Stories for December 2023

Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 10:20 UTC
Tariffs on electric vehicles avoided as UK and EU extend trade rules

The UK and EU have agreed to extend trade rules on electric vehicles until the end of 2026 to keep costs down for manufacturers and consumers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 10:12 UTC
Brazil not giving up rescuing people from war-torn Gaza

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Brazil was still willing to welcome anyone who wanted to return from the Gaza Strip, Agencia Brasil reported. The head of state made those remarks on Christmas Day over lunch with a group of people who had arrived from the war-torn area on Dec. 23.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 08:47 UTC
US expands its EEZ by 385,000sq km off Alaska despite not been party of UNCLOS

With the stroke of a pen the US administration of president Joe Biden added nearly 250 million acres to its maritime claims, the largest administrative expansion since the establishment of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in 1983.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 08:20 UTC
Angola quitting OPEC over dispute about oil production quotas

Angolan official media have reported from Luanda that Angola is leaving OPEC, following a meeting of the Council of Ministers, let by the president of the country, Joao Lourenco.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 07:40 UTC
Charles III message: ”We must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share”

King Charles III's Christmas broadcast, recorded in Buckingham Palace, brought together some of his most personal causes, building bridges between faiths, protecting the environment, and compassion for the most vulnerable.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 07:32 UTC
Falklands Legislative Assembly members Christmas message

Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly shared a Christmas best wishes message in the last session of 2023. Be it not for defense, which remains a UK responsibility, the eight elected members of the Assembly are in fact the internal government of the Falklands.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 07:09 UTC
UK sends HMS Trent in support of Guyana

The Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Trent has been dispatched to Guyana in a show of British support for the Commonwealth nation. Guyana is suffering threats of invasion and land grabbing by neighboring Venezuela which claims some two-thirds of the former British colony's territory.
Tuesday, December 26th 2023 - 06:56 UTC
Chilean navy adds submarine to keep track of foreign fishing fleets

The Chilean Navy has bolstered patrol operations against illegal fishing in the South Pacific region and keeping track of fishing vessels crossing into the South Atlantic. Normally operations are the task of naval surface vessels and air surveillance, but last week it took the unusual step of deploying a Scorpene-class attack submarine on a fisheries-enforcement patrol in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago and further south.
Sunday, December 24th 2023 - 18:02 UTC
A message from MercoPress

As the festive season unfolds, we at MercoPress extend our heartfelt gratitude to you, our cherished readers and sponsors, for making the holiday season truly special. Your unwavering support has been the driving force behind our endeavors throughout the year, and we are immensely thankful for the trust you have placed in us.
Sunday, December 24th 2023 - 16:09 UTC
Argentine airplane from 1982 to be restored and shown at museum?

The Italian-built Aermacchi MB-339 used by then-Argentine Navy Lt Owen Crippa on May 21, 1982, to attack the HMS Argonaut is about to be flown from the United States to be restored in the city of Sunchales and later displayed at a museum, it was reported last week.