It was a solid start for Argentine tennis stars in the 2026 Australian Open, with eight out of the nine players in the singles’ draws having already played, and four still in the running. Argentina was left without representatives in the women’s singles draw after Solana Sierra (63) lost to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 3-6, 1-6. The last of the Argentines to move through to the second round on Sunday was Francisco Comesaña (68), who defeated U.S. player Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, and 6-3. It was a first win in the Australian Open main draw for the 25-year-old, who will face another U.S. native, Frances Tiafoe (34) on Tuesday. Camilo Ugo Carabelli was the first Argentine to be eliminated from the singles draw after losing to Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-7 (5), 1-6, and 2-6.

Argentina’s gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow by 4% in 2026 and 2027, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook, presented on Monday in Brussels. January’s World Economic Outlook ranked Argentina among the best-performing economies globally over the next two years, as its growth is expected to exceed the global average, estimated at 3.3% for 2026 and 3.2% for 2027. Brazil is expected to slow its growth rate from 2.5% in 2025 to 1.6% in 2026, with a recovery to 2.3% in 2027. In this context, Argentina appears to be one of the countries with the strongest projected growth. According to a table included in the World Economic Outlook, which outlines forecasts for 30 economies that account for the majority of global GDP, Argentina ranks as the eleventh fastest-growing economy.

The case instantly turned the thieves into living legends, and was quickly dubbed the “robo del siglo,” the heist of the century. Vitette Sellanes was the most experienced and would lead the hostage situation and negotiations with the police. Vitette Sellanes delayed Sileo, hinting at an eventual surrender, while the rest of the gang broke open and emptied over 140 safety deposit boxes from the underground vault. At 4:30 p.m., Vitette Sellanes requested Sileo send food and drinks and ended communication. The bank repaid its clients for all that was stolen, but investigators claim only 20% of the bounty was ever recovered.

Following 26 years of negotiations and a string of setbacks that threatened to scupper it, representatives of the Mercosur countries and the European commission signed the EU-Mercosur trade deal at a ceremony in Asunción, Paraguay, on Saturday. However, the deal has faced opposition due to fears about price suppression and possible harm to South America’s local industries. Argentine President Javier Milei speaks at signing ceremony for EU-Mercosur Association Agreement in Asunción, Paraguay, January 17 2026. President Yamandú Orsi of Uruguay, European Council President António Costa, President Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia, and President José Mulino of Panama were also on stage. While popularly described as a trade deal, the free trade provisions form part of a broader association agreement.

In 2026, Argentina and Indonesia mark 70 years of diplomatic relations, established on 30 July 1956 — and it’s a timely milestone to reassess a partnership that has grown in strategic relevance. Why Indonesia matters for Argentina nowSeventy years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Argentina and Indonesia maintain a cordial but underdeveloped partnership. From an economic perspective, Indonesia represents a natural partner for Argentina. This highlights both the depth of current ties and the potential to move beyond trade toward a more diversified, strategic partnership. Within ASEAN, Indonesia is consistently among Argentina’s top trading partners, often ranking second or third alongside Vietnam and Malaysia.

The government of Brazil has stopped acting as Argentina’s consular representation in Venezuela and withdrawn from the Caracas embassy, a diplomatic source confirmed to the Herald. Brazil had been providing consular and legal assistance to Argentine citizens in Venezuela since August 2024, when Buenos Aires and Caracas broke ties. Local media reported that Da Silva did not want to meet his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei. “Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step to a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” Da Silva said. Brazil took over Argentina’s embassy in Caracas after the Nicolás Maduro government gave Buenos Aires a 72-hour deadline to leave.

Lawyers representing Argentina in the YPF expropriation case in New York have said a request by UK-based hedge fund Burford Capital — the plaintiffs — to hold the country in contempt, constitutes “procedural harassment.”Burford’s legal team made the formal request to Judge Loretta Preska on Thursday. The plaintiffs argue that some Argentine officials did not hand in all the requested documentation and that this justifies sanctions. Argentina will have to formally address the complaint on February 19, while the plaintiffs’ presentation is scheduled for March 5. Judge Preska will decide whether to declare Argentina in contempt at the hearings scheduled for March 23 and 24. The YPF caseFor more than a decade, Argentina has been involved in a legal battle over the expropriation of its state oil company, YPF.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado kept her promise and gave United States President Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded in 2025 during their meeting in Washington on Thursday. “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” said Trump, in reference to the January 3 U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. pic.twitter.com/eRkTYLKpgH — Comando ConVzla (@ConVzlaComando) January 15, 2026The Nobel reactsOn Thursday, the Nobel Peace Center, a museum in Norway dedicated to the prize, wrote in an X post that “a medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”Last week, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute said in a statement that a Nobel award cannot be transferred from its laureate to another person. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. On Wednesday, the day before meeting the Nobel laureate, Trump described Delcy Rodríguez as a “terrific person” and said that his administration is “getting along really well with Venezuela.”

