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[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 <![CDATA[A multinational rescue frees Hernán, trapped eight days under Venezuela's quake rubble]]> Gil, who worked as a guard in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall, survived by sheltering under the desk of his booth when the building collapsed A 43-year-old Venezuelan security guard, Hernán Gil, was rescued alive on Thursday after eight days trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Catia La Mar, in La Guaira state, during the twin earthquake that struck the country on June 24. The Costa Rican Red Cross, which took part in the operation, confirmed the rescue, considered one of the most complex and prolonged of the disaster, which has left at least 2,295 dead and more than 11,000 injured, according to the official toll.

]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:32:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chilean rescuers allege military harassment in Venezuela's quake zone]]> According to Lermanda's account to Venezuelan and Chilean media, soldiers have repeatedly demanded identity documents from his 46 rescuers, on suspicion of espionage The leader of the Topos Chile rescue group, Francisco Lermanda, alleged that his teams deployed in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira have been harassed by soldiers during search operations in the area hardest hit by the June 24 twin earthquake, which according to the official toll has left at least 1,943 dead. The Venezuelan authorities have not commented on the accusations.

]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2026 22:08:00 GMT <![CDATA[Why Venezuela's earthquake was so deadly: shallow, powerful and just seconds apart]]> The satellite images that have gradually emerged confirm a trail of collapsed buildings along the coast, the most densely populated and hardest-hit area The combination of two powerful, very shallow earthquakes just 39 seconds apart explains much of the devastation left by Wednesday's earthquake in north-central Venezuela, where the latest official toll exceeds 1,450 dead and 3,150 injured. The satellite images that have gradually emerged confirm a trail of collapsed buildings along the coast, the most densely populated and hardest-hit area.

]]> Sun, 28 Jun 2026 20:51:00 GMT <![CDATA[Venezuela's earthquake toll rises to at least 920 dead as rescuers race against time]]> Despite the time elapsed, teams were still rescuing people alive The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday rose to at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured, according to the toll given on Friday by the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, who specified that at least 172 people remain trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams worked against the clock more than 48 hours after the quakes, as the chances of finding survivors narrowed.

]]> Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:21:00 GMT <![CDATA[Venezuela's quake death toll climbs to 589 as the rescue window narrows]]> The World Health Organization recalled that the first 72 hours are decisive for finding victims alive The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday rose to at least 589 dead and 2,980 injured, according to the toll given on Friday by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who warned that the figure would keep rising. Rescue teams worked against the clock through the rubble as the first 72 hours —considered critical for finding survivors— drew to a close.

]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:52:00 GMT