International

Rising Argentine inflation ends 2021 over 50%

AFP

Argentine inflation continued to rise in 2021, ending the year at more than 50 percent, the state statistics institute said on Thursday,

It was grim news for the South American country, given cumulative inflation in 2020 — a year when the economy was almost paralyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic — was just 36 percent.

The largest price increases in 2021 were in hotels and restaurants (65.4 percent), transport (57.6) and food (50.3).

“During 2021, the government tried to anchor inflation and to do so basically used the regulation of the price of utility rates and the exchange rate,” Hernan Fletcher of the Argentine Center of Economic Policy, told AFP.

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“Although it certainly was not a success, without this, inflation would have been higher.”

Since 2019, Argentina has imposed ever stricter currency exchange controls, meaning citizens can only withdraw $200 a month at the official rate.

For 2022, the government predicted in its budget — which was rejected by the opposition-dominated parliament — an inflation of 33 percent.

Opposition figures derided the budget as unrealistic.

According to a Central Bank survey, inflation in 2022 will be 55 percent.

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The news comes with the government embroiled in a tricky renegotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the repayment structure of a $44 billion loan agreed in 2018.

Argentina is due to pay back $19 billion to the IMF this year, another $20 billion in 2023 and $4 billion the following year.

Yet analysts estimate that the country has just $4 billion in international reserves.

“A deal with the IMF could improve the economy in terms of expectations, but in terms of inflation I don’t see 2022 being very different to 2021,” said economist Pablo Tigani.

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Central America

U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme

The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.

Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.

The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.

International

Elon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation

Billionaire Elon Musk did not appear this Monday before French authorities, who had summoned him for a voluntary statement as part of an investigation into his social media platform X, prosecutors told AFP.

The platform has been under investigation since early 2025 following complaints from lawmakers alleging bias in its algorithms, which may have altered its functioning and interfered in politics in France.

The probe has since expanded to include other alleged offenses, such as complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, as well as the role of Grok in spreading denialist content and sexually explicit fake images.

In early February, investigators raided X’s offices in Paris. The company has denied any wrongdoing, describing the searches as “political” and “abusive.”

At that time, the Paris prosecutor’s office summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to provide voluntary testimony as those responsible for the platform during the period under investigation.

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Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau also stated that X employees were called to testify as witnesses between April 20 and April 24.

International

Four injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico

Four more people were injured by gunfire during the ആക്രമ attack at Teotihuacán, one of the most emblematic archaeological complexes in Mexico, authorities confirmed.

The Secretary of Security of the State of Mexico, Cristóbal Castañeda, reported that the victims include two Colombian nationals, one Russian, and one Canadian. Additionally, two other individuals were injured due to falls, according to a statement from local authorities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed concern over the incident, stating on social media that “what happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us.”

Federal authorities recovered a firearm, a knife, and ammunition at the scene, which remains under the protection of state police and the Guardia Nacional, according to the federal Security Cabinet.

Located about 50 kilometers from Mexico City, Teotihuacán is a major tourist destination frequently visited by both domestic and international travelers.