If elected, what do the ruling and the opposition coalitions say they will do?
As required by law, political coalitions in Argentina presented their electoral platforms yesterday ahead of this year’s presidential elections. Libertarian candidate Javier Milei’s platform showcasing a plethora of extreme right-wing proposals aimed at “guaranteeing traditional lifestyles” was published on social media exactly one month ago. Juntos por el Cambio: “A stabilization plan”Juntos por el Cambio’s platform is more direct. Juntos por el Cambio also proposes a “stabilization plan” with the goal of “drastically reducing inflation.”“Argentines will have a national currency and an orderly macroeconomy. The last chapter of the document proposes “building an austere, efficient, and modern State that makes life easier for its citizens.”
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 17, 2023 21:05 UTC
Books we’re reading this week: poetry, biography and finance
One of the (many) good things of having a large staff is that you’re exposed to a variety of viewpoints. Diversity in book preferences and tastes is part of this, and thankfully there’s no shortage of interesting material when the talk turns to what we’re reading these days. – JuanEs la economía, vos no sos estúpida by Estefanía Pozzo (Paidós, 2022: 192 pages)Yes, this is our editor-in-chief’s most recent book! A primer on finance, money, and navigating the world of economics, with a particular focus on women. Estefanía’s clear, accessible and fun writing makes this a very digestible book for anyone looking to improve their understanding of these issues from a feminist perspective.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 17, 2023 15:43 UTC
UnionPay cardholders now get foreign tourist dollar rate
Visitors to Argentina who use debit and credit cards issued by Chinese company UnionPay will get almost twice as many pesos as before after the company moved from the official exchange rate to the foreign tourist dollar exchange rate. Payments made in Argentina with UnionPay cards will now use the MEP dollar (the Spanish acronym for Electronic Payment Market) exchange rate —currently AR$479.35 to the dollar— instead of the official exchange rate of AR$259 per dollar at the time of writing. The foreign tourist dollar was launched on November 4 as a way to make the country cheaper for tourists and dissuade them from going to illegal exchange houses that offer the blue dollar exchange rate. UnionPay now gives cardholders the same rate as Visa, Mastercard, Cabal, and electronic wallets such as Pix. The foreign tourist exchange rate allows the dollars tourists use to make payments to be exchanged into pesos through the financial market, instead of in the official foreign exchange market.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 17, 2023 11:29 UTC
Argentina issues international arrest warrants for four AMIA attack suspects
The AMIA bombing killed 85 people and is the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina’s history. The Prosecution Unit which investigates the AMIA bombing requested the arrest warrants in November and now, Rafecas has formally ordered them and submitted requests to Interpol. Rafecas issued the international arrest warrants “as their affiliation and/or collaboration with the criminal gang known as ‘Hezbollah’s armed wing’ has been sufficiently proven” and in order to hear the testimonies. He also has an arrest warrant for the 1992 attack on the Israel embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 22 people and wounded over 200 — Argentina’s deadliest terrorist attack until the AMIA bombing two years later. He has been wanted in connection to the AMIA bombing since 2009 and allegedly coordinated logistics for those who perpetrated the attack.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 16, 2023 03:15 UTC
JxC registered its coalition with no changes and Schiaretti will compete on his own
Opposition coalition Juntos por el Cambio (JxC), on the other hand, remained the same after Córdoba governor Juan Schiaretti declined to join and decided to compete with his own front Hacemos por Nuestro País (We work for our country.) JxC registered its coalition close to the midnight deadline with no name or party changes for the August 13 PASO primaries. A JxC faction led by Buenos Aires City mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Morales was hoping Schiaretti, a non-kirchnerist peronist, would join, with the hope of injecting more political diversity into the coalition. Schiaretti has said he is not and will never be a part of JxC, and that he would like to compete against its candidates in the primary elections. Even though Rodríguez Larreta couldn’t get Schiaretti to join, he did get liberal economist José Luis Espert to come on board.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 15, 2023 17:30 UTC
Jujuy teachers’ strike continues after Morales repeals decree
In Jujuy, teachers’ unions continue to strike demanding higher salaries and an end to Governor Gerardo Morales’ proposed constitutional reform, after his announcement that he would repeal a controversial decree that activists said would criminalize protest. He added that he would not negotiate with teaching unions regarding their salaries while they were on strike. Unions are calling for wage rounds to be opened that take into account all the state unions’ demands. Activists and unions also believe Morales’s proposed reform to Jujuy province’s constitution presents similar risks to the repealed decree. While the decree has been overturned, there is still widespread opposition to Morales’s proposed constitutional reform.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 15, 2023 15:26 UTC
Argentina and European Union to expand cooperation on critical raw materials
President Alberto Fernández and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation between Argentina and the European Union regarding sustainable value chains of critical raw materials. The goal of the agreement is to guarantee a steady and sustainable supply of commodities needed to ensure the energy transition. The agreement was signed in Buenos Aires during Von der Leyen’s trip to four Latin American nations, which is intended to bolster political and trade ties the European Union admits it has sometimes neglected. One item high on Von der Leyen’s agenda, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement struck in 2019 and put on hold largely due to concerns over Amazon deforestation, was addressed in the EU-Argentina Business Forum on Tuesday. Von der Leyen will also seek to push forward an update to the EU-Mexico trade pact which the two sides agreed in 2018.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 14, 2023 16:40 UTC
