A year in review: the stories that defined Argentina in 2025

Conducting a rundown of the most salient episodes Argentina experienced this year proved an arduous affair: 2025 saw multiple Argentines transcend the national media and make headlines worldwide, turning the country into somewhat of a niche global curiosity. President Javier Milei has been a key figure in many of these episodes. From his anti-woke tirade in Davos and questionable role in the $LIBRA cryptoscandal to his bromance with U.S. President Donald Trump and landslide win in the October midterms, the libertarian economist has undoubtedly continued to command global attention. But politics was not the only Argentine endeavor generating interest. The death of Pope Francis saddened the country and the world, while the discovery of a painting looted by the Nazis in a Mar del Plata home turned the seaside resort into the centerpiece of a captivating mystery.  Thankfully, 2025 also had its share of feel-good stories. The resounding success of sci-fi classic The Eternaut on Netflix and the CONICET underwater stream that made a starfish go viral gave Argentine fiction and science a brief moment in the sun at a time when they are under severe pressure from the administration. Without further ado, here are our picks for the year.  $LIBRA scandal President Javier Milei faced his first scandal of the year in February after endorsing the $LIBRA cryptocurrency. The token saw massive trading activity following Milei’s stamp of approval on social media, peaking at a market cap of US$4.5 billion. The cryptocurrency crashed shortly after, causing investors to initially lose up to US$100 million, a figure that would later ballon to US$250 million. According to analysts, most profits were made by the development team, leaving 75% of investors at a loss. Milei deleted his promotional post after the fallout while claiming ignorance of the project’s details.  The scandal brought on legal proceedings in Argentina and the United States. The investigation in Argentina is being led by Judge María Servini, who received a special lower house commission report detailing Milei’s responsibility in a potential fraud.  In the U.S., a case was filed in New York by the Burwick law firm. The focus of the investigation is $LIBRA developer Hayden Davis. The death of Pope Francis  Pope Francis passed away on April 21, and his death was met with a public outpouring of grief. The impact was especially heartfelt in his home country: thousands of people gathered in churches and squares across Argentina to pay their final respects. Born Jorge Bergoglio in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Flores, the first pontiff from the Americas passed away at 88 in his private residence. His health had been deteriorating. Pope Francis releases a white dove as a symbol of peace on May 15, 2013 – Vatican News Francis’ 12-year tenure as head of the Catholic Church was marked by his advocacy for the poor and disadvantaged. He was closely involved in global politics, openly denouncing climate change and the negative social effects of unbridled contemporary capitalism.  The pope also advocated for a more progressive approach to the LGBTQ+ community and expanded the role of women within the institution. Contaminated fentanyl tragedy Argentina was shaken by a major healthcare scandal in May after a batch of contaminated medical-use fentanyl was administered to hospitalized patients, causing close to 100 deaths. The fentanyl, produced by HLB Pharma Group in its laboratory, Laboratorios Ramallo, was distributed in health centers in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Formosa, and Buenos Aires city. Patients that received the opioid for pain relief or anesthesia were infected with two antibiotic-resistant bacteria, causing one of the biggest health tragedies in recent times.  Authorities seized the remaining contaminated batches and arrested the owner of HLB Pharma Group and nine other executives. A federal judge is investigating 24 suspects and probing regulatory oversight failures. A further 70 deaths remain under investigation. Disability graft scandal In August, the Argentine government was rocked by a corruption scandal at the National Disability Agency (ANDIS), when a series of leaked recordings attributed to agency head Diego Spagnuolo implicated senior officials in a bribery scheme tied to state contracts. One of the people mentioned was President Javier Milei’s sister, Secretary General Karina Milei.  (Left to right) Diego Spagnuolo, Eduardo ‘Lule’ Menem, Karina Milei and Martín Menem Spagnuolo — Milei’s former lawyer — was fired and arrested, while the judiciary launched a federal probe. Raids were carried out at Suizo Argentina, a major drug distributor accused of acting as a key intermediary in the scheme. The scandal, which erupted just before the legislative elections in the province of Buenos Aires — a heavy defeat for Milei — was met with fierce social rejection, especially since the Milei government has carried out massive cuts at the ANDIS, and even vetoed special disability funding approved by Congress.  Milei has denied his sister was involved in the scandal, calling the allegations a politically-motivated lie. Midterm elections Argentina had national midterms in October to renew half of the lower house and a third of the senate. Ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) came in first, giving the government a boost of confidence after weathering several scandals. With this result, LLA became the largest bloc in the lower house, giving them a smoother path to pass bills, back presidential decrees, and block opposition moves like a potential impeachment. The new lawmakers took their seats on December 10 with a clear initial task: use the extraordinary sessions of Congress called for by the government in December and February to debate key reforms. The new Congress passed Milei’s first budget in late December — although they struck down a key chapter that included social spending cuts. Maradona trial falls apart The trial over the death of footballing megastar Diego Maradona began in March as an opportunity to uncover what happened during his final days, with his friends and family demanding justice.  The prosecution brought charges of involuntary manslaughter against the star’s main medical advisor, Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Díaz, and five others. The proceedings came crashing down two months in. The judiciary declared a mistrial after it emerged that Judge Julieta Mackintach, one of the three hearing the case, had allowed the illegal entry of video cameras in order to film a covert documentary of the trial. Mackintach was subsequently barred from the judiciary.  