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[Royal Navy urged to replace defective Ice Patrol HMS Protector]]> HMS Protector role helped to maintain a sovereign, reassuring, and versatile presence in the South Atlantic and the British Antarctic Territory The Royal Navy's only ice patrol vessel has been towed into Devonport, reportedly with a double engine failure, raising fresh concerns over how the news will be interpreted by Argentina. HMS Protector fulfils an icebreaking role to monitor the demilitarized Antarctic and support safe navigation for scientific research in challenging conditions.

]]> Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:59:00 GMT <![CDATA[Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and underwent successful surgery, Vatican says]]> Leo XIV announced on Sunday, after the Angelus prayer, that a lung nodule had been detected “at a very early stage” and was “well localised” Pope Leo XIV, 71, has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma and underwent successful surgery on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Holy See said in a medical bulletin. The operation comes three weeks before the start of his tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, whose schedule has not been changed.

]]> Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[BAS researchers uncover chinstrap penguins massive colony decline in Antarctic volcanic island]]> Chinstrap and macaroni penguins nesting on the volcanic slopes of Zavodovski Island (credit: Nicole Richters) A remote volcanic island near Antarctica has lost its title of largest penguin colony in the world, as new research reveals massive population declines, igniting fears for species’ survival. Researchers from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have uncovered the loss of over half a million chinstrap penguins from the Antarctic island of Zavodovski in the South Sandwich Islands.

]]> Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:04:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula remark on medical exams sparks controversy five days before the vote]]> “Men don't like to have the prostate test. They don't like the touch. Women learn to receive touch from a young age. Men don't, they're full of hang-ups,” he said A remark by Brazilian President and re-election candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva about men's reluctance to undergo prostate examinations has sparked a controversy in the final stretch of the campaign, after opposition figures linked it to child sexual abuse. Lula's campaign has taken the matter to the Superior Electoral Court.

]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2026 21:37:00 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[A personalized mRNA therapy passes a phase 3 melanoma trial for the first time]]> Despite the vaccine label used in much of the coverage, this is not a preventive measure but a treatment Pharmaceutical companies Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Moderna announced on Wednesday that their individualized neoantigen therapy, intismeran autogene, met its endpoints in a phase 3 trial in melanoma patients. It is the first positive result at that stage for an mRNA-based cancer treatment.

]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:47:00 GMT <![CDATA[Australia launches program to vaccinate colonies of little penguins against avian influenza]]> Operations will be conducted at night when the penguins return from the sea and are directed to a special area where they will receive the first dose According to ABC News Australia wildlife conservation agencies in the state of Victoria have launched a program to vaccinate little penguins against the H5 strain of avian influenza. Over the next few weeks, experts plan to capture and vaccinate more than 5,000 birds in colonies on Philip Island and St. Kilda.

]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:45:00 GMT <![CDATA[Colombia asks for supplies but not foreign rescue personnel after the earthquake]]> The Colombian government issued a diplomatic note on Tuesday requesting support from the international community with specific requirements Colombia's government has requested international aid in the form of supplies for those affected by Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, but has not called for foreign rescue teams, despite offers from at least six countries and multilateral bodies.

]]> Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:05:00 GMT <![CDATA[SpaceX rocket stage crashes into the Moon after 18 months adrift]]> The object, weighing around 4,000 kilograms and catalogued as 2025-010D, hit at approximately 06:35 UTC at a speed close to 2.4 kilometers per second The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket struck the lunar surface on Wednesday near the Einstein crater, in an unplanned impact that NASA described as safe and posing no risk to Earth or to missions operating on the Moon.

]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:44:00 GMT <![CDATA[Scientists begin first study of whisky matured in Antarctica]]> Isla Marambio spent three years on the ice at an Argentine research station and is now one of eight single malts being analyzed to see how extreme climates shape whisky A team of scientists has begun the first analysis of a whisky matured in Antarctica, aiming to determine what three years at temperatures as low as -35°C did to the spirit's maturation, chemistry and taste.

]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:01:00 GMT