🇦🇷 Argentina Episodes

The Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) added 52 million dollars and completed 19 consecutive days of purchases. The objective aims to strengthen international reserves, which reached their highest level in almost four years. The accumulation of foreign currency was also boosted by the rise in the international price of gold. “The Government is only now accumulating reserves but is on a very tight schedule. We depend one hundred percent on the support of [Donald] Trump and [Scott] Bessent. Today they are our oxygen tank,” Gabriel Rubinstein, former Argentine Deputy Minister of Economy, said on Cara o Ceca.

According to the Central Bank, delinquency in household financing reached 8.8% of the total portfolio, the highest level since 2010. The data reflects the growing difficulties in sustaining consumption in a context of tight incomes, even with decelerating inflation. “This phenomenon is indebtedness that complicates taking on credit and compromises daily consumption. There is extensive use of credit cards and many families constantly seek out offers as an aid to access everyday consumer products. This situation persists despite decelerating inflation,” explained Isaac Rudnik, an economist and consumption specialist, in a conversation with Cara o Ceca.

The Argentine president visited the seaside city of Mar del Plata to speak at a conservative event, visited an ice cream factory, and sang on stage during the show of his ex-partner Fátima Flórez. “When Milei comes to the city, he finds support for his project. This event aims to publicize our way of seeing the State. The speakers present this project, which is even superior to the president's. Several participants proposed measures in different areas such as security and the State, to be a freer country,” Emiliano Recalt, president of the General Pueyrredón Deliberative Council and of La Libertad Avanza, stated on Cara o Ceca.

Sugar prices, talks on minimum wages, the new RBM governor, fewer VP powers, optional payments in government hospitals, violence in schools, 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.“Is The President Undermining VP Office” by The Nyasa Times: https://www.nyasatimes.com/analysis-stripped-of-power-in-100-days-who-is-afraid-of-jane-ansah/ What Is Napolo?: https://africanarguments.org/2023/08/a-mythical-giant-snake-is-helping-raise-climate-awareness-in-malawi/Check out our new t-shirts: https://rorshok.store/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 topic was included on the agenda of the extraordinary sessions of Congress that will begin on February 2, and seeks to modify the Juvenile Criminal Regime to lower the age of criminal responsibility for minors. “We seek to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 and to consider a special regime defined by special principles and the creation of detention centers. The reform targets murders, serious crimes. It’s an infinitesimal amount in the total number of homicides, but the victim must be protected,” stated María Cecilia Ibañez, a deputy from La Libertad Avanza, in a conversation with Una mañana por descubrir.

Joseph Humire meets with the Ecuadorian Government as part of the joint regional security strategy, to discuss the border situation with Colombia. Previously, Daniel Noboa imposed tariffs on his neighbor, alluding to the proliferation of drug trafficking groups in the border area. "Noboa flatters Trump at the expense of regional alliances; the influence of the US in that country is evident. In this sense, he always targets Petro, he is very critical. At this moment, Ecuador is taking advantage of the easing of its energy crisis to carry out this confrontation," commented Colombian journalist Diego Aretz on Cara o Ceca. "The second in command of Defense [of the US] is in Ecuador talking about border operations, in a context of threat to the region. The US said it does not rule out a ground incursion in South America. This topic will be on the table in Petro's meeting with Trump," he added. 29 years after the murder of the journalist who portrayed Argentine power José Luis Cabezas was burned to death in the summer of 1997 for having photographed Alberto Yabrán a year earlier, an businessman linked to the then Argentine president, Carlos Menem. "Yabrán was the power behind the power. He did business against the State, associated with the Government itself. He wanted to remain anonymous, as it helped him continue with those businesses. José Luis gave a face to that enigmatic character," affirmed Gabriel Michi, journalist and colleague of Cabezas. He is the author of the book Cabezas. A Journalist. A Crime. A Country.

Javier Milei returned to the country and faces the challenge of articulating with the provinces to advance his reform agenda without having his own majorities in Congress. The relationship relies on permanent negotiation, where fiscal adjustment, revenue sharing, public works, and legislative support function as axes of exchange. “The Government has just obtained the full support of the governor of Entre Ríos [Rogelio Refrigerio] to approve the labor reform in exchange for the resources owed by the Nation arriving,” stated Juan Pablo Scattini, a political analyst from Entre Ríos.

In a context of growing tensions, Gabriel Merino, a doctor in Social Sciences, visited Radio Sputnik's studios and analyzed global power disputes. "We are in a transition of world power, which we can compare to the process experienced in 1910-1914 and 1945-1949, which was the British crisis. Today we see this in the US. Asia is taking on a new leading role, and we see the end of two centuries of Western hegemony, Western Europe and the US,” said Merino on Cara o Ceca, author of "Our America, the US and China. Geopolitical Transition of the World System."

The trade agreement between both blocs, signed on Saturday the 17th in Paraguay, was remitted to the Court of Justice of the European Union to evaluate its compatibility with community treaties. This measure paralyzes the ratification process and delays the pact's entry into force by up to two years, awaiting the judicial ruling. "It's bad news, it's a challenge made by the Parliament to avoid voting on it. It requested the Court of Justice to investigate whether the European Commission's procedure was correct. What it did is a mischievous trick, it's buying time,” said Ignacio Bartesaghi on Cara o Ceca, Doctor in International Relations and director of the Institute of International Business at the Catholic University of Uruguay.

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The Argentine president has already arrived in Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum. On Wednesday the 21st, he will deliver a speech in one of the Forum's central sessions before world leaders. Despite expectations of a formal meeting with Donald Trump, it is not scheduled on the official agenda. “The focus is on who can lend him money to refinance debt and not on attracting investments. Although Milei has a good relationship with the highest sectors of the economy, he acts for them, investment in Argentina is not growing,” explained Gabriel Puricelli, a political analyst, on Cara o Ceca.

The Loma Campana area in Vaca Muerta, the oldest in the Neuquén field, is the first to exceed 100,000 barrels per day. The production growth is due to a network of nearly 750 wells currently in production. "It is a leading area managed by YPF and Chevron. In terms of production, there is a total capacity of 800 million barrels, and each of them is valued at between 60 and 70 dollars. This means that the income could range around 50 billion dollars; we are talking about an economic impact that would exceed the investment fivefold," said Yamil Quispe, an Argentine energy consultant, in an interview with Cara o Ceca.

The Russian president held talks with both Benjamin Netanyahu and Masoud Pezeshkian to address the Iranian situation and regional stability, amidst demonstrations in Tehran and threats from Donald Trump. "Putin must put out Washington's fires. He is the one with a direct line to Tehran and Tel Aviv; in Israel's case, it's long-standing due to the presence of a large Russian Jewish population. Diplomatic efforts must be coordinated. In turn, Israel must not cross the line with Iran to provoke and attack again," declared Marcelo Montes, a doctor in International Relations, in an interview with Cara o Ceca. In this context, Putin also spoke by phone with Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva regarding the situation in Venezuela. "Putin uses his diplomatic role considering Brazil's presence in BRICS. That call shows the relevance of being in that group and in order to contrast what the US does," he added. "The conversation revolved around how to preserve Venezuela's sovereignty, which was what concerned both of them most. Anything that happens there has an indirect effect on Brazil," he concluded.

MEP Joao Oliveira, of the Portuguese Communist Party, criticized the direction of the bloc and its leaders, who, as he stated in 'Cara o Ceca', "serve the USA". "The EU's position is miserable. We have seen statements of submission towards the USA, a country that violated Venezuela's sovereignty and kidnapped its president to seize its resources. The EU does not condemn this, and it is not acceptable," said Oliveira. This Saturday the 17th, the EU-Mercosur agreement will finally be signed, against which European farmers have staged multiple demonstrations because they consider it a threat to their primary production. "We are trying to prevent the process from moving forward because we know it is very detrimental to workers, the people, and the sovereignty of countries. It will be discussed in the plenary session of the European Parliament so that the agreement can be blocked and not applied," emphasized the MEP. "The procedure to approve this agreement was not democratic, and that is why we want to stop it," he concluded.

