• Facebook faced a worldwide backlash from publishers and politicians on Thursday after blocking news feeds in Australia in a surprise escalation of a dispute with the government over a law to require it to share revenue from news.

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Myanmar, COVID-19, climate and Indo-Pacific territorial and navigation issues with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia on Thursday, the State Department said.

• NATO defence ministers made no decision on whether or when to pull out of Afghanistan at a meeting on Thursday, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, adding that the allies faced a dilemma as violence increases again.

• Citibank lost the bid to recall $500 million that it accidentally wired last year to a group of companies that loaned money to beauty company Revlon.

• "I can confirm according to the information we've been given that we will receive 2.8 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine as part of the COVAX," Faisal Sultan.
• "The standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being developed for AVCs (Adult Vaccination Counters) in order to ensure (a) smooth vaccination process," it said.
• The centres will share daily reports with government health management teams.

• Statistics released by the British government's Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) have revealed that the number of EU citizens applying to study in the United Kingdom has dropped by 40% since Brexit.

• Declines in big tech-related firms pressure Nasdaq.
• Walmart slides as lackluster outlook overshadows upbeat Q4 sales.
• Facebook shares slip following news blackout move in Australia.
• Indexes down: Dow 0.85%, S&P 0.83%, Nasdaq 1.10%.

• Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 70.05 points, or 0.38%, at 18,304.73.
• The energy sector climbed 0.3% as US crude prices were up 0.5% a barrel, while Brent crude added 0.2%.

• By using cloud technology, the software platform will ensure that vehicles' control units and computers can get software throughout their life time, the German auto supplier said.
• We are thus creating the conditions for wireless updates to work just as smoothly and conveniently on vehicles as they do on smartphones.

• Airbus sees flat deliveries in 2021 despite output increase.
• Reintroduces delivery and operating profit targets.
• Signals that spun-off aerostructures units will stay in-house.

• Saunders, one of nine members of the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee, said in December that he saw scope for borrowing costs modestly below zero.
• "If we wanted to lower the yield curve from current levels, then I suspect a lower Bank Rate might be more appropriate," he told the Resolution Foundation think tank.

• The NSE Nifty 50 index closed 0.59% lower at 15,118.95, while the S&P BSE Sensex ended 0.73% lower at 51,324.69.
• The rally in state-run banks continued, with the Nifty PSU banks index hitting a more than one-year high and closing 5.6% higher.

• Ten of 11 Saudi Arabian banks decline.
• Abu Dhabi logs first weekly loss of the year.

• Paying too much attention to the size of the central bank's liquidity operations could lead to a misunderstanding of monetary policy.
• The PBOC rolled over maturing medium-term loans earlier on Thursday, but drained 260 billion yuan ($40.21 billion) worth of short-term liquidity on a net basis as a result of maturing reverse repos on the day.

• Wall Street opened lower, with the Dow shedding 0.7 percent, with data showing that US first time unemployment benefits applications are on the rise.

• About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.7 percent at 31,396.85.

• It provided an inside look at the cat-and-mouse game Amazon has played with India's government, adjusting its corporate structures each time the government imposed new restrictions aimed at protecting small traders.
• In an e-mail to employees on Thursday, Amazon's India head Amit Agarwal addressed the Reuters story, saying he understood "such instances can be distracting."

• Concerns were voiced ... over developments in the exchange rate that might have negative implications for euro area financial conditions and, ultimately, consequences for the inflation outlook.
• It was maintained that not every increase in nominal yields should be interpreted as an unwarranted tightening of financing conditions and trigger a corresponding policy response.

• NBK received over $1.65 billion for the bonds, the document from one of the banks on the deal showed.
• Citi, HSBC, JPMorgan, NBK Capital, Standard Chartered and UBS are arranging the deal.

• Investors favour other assets to hedge inflation –analyst.
• US Fed officials prepared to keep monetary policy easy.

• Prices rose 2.0% in Hamilton, 1.0% in Montreal and 0.6% in Victoria, but the index was down 0.1% in Toronto, 0.2% in Calgary, and 0.4% in both Edmonton and Winnipeg.
• Ottawa-Gatineau continued to lead year-over-year gains, up 19.6% from January 2020, followed by Halifax at 16.9% and Hamilton at 16.5%. Calgary home prices are down 0.5% on the year.

• The decision on interest rates takes into account the current liquidity conditions in the market and the need to continue controlling speculative borrowing.
• The bank said it was optimistic that its economic growth target of 7.4% for 2021 was attainable. It said it aimed keep inflation below 10% in the year.

• Kalashnikov plans to start making AK-203 in India in 2020.
• Arms manufacturer woos new audience with hi-tech shotgun.
• Kalashnikov was hit by US and EU sanctions in 2014.

