The drastic decision of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to downgrade the relationship with Buenos Aires to the rank of chargé d'affaires sets off alarms in the manufacturing plants. Beyond the political uproar, the real economy operates under a precise gear: Brazil is the absolute buyer of 61.7% of the Manufactures of Industrial Origin (MOI) that Argentina ships to the world. [1, 2]
While corporations and terminals operate through private channels that diplomacy does not destroy overnight, the freezing of the political channel introduces a dangerous "bureaucratic tax." The absence of a top-level interlocutor slows down the resolution of non-tariff barriers and slows down key flows just in a year when bilateral trade had been showing its greatest dynamism in more than a decade. [1]
📈 1. The X-ray of Bilateral Industrial Trade
To measure the exact impact, it is necessary to review the official figures consolidated by INDEC. Of the US$49,454 million that Argentina exported globally in the first half of the year, US$6,255 million (12.6%) were destined for the Brazilian market. [1]
The enormous difference with other partners lies in the quality of this trade: while raw materials are sold to China, industrial added value is exported to Brazil. Manufactures of Industrial Origin (MOI) comfortably lead shipments to the Mercosur partner: [1, 2]
📊 Composition of Argentine Exports to Brazil (First Semester)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [██████████████████████████████████░░░░░░░] 61.7% MOI │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
(Manufactures of Industrial Origin: Autos, auto parts, chemicals)
🚗 The Hard Core: The Automotive and Transportation Complex
Heavy and integrated industries absorb most of the foreign exchange flow. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), the items with the highest monthly turnover to Brazil are:
🛑 2. The Risks of the "Bureaucratic Brake" without an Ambassador
The exact trade impact will not be reflected in a direct tariff (prohibited by Mercosur rules), but in the tightening of non-tariff barriers. A chargé d'affaires lacks the direct access to the Head of State or the ministers of the Planalto that a career ambassador has. [1]
In the practice of foreign trade, the lack of fine political harmony translates into three critical fronts:
⚖️ 3. The Private Sector Counterweight
Despite the institutional degradation, international trade analysts point out that the interdependence of private companies acts as a containment cushion.
SOCIETY · WEATHER IN ARGENTINA
The National Meteorological Service extended warnings for severe storms, hail, gusts and snowfall to much of the territory, while the storm is already causing flooded streets and delays in the AMBA.
🖊️ Editorial team · 📅 August 1, 2026 · 🕒 4 min read
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⛈️ 🌧️ 🧊 💨 ❄️ Storms, hail and gusts affect the center and north of the country, with snow in Patagonia |
A bad weather front is keeping much of Argentina on tenterhooks this Saturday. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) maintains orange and yellow level warnings that reach more than a dozen provinces, with locally severe storms, hail, intense gusts and snowfall in the south of the country.
The most critical conditions are concentrated in the northeast of the province of Buenos Aires, the south and southeast of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Corrientes. There, the SMN predicts locally severe storms, with abundant falling water in short periods, intense electrical activity and gusts capable of causing material damage and complicating circulation.
In the areas under orange warning, accumulated temperatures of between 60 and 90 millimeters are expected throughout the alert period, a volume that in some points could be exceeded. In the sectors with yellow alert, on the other hand, the forecast is around 30 to 50 millimeters, also with the possibility of hail and frequent electrical discharges.
In the AMBA, the rains have already generated flooded streets and delays in transportation during the early hours of Saturday. The agency estimates that the instability will last for a good part of the weekend, so new episodes of intense rain are not ruled out.
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LEVEL |
PROVINCES / ZONES |
PHENOMENA |
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🟧 ORANGE |
CABA and AMBA, central-east of Buenos Aires, south of Entre Ríos, southeast of Santa Fe, Corrientes and northeast/west of Córdoba |
Locally severe storms, hail, gusts +100 km/h, 60–90 mm |
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🟨 YELLOW (storms) |
Rest of Buenos Aires, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, La Pampa and north of Corrientes |
Storms of varying intensity, 30–50 mm, occasional hail |
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🟨 YELLOW (wind) |
Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, north of San Luis, Neuquén and Río Negro |
West wind 40–80 km/h, gusts +100 km/h, Zonda in Jujuy |
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❄️ SNOW / COLD |
Chubut and Santa Cruz (snowfall); west of Santa Cruz on red alert for extreme cold; Tierra del Fuego in yellow |
Accumulated from 10 to 40 cm, white wind, very low thermal sensation |
While the center and northeast of the country face storms, Chubut and Santa Cruz register alerts for persistent snowfall, with expected accumulations of between 20 and 40 centimeters in mountain areas and 10 to 30 centimeters in lower sectors, in addition to the risk of white wind. The west of Santa Cruz, for its part, was under red alert for extreme cold, the highest level on the scale, while Tierra del Fuego remains on yellow alert.
