Stories for December 7th 2021

Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 20:08 UTC
German families seek shelter in Paraguay from vaccines and lockdowns

German citizens who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or put up to harsh mobility restrictions have fled their country and sought shelter in a community within Paraguay, it was reported.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 20:05 UTC
Colombian guerrilla reported killed in Venezuela; no official word

A former Colombian Armed Revolutionary Forces (FARC) combatant who took part in the 2016 peace negotiations with the Government of then-President Juan Manuel Santos has been killed in Venezuela, it was reported.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 18:49 UTC
Chile's Parliament okays same-sex marriage

Chile's Congress Tuesday passed the bill making it the eighth Latin American country where same-sex marriage is legal, after Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and in several states of Mexico.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 15:21 UTC
With mind set in self sufficiency, China announces new record grain production in 2021

In 2021, China's total grain production reached 1.37 trillion jin (685 billion kg), hitting a new record high, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday. A Jin is equivalent to 500 grams or half a kilo.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 09:58 UTC
Argentina ready to launch nationwide health pass

Health ministers of all Argentine jurisdictions gathered under the Federal Council known as COFESA, Monday announced the guidelines for a nationwide Health Pass had been agreed upon and that its final details were to be specified shortly.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 09:51 UTC
Uruguayan minister wants borders open to welcome visitors from everywhere

Uruguay's Tourism Minister Tabaré Viera said over the weekend that his country's “land, air and sea borders must be open” for visitors.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 09:45 UTC
Expedition cruise Ultramarine anchored in Ushuaia bay finally cleared to sail

The expedition cruise Ultramarine from Quark Expeditions, anchored in Ushuaia Bay, extreme south of Argentina, finally was liberated after Covid-19 testing among the crew proved negative. The crew was never allowed ashore and had to wait until the Covid-19 outbreak was considered under control.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 09:30 UTC
WTO urges members to end fisheries subsidies discussions by next February/March

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged delegation heads to redouble their efforts to bridge differences on the ongoing discussions on curbing harmful fisheries subsidies by the end of February 2022. Discussions were suspended because of the Covid-19 Omicron variant
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 09:20 UTC
Omicron variant dilemma, “nobody is safe until everybody is safe”.

By Gwynne Dyer – The new Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus was discovered last week by scientists in South Africa and Botswana, the only countries in southern Africa that have the skills and resources to detect a new variant.
Tuesday, December 7th 2021 - 09:19 UTC
Bolsonaro allegedly wants to make mandatory vaccination up to federal gov't

Press reports which went viral Monday said Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was entertaining the idea of signing an administrative decision whereby only the Federal Government would have the authority to decide on a mandatory vaccination against COVID-19.