All articles tagged with #argentina
Messi has hamstring inflammation with no tear and will be out for about 10 days as Argentina fine-tunes preparations for the 2026 World Cup; officials will monitor his workload to avoid setbacks, with friendlies against Honduras and Iceland on the horizon and the tournament just over three weeks away.
Messi left Inter Miami’s 6–4 win over the Philadelphia Union in the 73rd minute with a leg issue, 18 days before the World Cup, fueling concern over his availability. There’s no official medical update yet as Argentina prepares its 26-man roster, with Messi possibly joining the pre-tournament camp in Kansas City, though his participation remains uncertain.
Wetter-than-usual years driven by El Niño have boosted populations of hantavirus-carrying rodents in Argentina, helping drive the MV Hondius cruise-ship outbreak. The Andes virus, carried by species such as the Patagonian long-tailed pygmy rice rat and related rodents, can spread from animals to humans and, in the Andes virus, between humans. Virus transmission occurs as infected rodents shed the virus in urine, feces, and saliva, with higher vegetation growth from rain increasing rodent food, reproduction, and contact with people. Climate variability and land-use changes are expanding hantavirus risk beyond Patagonia, making prevention and epidemiological surveillance crucial since there is no vaccine for American hantaviruses.
Argentine investigators in Ushuaia are trapping and testing local rats to determine whether hantavirus is present in the area, as part of tracing the source of the MV Hondius cruise outbreak; dead rats are collected for a field lab and samples will be sent to Buenos Aires for testing, a process that could take about a month. Officials say the probe aims to rule out Ushuaia as the source while noting that the Andes virus is found in southern Chile and Argentina and that climate-driven rodent range shifts are complicating the outbreak picture.
Argentina’s hantavirus experiences, especially the 2018 Epuyén outbreak, informed the quarantine and transmission insights now being applied to the Hondius cruise-ship cases, underscoring that the virus spreads mainly through close contact, has long incubation periods, and that climate-driven rodent dynamics and shifting funding can elevate zoonotic risk and demand sustained public-health investment.
Thousands across Argentina protested President Javier Milei’s cuts to the tuition-free public university system, urging adherence to a funding law that would cover operating costs and teacher salaries. Milei’s government argues the law lacks funding specifics and is being challenged in court, a case that could reach the Supreme Court, as unions report inflation-driven pay losses and faculty departures to private or better-paying jobs.
Climate models project the hantavirus-carrying long-tailed pygmy rice rat could expand its range eastward toward Argentina’s Atlantic coast, potentially increasing spillover risk as El Niño–La Niña cycles boost rodent populations; researchers call for enhanced surveillance as hantavirus cases rise in Argentina.
A Reuters report finds about 200 Chinese squid-jigging vessels spend months near Argentina, expanding the fleet to feed the world’s largest squid market; Argentina has stepped up surveillance with U.S. help (including P-3C Orion aircraft) and NASA night-light imagery highlighting the fleet’s proximity, raising concerns about potential seabed mapping or intelligence gathering, though evidence remains inconclusive amid broader U.S.–China rivalry.
Argentina’s 2018–2019 hantavirus outbreak began with a birthday party in the Patagonian village of Epuyén, sickening 34 people and killing 11; public health officials contained the spread through strict isolation of confirmed cases and self-quarantine of contacts, along with shedding ventilation and disinfection efforts, which likely halted further transmission. The containment approach foreshadowed COVID-era quarantines and influenced U.S. planning for the MV Hondius cruise-ship cases, where 17 Americans aboard were screened, two infected, and three passengers died as others were monitored.
Argentina is seeing a near doubling of hantavirus cases this season, with 101 confirmed infections and 32 deaths, as climate-driven habitat disruption and droughts push rodent populations into new areas. Most cases have been in the central region around Buenos Aires, and health officials are investigating links to an Andes-strain outbreak tied to a cruise ship. Experts say increasing human-wildlife contact and environmental degradation are expanding the virus’s reach, though human-to-human transmission remains limited; authorities will continue rodent surveillance and outbreak tracing.
Resale prices for World Cup matches in Kansas City have declined as FIFA releases more seats and the tournament expands, with several games seeing noticeable drops (Argentina vs. Algeria from about $943 to $817) and overall softer demand outside marquee matchups.
The UK coroner says there have been no updates since January 2025 and is awaiting full reports and eyewitness statements from Argentina as the inquest into Liam Payne’s death continues. There has been no further disclosure of evidence from Argentina via the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Payne, 31, died in October 2024 after falling from a third‑floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel; the post‑mortem cited multiple traumas and internal and external haemorrhage. The coroner will share relevant documents with Payne’s family, who did not attend the Beaconsfield hearing.
Kansas City is poised to be a World Cup hub, hosting England, Argentina and the Netherlands along with six matches at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, cementing the city’s role in the tournament.
Argentine President Javier Milei has intensified his push on Falklands sovereignty, leveraging his bond with Donald Trump as US-UK tensions rise. Experts say a settlement will require persuading Britain, not Washington, even as reports hint at Pentagon options that could pressure allies over Iran. The US has traditionally remained neutral on the Falklands, and Milei’s domestic popularity remains low as he pushes for momentum on the issue.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed a leaked Pentagon memo suggesting the US could rethink its neutral stance on the Falkland Islands, reaffirming the UK's de facto administration while acknowledging Argentina's competing sovereignty claims and emphasizing Washington's neutrality on the issue.