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⚠️ According to the SMN scale, the orange level warns of phenomena with the capacity to harm the population, property and the environment; yellow signals events that can disrupt daily activities. |
🏠 Stay in closed buildings and avoid displacements that are not essential.
🚗 Do not drive on flooded streets or try to cross flood zones, on foot or by vehicle.
🔌 Cut off the electricity supply if water enters the house and avoid contact with connected appliances.
🪟 Stay away from doors, windows, canopies, trees, and structures that may be blown off by the wind.
🎒 Have an emergency kit on hand: drinking water, non-perishable food, flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, and a charged cell phone.
The SMN anticipates a progressive improvement as the cold front finishes crossing the region: the rains will lose intensity during Saturday morning and the rest of the day will have a low probability of new rainfall, although with mostly cloudy skies. For Sunday, a more stable day is expected, without rain, but with a marked thermal drop: minimums close to 10 degrees and maximums of around 15 degrees in the AMBA.
🔗 MDZ Online — Orange alert for storms in the AMBA and 18 provinces
🔗 Cadena 3 — Orange and yellow alert for storms in six provinces
🔗 La Nación — Red, orange and yellow alert for cold, storms and Zonda
🔗 Financial Sphere — Orange alert for severe storms, hail and gusts
🔗 Profile — The SMN keeps the AMBA and several provinces on orange alert
📷 Reference image (credit: MDZ Online — external link, not incorporated by copyright)
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS · ARGENTINA-BRAZIL DIPLOMATIC CRISIS · JULY 29, 2026
The PT denounces Javier Milei before the Electoral Justice of Brazil for "undue external interference"
Deputies of the Workers' Party, together with the Green Party and the PCdoB, formalized a presentation to the Electoral Attorney General's Office to determine if the participation of the Argentine president in the convention that proclaimed Flávio Bolsonaro as a candidate constituted an undue interference in the Brazilian electoral process. The file points, above all, to a question: who paid for the trip.
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🗓️ July 29, 2026 ⏱️ Reading time: 8 min ✍️ Global News |
The diplomatic crisis between Argentina and Brazil, unleashed by President Javier Milei's insults against his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, took a leap in scale on Monday: it ceased to be an exclusively political conflict to become a judicial case. Deputies from the Workers' Party (PT), the space led by Lula, formalized a complaint with the Electoral Attorney General's Office of Brazil, accompanied by their allies from the Green Party (PV) and the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), grouped in the Brazilian Federation of Hope.
The objective of the presentation is for the electoral justice to determine if Milei's presence at the National Convention of the Liberal Party (PL), where the presidential candidacy of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro was made official on Saturday, constituted a case of "undue external interference" in the face of the October 4 elections. The ruling coalition clarified that its claim does not advance "any conclusion about irregularities," but seeks to clarify whether the visit affected sovereignty, the equality of conditions between the candidates and the normality of the electoral process.
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"Milei's presence at the party event did not constitute an isolated episode or a merely accessory participation." — Complaint filed by the PT with the Electoral Attorney General's Office of Brazil |
The brief, filed with the Electoral Public Prosecutor's Office through the Electoral Attorney General's Office, requests an investigation into the event organized by the Liberal Party — led by Valdemar Costa Neto and Flávio Bolsonaro — with the institutional participation of the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas. The PT lawyers ask to reconstruct the legal nature of Milei's visit and determine if there was coordination between Brazilian officials, foreign authorities and the PL to set up the agenda.
The document also questions the previous ceremony in which De Freitas decorated Milei with the Order of Ipiranga, the highest distinction of the São Paulo state, hours before the Argentine president took the stage of the party convention. For the signatories, using an official act as a prelude to a campaign launch could violate the principles of impersonality and morality that govern the Brazilian public administration.
The conflict began on Saturday, when Milei led a speech of about 25 minutes before Bolsonarist militants gathered at the Pacaembú stadium in São Paulo. Without ever mentioning him by his first name, the Argentine president referred to Lula da Silva as "the lefty," "the thief" and "the convict," and warned of an alleged "Lula risk" for the Brazilian economy. He also took aim at Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes — whom he called "bald trash" — after the magistrate restricted a visit to Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years of house arrest for the 2023 coup attempt.
