Politics

• Friday, December 4th 2020 - 09:45 UTC

  Imaginative Argentine minister almost spoils first video phone dialogue between Biden and Fernandez

  

  Argentine foreign minister Felipe Solá was involved in an incident which would have normally demanded his resignation or sacking, because he misinterpreted or simply invented the issues of a conversation between president elect Joe Biden and his Argentine peer, Alberto Fernandez triggering a serious diplomatic misunderstanding in a most delicate moment.

• Friday, December 4th 2020 - 09:40 UTC

  IMF and Argentina discussions “very fluid and constructive”, but no date for closing a new deal

  

  Negotiations between the International Monetary Fund and Argentina over a new IMF loan program are “very fluid and constructive,” with Argentine officials expected to come to Washington in the coming days for more talks, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday.

• Friday, December 4th 2020 - 09:25 UTC

  Poverty in Argentina reaches 44,2% of the population, with special impact on households with children

  

  Some 18 million people, 44,2% of the Argentine population live in poverty conditions, and indigence trapped 10,1%, during the third quarter of 2020, according to the Argentina Catholic University Social Debt Observatory.

• Friday, December 4th 2020 - 09:21 UTC

  Peru farm workers protest for the fourth day derailing harvests and blocking roadways

  

  Protests by farmworkers demanding better wages in Peru raged on for a fourth day on Thursday, spreading north into key agricultural areas of the Andean nation, derailing harvests of some crops, snarling transport of produce and leaving at least one dead.

• Friday, December 4th 2020 - 08:40 UTC

  “Make Amazon Pay” campaign supported by 400 lawmakers from 34 countries

  

  More than 400 lawmakers from 34 countries have signed a letter to Amazon.com Inc boss Jeff Bezos backing a campaign that claims the tech giant has “dodged and dismissed … debts to workers, societies, and the planet,” organizers said.

• Friday, December 4th 2020 - 07:36 UTC

  FAO trims world 2020 cereal output forecast

  

  FAO has further lowered its forecast for global cereal production in 2020, which now stands at 2 742 million tons - still a record high and 1.3% above the previous year's outturn. The new forecasts released today with FAO's Cereal Supply and Demand Brief point to world coarse grains production of 1,470 million tons, wheat production of 761.7 million tons, and rice output of 508.4 million tons.

• Thursday, December 3rd 2020 - 09:52 UTC

  Brazil's health regulator open to approving Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use

  

  Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said on Wednesday it was open to approving COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use and outlined the requirements for companies looking to do so.

• Thursday, December 3rd 2020 - 09:49 UTC

  WHO receives data from the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

  

  The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it had received data from Pfizer and BioNTech on the Covid-19 vaccine and was reviewing it for “possible listing for emergency use”, a benchmark for countries to authorize national use.

• Thursday, December 3rd 2020 - 09:48 UTC

  Joe Biden said he would pursue policies targeting China’s “abusive practices”

  

  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.

• Thursday, December 3rd 2020 - 09:46 UTC

  Putin orders to begin mass voluntary vaccination against Covid-19 next week

  

  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.