Stories for January 14th 2021

Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:58 UTC
Global deforestation gobbles an area bigger than Germany in a decade, WWF

More than 43 million hectares of forest - an area bigger than Germany - have been lost in a little over a decade in just a handful of deforestation hot spots, conservation organization WWF said on Wednesday.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:56 UTC
Trump impeached for a second time, but the objective is to bar him from running for office in 2024

US President Donald Trump was impeached Wednesday for an unprecedented second time, facing blame for inciting an insurrection over his election loss that culminated in a deadly riot in the Capitol last week.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:54 UTC
Uruguay signs contract to resume offshore seismic surveying for oil and gas

Norwegian oil and gas exploration seismic data company PGS has signed an agreement with Uruguay's state oil company ANCAP to reprocess over 11 000 km of existing 2D lines of various vintages, applying the latest seismic imaging techniques.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:54 UTC
Guyana and United States sign defense and cooperation agreement

Guyana and the Unites States have signed a new pact aimed at boosting the South American CARICOM nation’s military might. It comes following a decree issued by embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, unilaterally laying claim to Guyana’s Essequibo territory.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:53 UTC
Argentina's jiggers begin the squid season on Saturday

Argentina's squid season takes off next Saturday, Jan 16, south of parallel 44, according to the Federal Fisheries Council. The decision follows a technical-scientific report from the country's research institute, Inidep, which emphasized that jiggers can begin operating on the Spring Spawning Stock, (SDV), and avoiding the South Patagonic Stock.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:36 UTC
Anticipating a year of social instability, Chile plans to boost foreign reserves

Chile’s peso tumbled on Wednesday, starting the year in a volatile fashion as many had forecast. The currency dropped 2.1% to 741.66 against the dollar, bringing its decline this year to 4%.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:19 UTC
Brazilian oil export record in 2020, average 1,4 million bpd

Brazil established a new record for oil exports in 2020, with sales averaging 1,4 million bpd and a peak of 1,9 million bpd during the month of May, according to the Mines and Energy minister Bento Albuquerque. The minister also announced that on 7 January, Brazil's oil giant Petrobras reached a daily production record of 2,84 million barrels of oil, beating the previous mark set in 2015, with 2.79 million BOE/day.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 09:00 UTC
Ruling coalition in Italy loses majority in the midst of the worst recession since WW2

Italy's former premier Matteo Renzi pulled his small party out of government on Wednesday, stripping the ruling coalition of its parliamentary majority and triggering political chaos even as the nation battles a resurgent COVID-19.
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 08:57 UTC
Chile: Crucial electoral year to rewrite a new constitution takes off

The Chilean Electoral Service registered 2,223 hopeful candidates for selection to the commission that will rewrite Chile's dictatorship-era constitution. The 14 million Chilean eligible are scheduled to elect on April 11 the 155 members of the Constituent Assembly that will rewrite the constitution, which dates from the rule of military dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-90).
Thursday, January 14th 2021 - 08:45 UTC
Opinion polls blame Trump for the violence, while his approval ratings drop to historic lows

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With the Congress in the process to impeach him for the second time, outgoing President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged his supporters to shun violence as the National Guard prepared to deploy thousands of troops in Washington for the Jan. 20 swearing-in of his successor Joe Biden.