According to the Argentine press, Milei was accompanied on stage by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and the Argentine consul in São Paulo, Luis Kreckler, whose institutional presence at a party event was objected to by Brazilian diplomacy. Asked by journalists about Milei's statements, Lula opted for irony and avoided answering in the same tone.
The institutional repudiation did not take long to arrive. Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, for consultations, a diplomatic gesture reserved to express deep displeasure between states. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira also received the Argentine ambassador in Brasilia, Daniel Raimondi, to convey his government's rejection and demand explanations.
Itamaraty described what happened as a situation without precedent in more than two centuries of bilateral ties, as it was a foreign head of state who, in Brazilian territory, accumulated grievances against the president, the Judiciary and the people of that country. Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin described what happened as a rude interference in internal affairs, while Finance Minister Dario Durigan responded with a personal disqualification against Milei.
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25 min Milei's speech at the Pacaembú lasted |
Oct 4 date of the presidential elections in Brazil |
27 years of house arrest that Jair Bolsonaro is serving |
Beyond the scandal over the insults, the legal heart of the PT's complaint points to financing. The document demands to determine who paid for the international transfer, lodging, security and logistics of the Argentine delegation: whether it was their own funds, those of the Argentine State, the Liberal Party or third parties. The lawyers argue that this information will make it possible to verify the regularity of the trip in the face of Brazilian electoral legislation, which restricts the external financing of party activities.
Consulted by Argentine media, the Casa Rosada responded that it was an "official trip" paid entirely by the Argentine State, and compared it to Lula's visit to Buenos Aires in July 2025. That comparison generated doubts among analysts, since that trip of the Brazilian president was framed in a Mercosur summit and did not have as its central objective a party act, unlike the operation that took Milei to Pacaembú.
● Items under the magnifying glass: expenses for flights, lodging, security and internal transfers of the Argentine presidential entourage.
● Use of provincial resources: whether the State of São Paulo provided an administrative or patrimonial structure to promote a campaign event.
● Institutional coordination: if there was coordination between the Palace of the Bandeirantes, the Liberal Party and the Argentine delegation.
Brazil's electoral law expressly prohibits the participation of foreign agents in the financing or organization of internal political campaigns, under the argument of protecting the sovereignty of the democratic process. If the Electoral Attorney General's Office detects irregularities in the financing of Milei's trip, the PT brief states that international legal cooperation mechanisms could be resorted to, always within diplomatic norms and treaties in force between the two countries.
Specialists consulted by the press point out that the PT's legal strategy is indirect: by not being able to directly denounce a foreign head of state, the document points to the governorship of São Paulo, the Liberal Party and Bolsonaro's candidacy, actors who are subject to Brazilian electoral jurisdiction and who could be forced to declare the origin of the funds.
The episode of São Paulo is not unprecedented in the history of the Argentine president. Milei had already starred in a similar diplomatic crisis with Spain, after traveling twice to Madrid to participate in campaign events in support of Vox candidates, which led to the withdrawal of the Spanish ambassador in Buenos Aires and an exchange of accusations with President Pedro Sánchez. The pattern of getting involved in electoral contests in neighboring countries and ideological allies is now repeated in Brazil, in a context where Milei seeks to position himself as a regional benchmark for the right.
● Admission of the complaint: the Electoral Attorney General's Office may open an investigation ex officio or reject the presentation for lack of elements.
● Possible summonses: the authorities could summon Tarcísio de Freitas, the Liberal Party and officials of the Argentine delegation to testify.
● Open diplomatic channel: Bitelli and Vieira have already held a first bilateral evaluation meeting and plan to continue the dialogue when the foreign minister returns from Lima.
● No formal rupture, for now: for now, Brasilia rules out tougher measures such as the rupture of relations, although it did not resign itself to leaving the episode unanswered.
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🧭 In context: the agenda that follows While the case advances in Brazil, Milei maintained his international agenda: he received the managing director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, and traveled to Lima to participate in the presidential inauguration of Keiko Fujimori. Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno did not make additional public statements on the state of the bilateral relationship after the PT's complaint. |
What began as a series of personal grievances by Javier Milei towards Lula da Silva escalated, in less than a week, to a call for consultations from the Brazilian ambassador and, now, to a case before the Brazilian Electoral Justice. The judicial outcome is uncertain, but the case has already left a political mark: it put the financing of presidential trips under the magnifying glass, reopened the debate on the limits of foreign interference in electoral processes and deepened the distance between two governments that also make up the same regional trade bloc.
