Stories that caught our eye: May 15 to 22

CUT-PRICE WATERWAY

The tender for the Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay waterway failed to produce a winner last Tuesday between the competing Belgian bidders Jan de Nul and DEME but it did result in cost relief for those transporting freight since both consortia offered tolls on a scale beginning at US$3.80 per ton as against the previous floor of US$4.30. On the previous day the government ratified that both competitors were technically qualified to present their bids.

ONLY FOOD FOR BOLIVIA

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno last Wednesday denied the accusations of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales that the Javier Milei government was providing military collaboration to Bolivia’s current Rodrigo Paz Pereira presidency in order to repress social disturbances linked to Morales. Quirno stated that Argentina’s contribution was limited to “a Hércules aircraft transporting Bolivian food to leapfrog the blockades by sympathisers of Evo Morales” as humanitarian aid. Bolivia is currently undergoing a situation of extreme domestic fragility as peasant groupings aligned with Morales demand Paz Pereira’s resignation with three deaths so far this month. Quirno ratified that regional support for Bolivian institutions includes not only Argentina but also Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.

NOT ALL QUIET ON ADORNI FRONT

The opposition again failed to muster Congress quorum last Wednesday for an interpellation of embattled Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni, largely due to most inland provinces siding with the government and a Peronist strategy of welcoming his continuation as a toxic asset (as well as sensitivity about making corruption an issue in some cases) but Senator Patricia Bullrich (La Libertad Avanza-City) presented the sworn statement of her assets to the Anti-Corruption Office more than two months in advance on the same day in an overt move to pressure Adorni to do the same.

WHAT CONGRESS DID DO

The Chamber of Deputies last Wednesday approved the ‘Ley Hojarasca’ by a 138-96 vote. The bill, pushed by Deregulation & State Transformation Minister Federico Sturzenegger, repeals 70 obsolete norms governing the right of television to use colour, the regulation of pigeon-racing and the presidential obligation to be the godparent of every seventh child, among other items. Congress then moved on to approve a bill to reduce the “cold zones” qualifying for subsidised gas by a 132-105 vote with four abstentions at the end of an 11-hour session. The bill basically aims at reverting to the situation preceding 2021, when a bill presented by Unión de la Patria deputy Máximo Kirchner defined much of the country (including Buenos Aires Province) as a “cold zone” entitled to gas subsidies of 30-50 percent with the latest reform approximately halving the number of beneficiaries.

FAIR SHARE FOR CITY

The Economy Ministry and City Hall reached an agreement last Monday (not for the first time) to cancel the payment of accumulated federal revenue-sharing arrears. An initial agreement had been reached in September, 2024 to transfer the extra 1.55 percent of federal revenue-sharing funds ruled by the Supreme Court in 2022 but as from last July the national government started dragging its feet on weekly payments. Last Monday the national government offered to pay the debt with bonds falling due in seven months. Over and above this agreement, City Hall will continue to press for the US$6 billion accumulated since then President Alberto Fernández abruptly slashed its federal revenue-sharing entitlement to 1.4 percent in 2020.

KARINA TAKEN TO COURT

A federal court last Tuesday ordered the government to hand over the complete file of a 700-million-peso contract signed by presidential chief-of-staff Karina Milei leasing the maintenance and watering of green spaces at the Casa Rosada and Olivos presidential residence. Maverick libertarian deputy Marcela Pagano (also active in the probes into Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni and his brother Francisco) suspected sham competition between crony capitalists and the case was picked up by federal prosecutor Ramiro González, who took it to judge Sebastián Ramos requesting all the documentation of public tender N° 23-0005-LPU26. According to Pagano, both competitors belong to the same business group, Grupo Buena Vista SA.

VILLARRUEL AT ODDS AGAIN

Vice-President Victoria Villarruel once again underlined her differences with the Javier Milei administration last weekend, this time regarding the overpriced purchase of an allegedly defective Embraer ERJ-140LR aircraft for the Air Force for over US$4 million. After previous criticism of Luis Petri (Defence minister until last October’s midterms), the Defence Ministry was once again her target. Villarruel found the overpricing especially egregious with "military pay in the basement and their healthcare scheme totally broke." The veep criticised the tender being rushed through in under two months with no accompanying studies, reportedly paying almost double the market price. Technical reports from the United States indicated that the aircraft was rusty, leaking fuel and underequipped. Petri was quick to detach himself from any blame, saying that he himself had denounced the financial and administrative irregularities last November although the tender for the Embraer was last May.

