News Archives for World - 2020-12-14

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World - 2020-12-14

South Asia

China plans set up of new disease control agency in COVID-19 aftermath

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and spread globally, reaching 220 countries and territories.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:47pm

Europe

Netherlands set for toughest lockdown yet over Christmas

This would make the lockdown stricter than the one imposed during the first COVID-19 wave between March and May, when schools were closed but shops could open.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:43pm

USA

U.S. Congress in sprint to fund government, approve COVID-19 emergency aid

The U.S. Congress will try this week to end months of indecision and infighting over the federal government’s budget priorities and coronavirus aid, with more than $2 trillion in funding from Washington potentially at stake.
Without a deal, the government must begin shutting non-emergency programs and furloughing many workers.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:34pm

USA

Toronto hospital to begin COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday

Vaccines have arrived at the Toronto's University Health Network hospital and a "small number" will receive the shots, he added.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:26pm

Biotech, pharma investments on VC radar in 2021 – PitchBook

VC investment in the biopharma space is likely to surpass $20 billion in 2021, driven by the need to fund trials and build out research and development programs, as clinical trials resume and elective procedures restart.
A total of 162 SPACs listed so far this year have raised $55 billion, an increase of 501.8% on capital raised and 295.1% in count from 2019.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:22pm

USA

Mexico says Pfizer vaccine doses could arrive in 5-8 days

"The request is being made today, and according to our contract, we could have it here in a period of something like five to eight days,"

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:21pm

Europe

Germany's stricter lockdown increases recession risks

The economy rebounded by a stronger-than-expected 8.5pc in the third quarter, driven by higher consumer spending and booming exports.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:17pm

Europe

London to move into toughest tier of COVID-19 restrictions – report

More than 40% of citizens were placed in the highest risk category.
“Moving into Tier 3 before Christmas will be deeply disappointing for Londoners, and a terrible blow to the capital’s hospitality, leisure and cultural sectors,” said John Dickie, Director of Strategy and Policy at business campaign group London First.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 08:12pm

AstraZeneca UK vaccine trial drops sub-group with children: U.S. trial register

AstraZeneca, which is developing the vaccine along with the University of Oxford, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 07:33pm

Europe

UK not aware of any impact from U.S. hacking, says PM's spokesman

Hackers believed to be working for Russia have been monitoring internal email traffic at the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, according to people familiar with the matter.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 07:27pm

Europe

Russia repeats 91.4pc efficacy rate in new COVID-19 vaccine data

The new results are based on data from 22,714 participants in the trial, and were published after 78 confirmed coronavirus cases were reported among the group.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 07:26pm

Europe

Moderna expects European approval for COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 12

"We expect approval for the EU and thus for Germany on Jan. 12," Dan Staner was quoted as saying on Monday. "As soon as we have received the approval, we can deliver."

Published 14 Dec, 2020 07:22pm

South Asia

Afghan peace negotiations suspended till January 5

The Afghan government and the Taliban's negotiation teams have announced in Doha that they will be taking a 20-day break in talks to "consult on the agenda items".
The talks are expected to resume on the 5th of January 2021.

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 07:18pm

Africa

J&J has applied to South Africa for registering COVID-19 vaccine, says regulator

South Africa is currently the worst-hit country in the continent in terms of coronavirus infections and has entered a second wave.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:39pm

South Asia

Phillips 66 expects to spend 43pc less in 2021

The company said market conditions "remain challenged" after the COVID-19 pandemic decimated fuel demand for most of 2020.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:32pm

Europe

London likely to move into toughest tier of COVID-19 restrictions

A countrywide review of the tier system is scheduled to take place on Dec. 16, although London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was possible a decision on London could come as early as Monday.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:28pm

South Asia

Japan's PM to suspend travel campaign around New Year to contain virus

The country recorded more than 3,000 new infections for the first time in one day on Saturday and Tokyo, Japan's largest city, confirmed 621 new cases.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:21pm

Iran's missile programme is non-negotiable, says Rouhani

Biden appears to see a return to the 2015 international nuclear deal as a prelude to wider talks on Iran's nuclear work, its ballistic missiles and regional activities.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:17pm

