Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, October 15. /TASS/: Venezuelan authorities have selected volunteers to take part in clinical trials of the Russian coronavirus vaccine dubbed Sputnik V, the trials are underway, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday.

"The Russian vaccine is already in Venezuela, the trials are already starting, there are 2,000 volunteers," he said.

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentina has become the first country to approve the growth and consumption of genetically modified wheat, the country’s agriculture ministry announced.

The ministry’s scientific commission said in a statement released in Buenos Aires that it had approved a drought-resistant variety of wheat in the world’s fourth-largest exporter of the crop.

“This is the first approval in the world for drought-tolerant genetic transformation in wheat,” the National Commission for Science and Technology (CONICET) said in a statement.

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 3 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentina’s Economy Minister Martin Guzman said that a mission from the International Monetary Fund will arrive in the country next week as the country looks to negotiate a new program with the organization.

“There is a constant, constructive dialogue. This week we have been working in a virtual way together with a mission. On Tuesday a mission will be arriving,” Guzman said, speaking in a televised interview with local publication Ambito.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 23 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Four forest fires broke out yesterday in the central Argentine province of Cordoba, where some 400 firefighters, backed by planes and helicopters, were working to put them out, the local government said.

The fires broke out in the cities of Villa Carlos Paz, Los Morteritos, Cuchi Corral and Unquillo.

Cordoba’s government said, gusts of up to 45 km per hour made it difficult to fight the flames “in affected areas that are difficult to access,” in addition to high temperatures.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 8 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentina could resume international commercial flights in October, the transport ministry said, following the approval of the new passenger and airport protocols for international travel by the ministry of health, the requirement government stated previously for lifting a strict travel ban

The start of flights next month, both domestic and international would give companies the 30 days they need to prepare for the restart of their operations.

However “the president has the final decision,” Transport Minister Mario Meoni cautioned.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 1 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – For Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but there are challenges ahead, the city’s top health official said.

“The worst is already over … but we still have many cases per day,” Buenos Aires Health Minister, Fernan Quiros, told the press. “We need to really maintain the people’s focus on compliance with regulations, and the focus on tracking, testing and isolation strategy.”

BUENOS AIRES, 22 August. /TASS/: The Venezuelan government is in talks with the Russian side on participation in testing and production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado announced on Friday.

"We have offered 500 volunteers to participate in vaccine trials," the minister said during a video conference with President Nicolas Maduro, which was broadcast on Periscope.

Alvarado said Venezuela and Russia "also discussed the possibility of joint production" of the Sputnik V vaccine.

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 13 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — President Alberto Fernández, announced that Argentina together with Mexico, will produce for Latin America the coronavirus vaccine developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory in collaboration with the British University of Oxford.

“We hope as soon as possible to start the production process” Fernández said at a press conference, who minutes later contacted his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

BUENOS AIRES/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A battle is brewing for control of Latin America’s main development bank.

On one side, U.S. President Donald Trump is looking to combat the rising influence of China; on the other, there is a quiet rebellion of countries chafing at losing control of their regional lender.

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Argentina will pursue a debt refinancing program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if its current debt renegotiation with private creditors fails to lead to an agreement, Economy Minister Martin Guzman said on Sunday.

To avoid defaulting on more than 66 billion U.S. dollars in foreign debt, Argentina's government has proposed some debt alleviation and a longer repayment schedule.

So far, creditors have rejected Argentina's terms, but the country "does not have the capacity to offer more," Guzman told a local daily.