Stories for December 2020

Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:59 UTC
Trump administration designated Switzerland and Vietnam as currency manipulators; China in monitoring list

U.S. Treasury Department designated Switzerland and Vietnam as currency manipulators for the first time, while keeping China on a watch list, in the Trump administration’s final foreign-exchange policy report.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:52 UTC
Argentina's GDP contracted 10,2% in the third quarter, Indec

Argentina’s gross domestic product contracted 10.2% in the third quarter of 2020 versus the same 2019 period, the government’s Indec statistics agency said on Wednesday, amid uncertainty about a possible retightening of COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:40 UTC
Argentine oil seed crushing workers strike continues; 130 ships waiting to load

Argentine oilseed workers are expected to continue the strike actions that are currently hitting activity at most of the country’s crushing capacity until at least next week after last-ditch salary talks with the sector’s chambers failed, Daniel Yofra, the secretary-general of crushers’ union FTCIOD has told Agricensus.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:28 UTC
More than 30,000 tremors have rocked Antarctica since August, University of Chile

More than 30,000 tremors have rocked Antarctica since the end of August, according to the University of Chile, a spike in seismic activity that has intrigued researchers who study the remote, snowbound continent.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:16 UTC
Fears a fifth of world's population may not have access to Covid 19 vaccine until 2022, John Hopkins University

At least a fifth of the world's population may not have access to a COVID-19 vaccine until 2022, according to a study published on Wednesday, with wealthier nations reserving more than half of 2021's potential doses.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:09 UTC
A quarter of Mexicans, 31 million, have been exposed to Covid-19

A quarter of Mexico's population, or 31 million people, has been exposed to COVID-19, according to preliminary results of an official survey, with 70% never showing symptoms.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:05 UTC
Marshall Islands' record haul of drugs that drifted across the Pacific from Latin America

Police in the Marshall Islands have discovered a record haul of drugs thought to have drifted across the Pacific Ocean from Latin America. About 649kg of cocaine was found hidden inside a vessel that had run ashore.
Thursday, December 17th 2020 - 09:03 UTC
Merkel implores Germans to reduce social contacts during Xmas; lockdown until January 10

Chancellor Angela Merkel banged the podium in frustration as she implored Germans this month to reduce social contacts to curb the spread of COVID-19. At one point in her unusually passionate address to parliament, during which she was heckled, she brought her hands together as if in prayer. At others, she shook her fist.
Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 09:48 UTC
Argentina has 1,510,203 Covid-19 positive cases and a death toll of 41,204

Argentina on Tuesday reported 6,981 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its national tally to 1,510,203, said the Ministry of Health. The ministry also said that 165 more patients died of the disease, raising the nationwide death toll to 41,204.
Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 09:29 UTC
Putin, Bolsonaro and Lopez Obrador finally congratulate Joe Biden

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday congratulated US president-elect Joe Biden on his victory, more than a month after the Nov 3 election.