International

Argentina names new economy minister after surprise resignation

AFP

Argentina appointed economist Silvina Batakis as its new economy minister Sunday after Martin Guzman, the architect of a debt restructuring deal with the IMF, unexpectedly resigned.

President Alberto Fernandez appointed the 53-year-old Batakis, “a renowned economist” who was economy minister for Buenos Aires province from 2011 to 2015, the president’s spokesperson announced on Twitter.

The center-left leader had held consultations all day Sunday to find a replacement for Guzman, who was tasked with renegotiating a $44 billion debt with the International Monetary Fund that Argentina insisted it could not afford to repay.

The original debt of $57 billion — the last tranche of which Fernandez declined after succeeding his liberal predecessor Mauricio Macri, who had solicited the loan — was the largest ever issued by the IMF.

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Guzman was praised for having stopped Argentina, Latin America’s third-largest economy, from defaulting with the deal finalized in March.

But he was regularly challenged by the Peronist Justicialist Party, the major force in the Frente de Todos (Everyone’s Front) ruling coalition, embodied by the still-influential Cristina Kirchner, the country’s vice president and president from 2007 to 2015.

Batakis’ appointment appears to be a signal of growing power of Kirchner’s faction in the center-left coalition.

She was economy minister for Buenos Aires province, with a 15 million-strong population, under then-governor Daniel Scioli.

Scioli was vice president under president Nestor Kirchner, and close to his wife, Cristina Kirchner.

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In addition to commitments to the IMF deal, which included provisions to contain inflation and reduce the budget deficit from three percent in 2021 to parity by 2025, Batakis will have to contend with chronic inflation.

Agricultural powerhouse Argentina has been in economic crisis for years, with inflation of more than 60 percent in the last 12 months.

International

Habeas Corpus at risk as Trump team eyes drastic border policy shift

The White House is reportedly considering suspending habeas corpus, the legal principle that protects individuals against arbitrary detention, as part of its efforts to escalate anti-immigration measures in the United States.

In remarks to reporters, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, argued that the U.S. Constitution allows the suspension of habeas corpus “in times of invasion.”

“It’s an option we are actively considering, and it all depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not,” Miller stated.

The Trump administration has frequently invoked the notion of a “migrant invasion” to justify actions such as the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border and the deportation of foreign nationals—primarily Venezuelans—to El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison.

International

Maduro to Xi: Venezuela is a loyal friend to China

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during a meeting held in Moscow on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in World War II, that China has “loyal friends” in the Caribbean nation.

“You know that in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela you have loyal friends and people willing to continue working for a new world,” said the South American leader, according to footage aired Friday by Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV.

Maduro, accompanied by several of his ministers including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, highlighted the “great results” of a 2023 agreement between China and Venezuela called the “All-Weather and All-Round Strategic Partnership.”

“I believe we can multiply the great results we’re already seeing, and I’m sure that strong and clear guidelines will emerge from this meeting to keep moving forward together,” Maduro added.

International

Iberojet reaffirms commitment to Honduras as Central American Hub

Spanish airline Iberojet and Palmerola International Airport, located in central Honduras, signed a three-year renewal of their exclusive agreement to operate direct flights between the Honduran terminal and the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

With this renewal, Iberojet—part of the Spanish tourism group Ávoris Corporación Empresarial—reaffirms its commitment to Honduras as its main gateway to Central America from Europe.

The agreement was signed by Iberojet’s Commercial Director, Mario Domínguez, and Erick Spears, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Palmerola.

The signing ceremony took place at the residence of the Spanish Ambassador to Honduras, Diego Nuño García, who served as an honorary witness.