TRIPLE LESBICIDE ON TRIAL

The trial of Justo Fernando Barrientos for arson in a Barracas boarding house leading to the deaths of three women began last Monday with 20 witnesses called to the stand. Barrientos is accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail two Mays ago into a room shared by Pamela Cobbas, Andrea Amarante, Roxana Figueroa and Sofía Castro Riglos with only the latter surviving. The defendant is charged with triple homicide, femicide and lesbicide “aggravated by gender hatred.” All three fatalities died from their burns between one and five days after the attack.

PROFESSOR MILEI

President Javier Milei last Monday started the week by lecturing masters students at the Universidad de San Andrés on “advanced macroeconomics” in a class arranged by Deregulation and State Transformation Minister Federico Sturzenegger (who is also a professor at the university). The following day Milei again donned an academic gown to deliver a lecture at MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) on "Argentina 2026: job insertion, macroeconomic vision and productive potential."

MILEI MAN LOSES US VISA

Washington announced last Wednesday that it had decided to revoke the visa of Pablo Ferrara Raisberg, Foreign Ministry coordinator-general during the first four months of the Javier Milei administration, due to links with illegal fishing by Chinese trawlers. The announcement was detailed in person by Christopher Landau, second-in-command at Marco Rubio’s State Department. Ferrata Raisberg lost his job in March, 2024 after being accused of favouring a Chinese company poaching Patagonian toothfish (a fragile, protected species) off Tierra del Fuego.

THIEL WOULD-BE GRAND MASTER

An amateur chess tournament in the Abasto neighbourhood last Sunday had at least one surprise participant – German-born United States multi-billionaire Peter Thiel, who finished third after playing several locals. Thiel, who has already met up with President Javier Milei and the economic team, is in town indefinitely after buying the most expensive house in the Barrio Parque neighbourhood.

NEW RELIGIOUS WATCHDOG

Agustín Caulo is now officially the Secretary of Cults and Civilisations under the Foreign Ministry following a publication in the Official Gazette. He was previously undersecretary in the same department.

WORLD CUP WATCH LIST

Just before last weekend Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva announced that she has given to the United States Embassy a full list of the persons denied admission to Argentine football stadiums, who will now presumably also be refused entry into the United States for the World Cup between June 11 and July 19. The list numbers just over 34,000 fans, including not only hooligans but also some 13,000 men behind on their alimony payments. As from July 24, the US recipients pledge themselves to the “irreversible destruction of this database,” without conserving copies in any form. One Argentine who will be going to the World Cup despite facing tax evasion charges of up to 19 billion pesos is AFA Argentine Football Federation president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia – a court cleared his travel plans last Monday upon payment of a bail of 30 million pesos.

AMERICAN LEGION MARKS MEMORIAL DAY

The British Cemetery in Chacarita hosted a solemn Memorial Day observance Tuesday, as the American Legion gathered to honour US citizens who served in their nation’s Armed Forces. The event began inside the cemetery’s historic chapel, where attendees listened to a series of speeches reflecting on the meaning of Memorial Day and the enduring legacy of US service members buried far from home. Particular tribute was paid to the veterans of World War I and IIa who rest in the cemetery. Among those present was US Ambassador Peter Lamelas, whose attendance underscored the significance of the occasion. Members of the US Armed Forces also participated, joining representatives of the American Legion and members of the local US community. Following the chapel remarks, participants moved outdoors to place American flags at the graves of US veterans. The gesture, simple yet deeply symbolic, echoed the tradition observed in cemeteries across the United States, where families and volunteers mark the resting places of fallen service members with small flags. The ceremony concluded with the playing of ’Taps,’ a short 24‑note melody played on a bugle which dates back to 1862, during the US Civil War, when it replaced an older French bugle call used to signal the end of the day. It was a moment to honour sacrifice and ensure that the memory of those who served continues to be preserved.