Stories for June 2015

Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:46 UTC
Falklands oil companies planning to continue drilling into next year

Falkland Oil and Gas plans to continue drilling into next year, its chief executive said, defying legal threats made by the Argentine government against oil explorers in the Falkland Islands.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:39 UTC
Environmental groups lobbying to derail Shell drilling for oil in the Arctic

Environmental groups and organizations are lobbying to derail Royal Dutch Shell PLC's plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean as soon as July. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, gave conditional approval in May to Shell's resumption of fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic, which was paused after a mishap-filled 2012 season.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:29 UTC
UK embassy in Chile launches month of activities to commemorate Magna Carta 800th anniversary

The British embassy in Santiago participated in Chile's annual National Heritage Day, enabling hundreds to visit the official Residence and at the same time launched a month of activities to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:16 UTC
Punta Arenas fishing industry complains of a sharp fall in catches and landings

The fishing industry in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile, is going through a serious recession --30% fall in landings-- which is not only impacting the activity of the four main companies, with lesser jobs, but also port operations and the price of freight as volumes are smaller, warned this week Enrique Gutierrez, General Manager of Pesca Chile.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:02 UTC
UN invites world’s seven billion people to become agents of change on World Environment Day

With many of the earth’s ecosystems nearing “critical tipping points,” the United Nations invited each of the seven billion people on the planet to mark this year’s World Environment Day by making one change towards a more responsible consumption of resources – “be it refusing to buy single-use plastic bags or riding a bike to work.”
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:31 UTC
Ramsar convention in Punta del Este calls for healthy wetlands

We join the rest of the world to celebrate World Environment Day from glorious Punta del Este, Uruguay, where we are currently meeting at the 12th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Contracting Parties have gathered and are very hard at work, to define a new Strategic Plan that will guide our commitment to conserve and wisely use the world’s wetlands, over the next six years from 2016 to 2021.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:24 UTC
US unemployment in May ups to 5.5%, as more people look for jobs

The US economy added 280,000 jobs in May, the US Labor Department has said. The increase was more than analysts had expected and the biggest this year and was described as “encouraging”.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:11 UTC
OPEC holds production at 30 million bpd; markets react with volatility

Crude oil prices were volatile after ministers from the Opec cartel decided to hold production levels at 30 million barrels per day. Brent crude traded in a narrow range around $62 a barrel, before ending the day up 1.8% at $63.15.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:00 UTC
Argentine debt climbed 5.4bn of Friday following Griesa's ruling favoring 'me too' bond holders

Argentina must pay US$5.4 billion to more than 500 “me-too” holders of defaulted debt before it can pay the majority of its creditors, a US judge ruled on Friday. Argentina anticipated it would appeal the ruling.
Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 07:48 UTC
Colombian congress bars presidential re-election; 70% of public opinion supports decision

Colombia’s Congress has voted to bar presidents from seeking re-election, a move backed by President Juan Manuel Santos that undoes a law passed by his predecessor and rival Alvaro Uribe. The decision also marks a difference with the ongoing Latin American trend of successive re-elections, when not unlimited.