🇦🇷 Argentina Episodes

Argentina's June inflation figure of 1.6% was celebrated by Javier Milei's government. The year-on-year variation reached 39.4%, the lowest accumulated record since early 2021. "Argentina has not been able to grow sustainably for 14 years. There are a lot of structural problems in the economy and they are not going to be solved overnight, no matter how much inflation falls," said economist Camilo Tiscornia in Cara o Ceca.

Carlos Pagni's analysis on Argentine Odyssey aired on LN+ on July 14, 2025.

Fights broke out on Saturday the 12th in Murcia, following the assault on an old man by a group of people, allegedly Maghrebi. The Spanish government accused the conservative party Vox of fomenting the climate of violence. "When the old man thing happened, nothing was known about the aggressors, but from social networks it began to be established that they were immigrants and they made a call to go and confront them in Torre Pacheco [town in Murcia]," Andrés Pedreño, professor of Sociology at the University of Murcia, said in Cara o Ceca. "At the same time, Vox and the Popular Party called for a mobilization for citizen security, establishing a relationship between crime and immigration," he added. "In the Murcia region, 60% of migrants are of Moroccan origin. The area specializes in the production of fruits and vegetables, with foreign labor. It is an already established migration. Since Vox has been around, a kind of war has been declared against immigrants," he concluded. Victoria Villarruel lashed out against Milei on social networks and reignited the libertarian internal conflict. After the legislative defeat of the ruling party in the Argentine Senate, Vice President Victoria Villarruel once again criticized Javier Milei, this time for the management of the Executive's spending, and defended retirees and the disabled: "A retiree cannot wait and a disabled person even less. Let [Milei] save on trips and on the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE)," she said on social networks. "They never had respect for Villarruel or those of us who are part of the assembly of La Libertad Avanza. Both I and other members were removed from the bloc for defending what we promised in the campaign. Milei was a bad payer," Lourdes Arrieta, national deputy of the "Transformación" bloc, former member of La Libertad Avanza, said in Cara o Ceca. "I agree with the cut to the State, but the adjustment should not affect the people or the retirees. The prices of medicines cannot be liberalized and the National Institute of Social Services for Retirees and Pensioners [PAMI] cannot be privatized. Furthermore, they are not going against the ‘political caste’; we continue to have leaders with privileged pensions," she added. "It is a pity that they have destroyed everything they touched, beyond the fact that the polls give 50% confidence, the reality is that people are not having a good time, mainly the most vulnerable sectors of the country," she concluded.

La moción judicial se presentó ante el Tribunal de Apelaciones del Segundo Circuito. La jueza Loretta Preska ordenó a fines de junio a Argentina transferir sus acciones de YPF para cumplir una sentencia de 16.100 millones de dólares contra el país por supuestas irregularidades en la nacionalización de la empresa. "La corte estadounidense se fija en la solidez del argumento presentado por los jueces en primera instancia. Esta apelación tiene más argumentos por los que Argentina podría salir ilesa: se está obligando a un país soberano a entregar una propiedad que está ubicada en el exterior de los EEUU", dijo en Cara o Ceca Sebastian Maril, CEO de Latam Advisors y experto en el caso. "La causa de YPF siempre fue un caso civil y comercial, nunca criminal. La Justicia norteamericana se limitó a fallar o a consultar sobre las preguntas que se le formularon y nunca se le presentó el tema de la corrupción. Por ende, si Argentina usa ese argumento, la Justicia de EEUU podría derivar esa investigación a la Argentina", agregó. "Intento de desestabilización": Milei contra el Congreso por la aprobación de leyes a favor de los jubilados. El Senado argentino aprobó un aumento del 7,2% a las jubilaciones y la Ley de Emergencia en Discapacidad, en una sesión que doblegó los deseos del Gobierno y expuso su distanciamiento con los gobernadores. El presidente anticipó que vetará las leyes e irá hasta las últimas consecuencias para dejarlas sin efecto y acusó al Congreso de buscar un golpe institucional. "Quedan en evidencia todos los políticos que quieren que vuelva la época de la emisión, la inflación descontrolada y el caos, con tal de tener alguna chance de volver al poder", lanzó el ministro de Economía, Luis Caputo, en la red social X. "Me parece absurdo que el Gobierno utilice el veto, sabiendo que si es rechazado por las dos terceras parte de ambas cámaras, va a ser ley finalmente. Tiene que respetar cada una de las instituciones", dijo en Cara o Ceca Florencia Lopez, senadora nacional de Unión por la Patria en La Rioja. "El órgano más fuerte que tiene la oposición es el Senado. El presidente lo debe tener en cuenta porque ya no tiene ni el apoyo de los senadores que responden a las provincias por estar enfrentado con los gobernadores por no entregarles los recursos que les corresponden", agregó.

