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    "780a84f52bab8e1971d4e83b40b3e21d": "{"title": "Is there Life After the Oil Apocalypse?", "lead": "Traders, refiners and infrastructure companies have been scrambling to find fuel storage alternatives to onshore tanks amid an oil glut after COVID-19 lockdowns crippled demand and crude prices nosedived to all-time lows.\n", "text": "Oil storage facilities have been predicted to reach their maximum capacity by mid-May, wreaking additional havoc on the critical commodity market, Goldman Sachs analysts have predicted, quoted by Marketsinsider.\nThe dire forecast applies to both ground storage and floating tankers.\nCrude prices have been hovering around historic lows as the coronavirus pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns crippled demand, with producers scrambling to deal with the massive oversupply.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AP Photo / Eric GayThe sun sets behind an idle pump jack near Karnes City, Texas, Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Demand for oil continues to fall due to the new coronavirus outbreak\nThis April has been defined by oil analytics as the most difficult month in the history of the oil industry, as demand for black gold collapsed due to a sharp decline in economic activity in all developed countries against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and massive quarantine measures.\nMay, however, brings a new challenge for the industry.\nThe world is fast running out of storage space for oil. At the end of April South Korea reported that its crude storage facilities were full, with a similar situation observed at Singapore's onshore reservoirs.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AFP 2020 / PAUL RATJECrude oil and water tanks are pictured on April 24, 2020 near Midland, Texas. \nIn India, refineries have already utilized 95 per cent of their storage capacity, and Europe is forecast to be heading in the same direction, as oil supplies to Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK exceed demand by 50 million barrels per week, with the US oil hub in Cushing signaling its storage facilities were 81 per cent full.\n\u201cWe are moving into the end-game\u2026 Early-to-mid May could be the peak. We are weeks, not months, away from it,\u201d Torbjorn Tornqvist, head of commodity trading giant Gunvor Group Ltd., was cited by Bloomberg as saying.\nA slightly more optimistic forecast was offered by Florian Thaler at Oilx, a research firm which uses the satellite data.\n\u201cWe are on a path to global tank tops in late May or early June,\u201d he said.\nAs the satellite bounces radar signals off metal tanks that store oil, the data is used to calculate how much crude is inside.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    REUTERS / Jean-Paul PelissierAn oil tanker sits anchored off the Fos-Lavera oil hub near Marseille, France, September 17\nWith diverse infrastructure companies challenged to find space to stow crude, supertankers have been increasingly resorted to as a floating oil storage facilities.\nAccording to estimates by the Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco, this is the function that every tenth VLCC class supertanker capable of taking on board up to two million barrels has been entrusted with.\nKey ports around the world have been witnessing a congestion of vessels being used for floating storage.\nOn 24 April US Coast Guard was monitoring 27 tankers off the coast of Southern California, with a similar situation in Singapore, where about 60 clean-fuel tankers are at a standstill.\nMarket intelligence group Vortexa was cited by Oil and Gas Facilities journal as confirming growing clusters of floating storage outside refining centers in Asia signal onshore storage capacity nearing limits.\nSpecter of Shut-Downs\nAgainst the looming prospect of production shutdowns, and the potentially devastating impact this could have on jobs, companies, banks, and local economies, on 12 April Saudi Arabia, Russia and other petroleum-exporting nations within OPEC+ agreed to slash their oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day through June in the single largest output cut in history.\nUnder the deal, signatories commit to cutting production by 23 percent throughout May-June, then by 18 percent throughout July-December, and then by 14 percent thereafter until April 2022, with the baseline level set on October 2018.\nHowever, the scale of the crisis is believed by some experts to have dwarfed the efforts for the time being, with production shutdowns cited as a worst-case scenario.\nThe crude glut sent prices for May oil contracts slipping below zero in trading on 20 April, breaking new post-war lows for black gold.\nGoldman Sachs predicts crude demand sliding by 18 million barrels per day in mid-May.