Closing post
That may be all for us from us, after a hectic day here in Davos.
Argentina’s new president Javier Milei has launched a full-throated attack on Western governments, accusing them of abandoning the values of the west.
In a jarring speech that hailed the virtues of free market economics, Milei told delegates:
I am here to tell you that the western world is in danger . . . because those who are supposed to defend the values of the west have been co-opted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism, and therefore to poverty.
Milei also hailed business chiefs as heroes, urging them not to be “intimidated, either by the political class or by parasites who live off the state”.
He says:
Do not surrender to a political class that only wants to stay in power and retain its priviliges.
The Middle East crisis also loomed large today, with US secretary of state Antony Blinken calling the conflict in Gaza “gutwrenching”.
Blinken said what was needed to resolve the situation was a Palestinian state with a government structure “that gives people what they want and works with Israel to be effective”.
“The suffering breaks my heart.
The question is what is to be done.”
Blinken was then grounded in Switzerland after his plane had a “critical failure” due to an oxygen leak.
Ukraine was also on minds here, with Lord Cameron arguing that there are legal, moral and political justifications for using frozen Russia assets to fund the Ukraine reconstruction.
Here’s more of today’s news:
Updated
Milei: talked about Falklands with Cameron
After his strident comments on economics today, Argentina’s president, Javier Milie, has told Sky News’ Ed Conway that the issue of the Falklands Islands came up during his meeting with David Cameron today.
With a more diplomatic touch than we saw earlier, Milei says:
“We talked about the Falklands (Malvinas) and it is something for future diplomatic negotiations...”
🚨NEW🚨
— Ed Conway (@EdConwaySky) January 17, 2024
Argentinian President @JMilei, fresh from his first official meeting with the UK here at Davos (with @David_Cameron), tells me they discussed the Falkland Islands.
"We talked about the Falklands (Malvinas) and it is something for future diplomatic negotiations..." pic.twitter.com/qg8q9iSNhc
