Stories that caught our eye: June 12 to 19

 

MESSI BETTER THAN EVER

Talk of the week was Lionel Messi’s record-breaking hat-trick, scoring all three goals in Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria last Tuesday evening – two from a distance and the middle goal from a rebound. Messi thus equals German striker Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s top scorer with a total of 16 goals (notched against 11 different teams). He also became the first player to participate in six World Cups and score in five of them, sharing both records with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as the oldest player (turning 39 next Wednesday) to score more than one goal in a World Cup match. President Javier Milei celebrated the triumph with just three words on his X social network account: “VAMOS ARGENTINA CARAJO!!!”, supplemented by “¡VIVA LA SELECCIÓN, CARAJO!” on his Instagram account. While there was tolerance nationwide towards children showing up late for class on Wednesday morning, this was given official status in La Rioja, where Peronist Governor Ricardo Quintela ordered schools and government offices to remain shuttered until noon. National jubilation over World Cup history being made was somewhat marred on Thursday when the actress Florencia Peña had no better idea than to announce the fake news of the death of the superstar’s father Jorge Messi, leading her to be promptly dumped from Luzu TV streaming.

 

MILEI LANDS MORE LOANS

President Milei did not allow the World Cup to distract him from clinching international credit to meet next month’s foreign debt payments of US$4.3 billion, meeting up with World Bank authorities on Wednesday afternoon following their approval of a financing package of US$2 billion for Argentina. This loan was quickly followed up by a further US$550 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (BID in its Spanish acronym), headed by Brazilian Ifan Goldfain.

 

A BIGGIE FOR RIGI

The government last Tuesday officially confirmed the entry of the Vicuña copper mining project into its RIGI (Régimen de Incentivos para Grandes Inversiones) incentive scheme for major investments – a proposed investment of US$9.7 billion (which could double in time according to the investors), it is the biggest mining project in the country and one of the five largest copper undertakings in the world, according to Economy Minister Luis Caputo. Located in the province of San Juan and financed by Australia’s BHP and Canada’s Lundin, the mine plans annual exports worth over US$2.6 billion while creating some 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. The first decade is calculated to produce 2.5 million tons of copper, 5.5 million ounces of gold and 214 million ounces of silver. Vicuña brings RIGI’s haul up to 19 approved projects (all of them in the energy or mining sectors) with investments topping US$32.2 billion and an estimated 40 proposals in the pipeline.

 

QUIRNO BLASTS PETRO

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno replied harshly to Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s critique of Javier Milei’s tax policies last weekend, saying: “In seven days history will be made” (referring to tomorrow’s run-off in Colombia where Petro’s candidate is trailing). Petro had cited a Telesur study showing the taxation of the lower classes in Argentina to average 36 percent, as against 26 percent for the upper classes, commenting: “Look at what’s happening in Argentina, the workers are paying more [taxes] than the rich. That’s what will happen if you believe their stupid promise to lower taxes. They have indeed lowered them but for the richest while raising them for working people.” This latest clash was not the first between the ideologically opposed administrations of Milei and Petro.

 

TATY ALMEIDA DEAD AT 95

Taty Almeida, iconic human rights activist, tireless campaigner and president of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, died on Sunday morning at the age of 95. Born in Buenos Aires in 1930 as Lidia Estela Mercedes Miy Uranga, Almeida’s life changed forever after the disappearance of 20-year-old medical student Alejandro, the middle of three children born from her marriage to fellow-teacher Jorge Almeida, at the hands of the far-right Triple A paramilitary organisation in 1975. For the rest of her life she demanded answers from the state as to his fate with no response despite her contacts from being born into a military family. Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo president Estela Barnes de Carlotto (one of two surviving grandmothers) and ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were among the many paying tribute to her memory. Her funeral in Chacarita Cemetery last Tuesday was attended by Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof among others.

 

CLARIN MERGER, YES BUT ...

The Javier Milei government is seeking to blunt one of the biggest business mergers in recent times, authorising the absorption of Telefónica Argentina by Telecom while at the same time imposing a disinvestment plan on the latter, reducing their mobile telephone clients by 40 percent or some six million people (the company had offered to relinquish half that number), yielding them to a new competitor. The company will also have to drop Internet clients. The aim is to avoid the Grupo Clarín cornering almost 70 percent of the telecommunications market but the company also points to aggressive competition from abroad such as DirecTV-Amazon or Elon Musk’s Starlink. 

