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☆ Lake Titicaca drying up as heat wave turns winter upside down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Monica Machicao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/9] Isabel Apaza and Gabriel Flores sail in their boat through a narrow water path near the shore of Lake Titicaca in Huarina, Bolivia, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia MoralesHUARINA, Bolivia, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The parched shoreline and shrinking depths of Lake Titicaca are prompting growing alarm that an ago-old way of life around South America's largest lake is slipping away as a brutal heat wave wreaks havoc on the southern hemisphere's winter. Like many places suffering deadly consequences of climate change, the sprawling freshwater lake nestled in the Andes mountains on Bolivia's border with Peru now features a water level approaching an all-time low. Globally, July was the hottest month on record, as prolonged dry spells take an especially heavy toll on humans and animals alike. "I don't know what we're going to do any more since we don't have food for our cows or lambs."

Persons: Isabel Apaza, Gabriel Flores, Claudia Morales HUARINA, Lucia Walper, Monica Machicao, Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi, Valentine Hilaire, David Alire Garcia, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Farmers, Bolivia's Oruro Technical University, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Huarina, Bolivia, Titicaca, South America's, Peru, Gabriel Flores ., South America, Uruguay, Montevideo, shriveled

☆ The world's youngest referee? A 10-year-old rules the pitch in Bolivia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

EL ALTO, Bolivia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Erick Callejas may be just 10 years old - and a lot shorter than the other participants on the soccer pitch - but he has no qualms enforcing the rules as one of the few referees his age. "On Saturdays and Sundays I go out to referee with my little colleague, my son, Erick," Ramiro said. Callejas refereed his first match in a women's league after his dad signed him up for the job. "My dream is to referee the Bolivian Derby, to be a FIFA referee so I can go to the World Cup, America Cup, Liberators Cup and the Champions League," Callejas said. Reporting by Monica Machicao, Sergio Limachi, Santiago Limachi; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Erick Callejas, Callejas, Ramiro, Erick, Beimar Tancara, Tancara, Monica Machicao, Sergio Limachi, Santiago Limachi, Isabel Woodford, Lincoln Organizations: ALTO, La Paz, Bolivian Derby, FIFA, America Cup, Liberators, Champions League, Thomson Locations: Bolivia, El Alto, La

☆ Brazil's Lula: Amazon countries summit to build common policy for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File PhotoBRASILIA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said that next week's summit of Amazon region nations will seek to draw up a common policy for the first time to protect the rainforest. For the first time we are going to have a common policy for the Amazon, for preservation, security, borders," Lula said. The eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) will meet Aug. 7-8 in the city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon river. ACTO was created in 1978 to promote the preservation of the Amazon basin and regulate Amazonian development through cooperation. Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Mark Porter and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Johanna Geron, Lula, ACTO, Lisandra Paraguassu, Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: EU, LAC, European Union, of, Caribbean, REUTERS, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Caribbean States, Brussels, Belgium, BRASILIA, Brazil, Amazon, Belem, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

[1/2] President of the Central Bank of Paraguay Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos speaks during an interview with Reuters in Asuncion, Paraguay July 31, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno/File photoASUNCION, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Paraguay is seeking more Taiwanese investment to diversify its farm-driven economy focused on exporting raw materials to China, incoming Finance Minister Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos said in an interview. Paraguay remains the only South American nation with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. A Taiwan delegation including business leaders will travel to Paraguay in August for the inauguration of conservative President-elect Santiago Pena, he added. China, as a buyer of raw materials from Paraguay with no added value, "is probably convenient for some sectors," Fernandez said.

