Voters in Argentina reject Macri
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Alberto Fernandez, who served as chief of staff under Argentina’s former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has emerged as the strongest candidate for president following primary elections, dealing a heavy blow to incumbent Mauricio Macri.
Mr. Fernandez, the candidate for Frente de Todos, netted nearly 48% of the public vote with 99% of the ballots counted, according to official results posted on Monday. Mr. Macri and his Juntos por el Cambio movement took 32%.
Voting was compulsory in the primaries, which whittle down the number of presidential candidates and are considered an important indicator of public opinion in the South American country.
Ms. Fernandez de Kirchner, who is under investigation for a string of corruption cases, is campaigning as Mr. Fernandez’s vice president for the Oct. 27 election.
The left- leaning opposition’s unexpectedly strong victory was attributed largely to Argentina’s economic woes under Mr. Macri, a conservative.
South Korea- Japan rift
South Korea retaliated against Japan in a diplomatic and trade dispute between the two key American allies, deciding to remove its neighbor from its list of countries entitled to preferential treatment in trade.
South Korea’s tit- for- tat action had been expected since Japan took a similar action against South Korea on Aug. 2. Still, the move provided Washington with fresh evidence that neither South Korea nor Japan would back down anytime soon, even though President Donald Trump has urged them both to “sit down and get along with each other.”
The removal of Japan from South Korea’s “white list” of 29 most- trusted trading partners will take effect in September, said Sung Yun- mo, South Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy.
It was not immediately clear how the tightened export controls South Korea and Japan have introduced against each other would affect bilateral trade, because the measures do not ban certain kinds of trade outright. Rather, they simply give the countries a tool to slow down or stop shipments of sensitive goods.
Kashmir’s curbs easing
Large parts of Kashmir remained cut off from the rest of the world as a communications blackout entered its eighth day, although India said it would soon begin gradually easing restrictions.
Television footage showed barbed wire barricades set up on the streets of Srinagar — the summer capital of Indian- administered Kashmir —- where gun- toting security forces were guarding the streets. Some of the restrictions, including one that prohibits assembly of people, were eased at the weekend, according to local officials and some media reports, ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid.
The restrictions were put on place to curb the spread of misinformation, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a briefing in New Delhi on Monday, noting the curbs were precautionary and would be lifted.
Also in the world ...
Alejandro Giammattei, a 63- year- old conservative former prisons director, was elected Guatemala’s president on Sunday in a race that took place against the backdrop of a migration crisis in which thousands of Guatemalans leave the country each month.