 

MOVISTAR ARENA MOVES INTO US HANDS

The United States company Live Nation Entertainment, considered the world’s biggest show business outfit operating in over 50 countries, last Tuesday announced the purchase of a majority shareholding in Movistar Arena Buenos Aires with Grupo La Nación continuing as minority partner. Inaugurated in 2019 with a capacity to receive 15,000 persons, the Movistar Arena is one of Latin America’s benchmark venues, hosting over 250 events annually and drawing more than 2.5 million fans. A fortnight ago Live Nation purchased a majority shareholding in Dale Play Live, founded by Federico Lauria and developing such artists as Duki, Bizarrap, Nicki Nicole and Emilia. Via DF Entertainment, yet another local purchase, Live Nation also recently signed a strategic agreement with Estadio Luna Park SA to renovate integrally the historic site and run it for the next few decades with 150 domestic and international events annually – the reopening is scheduled for late next year.

 

POPE ON WAY

A papal visit to Argentina moved closer on Thursday when Pope Leo XIV confirmed to outgoing Peruvian President José María Balcazar that he would be visiting Peru in the first half of November while receiving him in the Vatican. Expectations of a round trip also taking in Argentina and Uruguay promptly soared. The Pope spent more than two decades in pastoral work in northern Peru as Archbishop of Chiclayo. The Milei government extended a formal invitation to the Pope last February, delivered personally by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno. The last pontiff to visit Argentina was John Paul II in 1987.  

 

LOAN TRIAL BEGINS

Two years after the disappearance of Loan Danilo Peña (then aged five), in Corrientes, the corresponding trial began last Tuesday. The defence lawyers of the 17 defendants are striving to have the proceedings quashed. Over 900 pages of evidence have been compiled in the high-profile case with the trial expected to last between four and six months. Federal prosecutor Carlos Schaeffer described his central objective as “to break the cruel conspiracy of silence to find out what they did with Loan.” 

 

LILITA LASHES OUT

Former deputy and presidential candidate Elisa Carrió criticised erstwhile centre-right allies on the Almorzando con Mirtha Legrand television show last Sunday, especially PRO Congress caucus chief Cristian Ritondo, ex-president Mauricio Macri and the UCR Radicals (her original party), accusing the latter of also being corrupt. “I don’t speak to Ritondo because he’s corrupt,” affirmed the Coalición Cívica founder, arguing that “he cannot explain 180 properties” and linking him to gambling interests “dominating Argentina.” She also described her previous support for Macri as a mistake. Other targets were Entre Ríos Governor Rogelio Frigerio and former City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, both PRO. Finally, she clarified that she is now steering clear of party politics but remains involved in public life.

 

DEATH IN RIO

Youtuber Gaspar ‘Gaspi’ Prim Díaz, US singer Oliver Tree and music video director Lucas Vignale were among the six fatal victims of a crash between two helicopters in Río de Janeiro last Sunday. The causes of the tragedy were not immediately known. Gaspi made his name with his irreverent humour, Oliver Tree was famous for hits like ‘Life Goes On,’ ‘Miss You” and ‘Alien Boy’ while Vignale had worked with Bizarrap.

 

DEATH IN ECUADOR

Two Argentine forensic experts are cooperating with Ecuador in the investigation of the death of the Polish activist Monika Silva Koniuszek a week ago in the south-western coastal resort of Montañita, Quito’s Foreign Ministry informed on Monday. Silva Koniuszek had been denouncing dubious real estate transactions allegedly involving politicians and had reported death threats some time beforehand. Ecuador requested “independent and impartial medical and forensic assistance” from Poland and Argentina with the Supreme Court of the latter offering “the technical cooperation of two medically trained forensic experts.” The cause of death was initially given as suicide but local media have expressed their doubts while the European delegation in Ecuador has requested an “independent” and “transparent” investigation.

 

CURTAINS FOR LIBRARY

Scenes of Casa Rosada employees dismantling a ground floor library on Wednesday, apparently to facilitate a new office, triggered controversy among those not distracted by the World Cup. The aim, apparently, is reportedly to digitalise the books with storage in the building producing the Official Gazette.

 

CURTAINS FOR CAVANI

Boca Juniors football club last Wednesday decided to rescind the contract of veteran 39-year-old Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani due to his incessant injuries and poor form. Since joining the club in mid-2023, Cavani has scored 28 goals in 81 matches, during which period he had five different trainers (Jorge Almirón, Fernando Gago, the late Miguel Ángel Russo, Claudio Ubeda and now Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who was confirmed Thursday as the club’s new boss).