Homelessness in Buenos Aires City (CABA) is on the rise, a new census by the city’s government confirmed this week. The numbers come from the latest survey by the Buenos Aires City government Human Development and Habitat Ministry, led by Gabriel Mraida. Just 30% were Buenos Aires City natives (porteños), 39.5% were born in Buenos Aires province, 19.3% in other provinces, and 8.3% in other countries. A rise despite poverty numbers droppingThe result of the latest census comes at a time when poverty numbers are decreasing. The majority come from the province of Buenos Aires,” he said.

Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced on Friday that 2025 closed with a primary fiscal surplus of AR$11.7 trillion, equivalent to 1.4% of GDP, while the overall financial balance showed a surplus of AR$1.45 trillion, or 0.2% of GDP. The numbers show that the country surpassed that figure by over AR$1.3 trillion pesos. The indicative target in GDP terms had been set at 1.6%. In fact, the Herald’s sister publication Ámbito learned that Finance Ministry officials had been working with an internal target of 1.3% of GDP, equivalent to the nominal target of 10.4 trillion pesos relative to current GDP. Due to inflation of 31.5%, nominal GDP will be higher than projected in midyear.

On reserve accumulation, Kozack said: “While it is still early in the process. Reserve accumulation has started the year at a faster than anticipated pace. IMF technical review due in FebruaryThe second technical review of the agreement between the IMF and Argentina, a US$20 billion deal known as an Extended Fund Facility that was inked last April, will take place in February. Under the agreement between Argentina and the IMF, the reserve accumulation target was not met. However, in the last review, carried out in July, the IMF had already relaxed its reserve accumulation target for Argentina’s Central Bank.

United States President Donald Trump spoke to Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez and described her as a “terrific person” in a phone call on Wednesday. He went on to meet with opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. In a departure from her usual anti-imperialist discourse, Rodríguez called the conversation with Trump “long and cordial” in an X post. After those articles were published, Machado announced she wanted to give her prize to Trump to thank him for his government’s military operation in Venezuela. “We see this as a clear sign that the United States has control over Rodríguez.”

Bolivia has declared an “energy and social emergency” over fuel shortages, rising inflation, and a lack of dollar reserves. The announcement comes as center-right President Rodrigo Paz faces mounting economic and social turmoil just two months into his presidency. They will be allowed to use international prices, following the recent removal of fuel subsidies. Protests and roadblocksThe emergency declaration comes after Bolivia was practically paralyzed for six days last week due to protests and roadblocks against an economic austerity package that Paz issued by decree in December. It eliminated fuel subsidies, gave special benefits to those planning large investments in local natural resources, and froze public workers’ salaries, among other measures.

The World Bank trimmed the forecast for Argentina’s growth from 4.6% to 4% in its January Global Economic Prospects report published on Tuesday. According to the document, the country’s GDP is also expected to increase by 4% in 2027. “Domestic policy uncertainty late last year led to bouts of exchange rate pressure, prompting increases in market interest rates that are expected to weigh on domestic demand and growth this year,” the World Bank said in its report. The document also highlighted that the support Argentina received from the United States, “including the provision of swap lines, helped stabilize financial conditions.”In October, Argentina received a US$20 billion currency swap line from the Trump White House. The government has recently relaxed its exchange rate regime even further, as it now updates the currency bands based on inflation.

The Argentine government announced on Wednesday it declared the Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization with links to other Islamic organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. “This measure strengthens mechanisms for the prevention, early detection, and punishment of terrorism and those who finance it, so that members of the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies cannot act freely,” reads the communiqué. Argentine Foreign Ministry warns citizensOn Wednesday, the Argentine Foreign Ministry also posted a message on X, warning Argentine citizens residing in the Middle East to “stay alert” in light of “current events” in the region. In its message, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said they’re in constant contact with Argentine embassies in the region, who are closely monitoring developments.