Airport workers strike in Argentina – as Milei is pursued for arrest by Venezuela

Airport workers held an 11-hour strike at 27 airports in Argentina on Thursday.

The action took place at two times: between 6am and 12pm and between 5pm and 10pm.
Workers of the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), united in the State Workers Union (ATE), went on strike during a series of protests by airport workers.
Airport staff also took part, including ground personnel, firefighters, emergency vehicle drivers and signalmen.
Air traffic controllers did not participate in the strike, but will also strike next week.
In addition, Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots and cabin crew met on Thursday to make a decision and strike again, following their 24-hour work stoppage last week.
Air transport was declared an essential service by the right-wing government on Monday.
This means that when airline staff go on strike, they must ensure that at least 50 percent of flights continue.
Critics say the law violates the right to protest.
The new rules were introduced after previous strikes at airports across the country led to the cancellation and rescheduling of hundreds of flights.
Pilots, baggage handlers and other staff are in dispute over pay, amid a heated political debate over whether to privatise national airline Aerolíneas Argentinas.
Venezuela’s Attorney General’s Office, Tarek William Saab, said it is processing arrest warrants against Argentina’s President Javier Milei for seizing an Emtrasur plane and violating human rights.
Regarding the theft of the aircraft (Boeing 747-300M), Saab noted that the crew, after flying from Mexico and not getting fuel on Argentine soil, decided to fly to Uruguay, but also did not get fuel assistance. This caused them to return to Buenos Aires.
In the Argentine capital, authorities arrested 19 crew members, five of whom were Iranian nationals. After spending a few months in prison, they were released under house arrest.
Saab said: ‘They were literally kidnapped. The aircraft was then restricted in flight safety, a procedure carried out by the national aviation authority with the international agency.’
With the cooperation of the Argentine government and through a federal judge, the plane was illegally transported to the U.S., “with a flight plan showing a U.S. registration and flag.”
‘When the plane arrived in the US, it was completely dismantled.
This has sparked anger among Venezuelans and Saab adds that requests for more information on the matter have been made in Buenos Aires and Asunción, but no response has yet been received.
Saab continued: ‘We have followed the provisions of international law that allow the state party (Venezuela) to establish its jurisdiction not only as a means of defense against the crimes of aggravated theft, loss of legitimacy in capital, unlawful deprivation of liberty, simulation of a criminal act, unlawful interference, disabling of aircraft and collaboration for criminal purposes.’
Venezuela has appointed two prosecutors specialized in this case to execute an arrest warrant against Javier Milei, the President of Argentina: Karina Milei, Secretary General of the Argentine Presidency, and Patricia Bullrich, that country’s Minister of Security.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a constitutional reform aimed at recognizing the rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.
The constitutional reform presented by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) allows for the recognition of indigenous peoples as legal persons.
In a country where 23 million of the 126 million inhabitants identify as indigenous, this is an important step forward.
The reform now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to recognize Mexico’s multi-ethnic and multicultural makeup and recognize indigenous and Afro-descendant people as legal entities with their own legal personality and assets.
This reform gives constitutional status to the right of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities to free, prior, informed and culturally appropriate consultation on legislative and administrative measures that may affect their lives or natural environment.
It also provides that indigenous peoples have the right to be assisted and advised by translators, lawyers and experts specialized in indigenous rights. This presupposes the constitutional recognition of legal pluralism and cultural and linguistic diversity.
“With the approval of this constitutional reform, we are taking a fundamental step in recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples, and especially indigenous women, who have long been doubly ignored and marginalized,” said Claudia Salas, a lawmaker from the opposition Citizen Movement party.
The package of constitutional reforms presented by President AMLO in February also includes the reform of the judiciary, which was approved last week, and the reform of the National Guard, which is expected to be discussed in the Mexican Congress.
Mexico’s President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday declined an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Ukraine.
Sheinbaum, who will become Mexico’s first female president on October 1, said her country’s constitution clearly states that Mexican foreign policy is based on non-intervention in foreign affairs and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Sheinbaum said, “Our constitution is very clear, noble and pacifist. We seek a peaceful solution to every conflict. My main task is to govern Mexico. I will attend some international events that I consider important, but I will not travel much because my responsibility is here.”

• The government of Haiti has taken a major step toward holding long-delayed elections with the creation of a body to oversee the polls.

The nine-member provisional electoral council, established on Wednesday, is tasked with organizing the elections before February 2026.
The last time Haitians put someone in power was in 2016.
Since then, armed gangs have taken control of almost all of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and large parts of the countryside.
So far, seven members of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) have been appointed.
Among them are representatives of the media, academia, trade unions and religious groups.
Since the assassination of Moïse in July 2021, the post of president has been vacant.
In the years that followed, Haiti was ruled by Ariel Henry, the man President Moïse had nominated as prime minister shortly before his death.
But when Henry left for Guyana for a summit on February 25, 2024, gangs seized Port-au-Prince International Airport and prevented him from returning.
Henry stepped down in April and a Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) was established to lead the country until elections could be held.
The TPC appointed Garry Conille as interim prime minister until a democratically elected government takes power.