Persons: Central Bank of Paraguay Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos, Jorge Adorno, Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos, Fernandez, Santiago Pena, Pena, Jair Antonio de Lima, Lima, Lucinda Elliott, Daniela Desantis, Richard Chang Organizations: Central Bank of, Reuters, REUTERS, Gross, Thomson Locations: Central Bank of Paraguay, Asuncion, Paraguay, ASUNCION, China, Taiwan, CHINA, PARAGUAY Paraguayan, Beijing, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguayan, United States, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine

☆ Iran's drones could reach a new South American market as Bolivia expresses interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here's what's ahead for defense stocks "Latin American countries are of special significance in Iran's foreign and defense policy based on the importance of [the] very sensitive South American region," Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was quoted as saying. Iran's drones have made "considerable impact on any battlefield they have appeared in," according to Farzin Nadimi, an arms expert at The Washington Institute said. The U.S.' concerns center on Iran's deepening foreign alliances and dissemination of its lethal drones, analysts say. It added that a former Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, "boasted in October 2022 that 22 countries — including Algeria, Armenia, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Venezuela — had submitted formal requests for Iranian drones." Iran has previously provided drones to African countries including Sudan and Ethiopia, which the latter used against Tigrayan rebels.

Persons: Oleksii Samsonov, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Edmundo Novillo, Novillo, Farzin, Nadimi, Novillo's, John Kirby, Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Kirby, Annika Ganzeveld, Asad, Khomeini, Majid Asgaripour, Venezuela —, Raisi, ISW Organizations: Kyiv, Getty, Iran's, Bolivian, Bolivia's, CNBC, U.S . Defense Intelligence Agency, The Washington Institute, U.S . Institute for Peace, The U.S, U.S . National Security Council, Sepah, Anadolu Agency, American Enterprise Institute, Associated Press, U.S, Missiles, WANA, REUTERS, for, Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, Iran, Washington, South America, Tehran, Fars, Bolivia, The, U.S, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, America, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, U.S Ayn, REUTERS Washington, Algeria, Armenia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Iranian, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Ethiopia

☆ China's yuan expands its growing foothold in South America as Bolivia reduces reliance on US dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's yuan is expanding its foothold in South America as Bolivia reduces its reliance on the dollar. The country's yuan transactions from May to July accounted for about 10% of its foreign trade in that span. Bolivia has been hit by dollar shortages recently as lower natural gas production hit exports. But the country has been hit by dollar shortages recently as lower natural gas production hit exports. Argentine companies are increasingly turning to China's yuan amid dollar shortages, though many consumers use the dollar in daily purchases as hyperinflation slams the peso.

Persons: Marcelo Montenegro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Organizations: Service, Privacy, Associated Press Locations: South America, Bolivia, Wall, Silicon, South, Argentina, Brazil, China

☆ Bolivia challenges global dollar dominance with Chinese yuan, Russian rouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, July 28 (Reuters) - Bolivia's government is determined to curb dependence on the U.S. dollar for foreign trade, instead turning to the Chinese yuan, officials said, as Latin American support for alternative currencies grows. Bolivia has faced months of severe dollar shortages, driven in part by falling natural gas production, a key national export. Net foreign currency reserves have fallen to roughly $4 billion from a peak of $15 billion in 2014, pressuring state finances and threatening Bolivia's long-defended currency peg with the dollar. Not in dollars, but in its own currency," Montenegro said. Financial transactions worth 278 million Chinese yuan ($38.7 million) accounted for 10% of Bolivia's foreign trade in May through July, Montenegro said.

Persons: Marcelo Montenegro, Mikhail Ledenev, Daniel Ramos, Lucinda Elliott, Richard Chang Organizations: LA, U.S, Banco Union, Russia's, Thomson Locations: LA PAZ, La Paz . Bolivia, China, Montenegro, Bolivian, Russian, Bolivia, Moscow, Western, Russia, Beijing, Brazil, Argentina

☆ Ecudor crisis: How gang warfare jumped from Ecuador's prisons to the open street
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Frantic purchases of ammunition, the daylight assassination of a mayor, and a growing body count inside Ecuador’s prisons signal that the country’s roiling security crisis is going from bad to worse. Violence has been most pronounced on Ecuador’s Pacific coast as criminal groups battle to control and distribute narcotics, primarily cocaine. The country has also lost control of its prisons, which are often ruled by the criminal gangs. Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso speaks during a meeting in the Carondelet Palace in Quito on November 10, 2021. The crisis has also affected the security and justice system with allegations of corruption swirling around some in courts and police.

