Trump and Bolsonaro salute Javier Milei as far right rejoice around the world

‘El Loco’ wins landslide victory in Argentina that experts say shows scale of frustration with Peronist status quo

Luminaries of the global far right are in raptures over Javier Milei’s thumping election victory in Argentina which experts predict will turn Buenos Aires into a new stomping ground for the populist radical right.

Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro led the merrymaking after their Argentinian ally trounced his rival, the Peronist finance minister Sergio Massa, by nearly 3 million votes in Sunday’s presidential election. The former US president predicted Milei would “truly make Argentina great again” while Brazil’s ex-president applauded a victory for “honesty, progress and freedom”. Bolsonarista and Mileísta activists predicted Milei’s win would be the first in a trio of rightwing conquests that would see Trump and Bolsonaro reclaim power in 2024 and 2026.

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Would Javier Milei’s dollar plan for Argentina be an economic experiment too far?

President-elect’s idea is a gamble that is likely to crash an economy paying the price for mistakes of his predecessor

Javier Milei’s bigger-than-expected victory in the Argentinan presidential election suggests voters in South America’s second biggest country have willingly opted for shock treatment to sort out the country’s deep economic malaise.

It is perhaps not hard to see why 56% of the electorate backed the rightwing libertarian: Argentina may have the world’s best football team but its economy has performed disastrously in recent years. Inflation is running at 140% and a three-year drought has led to a sharp fall in agricultural production. Two out of five people live in poverty and the currency has lost 90% of its value in four years.

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Not possible to return asylum seekers who arrived from Russia, Finnish president says – Europe live

Sauli Niinistö calls for close cooperation on border security during visit to Poland

Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, has congratulated Javier Milei and invited the new Argentinian far-right libertarian president to visit Israel to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Milei has previously said he would move the location of Argentina’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “I don’t care if I’ll be criticized by world leaders. I truly believe that’s the right thing to do,” he said in a recent interview with the Times of Israel.

It’s obvious that Argentina needs a change. It was unacceptable that one of the most prosperous countries in the world should keep falling year after year into the same thing.

I wish the new government every success and I want them to know that they can count on Madrid, where we’ve worked to defend freedom from day one and where we’ve looked after so many Argentinians who have fled, terrified, from Peronism …

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Argentina presidential election: far-right libertarian Javier Milei wins after rival concedes

Victory for TV celebrity-turned politician catapults South America’s second-largest economy into an unpredictable future

Javier Milei, a volatile far-right libertarian who has vowed to “exterminate” inflation and take a chainsaw to the state, has been elected president of Argentina, catapulting South America’s second largest economy into an unpredictable and potentially turbulent future.

With nearly 99% of votes counted, the Mick Jagger impersonating TV celebrity-turned politician, who is often compared to Donald Trump, had secured 55.7% of the vote compared to Massa’s 44.2%.

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Argentina holds breath as far-right Milei seizes narrow runoff advantage

Populist provocateur appears slight favorite over Peronist Sergio Massa as 35m Argentinians vote to choose new president

Argentina is teetering on the brink of an unpredictable new political era this weekend with an erratic far-right populist known as “El Loco” (the Madman) the slight favourite to become president of South America’s second-largest economy in Sunday’s election.

As polls opened on Sunday morning against a backdrop of soaring inflation and widespread poverty, analysts believed Javier Milei, a TV celebrity turned congressman, held a slender advantage over his rival, the finance minister, Sergio Massa, but said the result was too close to call.

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Argentinian ex-officer who was charged over 23 murders dies in Berlin

Luis Kyburg was alleged commander of Argentinian navy unit believed responsible for deaths of at least 150 people

An Argentinian former military officer has died of natural causes in Berlin just weeks before he was charged over the murder of 23 members of leftwing groups during the country’s military dictatorship.

The 75-year-old ex-navy officer was suspected in the abduction, disappearance, torture and murder of 23 young people in 1976 and 1977, Berlin prosecutors said.

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Argentina’s far-right Milei angers Falklands veterans with Thatcher praise

Presidential candidate calls former UK prime minister one of ‘the great leaders in the history of humanity’ during debate

Argentina’s libertarian presidential candidate, Javier Milei, has been pilloried by veterans of the Falklands war after he praised Margaret Thatcher as one of “the great leaders in the history of humanity” during the final electoral debate before next Sunday’s election.

Milei – a self-described anarcho-capitalist – has frequently expressed admiration for Thatcher’s free-market policies. But she is still reviled in Argentina for ordering the sinking of the General Belgrano cruiser, killing 323 people on board, during the 1982 war with the UK over the Falkland islands, which Argentina claims as Islas Malvinas.

