Argentina

World Health Organization (WHO)

How a US$5 billion Chinese lifeline to Argentina shrank to almost nothing

19 May 2026 - 5:46AM

‘Crises’: WHO kicks off annual assembly amid Ebola, US withdrawal

Aid cuts ‘have disrupted health systems, widened inequalities’ said UN chief Antonio Guterres, with WHO budget down by almost US$1 billion.

18 May 2026 - 10:07PMvideocam

A health official uses a thermometer to screen people outside a hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday. Photo: AP

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

15 May 2026 - 4:46AMvideocam

Argentine city tries to shrug off hantavirus ship ‘patient zero’ suspicions

The search for answers about the MV Hondius outbreak has pointed towards Ushuaia and a huge landfill site.

13 May 2026 - 12:48PM

Americas and the Caribbean

French hantavirus patient ‘critical on artificial lung’ as ship cases grow

Doctor in Paris describes MV Hondius passenger as having ‘the final stage of supportive care’.

13 May 2026 - 10:40AM

People in protective suits walk towards the MV Hondius on the island of Tenerife, Spain’s Canary Islands on May 11. Photo: AFP

Arrest warrant reissued for Bolivia ex-president after court no-show

Evo Morales is declared in contempt as prosecutors allege he fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl during his time in office.

12 May 2026 - 3:01PM

More passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship test positive

Two passengers, French and American, test positive as governments take extensive precautions for evacuees.

11 May 2026 - 8:48PM

Spain

Hantavirus-hit cruise passengers evacuate from Spanish port with WHO aid

About 150 people will be flown home as the MV Hondius arrived near the port of Granadilla in Tenerife.

10 May 2026 - 8:48PM

The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Science

Global food and water supplies on thin ice as Argentina opens glaciers to mining

Scientists warn that allowing access to deposits near vital ice reserves threatens food production sustaining 400 million people.

10 May 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Argentina’s 16,000 glaciers form a vital freshwater reserve for the country, a major food exporter. Photo: AFP

World Health Organization (WHO)

‘Almost zero’ chance Dutch man got hantavirus in Argentina’s Ushuaia: official

The patient and his wife, both MV Hondius passengers who died of the disease, were in the city only a few days before showing symptoms.

9 May 2026 - 5:38AM

Spain

Spain to repatriate guests as hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads for Canaries

The MV Hondius is expected to reach the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife on Sunday.

8 May 2026 - 11:25PMvideocam

Singapore

Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases

Eight hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported so far, including three deaths, the WHO says.

8 May 2026 - 6:58PMvideocam

A boat heading towards the port on Wednesday from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius, which is stationary off the port of Praia, Cape Verde. Photo: TNS

WHO says cruise ship hantavirus outbreak ‘not the start of a pandemic’

The rare disease that hit the MV Hondius is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva.

8 May 2026 - 1:12AMvideocam

The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

China pours US$6.1b into Brazil, making it Beijing’s top global investment

Chinese miners, carmakers and tech firms are fanned out across 20 states, putting a dent in Washington’s own push throughout the region.

8 May 2026 - 12:06AMvideocam

Hong Kong seeks more details from WHO on hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

Health authorities say they are taking a ‘proactive and precautionary’ approach to safeguarding city despite low global health risk.

8 May 2026 - 12:10AMvideocam

Nations race to trace passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Cruise operator says 29 passengers left the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, after the first death.

7 May 2026 - 9:56PMvideocam

A person in a white hazmat suit disembarks a medical aircraft in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Photo: ANP via AFP

Singapore

Singapore isolates 2 residents linked to cruise ship hantavirus outbreak

If the two men test positive for hantavirus, they will remain in hospital for monitoring and treatment.

7 May 2026 - 6:36PMvideocam

Spain opens port to virus-hit cruise ship as rare Andes strain confirmed

Madrid steps in to help the MV Hondius, a luxury cruise ship at the centre of an international health scare.

6 May 2026 - 8:54PMvideocam

Deadly hantavirus may have spread between humans on cruise, but risk low: WHO

The MV Hondius will be sailing to Spain’s Canary Islands, where the 150 people on board will be examined, cared for and sent home.

6 May 2026 - 7:15AM

Health workers get off the MV Hondius as it remains off Cabo Verde on Monday. Photo: Qasem Elhato via AP

China food security

How the Middle East crisis is expanding China’s agrochemical influence

China accounts for about a third of global fertiliser production, and 70 per cent of the raw materials for chemical pesticides.

5 May 2026 - 8:29AM

Suspected hantavirus outbreak on Atlantic cruise ship leaves 3 dead

The WHO is investigating a cluster of cases aboard the MV Hondius, a polar cruise ship now positioned off Cabo Verde.

8 May 2026 - 7:32PM

Britain

Argentina again calls for UK talks on Falklands, US confirms neutrality

Earlier, a leaked Pentagon email had set out options for the US to punish Nato allies for refusing to join US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

25 Apr 2026 - 7:42PM

Technology

Opinion | AI pessimism is a luxury the Global South cannot afford

Young, developing states must ride the tech waves if they don’t want to fall further behind and learn from others’ mistakes.

12 Apr 2026 - 4:30PM

Leaders attend the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, on February 19. Photo: Agencia Brazil/dpa

Cattle prices rocket as Brazil set to exhaust Chinese beef quota by May

As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers.

10 Apr 2026 - 5:13AMvideocam

People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China. Brazil’s beef exporters are rapidly filling their quota for China, leaving them now seeking new buyers. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Indonesia

Indonesian activists target Myanmar’s president in genocide case against him

The complaint seeks to hold Min Aung Hlaing accountable for international crimes in an Indonesian court, following recent legal changes.

9 Apr 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam