International

Chaos in Buenos Aires due to the strike of air transport, trains, subway and taxis

The city of Buenos Aires woke up this Wednesday with long lines at bus stops, the only means of transport that operates in the Argentine capital because of a 24-hour strike that affects planes, trains, capital metro (Subte) and taxis.

“I have coordinated with a neighbor to go to work in his car,” Erika, a woman who lives in a suburb of the capital and goes every day to work in the center of the capital, which means, in her case, traveling more than 20 kilometers.

Those who have been able to organize themselves with relatives are arriving at their jobs, but those who depend on public rail transport and live on the peripheries are going through difficulties to reach their destination.

For that reason, many workers have not gone to their posts, as confirmed to EFE by several affected people.

“People who live far away and don’t have a car are staying at home, they are not going to work. Without trains you can’t access the capital,” said a citizen of Buenos Aires.

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Transport sectors on strike demand better wages

In the city of Buenos Aires only urban (collective) buses operate, that’s why the lines since dawn are being the dominant note in this day of strike, to which tomorrow the bus drivers will join if they do not reach an agreement with the authorities before.

The strikers demand living wages, labor improvements and, above all, protest against the cuts of the government of Javier Milei.

The co-owner of the General Workers’ Central (CGT) and general secretary of the Truckers’ Union, Pablo Moyano, said on Tuesday that this strike “will be the beginning of something much more important,” in statements to the AM750 station.

Who is on strike?

The railway unions, which represent train and subway workers, are on strike, so there are no passenger or cargo and goods services on this route.

In the air sector, the Association of Airline Pilots of Argentina (APLA) and the Argentine Association of Airliners (AAA), which groups cabin crew, have joined the strike.

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This action has affected about 30,000 passengers. Consequently, Aeroparque, the airport located in the Argentine capital, is deserted due to an almost total absence of activity.

Many flights have been diverted to Ezeiza International Airport – especially from the low-cost companies Flybondi and JetSmart – where private companies have ramp services and can thus bring down travelers, the TN television network reported.

Aerolíneas Argentinas (state-owned company) informed its customers that they are waiting to verify flight schedule changes and has offered to reschedule their trips without penalty.

The Truckers’ Union has also joined the strike, so the transport of goods has been paralyzed.

Maritime transport was added to the strike and that affects both passengers and cargo.

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Also the taxi drivers of the capital, although in the latter case some vehicles of this guild are seen circulating through the streets of Buenos Aires.

The response of the Government of Milei

“Trade unionists don’t let you work” is the message of Javier Milei’s Government that appears this Wednesday at Retiro station, where trains, subways and buses converge, one of the neuralgic points of transport in Buenos Aires.

This message, but expanded with attacks on trade unionists that he identifies with their surnames, was published on Tuesday in the My Argentina application, aimed at facilitating administrative procedures for citizens and that the Government has used to harangue against the strike.

Also on Tuesday, the presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, said at his usual press conference that those who go on strike are “privileged who seek to harm those who want to work.”

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International

Winter Storm Fern Leaves 30 Dead and Over One Million Without Power Across the U.S.

The massive winter storm Fern, bringing polar temperatures, battered large portions of the United States for a third consecutive day on Monday, leaving at least 30 people dead, more than one million households without electricity, and thousands of flights grounded.

In the Great Lakes region, residents awoke to extreme cold, with temperatures dropping below -20°C. Forecasts indicate that conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days as an Arctic air mass moves south, particularly across the northern Great Plains and other central regions, where wind chills could plunge to -45°C, temperatures capable of causing frostbite within minutes.

Across the country, heavy snowfall exceeding 30 centimeters in roughly 20 states triggered widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.com, nearly 800,000 customers remained without electricity on Monday morning, most of them in the southern United States.

In Tennessee, where ice brought down power lines, approximately 250,000 customers were still without power. Outages also affected more than 150,000 customers in Mississippi and over 100,000 in Louisiana, as utility crews struggled to restore service amid dangerous conditions.

International

Spain approves plan to regularize up to 500,000 migrants in Historic Shift

In November 2024, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a reform of the country’s immigration regulations aimed at regularizing 300,000 migrants per year over a three-year period, in an effort to counter population aging in a country where births have fallen by 25.6% since 2014, according to official data.

Going against the trend in much of Europe, Spain’s left-wing government has now approved an exceptional migrant regularization plan that could benefit up to 500,000 people, most of them from Latin America.

The measure will allow the regularization of around “half a million people” who have been living in Spain for at least five months, arrived before December 31, 2025, and have no criminal record, Migration Minister Elma Saiz explained on public television.

The plan, approved on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, establishes that applications will be processed between April and June 30, enabling beneficiaries to work in any sector and anywhere in the country, Saiz said.

“Today is a historic day for our country. We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, and one that is compatible with economic growth and social cohesion,” the minister later stated at a press conference.

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The socialist government of Pedro Sánchez stands out within the European Union for its migration policy, contrasting with the tightening of immigration measures across much of the bloc amid pressure from far-right movements.

Central America

Honduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election

Conservative politician Nasry Asfura assumed the presidency of Honduras on Tuesday with an agenda closely aligned with the United States, a shift that could strain the country’s relationship with China as he seeks to confront the economic and security challenges facing the poorest and most violent nation in Central America.

Asfura’s rise to power, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, marks the end of four years of left-wing rule and secures Trump another regional ally amid the advance of conservative governments in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.

The 67-year-old former mayor and construction businessman was sworn in during an austere ceremony at the National Congress, following a tightly contested election marred by opposition allegations of fraud and Trump’s threat to cut U.S. aid if his preferred candidate did not prevail.

Grateful for Washington’s support, Asfura—who is of Palestinian descent—traveled to the United States to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to strengthen relations with our most important trading partner,” Asfura said after being declared the winner of the November 30 election by a narrow margin, following a tense vote count that lasted just over three weeks.