International
Argentina prepares for World Cup winners’ welcome home party
| By AFP | Barnaby Chesterman |
Argentines waited eagerly to welcome home their World Cup heroes on Monday as the capital prepared for a massive street party after the national team’s remarkable shoot-out victory over France.
“Crowned with glory,” read a banner on a newspaper kiosk in Buenos Aires, while Clarin and La Prensa dailies both sent a huge “Thank you” to Lionel Messi and his team-mates for winning the country’s third world title, and first in 36 years.
Argentina won the final in Qatar 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw over 120 minutes of unparallelled drama.
The party that began after Sunday’s final was briefly on pause as local city workers continued to clean up the debris from the celebrations when millions took to the streets in jubilation.
The team is guaranteed a white-hot reception when they land at the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires, at 2:25 am (0525 GMT) Tuesday.
“I’m going to greet them at the airport. Now that they have been crowned we have to greet them and thank them,” Jose Luis Quinoga, 56, told AFP at the Obelisk memorial in central Buenos Aires, where the night before more than a million people celebrated.
A private reception at a VIP suite in the airport has been arranged to greet the returning players and the Argentine football association said they will celebrate with fans at the Obelisk on Tuesday.
“I will leave work and the first thing I will do is come here,” Julieta Rosel, 23, told AFP at the monument.
Local media speculated about whether the players would also head to the presidential palace, with politicians concerned about being accused of trying to capitalize on sporting success.
Almost ‘no incidents’
Messi finally crowned his record-breaking career with football’s biggest prize as he produced one of the greatest World Cup final performances, scoring a first-half penalty and netting again in extra time.
France had fought back from 2-0 down in the last 10 minutes of the match as Kylian Mbappe scored twice to equalise and force extra time in a pulsating match watched by an 89,000 crowd in Lusail Stadium.
Messi seemed to have decided the match in extra time with his second goal of the game before his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Mbappe completed only the second World Cup final hat-trick in history to bring the score to 3-3 and force penalties.
Gonzalo Montiel swept home the decisive spot kick to win the shootout 4-2 for Argentina.
And while the players were able to celebrate with an estimated 40,000 fans inside the stadium on Sunday, 45 million people back home are eager to share the moment with them.
“It’s what we’re all waiting for,” teacher Veronica Silva, 44, told AFP from the Plaza de Mayo in central Buenos Aires on Sunday.
Despite the huge numbers of revelers “people acted in a very positive way,” a spokesperson for the municipality said.
Fewer than 20 people were arrested for isolated incidents of violence or theft.
There were some signs of vandalism with smashed shop windows near the Obeslik, which also suffered some damage to cameras and an internal stairwell after people tore down protective barriers and broke open a door, a worker clearing debris told AFP on Monday.
Normal Monday morning life seemed to have resumed with street vendors selling their regular wares rather than football jerseys and flags.
‘I can’t ask for more’
The disappointed France players became the last team to leave Qatar on Monday and after some confusion over their plans agreed to go and greet their fans in central Paris.
Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said the team planned to go to the Place de la Concorde in Paris after their plane touches down.
And although the chief of France’s football federation (FFF), Noel Le Graet, initially appeared to contradict the minister, the FFF later released a statement confirming the event would take place after the players’ plane lands at around 8:00 pm (1900 GMT).
The captivating final rounded off one of the most controversial World Cups in history.
Qatari organisers faced persistent questions about the country’s treatment of migrant workers and its laws on homosexuality.
Football’s world governing body FIFA said the tournament attracted more than 3.4 million spectators, making it one of the most watched ever.
FIFA said more than one million visitors travelled to Qatar to watch the matches, in line with predictions from the Gulf state that people would not be dissuaded by the negative publicity over its rights record.
International
White House considered dropping leaflets over Caracas to pressure Maduro
The White House recently proposed a plan to drop leaflets from U.S. military aircraft over Caracas to further pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by The Washington Post.
The operation — which as of Saturday had not yet been authorized — considered dropping the leaflets this Sunday, the day of Maduro’s 63rd birthday. The materials were expected to highlight the $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, a bounty the White House doubled in August on the grounds that the Venezuelan leader is involved in “narcoterrorism.”
The proposal represents an escalation in Washington’s efforts to oust Maduro, a goal Trump pursued during his first term (2017–2021) and one that remains a priority for several of his top advisers.
Since the summer, the United States has carried out a large-scale military deployment in the southern Caribbean aimed at pressuring Maduro and, according to the White House, combating drug trafficking. This operation has resulted in the destruction of roughly twenty boats allegedly carrying narcotics and the deaths of 83 people on board.
In mid-November, Trump said he had made a decision regarding a possible military action in Venezuela, further raising tensions with Caracas.
On Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an advisory urging commercial flights to “exercise extreme caution” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean due to the “potentially hazardous situation” linked to increased military activity in the region.
This prompted several European and American airlines to cancel flights to the Caribbean nation.
International
Trump attacks Europe and Biden on Truth Social ahead of talks on Ukraine peace plan
In a message posted on Truth Social, the U.S. president also targeted European nations, “which continue buying oil from Russia,” as well as his predecessor, Joe Biden, whom he accused of inaction at the start of the conflict.
“I inherited a war that never should have happened, a war in which everyone is losing,” the president wrote in all caps on his social media platform.
“The Ukrainian leaders have shown zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe keeps buying oil from Russia.”
“The United States continues to sell massive quantities of weapons to NATO for distribution to Ukraine (corrupt Joe gave everything away — free, free, free — including large sums of money!),” he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Geneva this Sunday in hopes of advancing Trump’s plan for Ukraine.
Washington now presents Trump’s 28-point proposal as a “framework for negotiations” aimed at ending the conflict, though it is viewed with concern in both Kyiv and Brussels.
International
Tatiana Schlossberg reveals aggressive leukemia diagnosis in personal New Yorker essay
In a deeply personal essay published in The New Yorker, Tatiana Schlossberg revealed her diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia with a rare genetic mutation known as Inversion 3, a variant that responds poorly to standard treatments.
The 35-year-old journalist explained that the disease was discovered shortly after the birth of her second daughter in May 2024, when doctors detected an extremely high white blood cell count. Schlossberg said she was in complete shock upon receiving the diagnosis, noting that she “didn’t feel sick” and had experienced a healthy pregnancy.
Her treatment since then has been intense. She has undergone chemotherapy, at least two bone marrow transplants, and is participating in clinical trials involving CAR-T therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy. In one of these trials, her doctors told her they might be able to “keep [her] alive for a year, maybe less.”
Schlossberg reflected on her fears for her children, her husband, George Moran, and her parents, and on the emotional weight of becoming part of the Kennedy family’s long history of tragedy. She also criticized her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for political decisions that she argues have harmed medical research that could benefit cancer patients like her.
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