Amid criticism of the adjustment's impact, Economy Minister Luis Caputo denied that consumption is falling and assured that, according to official data, it grew by 11.8%. He also predicted a sharp drop in inflation and defended the indicators of his administration. "I don't see the economic plan as unsustainable. The exchange rate is rising in line with inflation and the country risk increased by 23%, but it is not alarming. That there is volatility in the dollar does not mean that it makes it difficult for inflation to fall. All the countries in the region lowered inflation in the 1980s and many did so by freeing the exchange rate," said economist Iván Carrino on Cara o Ceca. "It is certainly potentially risky for the [legislative] elections in October, but the Government is putting itself above issues that relate to economic health and is not purely looking at the electoral short term," he added. **The ruling party joins with PRO in the province of Buenos Aires to defeat Kirchnerism** The Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, announced the formalization of the agreement between La Libertad Avanza (LLA) and Propuesta Republicana (PRO) for the provincial elections on September 7 in the province of Buenos Aires, where they will face Peronism, united. "People asked us to go together. That is why we are very happy about the agreement we reached. Since [Javier] Milei took office as president, we have supported this option of change to confront Kirchnerism. If we want to improve the country, we need those in the seats to support the model proposed by the Government," said Florencia De Sensi, national deputy of Propuesta Republicana (PRO) for the province of Buenos Aires, on Cara o Ceca. "We are very concerned about the lack of participation. Evidently, we are not knowing how to challenge what people are looking for and, for those who want to do politics, it is worrying," she concluded.

Journalist Emilia Delfino, author of an unauthorized biography of Victoria Villarruel, visited Sputnik studios, and shed light on the profile of the first in line of succession in Argentina. "The union with [Javier] Milei is like a 'Frankenstein'. They represent two different rights: that of nationalism and that of liberalism. Victoria managed to become one of the best spokespersons for the right in the last 20 years. She turned the discourse on the military dictatorship around, where she denies state terrorism and crimes against humanity," the writer stated. "The first to distrust her was Karina Milei [sister and secretary of the Presidency]. Until that moment, Villarruel and Milei had a lot of affection and admiration for each other. I see a reconstruction of the alliance as difficult, especially because Karina is the one in charge," concluded the author of The General. Milei withdrew from the act for Independence Day in Tucumán From Casa Rosada, they argued the heavy fog that prevented flying to suspend the traditional presidential act in San Miguel de Tucumán, cradle of Argentine independence. But the truth, beyond the weather conditions, is that the governors decided not to attend. "It is a broken link. The resources that used to return to the provinces no longer return and that anger of the governors is noticeable. The resources they contribute have to return in works and that does not happen. The president continues to look for enemies, Kirchnerism has already fallen short for him and he is looking for new fronts of confrontation," assured Santiago Giorgetta, Argentine political analyst and associate director of the Proyección consultancy in dialogue with Cara o Ceca.

Journalist Emilia Delfino, author of an unauthorized biography of Victoria Villarruel, visited Sputnik studios, and shed light on the profile of the first in line of succession in Argentina. "The union with [Javier] Milei is like a 'Frankenstein'. They represent two different rights: that of nationalism and that of liberalism. Victoria managed to become one of the best spokespersons for the right in the last 20 years. She turned the discourse on the military dictatorship around, where she denies state terrorism and crimes against humanity," the writer stated. "The first who distrusted her was Karina Milei [sister and secretary of the Presidency]. Until that moment, Villarruel and Milei had a lot of affection and admiration for each other. I see a reconstruction of the alliance as difficult, especially because Karina is the one in charge," concluded the author of The General. Milei withdrew from the act for Independence Day in Tucumán From the Casa Rosada they argued the heavy fog that prevented flying to suspend the traditional presidential act in San Miguel de Tucumán, cradle of Argentine independence. But the truth, beyond the weather conditions, is that the governors decided not to attend. "It is a broken bond. The resources that previously returned to the provinces, now no longer return and that anger of the governors is noticeable. The resources they contribute have to return in works and that does not happen. The president continues to look for enemies, Kirchnerism has already fallen short and he is looking for new fronts of confrontation," assured Santiago Giorgetta, Argentine political analyst and associate director of the Proyección consultancy in dialogue with Cara o Ceca.

Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo found disappeared grandson number 140, born in 1977 in the clandestine detention center "La Escuelita" in Bahía Blanca city, Buenos Aires province, snatched from his parents during the last dictatorship (1976-1983). In Heads or Tails we spoke with Adriana Metz, sister of the recovered grandson: "My parents were kidnapped in December 1976. Until January 1977 there were records of where they were. My mother was five months pregnant when they took her, my brother was born in April 1977; a few days later he was given to another family. Finding him is a collective joy," she said.

Carlos Pagni's analysis on Argentine Odyssey aired on LN+ on July 7, 2025.

Cara o Ceca realizó una cobertura especial desde la XVII Cumbre de los BRICS en Río de Janeiro, desde los estudios de Sputnik y desde el evento con enviados especiales. "One of the six thematic axes raised by Brazil for the Summit has to do with climate change, which is why one of the sessions was completely devoted to that issue," remarked Úrsula Asta. The possibility of "a new international financial structure, a new paradigm that is trying to be imposed," was also discussed, commented Juan Lehmann.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a new phone call and agreed to continue contacts through their Foreign Affairs departments and Defense Ministries: Russia continues to demonstrate that it is willing to advance negotiations, unlike NATO and the Ukrainian Government itself, which did not want to reach an agreement. Putin also made it clear that, beyond the third round of negotiations, he will not give up on the objectives set from the beginning of the conflict, he said in.

A heated exchange between legislators from Unión por la Patria and La Libertad Avanza caused the early end of the session in the Chamber of Deputies, where the financing of the Garrahan pediatric hospital and public universities was to be debated. "We have to sit in the seats and address the important issues. We left a lot of things out, such as the Mental Health Law, the elimination of withholdings, and the investigation of the case for the crypto scam with $LIBRA," declared the national deputy of the Radical Civic Union, Pablo Juliano, on Cara o ceca. "The real polarization is between going to vote or not in the elections, between making it to the end of the month or not. The majority of people are going into debt with credit cards to be able to buy in the supermarket, and half the country doesn't have gas. That is what we are condemning Argentina to," he continued. "Each bloc has the responsibility to rethink how it is behaving," he concluded. The Government assured that it will veto a reduction of withholdings on the agricultural sector if Congress advances. In the Chamber of Deputies, the opposition included proposals to eliminate taxes on wheat exports, gradually lower the rates of withholdings, and prohibit future increases. From the Casa Rosada, they warn that the president will veto the law if it is sanctioned, because he understands that there is no space in the budget to lower revenues. "Without withholdings, agriculture can develop in the interior of the country, because other types of factories can be installed, but we need prices and strategies of where we want to go. In the last 25 years, the sector has not grown, and the countryside has always been looked at as a 'box' [of high collection] from which dollars have to be taken," highlighted the secretary of the Confederation of Rural Associations of Buenos Aires and La Pampa (CARBAP), Pablo Ginestet, on Cara o ceca. "Brazil was our competitor in soybeans and now it triples us. It is necessary to give the countryside a twist so that it has possibilities," he added.

Narendra Modi aprovechará su viaje a Sudamérica para la cumbre de los BRICS en Río de Janeiro para estrechar los lazos de cooperación con la administración de Javier Milei en sectores estratégicos. Hace 57 años que un primer ministro de India no hace una visita oficial al país. "La visita de Modi es un evento importante por el gran tamaño del mercado de India. Modi quiere diversificar sus fuentes de proveedores, una de ellas es Argentina, porque quiere revisar los recursos minerales que ofrece, por ejemplo, el litio", dijo en Cara o Ceca Lía Rodríguez de la Vega, vicedirectora del Comité de Asuntos Asiáticos del Comité Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI). "La India es hoy el país más poblado del mundo y tiene el mercado más deseado por todos. Las predicciones la ubicaban como la tercera economía del mundo en 2030 y hoy se espera que suceda antes. Por entonces, habrá, junto a Estados Unidos, dos asiáticos como las mayores economías mundiales", continuó. "El kirchnerismo quiere llevarse puesta las reglas, la democracia y el Gobierno" El kirchnerismo y la oposición dialoguista con el Gobierno lograron que avance en el Senado la discusión sobre la ley para mejorar las jubilaciones, iniciativa aprobada en Diputados, pero que podría ser vetada por el presidente Javier Milei. "No dudamos que los jubilados ganan poco, pero el kirchnerismo quiere atropellar el sistema previsional. Ya lo hicieron durante el gobierno de Cristina Kirchner. Quieren llevarse puestas las reglas, la democracia y el gobierno de Milei. El problema de los jubilados es que tenemos 10 millones de personas que no aportan al sistema; por eso hay que trabajar sobre cómo hacemos para que las personas tengan trabajo formal", dijo en Cara o Ceca Carmen Álvarez Rivero, senadora nacional de Propuesta Republicana (PRO) por Córdoba. "El veto es una herramienta que puede usar el Ejecutivo, eso es reglamentario. En cambio, lo de ayer no lo es y no estuvo bien. Quieren llevarse puestas las reglas, la democracia y el gobierno de Milei", cerró.