\nThe analytics cited by Business Insider add that a sum nearly double what OPEC+ pledged to cut at its April meeting would be needed to cushion the fallout from the market slump, which would require \u201ca near equal amount of supply\u201d slashed.\nA halt in production would bring with it another challenge \u2013 that of restarting the production.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AFP 2020 / PRAKASH SINGHEmployees of a petrol pump wait for customers in New Delhi on September 2, 2013. India is considering closing fuel pumps at night as one of a number of \"austerity measures\" aimed at cutting its ballooning oil import bills, the oil minister said.\nThis, in turn, would trigger an L-shaped trend in supply rebound.\nGoldman forecast that a global supply overhang won\u2019t arrive until mid-2021.\nSlight Signs of Optimism\nWhile concerns about storage overcapacity and the risk of a new round in the US-China tariff war drove oil prices to drop earlier in the week, Brent crude price rose to more than $32 per barrel on 5 May, for the first time since 14 April, according to market data.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AP Photo / Rick RycroftA man stands in the viewing gallery at the Australian Stock Exchange in Sydney, Monday, March 9, 2020\nThe price for July futures of Brent rose by 17.9 percent to\u00a0 $32.06 per barrel, while June futures for WTI oil went up by 24.28 percent to $25.34.\nOptimism has surged among investors\u00a0as countries gradually announce plans to begin easing coronavirus lockdowns.", "date": "2020-05-05"}",
    "deda236ec00a46a952dcda6711709357": "{"title": "Kim Jong-un Awarded Medal for 'Personal Contribution' in Perpetuating Memory of Soviet Soldiers", "lead": "In order to honour the Soviet soldiers who lost their lives liberating Korea from Imperial Japanese occupation in the summer of 1945, Pyongyang has erected a 30-metre memorial, known as the Liberation Monument.", "text": "Under a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, was awarded a medal commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.\nRussian Ambassador to the DPRK Alexander Matsegora handed the medal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, Lee Song Gwon, on 5 May at Mansudae Assemby Hall in Pyongyang.\nA corresponding decree was posted on Facebook by the Russian embassy in the republic.\nIt is noted that the North Korean leader was awarded for his great personal contribution to perpetuating the memory of Soviet citizens who died and were buried in the republic, as well as for the concern for the preservation of graves and memorials.\nThe Liberation Monument is a well-known landmark in Pyongyang, which was built in 1947 to commemorate Red Army soldiers who died in the battles to liberate Korea from the Japanese occupation during the final stage of World War II.\nKim Jong-un's first visit to Russia took place at the end of April 2019 when he held a meeting with Putin in the city of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Vladimir Putin called the meeting \"sufficiently thorough\", and described Kim Jong-un as a \"quite open\" and interesting person with a \"lot of meaningful things to say\".", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "691a4b5e5520855993d7919565a413af": "{"title": "China Moves to Wean Itself of US Dollar Dependence, Steps Up Testing of Sovereign Digital Currency", "lead": "Reports that China was launching a pilot program to test its ambitious Digital Currency Electronic Payment made headlines in late April, amid the emergence of screenshots on social media showing the DCEP wallet.", "text": "As China expands globally, seeking significant financial autonomy and less dependency on America amid its trade war with Washington, the country has long sought to wean itself from the US-dollar dominated financial system.\nFinally, after years of effort, China is gearing up to release the world\u2019s first sovereign digital currency - DCEP (short for Digital Currency/Electronic Payments).\nChina\u2019s central bank launched a trial program across four cities - Shenzhen, Suzhou, Xiongan and Chengdu - to test the use of its digital currency, touted as incorporating some features of cryptocurrencies, but lacking the anonymity of such digital assets, the Digital Currency Research Institute of the People\u2019s Bank of China confirmed to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).\nThe acknowledgement came in the wake of reports triggered by a spate of screenshots on social media that supposedly showed the DCEP wallet.\n\n\nBreaking: #China Central Bank Digital Currency #DCEP is coming! Pics show that Agriculture Bank of China is making internal test on DCEP wallet, and these pics are real!We downloaded the App and found that the first four pilot areas are Shenzhen, Xiong'an, Chengdu and Suzhou. pic.twitter.com/R0AeVi0eaK\n\u2014 BlockBeats (@BlockBeatsChina) April 14, 2020\n\nDCEP trial runs will be piloted to a small range of banks and end users, eventually spreading to a wider range amid improvements in the technology and system.