International

Javier Milei is the president-elect of Argentina

Photo: EFE

November 20 |

The right-wing candidate for La Libertad Avanza (LLA), Javier Milei, was elected president of Argentina during the ballot held this Sunday, in which he defeated the candidate of Unión por la Patria (ruling party), Sergio Massa.

After 99.28 percent of the ballots were counted, Milei obtained 55.69 percent of the valid votes (14,476,462), compared to 11,516,142 obtained by Massa (44.30 percent).

Electoral authorities reported a turnout of 76.31 percent. The elections took place in total normality.

During a meeting with his supporters, Massa acknowledged Milei’s victory. He said that he communicated with him, congratulated him for the election result and wished him success during his administration in the next four years.

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He announced that he had informed the current head of State, Alberto Fernández, and the elected President that as from Monday the institutional transfer mechanism will start.

He underlined that coexistence, dialogue and respect for peace is the best path that the Argentine society can choose in the future.

He recalled that two proposals for the country were presented in the electoral contest, and that throughout the campaign Juntos por la Patria chose the path of defending the social security system in the hands of the State, education and public health as core values, national industry, labor, SMEs and workers’ rights.

He considered that this is the best way to build prosperity, upward social mobility and national progress, but noted that the citizens chose another path and as of Monday the task of providing certainty is the responsibility of the president elect. We hope he will do so, he added.

He thanked the voters for their participation, especially the militancy of Juntos por la Patria, as well as other actors who were involved in the voting day and those who bet on each project of the country presented by the participating political spaces.

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He expressed that the ballot proved that Argentina has a strong, solid and transparent electoral system that respects the results.

From the LLA campaign bunker, Milei told his supporters that they have a commitment “with democracy, free trade and peace”.

“We are going to work side by side with all the nations of the free world to help build a better world. Today is a historic night, not because of us, but because one way of doing politics has ended and another begins.”

After knowing the result, the current president, Alberto Fernández, said that “the people have expressed their will” and defined “the destiny of the country for the next four years”.

In a message broadcast through the social network X, Fernandez said that as from Monday he can start working with Milei to guarantee an orderly transition. Likewise, he congratulated Sergio Massa and Agustín Rossi for the campaign they carried out.

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International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.