Persons: Agustin Intriago, Ariana Chancay, Agustin Intriago's, Dolores Ochoa, Guillermo Lasso, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Coronel Mario Pazmiño, CRISTINA VEGA RHOR, Lasso, ” Lasso, ”, Fausto Salinas, Luisa Gonzalez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Yaku Perez Organizations: CNN, Manta, Security, Authorities, Reuters, Ecuadorian Army, Getty, Public Security Council, Ecuadorian Locations: Ecuador’s, Guayaquil, Manta, Ecuador, South America, North America, Europe, Peru, Colombia, America, Bolivia, Carondelet, Quito, AFP, Manabi

The country recorded massive increases in generation from hydro (+64 billion kWh), solar (+13 billion kWh) and wind farms (+9 billion kWh). As a result, there was a sharp decline in thermal generation (-66 billion kWh) including gas (-45 billion kWh), oil (-10 billion kWh), coal (-8 billion kWh) and biomass (-3 million kWh). Hydro power was +43 billion kWh (+11%) above the prior ten-year average in 2022 and the highest for any year since 2011. In consequence, gas-fired generation was -24 billion kWh (-37%) below the prior ten-year average and the lowest since 2011. LNG IMPORTS DOWNBrazil relies on imports to cover more than a quarter of its gas consumption – rising to almost half in years when gas generation is high.

Persons: John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: U.K . Energy Institute, Hydro, HYDRO, National Electric, ., Ministry of Mines and Energy, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Brazil, Europe, Chartbook, Bolivia, United States, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, Asia, Midwest

☆ The true cost of the lithium mining boom powering electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Robert Leslie | Amelia Kosciulek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

With the demand for electric batteries sky-high, mining companies are moving to the salt flats of the Andes, where over half of the world's known lithium reserves are stored. In June 2023, Bolivia signed deals with Chinese and Russian companies to massively expand its lithium mining sector. But locals are concerned about the possible impact on their scarce water supplies and fear they will lose out in the 'white gold' rush occurring in their own backyard. These regions are among the driest on Earth and have been subjected to a megadrought for more than a decade — so every drop of water removed for mining is a cause for concern.

Locations: Bolivia

☆ EU seeks to revive Latin America, Caribbean ties as it turns away from China, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Regardless of the outcome, officials said the meeting itself marked a step towards stronger ties. "The most important issue of the meeting is the meeting itself," Argentine Undersecretary for Latin American and Caribbean affairs Gustavo Martinez Pandiani told a small group of reporters in Brussels. The EU has said it wants a joint declaration condemning Russia, but knows this will be difficult to achieve. The EU and Argentina will sign a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation before the summit starts. The EU may also offer details on plans to invest 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion) in CELAC infrastructure projects, part of its Global Gateway initiative.

Persons: Gustavo Martinez Pandiani, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Philip Blenkinsop, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Union, UN, European, EU, Mercosur, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, America, Caribbean, EU, Ukraine, China, Caribbean States, Brussels, Argentine, Russia, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, Beijing, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

☆ Welcome to the Dollar War: a Global Fight Over America's Economic Dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

The US even reminded everyone just how influential the buck is when it effectively froze Russia out of the global financial system with sanctions last year. Becoming the issuer of the global reserve currency is about trust. The US has controlled the global reserve currency for 102 years — giving it a special status in the world economy. Still, given that the country controlling the global reserve currency holds that status of an average of 94 years, history seems to indicate it's high time for a successor. Why shouldn't the financial world resemble something closer to the mosaic of cultures, politics, and nations that exists today?

Persons: Chenzi Xu, there's, Xu, —, Ron Temple, Gregory Brew, Eurasia's Brew, dollarizing, Stephen Jen, Jen, we've, Stanford's Xu, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Josh Lipsky, " Lipsky, It's, Alexander Wise, Jan Loeys, Loeys, dollarization, Wise, Lazard's Temple, isn't, Phil Rosen Organizations: Stanford, Federal, European Central Bank, People's Bank of China, Lazard, Publishing, Getty Images, International Monetary Fund, Bank of International Settlements, Eurasia Group, Sandman's, Eurizon, IMF, Atlantic Council, JPMorgan Locations: Russia, Israel, France, China, America, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Bolivia, Iraq, South Africa, Beijing

