Stories for December 2020

Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:55 UTC
Distrust of Bolsonaro is holding up the EU/Mercosur trade deal, says EU ambassador in Brasilia

Distrust in Europe of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's government is holding up ratification of a trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur, the EU ambassador to Brasilia said.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:50 UTC
Sao Paulo delays release of efficacy data for the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine

Brazil's Sao Paulo state delayed on Monday the release of efficacy data for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac, tightening the timeframe for the regulator approval before a planned roll out on Jan. 25.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:25 UTC
It-s official, Joe Biden is the 46th elected president of the United States

Democrat Joe Biden called on Americans to “turn the page” on the Trump era in a prime-time speech on Monday, hours after prevailing over the Republican in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that officially determines the U.S. presidency.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:14 UTC
As airlines reactivate planes, regulators and insurers call for extra attention to conditions and training

Regulators, insurers and experts are warning airlines to take extra care when reactivating planes left in extended storage during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing potential pilot rustiness, maintenance errors and even insect nests blocking key sensors.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:08 UTC
WTO fails to agree rules on over-fishing; billions of dollars spent subsidizing fishing fleets

World Trade Organization negotiators have failed to reach a deal by a year-end deadline to cut the subsidies that have helped decimate the world’s fish stocks, but will try again next year, the chairman of the talks said on Monday.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:05 UTC
New variant of Covid-19 has emerged in UK, reports WHO

The World Health Organization is aware of a new variant of Covid-19 that has emerged in Britain, but there is no evidence the strain behaves differently to existing types of the virus, it said on Monday.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:02 UTC
Machu Picchu closed again for security reasons and protests from local villages

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the crown jewel of Peru's tourist sites, closed its doors Monday for an indefinite period for security reasons amid protests by locals over train services, officials said.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:01 UTC
Thousands turn out in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia to watch the solar eclipse

Thousands of people turned their heads to the sky to watch a solar eclipse that lasted around two minutes on Monday as southern Chile and Argentina were plunged into darkness. Heavy rain had threatened to prevent star gazers in Chile from seeing the eclipse but at the last moment, the clouds parted just enough for the phenomenon to be partially visible.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 09:00 UTC
A third of the world population with no government aid during the pandemic, Oxfam

More than a third of the world's population - some 2.7 billion people - has not received government aid during the coronavirus pandemic, Oxfam said on Tuesday, with gaping differences between rich and poor countries.
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 08:59 UTC
Twenty Venezuelan “boat people” drown fleeing from the country

The bodies of at least 20 migrants who were travelling by boat from Venezuela to the nearby Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago were found over the weekend, officials said.