\nThere are said to be three principal differences between DCEP and existing cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, according to Terry Liu, CEO of VoneChain Technology, a blockchain consultancy based in Shanghai, cited by Wired UK.\nFirst, while Bitcoin is mined, meaning the source is decentralised and controlled by an algorithm, DCEP is government sanctioned and centralized.\n\n            \u00a9\n        CC0 Bitcoin\nSecondly, the underlying technology is different. The blockchain ledger will be controlled by the government and not distributed across the system.\nAnd thirdly, it will operate like a normal currency and be integrated throughout the commercial system, the expert is cited as saying.\nChina-US Verbal War\nChina\u2019s digital currency breakthrough was widely trailed and comes against the backdrop of an escalating war of words with the US.\nAmid the COVID-19 global pandemic and the economic fallout triggered by it, the US has been ramping up accusations against China, claiming it had covered up the initial outbreak of the virus and lacked transparency regarding death toll numbers.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AP Photo / Cheng MinThis Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, photo released by Xinhua News Agency, shows medical workers in protective suits at a coronavirus detection lab in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. The fresh national figures for the disease that emerged in China in December came as the number of viral infections soared mostly in and around the southeastern city of Daegu, where they were linked to a local church and a hospital.\nMore recently, there have been statements uncorroborated by any evidence from US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the virus had originated at a laboratory in Wuhan, where the outbreak started in December 2019.\nChina has emphatically dismissed the speculations as \u201cgroundless accusations\u201d.\nChina\u2019s Long-Sought Ambition\nChina has been seeking to shake off reliance on US dollar settlements that allow Washington to impose unilateral punitive sanctions on companies via the threat of exclusion from the SWIFT dollar settlement system.\nDCEP as part of the further development of an RMB-based trade settlement system could serve to counter what Beijing has branded as \u201cweaponisation of the US dollar\u201d as a foreign policy tool, reported the China Daily on 24 April.\n\"A sovereign digital currency provides a functional alternative to the dollar settlement system and blunts the impact of any sanctions or threats of exclusion both at a country and company level\u201d, said the outlet.\nThe ongoing Covid-19 crisis, with its protocols of social distancing and \"contactless\" payments might also enhance the appeal of a Chinese digital currency, with the launch of Facebook's Libra earlier this year also seen as accelerating China's development of DCEP.\nPreviously, Beijing had taken bold steps to globalize the yuan and enhance its status to match the size of the Chinese economy, futures, yet these ambitions were fraught with challenges.\nFirst and foremost, Chinese authorities restrict yuan conversion and capital outflow.\nWhile not regulating yuan convertibility for trade payments, China imposes restrictions on conversion for capital transactions, Lee Chi-hyun, a researcher at the Korea Center for International Finance, was quoted as saying by Asia Times.\n\u201cFundamentally speaking, for the globalization of the yuan, its value should be stable, and there should be quality yuan assets so that yuan holders can make investment profits out of yuan holdings\u2026 Otherwise, people will not want to hold yuan,\u201d said Lee.\nNow, many experts perceive China\u2019s launch of a digital currency as part of its long-term play to underwrite the globalization of the yuan.", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "a4dbdaf4b2a75fc29f103bb81501b384": "{"title": "COVID-19 Live Updates: UK Death Toll Rises Above 30,000, the Highest Number in Europe", "lead": "The global death toll from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has surpassed 251,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.", "text": "Mainland China has registered, over the past 24 hours, one new case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection; 87 patients have recovered and no deaths have been recorded, the state health committee said in a statement.\nThe number of confirmed cases worldwide stands at 3,582,469, with 251,510 deaths,\u00a0according to Johns Hopkins University.