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Magnitude 4.7 earthquake hits New York City region, USGS says
The quake's epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, the...
Scientists warn of lethal bird flu pandemic, says could be ‘100 times worse’ than COVID
Around 52 per cent of humans who have contracted H5N1 since 2003...
Hammered by virus, investors rethink role of bonds, tech and ESG in 2021
Now, as investors face lower-for-longer rates even as growth picks up, doubts are emerging whether developed-market government bonds can continue to provide both protection and diversification as well as satiate investors seeking income gains. There’s also a debate over the traditional investing policy of putting 60% of funds in stocks and 40% in bonds, even though the strategy proved to be resilient during the year.Innovative stocks now are being valued on intangible factors such as goodwill and intellectual property rather than traditional methods like price-to-earnings ratios, Alan Wang, portfolio manager at Principal Global Investors in Hong Kong said, adding that investors should adopt such valuation strategies.
EU launches vaccine rollout, historic day in virus fight
The rollout marks a moment of hope for a region that includes some of the world’s earliest and worst-hit virus hot spots Italy and Spain and others like the Czech Republic, which were spared earlier in the year only to see their health care systems near collapse in the fall.
It also should ease frustrations that were building up, especially in Germany, as Britain, Canada and the United States kicked off their inoculation programs with the same vaccine weeks earlier
Brexit offers Britain chance to do financial services differently -minister
Under a system known as equivalence, access to EU markets will not be granted to banks, insurers and other financial firms based in Britain unless their home rules are deemed by Brussels to be “equivalent”, or as robust as regulations in the bloc.
The two sides will aim to agree a memorandum of understanding on regulatory cooperation in financial services by March 2021, and Sunak said that such language should provide reassurance.
Global coronavirus count surpasses 79 million
The United States continues to be the worst-affected country in the world with regard to most cases and most deaths from the virus in the world. Currently, the US caseload stands at 18,756,360 and the death toll stands at 330,246.
India and Brazil continue to be the second and third most-affected countries in the world reporting over 10.14 million cases and 7.44 million cases respectively.
Brazil has the second-highest Covid-19 death toll after the US reporting 190,488 deaths in the South American nation.
Ransomware 2.0: India and Australia logged the highest number of incidents across APAC region
Vitaly Kamluk, Director of Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) for APAC at Kaspersky, revealed that at least 61 entities from the region were breached by a targeted ransomware group in 2020. India and Australia logged the highest number of incidents across APAC.
Dubbed as “Ransomware 2.0”, this type of attack goes beyond kidnapping a company’s or an organization’s data. These groups are now utilizing the increasingly valued digital reputation to force their preys to pay hefty ransom.
Virus resurges in Africa, doctors fear the worst is yet to come
The reported toll of the pandemic on the continent — 2.6 million cases and 61,000 deaths, according to the Africa C.D.C. — is lower than what the United States alone currently experiences in three weeks.
“It is possible and very likely that the rate of exposure is much more than what has been reported,” Dr. Nkengasong said in an interview.Now, as they battle new outbreaks, doctors are convinced that deaths have also gone uncounted. Dr. John Black, the only infectious-disease specialist for adults in Port Elizabeth, said he and other physicians feared that many people were dying at home.
Japan to ban new entries of foreigners until end-January – Nikkei
Japan on Friday reported its first cases of a fast-spreading variant in passengers arriving from Britain. The new variant has also been detected in a man who visited that country and a family member – the first cases of infected people found outside airport checks – Nippon TV reported on Saturday.
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine causing more allergic reactions than expected
On Monday, a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases official said the US is looking at why some people have suffered severe allergic reactions shortly after Alkis Togias, chief of the NIAID’s Allergy, Asthma, and Airway Biology Branch, told CNBC that “several hundred people” who have a history of severe allergic reactions will be involved in a study.
Japan aims to eliminate gasoline vehicles by mid-2030s, boost green growth
The “green growth strategy,” targeting the hydrogen and auto industries, is meant as an action plan to achieve Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s October pledge to eliminate carbon emissions on a net basis by mid-century.
The government will offer tax incentives and other financial support to companies, targeting 90 trillion yen ($870 billion) a year in additional economic growth through green investment and sales by 2030 and 190 trillion yen ($1.8 trillion) by 2050.
A 2 trillion yen green fund will support corporate investment in green technology.
Air Canada Boeing 737 Max suffers engine problem: Report
Shortly after takeoff, the crew received an indication of hydraulic low pressure in the left engine, the website said. The three-member crew of the empty plane initially decided to continue the flight to Montreal, but shut down the engine and diverted to Tucson after receiving an indication of a fuel imbalance from the left-hand wing, Aviation24.be said.