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VOA NEWSDecember 10, 2020This is VOA news. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed on Wednesday they have until Sunday to take a "firm decision" about the future of trade talks.After what the prime minister's office said was a "frank discussion" over dinner in Brussels, the two sides agreed there remained "very large gaps" between them.In a statement von der Leyen wrote, "We had a lively and interesting discussion on the state of play across the list of outstanding issues. We gained a clear understanding of each other's positions. They remain far apart."The talks have stalled over several issues including fishing rights and competition rules.Britain left the EU on January 31 but remains in its economic structures until the end of the year. A serious economic rupture could occur January 1 if there is no trade agreement.Federal regulators on Wednesday sued to force the breakup of Facebook as 48 states and districts accused the company in a separate lawsuit of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. We get more from AP's Ed Donahue.The Federal Trade Commission wants Facebook to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying it's trying to eliminate competition.New York Attorney General Letitia James says the states have similar worries."... unchecked power of corporations who continue to maintain monopoly power by setting the terms for how it uses private data ...."The FTC fined Facebook $5 billion last year for privacy violations.James says Facebook needs to be reigned in."... their efforts to suppress innovation, and to cut privacy protections, to monetize data ....Facebook says government action punishes successful businesses.Ed Donahue, Washington.Find more at our website . This is VOA news.President-elect Joe Biden said it was the "right moment" in U.S. history for his nominee for defense secretary, retired Army General Lloyd Austin, despite some concerns about the recently out-of-uniform soldier taking on the civilian role.In announcing his pick in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden called Austin "the right person for this job at the right moment.""He was the first African American general officer to lead the army corps in combat. He was the first African American to command an entire theatre of war. And if confirmed, he will be the first African American to helm the Defense Department."The choice of Austin requires both houses of Congress to waive a law requiring the military's top brass to have been out of the armed forces for at least seven years before running the Pentagon. The 67-year-old Austin retired in 2016.President-elect Joe Biden's son is facing a federal tax investigation. We get more from AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani.In a statement from his father's transitional office, Hunter Biden says he learned yesterday about an investigation into what he calls his "tax affairs" without giving any details that renews the spotlight on questions about his financial dealings that plagued Joe Biden's campaign.President Trump has long targeted Hunter Biden, accusing him of profiting off his political connections.The disclosure of the probe comes as the president-election chooses his cabinet. His attorney general could have oversight of the investigation if it's still ongoing when Joe Biden's sworn in January 20.Sagar Meghani, Washington.Health authorities have been trying to figure out what it will take to get people to trust the shots they're calling "the light at the end of the tunnel" and they're calling attention to racial disparities. AP's Jennifer King reports.COVID-19 has killed or hospitalized minorities at far higher rates. But a new AP-NORC poll found that while 53 percent of white Americans say they'll get vaccinated, only 24 percent of Black Americans and 34 percent of Hispanics say they will.Dr. Ala Stanford is a founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. She doesn't wanna see minority frontline workers get left out of the vaccine distribution."If we use them under the current criteria, they will be excluded."She spoke about disparities in a seminar hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.Jennifer King, mercial flights with the Boeing 737 Max jetliners resumed Wednesday for the first time since they were grounded.Brazil's Gol Airlines became the first in the world to return the plane to its active fleet. Gol is set to start regular service on December 18 with several daily flights between S?o Paulo and other major Brazilian cities.Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news. ................
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