Brasilia, Safar 15, 1437, November 27, 2015 -- The area of Amazon rain forest cut down in the pastyear was up 16 per cent, the government said late Thursday according to dpa. A total of 5,831 square kilometres were cleared between August 2014and July this year, compared to 5,012 in the previous period, according to satellite data, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeirawas cited as saying by Agencia Brasil. The announcement came days before a major climate conference in Parisaimed at reducing the rate of global warming. The Amazon rainforest is a carbon sink, able to trap vast quantitiesof carbon dioxide, which is one of the main greenhouse gases. --SPA 10:58 LOCAL TIME 07:58 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w