Government rules out nationalizing lithium “the Chilean way”
Despite Congress’ inactivity in an election year, the government confirms they will send a bill with a lithium strategy. This is the point where Argentina’s lithium strategy will match Chile’s. After Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced the nationalization of the lithium industry, the Chilean government held meetings with SQM to renegotiate contracts and get the Chilean state to directly participate in the extraction and production of the mineral. Chile’s plan is to create a state company similar to Codelco for copper. Sources with knowledge of the details say it doesn’t establish the nationalization of lithium or a state-run company like Chile.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 14, 2023 13:35 UTC
Cold snap: yellow weather alert in 16 provinces
Grab your jackets, scarves, and hats: the beginning of the week is ushering in chilly temperatures throughout Argentina. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued a yellow alert on Tuesday morning for extreme low temperatures in the city of Buenos Aires and 16 provinces. So the Herald recommends busting out your wooly hats, jackets and gloves and wrapping up to stay cozy in the chilly temperatures. It will be even colder for those in Greater Buenos Aires, with areas such as El Palomar getting down to -3℃, so don’t forget your jackets! These provinces are subject to the yellow alert for cold:Buenos Aires CityBuenos Aires ProvinceEntre RíosCorrientesMisionesFormosaChacoSantiago del EsteroSanta FeCórdobaJujuySaltaSan JuanMendozaNeuquénLa PampaChubut-with information from Télam
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 14, 2023 03:44 UTC
CNV presses charges after ransomware attack
The CNV is requesting an investigation into the origin of the attack and who was responsible. The hackers threatened to release 1.5 terabytes of financial information to the public within a week, and demanded a ransom of US$500,000. The financial information the attackers threatened to leak is in fact public, and includes balance sheets and other documents companies upload on its communication system, the CNV told the Herald on Monday. The Medusa ransomware operation first emerged in June 2021 and quickly expanded to target corporate victims, often demanding ransoms of a million dollars. The hackers have created a blog where they publish the data of victims who refuse to pay the ransom.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 13, 2023 22:23 UTC
CFK assassination bid: judge sends Cotton Candy Gang to trial
Fernando Sabag Montiel, Brenda Uliarte, and Nicolás Carrizo are commonly referred to as the “Cotton Candy Gang” because they posed as street vendors of the sweet treat to allegedly spy on the vice president. On September 1 2022 Sabag Montiel attempted to shoot Kirchner at point-blank range outside her Recoleta home. Federal prosecutor Carlos Rivolo had requested that the three suspects be sent to oral trial on May 29. They also claim that sending parts of the complex case to oral trial separately further obfuscates the truth. The vice president has yet to comment on the latest update in the trial.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 13, 2023 00:12 UTC
Eldest of rescued Colombian children saved the youngest from plane wreck
The eldest of the four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in Colombia’s southern jungle after a plane crash pulled her youngest sibling from the wreckage, the children’s grandfather said on Monday. The children spent four days near the wreckage, he said, eating flour that had been onboard, before wandering from the site. “The children are well, they are stable and following their medical treatment,” said agency official Adriana Velasquez in a video posted on Twitter. The boy told them their mother was dead, the rescuers said. The father of the two youngest siblings has said the children will tell their own story about the ordeal.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 12, 2023 23:49 UTC
EU chief embarks on Latin America tour to boost 'neglected' ties
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen starts a four-nation trip to Latin American on Monday to bolster political and trade ties that the European Union admits it has sometimes neglected. Von der Leyen will meet the presidents of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico on consecutive days. Von der Leyen will also seek to push forward an update to the EU-Mexico trade pact which the two sides agreed in 2018. It has a trade agreement with Chile that could give EU companies greater access to the country’s lithium and copper. A possible understanding with Argentina could also promote exploration of the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas reserves by EU investors.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 12, 2023 13:40 UTC
Analysis: Uruguay becomes FIFA U-20 world champion
Uruguay came out on top after a thrilling 1-0 match against Italy in the Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona in La Plata and became U-20 world champions for the first time. Source: TélamFair finalistsBoth teams faced a challenging road to reach today’s game. As expected, both teams left their heart on the pitch, and the champion was decided by the team who took advantage of the few clear chances that were available. It would have been Italy’s first FIFA U-20 World Cup win, had things gone differently. Source: TélamFootball’s young prospectsThe success of both teams in the tournament is in great part due to the players.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 12, 2023 06:42 UTC
Tucumán, San Luis, Corrientes and Mendoza vote today
Tucumán and San Luis will elect new governors today on an electoral day that includes Corrientes, where only legislative roles will be voted, and Mendoza, which is holding its primaries (PASO in Spanish) to decide on provincial candidates. TucumánAll eyes are on Tucumán, which had its elections suspended five days before their original date by the Supreme Court. San Luis voters can choose between four lemas and 185 sublemas today. For its part the opposition, Cambia San Luis has two candidates for governor. The incumbent Encuentro por Corrientes (part of the JxC coalition) is facing three other political forces — FdT, Ganemos Corrientes and Libres del Sur.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
June 11, 2023 17:05 UTC