in the 2023 election. In her blog, Fernandez de Kirchner also harshly criticized the International Monetary Fund, with which the country has a $44 billion loan deal, blaming it of "accelerating" Argentina's inflation, which topped 109% in April.

☆ Argentina's ruling Peronist party wins provincial elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 14 - Argentina's ruling Peronist party posted strong wins in elections Sunday, appearing to hold control over three provinces just months ahead of presidential elections in which support for the party is flagging. The results come as a relief to President Alberto Fernandez's ranks as economic unrest has shaken the party's hold over the country. Fernandez has said he is not seeking re-election, however a Peronist coalition is still aiming to hold onto power. Although the outcome is good news for the party, its fate in the presidential elections will likely be decided in more populous provinces, such as Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe and Mendoza. Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Argentina raises interest rate to 97% as it struggles to tackle inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Central Bank of Argentina raised its key interest rate Monday by six percentage points to 97% in an effort to tackle soaring inflation that has reached 30-year highs. Central banks across the globe are struggling to rein in inflation, but it’s a particular problem in Argentina, where the annual inflation rate soared above 100% last month. (By comparison, inflation hovers below 5% in the US, where the central bank has raised key interest rates by five percentage points over 14 months.) Argentina’s central bank is also hoping the rate hike will incentivize investments in the country’s currency, according to the central bank’s statement released Monday. “When a central bank raises the interest rate, the effects are felt some two or three months afterward, and that timescale is not effective in Argentina’s situation.”— Elisabeth Buchwald contributed reporting.

The measures include an interest rate hike by the central bank, the economy ministry said in a statement. The ministry did not elaborate, but an official source told Reuters the hike would be 600 basis points, bringing the rate up to 97%. The rate hike will take effect Monday, the source added. The South American nation is battling to bring down inflation that hit 109% on an annual basis in April. The central bank will also increase its intervention in the foreign-exchange market and double down on its currency devaluation plan, the ministry said.

☆ Brazil working on payment solution for exports to Argentina, says minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Tuesday that the country is working on a solution to ensure that Brazilian exporters are paid for sales to Argentina, which is currently facing a severe economic crisis and a shortage of U.S. dollars. Argentina is Brazil's third largest trading partner after China and the United States. "We are trying to find a mediated solution," he said, adding that it "necessarily" involves the granting of collaterals by Argentina, which are being currently studied. Haddad will take part in a meeting between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine Alberto Fernandez later on Tuesday. Brazil also decided to recently simplify procedures of the local currency payment system (SML), an infrastructure that brings together the central banks of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

☆ Chile's lithium push emerges as test for Latin American resource nationalism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( David Alire Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Laborers work at a lithium plant on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert of northern Chile January 8, 2013. While the former student protest leader's proposal to give the government a majority stake in all future lithium projects faces an uncertain path in Congress, its mere introduction shook one of the mining industry's most lucrative corners. Lithium is in high demand for rechargeable batteries for future fleets of electric vehicles in the global transition to green energy. That leaves the exception to the trend, Argentina, as an increasingly likely Latin American destination for new private capital for lithium. A strong pipeline of lithium projects in Argentina, the world's No.

☆ Argentina vows to battle peso slide towards 500 per dollar in black market
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Rodrigo Campos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The peso hit 495 against the dollar on Tuesday in informal markets that have flourished as the official foreign exchange market is under tight controls. That is down from 400 pesos per dollar just over a week ago and compares to the official spot rate of around 221. The official peso, which is in a controlled, sliding peg to the dollar, has fallen 20% so far this year. The gap between the black and official rates of some 122% is the widest since July. Last week, Argentina's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 300 basis points to 81% after inflation soared past expectations in March to 7.7%, the fastest monthly increase in two decades.

