#argentina-1985

#argentina-1985

There are politics in my songs, but not propaganda, says the musician, who receives EL PAIS on Wednesday at the Ojala studios in Havana. He speaks of the government's orthodox and closed vision in the economic sphere, and of his commitment to a less rigid socialism.

Cuba's government said Thursday night that it would release 51 people from the island's prisons in an unexpected move. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the release in the upcoming days stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican. The government did not identify who it would release, except to say that 'all have served a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good conduct in prison.'

The board, which had echoes of Ireland's notorious Magdalene laundries, was overseen by Carmen Polo, the wife of the dictator Gen Francisco Franco. Originally founded in 1902 to stamp out sex work, in 1941, two years after the end of the Spanish civil war, its role was extended to clamp down on female behaviour that deviated from norms laid down by the Catholic church.

In his opening address of the parliamentary year, while insulting and mocking opposition legislators, Milei alluded to an alleged conspiracy involving members of his government to try to overthrow him and with a rather unsubtle gesture, he seemed to point to Villarruel, seated behind him.

The Senate approved the so-called labour modernization law on Friday with 42 votes in favour, 28 against and two abstentions, handing the libertarian president one of his most significant legislative wins. Milei's administration argues the changes will spur investment and create formal jobs, while labour unions contend they weaken worker protections.

Luis had been missing for four decades, ever since he disappeared at age 15 during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990). The notice came from a court in Arica, in the far north of Chile, summoning him for failing to vote in the May elections for constitutional councilors, according to records from the Electoral Service (Servel). Under Chile's compulsory voting law, anyone who does not vote must provide a justification; otherwise, they face sanctions.

Taking a taxi in Havana is an increasingly difficult mission, growing more complicated and expensive from one day to the next as drivers run out of the rationed gasoline they receive. When you say taxi, you might find an almendron—a classic car used for public transportation—a gacela—one of the government's yellow minibuses—a cocotaxi—a motorized tricycle with a shell—a bicitaxi—a man pedaling for tourists under an umbrella—a motorcycle, an electric tricycle, or even a horse-drawn carriage.

More than 600 people may be in custody for political reasons, one Venezuelan rights group estimates. Venezuela's acting president has signed into law an amnesty bill that could see hundreds of politicians, activists and lawyers released soon, while tacitly acknowledging what the country has denied for years that it has political detainees in jail. The law, signed on Thursday, in effect reverses decades of denials.

The National Congress approved a legislative decree ordering the National Electoral Council to count the votes and tally sheets from the November 30 elections. The measure was passed with the participation of only 69 pro-government lawmakers and their allies. Castro supported the initiative and argued that electoral authorities had unjustifiably refused to scrutinize 4,774 tally sheets, representing the votes of 1,558,689 citizens.

Argentina has repaid the funds it drew from a $20 billion credit line with the Trump administration, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday, in a crucial step for Argentine President Javier Milei to restore confidence in his chronically distressed economy. In addition to making payments to bondholders, Milei's radical libertarian administration had "quickly and fully repaid its limited draw," Bessent said, without specifying the amount.

On January 3, Panama woke up with the strange sensation of looking in a mirror. During the early hours of the morning while the world tried to process the details about the capture of Nicolas Maduro, as a result of a U.S. military operation the country that is home to the Panama Canal once again delved into a wound that, 36 years later, remains open: the 1989 U.S. invasion.