The main culprit for the drop in exports was a decrease in sales to the EU caused by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the new trade barriers with Europe. The UK lost 24% of its sales to the EU, worth £2.4bn.
On December 24th a migrant boat capsized in the Aegean Sea. It was the third accident involving migrants in Greek waters in less than a month, bringing the death toll of the three sinkings to 27. Three suspected smugglers were also arrested.
Following disastrous local elections for his party in October, Zaev announced at the end of the month that he would resign as Prime Minister, though he didn’t formally submit his resignation until December 23rd. In the meantime, he led the coalition government through the threat of a no confidence vote to reinforce their slight majority in Parliament to 64 of the 120 seats. This avoided snap elections.
“Blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than ending it,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. He reasoned that until vaccination reached around the world, the virus would only have more opportunity to spread and mutate. “No country can boost its way out of the pandemic,” Tedros added.
Boric was a leader in the student protests in 2011 before entering politics. He unexpectedly became a presidential candidate when he beat the communist party candidate, Daniel Jadue in primaries last May. During the campaign before the second elections, he moderated his radical image—though Boric has denied being a communist.
Germany’s vice-chancellor and economics minister, Robert Habeck, has come out with strong reservations about turning on the already-constructed pipeline, putting him at odds with Chancellor Olaf Scholtz.
“A new model of cooperation has been formed between our countries, based, among other things, on such principles as non-interference in internal affairs and respect for each other’s interests,” Putin reportedly told Xi during their meeting.
“Every day, the government sent police officers to scare us [as we held peaceful prayer vigils outside abortion clinics],” reported the Madrid coordinator of 40 Days for Life.
Researchers involved in both studies pointed out that their findings are in line with the established science of vaccination—naturally acquired antibodies provide the widest breath of immunity and repeated vaccination with a particular strain of a virus can decrease immunity to other variants.
The three speakers vindicated their experiences living in totalitarian regimes against those who are convinced by propaganda and ideology that Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are free, democratic states.
Scholz met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in an attempt to establish better relations between the two nations that have been increasingly at odds over issues ranging from energy policy to rule of law.
The proliferation of apps and online platforms where anyone can sign up to provide services ranging from food delivery to language classes has brought attention to the ‘gig economy,’ along with its advantages and disadvantages.
