
Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune said France is considering litigation proceedings against the United Kingdom over the remaining post-Brexit fishing licenses still pending to be awarded in the island of Jersey. The UK/French licenses dispute at the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, off the French coast, has been ongoing for weeks.

High-ranking officials from the United States and Russia are to meet in Geneva on Jan. 10 for talks regarding tensions over Ukraine, it was announced. Russia and NATO were also likely to convene on Jan. 12 in Brussels with a broader meeting set for Jan. 13 involving the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which includes the US and its NATO allies, as well as Russia, Ukraine, and other ex-Soviet states.

Chilean president-elect Gabriel Boris announced he contacted president Sebastián Piñera to thank him for the invitation to attend the January 26/27 Prosur and Pacific Alliance summits in Colombia, --the current head of government last overseas trip--, but will not join him.

Uruguay's Environment Minister Adrián Peña Monday forecast that by 2035 ANCAP's La Teja refinery will be closed and vehicles will be 100% zero emissions, as the country advances towards its carbon-neutral goals for 2050

Icebreaker HMS Protector has broken a record, becoming the first Royal Navy ship to enter both polar circles within the same year. The Navy's only icebreaker, Protector left Plymouth in August for Antarctica, – her first visit to the frozen continent since 2019.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro Monday insisted his 11-year-old daughter will not be taking any COVID-19 vaccine.

Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez's Government Monday gave real-estate ownership (occupation) certificates to indigenous peoples plus a monetary compensation in accordance with rulings from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Britain’s parliamentary Defense Committee has fired a broadside at the government, raising significant concerns about the future size and capabilities of the Royal Navy in a report released this month” and reported by Defense News.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced he would visit strategic ally Iran sometime next year following an invitation from his Iranian colleague Ebrahim Raisi to discuss further cooperation between the two countries.

By Gwynne Dyer – The right enemy can be a major asset in politics, as Chilean voters have just demonstrated once again. All the opinion polls had the two presidential candidates neck and neck before the election, but a few days before the runoff vote it came out that the father of far-right candidate José Antonio Kast was a Nazi.