☆ There are more women in the workforce than ever before
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Women’s labor force participation has rebounded from the pandemic “she-cession” and returned to its pre-pandemic form of making progressively historic labor market gains. By February of 2020, the labor force participation rate for prime working-age women was 77% — just shy of the record 77.3% set during the dot-com era, BLS data shows. The pandemic walloped the leisure and hospitality and education and health services sectors, where women make up the majority of the workforce. The economic evolution and recovery from the pandemic helped accelerate favorable drivers for women to enter the workforce. Separately, new research shows that although women were outnumbered by men in the US workforce, women could be disproportionately affected by businesses’ adoption of generative AI: One recent analysis estimates that 79% of working women (nearly 59 million) are in occupations susceptible to disruption and automation.

Persons: ” Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiter, “, ” Pollak, Allison Joyce, didn’t, they’re, That’s, University of North Carolina’s, Dana Peterson, we’ve, ”, ” —, Jeanne Sahadi Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, of Labor Statistics, Bloomberg, Getty, Baby Boomers, Pew Research Center, University of North, University of North Carolina’s Kenan, Flagler Business School, Conference Board, CNN Locations: Minneapolis, America, Bolivia , North Carolina

☆ How the writers' strike is crushing Hollywood's next generation, as job-seekers face 'skyrocketing' debt, crumbling hope, and endless hours 'just doom-scrolling LinkedIn'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Hollywood development and production have mostly ground to a halt amid the film and TV writers' strike. Young workers hoping to break into entertainment say the strike has made a competitive job market even tougher. Sears, who is currently unemployed, graduated this year with a master's degree in entertainment industry management from Carnegie Mellon University. Now, she's attempting what feels like a herculean feat: getting her career off the ground in the midst of a months-long Hollywood writers' strike, the first labor stoppage to grind the industry to a halt in 15 years. Contact this reporter to share your experience during the writers' strike.

Persons: Young, Delaney Sears, — there's, Sears, they've, —, Joanna Sucherman, Sucherman, Trevor Romero, Romero, Dan Green, grads, Green, Nabha, She's, Purohit, they'd, execs, he's, haven't, Kody Proctor, Proctor, he'd, We've, Reed Alexander Organizations: Hollywood, Carnegie Mellon University, Writers Guild of America, SAG, WGA, Disney, Warner Bros, JLS Media, Fox, United Talent Agency, Young Entertainment, Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College of Information Systems, Public, Savannah College of Art, Alliance, Television Producers, Paramount Pictures, Melrose, Paramount, University of Southern, North Dakota, Carnegie, E, Victoria Cheyenne Locations: California, Angeles, LA, Chicago, Fremantle, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Georgia, Elm, Mumbai, India, University of Southern California, North, North Hollywood, Victoria, Bolivia

Kenyan shipments of tea - its major export - have fallen by a fifth over the last year, according to the local regulator. The spike in global interest rates has already tipped Sri Lanka and Ghana into defaulting. Reuters GraphicsBLACK MARKETAlthough the dollar's share as a global reserve currency has dropped to 59% from 70% over a decade, it continues to dominate global trade. Nigeria has long had a web of multiple exchange rates which it is now trying to untangle, having also devalued its naira currency again last week. A plunge of around 70% in Bolivia's reserves has spawned queues at banks and currency exchange shops as some merchants stopped accepting local currency.

Persons: Wilson Muthaura, KTDA, Charlie Robertson, Muthaura, David Willacy, Ojo, Chaucer, Ronal, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Kristalina Georgieva, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Marc Jones, Macdonald Dzirutwe, Monica Machicao, Mayela Armas, David Sherwood, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank, FIM Partners, Reuters Graphics, Workers, REUTERS, La Paz, West, Reuters, JPMorgan, Monetary Fund, IMF, Fund, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, LONDON, Pakistan, COVID, Russia, Ukraine, London, Islamabad, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Tunisia, teetering, Nigeria, Kenya, StoneX, Nigeria's, Lagos, British, Cuba, Venezuela, Githunguri, Kiambu County, United States, Lebanon, Turkey, Ethiopia, China, India, Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Argentina, Nairobi, La Paz, Caracas, Havana

