Argentina's Upper House Approves Milele's Labor Overhauls Amid Mass Potesta

Argentina’s Upper House Approves Milei’s Labor Overhaul Amid Mass Protests ARGENTINA Argentina Argentina’s Senate on Thursday approved President Javier Milei’s sweeping labor reforms bill after a marathon debate amid mass protests outside Congress, handing the libertarian leader a crucial victory in his economic overhaul program, the Associated Press reported. In a 42-30 vote, senators backed the bill after 13 hours of debate, sending it to the lower house for further discussion next month, where amendments could still be introduced or reversed. The reforms – considered central to Milei’s shock therapy program – expose deep political and social divisions over workers’ rights and economic policy. The changes will lower employers’ costs, ease severance obligations and extend trial periods for new hires. The reforms will also curb the right to strike and allow collective bargaining at the company level. Milei’s administration made 28 concessions to secure support, including removing a proposal to lower employers’ income taxes that would have reduced provincial revenue, according to Bloomberg. Some provisions that threatened union finances were also watered down. The vo

Colombia: Prosecutors To Charge National Oil Company Chief For Corruption In Probe Linked To President

Colombian Prosecutors to Charge National Oil Company Chief for Corruption in Probe Linked to President COLOMBIA Colombia Colombia’s attorney general will file corruption charges against the president of the national oil company Ecopetrol for alleged violations of campaign spending limits when he was running Gustavo Petro’s 2022 presidential campaign, the Associated Press reported. The state oil company’s president, Ricardo Roa, managed Petro’s finances during his ultimately successful bid to become Colombia’s first leftist president four years ago. He was appointed a year later to lead the oil company. Prosecutors said on Monday that they had evidence that Roa helped the Petro campaign illegally exceed spending limits. Authorities are also investigating him for alleged influence peddling linked to the purchase of an apartment in Bogotá from an oil executive, Bloomberg reported. They also allege that Roa steered Ecopetrol contracts to the executive’s firm in exchange for the apartment. Roa has denied the allegations. Even so, Colombia’s National Electoral Council fined him and two other campaign administrators for funding Petro’s campaign with money from illegal sources and exceeding spending limits by more than $1.4 million. The controversy surrounding Petro’s presidential campaign began in 2023, when a lawyer representing a government contractor with alleged ties to a paramilitary group said his client donated thousands of dollars to the campaign. That same year, Petro’s son, Nicolás Petro, told prosecutors that his father’s campaign had used money from a former drug trafficker. Nicolás is currently under investigation for money laundering. The president has denied the accusations and labeled them as part of an effort to undermine his administration. Roa’s investigation comes as Colombians are heading to the polls later this year to elect a new president and Congress. Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.

U.S. Military Is Doing Something HUGE with Cuba

Venezuela Leader Approves Privatization Of Oil, Proposes Amnesty Bill

Venezuelan Leader Approves Privatization of Oil, Proposes Amnesty Bill VENEZUELA Venezuela Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez this week approved a law that would open the country’s oil sector to private investment, acceding to the US’ demands less than a month after the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro in a US military attack, the Associated Press reported. The law ends the two-decade Venezuelan state monopoly over the country’s oil sector. The approval prompted the US to lift certain sanctions on Venezuela, with the aim of luring foreign capital to revive output from the world’s largest proven crude reserves. The shift marks a sharp departure from policies under former president Hugo Chávez, who used oil windfalls to fund expansive social programs. But falling oil prices, mismanagement and later US sanctions eroded production and profits, leading to a deep economic crisis by 2013. Separately, Rodríguez on Friday unveiled a general amnesty bill that could free hundreds of political prisoners, in another move to advance a cautious reset with Washington, CBS News reported. The proposal has long been sought by the US-backed opposition, with its leader María Corina Machado saying the bill was not announced “voluntarily, but rather in response to pressure from the US government.” Rodríguez said that the ruling party-controlled parliament would take up the bill and framed the measure as an effort to “heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism.” The government has not published the text of the bill, prompting questions about who is eligible under the general amnesty. The proposed legislation would cover “the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present,” according to Rodríguez. It would not apply to individuals convicted of murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations. Rodríguez also announced the closure of Helicoide, a Caracas detention center long linked to torture allegations, saying it would be converted into a sports and cultural complex. According to the Venezuelan-based human rights group Foro Penal, around 711 people remain detained for political activities. Since Maduro’s capture, Caracas has released more than 300 detainees, according to the watchdog group. On Saturday, Laura Dogu, the chief US diplomat to Venezuela, traveled to Caracas to meet Venezuelan officials, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reopen the US embassy there for the first time in nearly seven years, CNN wrote. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said upcoming talks were aimed at charting a roadmap on bilateral issues and resolving differences “through diplomatic dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect and international law.”

