📰 Labor Reform: Milei signed the bill and sent to the Senate an initiative of 191 articles that redefines the Argentine labor system

The government presented the most extensive labor reform in decades, with changes in compensation, payment methods, working hours, unions and essential services

As soon as he returned from Oslo, President Javier Milei signed the Labor Reform project  in an office of the Jorge Newbery Airport, according to La Nación. The text, which has already entered the Senate, consists of 71 pages, 26 titles and a total of 191 articles, making it one of the most comprehensive and structural initiatives in recent years.

The Chief of Staff, Manuel Adorni, described the proposal as "the largest transformation in Argentine history in labor matters," stressing that it seeks to modernize the system, reduce litigation and promote the creation of formal employment.

✅ The central axes of the project

The most relevant points of the text are then developed, integrating the key contents of the 191 articles.

💵 1. New payment methods: salaries in dollars and virtual wallets

The bill allows employers to pay salaries in dollars, cryptocurrencies or virtual wallets, as long as there is an agreement between the parties. This point seeks to make payment methods more flexible and adapt them to the digital economy.

🛡️ 2. Optional Severance Fund in Lieu of Severance

One of the most profound changes is the creation of a Labor Severance Fund, similar to the UOCRA model, which will be able to replace traditional compensation.

• It will be optional for each collective agreement.
• The employer will contribute a percentage monthly to cover eventual dismissals.
• The stated objective is  to reduce litigation and give predictability to companies.

In addition, the bill establishes that the compensation will be lower, since they will not include Christmas bonus, vacations or prizes in their calculation.

⏱️ 3. Bank of hours and changes in the working day

The text incorporates the figure of the "bank of hours", which will allow:

• Compensate overtime with days off.
• Accumulate hours worked to reorganize the working day according to productive needs.
• Agree on flexible schemes between employer and worker.

This mechanism aims to modernise the organisation of working time.

🧑 ⚖️ 4. Labor judgments: payment in installments

Another controversial point is that labor court judgments can be paid in up to 12 monthly installments, updated by official index. The Government maintains that this will prevent bankruptcies of SMEs; Critics warn about the impact on workers.

🏥 5. Expansion of essential services

The project expands the list of essential services, which involves:

• Greater limitation of the right to strike.
• Stricter mandatory minimum guards.
• Inclusion of sectors such as education, transportation, and critical digital services.

This is one of the most extensive chapters of the project.

🧾 6. Changes in the union system

The government introduced a last-minute change: It eliminated the article that affected union solidarity dues to avoid a direct conflict with the CGT.

However, he maintained one key point:

• Membership fees will be optional.
• They will require the express consent of the worker.
• The principle of individual freedom of association is reinforced.

📘 The most important contents of the draft of 191 articles

Below is a summary of the most relevant thematic blocks of the full text:

1. Modernisation of industrial relations

• New contracting modalities.
• Regulation of teleworking and remote work.
• Seasonal, project, or demand contracts.

2. Reduction of litigation

• Changes in limitation periods.
• Limitation of fines for unregistered employment.
• Mandatory conciliation mechanisms.

3. Incentives for formalization

• Labor laundering with partial forgiveness of fines.
• Simplified registration for micro-employers.
• Tax benefits for new hires.

4. Flexibility of the working day

• Hour bank.
• Individual and collective agreements to reorganize shifts.
• Greater margin for agreed overtime.

5. Changes in licenses

• Extension of maternity and paternity leave.
• New leaves for care, adoption and workplace violence.
• Reorganization of special licenses.

6. Dismissal regime

• Optional Termination Fund.
• New compensation calculation.
• Payment in installments of judgments.

7. Essential services and the right to strike

• Expansion of sectors included.
• Mandatory minimum on-call duty.
• Penalties for non-compliance.

8. Trade union system

• Optional fees.
• Transparency in the use of funds.
• Rules for internal elections.

🧭 Conclusion

The Labor Reform bill sent to the Senate represents a structural change in the Argentine system. With 191 articles that range from the way salaries are paid to union organization, the Government seeks to install a new paradigm based on flexibility, predictability and the reduction of litigation.

The legislative discussion promises to be intense, with the support of the business sector and strong questioning from the trade union federations.