Matias Kulfas, former Minister of Productive Development of the Nation during the Government of Alberto Fernández, analyzed the country's economic challenges and presented his new book 'Producing in the new globalization', from the Sputnik studios. "There is exchange rate lag in Argentina. If it is sustained over time, it will not come out in a 'friendly' way, but abruptly. And since [Javier] Milei is thinking of an economic opening to accelerate the fall in inflation, that will be unsustainable," said the former minister and director of the Audemus consultancy. In addition, the adverse ruling of the US Justice for the Argentine oil company YPF, which claims the delivery of 51% of the shares held by the Argentine State, was rejected. "It seems absurd to me that the American Justice condemns the country. Beyond the legal aspects, nationalizing YPF [during the Government of Cristina Kirchner in 2012] brought many benefits: it generated investment and development, which allowed Vaca Muerta, the main hydrocarbon deposit in the region, to be valued," he said. In his book, Kulfas addresses how Argentina should be inserted into current capitalism. "There is an extraordinary growth of China. 30 years ago it was not a capitalism with prospects for progress. Today we see that they have high-level companies that dominate almost all technology. All this is thanks to the presence of the State. In the case of Argentina, this Government does not want that to continue." **The US Justice ordered Argentina to hand over 51% of the shares of the oil company YPF** The judge in the case, Loretta Preska, sentenced the national State to transfer its shares of the company YPF to the plaintiffs against Argentina for the nationalization of the company in 2012. President Javier Milei has already confirmed that he will appeal this decision, despite his criticism of the management of the current governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, who, as Minister of Economy, carried out the nationalization at that time. "In 2023, the United States Court ruled against the Argentine State, sanctioning it with a fine of 16 billion dollars, plus interest, for the lawsuit initiated by the Burford group in 2015. As there was never an appeal from Argentina to renegotiate the amount, the judge ordered that the shares be transferred to the litigant," said Emilio Apud, former Secretary of Energy and former director of YPF, in Cara o Ceca. "Some arguments suggest that this order to transfer shares would not be legal in the US because it would be an 'interference in the political affairs of another country'. When the expropriation was carried out, a law was passed in which these shares cannot be moved from the State without prior approval in Congress," he continued.

Carlos Pagni's analysis on Argentine Odyssey aired on LN+ on June 30, 2025.

The Argentine government further strained relations with the agricultural sector by refusing to lower export taxes. Provincial governors also joined the demand. The electoral calendar in Argentina advances. With little participation, mayors and councilors were elected in the third most populous province, Santa Fe, where the territorial authority of Governor Maximiliano Pullaro was ratified. But Peronism and La Libertad Avanza also celebrated: the former triumphed in the most important city, Rosario, led by Juan Monteverde, and the latter added councilors. "Juan Monteverde was the main protagonist of this election. He got Peronism to return to the city. Since 1973 Peronism has not reached the mayoralty of Rosario and this result puts him with high expectations for the next elections [in October 2025]," said Damián Schwarztein, political analyst from Santa Fe, on Cara o Ceca. "It is difficult to understand so much inconsistency from [Javier] Milei because he had announced during the campaign that he would cut off an arm before raising a tax. Producers are already having a very hard time and these measures are centralist and unitary in nature," Eduardo Buzzi, agricultural producer and former president of the Agrarian Federation, told Una mañana por descubrir.

