Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or on Monday evening — beating his own world record. The Albiceleste captain was tipped as the favorite to win the award, which crowns the best footballer in the world. Fourteen years on from his first Ballon d’Or, Messi received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in París. I have nothing against them.”Meanwhile, the humanitarian Sócrates Award went to Brazilian Vinícius Oliveira Júnior for his work funding education for underprivileged children and his fight against racism. The best women’s team award went to FC Barcelona, with their star midfielder Aitana Bonmati earning the Women’s Ballon d’Or after winning the Champions League with them and the Women’s World Cup with Spain’s national side.

Following several days of fuel shortages, Economy Minister and presidential candidate Sergio Massa warned oil companies that export ships will be barred from leaving the country if the supply chain doesn’t return to normal. “If the fuel shortage is not solved by Tuesday midnight, [oil companies] won’t be able to send off a single export ship Wednesday,” he said during a press conference on Sunday noon. “At some point, there were some that speculated that the electoral result would cause a devaluation, so they may have saved up [their fuel],” Massa said. In that context, oil companies reached an agreement with the Economy Ministry and established a price freeze until October 31. The government announced it would import 10 tanker ships of fuel to avoid supply shortages.

The Mar del Plata International Film Festival unveiled the programming for its 38th edition, which will take place from November 2 to 12. The closing night will feature Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki’s latest film, Fallen Leaves, winner of this year’s Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The 38th edition will offer seven official sections: International, Latin American, Argentine, Altered States, and In Transit / Work in Progress (WIP). The film’s director, Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) will attend the festival and give a masterclass. Other local highlights include the most recent films by Lisandro Alonso, Martín Rejtman, Andrés Di Tella, Edgardo Cozarinsky, and Demian Rugna (director of When Evil Lurks, winner of the Sitges Film Festival).

Argentina will import 10 tanker ships of fuel to avoid supply shortages after a spike in demand around the elections and rising consumption in 2023 overall. The agreement was made during a meeting between Energy Secretary Flavia Royón and the leaders of major energy companies. Demand for fuel has increased recently, driven by increased demand from tourism over the mid-October long weekend and greater activity in the agricultural sector. “The root of the problem is that last weekend demand was 15% higher compared to the same weekend of the previous year; this led to an emptying of the companies fuel stocks. In addition to meeting with the heads of energy companies, Royón also met with representatives of gas station unions, who expressed their concern regarding the shortages in several parts of the country.

Oil companies operating in Argentina said Saturday that fuel supply will “normalize in the upcoming days” after several parts of the country experienced shortages. The second was a higher-than-usual dependence on fuel imports due to scheduled shutdowns at some refineries. The third event was a situation of overdemand which, according to the companies, was caused by a shortage expectation. “Argentina’s fuel production and supply infrastructure is robust,” the communiqué said. The government announced it would import 10 tanker ships of fuel to avoid supply shortages.

Nineteen provincial Peronist and allied leaders released a statement backing Unión por la Patria (UxP) presidential candidate Sergio Massa in the upcoming November 19 run-off against Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza, calling for “national unity” and an end to poliarization. Deputy governor of Santa Fe Alejandra Rodenas and Río Negro governor-elect Alberto Weretilneck were also present. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Federal Investment Council (CFI) in Buenos Aires City. After the meeting, Massa told press he made no distinction between political forces. “Party differences are part of an old discussion and Argentina is starting a new era,” he said.

“He didn’t ask me for anything,” said Milei of the negotiations with Macri, Bullrich and hardline PRO converts, who have a new common feature: they are politically homeless. What does Bullrich offer Milei? We’re not sure whether freedom is advancing, but it’s certainly getting together for “change.”What does Bullrich offer Milei? Other PRO leaders started to follow the Macri-Bullrich strategy, joining them in dribs and drabs. Milei is alone, and so he is partnering with the worst in politics.”Originally published in Ambito.com / Translated by Agustín Mango

Very few figures in Argentine history have become international heroes of the caliber of Lionel Messi. That’s exactly what Messi10, the latest show by Cirque du Soleil, aims to represent. During the 90-minute show, impressive acts are dedicated to Messi’s qualities. The public will feel part of the showPhoto: Cirque du SoleilIn the end, it’s an impressive experience that will leave you thinking about what makes football’s most decorated player who he is, and for those who’ve never seen a high-end circus production before, it will leave them coming back for more. They’re selling quickly, so if you’re looking to buy, you’d better stay on the ball!