Donald Trump's intentions to annex the territory agitated the islanders, embroiled in a geopolitical dispute, as they have long been claiming their sovereignty. Island officials stated they were willing to admit a greater NATO deployment to de-escalate tensions generated from Washington. "This situation is not pleasant. The people of Greenland have been seeking independence for many, many years, and for the US to now come and want to do it, they don't like it at all. They are afraid," said Facundo Triay, an Argentinian living in Greenland, on Cara o Ceca.

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The Minister of Interior, Diego Santilli, was entrusted with the task of weaving and strengthening the alliances of the Casa Rosada to achieve congressional approval of the labor reform. For this purpose, he met with the governor of Chaco, Leandro Zdero, and will meet with the governor of La Pampa, Sergio Zillioto, an opponent of Javier Milei. "A very complicated 2026 could be coming for the governors. The provinces have been receiving fewer transfers due to the drop in national revenue, and that's why Santilli is going to negotiate with them," said Carlos Fara, a political analyst, on Cara o Ceca.

The Argentine president recognized the work of those fighting the flames in the south of the country, which devastated 15,000 hectares. “Nothing is more heroic than risking your life to save others,” he wrote on his social media. "There are permanent fire outbreaks. With yesterday's rain, there's a better working environment, it allows for progress but not enough to celebrate as some officials did. The fire is complex and will be around for a long time," said Alejo Fardjoume, a National Parks worker for 20 years, on Cara o Ceca.

Extreme weather conditions, with a historic drought, high temperatures and wind, hinder the fight against the flames advancing towards populated areas of Chubut province. There are already more than 3,000 evacuees, and thousands of hectares burned. "The situation is extremely serious, with more than 4,000 areas affected. During the early hours of the morning, the situation became more uncontrollable: there is no rain, we have a lot of wind, and all of that causes the fire to spread," said environmental journalist Agustina Grosso on Cara o Ceca. "The governor of Chubut [Ignacio Torres] confirmed that these fires are intentional," she stated. "Since last year, there have been mobilizations by environmental organizations, concerned about the removal of the anti-fire fund. Since Javier Milei took office, the budget has been shrinking, and the government's expectation is that fewer and fewer resources will be executed," she concluded. The Council of the European Union approved the agreement with Mercosur after 25 years of negotiations The 27 member states of the European Union reached a qualified majority. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be able to fly to Paraguay and initial the signing on Monday the 12th. However, the agreement will not immediately enter into force, as the European side also needs the approval of the European Parliament, which must issue a pronouncement within several weeks. "For Mercosur's industrial sectors, this agreement is a very big challenge due to competitiveness. In South America, there is already a lot of competition from imported products from China. But it is a long-term possibility to minimize the impact of the fragmentation of world trade," said Robson Carloch Valdez, a doctor in International Strategic Studies, on Cara o Ceca. On the other hand, Adrian Zelaia, a Spanish political analyst and director of the EKAI GROUP consultancy, affirmed that the European economic situation is in a process of decline. "The problem is mainly in the primary sector. For this reason, the EU is looking in different directions to obtain complementary resources and overcome the crisis."

The death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good triggered mobilizations in Minnesota's largest city. Donald Trump justified the police action and accused her of trying to run over the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. "ICE is very violent. The woman was in her truck and, in an exchange of words with the agent, tried to leave and they started shooting at her," Danny Shaw, a political analyst and professor at the City University of New York, said on Cara o Ceca. "As a result of this, there will be more public resistance, and that will lead to more repression. Nationally, there is a strong response against the continued violence of ICE. The woman who died is a hero; she died for a noble cause," he added. Investigations against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) are progressing A new criminal complaint is scrutinizing the AFA president, Claudio Chiqui Tapia, for alleged irregularities in international contracts that included 30% commissions. The Judiciary must decide whether to add this complaint to the existing case or open a separate file. "Tapia and Pablo Toviggino [AFA Treasurer] are at the center of the stage. Both had previously built power and were aware of the intricacies of football politics," Carlos Aira, a sports journalist, stated on Cara o Ceca.