☆ Argentina's economy teeters on the edge of deeper crisis as market anxiety grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Gabriel Burin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BUENOS AIRES, April 21 (Reuters) - Argentina's economy will teeter on the edge of a deeper crisis in the run up to October's presidential vote as growing market anxiety adds to a harmful mix of drought-induced recession and skyrocketing inflation, a Reuters poll showed. Pointing to an increasingly negative outlook, the number of recession forecasts escalated to 27 of 32 respondents from just 7 of 23 in January. 3 economy into a crisis comparable to the chaotic periods of 1989-1990 and 2001-2002. For Mexico, growth prospects were slightly upgraded to 1.5% this year and 1.6% in 2024 from 1.0% and 1.8% in January - still well below the government's more optimistic scenario of a 3.0% expansion. Reporting by Gabriel Burin in Buenos Aires; Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Argentine President Fernandez pulls out of 2023 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUENOS AIRES, April 21 (Reuters) - Argentine President Alberto Fernandez will not run in the country's October general election, the center-left leader announced on Friday, throwing open a race to lead the Peronist coalition at the ballot amid swirling economic crisis. Pressure had been building for a decision from the leftist wing commanded by powerful Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who served as president from 2007-2015 and has at times been at loggerheads with Fernandez, no relation. "On the negative side, with him becoming an outgoing president so early, it could make it difficult to manage until the end of the mandate." Mauricio Macri, the leader of the main center-right opposition party and president from 2015 to 2019, said last month he would not run for presidency either. Vice President Fernandez de Kirchner has also ruled herself out.

BUENOS AIRES, April 20 (Reuters) - Argentina's central bank hiked the benchmark interest rate a sharper-than-expected 300 basis points on Thursday after inflation soared past expectations in March to hit 104% on an annual basis, the monetary authority said in a statement. The bank hiked the benchmark rate 300 basis points in March, the first raise since September at the end of a vicious tightening cycle through most of 2022. The bank had wanted to cut rates this year on hopes inflation would cool. Reuters reported earlier this month that central bank board members were discussing another interest rate hike to rein in one of the world's highest inflation rates. A central bank poll forecasts inflation will end this year at 110%, while J.P. Morgan estimates it could hit 130%.

REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianBUENOS AIRES, April 14 (Reuters) - Argentines, painfully accustomed to decades of spiraling prices, say that the current 102.5%-and-climbing inflation rate is on another level and is making it almost impossible to get by. "In my case, I have zero capacity to save," said Claudia Hernansaez, a publishing company employee. "In one year, beef went from around 1,000 pesos ($4.66) or 1,200 pesos to 2,800 pesos." Paola Lavezzari, also in publishing, said inflation was forcing her to tighten the purse strings and buy cheaper products. Because what you used to consume of a better quality, today is unaffordable," she said.

☆ Argentina's latest 'soy dollar' scheme sees few takers on first day
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Maximilian Heath | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Would-be participants in the "soy dollar" program need more details, several told Reuters. Spot market transactions under the latest version of the policy, which initially kicked off last year, showed no movements on Monday, according to traders. "It started quite calmly with few offers from factories in a very cautious market waiting for more information," said Eugenio Irazuegui, a researcher with brokerage Enrique Zeni y CIA. Only about 17.5% of the 2021/22 soybean crop of some 44 million tonnes remains in local storage, according to official data at the end of March. Meanwhile, about 5.5 million tonnes of soybeans from the current 2022/23 harvest, which has only just begun, have been sold, official data showed, compared to about 12 million tonnes at the same time during the year-ago period.

Such "skinny labels" typically allow generic drugmakers to launch their products earlier while avoiding liability for infringing brand-name drugmakers' patents. GSK sued Teva for patent infringement in Delaware federal court in 2014 over its generic version of Coreg. In its petition to the Supreme Court last year, Teva said the ruling would cause "havoc" for skinny labels, which it said are "extraordinarily common" and "save patients and the federal government billions." GSK countered that the case does not threaten generic drugmakers that "operate properly under the law." The Biden Administration backed Teva on Wednesday, arguing generic drugmakers should be entitled to rely on the FDA's carve-out instructions, which are based on brand-name drugmakers' own statements to the agency.

☆ Argentina ex-President Macri says he will not be candidate in upcoming elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group C - Poland v Argentina - Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar - November 30, 2022 Former President of Argentina Mauricio Macri REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/File PhotoBUENOS AIRES, March 26 (Reuters) - Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri said on Sunday that he will not be a presidential candidate in the country's October general elections, as the opposition coalition moves to confirm its candidates. Opposition candidates Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich applauded Macri's decision not to run. "I will not be a candidate in the next election," Macri said in a video posted on social media on Sunday. Although Macri had previously suggested he would not run for the October elections, other opposition members speculated he would still announce his candidacy. The opposition coalition appears poised to garner more support than the ruling party, which has not yet defined its candidate amid major internal disputes between Fernandez and his Vice President Cristina Fernandez.

