International

• Saturday, October 7th 2023 - 07:16 UTC

  EU begins applying the Carbon Mechanism on seven imports with surcharges to 20% to 35%

  

  The European Union has been proactive in pressuring its trading partners to adhere to its domestic greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, primarily rooted in protectionism. First, with the imposition of the Deforestation Law last June. Now, with the adoption of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Cbam), Brussels subjects imports of seven inputs to surcharges of 20% to 35% if production exceeds its environmental limits. Brazil is among the top ten potentially most affected exporters, especially in the iron and steel sectors.

• Saturday, October 7th 2023 - 07:03 UTC

  FAO Food Price Index in September 10,7% below a year ago

  

  The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 121.5 points in September, compared to 121.4 points in August. At this level, the index is 10.7% below its value a year ago and 24.0% below its all-time high reached in March 2022.

• Saturday, October 7th 2023 - 07:00 UTC

  Nobel Peace Prize for imprisoned Iranian woman activist; UN calls on Teheran to release all human rights defenders

  

  Imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her tireless campaign for women's rights and against the death penalty. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed Ms Narges and the Peace Prize as a tribute to all those women who are fighting for their rights at the risk of their freedom, health and lives.

• Saturday, October 7th 2023 - 06:36 UTC

  Sir Lindsay Hoyle: “Why I became a champion and advocate for the British Overseas Territories”

  

  By Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons
  
  From the Pitcairn Islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean to the British Indian Ocean Territory almost 10,000 miles away, the British Overseas Territories (OTs) all have one thing in common – they are British.

• Friday, October 6th 2023 - 08:49 UTC

  Mount Blanc has lost two meters over two years, French geometers blame climate change

  

  Mont Blanc, the Alps' highest peak and the highest mountain in Europe outside of the Caucasus range, has lost more than two meters in height over the past two years, according to French researchers.

• Friday, October 6th 2023 - 08:45 UTC

  Brazil and China conduct a landmark trade operation in Yuan and Reais

  

  For the first time a trade operation between Brazil and China was conducted in a closed-loop system using local currencies, Yuans and Reais, without any involvement of US dollars. The transactions were financed and settled in yuan, directly converted into Brazilian real, without any involvement of the US dollar.

• Thursday, October 5th 2023 - 10:59 UTC

  Uruguay sanctions Finnish paper company UPM for caustic soda spill into watercourse

  

  Uruguay's Ministry of the Environment will fine the Finnish paper mill UPM after a spill of approximately one million liters from one of its plants located in the center of the country affected a watercourse that flows into the Río Negro. This event, according to official sources, occurred in August and was “accidental”.

• Thursday, October 5th 2023 - 08:48 UTC

  FIFA confirms 2030 World Cup to be staged in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco

  

  Football's governing body FIFA announced Wednesday that the 2030 World Cup will be returning to the continent where it all started a century before but after opening games in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, the rest of the event will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

• Thursday, October 5th 2023 - 08:46 UTC

  Royal Navy revamping Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast, home of the Titanic

  

  The Royal Navy has reported that work has begun revamping the world-famous Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast, home of the Titanic so it can build three new support ships for the Navy.

• Wednesday, October 4th 2023 - 10:27 UTC

  Canada picks first black House of Commons Speaker

  

  Following last week's resignation of Anthony Rota after inviting and honoring the 98-year-old Nazi war veteran Yaroslav Hunka who had fought for the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, or the SS 14th Waffen Division, the Quebec Liberal lawmaker Greg Fergus has been appointed as the new Speaker of Canada's House of Commons.