Politics

Saturday, March 13th 2021 - 08:00 UTC
German ruling coalition lawmakers resign for brokering face mask procurement deal

Lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling party and coalition had to declare by writing that they hadn't received money for consulting or procurement related to the Covid 19 situation, following claims several of them were involved in face mask purchases. Party officials said that all 240 conservative lawmakers had sent back their declaration as requested.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 17:58 UTC
ECB keeps interest rates at historic low and pledges to step up bond buying

The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday kept interest rates at historic lows and said it was stepping up its bond-buying stimulus in the coming months. The steps are aimed at halting what is regarded as a premature rise in borrowing costs in the 19 countries that use the Euro currency.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 13:43 UTC
April 30, a critical date for when Falklands first squid catches are landed in Spain

April 30 is a critical date for when the South Atlantic squid catches reach Vigo in Spain. It will also be a Brexit test since tariffs involving third countries such as the UK do not apply to catches from British waters, except for increased customs paperwork, but do apply for fish produce from British territories overseas.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 13:24 UTC
Falklands tighten up vessel entry policy

The Falkland Islands’ Executive Council this week agreed to tighten the policy governing the entry of vessels into the islands’ territorial waters and ports. Under the new policy, any vessel which has suspected or reported cases of Covid-19 “should not seek to enter Falkland Islands territorial waters and ports,” the Falklands government has confirmed.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 10:08 UTC
Argentina promises Bolivia's incorporation to Mercosur for the next bloc's summit

Argentina pledged on Thursday to manage Bolivia's entry into Mercosur, after both countries relaunched their trade relationship during the official visit of the Argentine Foreign Minister, Felipe Solá, who sees the need to approve the full entry of the Andean country at the next Mercosur summit to be held on March 26.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:55 UTC
Brazil's hospitals overwhelmed and in main cities stops receiving pandemic patients

Hospitals in Brazil's main cities are reaching capacity, health officials warned, as the country recorded the world's highest COVID-19 death toll for the second day running, 2,233, triggering restrictions in the main and richest states.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:06 UTC
All US surviving presidents (except Trump) release video of their inoculation; CDC says 92 million vaccinated

All surviving former US presidents except Mr Donald Trump have teamed up in a video urging Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Mr Jimmy Carter, Mr George W. Bush, Mr Bill Clinton and Mr Barack Obama - and the former First Ladies, appear in the one-minute spot released on Thursday, endorsing the US vaccination campaign and sharing what they miss about pre-pandemic life.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:06 UTC
Brazilian congress passes US$ 8 billion bill to help millions of poor families

Brazil's lower house of Congress approved the basic text of a bill on Thursday that revives a federal cash transfer program to help millions of poor families whose incomes have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:03 UTC
Europe approves J&J single shot Covid-19 vaccine; some 200 million doses pledged by end of year

Europe approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday and is expected to be delivered in a month. The COVID-19 shot is the fourth to be endorsed for use in the European Union after vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford University, and Moderna, and is recommended for those over 18 years of age, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.
Friday, March 12th 2021 - 04:49 UTC
RRS James Clark Ross skipper gratitude message to people of the Falklands

Graham Chapman, Captain of RRS James Clark Ross sent a message of gratitude to the people of the Falklands when the polar research vessel left the Islands for the last time.