☆ Bolivia seals $1.4 billion lithium deals with Russia's Rosatom, China's Guoan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Daniel Ramos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, June 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia has signed lithium agreements with Russian state nuclear firm Rosatom and China's Citic Guoan Group, the South American country's government said on Thursday, as it looks to develop its huge but largely untapped resources of the battery metal. Bolivia's iconic salt flats are home to the world's largest lithium resources at 21 million tons, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but the country has long struggled to ramp up industrial production or develop commercially viable reserves. Russia's Rosatom, which bid via its Uranium One Group unit, confirmed the news, saying it would invest $600 million in the project, its first large-scale lithium venture overseas, with planned annual capacity of 25,000 tons of lithium carbonate. The deal with Uranium One Group was for feasibility and pre-investment studies, he said, adding multiple tests with Russian technology on the salt flats had shown a lithium recovery rate over 80%, with a purity of around 99.5%. Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Additional reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Energy Franklin Molina, Molina, Russia's, Rosatom's, Kirill Komarov, Citic, Daniel Ramos, Maxim Rodionov, Adam Jourdan, Richard Chang Organizations: LA, Guoan, American, Energy, . Geological Survey, Tesla, BMW, Uranium, Thomson Locations: LA PAZ, Bolivia, United States, America, La Paz, Pasto Grande, Uyuni Norte

PARIS, June 29 (Reuters) - French minerals group Imerys (IMTP.PA) on Thursday announced plans to mine lithium in the UK and said the site could supply two-thirds of batteries for Britain's electric vehicles by 2030. Imerys aims to produce around 20,0000 tonnes a year of lithium carbonate equivalent by the end of the decade at its mining site in Cornwall, southwest England, in partnership with British Lithium. Imerys' UK development, and its previously announced plan to mine the metal in central France, would reduce Europe's current reliance on imported lithium for batteries, CEO Alessandro Dazza said. In its UK partnership, Imerys has taken an 80% stake and will draw on British Lithium's processing technology and existing pilot for battery-grade lithium, the French group said. In the search for battery minerals, traditional energy companies, including Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), are also looking at emerging technologies to boost lithium supply.

Persons: Imerys, Alessandro Dazza, Kemi Badenoch, Dazza, Gus Trompiz, Clara Denina, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Jason Neely, Sonali Paul, Susan Fenton Organizations: Global, Exxon Mobil, Thomson Locations: Cornwall, England, British, France, Europe, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Britain, Imerys, Paris, London

☆ Farm boom, fires make Bolivia No. 3 in world for forest loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Lucinda Elliott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A burnt forest is pictured at the Guarani Nation Ecological Conservation Area Nembi Guasu in the Charagua region, an area where wildfires have destroyed hectares of forest, Charagua, Bolivia, August 23, 2019. REUTERS/David Mercado/FILE PHOTOMONTEVIDEO, June 28 (Reuters) - Forest loss in Bolivia accelerated by about a third last year with clearances in the country trailing only giant neighbor Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a forest monitoring project report shows, blaming farm expansion and fires. The South American country lost nearly around 3,860 square kilometers (1,490 square miles) of primary forest in 2022, according to Global Forest Watch, an area nearly the size of Rhode Island. Fires, some linked to land clearances, have also played a big part in forest loss in recent years, the Global Forest Watch report said. In a report on Monday Global Forest Watch, backed by the nonprofit World Resources Institute and drawing on forest data collected by the University of Maryland, said the world lost an area of old-growth tropical rainforest the size of Switzerland last year.

Persons: David Mercado, Marlene Quintanilla, Daniel Larrea, Lucinda Elliott, Adam Jourdan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Ecological Conservation, REUTERS, Democratic, Global Forest Watch, Nature Foundation, Global, Watch, Monday Global Forest Watch, World Resources Institute, University of Maryland, Thomson Locations: Guarani, Charagua, Bolivia, MONTEVIDEO, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rhode Island, Santa Cruz, Beni, Bolivian, Switzerland

Despite a recent global pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030, tropical forest loss last year exceeded 2021 levels. Global Forest Watch assessed 'primary forests', which includes mature forests that have not been cleared or regrown in recent history. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bolivia suffered the greatest losses of tropical forest after Brazil. The Global Forest Watch analysis found deforestation in 2022 was more than 10,000 sq km (3,900 sq miles) in excess of what would be needed to halt it by 2030. The world lost 10% less forest in 2022 than 2021, as fewer big fires burned in the Russian boreal forest, though the country still lost 43,000 sq km (16,600 sq miles) of tree cover last year.

