• The number of people in France who have died from COVID-19 infections in hospitals rose by 313 in 24 hours to 37,002.
• The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases now totals 2,244,635,

• President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian authorities on Wednesday to begin mass voluntary vaccinations against COVID-19 next week as Russia recorded 589 new daily deaths from the coronavirus.

• The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator told member states’ envoys on Wednesday that negotiations on a trade deal with Britain were reaching “a make-or-break moment”, and they urged him not to be rushed into an unsatisfactory agreement.

• Afghan government and Taliban representatives said on Wednesday they had reached a preliminary deal to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the United Nations and Washington.

• On Wednesday, the democratically-elected Afghan government and the Taliban reached a milestone agreement, which would pave the way for a comprehensive ceasefire and a political roadmap.

If they cannot maintain physical distancing of at least one meter (3 ft), people in those indoor locations – including children and students aged 12 or over – should also wear a mask even if the spaces are well ventilated, it said in a tightening of its guidelines.

• Authorities also reported 25,345 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, including 5,191 in the capital Moscow, and 3,684 in St Petersburg, bringing the national cumulative tally to 2,347,401.

• Gowin did not indicate what the unemployment rate might be in November.

• Greenpeace campaigner Kate Simcock said Ardern's action on climate did not match her rhetoric.

• The New York Times reported that Trump has discussed granting preemptive pardons to his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, his three oldest children and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

• But it is now facing a third wave of the disease, reporting record numbers of daily infections nationwide in recent weeks.

• Italy was the first Western country hit by the virus, registering 56,361 COVID-19 deaths since the outbreak emerged in February, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain's.

• Republican officials have accused tech firms of censoring conservative voices and grilled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey during congressional hearings earlier in November.

• Health workers could wear N95 masks if available when caring for COVID-19 patients, but the only proven protection is when they are doing aerosol-generating procedures.

• "It's the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again," he said, after regulators gave the green light in a world first.

• Biden has targeted Beijing on several fronts and singled out Chinese President Xi Jinping during a debate with other presidential candidates in February.

• Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

• The United States has called China’s use of a digitally manipulated image of an Australian soldier a “new low”, weighing in on the dispute between Canberra and Beijing over the tweet.

• The Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert in several areas across both states and suspended fishing activity in some areas until Friday.

• British leaders said that, while they would love to get a jab themselves, priority had to be given to those most in need - the elderly, those in care homes and health workers.

• "More than 900 fighters from pro-Ankara factions have returned to Syria in several waves," the latest on November 27, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

• On Wednesday, a further 13,855 coronavirus cases and 609 deaths were reported, health ministry data showed, bringing the total to 1,013,747 confirmed cases and 18,208 deaths.

• Britain is the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, a move that many see as a political coup for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.

The lawyer, Thomas McCarthy, told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan the plaintiffs were “done in by the allegations of their own complaint,” and that their proposed class action concerning the multi-level marketing company American Communications Network belonged in arbitration.

A proposed memorandum of understanding on intelligence sharing, which has not previously been reported, has yet to be finalized by the U.S. and Honduran governments. Still, Honduras has already agreed to a key U.S. recommendation that it rescind authority to shoot down suspected drug trafficking planes flying into the country.

Wong’s sentence comes as critics say the Beijing-backed government is intensifying a crackdown on Hong Kong’s opposition and wide-ranging freedoms guaranteed after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, a charge authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong reject.

• New Zealand promised its public sector would become carbon neutral by 2025 as it declared a climate emergency on Wednesday, a symbolic move that critics said needed to be backed with greater actions to reduce emissions.

• The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week.

• The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday it has made preparations to enable the “immediate mass shipment” of COVID-19 vaccines and completed all necessary regulatory measures.

• A bill requiring Iran’s government to suspend nuclear inspections unless sanctions are lifted, and ignore other restraints on its nuclear programme agreed with major powers, was passed by the hardline-led parliament on Tuesday.

• A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a $908 billion COVID-19 relief bill aimed at breaking a months long deadlock between Democrats and Republicans over new emergency assistance for small businesses, unemployed people, airlines and other industries during the pandemic.

TRIER, (Germany): At least two people were killed and several injured when a car tore through a pedestrian shopping...

SYDNEY: Twitter on Tuesday rebuffed Australian calls to remove a Beijing official's incendiary tweet targeting...

ARECIBO, (Puerto Rico): The Arecibo Observatory telescope in Puerto Rico, which once starred in a James Bond film,...

• It is scheduled for Dec. 8 and will be attended by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and private-sector executives.
• Invitees include Pfizer, Moderna and drug distributors, pharmacies, and logistics companies including McKesson, Walgreens, CVS Health, United Parcel Service , and FedEx.

• Trudeau's comments were a clear indication that the border restrictions will last well into 2021.
• The ban does not affect trade. The two countries have highly integrated economies and Canada sends 75% of its goods exports to the United States every month.

• Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy," Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote on behalf of a unanimous US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals panel.
• Two judges appointed by President George W. Bush, also a Republican, signed onto Bibas' decision.

• Hitting or exceeding 2 percent inflation for a few months does not mean victory.
• With COVID-19 cases surging, the Fed's first priority will to be help bridge economic disruptions by keeping rates near zero.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif is desperate to blame the Kingdom for anything negative that happens in Iran.
• Both Israel and Saudi Arabia have recently ramped up rhetoric against Iran, which is locked in several proxy wars with Riyadh in the region.

• The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus.
• The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.

• The new tax was mentioned in a fiscal document published on Monday, though few details were given.
• Speculative demand from foreign, non-resident investors contributes to unaffordable housing prices for many Canadians.

• ISM manufacturing index falls 1.8 pts to 57.5 in November.
• New orders, employment measures decline.
• Construction spending increases 1.3% in October.

• It's an American tragedy and it's essential that we move with urgency. Inaction will produce a self-reinforcing downturn, causing yet more devastation.
• Yellen and other advisers have also expressed support for government stimulus to maximize employment.

• We must guarantee we have a vaccine available which is effective in stopping COVID and which permits us to reach on the same day all countries of Europe.
• There is no Plan B to approving the budget and recovery fund at the next council on the 10th and 11th December.