💰🇦🇷🗳⚡️ — Javier Milei, a libertarian candidate who has advocated for the elimination of the central bank and spoken favorably of Bitcoin, was in the lead in primary presidential election in Argentina

"The central bank is a scam, a mechanism by which politicians cheat the good people with inflationary tax,” Milei has previously argued. Regarding Bitcoin, he said that it "represents the return of money to its original creator, the private sector.”

While having a favorable attitude towards the crypto, Milei has not advocated for Bitcoin’s use as legal tender within Argentina (similar to El Salvador). Instead, Milei has called for a “dollarization” of the economy, which currently is dealing with a triple-digit rate of inflation.

Elections will return in October with Javier Milei leading the presidential race among the participants.

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🇧🇷💥🇨🇦⛏ — Canadian mining company takes control of Brazilian gold mine in Amapá; an agreement secured the purchase of 100% of the shares of Mina Tucano and 100% of the shares of Tucano Resources Mineração, responsible for gold exploration.

The acquisition of the mine is subject to the approval of the Judicial Recovery Plan, as well as the agreement with the creditors. Tucano Gold stated that they have the support of the majority of Mina Tucano's creditors for the purchase to proceed.

The Canadian mining company claims that the resumption of gold exploration operations at the Amapá mine is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. The acquired company has been under judicial recovery since September 2022.

The gold mine started operating in 2005 and has already produced over 1.5 million ounces of gold (equivalent to 31.1 grams). Between 2014 and 2020, the average annual production was 134,000 ounces.

In 2022, until operations were interrupted, 60,000 ounces of gold were produced. In June 2022, the proven and probable gold reserves of Mina Tucano were 12.9 million tonnes, according to a report by Great Panther.

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🚩🇧🇷🌳🎬 — In a social media post, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) responded to American actor Mark Ruffalo, known for his portrayal of the character Hulk, regarding the absence of "concrete goals" in the Belém Declaration, approved during the recent Amazon Summit.

In his response, Lula stated that the commitments established in the forum are "the starting point for building consensus around the protection of the Amazon."

"By bringing together the countries of the Amazon region and initiating an alliance with the two Congos and Indonesia, a group that together holds nearly 80% of the world's tropical forests, we are taking another step towards a common agenda for preserving ecosystems crucial to the climate and biodiversity of the planet," the president posted on his Twitter account.

Last Thursday (10), Ruffalo expressed being "heartbroken" by the lack of concrete objectives set by the eight Amazonian countries that participated in the Summit in Pará. "The emergency to protect the Amazon is a climate emergency - and we don't have time to waste," the actor wrote.

He added, "Colombia, under Petro's leadership, is the first Amazonian nation to follow what science recommends - the goal of protecting 80% of the forest by 2025, and a call to halt oil extraction in the Amazon."

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🇳🇮🚩⛓✝️💥 — Religious persecution continues: The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua has frozen the bank accounts and assets of the Central American University (UCA), owned by the Society of Jesus, an action that has been condemned by a bishop and several social organizations.

Bishop Báez, who has been in exile in the United States since April 2019 due to government persecution, stated that "the freezing of accounts is an attack against higher education, intellectual freedom, culture, and the entire society."

Sources connected to UCA informed the Nicaraguan newspaper El Confidencial that the regime ordered the immobilization of their properties in public records. According to local sources, the justice system under Ortega's orders has frozen UCA's bank accounts. So far, the university authorities have not issued an official statement.

A source close to the university informed that the Jesuit authorities "realized that all their real estate had been immobilized when they tried to make movements involving the properties." This source also implied that the entire UCA could be confiscated in the near future.

Currently, there is no available information about possible police investigations to support the decision to freeze the university's bank accounts and block its assets.

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🇧🇷⚡️💥🌳🌐🚩 — In an exclusive interview, former Chancellor Ernesto Araújo commented on the dark side of the Amazon Summit and the alleged dream of the São Paulo Forum to create a "NATO" supposedly to defend the biome.

Last week, Brazil hosted the Amazon Summit in the city of Belém, capital of Pará. The event, hosted by the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was marked by peculiar moments.

In addition to presenting goals such as the unlikely "zero deforestation" of the forest by 2030, one of the members of the OTCA - the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization - suggested the creation of an "Amazon NATO" and the establishment of an international tribunal to judge crimes committed in Amazonian territories, with the participation of other countries in resource logistics.

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🗳🇧🇷🚩🔥🇦🇷⚡️ — Taken by surprise by the results of the primary elections in Argentina, which positioned the libertarian candidate Javier Milei as a favorite for the presidency in the country, the Brazilian government blames the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for contributing to this outcome.

Aides to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) believe that the game can still change in the presidential elections in October and hope for what they call "democratic forces" against Milei – some Brazilian ambassadors in the country also share the same hope.

So far, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry has not had high-level contacts with Milei or his main campaign advisors, but they do have a direct line of contact with Sergio Massa (Milei's main rival) and the entire campaign base of the candidate, the Puebla Group.

🇵🇪🌎🔥 — El Niño: Peruvian authorities have warned the population of Lima and Callao, a neighboring city to the country's capital, that the drinking water supply could face scarcity due to the drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon. This event has led to a significant decrease in the main water reserves of the city.

Héctor Piscoya, the chairman of the board of the Water and Sewage Service of Lima (Sedapal), called on the population to start conserving water and to use it wisely, as the water stress in the capital due to lack of rainfall could lead to an unprecedented shortage.