Europe

EU to continue post-Brexit talks as long as there is chance for deal: Germany

"Negotiations continue although all deadlines have been broken, and we think this is the right thing to do," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:14pm

Pfizer CEO says in talks with U.S. on more COVID-19 shots

Pfizer is still negotiating with the U.S. on whether it will be able to deliver the vaccine in the second or third quarter of the year.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 06:13pm

South Asia

Indian farmers step up pressure with hunger strike against reforms

Leaders of protesting Indian farmers began a one-day hunger strike on Monday against agricultural reforms they say threaten their livelihoods.
Small growers fear the changes, part of Modi’s liberalising reforms, will mean the end of price support for staples such as wheat and rice and leave them at the mercy of big business.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 05:59pm

Europe

UK hopeful for EU trade deal, gaps still remain, says PM's spokesman

"We remain hopeful of reaching an agreement ... No deal is a possible outcome ... But we've been clear that we will continue to work to reach a free trade agreement,"

Published 14 Dec, 2020 05:56pm

Google Down while Gmail, YouTube and other services disrupted amid a global outage

As of reportedly 4:40PM (Pakistan Standard Time), Google, Gmail, YouTube and other related services are experiencing a global outage.
As of 5:38PM (Pakistan Standard Time), most services have been restored.

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 05:45pm

Europe

UK and EU still apart on Brexit but PM doesn't want to walk yet: minister

"People expect us, businesses expect us in the UK to go the extra mile and that's precisely what we're doing," Sharma said.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 04:22pm

South Asia

China urges U.S. to stop abusing state power to crack down on foreign firms

Nasdaq said on Friday it will remove shares of four Chinese construction and manufacturing companies from the indexes on Dec. 21.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 04:17pm

Europe

Russia reports 27,328 new coronavirus cases

Authorities said 450 people had died overnight, taking the official death toll to 47,391.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 04:13pm

Europe

Irish PM hopeful of Brexit deal, still significant challenges

"You're right, the real end deadline is New Year's Eve but I think both sides are very possessed of the need to get outcomes to these negotiations in the next number of days," he added.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:56pm

USA

U.S. lawmakers plan to split $908 billion COVID-19 plan into two parts: source

A $908 billion bipartisan COVID-19 relief plan set to be introduced in the U.S. Congress as early as Monday will be split into two packages in a bid to win approval.
One of the sponsors of the $908 billion plan, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, said earlier on Sunday it would be introduced formally on Monday.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:41pm

Police in India target Muslims under 'love jihad' law

Uttar Pradesh police arrested at least 10 Muslim men under Hindu right-wing conspiracy theory
The idea has been used to justify legislation enacted in Uttar Pradesh and is proposed in four other Indian states

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:35pm

South Asia

Japan to decide on third extra budget to ease COVID-19 pain

The extra budget comes a week before next fiscal year's annual budget draft is due to be decided, both of which will be rolled out together as a 15-month budget.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:30pm

Europe

EU's Barnier says ‘next few days’ important for Brexit deal talks

"Fair competition, and a sustainable solution for our fishermen and women, are key to reaching a deal."

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:26pm

Europe

Brexit trade deal odds rise in betting markets as talks grind on

Many investment banks meanwhile still stuck to their expectations of a "thin" UK-EU trade deal while cutting down the probability marginally as talks drag on.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:20pm

Asia

Singapore approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, expects first shots by year-end

The city-state of 5.7 million people expects to have enough vaccines for everyone by the third quarter of 2021 and will make it free for citizens and long-term residents, Lee, 68, said.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:17pm

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 71.2 million, death toll at 1,609,452

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

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:08pm

USA

U.S. court to hear appeal challenging order blocking TikTok app store ban

The ban would have required Apple Inc and Alphabet’s Google to remove the app from their stores, preventing new users from downloading it or existing users downloading updated versions.
On Dec. 4, the Trump administration opted not to grant TikTok-owner ByteDance a new extension of an order requiring the company to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets, but talks have continued over the short video-sharing app’s fate.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:07pm

Europe

EU-UK trade pact still possible as departure date nears

The European Union’s Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said on Monday that sealing a new pact with Britain was still possible as the date for the country’s departure from the bloc edged nearer.
Despite missing multiple deadlines, Britain and the EU agreed on Sunday to “go the extra mile” to try to break deadlocks on access to UK fishing waters for EU trawlers and corporate fair play rules.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 03:07pm

USA

Suspected Russian hackers spied on U.S. Treasury emails - sources

Hackers believed to be working for Russia have been monitoring internal email traffic at the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments.
National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot added that they “are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.”