Close

Google Willow: The Quantum Chip Revolutionizing Computing

The Google Willow quantum chip, presented on December 9, 2025, constitutes a scientific milestone by demonstrating quantum error correction below threshold and achieving quantum supremacy with 105 qubits. Its architecture allows errors to be exponentially reduced as the number of qubits increases, solving a three-decade challenge in quantum computing.

White Paper: Google Willow

1. Context and relevance

• Date of filing: December 9, 2025.
• Institution: Google Quantum AI.
• Scientific publication: Nature, where the experimental results are documented.
• Impact: Willow represents a decisive step towards building useful and scalable quantum computers capable of solving practical problems with commercial relevance.

2. Willow chip architecture

• Number of qubits: 105 superconducting qubits.
• Base technology: transmon qubits, cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero to maintain quantum coherence.
• Bug fixes:
  • It implements quantum surface codes, which distribute logical information across multiple physical qubits.
  • It was shown that by increasing the number of qubits, the error rate decreases exponentially, confirming that the system operates under the quantum error correction threshold.
  • This result experimentally validates a theoretical principle proposed almost 30 years ago, considered essential for scalability.

3. Quantum supremacy

• Benchmark performed: A standard quantum sampling reference task.
• Runtime: less than five minutes.
• Comparison: The Frontier supercomputer  would need approximately 10²⁵ years to complete the same calculation.
• Conclusion: Willow confirms quantum supremacy, demonstrating that certain problems are intractable for classical computing.

Featured Comparison

4. Key scientific breakthroughs

• Bug fixes under threshold:
  • It allows logical qubits to be more reliable than physical qubits.
  • It opens the door to scalable and stable quantum systems.
• Scalability:
  • Reducing errors with more qubits indicates that the technology can grow into thousands or millions of useful qubits.
• Experimental validation:
  • It is confirmed that the theoretical principles of quantum computing are applicable in real hardware.

5. Potential applications

• Pharmacology: Simulation of complex molecules for drug discovery.
• Energy: Advanced battery design and nuclear fusion modeling.
• Artificial intelligence: optimization of deep learning algorithms.
• Cybersecurity: development of systems resistant to quantum attacks.

6. Conclusion

The Google Willow chip  not only confirms quantum supremacy, but solves the historical problem of quantum error correction under threshold. This breakthrough places Google at the forefront of quantum computing and paves the way for practical applications with an impact on science, industry, and society.

Close

China displaces Brazil as Argentina's main trading partner: analysis of a historic change

An unexpected turn in Argentina's foreign trade contradicts the official discourse and marks a milestone in regional economic relations

In a move that few anticipated at the beginning of Javier Milei's administration, China has managed to displace Brazil as Argentina's main trading partner, marking a turning point in the country's recent economic history. This change, first registered in September 2024 and consolidated in October of the same year, represents a political paradox that exposes the distance between presidential rhetoric and economic reality.

The time for change

The milestone came in September 2024, when the Asian giant surpassed the Brazilian neighbor in total trade with Argentina. Argentine exports to China tripled that month, reaching record figures driven mainly by extraordinary sales of soybeans. Simultaneously, imports from the Asian country reached 1,816 million dollars, the highest level in the entire historical series.

This transformation is especially relevant considering that Brazil had maintained its leadership position for decades, supported by geographical proximity, Mercosur membership and significant productive integration, especially in the automotive sector.

A political paradox

China's rise as a major trading partner is particularly striking when considering the campaign speech of President Milei, who in 2023 had emphatically declared: "Not only am I not going to do business with China, I am not going to do business with any communists." However, economic reality imposed a different narrative.

According to official INDEC data, in October 2024 China consolidated its leadership with Argentine exports of 1,166 million dollars (a year-on-year increase of 241.4%) and imports of 1,862 million dollars (increase of 33.7%). In that same period, the United States was relegated to fourth place, also surpassed by Brazil and the European Union.

The engines of exchange

On the Argentine side

Trade with China is characterized by a marked concentration in primary products and manufactures of agricultural origin. The main export items include:

• Soy beans and their derivatives (oil and flour)
• Frozen beef (accounting for 78.8% of the sector's exports)
• Lithium carbonate
• Fish products (squid, shrimp and prawns)
• Barley and sorghum in grain

The meat sector deserves special attention: China has become the destination of 78.8% of Argentine beef exports in November 2024, absorbing most of the exportable balance in a context of local drought and domestic market without absorption capacity.

