
The world needs to do more to protect the Antarctic wilderness and its wildlife, scientists warned Tuesday, as they marked World Penguin Day. The flightless seabirds—a favorite with children for their clumsy, waddling gait—offer a useful yardstick for researchers to judge the health of their habitat

Chile will build the International Antarctic Center in the southern city of Punta Arenas, meant to become the entering point to the white continent for the world. The Governor of the Magellan region and the Chilean Antarctic, Jorge Flies stated this week that there were 35 projects developing in his jurisdiction, in three important areas.

Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra has announced that Argentina has definitive international support for its defined continental shelf limits, with the exception of the Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia, in dispute with the UK, and those covered by the Antarctic Treaty, which are not considered by the UN because of a sovereignty litigation or an international treaty.

Argentine foreign and defense ministers Susana Malcorra and Julio Martínez toured on Friday the recently repaired and refurbished Navy's icebreaker and Antarctica flagship, Almirante Irizar which a decade ago almost became a wreck after she caught fire on return from the annual Antarctic mission.

Every two years BAS leads a scientific research survey of the fish resources on behalf of the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. This time Dr. Mark Belchier from BAS was head of the team of experts that carried out the survey.

A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) committee of experts announced on March first, new records for the highest temperatures recorded in the Antarctic Region. The results are part of continuing efforts to expand a database of extreme weather and climate conditions throughout the world.

HM Commissioner for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, Colin Roberts CVO, departed this week for a 12-day visit to the UK Overseas Territory accompanied by representatives of some of South Georgia’s key stakeholder organizations. The information was reported in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Newsletter.

A team or Argentine and Chilean experts have visited Czech and British bases in Antarctica as part of the routine inspection of environment and security operations, in the framework of the Antarctic Treaty. The Argentine foreign ministry reported that the inspections took place for the second consecutive year between 19 January and 25 February.

Argentine Antarctica Day was commemorated on Wednesday February 22 with different events recalling the day, 113 years ago when the country's flag was first flown in a met station in Laurie Island, in the south Orkneys. Since then, 1904, Argentina's presence south of 60o. has been uninterrupted, said Argentine defense minister Julio Martínez at the main celebration in the Foreign Affairs ministry.

The longest and most comprehensive study to date of what penguins eat is published this month. The study, published in the journal Marine Biology, examines the diets of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) at Bird Island, South Georgia over a 22 year period and is part of a project investigating the Southern Ocean ecosystem and its response to change