\nThe World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic; its first case was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "d32397522ebdabbe437596b5d2e1850b": "{"title": "US, UK Launch First Round of Talks to Reach Comprehensive Trade Deal - Statement", "lead": "WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday they have launched formal trade talks and hope to move at a quick pace to reach a comprehensive agreement.", "text": "\"In light of the ongoing global pandemic caused by COVID-19, the first round of negotiations will be conducted virtually, with UK and US negotiators engaging in discussions over the next two weeks in nearly 30 different negotiating groups covering all aspects of a comprehensive trade agreement,\" the two leaders said in a joint statement.\n\"Both parties agree that a Free Trade Agreement would contribute to the long-term health of our economies, which is vitally important as we recover from the challenges posed by COVID-19.\"\nThe US-UK talks on the post-Brexit trade deal were originally planned earlier this year but were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "3295193d3010ee4d83cb660b4969b004": "{"title": "Open Sesame: Briton Finds Hidden 'Cavern' Untouched for Decades Beneath His Home", "lead": "The objects uncovered in the underground space appear to suggest that it had remained blocked for over 50 years.", "text": "It appears that passing time at one's residence due to the lockdown prompted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could lead to some unusual discoveries, if the story of one resident of Plymouth, Devon named Jake Brown is any indication.\nAccording to the Daily Star, while doing some work at his newly purchased home, Brown noticed that the texture of one of the walls looked a bit different from the others.\nIntrigued, he proceeded to create an opening large enough to stick his head in and, to his amazement, discovered a sizeable \"cavern\" beneath his residence.\n\"While having a lazy coffee standing outside the basement front door of the property I noticed a patch in the wall of a texture different to the rest\", Jake said. \"I also noted that the patch was the same distance from the coal cellar already exposed, currently used for storage. Curiosity and a little boredom got the better of me, after which I grabbed a drill and began working pilot viewing holes into the wall. Once I had made two holes, one for viewing, one for a torch, I peered through into the dark dusty expanse and realised that it was another cavern of sorts.\"\nBrown's subsequent search of the underground space he uncovered yielded a veritable \"hidden time capsule of items including paint cans and an old newspaper that proved the tunnel had been blocked up for more than 50 years\", the media outlet notes.\nAs local historian Richard Fisher explained, the \"cavern\" discovered by Brown appears to be an old coal cellar.\n\"These early cellars, this one looks to be for coal, were built out not only underneath the pavement but out into the road. The load on the roads would have been much lighter than now\", he said as quoted by the newspaper. \"I have seen these places turned into wine cellars, a place to grow mushrooms, and if big enough, a 'grotto' type bathing area.\"", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "b48b82465b2adedb0e8c2250f7cb11bb": "{"title": "\u20182231 for Dummies\u2019: Iran FM Urges Pompeo to Read UN SC Resolution \u2018Inseparable\u2019 From JCPOA", "lead": "Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was reported by The New York Times as mulling plans to invoke a provision in the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), which the Trump administration pulled out of in 2018, to either seek the extension of an arms embargo on Iran or reimpose even harsher United Nations sanctions.", "text": "Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went on Twitter on Tuesday to underscore the essence of UN Security Council resolution 2231 and urged his American counterpart Mike Pompeo to peruse it, if he hadn\u2019t done so earlier.\n\n\n.@SecPompeo pretends UNSCR 2231 is independent from #JCPOA.He should READ 2231. JCPOA is PART of 2231. That's why it's 104 pages\u2014& why he\u2019s not read it. 2231 for Dummies:-It would NOT EXIST w/o JCPOA-US violated it & prevented others from complying-US has NO standing. pic.twitter.com/HRXasdHWwY\n\u2014 Javad Zarif (@JZarif) May 5, 2020\n\n\u200bTweeting that the US Secretary of State was \u201cpretending\u201d the UNSCR 2231 was independent from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Zarif speculated whether Pompeo had even read the text of the resolution.\nThe Iranian Foreign Minister emphatically stressed that UNSCR 2231 and the JCPOA were \u201cinseparable\u201d.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AP Photo / Jens MeyerIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif\nThe New York Times\u00a0reported on 26 April, citing sources in the Trump administration, that Washington was harboring plans of claiming that the US formally remains a participating nation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) accord, which it unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.