Fires in Córdoba & more–12th Oct 2023

¡Buenos días from The Springs! This is the Rorshok Argentina Update from the 12th of October twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Argentina.

This week has been on fire, and not in the metaphorical sense. Several active wildfires are causing concern in different areas of the Córdoba province, and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development deployed three firefighting planes, an observer, and a helicopter to battle the flames. Additionally, they sent fourteen firefighters from the National Center Brigade, equipped with 4x4 cars for terrain mobility.

As a precautionary measure, residents of Playa de Oro and the town of Mayú Sumaj were evacuated. The provincial Secretary of Climate Risk Management, Disasters, and Civil Protection said that the wildfires were caused by a combination of high temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity in the area, and advised residents to report smoke columns to emergency hotlines.

Speaking of evacuations, Argentina is in the process of evacuating the Argentine citizens in Israel seeking repatriation due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The death toll for Argentines in Israel has risen to seven, with fifteen other missing and more than 1,200 requesting evacuation. Argentine nationals are being airlifted from Tel Aviv to Buenos Aires via Rome, all through the Air Force and the flagship carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas.

On Saturday the 7th, President Fernández ordered enhancing security measures for all facilities associated with the Jewish community in Argentina, one of the largest in the world. The Military Police, Immigration, the Federal Intelligence Agency, and Airport Security Police are to be on alert at the national borders.

The government also offered Israel humanitarian assistance. Additionally, the Foreign Ministry has set up a national hotline for individuals seeking information or wanting to notify authorities about Argentines in Israel who require assistance. Follow the link in the show notes to find the emergency phone number, email, and WhatsApp number.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered for a march in Buenos Aires City in support of Israel. The demonstration, held in the Almagro neighborhood at the intersection of Israel and Palestine streets, featured the national anthems of both Israel and Argentina, along with waving Israeli flags.

Various leaders, including Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and US Ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley, attended the event. Left-wing groups organized a counter-rally in the city center to express solidarity with Palestine and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas conflict was also a topic of discussion during Sunday’s presidential debate. The second debate took place on the 8th of October at the University of Buenos Aires, where the candidates launched verbal volleys at each other. The main topics of discussion were security, production, human development, housing, and environmental protection.

According to analysts, this second debate saw Patricia Bullrich, presidential candidate for Juntos por el Cambio or Together for Change, improving her performance significantly, while Sergio Massa, from the ruling party, bore the brunt of criticism for Argentina’s economic woes but remained resilient. Libertarian Javier Milei experienced a drop in his performance compared to the first debate, and Córdoba governor Juan Schiaretti stood out. Left-winged Myriam Bregman maintained a steady performance. The analysts observed a more intense and confrontational tone in this debate compared to the first one. Bullrich aimed to regain lost ground, Massa was on the defensive, and Milei appeared less comfortable with the topics discussed. Schiaretti, on the other hand, improved his image by broadening his concerns beyond just the province that he governs. Myriam Bregman’s confident style resonated with many, especially among the undecided and abstaining voters.

The aftermath of the debate and the candidates’ declarations after the event can be seen in the parallel market. The blue dollar exchange rate reached a historic high of 1,040 pesos per dollar. This rate was around half of that value just a few months ago, underlining the economic anxiety amid rampant inflation, with front-runner Milei advocating for replacing the peso with the US dollar.

The official inflation data is expected to show an annual rate of 135 percent, the fastest since Argentina exited hyperinflation in the nineteen nineties.

In response to the surging blue dollar and exchange rate distortions, the Federal Administration of Public Revenues, the AFIP, has unified the rates for debit and credit card payments, along with the Qatar dollar, at a new rate of about 730 pesos per US dollar.

There used to be a difference in taxes when spending more than 300 dollars with a credit card — this used to be the Qatar dollar. Now, there’s no difference. This means that a twenty-five percent tax will now apply to all credit and debit card transactions and purchases abroad, irrespective of the monthly spending amount.

This move aims to curb distortions where payments abroad enjoyed favorable exchange rates compared to the blue dollar.

It goes without saying that Argentina has a complex system of exchange rates right now, with the official rate maintained by the government and various parallel rates, including the black market rate, which is used for cash transactions. If you need some help understanding the different rates and which one applies in each case, the Buenos Aires Herald published a great guide. You can find the link to it in the show notes.

On a related note, the average monthly inflation rate was twelve percent in both August and September. However, the Central Bank board is expected to maintain its benchmark interest rate. That means the bank’s monetary policy committee is likely to retain the Leliq— a short-term debt instrument— rate at 118 percent.

In more exciting news, FIFA has confirmed that Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will host the opening matches of the twenty thirty World Cup to commemorate the centenary of the first-ever tournament. The opening match will be played at the Estadio Centenario in Uruguay, where the final of the first tournament was held in nineteen thirty.

Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will be the joint hosts for the remainder of the tournament, marking the first time the World Cup will be held across three continents.

If you can’t wait to watch a game, remember that Argentina’s national team will be facing Peru on Tuesday the 17th for the twenty twenty-six World Cup qualifiers. On the 16th of November, the team will be back in Argentina for a clash against Uruguay and travel to Brazil five days later to face the neighboring country.

From football to rugby, Argentina secured its spot in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals by defeating Japan in a thrilling match. Next up, a clash with Wales on Saturday the 14th. Coach Michael Cheika emphasized their desire to reach the semi-final and final matches, despite recognizing that they will be underdogs against Wales.

Speaking of underdogs, the Argentine Film Academy has chosen The Delinquents, Rodrigo Moreno’s heist film, as the country’s submission for the Oscars’ International Feature Film category. The movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, revolves around two bank clerks who steal money from the vault to break free from their mundane lives.

The film is set to premiere in Argentine theaters on the 26th of October, followed by a release on the MUBI streaming service. Plus, it will also be screened at the New York Film Festival before hitting US theaters.

On that note about national productions, the Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro made an appearance in the Argentine TV series Nada which means Nothing. In this Star+ show, De Niro plays an American writer visiting Buenos Aires and getting acquainted with the local culture, cuisine, and profanity.

De Niro also serves as the narrator of the series and explores the city’s neighborhoods, sampling dishes like steaks and indulgent dulce de leche desserts. The series, featuring five half-hour episodes, premiered in Latin America on Star+ on the 11th of October. The series is available on Hulu in the United States, and on Disney+ in several European countries.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

Do you ever wonder who these Rorshok people are and why they care about what is going on in Argentina? If so, head over to our website to find out more about us and the other things that we do! You can read all about the organization, other projects we are carrying out, and the other podcasts we do. If something catches your eye, or you have any questions, please reach out. You can find all the contact information and the website link in the show notes.

¡Nos vemos la próxima semana!