Stories for 2024

Wednesday, January 17th 2024 - 10:30 UTC
Taiwan's unknowable future and president for life Xi Jinping rage

By Gwynne Dyer

Taiwan’s fate is as unknowable as usual, even though we know who the next president is, William Lai, vice-president under outgoing President Tsai Ing-Wen, mainly because the two opposition parties failed to agree on a joint candidate and ultimately split the slightly-less-anti-China vote between them.
Wednesday, January 17th 2024 - 10:16 UTC
Uruguay's ROU 4 General Artigas sets sail on Antarctic campaign

The Uruguayan Navy's logistic ship ROU 4 General Artigas set sail this week from Montevideo to bring supplies to the South American country's Antarctica deployments as per this summer's campaign.
Wednesday, January 17th 2024 - 10:05 UTC
Essequibo about to become military conflict, Colombia's Petro tells WEF

Colombian President Gustavo Petro Tuesday said during his appearance at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, that oil- extracting in the Essequibo area held by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela should not go on. He also reckoned the dispute was on the verge of becoming a military conflict.
Wednesday, January 17th 2024 - 10:05 UTC
U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot is Miss America 2024

Active duty US Air Force 2nd Lieutenant Madison Marsh, who pilots F-16 fighter jets, was crowned Miss America 2024 this week in an unprecedented result for the storied beauty pageant, which has been held since 1920 and features one representative from each state.
Wednesday, January 17th 2024 - 10:00 UTC
Ulster farmers controversy with DAERA over Bovine TB compensations in dairy farms

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) is prepared to take legal action against the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) over its bovine TB (bTB) compensation policy. According to a report from the BBC, it follows the announcement of a consultation on compensation rates for animals removed after testing positive.
Tuesday, January 16th 2024 - 15:03 UTC
Pilot working to extinguish a fire in Chile died after crashing on a highway

A Spanish pilot lost his life on Monday when the firefighting plane he was operating crashed in the central Maule region, as reported by the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) of Chile.
Tuesday, January 16th 2024 - 14:04 UTC
Funding request approved for Falkland Islands Meat Company

Following the sitting of Executive Council on Tuesday 12 December 2023 a paper was approved to provide additional funding of £1 million to the Falkland Islands Meat Company (FIMCO). The paper was also approved at Standing Finance Committee.
Tuesday, January 16th 2024 - 12:24 UTC
Itaipú: No progress after Presidents of Brazil and Paraguay meet

Talks between Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Santiago Peña of Paraguay reached nowhere Monday in Brasilia as both leaders failed to reach an agreement over the Itaipú dam electricity fares. However, dialogue will continue.
Tuesday, January 16th 2024 - 11:20 UTC
Boric keen on not mirroring Ecuador's crisis

Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font Monday said during an engagement in the Coquimbo Region that his administration needed to do things to not have to go through the crisis Ecuador is experiencing. “We have to ask ourselves how we do things so that we don't get to that place,” Boric underlined.
Tuesday, January 16th 2024 - 11:17 UTC
Ecuador: 48 prison inmates escape, only 5 recaptured

Only five of the 48 prison inmates that escaped Monday from the Esmeraldas jailhouse were recaptured later in the day according to sources from Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa's administration quoted by local media.