International

Argentina’s presidential candidates in final debate

Photo: Página12

November 13 |

The candidates for the Presidency of Argentina, Sergio Massa (Unión por la Patria) and Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza) starred on Sunday night in the last and decisive television debate to seek support for the ballot on November 19.

The Law School of the University of Buenos Aires, in the Argentine capital, the same venue as the second debate held before the first round, is the space chosen by the National Electoral Chamber (CNE) for this last appointment.

Throughout the debate both candidates discussed several issues and had a new opportunity to make known their proposals and plans to reach the presidency of the country.

Both Massa and Milei entered into a strong counterpoint, in which the candidate of Unión por la Patria, managed to make the right-winger uncomfortable, who could not face each of the criticisms against him exposed by the candidate of Unión por la Patria (UxP).

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The Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, in his presentation, pointed out that “we have to decide who is going to take care of our health, our education, our work. I am here to propose a great change, with a great agreement of state policies, with dialogue, consensus and respect for those who think differently”.

Milei tried to defend his economic model saying that “Argentina has been in decline for 100 years. This is a consequence of the caste model, which assures that where there is a need there is a right. The problem is that needs are infinite and those rights have to be paid for. This manifests itself in fiscal deficit”.

Massa put Milei on the spot when he confronted him against his campaign and pre-campaign statements: “But there are many things at stake here. We are facing someone who lied during the whole campaign or is lying now”.

According to the Minister of Economy, “Argentina has the responsibility, in an absolutely convulsed world, to think its foreign policy in defense of the Argentine interest, we have to be clear about multipolarity, to have relations with all the countries that open their arms to sell Argentine work. The main partners are Brazil, China, we have to defend that commercial agenda that provides jobs to two million Argentines. This man [Milei] called the most important Argentine in history, Pope Francis, as evil, we are going to work for Francis to come to the country in 2024. And we have to defend the Malvinas cause”, says Massa when talking about Argentina and its relationship with the world.

In the same sense, Massa expresses that Milei said “that Margaret Thatcher was your idol and that the kelpers had the right to self-determination, I ask people to look up what you said”.

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Milei tried to answer: “Thatcher was a great leader like Churchill or De Gaulle, she had a great role during the fall of the Berlin Wall, but you are upset that the Wall fell”.

However, Massa closed “Thatcher is an enemy of Argentina”.

The third axis was dedicated to Education and Health. While Milei denies wanting to privatize. Massa answered him in this sense: “Eight points of the GDP will be allocated to education, with 753 kindergartens, with a literacy plan, with compulsory mathematics and robotics, with the preparation of shorter university careers”, Massa listed his proposals.

In the economic block, Sergio Massa pointed out that from the Government “this year we made an effort that allowed us to grow in employment every month” and rejected Javier Milei’s proposal of “opening the economy” that will “destroy thousands of families”.

Massa expressed that “I do not want to go back to that stage in Argentina”, in relation to the indiscriminate opening of imports.

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Sergio Massa, said this Sunday that he seeks to “definitively bury the political crack” that exists in the country, while his opponent, the libertarian Javier Milei, asked the population to vote “without fear because it paralyzes”.

At the end of the debate, both candidates were asked by the moderators why they want to preside Argentina.

Massa repeated the idea of forming a “government of unity”, with a program of 10 State policies, and promised to those who will not vote for him out of conviction, “but as a vehicle for not choosing a path that is violence, that is hate, that is damage”, that he will work “so that they do not feel that they threw their vote away”.

On his part, Milei highlighted that this is “the most important election of the last 100 years” because Argentina must ask itself if it wants to continue “walking this decadent path” and “sustain this parasitic, useless and useless caste”; therefore, he asked to “vote without fear because fear paralyzes and benefits the ‘status quo’”.

In view of Javier Milei’s difficulty to answer Sergio Massa’s questions and criticisms, the media could not hide their opinions about the right-winger’s participation in the last debate.

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Several media reported that Massa came out victorious by answering with clarity and precision each one of Milei’s opinions, who on more than one occasion tried to make the candidate of Unión por la Patria uncomfortable.

At the end of the last debate for the second round of elections scheduled for November 19, specialized political programs and hegemonic media reported that the candidate of La Libertad Avanza was hesitant and erratic in contrast with Sergio Massa’s answers.

International

Mexico City Mayor Invites U2 to Perform at Iconic Zócalo Plaza

Irish rock band U2, which spent Tuesday and Wednesday filming a new music video for its song Street of Dreams in the Historic Center of Mexico City, received an invitation to perform at the capital’s iconic Zócalo square from Mayor Clara Brugada.

Brugada shared the invitation through social media posts accompanied by photos and a video showing her meeting with the band members.

“This is an invitation for you to perform in our wonderful public square, the Zócalo. You are welcome here, and we would love to have you,” Brugada said in the video while handing a document to Bono, the band’s lead singer.

Bono responded by saying that the group would like “to begin its new tour in Mexico City.”

Referencing one of the band’s most famous songs, In the Name of Love, Brugada said she was greeting Bono along with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr..

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“Welcoming U2 to our capital means celebrating music, connection and the emotion that can be felt in every corner of this city,” Brugada wrote in one of her messages. “We are a city open to the world, vibrant and full of stories shared from the stage to the streets.”

She also described the Zócalo as “the country’s most important public square” and a cultural landmark for Latin America.

Over the years, the Zócalo has hosted massive concerts by internationally renowned artists and bands including Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Manu Chao, Café Tacvba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Tigres del Norte, La Maldita Vecindad, Silvio Rodríguez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosalía and Shakira, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans.

International

Marco Rubio Urges China to Help Restrain Iran Amid Gulf Tensions

Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington hopes to persuade China to take a more active role in stopping Iran from escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the crisis directly threatens Asian commercial interests.

“It is in China’s interest to resolve this situation. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to stop what it is doing now and trying to do in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio said during an interview with journalist Sean Hannity on Fox News while traveling aboard Air Force One.

The top U.S. diplomat said the conflict and concerns over the possible disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have already affected China’s interests.

Rubio noted that “a Chinese cargo ship was struck over the weekend,” referring to the exchange of attacks reported last Friday between Iran and the United States.

The remarks come amid growing international concern over rising tensions in the region and the potential impact on global trade routes and energy supplies.

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International

Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubiocould potentially form a Republican presidential ticket for the 2028 elections.

Speaking during a dinner with law enforcement officials as part of National Police Week, Trump publicly praised both officials and said they could make “an ideal team” for the next presidential race.

“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked attendees before adding that the pair “sound like a good combination.”

The president highlighted his vice president’s performance in office, stating that their current partnership has been highly effective. “JD is perfect, that has been a perfect formula,” Trump told reporters later.

He further suggested that a Vance-Rubio pairing could represent a strong presidential and vice-presidential ticket, although he stopped short of offering any formal endorsement.

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“I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice-presidential candidate,” he said, while clarifying that his remarks should not be interpreted as an official backing of any future campaign.

So far, neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly confirmed any intention to run in the 2028 presidential election.

Rubio previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but withdrew after losing the primary race to Trump. Later, in a December 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he would be among the first to support Vance if he decided to run for the White House.

Vance, meanwhile, has recently dismissed speculation of any political rivalry with Rubio amid growing discussion about potential future GOP leadership.