Stories for November 30th 2020

Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:55 UTC
Argentina in no rush to sign an agreement with IMF, says minister Guzmán

Argentine Economy Minister Martin Guzman played down the chances of an early agreement with the International Monetary Fund to repay a US$ 44 billion loan, the Financial Times reported.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:40 UTC
Brazil's municipal runoffs confirm voters rejected Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva's supported candidates

Brazilian voters in 57 cities including 18 state capitals returned to the polls for run-off mayoral elections on Sunday amid a surge in cases of COVID-19 and violence involving assassinations and attacks on candidates.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:36 UTC
UK's NHS Test and Trace system inaccurately informed 1,300 people they were infected with coronavirus

Over 1,300 people in Britain were inaccurately informed they were infected with coronavirus after a laboratory error at the government's NHS Test and Trace system, the Department of Health and Social Care admitted on Saturday to Reuters.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:35 UTC
Bolsonaro will wait “a little bit longer” to recognize a winner in the US election

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday he will wait “a little bit longer” to recognize a winner in the U.S. presidential election, suggesting there was evidence of fraud in the process.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:34 UTC
Oil-rich Middle East and its inevitable declining power

By Gwynne Dyer – The only officials present were American and Saudi,” tweeted the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, but he was lying. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really did fly in to Saudi Arabia to spend a few hours with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:27 UTC
Britain and EU on the “last leg of negotiations” for a post Brexit trade deal

The UK is in the “last leg of negotiations” with the EU over a post-Brexit trade deal, the foreign secretary has said. Dominic Raab told the BBC it was likely the talks were entering the “last real major week”, and an agreement remained possible if the EU showed “pragmatism”.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:12 UTC
Francis names 13 new cardinals, including the first Afro-American

Pope Francis on Saturday installed 13 new cardinals, including the first African-American to hold the high rank, further expanding the pontiff’s impact on the group that will one day elect his successor.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:03 UTC
Biden will have an all-female communications team at the White House

President-elect Joe Biden is set to hire an all-female communications team, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Biden selected Democratic spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki as his White House press secretary. Psaki also briefly served as communications director for the Obama administration and as a spokeswoman for former State Secretary John Kerry.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:00 UTC
Biden strains an ankle while playing with his dog Champ

President-elect Joe Biden twisted his ankle after slipping while playing with his dog, his office said on Sunday.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 08:52 UTC
UK-Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council 2020 communiqué

In a Saturday communiqué of the latest UK-Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council 2020, the UK government reiterated support for the OTs self-determination, its commitment to supporting the OTs in building successful and resilient economies, with “reasonable assistance needs of Territories where financial self-sufficiency is not possible”, and referring to UK's withdrawal from the EU, acknowledges it will impact on OTs, particularly in the areas of funding and trade.