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:55pm

Divided Washington debates Covid-19 relief plan as deadline looms

On the issue of legal responsibility, she said, "a compromise on the liability issue should be found that does not jeopardize workers' safety."

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:42pm

26 Nigerian generals Covid-19 positive: army

Health authorities fear Nigeria might not be able to cope with a second wave because of weak health facilities and poorly equipped and unmotivated personnel.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:39pm

Africa

US rescinds Sudan's State Sponsor of Terror designation: embassy

President Donald Trump announced in October that he was delisting Sudan, a step desperately sought by the nation's new civilian-backed government as the designation severely impeded foreign investment.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:38pm

Asia

South Korea president calls for steps to help exporters hit by strong won

He said that measures to boost exports and investments should be further bolstered at a time when domestic demand and consumption are shrinking due to a worsening COVID-19 situation at home.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:31pm

Europe

Number of COVID-19 cases in Ukraine exceeds 900,000

The government last week said it would introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January, hoping to stop the rapid spread of the infections.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:29pm

UN agency says more than 400,000 flee Mozambique militant attacks

UNHCR had raised a third of the $19.2 million it requires for shelter, water and sanitation and food next year, said Tapsola.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:14pm

Africa

Two injured in fire at Nigeria's Qua Iboe oil export terminal

Exxon said the workers were receiving medical treatment following the fire earlier on Sunday at the process area of the terminal.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:02pm

China's Xi targets steeper cut in carbon intensity by 2030

Li estimated that China's new carbon intensity target would mean China would reach the peak of its carbon emissions between 2025 and 2030.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:01pm

USA

Mexico registers 8,608 new coronavirus cases, 249 more deaths

The government says the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:55am

First batch of Pfizer/BioNTEch COVID-19 vaccines arrives in Canada

On Saturday, Canada said anyone with vaccine allergies should not take the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:49am

Biden considers former EPA chief McCarthy for domestic climate czar

8 Under his leadership at the North Carolina agency, Duke Energy agreed to the largest coal ash cleanup in the United States in January.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:40am

Asia

South Korea orders schools to shut as COVID-19 cases spike

The government launched a massive tracing effort involving hundreds of troops, police and officials to help track down virus carriers.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:31am

Bird flu spreads to 10th Japanese prefecture

All farms in Japan were earlier ordered to disinfect facilities and check hygiene regimes, and ensure that nets to keep out wild birds are installed properly, agriculture ministry officials told Reuters this week.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:20am

Asia

Vietnam leadership wrangling heats up as Communist Party meets

Linh Nguyen, a Singapore-based analyst at risk consultancy Control Risks, said the outcome of this congress will likely be more unpredictable than previous years.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:17am

Trump suggests White House staff will wait longer for COVID-19 vaccines

Doses of the vaccine will reach 145 locations across the country on Monday, with initial shots to go to healthcare workers and elderly residents of long-term care homes.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:15am

Asia

Japan's PM may curb tourism campaign to fight virus as approval rating drops

Over the weekend, polls found public support for the prime minister has eroded over his handling of the pandemic.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:11am

Facebook has not banned a militant group in India as it fears for business interests, staff safety

Social media firm’s security workforce stated in its report that Bajrang Dal supports violence against minorities, especially Muslims across India and sure certified as a “harmful group” that ought to be banned from the platform
Bajrang Dal has been deemed a militant spiritual group by the US Central Intelligence Company and is convicted of hate crimes and religiously motivated killings

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 12:12pm

Europe

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 16,362

The numbers are usually lower on Mondays, because there is less testing and less data being transmitted to the RKI on weekends.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 11:09am

USA

President Trump says "it's not over", ahead of Electoral College meeting

The Electoral College will officially vote on Monday, as it is expected to cement Biden’s presidential victory ahead of his inauguration in January.
“No, it’s not over,” Trump said. “We keep going and we’re going to continue to go forward.”

