🇦🇷 Argentina Episodes

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.

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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.

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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.

Carlos Pagni's analysis on Argentine Odyssey aired on LN+ on June 23, 2025.

It would be a direct consequence of the military escalation between Iran and Israel. The Iranian Parliament approved a measure seeking to block access to one of the most important maritime passages for the transfer of oil and gas in the world. "20% of the world's oil and 30% of the world's liquefied natural gas [LNG] pass through the strait. While this could favor the development of the Vaca Muerta industry [main hydrocarbon deposit] in Argentina, due to supply and demand, it could trigger a fuel increase of between 5% and 6% and increase inflation," said Yamil Quispe, an Argentine hydrocarbon consultant from St. Petersburg, on Cara o Ceca. In addition, Quispe remarked that Argentina could benefit from this situation: "If a balance is maintained between the supply of the domestic and external markets, a great export leap could occur. In terms of the projection of the Vaca Muerta reserve, pre-pandemic values can be reached, with the production of one million barrels. Today Brazil is close to three million barrels." "The direct intervention of the US in the conflict tends to affect the markets. Crude oil closed at $77 per barrel and in Asian markets, at $81. The value is expected to reach $100 and that could favor a re-election of Trump," he concluded. **Iran threatened Donald Trump with responding to his attacks** The spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, stated that the American bombings marked the beginning of an open conflict with the Islamic Republic and maintained that the door was opened to an "extension of the war in the region." "It is the seventh conflict in which the US is participating in the Arab world. It is a very dangerous intervention because it ends up escalating a conflict that was regionalized," said Lautaro Rivara, an Argentine sociologist and doctor in History, on Cara o Ceca. "This conflict has little to do with the interests of US citizens and the basis of Trump's project. One of his great promises was to withdraw from conflicts globally, delegating, in any case, his open battle fronts to different allied states," he concluded.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is scheduled to visit Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is under house arrest, during his upcoming visit to Argentina. The meeting, not yet officially confirmed, was interpreted by political and academic figures as a gesture of support in the face of judicial persecution."Cristina's conviction is the judicialization of politics. It is the new way the right has to attack. Before, there were coups d'état with the military, now they are legal coups," said Brazilian sociologist Emir Sader, in dialogue with Cara o Ceca."This methodology that they use with Cristina was also used with Lula da Silva. Later it was determined that the complaint was false, but Lula spent 580 days in prison," he recalled.Sader highlighted the symbolic value of the visit: "They are trying to turn Cristina into a political corpse that cannot relate or communicate with her people, and Lula's attitude of visiting her using his position as president of Brazil is very nice. I hope the meeting takes place because it would be extraordinary."Argentina registers a slight economic rebound, but formal employment continues to fallWhile some indicators show a slight recovery in economic activity in Argentina, the formal labor market does not reflect signs of improvement. Since Javier Milei took office (December 2023), more than 170,000 registered jobs have been lost, according to official data."Argentina has overflowing work, what is missing is registered employment and that is the problem with social security," explained labor lawyer Juan Pablo Chiesa to Cara o Ceca. And he warned: "A pension reform now would not work because three registered workers are needed to support one retiree."Chiesa also remarked that labor informality is structural and has not changed in decades: "Argentina has 6 million registered workers and that number has not moved for 20 years. Meanwhile, there are 11 million Argentines working in an unregistered manner. No government knew how to improve employment."

El proyecto de ley, que aún requiere una votación final, tiene como objetivo garantizar los derechos laborales básicos y reducir la desigualdad en uno de los países más desiguales del mundo. "El foco del debate político en Colombia, a diferencia de lo que había sido en gobiernos anteriores, se centró en una reforma laboral necesaria para el pueblo ante la necesidad de igualdad social", aseguró Iván Cepeda, senador del Polo Democrático Alternativo a Cara o Ceca. "Entre los principales cambios, la reforma incluye límites a la jornada laboral, pago de horas extras en días festivos y derechos para sectores históricamente excluidos como trabajadores de mensajería, empleadas domésticas, periodistas y artistas", señaló. "Según estadísticas de organismos internacionales, Colombia es uno de los países con mayor desigualdad en el planeta. Esta reforma es una deuda que el Poder Ejecutivo tiene con la sociedad desde hace más de 30 años". Cepeda también destacó el papel de los medios de comunicación en el tratamiento del tema: "Es importante el papel de los medios como Sputnik. Aquí en Colombia no vemos medios de comunicación, vemos corporaciones con distintos intereses. Ahora estamos en la discusión sobre la reforma laboral, donde marcan claramente su línea editorial". El Gobierno argentino permite la posesión de armas semiautomáticas. El Ejecutivo ha vuelto a permitir la compra y posesión de armas semiautomáticas por parte de civiles, una posibilidad que estaba prohibida desde 1995, durante la presidencia de Carlos Menem. La medida modifica un decreto anterior, pero no implica un acceso libre o incontrolado. "No será más fácil adquirir un arma de fuego porque los controles siguen y son más estrictos que antes. Hoy en día, la digitalización significa que, si compras armas o municiones, se informa automáticamente a tu historial de documentación oficial y si cometes un delito, automáticamente te quitan el armamento. Además, para acceder se necesitan presentar determinados requisitos". "Lo que cambia es que ahora la Agencia Nacional de Materiales Controlados determina si otorga o no los permisos, sale del Ministerio de Defensa y va por otro carril", concluyó.

