Monday 14 December
News Briefing Video roundup
- Brexit trade talks: Process ‘still has legs’, UK source says
- COVID-19: London mayor urges PM to consider shutting secondary schools
- Armenia, Azerbaijan blame each other after violations of Karabakh ceasefire
- Over 300 schoolboys still missing after Nigeria school attack
- Saudi Arabia declares victory over coronavirus
- Electoral College to meet and formally choose Biden as next US president
Sizewell C: Government in talks to fund £20bn nuclear plant – BBC Business
Reddit scoops up TikTok rival Dubsmash – FT
Brexit trade talks: Process ‘still has legs’, UK source says
BBC News says negotiators from the UK and EU are to begin a new push to reach agreement on post-Brexit trade after both sides agreed “to go the extra mile”.
A UK source said the “process still has some legs” but Boris Johnson has warned a no-deal is the “most likely” outcome.
A deadline to finish talks had been set for Sunday, but the prime minister and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen agreed to an extension.
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COVID-19: London mayor urges PM to consider shutting secondary schools
Sky News says Sadiq Khan is urging the government to consider asking London’s schools and colleges to close early and reopen later in January because of “significant” coronavirus outbreaks among 10 to 19-year-olds.
In a letter to the prime minister, he said: “urgent consideration must… be given to closing secondary schools, sixth form and FE colleges a few days early and keeping them closed for longer after Christmas”.
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Armenia, Azerbaijan blame each other after violations of Karabakh ceasefire
France24 says clashes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region have killed four Azeri servicemen in recent weeks, Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said on Sunday, in the first report of casualties since a Russian-brokered ceasefire accord.
Separately, authorities in Armenia said six of their servicemen had been wounded in what they described as an Azeri military offensive that took place on Saturday.
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Over 300 schoolboys still missing after Nigeria school attack
Aljazeera says more than 300 schoolboys are still missing after gunmen attacked a secondary school in Kankara, a town in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state, authorities said.
Attackers on motorcycles stormed the all-boys Government Science School late on Friday and engaged security forces in a fierce gun battle, forcing hundreds of students to flee and hide in the surrounding forest.
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Saudi Arabia declares victory over coronavirus
Arab News says Saudi health officials declared victory over the coronavirus on Sunday and said COVID-19 was under control.
The Kingdom recorded only 139 new cases of infection, the first time the figure has been under 150 since the pandemic began to take hold in March.
“We’re among the countries with noticeable control and decrease in cases,” ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly said during a press conference.
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Electoral College to meet and formally choose Biden as next US president
TRT World says Presidential electors have plans to meet across the United States to formally choose Joe Biden as the nation’s next president.
Monday is the day set by law for the meeting of the Electoral College.
In reality, electors will be meeting in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to cast their ballots.
The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a January 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.
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In Review: No-deal and food shortages
The UK’s largest supermarkets have begun stockpiling food and other products, after being warned about the potential of a no-deal Brexit by the government.
Supermarkets and ministers are reportedly worried about the prospect of consumers panic buying before 1 January if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, while food producers are warning of three-month shortages of vegetables. – City AM
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How is it being reported?
Supermarkets ‘told to stockpile food’ as fears grow of no-deal Brexit
Stores reported having been warned to stockpile food and other essential supplies in anticipation of shortages – The Guardian
No-deal chaos: Supermarkets told to ‘stockpile food’ by UK officials amid shortages fears. NO DEAL Brexit fears have led to UK supermarkets being told “to stockpile food” by Government officials.- Express
Supermarkets to stockpile food ready for three month shortage as no-deal Brexit looms – Mirror
FEAR WE GO! Brits urged not to stockpile food as panic-buyers hit supermarkets over No Deal Brexit fears – The Sun
‘The moment of truth’: The Electoral College prepares to hand Trump the loss he refuses to accept
After all the failed lawsuits, recounts, falsehoods and conspiracy theories, President Donald Trump will finally meet his electoral fate Monday.
Across all statehouses amid a pandemic, 538 electors are set to convene to cast their votes for either President-elect Joe Biden or Trump, reflecting the popular votes in their states. – USA Today
Germany announces COVID-19 lockdown with businesses and schools closed through January 10
German chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that the country will enter a strict lockdown from December 16 to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Germany will close all non-essential businesses and schools through January 10 after reaching an agreement with the governors of the 16 federal states, the chancellor said. – Euronews
Celebration in Laayoune after US adopts map of Morocco that includes Western Sahara
The United States adopted Saturday a “new official” map of Morocco that includes the disputed territory of Western Sahara, the ambassador to Rabat said.
“This map is a tangible representation of President Trump’s bold proclamation two days ago — recognising Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara,” Ambassador David Fischer said according to a statement seen by AFP. – Africanews
Lebanon’s battered economy spurs smuggling across Syrian border
The border region between Lebanon and Syria in Baalbek-Hermel in eastern Lebanon often experiences security tensions that rise and fall depending on the smuggling operations being carried out there.
On Saturday, Syrian army border guards fired at a number of young men at one of the illegal crossings, known as the Arida border crossing, in the border village of Al-Qasr, killing one Lebanese man and wounding another. – Arab News
SoftBank-backed India’s Ola to invest US$326 million in electric-scooter plant
Indian ride-hailing firm Ola, backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group, said on Monday it planned to invest 24 billion rupees (US$326 million) to set up a factory in the southern state of Tamil Nadu to produce electric scooters. – CNA