"Residents of Lima and Callao, I ask you, please save water because it could be too late, with consequences we do not want to happen," Piscoya warned, as quoted by local media. He detailed that the Huascacocha and Marcapomacocha lagoons, which supply water to the capital, have experienced a 30% reduction in their water levels.

🇧🇷🚩🔥 🪖— The proposal by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to create a National Guard is causing discomfort in the Brazilian Army. The proposed National Guard by Flávio Dino, which is concerning the Army, would be a coalition of various security forces tasked with protecting public buildings.

In essence, the new group would undermine one of the main responsibilities of the Army in the Esplanade of Ministries. The Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI), responsible for defending the Presidential Palace, is composed of military personnel.

The details of Dino's proposal for the National Guard are being kept confidential. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security stated that the creation of the new group is subject to internal and feasibility studies.

🇪🇨⚠️💣 — URGENT: On Tuesday morning, a bomb threat alert was reported in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, the capital of the Guayas province.

Videos circulating on social media show the area cordoned off by members of the National Police, while they carry out the necessary verifications.

According to preliminary information, a package with suspected explosives was found under a Community Police Mobile Unit (UPC), located outside the terminal.

🇧🇷🚩🛑🔫 — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized Brazilians who advocate for civilian firearm ownership, stating that "those who carry weapons are cowards [who] are afraid."

"Brazil wasn't like this, [it happened] after someone appeared wanting to arm the Brazilian people. Who wants to buy a weapon? It's organized crime and some people who don't want to do good for anyone," he said.

Lula was referring to former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and other Brazilians who advocate for the right to carry and possess firearms. Since the first day of his government, the leftist has been signing decrees to disarm the population and restrict legal access to firearms.

Furthermore, given the high rates of crime, murders, and property invasions in Brazil, Lula finds it absurd that a Brazilian would be "afraid" of something while walking on the streets and criticizes those who feel the need to react.

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🇻🇪🚩💥⛓ — In Venezuela, there are 113 political prisoners out of a total of 288 who have been detained for more than three years without conviction, as reported by the NGO Foro Penal. The organization has submitted a list with their names to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"This is very serious, (...) this list is maintained by the International Criminal Court, whose investigation has been reopened and (...) is ongoing, (...) 113 out of the 288 political prisoners have been in preventive detention for more than three years without conviction, many of them haven't even started the judicial process," stated Alfredo Romero, the president of the NGO, during a press conference.

According to the latest update from Foro Penal, the lawyer mentioned that the "majority of political prisoners" are military personnel (155).

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🗳🇦🇷🔥🚩 — Peronism, which continues to govern Argentina under President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Kirchner, experienced its worst performance in the Primary, Open, Simultaneous, and Mandatory Elections (PASO), the country's primary elections.

This model, used in Argentine general elections since 2011, determines that the selection of all candidates for federal positions is carried out through the compulsory vote of all eligible Argentinians (not just party members) on the same day.

The Peronist coalition, Union for the Homeland, recorded its lowest electoral performance since the creation of PASO, receiving only 27% of the votes, a significant decline compared to previous results.

The severe economic crisis currently affecting Argentina, marked by high inflation, unemployment, and increased food insecurity, contributed to the Peronist defeat.

In 2011, the Peronist coalition Front for Victory, led by then-President Cristina Kirchner, obtained 50% of the votes in the primaries. Four years later, the same coalition reached 39% with Daniel Scioli. Finally, in 2019, rebranded as the Front of All, the Peronist group, then led by Alberto Fernández, garnered 48% in the PASO.

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🇲🇦 — BRICS+: Morocco officially submitted its candidacy to join the BRICS.

🇧🇷💥🔌 — BRAZIL BLACKOUT: Tuesday's blackout, which is the largest in the past 14 years, increases the favorable pressure for the privatization of Eletrobras; power outage affected nearly all states in Brazil.

The national power outage that occurred on Tuesday (15), affecting more than 20 Brazilian states, has increased the pressure in favor of the privatization of Eletrobras.

Implemented during Jair Bolsonaro's administration of the PL party, this measure has faced questioning and opposition since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) took office at the Palácio do Planalto, and it has come under scrutiny following today's failures.

However, an excess of wind and solar energy in the system might be one of the reasons for the blackout, along with the overload on Eletrobras' transmission line in Ceará, sources say.

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🇦🇷🗳⚡️ — The view on political change and the preservation of life: Milei's opinion on abortion and different negotiations with the IMF

🚫ABORTION: "I am against abortion because it goes against the right to life," stated the outsider candidate in Argentina, Javier Milei, as he reaffirmed conservative positions he had previously expressed, but which now carry more weight due to his victory in the primary elections held last Sunday.

💰IMF: "I was contacted by the IMF, and they reached out to my sister to arrange a meeting. We are considering how to approach it," he said in reference to Karina Milei, who is his sister and most important advisor.

🇧🇷💥🔌🔍 — BRAZIL BLACKOUT: The Ministry of Mines and Energy will request the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) and the Ministry of Justice, through the Federal Police, to investigate the causes that led to the largest blackout in the past 14 years in Brazil.

The justification given by Minister Alexandre Silveira is that the sector is extremely strategic and sensitive. He also did not rule out the possibility of deliberate actions contributing to the event that affected nearly all states of the federation, citing examples of attacks on transmission lines earlier in the year.

According to Silveira, the Brazilian energy system is highly robust and operates with redundancy. "At least two concurrent events would be required for such a problem to occur," he said.

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