News of history

The World Cup effect: Football and politics in Argentina

11-06-2026 14:00 From dictatorship to democracy, World Cups have repeatedly coincided with some of Argentina's most consequential political and economic decisions.

It’s a small World (Cup)

06-06-2026 06:06 FIFA has 211 member football associations, of whom only 80 have ever participated in a World Cup tournament in almost a century while for the highest level of winners, you would have to knock the zero off that figure – just eight countries, all of whom are past or present members of the European Union or Mercosur.

by Michael Soltys

‘He knew it all’: the Rosario roots of Lionel Messi

15-05-2026 10:16 Former coaches, teachers and childhood friends remember the shy boy from Newell’s who became Argentina’s greatest football icon.

From refuge to destination: How ‘Barrio Chino’ found its place in Buenos Aires

09-05-2026 14:45 From 28 families meeting to watch films to a capital city landmark, Barrio Chino’s rapid transformation reflects a deeper cultural journey. With the help of local Carlos Lin, a walk through 42 years of history, learning a tale of migration, identity and cultural reinvention.

by Patricia Daniele

When military coups were normal

21-03-2026 00:07 Two months after the coup, I wrote: “One special danger presented by terrorism of any political colour is its effect on the security forces themselves. Men fighting a treacherous, slippery, hydra-headed foe, which has no scruple as to method, are often tempted to fight back in a similar manner.”

by James Neilson

No inertia with Persia

14-03-2026 06:46 The 90 million Persians are very self-consciously not Arabs – ethnically, they are Indo-European, not Semitic while their Farsi language is fairly unintelligible for speakers of Arabic, far less overlap than, say, between Russian and Polish.

by Michael Soltys

One of world's oldest dinosaurs discovered in La Rioja Province

16-10-2025 10:13 Remains of one of the world's oldest dinosaur species on the planet found in La Rioja at 3,000-metre altitude; Fossils thought to be at least 225 million years old.

Police recover Nazi-looted painting spotted in online property ad

04-09-2025 01:08 Two detained as painting stolen from Dutch Jewish art collector in World War II is found in Mar del Plata; 18th-century masterwork was spotted after appearing in online property ad; Relative of dead Nazi financial guru and her partner placed under house arrest.

Peñico: Peruvian citadel that is nearly 4,000 years old opens doors to tourists

14-07-2025 10:20 Site of 3,800-year-old citadel from the Caral civilisation, one of the oldest in the world and located in northern Peru, opens to the public after eight years of scientific studies and restoration work.

New Carlos Menem series hits the small screen

09-07-2025 17:09 Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service premieres new series about Argentina’s former president Carlos Menem, who led the nation from 1989 to 1999, on Independence Day.

Nazi documents found in Supreme Court archives

11-05-2025 21:39 Hoard of World War II-era Nazi propaganda and membership documents unearthed in the basement of Argentina's Supreme Court, where it has lain, stashed in champagne crates, since 1941.

New pontiff Leo XIV spent decades amid the poor in Peru

08-05-2025 21:34 Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago but also has a Latin American connection, after spending much of his career in Peru before moving to Rome under Francis’ guidance.

Midterms North and South

05-04-2025 06:48 Midterm results have tended to be adverse in both the United States and Argentina, from a government standpoint. In the former, a mere two of those 10 contests have gone the way of the presidential party – in the latter, the margin is narrower.

by Michael Soltys

The day Argentina declared war on the Axis

27-03-2025 15:18 On March 27, 1945, 80 years ago, Argentina put an end to neutrality. “A state of war” was officially declared between the Argentine Republic and Germany, “in view of the latter's status as an ally of Japan.”

by Leonardo Torresi

Renovation of Luna Park approved by commission

21-02-2025 10:48 Controversial proposal to renovate Luna Park venue in Buenos clears first round of approval; Heritage organisations voice warning for iconic symbol of city’s cultural and athletic history.

by Zella Milfred

Presidential photographer hangs up camera after 47 years

06-02-2025 23:55 Víctor Bugge, presidential photographer who captured Videla, Menem and the Rolling Stones, retires after 47 years.

G20 or 19+1?

23-11-2024 06:00 Argentina was an odd man out in the G20 long before the shaggy libertarian embarked on his solitary crusade against Agenda 2030.

by Michael Soltys

Almost 50 years on, French families still seeking answers about disappeared relatives

22-11-2024 11:14 Almost 50 years on, families are still seeking answers about French citizens who disappeared in Argentina in the late 1970s, during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship’s reign of terror. Last week’s visit to Buenos Aires by French President Emmanuel Macron put the topic back on the agenda.

Poverty lies under the mattress

05-10-2024 06:06 Idle capital amounting to over half of Gross Domestic Product surely goes a long way towards explaining why over half the population is poor.

by Michael Soltys

The whys and whens of decline

07-09-2024 05:08 Analysts of Argentina’s decline understandably focus on the whys but there is a strong case for saying that they are inextricably intertwined with the whens.

by Michael Soltys