
Argentina’s judicial investigation into the collapse of the $LIBRA cryptocurrency has added a new and potentially damaging element for President Javier Milei. A draft recovered from businessman Mauricio Novelli’s phone describes an alleged US$5 million agreement in exchange for presidential backing for the project, based on forensic material incorporated into the case file. Investigators were able to restore the deleted note, although there is still no public proof that any such agreement was formally validated by the government.

The U.S. government has filed a new memorandum before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York backing Argentina’s request to suspend post-judgment discovery in the YPF expropriation case. Argentina’s Treasury Solicitor’s Office said the filing supports the emergency motion submitted on March 6 seeking to pause document production, a sanctions request and an evidentiary hearing scheduled for April.

Argentine assets ended the week under pressure, pulled lower by international volatility linked to the Middle East war, in a session marked by falling stocks and bonds, a higher country risk index and renewed oil-driven pressure on inflation and financial expectations. Brent crude settled at $103.14 a barrel, while Wall Street extended its weekly losses amid concern over global energy supply.

Rising fuel prices have added new pressure to Argentina’s March inflation outlook, in a month already burdened by the start of the school year, utility adjustments and seasonal pressure on food prices. In the local market, gasoline prices have risen by roughly 7% to 8% so far in March, increasing the risk that monthly inflation could move back toward the 3% range.

Argentina’s chief of staff, Manuel Adorni, has come under political pressure after it emerged that his wife accompanied him on the presidential aircraft during Javier Milei’s trip to the United States, triggering questions over the use of public resources and a possible contradiction with rules the government itself had set for official planes.

Argentine President Javier Milei said in New York that he is “the most Zionist president in the world,” reaffirming his alignment with the United States and Israel during an appearance at Yeshiva University, one of the main stops on a U.S. trip that also included investor meetings as part of “Argentina Week.” The university said the event was part of a three-day visit focused on economic leadership and support for Washington and Israel in the war against Iran.

Oil prices climbed above US$100 a barrel on Sunday in futures trading, reaching their highest levels since 2022 as the war in the Middle East, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and fresh production cuts among Gulf producers tightened supply expectations. Reuters reported Brent rose as high as US$111.04 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) touched US$111.24 in early trading. AP later put Brent at US$107.97 and WTI at US$106.22, both more than 16% above the previous close.

International Women’s Day rallies in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay this weekend produced a shared Southern Cone agenda: opposition to gender-based violence, demands for sustained public policies and warnings about the impact of economic strain and state cutbacks on women’s lives. In Brazil, the message centered on rising femicide; in Argentina, on a strike-backed protest against President Javier Milei’s austerity drive; and in Uruguay, on demands for more funding to enforce gender-violence laws and renewed attention to vicarious violence.

Lionel Messi made his first visit to the White House on Thursday, joining the Inter Miami squad as President Donald Trump honored the club for winning the 2025 MLS Cup, secured in December with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

U.S. President Donald Trump will host leaders from 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries in Doral, Florida, on March 7 for the so-called Shield of the Americas Summit, a meeting the White House is framing as a forum on security, migration and hemispheric cooperation. The gathering comes amid a broader U.S. diplomatic and military push in the region and just weeks before Trump is expected to travel to China.