On the Chinese side

China's insertion in the Argentine economy is characterized by products with greater added value and diversification:

• Capital goods and machinery
• Automotive Parts & Accessories
• Technological components (phone parts, transmission equipment)
• Consumer Semi-Durables and Durable Goods
• Miscellaneous industrial inputs

This asymmetry reproduces an unequal trade pattern: while Argentina provides raw materials, China exports finished products and intermediate goods with higher added value.

The international context

Brazil's displacement responds to multiple geopolitical and economic factors:

Sino-U.S. Trade War: Tariff tensions between Washington and Beijing placed Argentine soybeans in an advantageous competitive position, especially after the temporary elimination of withholdings implemented by the Argentine government in September.

Need for foreign currency: Pressed by the urgency to obtain dollars, Milei's government implemented a temporary special regime to eliminate withholdings that generated a 201.7% year-on-year increase in exports to China in September.

Anticipation of changes: The increase in imports was favored by business decisions to bring forward purchases in the face of a possible change in the exchange rate regime after the elimination of the clamp.

The cost of dependency

The trade balance with China reveals an unbalanced relationship. In 2024, the trade deficit reached $5.616 billion, the largest recorded with any trading partner. This gap is explained by the differential between what Argentina manages to sell (mainly commodities with falling prices) and what it must buy (technology and value-added goods).

Miguel Ponce, an economist specializing in foreign trade, warns about the risks of this situation: "Argentina should not privilege ideological issues over concrete interests. It is very difficult for us to displace China from our trading partners. There is a need to de-ideologize our diplomatic ties so as not to continue damaging our trade and economic relations."

Strategic implications

Chinese dominance poses several structural challenges:

Economic vulnerability: Excessive concentration in a single market exposes Argentina to political decisions by Beijing. Any change in Chinese import policies could have devastating effects on key sectors such as agriculture.

Financial dependence: Beyond trade, Argentina has significant financial commitments to China, including the currency swap for 5,000 million dollars plus interest of 6%, whose eventual demand for payment by Beijing would increase the deficit of net reserves by 50%.

Regional impact: Provinces such as Catamarca, La Pampa and Entre Ríos, with high dependence on exports to China, are particularly exposed to any fluctuation in the bilateral relationship.

New opportunities

Not everything is negative in this commercial link. In March 2025, the Argentine government agreed with Chinese Customs to reopen poultry meat exports (closed since 2023 due to avian influenza) and to enable new products such as nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios) and gallstones for medicinal use.

These openings represent opportunities for regional economies and could allow for greater diversification of the export basket, although they will hardly alter the basic structure of trade.

Future prospects

The displacement of Brazil by China as Argentina's main trading partner does not seem to be temporary. Projections indicate that this trend could deepen by 2025, especially considering:

• China's Growing Demand for Animal Proteins and Oilseeds
• Argentina's need to maintain a steady flow of foreign currency
• China's investments in infrastructure and technology in the country
• The global geopolitical context that favors supplier diversification

For Brazil, this shift represents a warning sign about the need to strengthen trade ties within Mercosur. For Argentina, the challenge is to pragmatically manage this strategic relationship without compromising market diversification or sovereignty in political decisions.

Conclusion

China's rise as Argentina's main trading partner marks an unprecedented chapter in the country's economic history. Beyond political statements and ideological alignments, the Asian giant's influence on Argentina's foreign trade is a reality that transcends governments and discourses.

The question that remains open is whether Argentina will succeed in turning this relationship into an opportunity for development with greater added value, or whether it will deepen its role as a supplier of raw materials in an increasingly polarized global economy. The answer to this question will define not only the future of the bilateral relationship, but also the model of international insertion that Argentina will build in the coming decades.

Close

🏆 2026 World Cup: this is how the fixture looked after the draw in Washington

The draw for the 2026 World Cup, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, officially defined the composition of the 12 groups that will play the first phase of the tournament to be played in  the United States, Mexico and Canada. With 48 teams and an expanded format, the World Cup presents an unprecedented calendar that is already beginning to outline the path of the candidates.

The ceremony left key certainties: the hosts knew in advance their venues and debut dates, while the rest of the selected teams completed their zones in a draw full of expectation.