The communiqué was released Wednesday evening following a meeting in Buenos Aires City. “We think that today, our homeland needs us to be capable of forgiving each other, because what’s at stake is very important. “I watched [Bullrich’s] press conference and was embarrassed for her,” said Morales in a press conference. “We won’t participate in a government permeated by Kirchnerism [but] obviously Milei is worse. “It’s a leap into the abyss and a path to Argentina’s darkest night,” he stated.

He was arrested on charges of money laundering — allegedly related to drug trafficking and the Mexican Sinaloa cartel — following a five-year investigation by Judge Federico Villena. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) participated in that investigation. “By operating for a gang dedicated to drug trafficking, these operations violate the federal law”The Croatian was arrested on Tuesday morning at his home in the gated community of “El Golf,” in Nordelta. Pulenta was arrested in the gated community “El Encuentro,” in the Buenos Aires district of Benavídez, while Estrada Palomeque was arrested at his home in the Retiro neighborhood. There, they found money and weapons — among them, five pistols and two Smith & Wesson .38 Special caliber revolvers.

The government will seek to renew the Fair Prices program for another 90 days. Within this scenario, it will look to renew the Fair Prices program in a context where it is also seeking to realign expectations that were distorted after the primaries. The government will seek to extend the current agreement that expires on October 31 for the next 90 days with a 5% monthly increase. The agreement expires at the end of the month, and although companies have already made raises, they will seek new ones that are unlikely to be approved, at least in the ammount they intend. But they consider the Fair Prices program a tool to guide expectations in a high inflation regime driven by high inertia.

Three telecommunications companies have been awarded 20-year licenses to develop 5G in Argentina, making bids totalling over US$875 million on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Spanish Telefónica/Movistar was awarded a 50 MHz band for US$175 million. The companies are expected to build 5G stations within seven years in towns with up to 30,000 inhabitants. “The United States was involved from day zero,” Zuazo told the Herald. Zuazo suggested that it would have been interesting to have state-owned telecommunications company ARSAT keep the unawarded 50 MHZ.

The Lower House’s budget commission will start debating an addendum to the 2024 budget bill on Wednesday which aims to eliminate a series of tax expenditures to reach a 1% surplus. Overall, tax expenditure is equivalent to 4.72% of Argentina’s gross domestic product (GDP). In a message from the Economy Ministry, the government highlighted certain costs and “tax benefits with a negative impact on the budget” amounting to 2.24% GDP, suggesting that the Lower House debate reducing those specific topics when addressing the budget. On the cutting board are income tax breaks for judges, exporters with value-added tax (VAT) benefits, and an industrial development scheme in Tierra del Fuego province. These tax benefits, differential systems, and budget subsidies “particularly favor large companies and corporations” and have “a significant negative impact on the sustainability of public accounts by creating permanent tax collection reductions,” the document says.

Economy Minister and presidential frontrunner Sergio Massa promised to set Argentina on the path to balanced books by incentivizing exports, bringing forward the payment of some bonds, promoting a budget surplus, and shifting towards austerity. The fate of the IMF deal will be one of the major questions hanging over whoever moves into the Casa Rosada presidential palace on December 10. Argentina’s export income will depend largely on the fate of its grains harvests. Massa will compete for the presidency in a run-off election against far-right libertarian economist Javier Milei on November 19. You may also be interested in: Argentina and China agree on US$6.5 bn currency swap extension

After disparaging pretty much every sector of Argentine politics during his campaign, far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, LLA) is changing tactics ahead of the November 19 run-off in order to garner support. “I wouldn’t discard having Patricia Bullrich as [a possible] security minister,” Milei said in an interview with TV news station La Nación+. “We really valued her work as minister,” he added, referring to her tenure as security minister during former president and JxC leader Mauricio Macri’s government (2015-2019). He added that he is also in talks with Macri, as well as former vice presidential candidate Florencio Randazzo, who ran alongside Juan Schiaretti. Economy Minister Massa finished unexpectedly in first place on Sunday with 36.7% of the vote while Milei came in second with almost 30%.