\nInvoking the provision, wrote the outlet, would seek to either force an extension of the arms embargo against Iran or re-impose harsher sanctions.\nThe moves were reportedly being deliberated in case the UN Security Council declined reimposing an arms embargo against Tehran after the existing one expires later this year.\n\u201cWe cannot allow the Islamic Republic of Iran to purchase conventional weapons in six months. President Obama should never have agreed to end the U.N. arms embargo\u2026 We are prepared to exercise all of our diplomatic options to ensure the arms embargo stays in place at the U.N. Security Council,\u201d Pompeo was quoted as saying in a statement to the Times.\nIn response to the reports, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged the US Secretary of State to \u201cstop dreaming\u201d, tweeting that the \u201cIranian Nation always decides its destiny.\u201d\n\n\n2 yrs ago, @SecPompeo and his boss declared \"CEASING US participation\" in JCPOA, dreaming that their \"max pressure\" would bring Iran to its knees.Given that policy's abject failure, he now wants to be JCPOA participant.Stop dreaming: Iranian Nation always decides its destiny. pic.twitter.com/FZORsen2oa\n\u2014 Javad Zarif (@JZarif) April 27, 2020\n\n\u200bThe JCPOA was signed by Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union in 2015, in a bid to reach a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.\nAccording to the agreement, Iran was to scale back its nuclear programme and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief.\nMohammad Berno In this Jan. 13, 2015, file photo released by the Iranian President's Office, President Hassan Rouhani visits the Bushehr nuclear power plant just outside of Bushehr, Iran. \nHowever, Donald Trump described the Iran deal as a \"disaster\" and \"the worst deal ever\", unilaterally scrapping it in 2018.\nSince leaving the accord, the United States has\u00a0re-introduced wide-ranging sanctions against Tehran, including sanctions on the oil production sector.\nIn response to the US withdrawal, Tehran also discontinued its commitments.", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "77770fede82e975b6597a96a205fd0c5": "{"title": "Trump Promises US Will Report on Virus' Origin Soon", "lead": "Earlier, Trump and members of his administration claimed they had evidence that the coronavirus was deliberately released from a laboratory in Wuhan. Beijing has strongly rejected the allegations.", "text": "US President Donald Trump said that his country will definitely report on the origin of COVID-19 soon.\n\"We will be reporting very definitively over a period of time,\" he told reporters at the White House.\nTrump also said that\u00a0China should have informed the US about the virus. He added that he has not spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping.\nDr Anthony\u00a0Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, will testify before a Senate panel, Trump told reporters.\n\"Doctor Fauci will be testifying in front of the Senate and he looks forward to doing that,\" Trump said.\nLast week, Fauci was blocked from\u00a0testifying on the Trump administration's response to the pandemic. White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said it would be counterproductive for Fauci to testify before Congress while dealing with the ongoing battle against COVID-19.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AFP 2020 / HECTOR RETAMALA medical worker prepares to check the temperature of an AFP photojournalist before a COVID-19 coronavirus test in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on April 16, 2020. \nThe US President has been lashing out at China for allegedly concealing the outbreak and mismanaging the crisis in its initial stages. Trump claims intelligence data suggests that the coronavirus leaked from a lab in the city of Wuhan. The World Health Organisation, however, says that the genome sequencing indicates that the virus's source is natural.\nOn Detention of US Citizens in Venezuela\nThe US President also commented on the situation in Venezuela, where President Maduro said that two US citizens were detained, adding that they worked with a US military veteran who claimed responsibility for a failed armed invasion.\n\u201cWe have just heard about it. Whatever it is, we will let you know. It has nothing to do with our government,\u201d Trump told reporters.\nVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said earlier that two US citizens, whom he called Trump's security guards, were among people detained for a recent attempt to invade the country.