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Economists warn electing far-right Milei would spell ‘devastation’ for Argentina

More than 100 economists including Thomas Piketty and Jayati Ghosh publish open letter ahead of country’s 19 November election

The election of the radical rightwing economist Javier Milei as president of Argentina would probably inflict further economic “devastation” and social chaos on the South American country, a group of more than 100 leading economists has warned.

In an open letter, published ahead of Argentina’s crunch 19 November election, the economists said they understood the “deep-seated desire for economic stability” among voters, given Argentina’s frequent financial crises and recurring bouts of very high inflation.

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Argentinians urged to reject ‘dictatorial’ Milei by offspring of regime torturers

Open letter from offspring of officials convicted of crimes against humanity warns that democracy is at risk in presidential election

The offspring of military officials convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide during Argentina’s dictatorship have urged voters not to back the far-right candidate Javier Milei in the imminent election, warning that the country’s very democracy is in danger.

In an open letter published ahead of the 19 November run-off between Milei and his centrist rival, Sergio Massa, the Historias Desobedientes (Disobedient Stories) collective voiced “great concern” that the rightwing radical and his running mate Victoria Villarruel had a chance of winning power.

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Taylor Swift fans have reportedly lined up for five months ahead of Argentina shows

Pitchfork reports that hundreds of fans are sharing tents on a meticulously planned schedule to ensure they get the best spot when doors open next week

After a whirlwind excursion around the US that has generated billions of dollars in income and broken records for crowd size and seismic activity, Taylor Swift is taking her Eras tour to South America – and fans have reportedly been lining up for five months.

In Buenos Aires, a cadre of Swifties has been sleeping in tents outside River Plate Stadium, where Swift is set to open her Latin American leg with three shows from 9-11 November.

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BTS and Taylor Swift fans give Javier Milei and his running mate an earful

Argentinian Swifties say ‘Milei is Trump’ as devotees of BTS decry ‘hatred and xenophobia’ of Victoria Villarruel’s tweets about group

Weeks before Argentina’s run-off election, far-right populist Javier Milei and his running mate, Victoria Villaruel, have found themselves under pressure from an unexpected quarter: an alliance of Taylor Swift supporters and K-pop fans.

Milei, a radical libertarian who has proposed dollarizing Argentina’s economy and even legalizing the organ trade, topped the polls ahead of Sunday’s first round, but was beaten into second place by the centrist finance minister, Sergio Massa.

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Javier Milei endorsed by defeated rival who once sued him for defamation

Move by Patricia Bullrich, who placed third in Argentina’s presidential election, is not backed by other parts of her alliance

The defeated Argentinian presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich, who came third in Sunday’s election, has endorsed the libertarian firebrand Javier Milei for next month’s runoff vote.

Bullrich took 23.8% of the vote in the first round, finishing third behind the surprise frontrunner – the economy minister, Sergio Massa, who won 36.7% – and Milei, who took just over 30%.

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Tuesday briefing: How Argentina punctured far-right populism’s rise in South America

In today’s newsletter: Javier Milei was expected to top the first round of voting in the presidential election, but the country picked the centrist candidate

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Good morning. Today we’re heading to Buenos Aires, where left-wing and centrist Argentinians have taken to the streets celebrating that the country may be about to avoid electing a far-right president described by some as a mashup of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and The X-Men’s Wolverine – who describes himself as “anarcho-capitalist”.

Until the results of the first round of Argentina’s presidential election trickled out early yesterday morning, the polls and the pundits had predicted that eccentric far-right populist Javier Milei – whose signature mop of untamed hair and long sideburns is a professionally designed homage to Elvis and the aforementioned superhero – would probably become the country’s next president.

Israel-Hamas war | The US has said now is not the time for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as the UN reports that some Palestinians who fled their homes in the north of Gaza have returned due to a lack of food and shelter in the south. On Monday, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told CNN that Israel still had “work to do to go after Hamas leadership”, echoing comments from the US president, Joe Biden, that any discussions of a ceasefire could only take place if Hamas freed all its hostages in Gaza.

Technology | Government officials are using artificial intelligence and algorithms to help decide everything from who gets benefits to who should have their marriage licence approved, according to a Guardian investigation. Kiran Stacey reports on the findings that shed light on the often uncontrolled ways cutting-edge technology is being used across Whitehall.

Protest | Downing Street has argued that police already have “extensive powers” to take action against demonstrators who chanted about “jihad” in London at the weekend, as Keir Starmer said ministers should plug any gaps in the law.