🇦🇷 Argentina, top seed in Group J

The world champion team was placed in Group J, where it will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan, as confirmed by the official draw.

Fixture de Argentina

• Argentina vs. Algeria – Tuesday, June 16
• Argentina vs. Austria – Monday, June 22
• Argentina vs. Jordan – Saturday, June 27

The team led by Lionel Scaloni will play the group stage in San Francisco, Dallas and Kansas City, according to media present at the ceremony.

With the new format, Argentina will be able to advance to  the 16th finals if it finishes in the top two of its zone or if it is among the eight best third-placed teams.

🌎 The kick-off and the agenda of the hosts

The tournament will begin on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium, where Mexico will debut against South Africa in Group A. A day later it will be the turn of the other hosts:

• Canada will debut in Toronto (Group B).
• The United States will play in Los Angeles (Group D).

The final will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in  New Jersey.

📌 How the most outstanding groups were

The draw also left attractive crossings in other areas, with the presence of emerging powers and teams:

• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Cape Verde
• Group I: France, Senegal, Norway and the winner of the FIFA play-offs
• Group L: England, Croatia, Panama and Ghana

The distribution of teams anticipates a group stage with high-voltage duels and several candidates forced not to fail from the start.

🔍 A World Cup with a renewed format

The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, distributed in 12 groups of four. Classified:

• The top two in each group
• The eight best third-placed

This will lead to an unprecedented instance of the 16th finals, expanding the total number of matches and increasing competitiveness in the initial phase.

🎯 Conclusion

The draw left a vibrant outlook for the 2026 World Cup. Argentina will have an accessible group on paper, but with opponents who will demand concentration from the debut. With a defined calendar and confirmed venues, the countdown to a historic World Cup begins due to its magnitude and its new format.

Close

📰 Whirlpool closes its plant in Pilar and stops production in Argentina

📍 The announcement

The US multinational Whirlpool announced on November 26, 2025 the closure of its plant in Pilar, where it manufactured washing machines for the domestic market and export. The decision involves the dismissal of 220 employees, including operators, management and supply chain personnel.

The company explained that from now  on it will concentrate its operation on sales and services, guaranteeing the supply of appliances, accessories and spare parts throughout the country, but through the import of products.

📉 The reasons for the closure

According to the company, the measure responds to:

• Fall in domestic consumption, which reduced the demand for household appliances.
• Growing competition from imported products, which displaced local production.
• Lack of competitiveness in exports, which affected the viability of the business.
• A global process of review of productive structures, with a focus on efficiency and reallocation of resources.

👥 Impact on workers

The closure generated a strong social impact in Pilar. The dismissed employees decided to remain at the plant as a form of protest and resistance, demanding answers to the loss of their jobs.

Meanwhile, Whirlpool assured that it will maintain its commercial and distribution office in Argentina, with between 100 and 120 employees, preserving its presence in the country as it has done for 35 years.

🌐 Industrial context

The Pilar plant had been inaugurated in 2022 with an investment of 50 million dollars, aimed at producing state-of-the-art washing machines. However, just three years later, the company decided to abandon local production.

This closure is in addition to other recent cases in the national industry, where companies such as Essen also had to reduce personnel due to the fall in consumption.

🎯 Final Thoughts

The closure of Whirlpool in Pilar reflects the structural difficulties of the Argentine industry, marked by low domestic demand, import pressure and a lack of export competitiveness. Although the brand will continue to market its products in the country, the decision represents a blow to employment and national production, leaving open the discussion on the future of the Argentine industrial sector.

Close

Argentina breaks the consensus in the G20: an unprecedented position that marks alignment with the US and questions the approach to the Middle East.

🌍 Context of the Summit

The G20 Leaders' Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, was marked by a historic event: Argentina decided not to sign the final declaration, becoming the only country to reject the document promoted by the South African presidency. The decision was announced by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, who represented the country in the absence of President Javier Milei.

📌 Arguments of the Foreign Ministry

• Complexity of the conflict in the Middle East: Quirno pointed out that the text "simplifies a problem that requires a broader and more balanced approach."
• Defense of the principle of consensus: The Argentine Foreign Ministry denounced a "break with the historical rules of the forum," by approving a document without the endorsement of all members.
• Alignment with the United States: Argentina's position was in tune with Washington, which also questioned the geopolitical focus of the text.

