International

• Wednesday, January 26th 2022 - 20:15 UTC

  Singapore signs treaty to join Pacific Alliance as an associated state

  

  The Asian nation of Singapore Wednesday became the first country to join the Pacific Alliance as an Associated State to the group made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

• Wednesday, January 26th 2022 - 09:42 UTC

  Covid-19: 21 million new cases and 50,000 deaths globally in week Jan 17/23

  

  Globally, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased in the past week (17-23 January 2022) by 5%, while the number of new deaths remained similar to that reported during the previous week. Across the six WHO regions, over 21 million new cases were reported this week, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.

• Wednesday, January 26th 2022 - 09:40 UTC

  ECLAC needs to set aside four rogue countries to measure inflation for year 2021

  

  Inflation in Latin America for the year 2021 was way above projections, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has said in a report issued from its Santiago headquarters.

• Wednesday, January 26th 2022 - 09:39 UTC

  Bukele needs to eliminate bitcoin as legal tender, IMF says

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele to drop the use of bitcoin as legal tender in the country, on the grounds that there are “great risks associated” with this practice. Bukele officially adopted bitcoin last September.

• Wednesday, January 26th 2022 - 09:31 UTC

  IAATO officially marked Antarctic Ambassadorship Day, April 25

  

  The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, IAATO has announced that the first international day dedicated to Antarctic Ambassadors will be held on 25 April 2022. Last August IAATO as part of its 30th-anniversary celebrations, anticipated the creation of Antarctic Ambassadorship Day. The membership organisation formalised its definition of an Antarctic Ambassador in May to be someone who:

• Tuesday, January 25th 2022 - 21:04 UTC

  EU decides to focus on travelers instead of on where they come from

  

  European authorities finally decided to drop the contagion map approach to decide who gets in and who gets out of the bloc and switch to a coordinated mechanism based on each individual's vaccination status against COVID-19, the European Council announced Tuesday.

• Tuesday, January 25th 2022 - 20:57 UTC

  Johnson warns Russian mothers their sons will not return if Putin attacks Ukraine

  

  United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday launched a warning to Russian mothers, saying that their sons were not likely to return home if President Vladimir Putin chose to invade Ukraine, as tensions in the region escalate.

• Tuesday, January 25th 2022 - 20:53 UTC

  Argentine President adds Barbados to his global tour next month

  

  Argentine President Alberto Fernández's upcoming tour has found a way to add some mileage after a stop in Barbados has been arranged to meet with Prime Minister Mia Mottley, it was announced Tuesday. Fernández's trip starts on Feb. with a visit to visit China and also to Russia.

• Tuesday, January 25th 2022 - 09:35 UTC

  UK attempts to dismantle nuclear submarine in a world first

  

  Nicknamed 'the silent service', nuclear submarines are used to patrol the oceans and seas – armed with numerous weapons and capable of spending months underwater. However, one question has been grappled with for decades. What do you do with a nuclear submarine when it has gone out of service?

• Tuesday, January 25th 2022 - 09:33 UTC

  UK to lift all restrictions for fully vaccinated tourists next month

  

  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Monday called on all foreign tourists to visit the country as testing and quarantine restrictions will end shortly for fully vaccinated visitors.