Colapinto confirmed as F1 driver Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto improved on his 2024 performance by taking a whole new leap in 2025.  In January, he moved from Williams Racing to Alpine F1. His performances during the year ensured he’d no longer be a replacement at risk of being ousted, but a rising star with the backing of a team for the foreseeable future. Yet, in sporting terms, things didn’t go too smoothly for the Argentine driver. The Alpine F1 car proved to be an unreliable, sub-par vehicle that did little to help Colapinto showcase his talents. However, he made gains wherever he could and made sure he wouldn’t be a flash in the pan, like previous Argentine F1 drivers. Two bailouts in one year Argentina’s economic program has been on the verge of sinking at least twice this year. President Javier Milei, however, was fortunate enough to get bailed out both times by foreign lenders. The Central Bank spent the first half of the year burning through its international reserves to prop up the peso amid a currency run — hundreds of millions were lost in days. The situation looked untenable until the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stepped up on April 11 with a US$20 billion loan. The government, more relieved, lifted the long-standing currency exchange restrictions known as the cepo.  US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Argentine economy minister Luis Caputo Just five months later, the exchange rate scheme was in hot water again, and the Central Bank depleted millions to placate yet another currency run. When everything seemed lost, another foreign actor swooped in — the U.S. Treasury. In October, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced they would give Argentina a currency swap line, strengthening the relationship between Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump. On October 14, Milei traveled to Washington for a work meeting and press conference in which he thanked Trump. The journalists directed all their questions to Trump. Milei had his back to the camera throughout. Milei’s culture wars Although Milei has leaned conservative since the beginning of his political career in 2021, his embrace of culture wars seemed to escalate after he attended the U.S. president’s inauguration in January 2025.  First it was Milei’s speech at Davos in February, where the Argentine leader lashed out against feminism, immigration, and the fight against climate change. In what appeared to be a copy of the Trump playbook, the libertarian economist claimed that “wokism” is a “mental virus” and a “cancer that must be removed.”  Milei also followed Trump’s charge against multilateral organization by announcing that Argentina would leave the World Health Organization (although this has not happened at the time of writing) and mimicked some of the Republican’s PR stunts (Milei’s catchphrase “We don’t hate journalists enough” is derived from Trump’s “You don’t hate the media enough”).  Surprisingly, the Trump administration has also copied some of Milei’s wildest ideas — for example, his “chainsaw” campaign was embraced by Elon Musk during his brief stint at the U.S. government’s Department of Government Efficiency.  ‘The Eternaut’ proved old things work Netflix’s eagerly-awaited adaptation of Héctor G. Oesterheld’s 1957 graphic novel The Eternaut turned out to be everything it was supposed to be: an astonishing sci-fi feat that landed right on time.  The science fiction epic directed by Bruno Stagnaro and starring Ricardo Darín was a massive hit in Argentina — so big that some of its dialogue has even made its way into local pop culture (“Old stuff works!”). The show was also a global hit, with over 10 million streams worldwide and ranking in the 10 most-viewed non-English series in countries ranging from Brazil to India. The Eternaut. Ricardo Darin in The Eternaut. Cr. Marcos Ludevid / Netflix ©2024 Nazi discoveries keep surfacing Eighty years after the end of World War II, astonishing details about Nazis who came to Argentina keep emerging. In May, Supreme Court staff stumbled upon a collection of boxes containing photographs, propaganda, and other materials that belonged to the Nazi party. The crates, which had been languishing in the basement for 84 years, will be analyzed by experts at the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum. It wasn’t the only surprise Nazi discovery of 2025: in August, Dutch and Argentine journalists discovered a painting that Nazis had looted from a Dutch art dealer, hanging on the wall of a Mar del Plata home. “Portrait of a Lady” was eventually handed over to the authorities by the home’s resident, the daughter of SS official Friedrich Kadgien. How did they know? Because the long-lost work appeared in a real estate listing photo. Narcotrafficking accusations hit politics In September, U.S. investigators revealed that Libertarian deputy José Luis Espert had received US$200,000 from a trust owned in part by Fred Machado, an Argentine businessman facing drug trafficking charges. Espert, who was running for reelection in the October midterms, eventually dropped out.  Espert wasn’t the only Libertarian candidate accused of narco ties. Lorena Villaverde was elected senator for La Libertad Avanza, but resigned her seat after the opposition requested she be investigated over her arrest in a U.S. airport with a kilo of cocaine and US$17,000 in cash in 2002. The case against her then was dismissed.  The horrific cost of the drug trade was underscored in September, when a drug gang tortured and murdered Brenda del Castillo (20), Morena Verdi (20), and Lara Gutiérrez (15), live streaming it to other gang members in order to instill terror.  A viral star under the sea Argentina’s scientific community had an unlikely viral star in 2025: a deep-sea starfish nicknamed the estrella culona (big-butted star in English). The starfish, which was spotted during a live-streamed ocean exploration led by CONICET off the coast of Mar del Plata, created an uproar, quickly becoming a social media sensation. Clips from the stream spread widely, spawning memes and humorous comparisons to cartoon characters.  The CONICET streaming drew tens of thousands of viewers, turning a routine discovery into a rare pop-culture crossover. The moment underscored the unexpected reach of Argentina’s publicly funded science at a time of severe budget cuts, online hate, and anti-science rhetoric from the government.