🔎 Political implications

• An unprecedented event: It is the first time that the G20 summit does not conclude with a communiqué agreed upon by all countries.
• Diplomatic repercussions: The decision generated discomfort in South Africa and raised questions about Argentina's role in future multilateral forums.
• New international positioning: Milei's government seeks to strengthen its closeness to the U.S. and distance itself from positions it considers partial in global conflicts.

Close

🚆 Argentina invests US$300 million in 43 new trains for the AMBA

The Argentine government announced the purchase of 43 modern trains, with an investment of close to US$300 million (€260 million), within the framework of the Modernization Plan of the Metropolitan Railway System.

💡 A strategic investment for public transport

The measure is part of the Railway Emergency, which seeks to renew and expand the fleet of services in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA).

📊 Details of the operation

• 🚉 150 passenger cars will be part of the new formations.
• 🔧 The provision of supplies, consumables and spare parts for three years of maintenance is included.
• 📑 The contracting will be carried out by Trenes Argentinos Operaciones, through abbreviated certification and direct contracting.

🛤️ Benefited lines

The trains will be destined for the following lines:

• Rock
• Mitre
• Saint Martin
• Vine shoot
• Belgrano Sur

👉 It is estimated that 1.3 million daily passengers will benefit from the incorporation of these units.

📜 Historical context

• Since 2015,  trains have not been acquired for metropolitan services.
• Much of the current fleet is over 50 years old, with reliability and comfort issues.

🚀 Expected impact

With this investment, the Government seeks to:

• ✅ Modernize rail transport, improving safety and efficiency.
• ✅ Reduce travel times and increase the frequency of services.
• ✅ Promote sustainable mobility, decongesting other means of transport.

🗣️ Official statements

Sources from the Ministry of Transport pointed out that the purchase represents:

"A fundamental step to recover the Argentine railway system and guarantee a decent service for millions of users."

🔎 In summary

The acquisition of these 43 new trains constitutes one of the most relevant investments in railway infrastructure in the last decade, aimed at revitalising a key service for urban mobility and social integration in the AMBA.

Close

4G Internet on the Moon: Nokia and Intuitive Machines Bring Cellular Connectivity to Space

The IM-2 mission will mark a historic milestone by installing the first cellular network outside the Earth, transforming space communications

In an unprecedented breakthrough for space exploration, Nokia and Intuitive Machines have completed the final integration of the Lunar Surface Communication System (LSCS) on the Athena lander, which traveled to the lunar south pole in February 2025 to deploy the first 4G/LTE cellular network on the Moon.

A network in a box of 384,000 kilometres

After months of rigorous testing and validation at Nokia Bell Labs, Intuitive Machines engineers installed the LSCS on one of Athena's carbon composite top panels. This "network in a box" — a complete network contained in a box — had to be designed to withstand the 384,000-kilometer journey to the Moon, withstand the extreme stresses of takeoff and landing, and operate optimally on the hostile lunar surface.

"We believe that bringing Nokia's 4G/LTE system to the lunar surface is a transformative moment in the commercialization of space and the maturity of the lunar economy," said Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines. "We are taking careful steps towards sustainability. Whether it's Nokia connecting surface assets, or Intuitive Machines' ability to transmit that data back to Earth and set up lunar data relay satellites, these innovations are fundamental capabilities that we believe will define the Artemis generation."

Terrestrial technology adapted for extreme conditions

The system uses the same 4G/LTE cellular technology that connects billions of devices on Earth, though Nokia Bell Labs completely reconceptualized it to meet the unique requirements of a lunar mission. The network is designed to handle surface connectivity between the lander and the exploration vehicles, supporting high-definition video transmission, command and control communications, and telemetry data.

"We intend to demonstrate that cellular technologies can provide the reliable, high-capacity and efficient connectivity needed for future manned and unmanned missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars," said Thierry E. Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia. "Cellular technology has irrevocably transformed the way we communicate on Earth. There's no reason why I can't do the same on other worlds."

