An election win boosts Javier Milei's reform project
In most of the world mid-term elections for half of the seats in a city hall would be ignored by presidents and markets alike. Not so in Argentina. Javier Milei, the libertarian president, made his spokesperson his party's leading candidate in elections held on May 18th in Buenos Aires. He cast the capital's ballot as a referendum on his government. His party won 30% of the vote, compared with 27% for the leftist Peronists and 16% for the centre-right PRO, the party of a former president, Mauricio Macri. Argentine shares soared in response and sovereign bonds rose. Having beaten Mr Macri in his stronghold, Mr Milei intends to sideline him entirely, trying to subsume the PRO ahead of national mid-terms in October.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Spanish-language misinformation on Los Angeles protests pushes a familiar theme
A surge of false or misleading posts, photographs and videos about the Los Angeles protests have been circulating on social media, with many of those shared among Latinos — mostly in Spanish — tying the protesters to socialist or communist governments. One post on X with over 600,000 views claims that in the U.S., immigration protest groups have links to 'the Venezuelan mafia,' the Communist Party of Cuba, and the Morena Party, the left-wing ruling party of Mexico. But the post doesn't specify any groups and doesn't give evidence of this. The narrative echoes similar falsehoods that circulated during the 2020 George Floyd protests and the 2024 pro-Palestinian student protests on university campuses. Parts of Los Angeles and other cities across the country have seen protests against immigration raids as President Donald Trump's administration enforces a hard-line immigration policy. Dramatic scenes where cars, including Waymo taxis, were set on fire and protesters confronted law enforcement by throwing objects at them have filled social media feeds. While some far-left groups have encouraged and even glorified violence in the protests, the onslaught of posts, mostly in Spanish, appears to be an attempt to link protests against immigrant raids to leftist Latin American governments, and the posts show support for President Donald Trump and his policies. 'Though there is always inaccurate information swirling around, there has certainly been a spike since the Los Angeles protests took off,' said Evelyn Pérez-Verdía, president of We Are Más, which focuses on social impact consulting. 'In the past we would find false or inaccurate information more hidden in platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp. Now it's more in the open and more easily found on social media and online publications.' The falsehoods revive prior conspiracies that the protests are a planned provocation from leftist governments and not a spontaneous response to the immigration raids. On his platform, Truth Social, Trump has baselessly claimed protesters are 'Paid Insurrectionists!' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have been targets of some of the misinformation that seeks to link them to communism. A fake picture of Bass with Cuba's late leader Fidel Castro, with his arm around her has circulated on social media. The original picture showed Castro with the late activist and former South African President Nelson Mandela. Bass does have some connections to Cuba; she traveled to the country with the Venceremos Brigade in the 1970s to do volunteer construction work and later went there as a member of Congress. She received criticism in 2020 for calling Castro's death ' a great loss, ' but the fake picture is a step further to link her directly with Fidel Castro. 'What we're seeing in Spanish is different from what we're seeing in English,' said Pérez-Verdía. In Spanish, she added, the false information is mainly focused on elected officials, like Newsom and Bass. 'They talk about the extreme left, communism — actors, whether domestic or foreign, are changing the messaging based on the community they are targeting,' said Pérez-Verdía. In some cases, false information has made its way to the federal government. Some conservative and pro-Russian social media accounts have circulated a video of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum from before the protests, claiming she encouraged them, according to Newsguard, a fact-checking website. The move was 'portrayed as foreign interference in domestic U.S. politics,' Newsguard reported. During an oval office briefing Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Sheinbaum of encouraging 'violent protests.' Sheinbaum responded on X, saying it's 'absolutely false' and included a video of herself from the day before saying she does not agree with violent actions as a form of protest. She also accused the opposition party of falsely saying she incited the protests. In some cases, videos and photos that include a hammer and sickle, are taken out of context to make it seem the protests are a communist movement. One post with tens of thousands of views claims that the protests are 'URBAN COMMUNIST TERRORISM.' One Spanish-language post from an account with over 1 million followers glorifies violence against 'progressive anti-ICE protestors.' Situations like these create fertile ground for disinformation to spread. Fake accounts in Spanish are more prevalent than they are in English, according to Darren Linvill, a professor at Clemson University and co-director of its Media Forensic Hub. Social media platforms are more likely to identify and shut down accounts in English than in other languages. Linvill said that another reason accounts in Spanish are more common than in English is that the use of marketing companies utilizing fake accounts — on behalf of political organizations or politicians — has spiked in the last few years. The spread of false information 'is absolutely having an effect on driving partisanship, conspiratorial thinking, distrust for expertise and the lack of a sort of shared reality,' said Linvill. 'A shared reality is important for us to build compromise and govern nations together. And I think it is absolutely having an effect on that.' 'The degree to which motivated actors [bad actors], are responsible, versus the fundamental nature of social media to create a giant game of telephone that virtually generates the spread of false information, it's hard to say,' Linvill said.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
The UK stepped back as the rest of Europe stepped up, it is time for Scotland to rejoin the mainstream
AFP via Getty Images Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, the world shifted on its axis. Standing alongside the then Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, the former Premiere of Sweden, Magdalena Andersson said, 'There is a before and after 24 February [2022]. This is a very important time in history. The security landscape has completely changed. We have to analyse the situation to see what is best for Sweden's security, for the Swedish people, in this new situation.