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 11:24am

Europe

EU rights watchdog warns of pitfalls in use of AI

The agency said AI rules must respect all fundamental rights, with safeguards to ensure this and include a guarantee that people can challenge decisions taken by AI and that companies need to be able to explain how their systems take AI decisions.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 10:53am

US expects to have immunized 100 million against COVID-19 by end of March -Slaoui

He said the United States hopes to have about 40 million doses of vaccine distributed by the end of December.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 10:27am

UK PM Johnson says on Brexit trade talks: we're very far apart

“The best thing to do now, for everybody, is to follow up all the work that has been done over the last four and half years, colossal amount of preparation at our ports, everywhere across the UK, get ready to trade on WTO terms, Boris said.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 10:24am

Asia

Storms help Australia contain UNESCO heritage island fire

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service said the fire burned through more than 50 percent of the 166,000-hectare island, raising fears of widespread environmental damage.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 10:21am

Middle East

Explosion strikes tanker off Saudi port: maritime sources

Saudi Arabia is stuck in a military quagmire in Yemen, which has been locked in conflict since the rebels took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014 and went on to seize much of the north.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 10:17am

USA

14 dead in migrant shipwreck between Venezuela and Trinidad

Venezuela has been crippled by a political and economic crisis causing runaway inflation, long queues for petrol, shortages of water and gas, and power cuts.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 10:06am

US government confirms cyberattack

US media reports said the FBI was investigating a group working for the Russian foreign intelligence service, SVR, and that breaches had been taking place for months.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 09:56am

Health centre water crisis increasing virus risk: WHO

"Working in a healthcare facility without water, sanitation and hygiene is akin to sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 09:55am

New Zealand aims to open to Australians in early 2021

"It's not a hypothetical -- there have been several (Australian outbreaks)," she said.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 09:33am

Brazil's vaccination plan is assailed as 'incompetent'

The Datafolha poll found 50 percent of respondents said they would not take a vaccine made in China, against 47 percent who would.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 09:24am

US to start vaccinating as Germany returns to partial lockdown

Even as US health experts welcomed the unprecedented vaccine effort, they cautioned people not to grow lax in observing precautions.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 09:18am

South Asia

India farmers intensify protests as deadlock over new laws continue

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Tens of thousands of Indian farmers on Sunday intensified their protests against three new...

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 03:25am

US launches virus vaccine shipments as world virus deaths top 1.6 million

WASHINGTON: The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was to begin leaving the company's Michigan factory on Sunday, ...

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 03:23am

Asia

Malaysia coast guard makes record $26 million meth seizure

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's coastguard has made its largest ever seizure of methamphetamine, a top official said on...

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:49am

China

China moon probe begins journey back to Earth

SHANGHAI: A Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, the...

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:49am

Iran summons German, French envoys

TEHRAN: Iran's foreign ministry Sunday summoned Germany and France's envoys to protest EU condemnation of the...

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:49am

South Asia

Scores of Taliban killed in fighting with forces

KANDAHAR: Dozens of Taliban fighters were killed in fierce overnight fighting between Afghan forces and militants ...

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:49am

Africa

Sudan PM says agrees regional meeting on Ethiopia conflict

KHARTOUM: Sudan's premier said Sunday he had agreed with his counterpart in Addis Ababa to hold an urgent meeting of...

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:49am

Europe

Fresh protest in Poland over abortion ruling

WARSAW: Thousands of people turned out in Warsaw Sunday for the latest protest against a court decision restricting...

Updated 14 Dec, 2020 03:24am

After fires, Australia gets ready for floods

SYDNEY: Just days after bushfires threatened an Australian World Heritage site, thousands were bracing for floods on...

Published 14 Dec, 2020 02:49am

Europe

EU's Barnier to brief envoys on Brexit talks on Monday

Sebastian Fischer said EU Chief negotiator will brief EU Ambassadors tomorrow at 8.30 a.m. on the state of play of EU-UK negotiations.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:36am

Europe

Italy suffers 484 new COVID deaths after surpassing Britain

Italy's daily tally of new infections fell to 17,938 on Sunday from 19,903 the previous day.

