LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said on Wednesday that documents related to development of their COVID-19 vaccine had been βunlawfully accessedβ in a cyberattack on Europeβs medicines regulator.
Month: December 2020
China launches βgray-zoneβ warfare to subdue Taiwan
TAIPEI β Months after eliminating a popular challenge to its rule in Hong Kong, China is turning to an even higher-stakes target: self-governing Taiwan. The island has been bracing for conflict with China for decades, and in some respects, that battle has now begun.
Itβs not the final, titanic clash that Taiwan has long feared, with Chinese troops storming the beaches. Instead, the Peopleβs Liberation Army, Chinaβs two-million-strong military, has launchedΒ a form of βgray zoneβ warfare. In this irregular type of conflict, which stops short of an actual shooting war, the aim is to subdue the foe through exhaustion.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/hongkong-taiwan-military/
North Korea βwasted chanceβ to improve ties with Washington under Trump β US envoy
North Korea had an opportunity to fundamentally reinvent its relationship with the United States during Donald Trumpβs presidency but failed to do so, the top US envoy on Pyongyang said on Thursday.
US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun made the statement while visiting Seoul, South Korea.Β βRegrettably, much opportunity has been squandered by our North Korean counterparts over the past two years,βΒ he said, speaking to a think tank. He added that Pyongyang officialsΒ βtoo often have devoted themselves to the search for obstacles to negotiations instead of seizing opportunities for engagement.β
https://www.rt.com/news/509209-north-korea-wasted-chance-us/
China slaps sanctions on US officials and cancels visa exemptions for diplomats in an βequal counterattackβ over Hong Kong
Beijing has hit back at Washington, imposing financial sanctions on US officials, congressional personnel, NGOs and their family members in retaliation for US sanctions over Hong Kong levied earlier this week.
Speaking on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Beijing will bring measures against American officials and individuals in what she described as anΒ βequal counterattack.βΒ
https://www.rt.com/news/509219-china-usa-sanctions-officials-hongkong/
Stocks ease as virus cases climb further; sterling slips
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were down slightly in early New York trading, with new cases threatening to further dampen the economy and investors awaiting progress in ongoing negotiations for a fresh COVID-19 relief package.
Nationwide in the United States, COVID-19 infections are at their peak, with an average of 193,863 new cases reported each day over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of official data.
Post-Covid apocalypse, decimation of cities & Amazon buys Cyprus: Saxo Bank unveils βoutrageousβ predictions for 2021
Danish investment bank Saxo Bank has released its annual list of βoutrageous predictions,β trying to assess some unlikely β but not impossible β events that could shake up the global financial markets after the trauma of 2020.
While the bank says the list is merely βa warning against the potential misallocation of risk among investors,β Chief Investment Officer Steen Jakobsen noted that there is one βnot-so-outrageous predictionβ for 2021. According to him, next year may become βa reality check to the idea that βextend and pretendβ can stretch to infinity and beyond.β
Notably, last year Saxo Bank was partly right about this year’s US elections, as it expected the Democrats to take control of the presidency and both houses of Congress. It also warned about the possible demise of the US dollar, which has seen a decline in 2020.
https://www.rt.com/business/508987-saxo-bank-predictions-2021/
Mass vaccination delayed in US and UK, as drug firms struggle to meet demand
With the first Covid-19 vaccines handed out in the UK and approval pending in the US, officials in both countries have been patting themselves on the back. However, their lofty promises of mass vaccination are looking unlikely.
A 90-year-old grandmother was given a Covid-19 vaccine early on Tuesday morning, becoming the first Briton to receive a jab against the deadly coronavirus. Some 800,000 doses are expected to be delivered by the end of the week, and the first shot was celebrated by the government, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock declaring.Β βWe will look back on today, V-day, as a key moment in our fightback against this terrible disease.β
Ontario sees a drop in new COVID-19 cases with less testing
Ontario is reporting 1,676 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday with nearly 39,200 tests completed.
This marks a drop in cases after the province reported a record-high the previous three days. Itβs the first time in more than a week that Ontario has reported less than 1,700 new cases.
The decrease in cases comes with less completed tests. The province reported nearly 39,200 completed tests after reporting almost 60,000 for two straight days over the weekend. Nearly 45,300 completed tests were reported on Monday.
The rolling seven day average of cases stay over 1,800.
Ontario reports 10 new deaths on Tuesday compared to 26 one day ago.
