‘The worst is when the rubbish explodes’: the children living in Patagonia’s vast dumps 12 December 2025 at 09:00

‘The worst is when the rubbish explodes’: the children living in Patagonia’s vast dumps

12 December 2025 at 09:00

In sprawling landfills, thousands of Argentinian families scavenge for survival amid toxic waste and government neglect, dreaming of steady jobs and escape

The sun rises over the plateau of Neuquén’s open-air rubbish tip. Maia, nine, and her brothers, aged 11 and seven, huddle by a campfire. Their mother, Gisel, rummages through bags that smell of rotten fruit and meat.

Situated at the northern end of Argentinian Patagonia, 100km (60 miles) from Vaca Muerta – one of the world’s largest fossil gas reserves – children here roam amid twisted metal, glass and rubbish spread over five hectares (12 acres). The horizon is waste.

UK denies Milei’s claim of talks over Falklands-era ban on Argentina arms sales 11 December 2025 at 01:26

UK denies Milei’s claim of talks over Falklands-era ban on Argentina arms sales

The Guardian

By:Guardian staff and agencies

11 December 2025 at 01:26

British government also rejects president’s claims on sovereignty over Falkland Islands as he suggests wanting to make Argentina a ‘world military power’

The British government has denied it is engaged in negotiations to lift a ban on selling arms to Argentina that has been in place since the Falklands war.

Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, told the Daily Telegraph his government had begun speaking to the UK about the restrictions.

Shakira fans and an elephant protest: photos of the day – Tuesday 9 December 2025 at 08:43

Shakira fans and an elephant protest: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian

By:Guardian Staff

9 December 2025 at 08:43

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Bird Flu Ravaged the World’s Largest Elephant Seal Population, Study Finds 13 November 2025 at 11:00

Bird Flu Ravaged the World’s Largest Elephant Seal Population, Study Finds

NYT: Science

By:Emily Anthes

13 November 2025 at 11:00

After the H5N1 virus hit the remote island of South Georgia in 2023, more than 50,000 breeding females may have disappeared.

"If Charlie Brown reads Freud, Mafalda reads Che Guevara." 9 July 2025 at 11:06

"If Charlie Brown reads Freud, Mafalda reads Che Guevara."

MetaFilter

By:Paul Slade

9 July 2025 at 11:06

The New Yorker's Daniel Alarcón on the history of a classic Argentinian comic strip, which ran there from 1964 to 1973, and which is finally getting an English translation. The strip by cartoonist Quino, ran throughout Argentina's junta years, when such leftist protest and satire could easily lead to prison or worse. Asked what the strip's fearless six-year-old protagonist would be doing in adulthood, Quinto replied: "Mafalda never would have reached adulthood. She would be among Argentina's thirty thousand disappeared."

I'd never heard of this strip before, but the article was interesting enough to make me order the first translated volume. Seems there's a NetFlix adaptation coming too.

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