Militants, social organizations, and unions demonstrated in support of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and in repudiation of her criminal conviction for fraudulent administration to six years in house arrest and perpetual political disqualification. Separately, Pedro Sánchez is against the ropes due to corruption in the leadership of the PSOE. The city of Buenos Aires saw its activities interrupted by the massive march in support of the former president. The mayor of the Buenos Aires town of Ensenada, Mario Secco, emphasized that "what is happening in Argentine Justice is shameful" and added: "This has a very important institutional gravity, which goes beyond whether you like Cristina Kirchner or not. The Judicial Power got involved to resolve a political issue. That is very bad for the country and for the region." For his part, political analyst Pablo Cano analyzed the repercussions of the historic ruling in Cara o ceca. "Cristina never left the social dialogue. She even listened to non-politicized people concerned about what is happening. We are facing an event that shakes common sense." "This is a singular moment. Peronism was experiencing a leadership crisis. Although this unites them more, they still have the same problem, there is no leadership of the party. It will be defined with the closing of lists in the next legislative elections in the province of Buenos Aires," he added. Pedro Sánchez, cornered by corruption in the leadership of the PSOE The Spanish president apologized after a report by the Civil Guard was made public that detected wiretaps involving the socialist deputy and organization secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Santos Cerdán, as part of a corruption scheme where he charged commissions for the delivery of public works. "What is happening in Spain is something habitual. A similar case made the previous Government jump and that is why Pedro Sánchez assumed. Now a case like this appears, but in the hands of two people who are part of the ruling party. Sánchez had no choice but to ask them to resign and show, in a sad way, how his advisors betrayed him," said Germa Capdevila, a journalist from Spain, in Cara o ceca. "The investigation is in the hands of Justice. If the heavyweights of the Socialist Party begin to fall, the electoral pressure will become unsustainable for Sánchez," he continued.

El presidente Javier Milei y la ministra de Seguridad Patricia Bullrich presentaron cambios en la Policía Federal dando más libertad de acción para investigar y detener sospechosos. Estos controles poblacionales masivos dirigidos a un sector particular con sesgo discriminatorio ya se han realizado sin éxito porque no modifican dinámicas delictivas, dijo Victoria Darraidou del CELS. Cristina Kirchner es una de las personas más influyentes del país. Tras el dictamen del Tribunal aceptando la prisión domiciliaria a Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, condenada a seis años e inhabilitación perpetua, el Partido Justicialista convocó a una marcha en Plaza de Mayo. No hubo persecución política y se realizaron las instancias suficientes para juzgarla, sostuvo Hernán Reyes de la Coalición Cívica. Reyes destacó que la expresidenta es una de las personas más influyentes del país aunque eso no la exime de haber cometido un delito y que la condena sea justa.

Presidential candidates, a cold wave, US travel restrictions, the Israel-Iran war, a firearms smuggling ring, fuel scarcity, Mzuzu demonstrations, and much more!Thanks for tuning in!Let us know what you think and what we can improve on by emailing us at [email protected]. You can also contact us on Instagram @rorshok_malawi or Twitter @RorshokMalawiLike what you hear? Subscribe, share, and tell your buds.Rorshok Ocean Update Job Description: https://rorshok.com/updates/ocean/writer/We want to get to know you! Please fill in this mini-survey: https://forms.gle/NV3h5jN13cRDp2r66Wanna avoid ads and help us financially? Follow the link: https://bit.ly/rorshok-donate

The court decision on granting house arrest to the former Argentine president is awaited, while social and trade union organizations are preparing a support march. In other news, Evo Morales' supporters suspended road blockades in Bolivia after the death of six people. The former Argentine president awaits notification before appearing in court, but Peronist leaders are preparing a mobilization for Wednesday the 18th. "It will be a demonstration of the people's resistance to what is happening in our country. We have an unbalanced Justice system," said Ricardo Peidró, deputy secretary general of the Central de Trabajadores de la Argentina Autónoma (CTA-A), in Cara o ceca. "There are unions in our central that have called a strike to facilitate access for colleagues, so that all the people can go to stop the power of the Justice system and the Executive, which constantly violate the Constitution," he added. Evo Morales' supporters suspended road blockades in Bolivia after the death of six people. The protesters supporting the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, who have been demanding the resignation of the current president, Luis Arce, for two weeks, announced a "humanitarian pause" in their road blockades, demanding an international investigation into the violent clashes with the police that left six dead. "The blockades have two motivations: one is economic, which has to do with the supply of fuel and food, and the other is a political-electoral demand. Concentrated in some municipalities of the country, they seek to enable Morales as a candidate for the next elections," said Bolivian political analyst Marcelo Arequipa in Cara o ceca.

Carlos Pagni's analysis on Argentine Odyssey aired on LN+ on June 16, 2025.