International

• 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 - 09:29 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.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 09:08 UTC

  Food companies and grocers urge commodity suppliers to refuse soybeans from deforested areas in Brazil

  

  Some of the world’s largest food companies and grocers urged commodity suppliers including Archer-Daniels-Midland Co, Bunge Ltd, Cargill Inc and Louis Dreyfus Co. to stop trading soybeans associated with deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado region, a savanna that is a hive of biodiversity and one of the country’s most important carbon sinks.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 09:00 UTC

  Moderna vaccine is safe and effective for preventing Covid-19, US regulators

  

  Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective for preventing Covid-19, US regulators said, clearing the way for a second shot to quickly gain emergency authorization and add to the country's sprawling immunization effort.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 08:51 UTC

  Brazil's health regulator ANVISA considers Chinese Covid-19 vaccine process non transparent

  

  Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said China’s health authorities are not transparent in their authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, a statement that may further inflame political tension in the country.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 08:40 UTC

  UK and Mexico sign trade deal: savings of £59 million worth of duties

  

  The UK signed on Tuesday 15 December a trade deal with Mexico, locking in tariff-free trade and other benefits for British businesses and consumers. The UK-Mexico Trade Continuity Agreement will particularly benefit the automotive, pharmaceutical, textiles, agriculture, food and drink industries and other manufacturing industries, the sectors where the UK has the highest amount of trade with Mexico.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 08:32 UTC

  British scientists trying to determine if Covid-19 mutation is linked to other strains

  

  British scientists are trying to establish whether the rapid spread in southern England of a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is linked to key mutations they have detected in the strain, they said on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 08:30 UTC

  China pledges more trade and development cooperation with Chile on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations

  

  China is willing to provide a broader market and more development opportunities for Chile and other countries as it seeks reform and opening-up at a higher level, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday in a phone conversation with his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Piñera.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 08:05 UTC

  Johnson will travel to India next month, first trip since departure from the EU

  

  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to India in January 2021 to strengthen a key strategic relationship which supports jobs and investment across the UK. This will be the Prime Minister’s first major bilateral visit since taking office, and the first since departure from the EU, and underlines his commitment to step up the UK’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific region.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2020 - 07:11 UTC

  FOX News Media streaming service available this week in Chile, Panama and Portugal

  FOX News Media’s international streaming service, will be made available in Chile, Panama and Portugal starting December 17th. The launch further expands the platform’s distribution to 30 countries worldwide, surpassing FOX News Media’s original goal of reaching 20 countries by year-end.