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ARGENTINA | 08-11-2024 17:05

Stories that caught our eye: November 1 to 8

A selection of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.

 

WHITE HOUSE TURNS RED

President Javier Milei was quick to congratulate Republican leader Donald Trump for his "formidable victory" in last Tuesday’s elections in the United States, adding: "Now make America great again. You know you can count on Argentina." Milei also messaged Tesla Elon Musk and pledged his presence at Trump’s inauguration next January 20, according to reports. The Foreign Ministry joined President Milei in congratulating an “exemplary democratic day” and president-elect Trump. Various PRO leaders such as ex-president Mauricio Macri and deputy Cristian Ritondo also joined the congratulatory bandwagon with the former saying: “I want to congratulate you on your triumph and wish you the best for this new presidency, dear friend.” Security Minister Patricia Bullrich attributed the Republican triumph to “smart nationalism overcoming the new rights promoted by the left” while Vice-President Victoria Villarruel congratulated Trump for "his valiant defence of the values which identify all we Americans: love of the homeland and the defence of life and family.” On election day last Tuesday United States Ambassador Marc Stanley assured that Washington’s relationship with Argentina would not change, regardless of the outcome.

 

MILEI SINGS LIBERTY

President Javier Milei granted his girlfriend Amalia ‘Yuyito’ González a 90-minute interview on her morning programme Empezar el Día last Monday morning, deviating at times from public issues to discuss their relationship with the President singing the Nino Bravo hit ’Libre,’ along with Elvis Presley as he held her hand. But politics also entered the conversation with Milei recognising that he would not be president today “if it were not for the humility and grandeur” of his Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and “President [Mauricio] Macri.” He boasted of a growing economy after starting the year worse than the 1975 ‘Rodrigazo’ or the 1989 hyperinflation of Radical President Raúl Alfonsín. “The unforgivable error of [Diana] Mondino the other day cost her her job in 30 minutes,” was Milei’s explanation of the change of Foreign Ministry helm later that day after Argentina’s United Nations representation failed to join the United States and the Israel in opposing a resolution to end the US embargo against Cuba. Milei also lavished praise on various subordinates such as Luis Caputo (“the best Economy minister of all time”), Human Capital Minister Sandra Pettovello, La Libertad Avanza deputy Lilia Lemoine (“a gladiator for the ideas of liberty”) and Manuel Adorni (“a brilliant spokesman”).

 

WERTHEIN IN AND OUT

Argentine Ambassador to Washington Gerardo Werthein replaced Diana Mondino as Foreign minister on Monday evening, taking his oath of office on the Torah, and immediately announced a purge of the portfolio’s staff and the diplomatic corps in order to ensure complete alignment with foreign policy as defined by President Javier Milei. Werthein’s successor in the Washington Embassy had yet to be named at press time.

 

CRISTINA TAKES CHAIR

The Electoral Council of the Partido Justicialista Party proclaimed ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as its new party chair by a 13-1 vote last Tuesday afternoon, thus anticipating the internal elections scheduled for November 17 against La Rioja Governor Ricardo Quintela whose list it impugned although she will still have to wait until then to take charge formally.

 

CITY INFLATION 

City Hall statisticians announced an inflation of 3.2 percent for last month on Thursday or 122.1 percent so far this year. The main culprits were restaurants and hotels (4.7 percent), healthcare (4.5 percent) and housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels (4.3 percent) while the key ítem of food and beverages barely differed from the general average at 3.1 percent. Core inflation (excluding seasonal and regulated prices) was 3.6 percent.

 

JAIME BACK TO JAIL

Former transport secretary Ricardo Jaime turned himself at Comodoro Py federal courthouse last Tuesday morning to start serving a six-year prison sentence for his responsibility for the 2012 Once rail tragedy causing 52 deaths, not waiting for a ruling on his defence lawyers’ request for house arrest on health grounds. Jaime had already spent seven years in prison for other corruption convictions.

 

MOTHER OF PLAZA DE MAYO DIES

Mirta Acuña de Baravalle, one of the 12 co-founders of the Madres and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo human rights groups, died just before last weekend at the age of 99 and was laid to rest last Saturday in the Greater Buenos Aires district of San Martín. She joined the women in Plaza de Mayo in 1976 when her five-month-pregnant daughter Ana María and her son-in-law Julio César Galizzi went missing, never to reappear, while the presumed grandchild has yet to be identified.