The following photographs, published by media outlets covering the event, are available at the absolute URLs indicated (verified and accessible at the time of publication). As they are copyrighted material from international agencies (AFP, AP, Anadolu), they are referenced by link rather than reproduced.
▸ Javier Milei and Flávio Bolsonaro in São Paulo: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/resizer/v2/javier-milei-y-flavio-bolsonaro-el-sabado-pasado-SJ7KKLE5NFFPBCYWQ4E4675D6M.JPG — Photo: AP / LA NACION
▸ Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/resizer/v2/lula-da-3JN2NGFKHFCIBGX524SH47F43Y.JPG — Photo: Sergio Lima / AFP
▸ Lula da Silva with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/resizer/v2/el-presidente-de-brasil-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva-KDOFLO7PSJCJTIR74ZNQ3KT2XM.jpg — Photo: Anadolu
▸ Original article with full coverage: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/el-partido-de-lula-pidio-que-la-justicia-electoral-de-brasil-investigue-el-viaje-de-milei-a-san-nid28072026/ — LA NACION
▸ LA NACION — Lula's party has asked the electoral justice system to investigate Milei's trip: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/el-partido-de-lula-pidio-que-la-justicia-electoral-de-brasil-investigue-el-viaje-de-milei-a-san-nid28072026/
▸ El Destape — Who paid for the trip? The PT denounced Milei: https://www.eldestapeweb.com/politica/partido-lula-pidio-justicia-electoral-brasil-investigue-viaje-milei-actos-partidarios-participo-2026728195737
▸ Page/12 — The PT filed a complaint to find out who financed the trip: https://www.pagina12.com.ar/2026/07/29/el-pt-presento-una-denuncia-para-saber-quien-financio-el-viaje-de-milei-a-san-pablo/
▸ Canal26 — Lula's party denounced Milei: https://www.canal26.com/politica/2026/07/28/el-partido-de-lula-da-silva-denuncio-a-milei-piden-que-lo-investiguen-por-el-viaje-a-san-pablo-para-apoyar-a-flavio-bolsonaro/
▸ CNN en Español — Brazil recalls its ambassador for consultations: https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2026/07/26/latinoamerica/brasil-consultas-embajador-argentina-insultos-milei-lula-orix
▸ LA NACION — Why Milei insults Lula (analysis): https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/por-que-milei-insulta-a-lula-nid28072026/
▸ Diario Río Negro — Lula's party took the trip to the Electoral Justice: https://www.rionegro.com.ar/politica/el-partido-de-lula-llevo-el-viaje-de-javier-milei-a-brasil-a-la-justicia-electoral-en-casa-rosada-buscan-contener-la-crisis-4663837/
Document prepared for informative and journalistic purposes. Typography: Montserrat. Designed to be optimized for reading on mobile and desktop screens.
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🌾 🇦🇷 🎤 138th RURAL EXHIBITION OF PALERMO Milei, the retentions and the possible crossing with Villarruel mark the expectation for the closure This Sunday's closing ceremony brings together the President, the demand of the countryside to lower export duties and the political tension with the vice president on the same stage 🗓️ Buenos Aires, July 25, 2026 ⏱️ Estimated reading time: 7 minutes |
The 138th International Livestock, Agriculture and Industry Exhibition – popularly known as La Rural de Palermo – reaches its closing day this Sunday, July 26, with three focuses of attention that concentrate the gaze of producers, leaders and political analysts: the presence of President Javier Milei at the closing ceremony, the expectation for new announcements on export rights and the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between the president and the Vice President Victoria Villarruel.
Under the slogan "The countryside unites us", the exhibition – which takes place between July 16 and 26 at the Palermo fairgrounds – coincides with the 160th anniversary of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA) and arrives with a record number of exhibitors, more than 2,580 animals registered and the debut of YPF as the main sponsor.
🖼️ See reference image: historical pavilion of the Argentine Rural Society in Palermo (Wikimedia Commons) (Wikimedia Commons)
Milei will lead the official closing ceremony this Sunday at 11 a.m., in a different format than usual: the ceremony, which was traditionally held on the last Saturday of the exhibition, was moved due to agenda issues of the president, who on Saturday participated in a party activity in Brazil, where he was distinguished with the Order of Ipiranga and met with leaders of the Liberal Party. among them Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
The closing day will include, in addition to the presidential speech, activities open to the public such as the traditional carousel of military bands, an exhibition of Argentine Equestrian Art and a solidarity auction for the benefit of the Soldado Foundation. It will also be one of the few opportunities of the year in which the head of state shares the stage with the entire agricultural liaison table.
