On Thursday, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), Argentina’s largest trade union federation, held a 24-hour general strike to protest against right-wing President Javier Milei’s austerity policies.
The strike, supported by the Argentine Workers’ Central Union (CTA) and 50 nationally significant unions, demands better wage conditions in response to the ongoing economic crisis.
The wave of protests began last Wednesday, with several unions joining a demonstration led by retirees who have been protesting weekly for years in front of Congress, demanding improved conditions.
The protest took place without incident under a heavy security presence and drew thousands of workers from various unions.
The general strike on Thursday severely disrupted transportation across much of the country as well as most essential services.
Railroad workers, Buenos Aires subway employees, and the Taxi Drivers Union confirmed their participation in the strike.
Air transport was almost entirely shut down and air traffic controllers maintained only minimal operations, as their work is considered essential.
The state-run airline Aerolineas Argentinas reported the cancellation of more than 250 flights, affecting over 20,000 passengers.
The Airline Pilots Association (APLA), the Aeronautical Personnel Association (APA), the Union of Senior and Professional Staff of Commercial Airlines (UPSA), and the Association of Technical and Security Employees for Air Navigation (ATEPSA) also confirmed their participation in the strike.
Additionally, public schools and universities were closed throughout Thursday, while the healthcare sector operates with only minimal staffing to attend to emergencies.
There were also no public services at government offices, civil registries, or municipal departments nationwide, and Argentine Post will not deliver mail.
Rubbish collection was suspended on Wednesday night and did not resume until midnight on Friday.
CGT leaders stated during a press conference ahead of the nationwide strike on Wednesday: ‘We are demanding free collective bargaining, the ratification of all collective labour agreements, an emergency increase in all pensions and retirements, the adjustment of the bonus, and an end to the brutal repression of social protests.’
This strike was the third general strike called by the trade union federation since Javier Milei took office in December 2023.
- Meanwhile, in Venezuela the country’s National Assembly approved an Economic Emergency State Decree last Thursday, proposed by President Nicolás Maduro.
The measure, grounded in Article 111 of parliament’s Internal Regulations, aims to implement strategies to strengthen the national economy amid external pressures, particularly sanctions imposed by the United States Trump administration.
Assembly President, Jorge Rodríguez announced the decree’s approval by a majority, confirming it will be sent to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (TSJ) and published in the official government newspaper.
‘This decree is approved and will be forwarded for publication,’ Rodríguez stated.
Deputy José Gregorio Vielma Mora accused foreign powers of ‘stealing’ over $100 billion from Venezuelan resources.
He asserted the decree will diversify the economy, ensure access to medicine and food, and establish alternative payment systems to protect economic sovereignty.
Nicolás Maduro Guerra, another government politician, highlighted the decree’s constitutional legitimacy and benefits for citizens.
He said: ‘This decree supports the people’s interests and advances President Maduro’s economic plan.
During his address at the ninth Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued an urgent call for unity among Latin American and Caribbean nations against a backdrop of global economic destabilisation and the resurgence of old hegemonies.
Lula warned of the threats facing the region and the need for collective action.
The Brazilian leader stressed that Latin America is navigating one of the most critical periods in its history.
In his speech, he emphasised that attempts to restore outdated spheres of influence threaten national autonomy and urged countries to set aside differences to tackle shared challenges.
Lula stated: ‘If we remain divided, we risk becoming mere zones of influence in a new global division among superpowers.
Lula outlined a three-pillar action plan focused on defending democracy, combating climate change, and advancing economic integration.
First, he underscored the importance of safeguarding democratic systems in the region, cautioning against eroding political trust and the rise of authoritarian agendas.
He added: ‘Our nations’ security depends on eradicating hunger and ensuring opportunities for all.’
Secondly, he addressed the urgent need for collective climate action, noting that Latin America and the Caribbean are disproportionately vulnerable to its impacts.
He continued: ‘We must act together to mitigate this threat.
Finally, Lula highlighted the necessity of strengthening economic and trade integration among member states, arguing that a unified regional economy is vital to counter unilateral measures like the tariffs imposed by the US under Donald Trump.
He concluded: ‘Trade wars have no winners.
Lula’s appeal comes at a pivotal moment for the region, where geopolitical and economic tensions demand coordinated, solidarity-driven responses.
According to the leaders of the Latin American countries that organised that summit it ‘marks a crucial platform to redefine Latin America and the Caribbean’s role in the emerging global order’.
- Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has floated the idea of establishing military bases in Panama, during a visit to the Central American country.
In a speech during the Central American Security Conference in Panama City, Hegseth proposed establishing US military bases in Panama, although he stated that such deployment would happen with the consent the Panamanian government.
Hegseth’s proposal included American troops controlling the strategic Panama Canal on a ‘rotational’ basis with Panama’s own armed forces.
The idea, however, was quickly slapped down by the Panamanian government.
‘Panama made clear, through President Mulino that we cannot accept military bases or defence sites,’ said Panama Security Minister Frank Abrego.
Hegseth also called for American warships to be given free passage through the Panama Canal.
His calls for American military presence and special privileges in Panama were accompanied by statements against China, accusing the country of capturing land in Latin America and threatening the region with its military presence.
Tensions between the United States and Panama have risen ever since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term.
The new Trump administration has called for re-establishing American control over the Panama Canal.
This policy has angered Panamanians, who believe that their nation should retain full sovereignty over its territory, which includes the Panama Canal.
The United States had held control over the Panama Canal from 1903 to 1979, but it was opposed by many Panamanian groups.
In 1903 and 1979, Panamanians held many protests against American presence in the country, during which more than 30 civilians were killed by US troops.
The canal was finally returned to Panama in 1979, but the United States later invaded the country in 1985, under the pretext of bringing democracy to the country. The invasion killed over 500 Panamanians.
The United States eventually ceded full control of the canal to Panama in 1999.
- The US Supreme Court has ordered the government to ‘facilitate’ the return of a wrongly deported Salvadorian man, in a decision seen as a small victory against President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was living in the eastern state of Maryland until he became one of more than 200 people sent to a prison in El Salvador last month as part of Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.
Justice Department lawyers later admitted that Garcia, who is married to a United States citizen, was deported due to an ‘administrative error’.
In a decision issued on Thursday, the conservative-majority Supreme Court ordered the government to ‘facilitate’ Garcia’s release from custody in an El Salvador prison ‘and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador’.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, a lawyer for Abrego Garcia, hailed the court’s ruling, saying ‘the rule of law prevailed’.
Garcia had been living in the US under protected legal status since 2019 when a judge ruled he should not be deported
A statement signed by liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson argued there was ‘no basis in law’ for Garcia’s removal to El Salvador.
Human Rights Watch on Friday called on the US government to disclose information about all of the people it has moved to CECOT and allow them contact with the outside world, while denouncing the ‘cruelty’ of the treatment of the deportees by the US and El Salvador governments.
