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[Rhine barges run at 20% of capacity as freight rates surge]]> At levels of 40 to 50 centimeters, vessels can carry around 20% of their normal volume Falling water levels on the Rhine are forcing barges to operate with a fraction of their usual load and have sharply raised the cost of river transport, as drought and extreme temperatures affect Europe's main inland waterways.

]]> Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:47:00 GMT <![CDATA[Two crew killed as firefighting helicopters collide in midair in Greece]]> A British pilot and a second Greek coordinator, aboard the other aircraft, survived with minor injuries and will remain in hospital for 24 hours under observation Two crew members were killed on Sunday when two helicopters battling a wildfire collided in midair in the Psatha area, on the boundary between Attica and Boeotia northwest of Athens, the Hellenic Fire Service said.

]]> Sun, 02 Aug 2026 20:43:00 GMT <![CDATA[Wildfires in Spain and France hit the world's two largest wine-growing nations]]> In France, more than 160,000 hectares have burned and some 13,566 fires or outbreaks have been recorded so far this season The wildfires affecting Spain and France since mid-July have reached an unprecedented scale in both countries, which together account for nearly a quarter of the world's vineyard area. Spain declared a national wildfire emergency for the first time, while French President Emmanuel Macron described the situation as the most severe recorded in his country since the Second World War.

]]> Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:46:00 GMT <![CDATA[Uruguay prepares protocols for the risk of El Niño flooding in the spring]]> “The challenge we face now is preparing for what may happen in the spring as a result of this climate phenomenon,” the president said Uruguay's government is drawing up a set of contingency protocols for the flooding risk associated with the El Niño phenomenon, which climate projections indicate will have its greatest impact on the region during the southern hemisphere spring. President Yamandú Orsi announced at the Congress of Departmental Governors that the measures will be presented in August, ahead of what may occur from September and October.

]]> Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile declares state of catastrophe in the north after storm leaves at least ten dead]]> The weather front began on July 15 in the south of the country and moved north, where it hit the desert regions — areas where rainfall of this magnitude is uncommon Chile's president, José Antonio Kast, declared on Monday a 30-day constitutional state of catastrophe in the Coquimbo region and the Huasco province, in the Atacama region, in response to the intense storm battering the country's north. According to the government's latest tally, the phenomenon has left at least ten people dead nationwide, four missing, and nearly 100,000 residents cut off by road closures. Authorities warned the toll could rise, as numerous areas remain unreachable.

]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:59:00 GMT <![CDATA[Canada wildfire smoke blankets New York, Chicago and Detroit days before World Cup final]]> In New York, the Emergency Management Office urged people to avoid outdoor activity, while city workers asked passersby to leave the parks A dense cloud of smoke from the hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada covered much of the US northeast and southern Canada on Thursday, sharply worsening air quality in cities such as New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto. Health authorities advised residents to stay indoors, three days before New Jersey's MetLife Stadium hosts the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.

]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:47:00 GMT <![CDATA[SAERI launches new research projects across the Falklands and South Atlantic]]> Among the projects is the first census of the Southern Rockhopper Penguin in more than fifteen years, to be carried out using drones and artificial intelligence The South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) has secured funding for a series of new scientific projects aimed at strengthening environmental monitoring, conservation science and evidence-based management across the Falklands and the wider South Atlantic.

]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:51:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentina's polar spell eases as Patagonia faces rain, snow and 90 km/h gusts]]> Between the start and middle of the week, the instability extends toward the Chubut mountain range and parts of Río Negro and Neuquén The intense polar air mass that affected much of Argentina during the first days of July has begun to ease, with a gradual rise in temperatures across the center and north of the country, while Patagonia now concentrates the most severe weather. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) has kept warnings in place for rain, snow and strong winds in the far south.

]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:03:00 GMT <![CDATA[US marks its 250th anniversary as a record heat wave disrupts July 4 events]]> A heat dome over the East Coast pushed temperatures to highs near 40 °C, with heat-index values of up to 46 °C and more than 185 million people under weather alerts The United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence on Saturday amid a historic heat wave that has forced the suspension or rescheduling of events in several cities across the country. The semiquincentennial commemoration, recalling the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776, will have its centerpiece on the National Mall in Washington, with a speech by President Donald Trump and the largest fireworks display in history.

]]> Sat, 04 Jul 2026 07:28:00 GMT <![CDATA[Snow blankets Mar del Plata as a record polar cold wave grips Argentina]]> Hundreds of residents and tourists took to the streets to photograph the beaches, squares and parks turned white, and the images quickly went viral on social media The seaside city of Mar del Plata, one of the main tourist destinations on Argentina's Atlantic coast, woke up covered in snow on Thursday, an unusual sight for a temperate-climate city that became the most widely shared image of the intense polar cold wave sweeping the country. Thermometers read around 1 degree below zero, with a wind-chill close to -3 °C, and snow and sleet were recorded from the early hours in various parts of the General Pueyrredón district, with heavier accumulation in the Sierra de los Padres area.

]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:47:00 GMT