Latest news with #LucilaSigal
Medscape
27-05-2025
- Business
- Medscape
Argentina to Review Fast-track Authorization of Costly Drugs
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina's government said on Monday that it will review the use of fast-track authorizations for high cost drugs, as well as requiring future vaccine trials to include a placebo test group, as part of a broader revision of its healthcare policy. "The Ministry of Health will propose to discuss the use of this type of authorization for very high-cost drugs, especially those intended for children and rare diseases," the government said in a statement. "Innovation cannot justify hasty decisions without solid evidence." It said it would open technical discussions on approval criteria that prioritize patient safety and system sustainability. The government also said vaccines would be subject to clinical studies with a placebo group "as a minimum standard." "To review is not to deny," it added, saying the approach aimed to improve scientific rigor and boost public confidence. (Reporting by Lucila Sigal and Peter Henderson; Editing by Kylie Madry) Reuters Health Information © 2025 Reuters Ltd.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What economists say about Argentina's FX reforms and IMF deal
By Lucila Sigal and Eliana Raszewski BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's central bank has announced a major overhaul to the country's exchange rate policy, unleashing the peso and years-long controls on the currency ahead of an expected $20 billion International Monetary Fund deal. The central bank announced that it will undo a fixed currency peg from Monday, letting the peso freely fluctuate within a moving band. Here is what economists have to say about the policy changes and the IMF loan program, the country's 23rd in a long and complex history between Argentina and the lender. CLAUDIO LOSER, EX-IMF WESTERN HEMISPHERE DIRECTOR "I must say I am surprised by the amount of money at Argentina's disposition starting next week, approximately $20 billion." "Eliminating the CEPO (currency controls) is important, though it does not mean everyone can take out their money. What's more important is that the dollar will fluctuate, there will be fluctuation. People will be very nervous." RICARDO DELGADO, ECONOMIST "This is a devaluation, different from what the government would have wanted ahead of the elections... Lifting the CEPO is striking at this time of global volatility." MARTIN REDRADO, ECONOMIST AND FORMER CENTRAL BANK HEAD "There will be a limit to what the central bank will be able to invest in the upper part of the band. The IMF will surely set a limit that we may or may not be aware of, but that the market will put to the test." AGUSTIN ETCHEBARNE, HEAD OF FREEDOM AND PROGRESS FOUNDATION "Uncertainty will diminish and that's a positive thing." "This will help to strengthen the central bank... That is good news and it will allow inflation to continue decreasing in the mid-term to much lower levels than we currently have." JAIME REUSCHE, MOODY'S VP - SENIOR CREDIT OFFICER "The $20 billion agreement with the IMF is an important anchor that will help Argentina prepare for the next phase of its adjustment, which involves the elimination of the currency controls and capital controls." "Argentina's credit outlook remains positive, although navigating the current global environment in the context of the planned macroeconomic adjustment will be more challenging for the authorities."
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Argentina targets $20 billion IMF deal as markets wobble
By Lucila Sigal BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina is targeting a $20 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund, Economy Minister Luis Caputo said on Thursday, formally putting a figure on the long-mooted program for the first time as he looks to calm local market jitters. The South American grains-producing nation, which has been battling triple-digit inflation, depleted reserves and rising debt, has been in talks with the IMF for months, though neither side had previously put a number on the planned deal. A new program would be the country's 23rd with the IMF if approved, and is seen helping bolster the central bank's reserve levels, strengthening the government of libertarian Javier Milei and defusing debt repayment risks in the years ahead. "What we are looking for with this agreement is that people can rest assured that the pesos that exist are backed by the central bank," Caputo said. "That will make us have a healthier currency, with less inflation, with less poverty." He added that the "amount we agreed upon with (IMF) staff - which ultimately the board will decide if it's approved or not - is $20 billion." Argentina's markets have wobbled in the last week amid question marks over the IMF deal and fears over a potential faster devaluation of the peso currency, currently held in check by strict capital controls and a so-called "crawling peg." The central bank has been forced to sell record amounts of dollars to support the peso, a worry with net foreign currency reserves already at least $4 billion in the red. The government says a new deal will bolster the central bank's accounts and allow the country to start undoing years-old capital controls it says stymie business and investment. Milei cut the peso's value by more than half soon after taking office in late 2023 and rolled out strict austerity measures to counteract years of overspending. Argentina is the IMF's largest borrower by far and is still paying back a $44 billion deal from 2022 that replaced a failed 2018 program. Reuters reported on Tuesday that some $8 billion of the funds would shore up the central bank's reserves, with $12 billion going toward principal and interest owed to the organization. Some local media had reported much smaller figures for the fresh funding, Caputo said, adding to market unease. The IMF board should meet in coming weeks to vote on the deal, he added. Argentina is also looking for funding from development banks such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to further boost foreign reserves. Total gross reserves currently sit around $26.25 billion, but have fallen this year. The government is looking to nearly double that, Caputo said, with the additional funding. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
In Buenos Aires' poor neighborhoods, residents recall beers and chats with Pope Francis
