1. Brexit negotiations are getting close to an agreement
2. Vaccination in the UK starts tomorrow
3. US stimulus package has received a signal of progress

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Brexit Negotiations are Getting Close to an Agreement

The Brexit talks, which have been the scene of very tense moments in recent days, are progressing on a knife-edge despite the hope of agreement on some issues.

In a joint statement made after Sunday’s talks between the UK and the EU, it was stated that the issues of fishing, competition regulations and the implementation of the agreement to be reached are still causing problems and that “no agreement will be possible until a consensus is reached on these issues”.

It was stated that there was hope for an agreement on fishing, which is one of the most important disputes between the two sides.

Bloomberg’s report pointed out that progress was made at an important nodal point that locked the deals. According to sources close to the subject who spoke to Bloomberg, both sides came close to an agreement on the article regulating the EU’s access to British waters in fishing, which is the key point for the realization of the agreement. The issue of equalizing the competition between the two trade regimes awaits a solution.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen will review progress on Monday. Britain will leave the EU on December 31st, with or without an agreement. Until this date, controversial issues must be resolved this week in order to bring a trade agreement to parliaments.

Minister Eustice stated that: “The agreement has not been reached yet, but I am not going to deny that there has been a setback at the end of last week. The main conflict issues are still ongoing. These are very fundamental issues. We have been saying from the beginning that we can reach an agreement if our sovereignty is respected. I think we are probably going through the last days to decide whether an agreement will be reached.”

It was decided that the parties will meet again on Monday evening and continue the negotiations.

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Vaccination in the UK Starts Tomorrow

Shipments of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech were delivered Sunday to the UK. in super-cold containers.

British Ministry of Health stated that Tuesday the largest vaccination application in the history of England will begin. Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be there for the start of the vaccination program on Tuesday.

It was noted that the vaccines distributed to 50 different vaccination centers in the country will be administered first to those who stay in nursing homes,health workers and those over 80 years old, as stated in the list of priorities published by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) on December 2.

Health Minister Matt Hancock stated that the vaccination program, which will begin on December 8, is a “historic moment” and added that,

“I urge everyone to do their part to suppress this epidemic and follow local restrictions to protect the National Health Service (NHS) while carrying out this very important work.”

Speaking to the BBC, the director of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), Dr. June Raine urged people to trust this vaccine.

Raine pointed out that the MHRA will carefully monitor the safety issues after the vaccines are introduced and that they are still not done.

US Stimulus Package has Received a Signal of Progress

In the USA, the stimulus package against the pandemic, which the public has been waiting for a long time, has received a signal of progress. It was stated that the US President Donald Trump could sign a stimulus  package of $ 908 billion.

Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the talks, stated that several issues are still being negotiated and that he is waiting for the package to come out before Christmas.

While the negotiated package extends unemployment benefits and tenants’ moratorium, this time it does not include direct cash assistance of $ 1,200 per person, unlike the previous package. Dick Durbin told ABC News on Sunday that such $1,200 direct payment cheques would cost an extra $300bn.

In the US, President of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the US Senate Minority Leader Democrat Chuck Schumer stated that the size of $ 908 billion in the new stimulus package should form the basis of the negotiations.

Democrats, who had previously offered a $2.4 trillion package, prepared a new $ 908 billion package offer, which was perceived by the US public as a compromise step. After this proposal came to the agenda, there was an expectation that the negotiations on the package, which have been going on for six months, will yield results before the end of the year.