Stories from 20 December 2021
Turkey announces new steps to normalize ties with Armenia
During his address at the national parliament on December 13, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu said Turkey was ready to normalize ties with Armenia.
The Turkish Lira continues to lose value at a breakneck pace
Turkey's largest business group urged President Erdoğan's government to "return to rules of economic science."
A certificate for grazing cattle: Empowering Bolivia's Aymara people by recognizing their work
The certification process allows a community that was valued before colonization to be revalued in order to be self-sustainable and for the reproduction of the life systems.
Hong Kong sees record-low voter turnout in its ‘patriot-only’ Legislative Council elections
Hong Kong had a record-low 30.2 percent voter turnout in its first "patriot-only" Legislative Council elections on December 19, 2021. Instead of casting ballots, many took the day off and traveled the city.
Russian peacekeepers promise to oversee return of all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan
While both parties pledged to return all prisoners as part of the ceasefire signed on November 9, 2020, the number of Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan remains unknown.
Top human rights court finds that the Georgia government violated the European Convention on Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights has found the Georgian government responsible for "unprecedented" violence against queer demonstrators in 2013. The court ordered the government to pay EUR 195,000 to the victims.
The International Court of Justice orders Armenia and Azerbaijan to prevent racial hatred
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), ordered Armenia and Azerbaijan to “prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred” following last year's 44-day war.
China's top propagandist Hu Xijin steps down as The Global Times’ chief editor
Hu’s departure is unlikely to change the course of China’s wolf warrior diplomacy, but after the restructuring, many expect the paper to become even more aligned with the “party spirit.”
2021 in review, from a Caribbean point of view
While the Caribbean was primarily focused on rising COVID-19 infection rates, a steady stream of variants, and strong vaccine hesitancy, the pandemic wasn't the only story affecting the region in 2021.