Stories for December 2020

Monday, December 7th 2020 - 08:45 UTC
US jobs picked up in November, but the challenge remains long term employment

U.S. employers added 245,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate slipped to 6.7%, the Department of Labor said on Friday. The fresh economic data shows the labor market clawing its way out of the pandemic-induced downturn, but still far away from a full recovery. The unemployment rate in the U.S. was 3.5% in February before the crisis hit.
Monday, December 7th 2020 - 08:00 UTC
Iranian nuclear scientist killed with satellite-geared gun and artificial intelligence, claims Teheran and points to Israel

A satellite-controlled machine gun with “artificial intelligence” was used in last week's assassination of a top nuclear scientist in Iran the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards told local media on Sunday.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 23:00 UTC
Brexit and its impact: no representation of the Falklands case to the EU

Complicated challenges ahead for the Falkland Islands as the Brexit deadline inexorably approaches. While the Falklands Government has made public assurances that it has worked hard to ensure the impact of Brexit on the Falklands...
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 16:30 UTC
Uruguayan ex-president Tabaré Vázquez has died

Former Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez died on Sunday morning aged 80 from lung cancer, which he had been suffering from since 2019, in the final stretch of his second presidency. His successor, President Luis Lacalle Pou, announced three days of national mourning.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 09:25 UTC
Brucellosis in China: poor sanitation helps bacteria escape from lab and infects more than 10,000 people

More than 10,000 people in China are reportedly infected with a highly contagious disease that can lead to chronic health issues, after a vaccine factory used expired sanitizer, and bacteria spread through the plant.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 09:16 UTC
Obama, Bush and Clinton willing to be vaccinated against Covid 19 on television

Former US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton said they were willing to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus on television in order to ease any public skepticism over the safety of new vaccines.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 08:59 UTC
US companies rushing to organize an ultra-freeze storage chain for the Covid 19 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

With the imminent arrival of coronavirus vaccines that will need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, US companies are gearing up for a massive logistical effort to aid their distribution.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 08:47 UTC
Argentine squid season south of parallel 44 takes off on January 16

The 2021 Argentine squid season. south of parallel 44, takes off next 16 January, according to the country's Fisheries Federal Council, following on the scientific report from Inidep, the national fisheries research and development institute.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 08:35 UTC
WHO warns that vaccines do not mean the pandemic has come to an end

Recent progress on Covid 19 vaccines is positive but the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned this has led to a growing perception that the pandemic has come to an end, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.
Sunday, December 6th 2020 - 08:05 UTC
Britain receives the Pfizer vaccine from Belgium and Monday begins inoculation

Pfizer plans to ship 800,000 doses to Britain in the coming days from its production plant in Puurs in Belgium. Britain on Wednesday gave emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine, becoming the first Western country to pave the way for mass inoculations against a disease that has killed more than 1.4 million people worldwide.