Venezuela Has Had Enough Of US Orders

Venezuela Has Had ‘Enough’ of US Orders VENEZUELA Venezuela Venezuelan officials said they are tired of taking orders from Washington, amid mounting pressure from the US administration to loosen state controls on the oil industry, the Independent reported Monday. “Enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela,” said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez during a Sunday speech to address oil workers in Puerto La Cruz. “Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and internal conflicts. Enough of foreign powers.” Her comments came weeks after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid, an operation that plunged the country into political uncertainty and prompted President Donald Trump to initially say the United States was “going to run” Venezuela. Trump later backed Rodríguez to assume office as interim leader. Rodríguez said Caracas would address disputes “face to face” with Washington and insisted the government was focused on guaranteeing “peace and stability,” Xinhua reported Sunday. She also called for talks with Venezuela’s opposition to reach “agreements” on the country’s political future, saying there must be “no political or partisan differences when it comes to peace in Venezuela,” added the Independent. Despite the rhetoric, Maduro loyalists have expressed concern after Venezuela’s legislature last week began debating a measure that would loosen state control of the oil sector, the first such move since the late president Hugo Chávez nationalized parts of the industry in 2007. The proposed legislation would allow private companies to operate oil fields independently, collect cash revenues and use international arbitration for disputes. The shift appears aimed at easing US pressure and attracting foreign investment, according to the Wall Street Journal. This follows a confirmation by the Trump administration earlier this month of the first sale of Venezuelan oil, raising $500 million. The proceeds are being sequestered in Qatar – rather than US or Venezuelan banks – an arrangement intended to prevent creditors from accessing the funds while allowing money to begin flowing back to Venezuela, CNN noted. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the proceeds would fund government operations, security and food provisions, with Venezuelan banks already advertising cash availability. Meanwhile, the political thaw has coincided with the release of detainees. On Sunday, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal confirmed the release of 104 political prisoners, adding to earlier releases, and bringing the government’s total to 626 freed since December, according to France 24. Opposition groups and rights organizations have welcomed the releases but criticized their slow pace, even as Rodríguez’s government says a “large number” of remaining prisoners will be freed.

Bolivia: Strikes Escalate After Government and Union Fair to reach Agreement

Strikes in Bolivia to Escalate after Government and Union Fail to Reach an Agreement BOLIVIA Bolivia Negotiations between Bolivia’s government and organized labor collapsed over the weekend, intensifying a two-week standoff over fuel subsidy cuts as unions warned of a “national revolution,” MercoPress reported. On Friday, talks between the administration of President Rodrigo Paz and the Bolivian Workers’ Union (COB) broke down after both sides accused each other of inflexibility over Supreme Decree 5503, which ended fuel subsidies and triggered major price hikes. Union leaders abandoned calls for limited roadblocks and said the country faced escalating unrest, with more than 50 blockades reported nationwide. COB Executive Secretary Mario Argollo said the government had refused to repeal what he called an unconstitutional decree that threatened workers’ rights. He accused the administration of betraying rural and labor voters and likened the measure to Bolivia’s 1985 Supreme Decree 21060, which ushered in sweeping neoliberal reforms. The government rejected that account, countering that COB made a U-turn on provisions previously agreed, including minimum wage increases and bonuses included in the decree. Officials claimed union leaders returned to talks with an “unacceptable” ultimatum to completely repeal the decree. They have asked the COB to submit objections in writing to avoid further “misinterpretations.” Paz and his officials have stressed that the subsidy cuts are necessary to restore public finances and correct fiscal distortions. Deputy Minister of Autonomies Andrea Barrientos said the government plans to amend 35 articles of the decree to add procedural clarifications, including constitutional safeguards and social oversight, but without restoring subsidies. The weekslong strikes have caused economic losses of up to $100 million a day, according to the government, citing disruptions to industry, commerce and transport. Meanwhile, the decree has also escalated a political confrontation between Paz and Vice President Edmand Lara, ... [Message clipped] View entire message