 

GAY PRIDE WITH A DIFFERENCE

The 33rd Gay Pride March dominating downtown last Saturday had at least two features distinguishing it from most predecessors – the solidarity of foreign ambassadors and the lack of it from a government denying this celebration of diversity any support, whether financial or otherwise. Some 30 envoys (including British Ambassador Kirsty Hayes and French Ambassador Romain Nadal) gathered at the residence of United States Ambassador Marc Stanley to sign a statement saying: “As Diplomats for Equality we express our solidarity with and support for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, trans-gender, intersexual and queer people in Argentina and worldwide.” They then boarded their own rainbow-coloured float bearing the slogan “Love is Love” and headed for Congress from Palermo while the main march started at Plaza de Mayo, proceeding up Avenida de Mayo to Congress. The attitude of the ambassadors contrasted with the verbal violence of libertarian fanatics in the social networks, while La Libertad Avanza deputy Alberto ‘Bertie’ Benegas Lynch Junior repudiated LGBTIQ+ movements for “lobbying to obtain privileges,” adding that he did not understand what they had to be proud about.

 

VILLA GESELL TOLL HITS SEVEN

The bodies of the last four people missing from the October 28 collapse of the Hotel Dubrovnik in Villa Gesell were found in the course of the week, thus taking the final death toll up to seven.

 

DEAD WHALES

Chubut provincial authorities and conservationists are alarmed over the appearance of 71 dead whales on the coasts of the Peninsula Valdés so far this year, more than doubling the 30 cases of 2023. The deaths have been attributed to a natural toxin known as the “red tide,” which has also led to stench in the air. The population of the local whale species is estimated to reach over 1,500.

 

BULLRICH GAFFE

The Tucumán journalist Marco Antonio Centurión travelling to the coast last weekend to cover the promotion of the Mar del Plata club Aldovisi at the expense of his team was mistakenly arrested as a child pornographer violating house arrest and finally released after two hours but not before Security Minister Patricia Bullrich had celebrated the news on her social networks, proclaiming: "Our mission is clear: zero tolerance for these criminals." The journalist added that at no point was there any apology.

 

AVIATION WORKERS FIRED

The government last Thursday fired 15 employees for Intercargo air freight company for participation in union disputes which had led to flight cancellations with thousands of passengers being stranded at Aeroparque and Ezeiza airports. Economy Minister Luis Caputo branded their picket activities as “extortion” holding passengers hostage while Transport Secretary Franco Mogetta said: “The right to strike cannot be an excuse to torture people.” His department also blasted union assemblies which are “hidden strikes.”

 

LESS YERBA MATE SIPPED

Domestic consumption of yerba mate has fallen 8.8 percent in the first three quarters of this year, the CEPA (Centro de Economía Política Argentina) economic think tank revealed on Wednesday, the lowest level in the last nine years. Meanwhile exports are 16.4 percent down while the brew is now being imported from Paraguay and Brazil. 

 

ARGENTINA PADEL CHAMPS

Argentina clinched its 12th world championship (and the second running) in padel when its male players came from behind last Saturday to beat Spain 2-1 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Club in Doha (Qatar). The two countries dominate the sport, having disputed 14 of the 16 finals in this World Cup’s history. Spain’s women, wearing black armbands in memory of the victims of the Valencia floods, gave the runners-up some consolation by winning their sixth championship running.

 

DIWALI BRINGS SOUTH ASIAN TECHNICOLOUR TO BRITISH EMBASSY

What better indication of the changing face of Britain than the British Embassy here choosing to mark Halloween with a Diwali festival, where South Asian technicolour was a total contrast to the dominant black of the witchcraft traditionally associated with the last day of October? Subtly spiced food and brilliant dancing were memorable features of the residence event to honour the Hindu festival of lights and spiritual renewal, hosted by chargée d’affaires Bhavna Sharma.

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Michael Soltys

Michael Soltys

Michael Soltys, who first entered the Buenos Aires Herald in 1983, held various editorial posts at the newspaper from 1990 and was the lead writer of the publication’s editorials from 1987 until 2017.

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