Persons: Jair, Francis Seymour, Rod Taylor, Gloria Dickie, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Global Forest Watch, World Resources Institute, University of Maryland, Watch, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, Brazilian, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Democratic Republic of, Congo, Bolivia

The drain in hard currency sparked panic earlier in the year, with Bolivians forming lines outside banks to withdraw dollars. Bond yields spiked sharply and in May the government was forced to sell half of its $2.6 billion gold reserves to raise cash. A major drought in Argentina has hammered grains output and reserves, imperiling a $44 billion debt deal with the International Monetary Fund. "The model is now shifting towards a very big state, a tax-and-spend approach," he said. "It has calmed people a bit... but that amount (gained from the gold reserves sale), $1.3 billion, is not enough for Bolivia," said local financial analyst Jaime Dunn.

Persons: Read, LA, Evo Morales, Jose Gabriel Espinoza, Marcelo Montenegro, Alberto Ramos, Goldman Sachs, spender, Jaime Dunn, Reuters Graphics Espinoza, Morales, Raúl Cortés Fernández, Daniel Ramos, Adam Jourdan, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Departmental Association of Coca Producers, LA PAZ, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, Bolivian, Graphics, Banco, Reuters Graphics, MAS, Thomson Locations: La Paz, Bolivia, Bolivian, America, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Colombia

☆ Rainforest destruction soared in 2022 despite global pledges to halt deforestation, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The destruction of the world’s rainforests ramped up last year, despite global pledges to end deforestation by 2030, according to a new report. The country’s rate of forest loss rose 15% from 2021 to 2022. Bolivia saw a record-high level of primary forest loss last year, with a 32% increase compared to 2021. It came in third behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for area of primary forest loss, the report found. Despite the global increase in deforestation, there has been a sharp reduction in forest loss in Indonesia and loss levels in Malaysia have remained low, according to the report.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Moreno, Jair Bolsonaro’s, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Boris Johnson, Jane Barlow, Rod Taylor, ” Organizations: CNN, World Resources, Watch, University of Maryland, Democratic, UN, WRI’s Locations: Switzerland, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Bolivia, Democratic Republic of, Congo, Glasgow, Indonesia, Malaysia

June 19 (Reuters) - Costs of the first phase of construction at American Lithium's (LI.V) Falchani lithium mine in Peru likely have risen some 20% from an original estimate to $700 million, the chief executive of the firm said in an interview. "If you think about the post-COVID world and inflationary pressures, that bill (of $580 million) is probably more like $700 million today," CEO Simon Clarke said. Peru, the world's second-largest copper producer, is vying for a piece of the pie in the booming lithium market. Nearby Chile, Argentina and Bolivia form a so-called "lithium triangle," with massive deposits, but the Canadian-owned Falchani project is currently the only one under way in Peru, where deposits are estimated to be much smaller. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin at Falchani by late 2024 or late 2025, Clarke said, to begin production in late 2026 or early 2027.

Persons: Simon Clarke, Clarke, Kylie Madry, Marco Aquino, Sandra Maler Organizations: Peruvian, Thomson Locations: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Canadian, Falchani

☆ See How the G.O.P. Has Reacted to the Trump Indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Karen Yourish | Charlie Smart | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Kevin Calvert Calif. 41st George Santos N.Y. 3rd Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative Roger Wicker Miss. Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Kevin Calvert Calif. 41st George Santos N.Y. 3rd Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative Roger Wicker Miss. Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Paul Gosar Ariz. 9th Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative Josh Hawley Mo. Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Paul Gosar Ariz. 9th Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative Josh Hawley Mo. SEN. HOUSE MORE conservative Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative Less conservative HOUSE MORE conservative Less conservative SENATE MORE conservative SEN. HOUSE MORE conservative According to an analysis by The New York Times, a small number of Republicans have made statements about the indictment that did not immediately dismiss the investigation.

