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.
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.
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.
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.”
International
Thousands rally nationwide against Trump’s threat to U.S. democracy
Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday (April 19, 2025) in major cities like New York and Washington, as well as in small communities across the United States, in a second wave of demonstrations against President Donald Trump. The crowds denounced what they view as growing threats to the country’s democratic ideals.
In New York City, demonstrators of all ages rallied in front of the Public Library near Trump Tower, holding signs accusing the president of undermining democratic institutions and judicial independence.
Many protesters also criticized Trump’s hardline immigration policies, including mass deportations and raids targeting undocumented migrants.
“Democracy is in grave danger,” said Kathy Valyi, 73, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. She told AFP that the stories her parents shared about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1930s Germany “are happening here now.”
In Washington, demonstrators voiced concern over what they see as Trump’s disregard for long-standing constitutional norms, such as the right to due process.
International
ACLU seeks emergency court order to stop venezuelan deportations under Wartime Law
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Friday asked two federal judges to block the U.S. government under President Donald Trump from deporting any Venezuelan nationals detained in North Texas under a rarely used 18th-century wartime law, arguing that immigration officials appear to be moving forward with deportations despite Supreme Court-imposed limitations.
The ACLU has already filed lawsuits to stop the deportation of two Venezuelan men held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center, challenging the application of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The organization is now seeking a broader court order that would prevent the deportation of any immigrant in the region under that law.
In an emergency filing early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities were accusing other Venezuelan detainees of being members of the Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal gang. These accusations, the ACLU argues, are being used to justify deportations under the wartime statute.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked three times in U.S. history — most notably during World War II to detain Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration has claimed the law allows them to swiftly remove individuals identified as gang members, regardless of their immigration status.
The ACLU, together with Democracy Forward, filed legal actions aiming to suspend all deportations carried out under the law. Although the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed deportations to resume, it unanimously ruled that they could only proceed if detainees are given a chance to present their cases in court and are granted “a reasonable amount of time” to challenge their pending removal.
International
Dominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
A man identified as Rafael Rosario Mota falsely claimed to have rescued 12 people from the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo—a tragedy that left 231 people dead—but he was never at the scene.
Intelligence agents in the Dominican Republic arrested the 32-year-old man for pretending to be a hero who saved lives during the catastrophic incident, authorities announced.
Rosario Mota had been charging for media interviews in which he falsely claimed to have pulled survivors from the rubble after the nightclub’s roof collapsed in the early hours of April 8, during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed.
“He was never at the scene of the tragedy,” the police stated. The arrest took place just after he finished another interview on a digital platform, where he repeated his fabricated story in exchange for money as part of a “media tour” filled with manipulated information and invented testimonies.
“False hero!” read a message shared on the police force’s Instagram account alongside a short video of the suspect, in which he apologized: “I did it because I was paid. I ask forgiveness from the public and the authorities.”
Thousands rally nationwide against Trump’s threat to U.S. democracy
ACLU seeks emergency court order to stop venezuelan deportations under Wartime Law
UN complaint filed against Costa Rica over detention of migrant children
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 agoPetro questions Ecuador’s vote, cites reports of military control and arrests
-
International3 days agoArsenal stun Real Madrid at the Bernabéu to reach Champions League semifinals
-
International3 days agoDominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
-
Central America3 days agoNicaraguan Exiles to Mark 7th Anniversary of 2018 Protests with Global Commemorations
-
International3 days agoBogotá residents line up for yellow fever vaccine amid national alert
-
International3 days agoDeSantis’ immigration crackdown sparks alarm in Venezuelan Communities in Doral
-
International1 day agoACLU seeks emergency court order to stop venezuelan deportations under Wartime Law
-
International3 days agoMexico refuses to restore ties with Ecuador while Noboa remains in office
-
Central America1 day agoUN complaint filed against Costa Rica over detention of migrant children
-
International4 days agoColombia: Search continues for missing limb of italian scientist found dismembered
-
International5 hours agoThousands rally nationwide against Trump’s threat to U.S. democracy