By Lucila Sigal BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - In the impoverished Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa 21-24, 68-year-old painter Heriberto Ayala still remembers how Pope Francis, then Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an archbishop, came to visit regularly on the number 70 bus and break bread with locals. He recalled one time sharing a beer. "We had pitchers of cold water and beer. And I, you see, grabbed it and said, 'here you go, Father.' But instead of passing him water, I passed him the beer. He said, 'oh, how nice,'" Ayala reminisced with a chuckle. Locals have been celebrating the discharge from hospital of Pope Francis. In recent weeks the 88-year-old pope has been battling the most severe health crisis of his 12-year papacy, an absence from public life that shone a spotlight on his frailty and age. "We are all very pleased, very happy the pope is recovering," said Hector Novara at a church service in the capital on Sunday. "I identify with the pope as an Argentine, and for what he does in the world." The Argentine pontiff is known for his informal style, rejection of pomp, and push to make the Roman Catholic Church more liberal and inclusive. Some have linked that back to his time visiting and preaching in poor barrios in his home country, later earning him the nickname of "papa villero", or slum pope. Reuters spoke to half a dozen residents and churchgoers in those neighborhoods who all remembered the former archbishop of Buenos Aires as a simple man, who would arrive by bus with a briefcase and well-worn shoes. He would walk the streets, listening to locals while sometimes serving and sharing meals with them. "He walked all over the neighborhood, sweating with us. I know him very well. He was kind, he would sit and drink mate with us," said 78-year-old Antonia Pesoa, referring to a popular local herbal tea. "He helped us; he loved the humble people very much." In Villa 21-24, part of the larger Barracas area, messy power lines crisscross the sky above colorful buildings and ramshackle homes made of corrugated metal and plastic. Here the pope's illness has led to a wellspring of prayer and support. "For the residents of Villa 21, Pope Francis is part of the family," said Lorenzo "Toto" de Vedia, a priest of the Virgen de los Milagros de Caacupé parish in Barracas, adding that the neighborhood had been "deeply troubled" by his illness. "Of course it's been 11 or 12 years since he left office to become pope, but we always feel him very close." Francis is the first Latin American pope in history, though he has never returned to his native country since being made the head of the Church in 2013. His attempts to modernize the Church and address sensitive issues such as the treatment of immigrants and global conflicts have led to clashes at times with conservatives. He has eschewed many of the trappings of his post, declining to move into the palatial apartments used by his predecessors and driving around Rome in a Ford Focus. Rita Fernández, 70, called Francis "very down-to-earth" and remembered when he would visit her neighborhood over 20 years ago. "We would all sit around the table to eat together, like a family," she said, adding that the locals would often ask Bergoglio why he wanted to be there. "He would then say that he felt better here than in the cathedral." When he was elected pope she was overwhelmed. "It was crazy, my God. An emotion we didn't know. Both the priest and I shed tears," she recalled. Elba Castro, 83, also remembered Bergoglio coming to Villa 21 in his time as archbishop. She lamented that he had not returned to "see his children" since becoming pope, a decision that some have attributed to his desire to avoid getting caught up in Argentina's polarized political climate. "It gives me a kind of pain," said Castro. "He was from here."
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Argentina kicks off trial into death of soccer star Diego Maradona
By Lucila Sigal BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina began a long-awaited trial on Tuesday of the medical team for soccer star Diego Maradona, who died in 2020, in a case that has riled emotions in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered. Family members and the accused arrived at the court on the outskirts of capital city Buenos Aires. Maradona's nurses, brain surgeon and psychiatrist are among those accused of homicide by negligence. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Outside the San Isidro appeals court, fans held up placards with the message "Justice for D10S," using a nickname based on Maradona's shirt number and the Spanish word for God. Maradona is considered one of the greatest soccer players ever. Seven members of the medical team are due in court in a trial expected to last several months. An eighth member faces a trial by jury in July. Maradona died at home in November 2020 from heart failure at age 60 while recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot days earlier. His medical team reject the charges of "simple homicide with eventual intent" in the treatment of the former Boca Juniors and Napoli player. If convicted, they could face prison sentences of between eight and 25 years. Maradona's death rocked the South American nation where he was revered for leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, prompting an outpouring of grief and finger-pointing over who was to blame after Maradona's years-long battle with drug addiction and ill health. More than 100 witness testimonies are due to be presented to the three-judge court, ranging from family members and doctors to friends and journalists. Prosecutors on the first day of the trial will read out the indictment. Investigators classified the case in 2021 as culpable homicide, a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter, because they determined the accused were aware of the seriousness of Maradona's health condition and failed to take the necessary measures to save him. "There are more than enough elements to prove that Diego was not treated properly," said Mario Baudry, lawyer for one of Maradona's sons who together with other family members brought the case forward to reporters. "Justice has accused them of homicide with eventual intent. Let's hope that justice is done, that's what we all want," the lawyer added. Those standing trial include psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Ángel Díaz, doctor Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almirón, the chief nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni and clinical physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried separately in July, local media reported.
