The prosecutor of the Special Investigation Unit on the 1994 AMIA bombing, Sebastián Basso, requested on Wednesday the indictment of ten Iranian and Lebanese suspects. Basso insisted that, until the enabling law that was passed last year, it was impossible to move the case forward against specific individuals. Between 2006 and 2023, Argentina submitted extradition requests to Iran and Lebanon for the ten individuals, which were never granted. The prosecutor was adamant in his case against the Shia Islamist Lebanese political party and paramilitary group Hezbollah, of which the Salman brothers and Mouzannar are suspected members. Some AMIA victim’s organizations favored trying the accused in absentia, while others did not.

Argentine military police officer Nahuel Gallo said he suffered “psychological torture” in his first public appearance since being released from a prison in Venezuela after 448 days. He spoke at a highly-anticipated press conference after the Argentine government confirmed that the Argentine Football Association (AFA), not the administration, was behind Gallo’s release. Gallo spoke in the Gendarmerie building, flanked by Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, and the head of Gendarmerie, General Claudio Brilloni. But those political prisoners there are waiting to be released,” Gallo added. During the conference, Gallo said that he “made an [Argentina] flag out of soap” to feel like he “was home.”“Foreigners always asked me: Why are you so patriotic?

Buenos Aires’ beautiful weather is holding up, and so does its packed and diverse cultural lineup for the weekend. Drag Bingo? Expect music, empanadas, wine, great books, beautiful people, and everything else you could want on a Saturday night filled with alcohol and education. This is not your usual bingo: there is comedy humor, audience engagement, prizes, improv and, yes, lots of glittr — you don’t yell “Bingo”, you scream “Socorro! National Folk Ballet at Palacio LibertadThursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. / Sunday at 7 p.m.Palacio Libertad (Sarmiento 151)Free admission; limited capacity.

Tire industry workers’ union SUTNA held a march in front of the Labor Secretariat in Buenos Aires on Wednesday to protest against the potential shutdown of tire manufacturer Fate. The protest, which started at 10:30 a.m., took place as representatives of the Labor Secretariat, Fate and the union met to decide the future of the company and its workers. The labor secretariat has the power to extend it for five more days. “Defending Argentine labor is defending our families,” they said. Following the speech, the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) and the Argentine Business Association (AEA) issued statements calling for respect for business leaders.

Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona has left his position, President Javier Milei confirmed on Wednesday. “Huge thanks Mariano, for these over two years of tireless work,” wrote Milei on his X account. The 64-year-old lawyer had been with the government since it came to power in December 2023. Milei also confirmed Buenos Aires City attorney general Juan Bautista Mahiques will be the new Justice Minister. Cúneo Libarona’s continuity at the helm of the Ministry of Justice had been in doubt for some time, with outlets reporting a race for succession for days.

Argentine assets continued to suffer the impact of the war in the Middle East on Tuesday, as sovereign dollar-denominated bonds tumbled on Wall Street, pushing country risk to its highest level since mid-December. Major European stock exchanges extended their downward trend, Wall Street fell sharply, and oil prices surged once again. Country risk hits yearly highIn line with investors’ flight from riskier assets, Argentina’s dollar sovereign bonds posted steep losses. The situation caused country risk to jump 4.8% and reach 594 basis points, its highest level since mid-December, when it briefly fell below the 600-point mark. While the war brings additional complications for Argentina’s country risk — a crucial factor for the government’s ability to regain access to international debt markets — the indicator had already begun to stall in recent months.

With the start of military action, this climate of uncertainty deepened, especially given the region’s strategic role in the global energy supply. Another key factor is Iran’s role in the global energy market. In parallel, the liquefied natural gas market could also be affected if the uncertainty in shipping routes continues. Short and long term effectsFor Argentina, the evolution of international oil prices could have mixed effects on the economy. Aleph Energy’s analysis concludes that the global energy market is going through a period marked by volatility.

Eduardo “Chacho” Coudet will be the new River Plate head coach, club president Stefano Di Carlo confirmed on Tuesday. “It’s done,” Di Carlo told sports outlet ESPN. If everything goes well, it should be around noon.”The River president confirmed the coach will sign a contract running until December 2027 and take up his position immediately. Coudet had a contract with Spanish club Deportivo Alavés until June this year, so River will have to pay compensation to terminate it. Di Carlo said the club was looking for someone who had history with the Millonario, but also a proven track record as a coach.

