Politics

• Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 14:54 UTC

  China will upgrade Argentina's railway system with a US$ 4,7bn contract

  

  Rail companies from China have signed agreements worth US$ 4.7bn with the government of Argentina, aimed at improving the country’s rail system.

• Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 12:26 UTC

  Mercosur ready to address EU environmental concerns that have stalled trade deal

  

  Mercosur countries will address environmental concerns raised by the European Union that have stalled ratification of a free trade deal between the two trade blocs, Argentina’s foreign minister said on Monday.

• 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 - 09:02 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 - 09:00 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.

• Tuesday, December 15th 2020 - 08:58 UTC

  Honduras claims two hurricanes caused damage equivalent to half its GDP

  

  Hurricanes Eta and Iota have caused about US$10 billion in damages in Honduras and affected more than 4 million people, the Central American country's foreign minister said on Monday as he called for international support.