Stories that caught our eye: April 24 to May 1

ADORNI UNDER FIRE

Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni broke his silence over the intense public scrutiny into his assets by showing up to report to Congress on Wednesday but only up to a point because the lack of any direct question-answer format permitted him to be elusive, only insisting that he had not committed any crime. Otherwise he generally defended austerity when fielding over 4,000 questions. President Javier Milei attended along with his entire Cabinet and presidential chief-of-staff Karina Milei to cheer him on from the galleries. Amid the scandal over Adorni’s property acquisitions, the Anti-Corruption Office last weekend extended the deadline for state officials to submit their sworn statements of assets from the end of this month to July 31.

CGT PROTESTS

The CGT labour umbrella union grouping staged a mass rally in Plaza de Mayo to protest the policies of the Javier Milei administration on Thursday afternoon, marking International Workers Day a day ahead in order to keep May Day yesterday as a public holiday, but an earlier than usual press time due to that public holiday prevents us from accessing any exact numbers or further details.

A MALVINAS TRUMP CARD?

A leaked Pentagon email sent Argentine hopes of recovering the Malvinas Islands soaring last weekend when it suggested that United States President Donald Trump was so annoyed over the lack of British support for military action against Iran that he was considering withdrawing US support for their sovereignty over the disputed islands – a support which had always been ironclad by the NATO alliance but now NATO is entering into crisis. However later in the weekend the State Department in Washington informed: “Our position continues to be neutrality, not adopting any stance with respect to the sovereignty claims of either side.” Something for King Charles III to ponder when arriving in Washington last Monday for a four-day visit.

OFFICIAL BOUNCED

Economy Minister Luis Caputo last weekend finally accepted the resignation of Infrastructure Secretary Carlos María Frugoni after a press investigation exposed him as having seven undeclared flats in Miami worth around US$150,000 each. Frugoni recognised “an error” with his explanation that he was already paying taxes on those properties in the United States considered insufficient. The scandal came at an awkward moment for the libertarian government with Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni under fire. Previously heading the CNRT transport regulatory agency, Frugoni will now be replaced by Transport Secretary Fernando Herrmann, an architect by profession who has held that post for little more than three months following the resignation of Luis Pierrini early this year.

UBA ON STRIKE

Tension between UBA Buenos Aires University and the Javier Milei government spiked in midweek with a total strike by both academic and non-academic staff in response to a “provocative communiqué” from the Human Capital Ministry criticising university employees precisely for their propensity to strike due to their “salaries losing out month after month to inflation,” according to the university organisations. Beyond Wednesday’s strike, university unions have ratified a Fourth Federal University March for May 12 to protest budget cuts.

BOND ISSUE RELATIVE SUCCESS

In a key tender last Tuesday the government picked up US$700 million via the issue of two dollar bonds while simultaneously adjudicating 8.11 trillion pesos from offers of 9.19 trillion, representing a 102.15 percent renewal of the debt falling due. The interest rates on the dollar bonds AO27 and AO28 were 5.16 and 8.77 percent respectively. The government target for the two bonds had been US$900 million, earmarked for easing July foreign payments of over US$4 billion.

MORE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS-BASHING

Through to press time the government was continuing to ban the access of accredited journalists to the Casa Rosada. The “preventive” measure was imposed on April 23 as a safeguard against perceived “illegal espionage” following an unauthorised press presence in government house corridors. Last weekend President Javier Milei labelled TN television news channel journalists Luciana Geuna and Roland Barbano as “filthy trash” and “criminals,” the latest in a long string of presidential insults against the press with digital support from libertarian militants. Government hostility towards the media was reflected in the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Sans Frontières (“Reporters Without Borders,” in English)last Thursday with Argentina dropping 11 places to rank 98th in the 180 countries surveyed. The United States also dropped seven places in a generally negative report showing press freedom globally to be at its lowest level this century. 

RETIRO LEASE RENEWAL

Just before last weekend the government announced a new tender for the integral renewal of Retiro Bus Terminal under a scheme of a 30-year lease with 100 percent private financing while the private-sector interest remains to be seen. Between 10 and 12 million passengers circulate in the terminal every year with summer vacation peaks of up to two million, annually running over 300,000 bus services connecting this city with every province nationwide and neighbouring countries. The move is in line with the government policy of replacing public works with projects sustained by private capital. According to Decree 273/2026 published in the Official Gazette, the initiative aims at ending “over 30 years of backward decadence” at the terminal, which has been in the hands of TEBA S.A headed by Néstor Otero since 1993 (on a transitory basis since 2015, which is to continue until the new lease is formally awarded).

JOSE LOPEZ IN DENIAL

José López, the former Public Works secretary in the now defunct Federal Planning Ministry best known for tossing satchels containing millions of dollars over a convent wall in mid-2016, denied that either he or co-defendants ex-president Cristina Kirchner or former Federal Planning minister Julio De Vido had ever formed part of an “illicit association” when testifying at the ‘Cuadernos’ corruption notebooks trial last Thursday. Meanwhile the judges continue to knock back repeated requests by defence lawyers to quash the trial.

KICILLOF TAKES PARTY CHAIR

Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof replaced deputy Máximo Kirchner as chairman of the provincial branch of the Justicialist (Peronist) Party just before last weekend but tension with the La Cámpora militants headed by Kirchner (who shunned the transfer) remains latent with Quilmes Mayor (on leave) Mayra Mendoza rapping the governor for flying off to progressive summits in Spain while ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner remains under house arrest.

BOOK FAIR’S ICY START

The 50th International Book Fair is now up and running until May 11 following a turbulent inauguration on April 23 when the writer Gabriela Cabezón Cámara made defending the original Glaciers Law her central issue while participating in a public conversation with fellow- writers Leila Guerriero and Selva Almada. But the official opening of the event was entrusted to the national government’s Culture Secretary Leonardo Cifelli, who was booed when he blundered into referring to Argentina’s most famous writer as “Jorge Luis Bórgeres” – mentions of City Mayor Jorge Macri and Human Capital Minister Sandra Pettovello also earned boos. Cifelli further had to contend with demonstrators protesting the government’s Glaciers Law amendments diluting their protection. The day after the Book Fair inauguration, the reforms of the Glaciers Law (approved last April 9 by a 137-111 vote in Congress) were officially promulgated with control delegated to provincial governments.

COLAPINTO WOWS BA

Formula 1 racing driver Franco Colapinto, 22, reportedly drew over half-a-million people to his road show last Sunday. Colapinto drove a 2012 Lotus E20 with the colours of the Alpine French motor-racing team for whom he competes, followed by a replica of the Mercedes Silver Arrow in which his compatriot Juan Manuel Fangio raced in the 1950s. The young driver thrilled the crowd by accompanying completion of the two-kilometre circuit in the upmarket neighbourhood of Palermo with some twirls until sparks and smoke came out of his Alpine. “I hope this show reveals to the Formula 1 (world) what we have generated and that we have Grand Prix Racing again in Argentina,” said Colapinto, drawing loud cheers from the onlookers. Argentina has not had Grand Prix racing all this century, losing its status in 1998. Following a hiatus last month due to the cancellation of two Middle East events owing to the conflict there, Colapinto is due to race again in Miami tomorrow.

NEW MAN AT RIVER

River Plate football club have a new sporting director since Tuesday – Spaniard Pablo Longoria (39), the president of major French club Olympique de Marseille from 2020 until last February who also has experience with Newcastle United, Juventus and Valencia. His recruitment forms part of the new president Stefano Di Carlo’s ambitious plans, which include expanding the capacity of the Monumental stadium to 101,000 spectators.