Published 14 Dec, 2020 12:33am

Previous Day

Forex
World
Commodity

Currency	Rate
USD PKR Interbank Selling / Sep 20	277.90
USD PKR Interbank Buying / Sep 20	277.70
USD to Japanese Yen / Sep 20	143.85
USD to Swiss Franc / Sep 20	0.85
Pound Sterling to USD / Sep 20	1.33
Euro to USD / Sep 20	1.12

Stock	Volume
S&P 500 / Sep 20	5,702.55
India Sensex / Sep 20	83,184.80
Tokyo Nikkei / Sep 20	37,723.91
Nasdaq / Sep 20	17,948.32
Hang Seng / Sep 20	18,258.57
FTSE 100 / Sep 20	8,229.99
Dow Jones / Sep 20	42,063.36
Germany DAX 30 / Sep 20	18,720.01

Item	Value
Crude Oil USD/Barrel / Sep 20	71.92
Gold Spot USD/Ounce / Sep 20	2,621.88
Cotton US¢/pound / Sep 20	73.52
Karachi Cotton PKR/37.32 KG / Sep 21	18,935
Gold 10 Grams PKR / Sep 21	233,625
Petrol/Litre / Sep 23	249.10

Gainers
Losers
Leaders

Stock	Price
786 Invest Ltd / Sep 23 786 Investments Limited(786)	5 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abbas Sugar / Sep 23 Al-Abbas Sugar Mills Limited(AABS)	585 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Agro Allianz / Sep 23 Agro Allianz Limited(AAL)	16 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abid Silk / Sep 23 Al-Abid Silk Mills Limited(AASM)	3.49 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Ali Asghar / Sep 23 Ali Asghar Textile Mills Limited(AATM)	2.07 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Allied Bank / Sep 23 Allied Bank Limited(ABL)	87.10 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abbott Lab. / Sep 23 Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited(ABOT)	499.34 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abson Ind. / Sep 23 Abson Industries Limited(ABSON)	2.50 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Alfalah ETF. / Sep 23 Alfalah Consumer Index ETF.(ACIETF)	9.84 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)

Stock	Price
786 Invest Ltd / Sep 23 786 Investments Limited(786)	5 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abbas Sugar / Sep 23 Al-Abbas Sugar Mills Limited(AABS)	585 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Agro Allianz / Sep 23 Agro Allianz Limited(AAL)	16 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abid Silk / Sep 23 Al-Abid Silk Mills Limited(AASM)	3.49 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Ali Asghar / Sep 23 Ali Asghar Textile Mills Limited(AATM)	2.07 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Allied Bank / Sep 23 Allied Bank Limited(ABL)	87.10 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abbott Lab. / Sep 23 Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited(ABOT)	499.34 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abson Ind. / Sep 23 Abson Industries Limited(ABSON)	2.50 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Alfalah ETF. / Sep 23 Alfalah Consumer Index ETF.(ACIETF)	9.84 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)

Stock	Volume
P.I.A.C.(A) / Sep 23 Pakistan International Airlines Corp(PIAA)	47,200,500 ▲ 0.00
Cnergyico PK / Sep 23 Cnergyico PK Limited(CNERGY)	29,719,327 ▲ 0.00
Pak Petroleum / Sep 23 Pakistan Petroleum Limited(PPL)	21,170,581 ▲ 0.00
Pak Refinery / Sep 23 Pakistan Refinery Limited(PRL)	16,965,134 ▲ 0.00
The Searle Co. / Sep 23 The Searle Company Limited(SEARL)	15,793,227 ▲ 0.00
P.T.C.L. / Sep 23 Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd(PTC)	15,054,641 ▲ 0.00
K-Electric Ltd. / Sep 23 K-Electric Limited(KEL)	14,145,556 ▲ 0.00
WorldCall Telecom / Sep 23 Worldcall Telecom Limited(WTL)	13,158,668 ▲ 0.00
Telecard Limited / Sep 23 Telecard Limited(TELE)	12,358,668 ▲ 0.00

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