☆ Inflation, migration in focus at regional Ibero-American summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Paul Mathiasen And Jesus Frias | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Honduras President Xiomara Castro attends at the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 25, 2023. Dominican Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via REUTERSSANTO DOMINGO, March 25 (Reuters) - Leaders attending the Ibero-American Summit meeting in the Dominican Republic on Saturday highlighted rising inflation and migration as risks to the stability of the region. "Today migration management constitutes one of the great regional challenges," said Chilean President Gabriel Boric. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, canceled his attendance at the Ibero-American summit after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result, though he has since tested negative twice, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said. Reporting by Paul Mathiasen and Jesus Frias in Santo Domingo and Marco Aquino in Lima Writing by Cassandra Garrison Editing by Matthew Lewis and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Argentina February inflation data "very bad": government spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUENOS AIRES, March 16 (Reuters) - The Argentine government on Thursday said annual inflation data registered in February, the highest since 1991, was "very bad," but insisted that the 60% inflation rate forecast in this year's budget would be met, the president's spokesperson said. President Alberto Fernandez has struggled to rein in one of the world's highest inflation rates that has put increasing pressure on Argentine consumers. Argentina last month registered an inflation rate of 6.6% compared to January and 102.5% compared to February of the previous year, the highest data since the 115% annual rate in September 1991. "The inflation data obviously seems bad, very bad and also was not expected," presidential spokesperson Gabriela Cerruti said during a press conference. "We hope that the plan that was going to lower the curve, which had these problems, can somehow return to the path that was planned, indicated, and that we get to that (60% annual inflation)," she added.

☆ Inflation tops 100% in Argentina as the price of beef spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Inflation topped 100% in Argentina last month, according to official data published Tuesday. The country logged a three-digit inflation rate for the first time in over 30 years in February. Food prices jumped 10% month-on-month, with beef costs up over 30% in one region. It's the first time since 1991 that Argentina has logged inflation of over 100%, according to Bloomberg data. That surge came despite Argentina's economy ministry's introduction last month of a price control program aimed at slashing the price of popular beef cuts.

☆ Argentina’s inflation tops 100% for the first time since 1991
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Argentina’s yearly inflation rate rose past 100% for the first time in three decades, according to new figures released by the country’s statistical body INDEC, as the government struggles to control rising prices. Prices rose 102.5% in February compared to a year before, INDEC said, placing its inflation rate amongst the highest in world. Prices rose 6.6% between January and February and 13.1% in the first two months of the year combined, according to the figures. Argentina has been battered by crippling inflation and February is the 13th straight month that the South American country reported a monthly inflation rate above 4% – generally considered a threshold for healthy economies. Among them are the ‘Dollar Malbec,’ for wine producers, ‘Dollar Qatar’ for agencies selling travel packages to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the ‘Dollar Coldplay’ for concert organizers.

☆ In homeland of Pope Francis, long absence prompts prayers for return
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Catholic faithfuls pray during a mass at the Basilica San Jose de Flores, where Pope Francis used to attend in his childhood, in Buenos Aires, Argentina March 6, 2023. Some in Argentina claim Pope Francis as a Peronist, part of the powerful political movement forged by Juan Domingo Perón in the 1940s based on social justice values. She accused him of taking sides politically and once avoided him by shunning a traditional Mass in Buenos Aires. "We shouldn't rule out the possibility that (the pope) is concerned his presence will sharpen the political divide," De Vedia said. Bergoglio, he pointed out, had gained the nickname "Papa villero" - Pope of the villas - due to his closeness with the people.

☆ Argentina government loses Senate power after senators exit coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Argentina's ruling Peronist coalition was dealt a blow on Wednesday when four of its senators announced their departure, weakening the government's sway in the Senate just eight months before high-stakes general elections. Senators Edgardo Kueider, Guillermo Snopek, Carlos Espinola and Maria Eugenia Catalfamo said they would leave the center-left alliance that supports President Alberto Fernandez and his powerful vice president, Cristina Kirchner. The departures from Fernandez's coalition leave it with 31 seats in the 72-seat Senate. The Peronists were badly beaten in 2021 congressional elections, which showed the conservative opposition well ahead in popular support. (This story has been corrected to fix the number of months until general elections to eight from six in paragraph 1)Reporting by Nicolás Misculin; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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