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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 21st 2024 - 11:20 UTC

Environment

  • Tuesday, October 22nd 2024 - 08:35 UTC

    Cuba lives through Hurricane Oscar amid power shortages

    Díaz-Canel had to cancel his trip to the BRICS Summit due to the power shortage coupled with the weather crisis

    In addition to the current electricity supply crisis, Cuba's eastern province of Guantanamo, near Baracoa, was hit by Category I Hurricane Oscar late Sunday with maximum sustained winds of nearly 80 mph (130km/h). Oscar later waned to a tropical storm with 70 mph winds, the US National Hurricane Center said but it could still cause significant flash flooding and mudslides.

  • Thursday, October 17th 2024 - 06:13 UTC

    Panama Canal posts significant setback in FY2024

    The number of crossing vessels was cut down from 38 to 22 on average between July 2023 and May 2024

    The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reported this week a 29.3% drop in passing ships during Fiscal Year 2024 as a result of the severe drought affecting the interoceanic crossing. A total of 9,944 transits were recorded this year, a significant setback from 14,080 crossings in 2023. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.

  • Tuesday, October 15th 2024 - 09:15 UTC

    Chilean fisherman rescued from cold Pacific Ocean waters

    Police Lieutenant Carlos Campos said the drones were pivotal for the operation's success

    Chilean authorities used a thermal drone to locate in the Magellan Strait area and later rescue a fisherman from the Pacific Ocean, it was reported Monday. The man later identified as Sergio Brito was wearing adequate clothing, thanks to which he survived the cold temperatures. In addition, he clung to seaweed while waiting for Carabineros and the Navy.

  • Monday, October 14th 2024 - 09:45 UTC

    Paraguay River hits all-time lows in Brazil

    Every river in the Paraguay Basin stood below average levels for this time of year, except the Cuiabá River thanks to flows being regulated by the Manso Hydroelectric Plant

    The Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB) found that the Paraguay River was 62 centimeters below its reference level, the lowest level ever measured at the Ladario post, near the city of Corumbá (MS), on the border with Porto Quijarro (Bolivia), thus surpassing the 61 cms recorded in 1964, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Friday, October 11th 2024 - 10:19 UTC

    Hurricane Milton leaves at least 12 dead in Florida

    “It's going to take several billion dollars” to build back from Milton, Biden said

    At least 12 people have been confirmed dead Thursday in the U.S. state of Florida, where Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving millions without power and causing severe damage. According to PowerOutage.us, 2.63 million homes were still without power in Florida Thursday night.

  • Tuesday, October 8th 2024 - 09:30 UTC

    Second firefighting aircraft lands in Bolivia

    “We are attacking fires by land and air, sparing no effort or resources to protect our population, our flora, and fauna,” said Arce

    A second four-engined turboprop Electra tanker aircraft arrived in Bolivia Monday to join the firefighting efforts against wild flames hitting various parts of the country, particularly Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where the Viru Viru International Airport was closed for hours due to poor visibility.

  • Wednesday, October 2nd 2024 - 07:01 UTC

    UK “green milestone”, the last power station fueled by coal has finished

    The first coal-fired power station in the world, the Holborn Viaduct plant was built in 1882 in London by Thomas Edison - bringing light to the streets of the capital.

    UK's last coal power station, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, finished operations on Monday September 30th, after running since 1967 and ending 142 years of reliance on the fossil fuel. The milestone is a major event in UK's ambitions to reduce its contribution to climate change. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel producing the most greenhouse gases when burnt.

  • Wednesday, October 2nd 2024 - 06:28 UTC

    Falklands, “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse begins peaking at 17:30

    Different phases of a solar eclipse

    This Wednesday afternoon a spectacular “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse will be visible for some parts of South America. While southern Chile and Argentina, Patagonia, will see a ring of the Sun as the Moon passes in front of it, those in the Falklands Islands will see a large solar eclipse.

  • Tuesday, October 1st 2024 - 09:51 UTC

    Use of bicycles on the rise in Montevideo

    Montevideo has a network of cycling lanes 77.3 kilometers long

    Experts in the Uruguayan capital said Monday that the use of bicycles in Montevideo has gone up by 70% since the cycling lanes were inaugurated last year. The lanes for bicycles and other non-motorized means of transport such as skateboards and rollerblades, operational since December, have been deemed a success.

  • Monday, September 30th 2024 - 13:30 UTC

    EU insists cocoa imports must come from deforestation-free areas

    Cocoa producers say the Dec. 30 deadline set by the EU to ban products from deforested areas was “unrealistic”

    The European Commission (EC) has turned a deaf ear to the Ivory Coast-based International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) to postpone for two years the implementation of regulations requiring that cocoa imported into Europe must not come from deforested plots.