Two vehicles connected from day one

In addition to the system installed on Athena, two complementary device modules of the LSCS have been integrated into lunar mobility vehicles:

1. Micro-Nova Hopper "Grace" (Intuitive Machines): A jumper designed to descend into permanently shadowed craters and test new sensing instruments that could identify and map precious resources such as water ice. It will scan large concentrations of hydrogen, indicative of ice deposits.
2. Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) (Lunar Outpost): A rover that will take a multi-day journey exploring the lunar south pole region, mapping the surface while collecting stereoscopic imagery and vital environmental data.

Upon landing on the Moon, both vehicles will immediately deploy to the lunar surface, where they will use Nokia device modules to establish network connections on Athena. All the collected data will be transmitted over the Nokia network to Athena, which will relay it back to Earth using Intuitive Machines' direct transmission service.

NASA endorsement and business vision

The project is supported by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate through its Tipping Point initiative, which funds industry-developed space technologies to foster commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions. Nokia received a contract from NASA in 2021 to develop this technology.

The system is protected by 14 thermally insulated mounting points and integrated with Athena's Thermal Protection System, which manages heat during periods of operation and inactivity. These precautions are critical, as the network is expected to work only for a few days: the spacecraft probably won't survive after night falls on the lunar surface.

Towards a permanent lunar infrastructure

Beyond this demonstration mission, Nokia has plans for more expansive 4G or 5G networks that can cover the planned Artemis habitat and its surroundings. The company is also working on integrating cellular communications into Axiom spacesuits intended for future lunar astronauts.

"Maybe just a network in a box, a tower, would provide the full coverage, or maybe we'd need multiple of these. That's not going to be any different than what you see in the deployment of terrestrial cellular networks," Klein explained. "The network should grow along with the future lunar economy."

Intuitive Machines is also working to deploy a constellation of lunar satellites to provide communication and navigation services for NASA's Artemis activities on the moon, under a NASA contract awarded last year for up to $4.82 billion.

Challenges and controversies

Not everyone is excited about this vision. LTE networks typically operate between 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz, a region of the radio frequency spectrum that partially overlaps with frequencies reserved for radio astronomy. Some scientists express concern about potential interference with astronomical observations from the Moon, considered an electromagnetically quiet environment ideal for radio telescopes.

However, proponents argue that establishing robust communications infrastructure is essential for a sustainable lunar presence and that regulations can manage the coexistence between telecommunications and science.

A milestone in the commercialization of space

The collaboration between Intuitive Machines, Nokia and Lunar Outpost exemplifies the maturation of the commercial space sector, particularly in establishing critical infrastructure for sustained lunar operations. Adapting terrestrial 4G/LTE technology for lunar operations could significantly reduce the costs and complexity of future missions compared to traditional space communication systems.

The Athena module is scheduled to launch in late February 2025 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If successful, this mission will not only demonstrate the viability of cellular communications on the Moon, but also set a crucial precedent for the infrastructure that will underpin the next era of human space exploration.

As Altemus stated, "These innovations represent foundational capabilities that will define the Artemis generation and were initiated through NASA's leadership."

About the companies:

Intuitive Machines is a diversified space exploration, infrastructure, and services company focused on fundamentally transforming the lunar access economy.

Nokia Bell Labs is the research arm of Nokia, responsible for numerous technological advances that have transformed global communications since its founding in 1925.

Lunar Outpost is an aerospace company specializing in space robotics and planetary exploration technologies.

Close

Fire in Ezeiza: flames destroyed a warehouse in the southern area

A major incident mobilized firefighters from several barracks early this morning. The causes of the fire that affected industrial facilities are still being investigated

A violent explosion shook the Spegazzini Industrial Complex, located in the Buenos Aires town of Ezeiza, last night, causing multiple deflagrations that startled the residents of the area and unleashed a fire of great magnitude that required the intervention of some 380 firefighters, 70 units and more than 100 additional mobiles.

The incident, which occurred after 9 p.m. on Friday, generated a very broad shock wave that alerted the residents of the Buenos Aires city, who heard a loud rumble. More than 20 people were injured, of which only one man over 50 years of age remains in intensive care after suffering a heart attack.

Chaos and mass evacuation

The mayor of Ezeiza, Gastón Granados, described the scene as chaotic to the local media. "It's all very confusing, there was a strong explosion in the Spegazzini industrial estate. We are working to put out the fire and then to see what happened," he said, adding that "the windows of my house and the neighborhood exploded."

