MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama]]> The epicentre was about 14 kilometres southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a sparsely populated area near the Pacific coast some 240 kilometres from the capital, at shallow depth A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook Panama on Friday at 12:56 local time, centred on the Azuero peninsula in Herrera province, according to the US Geological Survey. Panamanian authorities have not so far confirmed any casualties, though inspections are continuing and they have not ruled out injuries or people trapped. Damage to buildings was reported in several provinces.

]]> Fri, 09 Oct 2026 22:38:00 GMT <![CDATA[A mudslide sweeps away cars and a bus in Santiago after the wettest October on record]]> Las Condes mayor Catalina San Martín put the number of homes with some damage at around 2,000, 55 of them with serious habitability problems A torrent of water, mud and rocks swept away cars and a public transport bus on Thursday in San Carlos de Apoquindo, in the Las Condes district at the foot of the Andes in eastern Santiago, Chile, after a week of record rainfall. The official toll is six injured, with no deaths or missing, and President José Antonio Kast has declared a disaster zone in the district.

]]> Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:53:00 GMT <![CDATA[What was the world's largest penguin colony has lost nearly two thirds of its nests]]> Photo: Nicole Richters The chinstrap penguin population on Zavodovski Island, in the South Sandwich Islands, has fallen by almost two thirds since 2011, according to a study by the British Antarctic Survey. The island, described that year as the world's largest penguin colony, has lost that title.

]]> Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:54:00 GMT <![CDATA[A million square kilometres short: the ice ring around Antarctica keeps shrinking]]> Extent peaked on September 14 at 17.59 million square kilometres, more than a million below the historical average The sea ice surrounding Antarctica reached its third-lowest winter maximum this year since satellite records began in 1979, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center. The four lowest maxima in the record have occurred in the last four years.

]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands’ stamps and the story of the only reindeer world population unaffected by the Chernobyl radioactive fallout]]> Official first day cover One of the latest Falkland Islands Post Philatelic office is dedicated to the South Georgia reindeer, introduced by the Norwegian whalers and how they adapated to Southern Atlantic climate, living conditions and were later transferred to the Falklands.

]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:44:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentine Patagonia national park will twin with a Welsh similar of Snowdonia]]> Eryri, is a national park mountainous region in North Wales with all 15 mountains over 3000 feet high, including Snowdon, which is 1,085 metres tall A popular national park in Wales will be twinning with one in Argentine Patagonia this months in the midst of the international controversy eruption between Argentina, Falkland Islands and garrulous president Donald Trump.

]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:53:00 GMT <![CDATA[WMO forecasts a very strong El Niño peaking at year's end and lasting into February 2027]]> The global producing centers that feed into the update put the likelihood of the event persisting through February 2027 at “nearly 100%” El Niño is firmly established in the tropical Pacific and will intensify over the coming months into a very strong event, peaking towards the end of 2026 and with climate effects extending well into 2027, according to an update released on Thursday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva.

]]> Thu, 03 Sep 2026 22:24:00 GMT <![CDATA[Norway prepares to open The Whale Museum, 190 miles north of the Arctic Circle]]> The low, curved concrete roof, which is covered in stones, doubles as a viewing platform, giving visitors a chance to spot the many species of whales By Sarah Kula for the Smithsonian Magazine Called The Whale, the new venue is under construction in Andenes, a village on the northern tip of the island of Andøya, roughly 190 miles above the Arctic Circle. It’s scheduled to begin welcoming visitors on June 4, 2027, inviting guests to explore the majestic marine mammals through science, art, storytelling, sound and architecture.

]]> Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:48:00 GMT <![CDATA[China's embassy accuses a senior Argentine official of spreading “rumours” about the Nepal flood]]> Juan Pablo Carreira, digital communication director at Argentina's presidency, blamed a Chinese state company for the Nepal disaster China's embassy in Buenos Aires has accused an official in Javier Milei's government of spreading “malicious rumours” and seeking to “stain the international image” of the Asian country, after he attributed to a Chinese state company responsibility for the flood that devastated the border corridor between Nepal and Tibet on August 26.

]]> Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:22:00 GMT <![CDATA[The Panama Canal will cut daily transits from Wednesday because of drought]]> Panama has eleven watersheds under water stress and declared an emergency last week, alongside Honduras and El Salvador The Panama Canal will reduce the number of vessels allowed to cross from 38 to 34 a day from September 3, and to 32 from the 15th, as well as imposing new draught restrictions, because of falling water levels linked to El Niño. According to the waterway's authorities, rainfall since May has been 34% below the historical average and inflows to the basin have dropped 44%. Around 5% of world maritime traffic passes through the canal.

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