US migrant parole program to continue post-Title 42
Mexico, for its part, will continue accepting back migrants returned to the country on humanitarian grounds, both nations said in a joint statement. The announcement comes as the US prepares for the end of the Title 42 policy and a possible subsequent spike in illegal border crossings. A U.S. official said last week that the country intends to continue expelling migrants of those four nationalities back to Mexico after the program’s end date. Tuesday’s announcement indicates that a U.S. humanitarian parole program providing legal migration pathways for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans will continue after May 11. Sherwood-Randall told Mexican authorities that “the humanitarian parole program will continue,” Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told journalists following the meeting.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 04, 2023 01:31 UTC
Bolsonaro's home raided in COVID vaccine probe
Brazil’s federal police on Wednesday raided former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home in Brasilia as part of a probe into a group suspected of adding false vaccine data into the government’s COVID-19 database, two sources familiar with the matter said. Two of Bolsonaro’s closest aides, Mauro Cid and Max Guilherme, have been arrested in the same operation, the sources added. A spokesman and a lawyer for Bolsonaro did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Police said the “false data” were allegedly added to the database between November 2021 and December 2022, when Bolsonaro was president, to alter immunization statuses of still unnamed people. Bolsonaro while in office was a vocal skeptic of COVID-19 vaccines who vowed to never get the jab.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 03, 2023 12:32 UTC
Ruling coalition deputies bid for lithium nationalization
National deputies of the ruling coalition Frente de Todos (FdT) officially presented a bill today that aims to declare lithium natural reserves —mostly located in the northern provinces— as a “strategic resource,” and described its exploitation and exploration as a key for the development of the country. “Not only do we fail to industrialize it in our country, but they loot, leave us with contamination, and take it at bargain prices. “It’s time to break away with the extractivist-exporter model, change the mining code, amend the Mining Investments law, and move forward with a model of national development and defense of our sovereignty,” said Alderete. In a press release, Alderete explained that lithium “became in recent years one of the minerals that sparked the most interest in the world. Argentina, Chile and Bolivia are home to around 50 million tonnes of lithium resources, studies by the US Geological Survey show, and the provinces surrounding the tri-border region are known as South America’s lithium triangle.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 03, 2023 03:38 UTC
International Workers Day: labor leader called for shorter work week
The General Confederation of Labor’s (CGT) Joint Secretary General Héctor Daer, called for reducing the 48-hour working week in an event today for International Workers Day in Buenos Aires City. “The 48-hour working week is anachronistic because worker productivity has grown exponentially, so we have to discuss and modify it,” he said, in the Defensores de Belgrano football club. Currently, Argentina’s law allows a maximum of eight daily work hours six days a week or 48 hours a week total. Left-wing coalition Frente de Izquierda has proposed to reduce it to six hours a day or 30 hours a week. The labor leader mentioned the current “inflation process,” which he said was a “macroeconomic” issue, but he also blamed businessmen for it.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 02, 2023 23:34 UTC
Argentina and Brazil to discuss trade agreement to skip dollar
Argentine officials will begin by outlining a negotiation to boost bilateral trade that will exclude the dollar, a difficult issue for Argentina, and one which Brazil is willing to agree to. Beyond the financing lines, the agreement that Argentina and Brazil intend to sign involves excluding the dollar as payment currency for foreign trade, a mechanism similar to the swaps with China. Argentine importers will be able to pay for their purchases in pesos and the Brazilian government will convert them into reais. According to the Brazilian Vice Minister of Finance, around 210 Brazilian companies trade with Argentina. Will the volume of pesos obtained from the sale, when it is converted to [Brazilian] real, be enough to pay the debt?
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 02, 2023 12:58 UTC
After dollar jump, government restricts access to financial dollars
The government made this decision after a week in which the value of the informal and financial dollars recorded jumps that exceeded double digits in a few days. Financial dollars (the blue-chip swap rate and the MEP dollar) also recorded increases between 6.4% and 7.7% between Monday and Wednesday. The changes published today by the CNV are:Those who have short-term loans in force (taken or granted) will not be able to purchase financial dollars. In the Argentine market short-term loans that use financial assets as collateral are called “cauciones,” which operate similarly to margin loans. Some shareholders, managers, and employees of financial brokers may not buy and sell bonds in the same financial market in which the Central Bank intervenes by buying and selling bonds to control the value of financial dollars.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 02, 2023 00:33 UTC
Bolsonaro attends Brazil's biggest farm fair
Former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro stole the show on Monday at Brazil’s largest agribusiness fair where he was acclaimed by supporters from the country’s strong farm sector. Bolsonaro criticized the decision by Lula to recognize new Indigenous reservations, a constant complaint by farmers in Brazil’s expanding agricultural frontier. The deep-pocketed and powerful farm sector was a major supporter of Bolsonaro’s 2018 election. Bolsonaro faces legal risks that could ban him from running in the 2026 election. Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro wished the farmers success and said he looked forward to attending next year.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 02, 2023 00:27 UTC
Paraguay's conservatives score big election win