🖼️ See reference image: President Javier Milei (Wikimedia Commons) (Wikimedia Commons)
"Argentines and the countryside deserve to have their paw taken out of their heads. That is what the President has been doing since day one." — Diego Santilli, Chief of Staff
The economic scenario is more favorable than in 2025: the government lowered withholdings during the year, soybeans reached values close to 450 dollars per ton and exports of meat and grains show an upward trend. Even so, the central demand of the sector remains the same: the total elimination of export duties (DEX), described by Milei as a "distorting" tax.
The Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, announced this week that there will be no new reduction in withholdings in the short term – "the announcements have already been made," he said during his visit to the property – which moderated the expectations of the agricultural sector, more focused on issues such as financing and credit rates. The focus of the remaining demand is concentrated on meat, which still maintains a 5% rate on exports.
🔹 Since the beginning of his administration, the Government eliminated export duties for regional economies.
🔹 In 2026, the rates for wheat, barley and soybeans were reduced, and new staggered reductions were announced for sunflower oil towards 2028.
🔹 In Congress, projects are advancing from different blocs – United Provinces and Civic Coalition – for a gradual reduction of withholdings with a view to their total elimination.
The president of the SRA, Nicolás Pino, avoided anticipating possible announcements and remarked that any news will be communicated only in the official act itself, although he recalled that last year the President chose precisely that scenario to confirm a tax cut.
Beyond the agricultural agenda, the Rural Exhibition could become the scene of a new chapter of the political tension that runs through the presidential ticket this Sunday. Vice President Victoria Villarruel was formally invited by the SRA authorities to the central event, on the same day that Milei will attend, in the midst of a practically broken bond between the two leaders.
The eventual reunion comes after a new chapter of public differences: Villarruel had distanced himself from the government by claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the context of the controversy unleashed by a flag displayed during Argentina's semifinal against England in the FIFA World Cup. As of the closing of this note, the vice president had not officially confirmed her attendance and kept the details of her agenda confidential.
🖼️ See reference image: Vice President Victoria Villarruel (Wikimedia Commons) (Wikimedia Commons)
"If the vice president wants to attend an official event, they cannot prohibit her from entering" — Source consulted by Noticias Argentinas
In the surroundings of the Casa Rosada they emphasize that the invitation responds to an institutional protocol that the SRA repeats every year, beyond political distancing. The joint photo in the official box, if it materializes, would expose to the main leaders of agriculture and agribusiness the internal fractures of the presidential formula a little more than a year before the next elections.
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Indicator |
Detail |
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Dates |
July 16-26, 2026 |
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Motto |
"El campo nos une" |
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Registered animals |
2,580 (10% more than in 2025) |
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Commercial area |
More than 17,000 m², 100% sold |
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Main sponsor |
YPF (first time in that role) |
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Institutional anniversary |
160th anniversary of the Argentine Rural Society |
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Closing ceremony |
Sunday, July 26, 11 a.m., with the presence of Javier Milei |
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Special Activity |
1st Hampshire Down World Congress |
❓ When is the closing ceremony of the Rural Exhibition 2026?
On Sunday, July 26 at 11 a.m., at the Palermo fairgrounds, with the presence of President Javier Milei.
❓ Why was the traditional date of the closing ceremony changed?
The ceremony, which used to be held on the last Saturday of the exhibition, was rescheduled for Sunday due to the agenda of the President, who on Saturday participated in an official activity in Brazil.
❓ Are new announcements expected about withholdings?
Minister Luis Caputo ruled out a new reduction in the short term, although the sector maintains the expectation set in the presidential speech, especially with respect to the rate that is still levied on meat.
❓ Did Villarruel confirm his presence at the event?
So far, the vice president has not officially confirmed her attendance, although she was formally invited by the Argentine Rural Society.
On Sunday, he will condense, in a single act, the economic, institutional and political agenda that Argentina is going through in mid-2026: the government's link with the countryside, the bid to continue lowering the tax pressure on agriculture and the internal tensions of the presidential ticket in view of one of the sectors with the greatest convening power in the country. All eyes – those of the agricultural sector and those of politics – will be on the Palermo box.
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