
Joe Biden will not immediately cancel the Phase 1 trade agreement that President Donald Trump struck with China nor take steps to remove tariffs on Chinese exports, the New York Times on Wednesday quoted the U.S. president-elect as saying.

This year is on course to be one of the three warmest ever recorded and could even top the record set in 2016, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The past six years, 2015 to 2020, are therefore set to make up all six of the hottest years since modern records began in 1850, the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its provisional 2020 State of the Global Climate report.

President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian authorities on Wednesday to begin mass voluntary vaccinations against Covid-19 next week as Russia recorded 589 new daily deaths from the coronavirus.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be persuaded to take a COVID-19 vaccination on television to show it is safe but he would not have one before those in greater need, his press secretary said on Wednesday.

Britain’s new polar ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, has been handed over from Cammell Laird shipyard to the Natural Environment Research Council, NERC. Operated by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the new polar ship will transform UK research in the polar regions. Its missions will be critical for understanding and making sense of our changing climate.

China pushed past the United States in the third quarter to become the European Union's top trade partner, as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the US while Chinese activity rebounded.

The RRS James Clark Ross has arrived at King Edward Point, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, after seven weeks sailing south from the UK. For the staff disembarking at King Edward Point, this represents the culmination of a journey that started in quarantine in the UK in October to enable safe travel.

Canada will not agree to lift a ban on non-essential travel with the United States until the coronavirus outbreak is significantly under control around the world, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) celebrated Antarctica Day in 2020 on December first, with a series of activities to highlight the importance of Antarctic research and operations during a year that marked the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the continent.

Former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing died on Wednesday from complications linked to Covid-19, his foundation said. In accordance with his wishes, his funeral will take place in the strictest family intimacy, the Foundation Valery Giscard d'Estaing said on Twitter.