International

• Saturday, December 11th 2021 - 08:00 UTC

  Former Moscow correspondent reflects on the end of USSR thirty years ago

  

  By James Rodgers (*) – The Soviet anthem hailed the socialist union that it celebrated as “indestructible”. Yet 30 years ago this week, the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, together with the leaders of Ukraine and Belarus, signed the agreement that created the Commonwealth of Independent States. It was the end for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 09:39 UTC

  Falklands' flagged RRS Sir David Attenborough reaches “home”; anchored at Port William

  

  RRS Sir David Attenborough has completed the first leg of its journey to Antarctica, arriving in the Falkland Islands on 9 December. Since the draft of Britain’s new polar ship is too large for it to berth in Stanley harbor, so the ship will anchor north of the Narrows at Port William. However, the ship is visible from vantage points around the coastline.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 09:34 UTC

  Latin America's exports this year to increase 8% in volume and 17% in value, ECLAC report

  

  The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean estimates a 25% increase in the value of regional goods exports during 2021, following a 10% drop in 2020, driven by a 17% rise in export prices and an 8% expansion in the volume of shipments.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 09:19 UTC

  Getting jailed for being a journalist on the rise, CPJ reports

  

  The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Thursday denounced that the number of journalists jailed for their reporting work has reached a historic Zenit in 2021, with 293 of them imprisoned worldwide, 50 of whom were in China.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 09:07 UTC

  Argentina against boycott on Beijing Winter Games

  

  Argentina's Sports Minister Matías Lammens has announced his country's full support to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games due to start at the Chinese capital on Feb. 4, 2022, after the United States and some of its closes allies said they would boycott them.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 09:01 UTC

  Nicaragua severs ties with Taiwan, “rogue Chinese territory”

  

  The Nicaraguan Government of President Daniel Ortega Thursday announced it was cutting all diplomatic ties with Taiwan, citing “that in the world there is only one single China” whose legitimate government is that of the People's Republic.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 08:55 UTC

  Book on OTs Parliament buildings marks 110th anniversary of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

  

  To mark the conclusion of the 110th anniversary of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association this year, the CPA has published a special anniversary book showcasing over 180 Parliament buildings around the Commonwealth and giving an insight into their varied histories. The historic Parliament buildings of Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Virgin Islands (BVI) are featured in this new book.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 08:31 UTC

  Boris and Carrie Johnson announce the birth of a daughter

  

  Boris and Carrie Johnson have announced the birth of a daughter, their second child since he became prime minister. Mrs. Johnson gave birth to the baby at a London hospital on Thursday, and Boris Johnson was there throughout, BBC reported.

• Friday, December 10th 2021 - 07:00 UTC

  November marked a further increase in FAO's Food Price Index, 27,3% from a year earlier

  

  The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 134.4 points in November 2021, up 1.6 points (1.2 percent) from October and 28.8 points (27.3 percent) from November 2020.

• Thursday, December 9th 2021 - 09:49 UTC

  Fresh air for Falklands' oil industry: Navitas to become operator with Rockhopper, and Harbour exits

  

  Encouraging news for the Falkland Islands budding hydrocarbons industry. Rockhopper Exploration officially announced on Wednesday that it had reached a new agreement with Navitas Petroleum by which its potential farm-in portion of the Sea Lion project increases significantly, while the current holder of the majority share, Harbour Energy exits the undertaking.