The authorities proceeded to preventively evacuate the families in the vicinity due to the magnitude of the fire and the risk of new explosions. The Buenos Aires Ministry of Health activated the red code in all hospitals in the region and issued a series of health recommendations for the population.

Companies affected and substances involved

Among the factories affected is a chemical plant where warehouses with products linked to agriculture and fertilization were set on fire, as well as Plásticos Lagos, a plastic packaging company. The companies affected were Iron Mountain, Larroca Minera, Almacén de Frío, Aditivos Alimentarios and a distributor.

One of the greatest risks during the control tasks focused on protecting a meatpacking industry with ammonia deposits located about 200 meters from the focus of the fire, according to Civil Defense sources.

Emergency operation and health alert

Fabián García, provincial director of Civil Defense, said that the fire is contained, although not extinguished, which means that it will not leave the limits where it develops. The official explained that initially it was not possible to enter the property due to the magnitude of the flames and that everything that was inside is already destroyed.

Approximately seven sheds were affected, including one with rubber and tires, which generated the dense column of black smoke visible from several kilometers. For the control tasks, drones, helicopters and specialized units of firefighters from Ezeiza, Esteban Echeverría, La Matanza, Cañuelas, San Vicente, Marcos Paz, Morón, Tres de Febrero and Brandsen were deployed.

Preventive measures and care for the injured

The meteorological authorities warned that a current of smoke with toxic substances was formed directed towards San Vicente and Cañuelas, so the residents of these cities were recommended to wear masks, close windows and stay inside their homes.

The 24 injured initially reported, including a pregnant woman intoxicated by smoke inhalation, were discharged on Saturday morning, as confirmed by health sources in the Province.

Location clarifications

The president of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA), Martín Rapallini, clarified that the incident did not occur within the industrial parks managed by his group, but in an open area known as the Ezeiza Industrial Estate, on the other side of the Ezeiza-Cañuelas Highway.

So far, authorities continue to investigate the causes of the incident as they work to completely extinguish the fire. The Ezeiza International Airport, located 12 kilometers from the site, continued to operate normally despite the proximity of the incident.

Close

Argentina-United States trade agreement: progress, objectives and projections

In a significant step for the bilateral economic agenda, Argentina and the United States announced a new trade agreement aimed at strengthening the exchange of goods, promoting strategic investments and modernizing the regulatory frameworks that govern the relationship between the two countries. The initiative, presented by officials from both nations, seeks to boost key sectors and offer predictability to companies and investors.

According to the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreement includes a series of commitments aimed at facilitating trade, reducing technical barriers and enhancing cooperation in sensitive areas such as energy, agribusiness, technology and food security. The agreement also includes a chapter on regulatory transparency and quality standards, with the aim of improving competitiveness and favoring the insertion of Argentine products in the U.S. market.

For their part, representatives of the U.S. government stressed that the agreement is part of a strategy to deepen the link with Latin America, recognizing Argentina's productive potential and its role in global value chains. Among the most valued aspects is the progress towards more agile mechanisms for export certification, especially in sectors such as wine, citrus fruits, beef and technological products.

The pact also provides for the creation of permanent working groups where technical teams from both countries will evaluate the fulfillment of the commitments assumed and analyze new opportunities for economic cooperation. These instances will address challenges related to logistics, infrastructure, innovation and digitalization of commerce.

In economic terms, specialists point out that the agreement could translate into an increase in bilateral trade flow and a greater attraction of U.S. investments to strategic sectors of the Argentine economy, such as renewable energies, mining, knowledge economy and biotechnology.

In the medium term, the agreement seeks to consolidate a more stable and predictable relationship, in a global context marked by competition for resources, the need to diversify suppliers and the transition to more sustainable economies.

The announcement was received with positive expectations by the Argentine business sector, which believes that the modernization of trade rules can contribute to improving access to one of the most competitive markets in the world. However, some analysts warn that there are still challenges to be resolved, including the need to advance an internal reform agenda that allows the full benefits of the agreement to be realized.

With this new chapter in their bilateral relationship, Argentina and the United States seek to build a more robust framework of economic cooperation, aimed at growth, innovation and the generation of new development opportunities for both nations.

Close