Stories for 2020

Thursday, April 30th 2020 - 07:30 UTC
Drilling in Antarctica to take bedrock samples from beneath the ice sheet

Two new research projects – in partnership with British Antarctic Survey engineers – will drill deeper than ever before in Antarctica and in space. The first project, called INCISED, is led by the University of Durham, funded by the European Research Council, and has set its sights on the Antarctic. It will drill bedrock from beneath the polar ice sheets, with the goal being to retrieve scientific samples.
Thursday, April 30th 2020 - 07:28 UTC
Fed admits public health situation will “weigh heavily on economic activity, jobs and inflation”

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left interest rates near zero and repeated a vow to do what it takes to shore up the U.S. economy amid an ongoing coronavirus pandemic that will not only “weigh heavily” on the near-term outlook but poses “considerable risks” for the medium term as well.
Thursday, April 30th 2020 - 05:56 UTC
EU and Mexico finalize upgrade of free trade deal with reciprocal market access

The European Union and Mexico finalized a major upgrade to their free trade deal on Tuesday after the two sides agreed to grant reciprocal market access to each other’s tenders for public contracts.
Thursday, April 30th 2020 - 05:49 UTC
Biden prepared to announce a bipartisan unity cabinet before the November election

United States Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would consider announcing the names of some cabinet officials before the election - and that some of the people might be Republicans.
Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 09:41 UTC
Uruguay and Argentina presidents discuss the future of Mercosur

Uruguayan president Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou and his Argentine peer, Alberto Fernandez held a half-hour video conference Tuesday mid-morning to address the recent decision by the current Argentine administration to freeze Mercosur free trade negotiations with potential new partners and instead concentrate efforts in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and its sanitary, social, economic and employment consequences.
Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 09:36 UTC
Ozone layer hole over the Arctic has closed and has been linked to Europe's warmest winter

The largest hole ever observed in the ozone layer over the Arctic has closed, says Copernicus' Atmospheric Monitoring Service. Scientists spotted signs in late March of a rare hole forming and it was thought to be the result of low temperatures at the north pole.
Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:59 UTC
Brazil Supreme Court authorizes investigation of President Bolsonaro for alleged interference with the federal police

A Supreme Court judge authorized an investigation of allegations that Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro tried to interfere in the work of the country’s federal police force for political motives, the top court said on its website.
Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:56 UTC
Argentina's debt restructure haircut proposal “is not enough” and will have to be revisited, says ex IMF economist

Argentina’s latest effort to restructure its overseas debt probably won’t be its last, according to ex IMF advisor and Harvard University economist Carmen Reinhart, who has sounded alarms overcoming emerging markets crises in Venezuela and Turkey.
Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:55 UTC
Mercosur beef sales to US on the rise, as American abattoirs are closing amid coronavirus complications

Brazil's giant meatpacker Marfrig Global Foods CEO, Miguel Gularte, said the company has resumed sales of fresh beef to the US following a decision by US authorities to open their market to Brazilian beef. American slaughterhouses have been closing amid coronavirus social distancing rules and this has led to unmet demand within the US.
Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:54 UTC
Argentine Coast Guard chases Chinese jigger operating in the country's EEZ

The Argentine Coast Guard was finally unable to arrest a Chinese jigger operating in the country's EEZ, which managed to escape into international waters, the so-called mile 201. According to the force's report, the patrol vessel GC-27 “Prefecto Fique”, early Tuesday detected and pursued the jigger Lu Rond Yuan Yu 668, some 390 kilometers offshore Puerto Madryn.