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This is the world in brief from The Economist.

Our top stories, Donald Trump chose Scott Bessant to lead the Treasury Department.

The hedge fund manager supports tariffs, at least as a negotiating tool, and yet investors regard him as a safe

pair of hands considering the more extreme candidates in contention. Mr. Besant also wants to cut

taxes and cancel Joe Biden's green energy subsidies. Unlike the president-elect, he has warned

about yawning government debt.

North Volt filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in America. The Swedish battery maker had piled up

$5.8 billion in debt. Its co-founder, Peter Colson, quit as chief executive.

The firm was seen by many as Europe's best chance to challenge Asia's dominance in the electric vehicle sector. It raised more than $15 billion in investments, including from Volkswagen and the German government, but struggled to scale up production.

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money case cancelled the President-elect's sentencing,

which was due next week. He did not reschedule it. Mr. Trump, who was convicted in May of 34

felonies, is arguing that his case should be dismissed because sentencing would

interfere with his presidential transition. The judge gave Mr. Trump's lawyers a deadline of early

December to formally make the argument. America banned 29 Chinese companies from bringing a range

of food and metals to its market over alleged human rights abuses.

America suspects that the goods were produced with forced labor involving Uyghurs, a minority in China's northwest province of Xinjiang.

It is the biggest single addition to the blacklist of more than 100 companies

...