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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 20th 2026 - 06:55 UTC

Environment

  • Thursday, February 16th 2023 - 20:54 UTC

    Ecuador and Peru fighting a losing battle with China on giant squid fishing in the southeast Pacific

    The squid catch has increased: in the last five years alone, between 800,000 tons and 1.16 million tons have been caught. China has a declared fleet of 671 ships.

    Giant squid, squid or Dosidicus gigas, measures up to 3 meters in length and can reach 50 kilos in weight. It is one of the main species of the southeastern Pacific Ocean and at the same time it is one of the species with the greatest commercial pressure in the world. Thousands of tons are extracted every month, a large part, from the international waters located off the seas of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. The main player behind that voracious appetite is China: it has a declared fleet of 671 ships.

  • Wednesday, February 15th 2023 - 09:57 UTC

    Europe bans sales of fossil fuel-powered cars as of 2035

    Supporters of the bill argued that it would give European carmakers a clear timeframe in which to switch to zero-emission electric vehicles

    The European Parliament approved the draft regulation ending the sale of new petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035, it was reported Tuesday. The measure was passed by 340 votes in favor, 279 against, and 21 abstentions.

  • Sunday, February 12th 2023 - 13:24 UTC

    Brazil: Monitoring flight spots lost tribe in the middle of Yanomami lands

    Scientists fear these groups may go extinct after contact with the western culture through direct conflict or by catching diseases unknown to them

    A small indigenous community has been detected inside the Yanomami Territory in Roraima, only 15 kilometers from an illegal mining site where garimpeiros pose a threat to their survival and well-being, Agencia Brasil reported Friday.

  • Thursday, February 9th 2023 - 10:55 UTC

    Evacuations ordered in Chile as wildfires run amok

    Eight people have been arrested for their possible involvement in the intentional lighting of the fires, Dresdner explained

    Chile's National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (Senapred) Wednesday ordered the evacuation of 14 communes in the regions of Ñuble, Biobío, and La Araucanía, including Nacimiento, Purén, and Contulmo, which have all been particularly affected by the forest fires.

  • Thursday, February 9th 2023 - 10:18 UTC

    Falklands Environment Strategy: First Progress Report available online

    Projects have expanded, the Falkland Islands Community School projects on earwig control and 3D printing of recycled plastic

    Following the adoption of the Falkland Islands Environment Strategy 2021 – 2040 by the Executive Council in late 2021, there has been much work across government towards achieving the Vision of the Strategy. The first progress report for 2022 has been released and is available on the FIG Environment Department website.

  • Wednesday, February 8th 2023 - 08:24 UTC

    Death toll crosses 8,100 threshold in Turkish/Syrian quakes

    “These operations will continue until we reach the last citizen under the rubble,” Türkiye's Vice President Fuat Oktay said late Tuesday

    The latest reports from Türkiye and Syria two days after the series of earthquakes and aftershocks that hit the region mention at least 8,100 people confirmed dead as hopes of finding any new survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings are turning slimmer by the minute.

  • Tuesday, February 7th 2023 - 10:54 UTC

    Earthquake death toll reaches 4,300, more victims feared under the rubble

    There have been 183 aftershocks since the original earthquakes including one of 7.6 magnitude at 7.24 am local time

    The number of casualties from the series of earthquakes hitting Türkiye and Syria early Monday has been updated to 4,300, it was reported. Due to the time the quake occurred (4.17 local time), most people were sleeping in their homes and many were unable to escape. Rescuers are searching for survivors in the rubble.

  • Monday, February 6th 2023 - 10:35 UTC

    Chile's wildfires death toll reaches 24

    There are also 26 people hospitalized in a serious condition, Monsalve said. Photo: AFP.

    Chilean authorities spoke Sunday of 24 fatalities, nearly 1,000 people injured, and some 800 houses destroyed in the past five days by wildfires spreading fast in amid a highly-irregular heat wave with strong winds and temperatures above 40°C in areas 500 km south of Santiago.

  • Monday, February 6th 2023 - 10:30 UTC

    BAS investing to predict future sea-level rise in Antarctica

    Understanding ice loss from Antarctica and its contribution to global sea-level rise is a key ambition for SURFEIT

    Researchers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will develop new and ambitious ideas to tackle critical global environmental challenges, such as global sea-level rise from Antarctica, thanks to new funding.

  • Monday, February 6th 2023 - 09:17 UTC

    Earthquake rocks Türkiye and Syria killing around 1,200 people

    “We hope to get through this disaster together in the shortest possible time and with the least possible damage,” Erdogan wrote on Twitter

    Over 1,200 people died in Türkiye and Syria as hundreds of buildings collapsed in the areas hit by an earthquake of 7.8-degree magnitude with its epicenter in the border city of Gaziantep. Rescue teams were searching for people trapped under the rubble. Humanitarian aid was reported on its way from various parts of the world. There were a total of 22 aftershocks, some of them strong.