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Three years on, both of our Nordic neighbours are members of the NATO alliance. Something that would have been unthinkable even a few months before. The brutal reality of expansionist authoritarianism, coupled with the growing complexity of hybrid, non-military threats, demands a profound recalibration for all countries and a political response with the courage to see that through. For the SNP - a party rooted in centre-left, social democratic and pro-European values – this, including lessons from our Nordic neighbours, presents a challenge and an opportunity. As champions of Scottish statehood, it is no small responsibility to articulate a credible security policy that is forward-looking and unapologetically supportive of our common European security. That requires a serious engagement on defence, that other countries would expect of a Scotland that aspires to membership of the EU and other international organisations. Our neighbours would expect no less. To that end the SNP is better placed than the biggest Westminster parties who steadfastly cling onto a Brexit that has left us poorer, less secure and outside the European mainstream at a critical moment in history. It continues to be a massive strategic error that most at Westminster continue to refuse to confront. Rather than taking cheap political pot shots at the SNP, those Westminster parties would be better served using their energies addressing the fundamental weakness that the UK is exposed to by being outside of the EU. However, politics aside, it requires all parties to have difficult conversations around how we engage with the defence sector as well as how to build greater common defence and security links across Europe, as the United States becomes increasingly unreliable and when the international rules-based system is under greater threat than for decades. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This will be in our security and economic interest. One of the recent criticisms aimed at the UK has been the running down of the army. Back in 2004 the SNP walked out of the House of Commons when the then MP for Perth, Annabelle Ewing was thrown out for calling the then Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, a 'backstabbing coward' after he announced dramatic cuts to the Scottish Regiments. Two decades on neither Hoon nor Ewing is in the Commons, but Putin remains in the Kremlin, and an even greater threat than ever. At the time of that exchange, I was spending time working in the South Caucasus on that region's various conflicts and the international community's stabilisation efforts. Anyone could have told you then of the threat Russia posed to its neighbours, but too many refused to listen, and we are now paying the price. Working with the defence sector and the SNP's values are not, and have never been, exclusive. My party's commitment to social justice, equality, and international cooperation has long been a part of our DNA, and defence is an integral part of that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a wake-up call, exposing the fragility of the post-cold war settlement. It underscored that peace, democracy and sovereignty—all central to our cause —requires active defence which underpins our principles. As social democrats of the European mainstream, we well understand the value in sharing the burden of continental security. NATO and the EU are the twin pillars of the European security framework. Defence burden sharing isn't a political convenience, but a vital framework for protecting our values and way of life. Neighbouring states such as Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are all able to combine progressive social policy with a robust defence stance. Those states, who underscore the benefits that Independence in Europe can bring their citizens, also understand the importance of securing their sovereignty collaboratively. There is much we can learn from our neighbours who understand the need to safeguard the conditions that allow our social democratic vision - free education, a national healthcare service, and a society that values human rights and the rule of law - to exist. The threats we face today are not abstract; they are direct challenges to the open, inclusive societies we seek to build. That requires engaging with our defence and research sectors to secure that peace is secured and Scotland counted on as a reliable part of the European community of democracies. The EU is a significant defence actor and one that is investing in its security. The UK is an important part of that infrastructure but is strategically hobbled by remaining outside the EU – a massive historic error that is still viewed with incomprehension across Europe and the democratic world. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Defence is increasingly a priority for the EU, especially when it comes to industry and procurement. Scotland is a natural partner for Brussels in that regard given our excellence in terms of industry and research as well as our important strategic location. Russia's war of conquest in Ukraine has shown that peace cannot be taken for granted. As a centre-left, pro-European party, we have a duty to protect the democratic ideals that underpin our vision for Scotland's future. Rewiring and renewing our defence platform to take account of this new insecure world, is a credible demonstration of a party of aspiration and responsibility. A Scotland that contributes to European security and safeguards the values we hold dear. The UK stepped back as the rest of Europe stepped up, it is time for Scotland to rejoin the mainstream. The wellbeing of future generations relies on it.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Demonstrators set to gather for multiple protests in London on Saturday
A protest against proposals for a new Chinese embassy will take place from 2pm at Royal Mint Court, near the capital's financial district, while pro-Palestinian demonstrators are expected to gather in Parliament Square at the same time. Police have set out conditions for the first protest under the Public Order Act which demands that any person taking part in the procession must not deviate from a specified route and that participants in the static portion of the protest must remain in a specified area. The assembly must conclude by 5pm, the Met added. The Hong Kong Democracy Council, which describes itself as a non-partisan, non-profit organisation for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and Hong Kongers, posted about Saturday's protest on its social media. The group shared an image of a poster for the event, which read: 'Say 'no' to China mega embassy'. It also said: 'No more CCTVs from China. No more surveillance from China.' The protest comes days after former leader of the Conservative Party, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said plans for the embassy have become a 'walk of shame' for the Government. On Monday, he said a response by the Government to the proposed embassy had become 'Project Kowtow', as he criticised the Government for 'one denial after another (and) one betrayal after another'. Sir Iain referred to the warnings reportedly issued by the White House and Dutch government to Downing Street over the plans, which are set to be scrutinised by ministers. The worries stem from the close proximity of the proposed embassy's Royal Mint Court site to data centres and communication cables. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The Sunday Times said the US was 'deeply concerned' about the plans, quoting a senior US official. In response, planning minister Matthew Pennycook said he could not give a full response as the matter was still to come before the department for a decision, and any verdict could be challenged by the courts. Sir Iain said: 'Beijing has a recent history of cutting cables and confirmed infrastructure hacks, including embedding malware capable of disabling all that infrastructure.' There are 'currently' no conditions in place for the protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War and other groups but 'there will be a police presence', the Met said. Organisers labelled the demonstration an 'emergency protest' which will issue calls to stop bombing Iran and stop arming Israel. 'As it commits genocide against the Palestinians Israel is now bombing Iran,' PSC posted on social media. 'Join us to demand our government stop arming genocidal Israel.' Police said they have not been informed of any planned counter protests.
