International
Argentine President fires seven thousand government workers
December 27 |
Within the package package of the Argentine President Javier Milei that labor centers and unions reject, 7,000 government employees are expected to be dismissed, through a decree that vetoes the renewal of state workers’ contracts.
The determination is part of the new economic adjustment plan with which the President wants to put the Argentine economy back on track, since among the measures has been the dissolution of nine ministries. The total number of layoffs corresponds to all personnel hired during the current year.
The provision will reach the workers of the National Administration of Social Security (ANSES), the Program of Integral Medical Attention (PAMI) and the Federal Administration of Public Revenues (AFIP).
At a press conference, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni indicated that public contracts discharged in 2023 that end next December 31 will not be renewed in 2024, while the rest will enter into a ninety-day review process.
With respect to social plans, the Argentine Executive will initiate the audit of more than one million social plans and foresees, based on the estimates of judicial investigations, that 160,000 beneficiaries could be receiving these benefits in an “irregular” manner.
According to the spokesman, these plans would have a total value of 10 billion Argentine pesos (12.45 million dollars). “Argentines should not be in charge of this money,” Adorni emphasized.
The order issued also includes that the employees hired before January 1, 2023 will only be renewed for a period of 90 days, since the objective is that the authorities of each jurisdiction “carry out an exhaustive survey of the hired personnel in order to evaluate the renewal” of their labor relationship with the Argentine Government.
On this day, the Argentine Congress starts extraordinary sessions called by the ultra-liberal President Milei to debate complementary laws to a mega-decree of economic deregulation resisted by the opposition and the labor unions, which are asking the courts to declare it unconstitutional.
“The deputies and senators will have to choose between accompanying the change that the people have voted for or continue obstructing and putting sticks in the wheel”, said Adorni in a press conference.
The complementary package to be debated by Congress until January 31 includes reforms to taxation, electoral law and the functions of the State.
International
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero,” on Monday during a naval operation in the western state of Nayarit, delivering another major blow to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Flores was considered one of the top regional leaders within the cartel and had reportedly overseen criminal operations along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to slain drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera.
The arrest was carried out by Mexico’s Navy Special Forces in a planned operation, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
The United States Department of the Treasury had previously identified Flores as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” while U.S. authorities offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and extradition.
A U.S. grand jury indicted Flores in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
His capture comes months after the reported death of “El Mencho,” an operation that Mexican authorities considered a priority due to the cartel leader’s alleged involvement in a 2020 assassination attempt against García Harfuch.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
Guatemala’s President to Hold Private Interviews for Attorney General Candidates
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America4 days agoGuatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
-
International4 days agoPope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
-
International3 days agoU.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
-
International3 days agoU.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
-
International2 days agoSuspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
-
International5 hours agoMexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
-
Central America5 hours agoGuatemala’s President to Hold Private Interviews for Attorney General Candidates