Crime | Lewis Edwards, a 24-year-old former police officer, incited more than 200 girls as young as 10 to share explicit images and videos of themselves with him via Snapchat, a court has heard.

Policing | A Metropolitan police officer is under criminal investigation over alleged racially aggravated assault after a woman was wrongly arrested for evading a bus fare. The incident was filmed and widely seen on social media.

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Argentina ‘puts a limit on madness’ as resurgent Peronists stall Milei’s rise

Soft-spoken Sergio Massa’s campaigning strategy pays off while voters seem to pull back from libertarian rival – but who will win the runoff?

After a disastrous showing in Argentina’s open primaries in August, Argentina’s Peronist party made a resounding comeback this week. In the latest chapter in a rollercoaster presidential election, the soft-spoken economy minister, Sergio Massa, snatched what seemed like a sure victory from the jaws of the libertarian Javier Milei, winning 36.6% of the vote against only 29.9% for Milei.

The broad margin was still not enough to avoid a runoff on 19 November between the two most dissimilar contenders imaginable. Although beset by soaring price inflation and a 40% poverty rate, Massa trounced Milei, whose promise to dollarize the economy and legalize the organ trade had catapulted him to surprise victory in August.

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Argentina: leftists celebrate after far-right Milei fails to win election victory

Lula and other Latin American leftwingers hail Sergio Massa’s first-placed finish, with election now headed to November runoff

Leading Latin American leftists have celebrated the thwarting of Javier Milei’s attempt to claim a first-round victory in Argentina’s presidential election after the far-right populist was beaten by his centrist rival Sergio Massa.

Milei, an oddball economist who has called climate change a “socialist lie” and the pope “a lefty son of a bitch”, had hoped an explosion of anti-establishment rage would catapult him into the presidency on Sunday as 27 million Argentinians turned out to vote amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

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Far-right populist Javier Milei fails to win first round of Argentina’s presidential election

Potty-mouthed political outsider will head to November runoff with centrist finance minister Sergio Massa

The eccentric far-right populist Javier Milei has failed to win the first round of Argentina’s presidential election, with the centrist finance minister Sergio Massa unexpectedly beating his radical challenger.

Supporters of Milei, a potty-mouthed political outsider described as an Argentinian mashup of Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro and Boris Johnson, had hoped he was heading for a sensational outright victory similar to Bolsonaro’s shock triumph in Brazil in 2018.

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Lula urges end to ‘insanity of war’ as Latin Americans killed in Hamas attack

Brazil president calls for humanitarian aid to protect Israeli and Palestinian citizens, while Latin Americans also taken hostage

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has called for an end to “the insanity of war” as it emerged that more than a dozen Latin Americans were killed during Hamas’s assault, with citizens of Brazil and Argentina taken captive in the Gaza Strip.

By Wednesday morning, Latin American government and media reports had confirmed the deaths of seven Argentinians, two Brazilians, two Peruvians, one Colombian and one Paraguayan. At least 15 Argentinians, three Peruvians, two Mexicans and one Brazilian remain missing.

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Human emissions made deadly South American heat 100 times more likely

Research shows climate crisis by far main cause of recent unseasonable temperatures in southern winter and early spring

The deadly heat in central South America over the past two months was made 100 times more likely by human emissions that disrupted the climate, scientists have shown.

Temperatures have exceeded 40C in late winter and early spring in the southern hemisphere, affecting millions and leading to heat-related deaths.

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The ‘false prophet’ v the pope: Argentina faces clash of ideologies in election

Javier Milei, a culture war populist and sex coach who won country’s open primary, rages at ‘communist’ pontiff as he sets his sights on becoming president

In one corner of the ring stands Javier Milei, 52, self-described former tantric sex coach, outsider anarcho-capitalist and frontrunner in Argentina’s upcoming presidential elections; in the other, his compatriot Pope Francis, 86, world champion of the poor, repeatedly derided by Argentina’s likely next president as “a fucking communist” and “the representative of the evil one on Earth” for promoting the doctrine of “social justice” to aid the underprivileged.

Milei, a political unknown until 2020, has pledged to wage a “cultural battle” to transform Argentina into a libertarian paradise where capitalist efficiency replaces social assistance, taxes are reduced to a minimum and cash-strapped individuals are allowed to sell their body organs on the open market.

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Brics to more than double with admission of six new countries

Major expansion as economic bloc that includes Russia and China attempts to provide counterweight to the US and western allies

The Brics group of big emerging economies has announced the admission of six new members, in an attempt to reshape the global world order and provide a counterweight to the US and its allies.

From the beginning of next year, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina, the UAE and Ethiopia will join the current five members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – it was announced at a summit in Johannesburg on Thursday.

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