\nOn Sunday, Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said Colombian militants had tried to invade the northern state of La Guaira on speed boats early in the morning. Maduro said the incursion had aimed to assassinate him. Eight militants were killed, and two others were captured in the counter-operation. Later reports said another eight people had been detained.", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "a8dec849d3ed2996b5fa0128cd5809c1": "{"title": "UK Vows to Drive 'Hard Bargain' in Resuming UK-US Trade Talks on Ambitious Post-Brexit Deal", "lead": "Boris Johnson has long argued for an ambitious free trade agreement with Washington post-Brexit, seeking to open up opportunities for British businesses and investors, amid warnings from critics that a deal with the US will require accepting looser US food and environmental standards, and risks opening up the NHS to American firms.", "text": "The UK and the United States are embarking on talks to forge an \"ambitious\" post-Brexit free trade deal on Tuesday, after negotiations were postponed earlier in the year due to coronavirus pandemic concerns.\nThe talks will be opened via a video conference call between Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, and Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative.\n\n\nThis week we will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement with our friends and allies the USA \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2.We will be working to bring benefits to all parts of \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 and boost our economies during #coronavirus recovery. #workingtogether\ud83d\udc47 https://t.co/3AkyJpYWBe\n\u2014 Liz Truss (@trussliz) May 3, 2020\n\n\u200bSome 100 negotiators will be involved in talks on both sides as the first round is set to last around two weeks and cover trade in goods and services, digital trade, two-way investment and support for small and medium-sized businesses.\nSubsequently, approximately every six weeks remote rounds of talks will be held until the situation around COVID-19 allows for safe travel.\nTalks will be led at official level by Oliver Griffiths of the UK Department for International Trade and Daniel Mullaney, the assistant US trade representative for Europe and the Middle East.\nWhen questioned regarding how long the process might take, Downing Street was cited as saying both sides seek as quick progress as possible.\nA \u2018Hard Bargain\u2019\nAhead of the first session, Truss said a deal would help both countries' economies to \"bounce back\" after the coronavirus crisis.\n\"We want to strike an ambitious deal that opens up new opportunities for our businesses, brings in more investment and creates better jobs for people across the whole of the country\u2026 The Prime Minister has been clear that we champion free trade and this deal will make it even easier to do business with our friends across the pond.\"\nThe International Trade Secretary echoed Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s earlier pledge to \u201cdrive a hard bargain\u201d in negotiations with Washington, as the UK will seek to lower tariffs on exports and boost trade in services.\n\"As we sit down at the negotiating table today be assured that we will drive a hard bargain to secure a deal that benefits individuals and businesses in every region and nation of the UK.\"\n\u2018Sticking Points\u2019\nIn a government press release at the start of March Boris Johnson sought to allay fears that disagreements between London and Washington could undermine the launch of talks, and addressed concerns among the British electorate that the US would seek access to the National Health Service (NHS). As he underscored that the government remains committed to keeping the health service universal and free at the point of use, Johnson said:\n\u201cTrading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations.\u201d\nThe US accounted for nearly 19 percent of all UK exports in 2018 and 11 percent of imports.\nBoris Johnson has long argued that a free trade deal with the US was one of the \u201cprizes\u201d to be gained post-Brexit.\nIn an 180-page document detailing the UK's objectives in March, ministers set out hopes for lower trade barriers for British car manufacturers, ceramics makers and producers of products such as cheddar cheese, while vowing to maintain consumer and environmental standards.\nDowning Street has also reiterated that the National Health Service would be \u201coff the table\u201d.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    REUTERS / Carl RecineNHS signs are seen outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Birmingham, Britain, April 23, 2020. \nHowever, Washington is aiming to secure more access to UK markets for its farmers, which critics have warned will require Britain to accept looser US food and environmental standards.\nA major sticking point has been the UK ban on imports of chicken washed in chlorine and other disinfectants.\nCurrently, EU rules limit US exports of certain food products, including chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-boosted beef.