
Europe's leading stock exchanges traded steadily on Tuesday after Monday's euphoria when they were boosted by the announcement of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is 90% effective thanks to a new technology called 'Messenger Ribonucleic Acid' or messenger RNA.

Brazil has issued a protocol instruction legally authorizing imports of genetically modified (GM) soy and corn from the United States at a time when Brazil is dealing with low stocks and record prices for these products.

The S&P 500 ended higher but closed just shy of a record on Monday as investors bet that a full economic reopening was finally in sight following the first positive data from a late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trial.

The European Union's foreign policy chief on Monday extolled Joe Biden's victory in the U.S. election and, in a swipe at outgoing President Donald Trump, welcomed “the chance to work once again with a U.S. president who doesn't consider us a foe.”

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday made an urgent plea for Americans to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus, declaring that a mask is not a political statement as he vowed to make defeating the pandemic his No. 1 priority when he replaces President Donald Trump on Jan 20.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had terminated Defense Secretary Mark Esper, signaling he may use his final months in office after defeat at the polls to settle scores within his administration.

Major powers, including allies, criticized the United States for its human rights record on Monday during a U.N. review, citing the use of the death penalty, police violence against African Americans, and the separation of migrant children from their families.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr spoke with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard last week to try to lower bilateral tension arising from the U.S. arrest of a former Mexican defense minister on drug charges, two Mexican sources said on Monday.

There were two notable holdouts among the world leaders who rushed to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. elections: the leaders of Latin America’s two largest countries, both of whom have been seen as friendly to President Donald Trump in different ways.

The United States became the first nation worldwide since the pandemic began to surpass 10 million coronavirus infections, as the third wave of the COVID-19 virus surges across the nation. The grim milestone came on the same day as global coronavirus cases exceeded 50 million.