December 29, Tuesday, 2020 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

  1. With less than a month to go before he takes office, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has criticized senior officials of some federal agencies for their lack of cooperation with his transition team. Biden says many of the agencies had been “hallowed out” under President Donald Trump.              2. The United States and Britain have expressed concern over a trial of Hong Kong activists accused of smuggling themselves to Taiwan.                                                                                                  3. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have reaffirmed their alliance ahead of a change of the U.S. government in January.