\nHowever, a Downing Street spokeswoman was quoted by the BBC as saying:\n\"We have always been very clear that we will not lower our food standards as part of a future trading agreement.\"\nAnother point of conflict between London and the UK has been Boris Johnson\u2019s decision to grant China\u2019s Huawei access to the UK\u2019s 5G system.\nIn February, Donald Trump\u2019s acting chief of staff warned of \u201ca direct and dramatic impact\u201d was possible on the sharing of intelligence between the US and UK if Boris Johnson\u2019s government goes ahead with allowing the Huawei equipment to be used in building the British 5G mobile phone network.\nBritain\u2019s spy agencies have insisted any alleged surveillance risk from Huawei, which Washington has used as an argument to press its case, can be contained, and that they are familiar with the Chinese company\u2019s technology, used in both 3G and 4G networks.\n\u2018Massive Deal\u2019\nAs US President Donald Trump congratulated Boris Johnson on his victory in the UK general election in December 2019, he had lauded the win as an opportunity for a \"massive\" trade deal between the two countries.\nTrump had tweeted that any post-Brexit trade deal between them would be \"more lucrative than any deal that could be made\" with the EU.\n\n\nCongratulations to Boris Johnson on his great WIN! Britain and the United States will now be free to strike a massive new Trade Deal after BREXIT. This deal has the potential to be far bigger and more lucrative than any deal that could be made with the E.U. Celebrate Boris!\n\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2019\n\n\u200bAlthough Donald Trump has often underscored he hopes to negotiate a swift deal, experts claim typically international trade agreements require years to complete.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AP Photo / Evan VucciPresident Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson\nThe UK government has estimated that lower goods tariffs on such exports to the US as cars, ceramics, food and drinks, as well as a trade package on services, among other things, could help boost the economy by between 0.07 percent and 0.16 percent over the next five years, depending on the exact terms of the agreement.\nThose wary of Brexit have been warning that better trade terms with Washington would not go far towards compensating for a more \u201ceconomically distant\u201d relationship with the EU, with whom the UK is in the process of hammering out a new trading relationship after its exit from the bloc on 31 January.", "date": "2020-05-04"}",
    "sadfasdf": "{"title": "UK Vows to Drive 'Hard Bargain' in Resuming UK-US Trade Talks on Ambitious Post-Brexit Deal", "lead": "Boris Johnson has long argued for an ambitious free trade agreement with Washington post-Brexit, seeking to open up opportunities for British businesses and investors, amid warnings from critics that a deal with the US will require accepting looser US food and environmental standards, and risks opening up the NHS to American firms.", "text": "The UK and the United States are embarking on talks to forge an \"ambitious\" post-Brexit free trade deal on Tuesday, after negotiations were postponed earlier in the year due to coronavirus pandemic concerns.\nThe talks will be opened via a video conference call between Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, and Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative.\n\n\nThis week we will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement with our friends and allies the USA \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2.We will be working to bring benefits to all parts of \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 and boost our economies during #coronavirus recovery. #workingtogether\ud83d\udc47 https://t.co/3AkyJpYWBe\n\u2014 Liz Truss (@trussliz) May 3, 2020\n\n\u200bSome 100 negotiators will be involved in talks on both sides as the first round is set to last around two weeks and cover trade in goods and services, digital trade, two-way investment and support for small and medium-sized businesses.\nSubsequently, approximately every six weeks remote rounds of talks will be held until the situation around COVID-19 allows for safe travel.\nTalks will be led at official level by Oliver Griffiths of the UK Department for International Trade and Daniel Mullaney, the assistant US trade representative for Europe and the Middle East.\nWhen questioned regarding how long the process might take, Downing Street was cited as saying both sides seek as quick progress as possible.\nA \u2018Hard Bargain\u2019\nAhead of the first session, Truss said a deal would help both countries' economies to \"bounce back\" after the coronavirus crisis.\n\"We want to strike an ambitious deal that opens up new opportunities for our businesses, brings in more investment and creates better jobs for people across the whole of the country\u2026 The Prime Minister has been clear that we champion free trade and this deal will make it even easier to do business with our friends across the pond.