Iran is going through a leadership crisis after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, on Saturday. The Quds Force is responsible for conducting overseas military and intelligence operationsAs such, he is one of the main suspects of the AMIA attack that caused the death of 85 people in 1994. Argentina declared the Quds force a terrorist organization in January. The Argentine judiciary has investigated allegations that the AMIA attack was orchestrated by the religious group Hezbollah with the backing of the Iranian government. You may also be interested in: An Argentine tragedy explained: What was the AMIA terrorist attack?

The General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Argentina’s largest trade union organization, will file two legal complaints against the labor reform approved last week by Congress. The announcement was on Monday and specified that it will reach the Labor Court and the Administrative Court. “It is false that the enactment of this Labor Reform Law seeks to increase employment and bring informal workers into the formal sector,” said a statement by the CGT. “We know very well that this process cannot be improved by reducing workers’ rights or rolling back the legal framework to times closer to servitude or slavery,” they added. “(President) Milei’s economic program is causing a very deep recession in job-creating sectors such as the manufacturing industry,” he added, noting that the labor reform won’t create jobs.

Argentine military police officer Nahuel Gallo, who had been detained in Venezuela for over a year on counts of conspiracy and espionage, was released on Sunday night, with key assistance from the Argentine Football Association (AFA). However, it quickly became apparent that one organization, which played a key role in Gallo’s liberation, went unmentioned: the AFA. AFA broke the news of Gallo’s liberation twenty minutes before Quirno, when they released a short statement thanking Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez and the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF). Congresswoman Marcela Pagano also credited “the AFA sports diplomacy” as one of the keys to Gallo’s return. “Thanks to quiet, joint efforts by the Venezuelan Football Federation and CONMEBOL, today, after 448 days, Nahuel Gallo is returning to Argentina and can be reunited with his family,” he wrote on his X account.

President Javier Milei’s third start-of-the-year speech in Congress was filled with aggressive insults, screaming and trading of accusations between him and the opposition. The Libertarian leader gave the traditional March 1 presidential speech to kick off the ordinary sessions period during a legislative assembly session — meaning both deputies and senators were present — on Sunday night. The expression to “tame” is often used by Libertarian and Milei supporters in social media to attack the opposition. During his speech, Milei accused the Peronists of being thieves, corrupt and cavemen. Successes and announcementsMilei used the speech to celebrate his administration’s successes throughout the past year, such as a “deficit-free” 2026 budget and lowering taxes.

Back in 2010, Argentina’s most internationally renowned filmmaker Lucrecia Martel was browsing YouTube videos when she suddenly got the chills. He was shot to death by former police officer and mining entrepreneur Darío Amín in 2009, during a faceoff over ownership of the land where the Chuschagasta indigenous community lives. Two other men from the Chuschagasta community were also shot in the attack. Stories that are not being toldMartel’s outspokenly-political fifth film lands amid uncertainty for Argentina’s film industry, which has been particularly targeted by the current administration’s austerity policies. In Martel’s view, the weakening of local film production also risks erasing cultural representation.

China’s third White Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean marks a new milestone in relations between Beijing and our region. The document reaffirms the importance China attaches to Latin America as an integral part of the Global South and as a key partner in building a multipolar international order. The peace program emphasizes cooperation on security and peaceful dispute resolution, in line with China’s position of promoting an international order based on multilateralism. Together, these five programs form a roadmap that reflects the qualitative leap that relations between China and Latin America have undergone in the last two decades. Latin America finds itself at the intersection of two opposing visions of the international order competing for closer ties with the region.

The Argentine Senate approved changes to a law protecting glaciers and their surrounding areas in order to loosen restrictions that currently ban mining in these ice masses. The upper house also gave final approval to the Mercosur-European Union trade agreement. Argentina became the second country to ratify the deal, since Uruguay approved the same initiative only a few hours earlier. For all elements of the deal to enter into force, they must be approved by the parliaments of each country involved. While popularly described as a trade deal, the free trade provisions are part of a broader association agreement.