Presidente Boric confirma asistencia a cumbre BRICS en Río de Janeiro el 6 y 7 de julio, pero Cancillería advierte que su presencia está en evaluación debido al conflicto en Medio Oriente. "Es una gran oportunidad para Chile porque no es una potencia mundial. Es parte de nuestra política exterior incluirnos en este mundo diverso, donde hay una prosperidad en función de un codesarrollo y donde se busca una gobernanza global a partir de esta cooperación", dijo Mladen Yopo, doctor en Ciencia Política. "Este acercamiento puede contribuir a que Chile tenga una autonomía estratégica, es decir, que pueda tomar decisiones soberanas. No nos olvidemos que nosotros vivimos bajo la influencia de EEUU", agregó. "Los BRICS es una alianza moderna y representa una unidad en la diversidad. De alguna forma, permite un nivel de diálogo que va más allá de la disputa hegemónica que hay entre EEUU y China", cerró. El Gobierno de Milei avanza con recortes en la ciencia Cientos de trabajadores del Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial (INTI) realizaron un cese de tareas en reclamo a uno de los decretos que quiere impulsar el Ejecutivo, que busca centralizar al organismo, quitarle su carácter autónomo y federal, lo que causaría despidos. "El INTI es el referente a todo el sector industrial. Valida miles de procesos productivos y es el 'custodio de la seguridad de la sociedad'. Necesita ser un organismo descentralizado para poder reglamentar, diseñar, hacer desarrollo y atender dinámicamente al sector", dijo Yamila Mathon, profesional del Instituto Nacional De Tecnología Industrial (INTI). "Ya se han ido 700 trabajadores con retiro voluntario. La mayoría fueron tomadas porque tenemos sueldos de miserias, con una paritaria del 0,1% y muchos profesionales buscan otra cosa para llegar a fin de mes", continuó.

El electorado elegirá entre Gonzalo Winter, Jeannette Jara, Carolina Tohá y Jaime Mulet para representar al oficialismo. La derecha chilena tiene tres candidatos. Las primarias son voluntarias. José Antonio Kast lidera la derecha, Janet supera a Jara. Hay un 32% de incertidumbre. Paro universitario en Argentina por fondos y salarios. La situación está peor que el año pasado. Los salarios están por debajo de la pobreza. Se pierden recursos humanos y proyectos de investigación.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission arrived in the country for meetings with the Government's economic team to conduct the first quarterly evaluation of the new $20 billion agreement signed with the country. "The Government is not meeting one of the Fund's targets. We had to accumulate dollars to be able to pay the debt we have with the organization, but in recent months reserves have not been genuinely accumulated," said Celina Calore, economist at the Scalabrini Ortiz Center for Studies, on Cara o Ceca. "The Fund is not interested in where Argentina gets the dollars from, but it does want stability to be sustainable, that is, that reserves are not used to maintain a certain exchange rate," she stated. "The IMF is being condescending with the Javier Milei government for an ideological and political reason," she concluded. Petro enacted the new Labor Reform law. The law seeks to improve the conditions of the more than 10 million registered formal workers. Among the most important benefits is the gradual increase in compensation to 100% for those who work on Sundays or holidays. "Colombia is looking for what is necessary to reach those sectors that are not within social security. The new rule aims more at young people who are just entering the world of work and to avoid precariousness," said Diego Aretz, Colombian journalist, on Cara o Ceca. "The most important challenge is to see how the business sectors adapt to this law. There we will see where the reality is, whether this will increase unemployment or not," he concluded.

The event in The Hague on the 24th and 25th will mainly address increasing defense budgets to 5% of member states' GDP. The US, covering 62% of the Alliance's total spending in 2023, demands greater European security commitment. "It's a rather absurd increase. Europe already struggles to reach the current 2% GDP target. It's a strategic US decision to reduce its NATO contribution without decreasing its own military spending," said Adrián Zelaia, Spanish international analyst and EKAI Group director, on Cara o Ceca. "The US spends 3.5% of its military budget controlling the world, not defending its country, maintaining 800 foreign military bases," he added. "European countries justify militarization with the need to confront a potential military conflict with Russia in the coming years. It's highly questionable that they believe Russia, after the Ukraine conflict, intends to advance territorially, attempting to conquer Lisbon. No analyst considers that," he concluded. Argentine Provinces Demand More Budget from Milei Government Governors met at the Federal Investment Council (CFI), reiterating budgetary demands to the national government, agreeing to present a congressional bill modifying fuel tax revenue distribution, allocating 52% to the provinces. "Provinces can't afford salary, health, and education expenses. That's the issue. There are funds, like fuel taxes, which should be shared with the provinces for road construction, that the government isn't transferring. This has a negative impact, plus there's no economic recovery," said Florencia López, national senator for Unión por la Patria and former vice-governor of La Rioja province, on Cara o Ceca. "There's no direct relationship between La Rioja and the Nation. The province has been claiming a debt, and the government does nothing," she continued.