\"\nThe International Trade Secretary echoed Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s earlier pledge to \u201cdrive a hard bargain\u201d in negotiations with Washington, as the UK will seek to lower tariffs on exports and boost trade in services.\n\"As we sit down at the negotiating table today be assured that we will drive a hard bargain to secure a deal that benefits individuals and businesses in every region and nation of the UK.\"\n\u2018Sticking Points\u2019\nIn a government press release at the start of March Boris Johnson sought to allay fears that disagreements between London and Washington could undermine the launch of talks, and addressed concerns among the British electorate that the US would seek access to the National Health Service (NHS). As he underscored that the government remains committed to keeping the health service universal and free at the point of use, Johnson said:\n\u201cTrading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations.\u201d\nThe US accounted for nearly 19 percent of all UK exports in 2018 and 11 percent of imports.\nBoris Johnson has long argued that a free trade deal with the US was one of the \u201cprizes\u201d to be gained post-Brexit.\nIn an 180-page document detailing the UK's objectives in March, ministers set out hopes for lower trade barriers for British car manufacturers, ceramics makers and producers of products such as cheddar cheese, while vowing to maintain consumer and environmental standards.\nDowning Street has also reiterated that the National Health Service would be \u201coff the table\u201d.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    REUTERS / Carl RecineNHS signs are seen outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Birmingham, Britain, April 23, 2020. \nHowever, Washington is aiming to secure more access to UK markets for its farmers, which critics have warned will require Britain to accept looser US food and environmental standards.\nA major sticking point has been the UK ban on imports of chicken washed in chlorine and other disinfectants.\nCurrently, EU rules limit US exports of certain food products, including chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-boosted beef.\nHowever, a Downing Street spokeswoman was quoted by the BBC as saying:\n\"We have always been very clear that we will not lower our food standards as part of a future trading agreement.\"\nAnother point of conflict between London and the UK has been Boris Johnson\u2019s decision to grant China\u2019s Huawei access to the UK\u2019s 5G system.\nIn February, Donald Trump\u2019s acting chief of staff warned of \u201ca direct and dramatic impact\u201d was possible on the sharing of intelligence between the US and UK if Boris Johnson\u2019s government goes ahead with allowing the Huawei equipment to be used in building the British 5G mobile phone network.\nBritain\u2019s spy agencies have insisted any alleged surveillance risk from Huawei, which Washington has used as an argument to press its case, can be contained, and that they are familiar with the Chinese company\u2019s technology, used in both 3G and 4G networks.\n\u2018Massive Deal\u2019\nAs US President Donald Trump congratulated Boris Johnson on his victory in the UK general election in December 2019, he had lauded the win as an opportunity for a \"massive\" trade deal between the two countries.\nTrump had tweeted that any post-Brexit trade deal between them would be \"more lucrative than any deal that could be made\" with the EU.\n\n\nCongratulations to Boris Johnson on his great WIN! Britain and the United States will now be free to strike a massive new Trade Deal after BREXIT. This deal has the potential to be far bigger and more lucrative than any deal that could be made with the E.U. Celebrate Boris!\n\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2019\n\n\u200bAlthough Donald Trump has often underscored he hopes to negotiate a swift deal, experts claim typically international trade agreements require years to complete.\n\n                        \u00a9\n                    AP Photo / Evan VucciPresident Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson\nThe UK government has estimated that lower goods tariffs on such exports to the US as cars, ceramics, food and drinks, as well as a trade package on services, among other things, could help boost the economy by between 0.07 percent and 0.16 percent over the next five years, depending on the exact terms of the agreement.\nThose wary of Brexit have been warning that better trade terms with Washington would not go far towards compensating for a more \u201ceconomically distant\u201d relationship with the EU, with whom the UK is in the process of hammering out a new trading relationship after its exit from the bloc on 31 January.", "date": "2020-05-04"}"
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