Persons: Donald J, Biden, Trump, Brian Fitzpatrick Pa, Ken Buck Colo, Romney, Romney Utah SEN, Doug LaMalfa Calif, Mike Kelly Pa, Ted Budd N.C, Kevin Calvert Calif, George Santos N.Y, Roger Wicker Miss, SEN, Lauren Boebert Colo, Tom Emmer Minn, Ted Cruz Texas, Ted Cruz Texas SEN, HOUSE Lauren Boebert Colo, Byron Donalds, Eli Crane Ariz ., Ron Johnson Wis, HOUSE, HOUSE Byron Donalds, Paul Gosar Ariz, Josh Hawley Mo, “, ”, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, —, Daniel Webster, Donald Trump, Steve Scalise, Diana Harshbarger, Mike Lee, Jack Smith, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Biden’s, Hunter, Trump’s Organizations: Senate, MORE, SEN, HOUSE Byron, The New York Times, ”, Justice Department, Biden’s Department of Justice, DOJ, Twitter, The, Department, White Locations: United States, Ken Buck Colo ., Romney Utah, Byron Donalds Fla, SEN, HOUSE Byron Donalds Fla, Florida, Tennessee, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, America, Utah

☆ Taylor Swift seems to reference Matty Healy throughout her new album. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

At the concert, Swift was photographed dancing with her friends on the balcony, getting especially cozy with Kloss. February 25, 2015: Swift and Healy hang out at the Universal Music Brits party in LondonNick Grimshaw, Taylor Swift, and Matt Healy at the Universal Music Brits party. "It's not really anything to talk about, because if she wasn't Taylor Swift we wouldn't be talking about her. AdvertisementHe continued: "If I had gone out with Taylor Swift I would've been, 'Fucking hell! Taylor Swift performs at the 2016 Grammys; Matty Healy performs at the 2016 Apple Music Festival.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Matty Healy, Swift's, Healy, Milwaukee Healy, Swift, Los Angeles Swift, Selena Gomez, Gomez, Ellie Goulding, — Taylor, Harry Styles, merch, Angus O'Loughlin, hasn't, Stone, I've, she's, Martha Hunt, Lily Aldridge, Karlie, Haim, Hunt, Aldridge, Instagram, concertgoers, it's, Taylor, Jared, Swift Healy, Australia's, London Nick Grimshaw, Matt Healy, David M, Bacardi Swift, Kloss, Goulding, Nick Grimshaw, Mick Jagger, Halsey, It's, wasn't Taylor Swift, Robyn Beck, Dave J Hogan, Elle, Lana Del Rey, Jack Antonoff, Jack, Ally, Phoebe Bridgers, Paul Mescal, Bo Burnham, Bridgers, Burnham Organizations: Service, Poets Department, Business, Swift, Eagles, Us, MTV, Universal Music Brits, Soho House, Bacardi, Q, NME, KROQ, Klein, Poets Society Locations: Milwaukee, Los Angeles, New York City, Australia, London, Soho

☆ How new lithium extraction technology could help us meet electric vehicle targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Today, most lithium brine mining takes place in the Salar de Atacama, an expansive salt flat in northern Chile that contains the highest quality lithium brine in the world. EnergyXDoing things differentlyIn a world before electric vehicles, traditional methods of brine mining and hard rock mining more than sufficed to meet global lithium demand. It's the brine resources that are large enough to electrify the vehicle industry," Snydacker said. Lilac Solutions is developing a direct lithium extraction facility in Argentina in partnership with Australian lithium company Lake Resources. Lilac Solutions

Persons: Dave Snydacker, DLE, Amit Patwardhan, Robert Mintak, there's, Snydacker, EnergyX, It's Organizations: Lilac Solutions, Solutions, Bay, Resources Locations: Salar, Atacama, Chile, Arkansas, Salt, Argentina, Bolivia, California , Utah, China, Australian

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