Paraguayan conservative economist Santiago Peña won the country’s presidential election on Sunday, tightening the ruling Colorado Party’s political grip in the country. “Thank you for this Colorado victory, thank you for this Paraguayan victory,” Peña said in a speech. Colorado and right-wing party candidates also performed strongly in congressional elections and governor races, with some provinces recording a historic Colorado majority over opposition rivals. “But not voting makes me part of the problem.”The Colorado Party has dominated politics in the landlocked South American country since the 1950s. Taiwan and ChinaThe build-up to the election has been dominated by the economy, corruption allegations and the candidates’ views on Taiwan.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
May 01, 2023 12:32 UTC
Paraguayans head to the polls in decisive elections
Paraguayan voters head to the polls today to elect its next president, Congress representatives, governors, and local authorities. The Colorado Party has ruled Paraguay for the past seven decades, with an exception between 2008 and 2013, when leftist Fernando Lugo was in power. The Herald spoke to Magdalena Lopez, the coordinator of the Social Studies on Paraguay Research Group at the University of Buenos Aires. The Concertation coalition includes 23 parties and two movements united in opposition to the Colorado Party. 13 out of 17 departments in the country are run by governors belonging to the Colorado Party.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 30, 2023 22:58 UTC
Government fines Coca-Cola and Danone for flouting price agreement
Argentina’s Trade Secretariat fined multinational companies Coca-Cola and Danone for selling products with monthly price increases up to 10 times over the limit established by the Precios Justos (Fair Prices) agreement. Danone was fined AR$45 million (US$205,397 at the official rate, US$103,199 at the MEP rate) while Coca-Cola was fined AR$40 million (US$205,397 at the official rate, US$91,732 at the MEP rate). In a press release, the Trade Secretariat said that the fined companies raised prices by up to 32.8%. However, the agreement is only applied in supermarkets and not smaller grocery stores. The Trade Secretariat said that it found, during price monitoring operations in grocery stores, that the suppliers were charging their products with markups well above the cap.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 30, 2023 14:15 UTC
Customs suspends 59 exporters over currency exchange violations
Exporters are required to change dollars from overseas earnings into pesos, either at the official exchange rate or, in some cases, at special sector-specific rates. “They leave [the dollars] overseas or they convert them to the blue-chip swap rate,” a Customs press release stated. The blue-chip swap rate, also known as contado con liqui or CCL, is used exclusively in the financial world. Exporters receive less than half as many pesos per dollar at the official exchange rate: at the time of writing, the blue-chip swap rate is AR$453 per dollar, while the official exchange rate is AR$222. Exporters of certain agricultural goods can use the “agro dollar III” exchange rate of AR$300.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 30, 2023 02:08 UTC
Peru sends military to Chile border to block migrants
Some 700 Peruvian soldiers and police officers will reinforce its southern border with Chile to prevent the entry of undocumented migrants, Peruvian authorities said on Friday, amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries over the issue. Hundreds of migrants are stranded at the border, including mostly undocumented Venezuelans, according to the Peruvian police. The migrants say they are seeking to enter Peru to continue their journey back home. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry summoned the Chilean ambassador in Peru to voice its frustration this week, alleging a lack of Chilean support. There are also an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 undocumented migrants in Peru, which has a total population of 33 million.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 30, 2023 02:08 UTC
Customs to fine P&G at least US$ 68 million for overcharging imports
Argentine Customs sanctioned multinational consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G) this week for allegedly overstating imports worth US$68 million from 2019 to 2022. As a result, Customs is seeking to fine the corporation US$ 68 million through its administrative judge, aiming to make it pay for the difference in the import duties it originally paid to match the actual prices. P&G has now ten working days to accept or reject the fine. When the administrative case is finished, the judge can establish the fine, which could range from the US$ 68 million Customs calculated to five times that amount. Customs said the judge will take into account the corporation’s record to decide the final amount.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 29, 2023 02:21 UTC
German companies confirmed investments in Argentina
German companies have confirmed to Secretary of Industry and Productive Development, José Ignacio de Mendiguren, that they will continue investing in Argentina during the Secretary’s trip to Germany. In Stuttgart, de Mendiguren met with authorities from the automotive company Mercedes-Benz, who confirmed their investments in Argentina, as well as initiatives to increase exports. The Germany tour is a continuation of German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Argentina in January, Industry Secretariat sources said in a statement. In Ludwigshafen, Mendiguren visited the facilities of BASF, which specializes in organic chemistry and has been present in Argentina for more than 70 years. He stressed that Argentina is an important player in the current context of the company’s activities, and confirmed that BASF is planning investments for 2023.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 29, 2023 01:33 UTC
Herald favorites: The Buenos Aires International Book Fair
A classic in the Buenos Aires cultural calendar, the 47th edition of the Buenos Aires International Book Fair begins today at the La Rural, the Rural Society’s huge event venue in the Palermo neighborhood. Organized by non-profit foundation El Libro, the fair features conferences, book presentations and signings, and many other activities. The opening speeches of the Buenos Aires Book Fair have brought memorable and often controversial moments. Jorge Luis Borges’ first poetry book Fervor de Buenos Aires will also be the object of a special homage because this year is the 100th anniversary of its publication. This year, far-right libertarian candidate Javier Milei will present a book entitled El fin de la inflación (‘The end of inflation’).
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
April 28, 2023 09:02 UTC