Venezuela: The Leadership Changes but Nothing Else

In Venezuela, the Leadership Changes But Little Else Does VENEZUELA Venezuela In the hours after the US removal of leader Nicolás Maduro, some Venezuelans allowed themselves to hope. A few laughed and cheered. Others cried in relief. Some even popped the champagne they were saving for a very special occasion. But a day later, that joy and relief were replaced by fear, dread and uncertainty as the country’s new leader escalated a crackdown on dissent. “It feels like it did after the presidential elections in 2024,” María, 55, told the Washington Post, referring to the vote that Maduro allegedly stole from the opposition. “We won, but we also lost.” On Jan. 3, the US attacked Venezuela and seized Maduro and his wife, transporting them to stand trial in the US for drug trafficking and other charges. Soon after, US President Donald Trump said Washington would “run” the country. But on the ground in the days since, there is little evidence of that, say Venezuelans. Instead, all the players of the old Maduro regime are still running the country. “There is no change at all,” Francys Machucas, a banking adviser in Caracas, told the Wall Street Journal. “We are going to remain in the same situation because it’s the same people.” What did change after the Jan. 5 swearing in of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president was the intensity of a long-running crackdown on free expression and dissent. Venezuelans say her administration has unleashed police and pro-government paramilitary units known as “colectivos” on the population. For the past week, these units have set up checkpoints and roamed the streets, looking for supporters of the US action and opponents of the regime. They have been doing so under a new decree, imposed immediately after Maduro’s ouster, which ordered police to arrest anyone “involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack by the United States of America.” The decree suspended the right to protest and authorized broad restrictions on movement and assembly. The government also detained more than a dozen journalists last week. Venezuelans say now, the atmosphere is tense and full of fear, with people afraid even to speak over the phone. “We’re all tapped,” one Venezuelan resident told El País. “It’s very difficult. You say something and they arrest you.” Venezuela is on pause now, said the Spanish newspaper. It described Venezuelans as “Afraid to go out into the street, to speak out, to run out of food, (to get) bombed again.” Maduro supporters, meanwhile, are furious, taking to the streets daily to protest since the president’s ouster. Rosa Contreras, a 57-year-old, says she felt “humiliated” by the US action but was determined to show her support for the former leader by attending a rally calling for Maduro’s release, especially after she saw an image of him waving after arriving in the US. “He had an attitude that sent us a message: If I’m standing here, you have to stand here, stand tall and keep going,” she told the BBC. Meanwhile, there has been no mention of elections by either Trump or the Venezuelan government, although the country’s constitution mandates that a vote must take place within 30 days of the presidency being permanently vacated, the Associated Press noted. Still, Rodríguez maintains that the rightful president of Venezuela is Maduro. At the same time, there has been little mention of the opposition or its leader, Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado, taking over as the country’s president, with Trump insisting that she “doesn’t have the support” within Venezuela, the Hill noted. Machado is the country’s most popular politician. In contrast, Machado praised the US action and told Fox News that “It’s a huge step toward a democratic transition.” The opposition leader, who was in hiding in Venezuela for nearly a year but escaped the country last month, is expected to meet with Trump next week after offering to “share” her Nobel Prize with him. Phil Gunson of the International Crisis Group told NPR that the current government will fight to the death to prevent a democratic transition. “The biggest threat is an outbreak of democracy,” he said. “This is kryptonite for these people. Democracy will see them thrown out.” Along with the political uncertainty, Venezuelans also wondered what would happen economically if the US took over the country’s oil production as Trump has promised to do. For the past decade, Venezuelans have endured hyperinflation in the triple digits, shortages of food and medicine and the collapse of public services. About one-quarter of the population has fled the country. The economy has collapsed, say analysts, likening it to countries that have been through a war. Alexandra Arismendi, who works in a mobile phone shop at the Sambil mall in one of Caracas’s busiest shopping districts, told Al Jazeera she was frustrated with the most recent spikes in the cost of daily essentials. “Prices are high,” she said. “A carton of eggs is selling for $10, which is beyond normal.” Still, some Venezuelans have hope that things will change after the fall of Maduro, and that they will be able to speak freely and choose their own leaders in free elections. “I can’t deny that the future makes me anxious,” Daniel, a gardener who lives just outside of the capital, Caracas, told NBC News. “But I do trust that change can happen from now on.”