International

Argentine water and sanitation privatization plan rejected

Photo: Diario La Mañana

November 24 |

The president of the state-owned Agua y Saneamiento Argentinos (AySA), Malena Galmarini, rejected Wednesday the intention of the president-elect of that country, Javier Milei, to privatize a group of public companies, among them the one she has been directing for four years.

Through social networks, Galmarini responded to statements made to a television station by the leader of La Libertad Avanza (LLA), who said that AySA worked very well when it was Aguas Argentinas and was private.

“Everything that we can transfer to the private sector, it is better that the sector does it (…) What has been proven is that everything that the public sector does, it does badly”, said Milei, who during the same interview also expressed that he will privatize Ferrocarriles Argentinos.

Galmarini assured that Aguas Argentinas “only extended the networks to the neighborhoods where they could pay”, so it prioritized financial profitability over the attention to consumers and the quality of the service.

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He added that “AySA, only in these four years, built 4,000 km of networks, included 1,500,000 neighbors in the water network and 1,600,000 more in the sewage network. We worked with international credit organizations to advance in transcendental works and also in the home connections of humble families”.

He also reminded Milei of estimates made by the World Health Organization (WHO) that for every dollar invested in water and sewage, seven dollars are saved in the health sector. “Not everything is the same. Not everything works badly!” he questioned the libertarian.

In early November, the secretary general of the Sanitary Works Union, José Luis Lingeri, also opposed statements made by Milei and LLA followers in the direction of privatizing water and sewage services.

Lingeri then defended the value of water as a fundamental right after Milei expressed in a meeting with businessmen that “a company can contaminate a river as much as it wants”.

The union leader expressed that the contamination of water courses “is wreaking havoc in the world” and recalled that “every day 4,000 children die (globally) for lack of safe water and sanitation system”. “To say that water has a zero value is to ignore the existence, that water is life and that it is a universal right and a human right,” he stressed.

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In reference to Aguas Argentinas and private management, Lingeri assured that “during privatization, the service was only extended to those who could pay, excluding the vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors. This situation highlights the relevance of the State in guaranteeing access for all”.

International

Javier Milei vows to work ‘side by side’ with the U.S. on trade rules

Determined to work “side by side” with the United States, Argentine President Javier Milei announced in Mar-a-Lagothat his government will modify trade regulations to meet the requirements of Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs.

Milei arrived in Florida amid the trade war triggered by the latest round of tariff hikes announced by the Republican leader. While many countries are considering retaliation, Milei’s ultraliberal Argentina has opted to adapt instead.

“Argentina will move forward in adjusting its regulations to comply with the reciprocal tariff proposal drafted by President Trump,” Milei stated at the Gala of American Patriots, organized by the Make America Clean Again (MACA) Foundation and the We Fund the Blue NGO, according to his office.

He further explained that Argentina has already met nine out of the 16 necessary requirements and has instructed his administration to comply with the remaining ones in order to resolve trade asymmetries with the U.S. in a short time frame.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.