• He said the nation was proud of the performance of its team which had won the Kabaddi World Cup final.

• The Laweyrs did not appear before the court due to strike and the court adjourned the hearing till February 24.

• He said that 550 beds were allocated at the Allied Hospital and 85 at the DHQ Hospital for COVID-19 patients.

• On Christmas Eve last year London and Brussels struck an agreement that allows for tariff-free trade as long as local content thresholds are met.
• We've invested over 400 million pounds so far in our English factory, and we are planning over the coming years to exceed the 1 billion investment mark, including due to the introduction of e-Power which will come to market soon.

• Committee also suggested that the names of the voters should be published on the ballot paper and the vote should be identified.

• Initial claims for state unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 861,000 for the week ended Feb. 13, compared to 848,000 in the prior week.
• Ford Motor has reduced shifts at its Dearborn truck plant and Kansas City assembly plant.

• The court marked attendances of the accused and adjourned the case till March 5.

• Chairman NAB appreciated the efforts of negotiation teams and the whole process which would help saving Rs. 836 billion from remaining terms of these IPPs.

• In the euro zone, after rising 11 basis points in three sessions to its highest since June 2020, Germany's 10-year Bund yield dipped 1 basis point on Wednesday.
• The euro rose to its highest since 2018 above $1.23 in early January. It has eased since to around $1.208 currently, but is still up 8% since the start of 2020.

• During the period from July 20-Jan 21, Knitwear worth US $ 2,175,021 thousand exported as compared to worth US $ 1,831,758 thousand of same period of last year.

• He advised that the meeting of steering committee should be convened on a quarterly basis so as to expeditiously address the problems being faced by the artists.

• He prayed for peace of the departed soul and strength to the family members to bear the loss with fortitude.

• December data was revised to show 338,200 jobs were gained rather than a decline of 28,800.
• The report, which is derived from ADP's payrolls data, measures the change in total nonfarm payroll employment each month on a seasonally-adjusted basis.

• Rate decision due at 1400 GMT on Monday.
• Inflation rate at -0.4% in January.
• Economy contracted 2.4% in 2020, seen growing sharply in 2021.
• Bank of Israel to buy at least $30 bln of FX to halt shekel rise.

• He said that the government's top most priority was to ensure smooth supply of electricity and gas to the industrial sector in the country.

• During the meeting, the board also gave approval of revised estimate of budget for next financial year.

• Nigeria was grappling with low growth before the pandemic triggered recession and created large financing gaps including dollar shortages.
• The World Bank had estimated a 4% contraction in 2020 while the IMF had forecast a 3.2% contraction.

• Resolution to the problems of the public matters and issues of mutual interests also came under the discussions.

• Raja promised that the legitimate suggestions of the stakeholders would be made part of the proposed bill after the approval of the CM.

• Appeal against scrutiny and rejection of nomination papers can be filed till February 19, adds the statement.

• The companies are online retailer Privalia, hospital Mater Dei, biofuel company FS and financial and automotive group Rodobens.
• Privalia said it will use the money raised in its IPO to invest in marketing and potential acquisitions.

• Madikiza said cooperation and joint ventures would be initiated in other sectors, including tourism, pharmaceuticals and services.

• Other industrial metals also jumped, with aluminium at its highest since 2018, nickel its strongest since 2014, tin its strongest since 2012 and lead its highest since 2019.
• Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 2.9% at $8,631 a tonne in official trading after touching $8,633. Prices are up around 10% this month.

• CJP adjourned the hearing while seeking opinion of the ECP on the matter before the court.

• Among those from South Asian backgrounds, 73% of people aged 70-79 had been vaccinated by Feb. 11.
• Simon Stevens, chief executive of the National Health Service in England, on Monday said this hesitancy was a "real concern" and that a huge effort was being made to overcome it.

• He said Interfaith Harmony Councils are being organized at Union Councils level.

• He said all necessary support would be provided to the family of Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara.

• EU eager to send tough response after envoys expelled.
• Unclear if oligarchs will be targeted by sanctions.

• The CM said that open balloting was essential for ensuring transparency, adding that a strategy had been devised for the victory of the PTI candidates.

• "We will be very focused on trying to understand how climate related risks but also the potential transition pathways might effect our economic growth over the medium to long term," Brainard said.
• The focus on investments in a sustainable economy that are pro-growth, that are pro-jobs, those are the kinds of priorities that square very well with our overall framework.

• The hearing of the case was adjourned for four months.

• The Sindh Command and Control Center will lead high-level monitoring and decision making on COVID-19 at present, as well as other public health threats in the future.

• Housing starts decreased 6.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.580 million units last month, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.
• Permits for future homebuilding shot up 10.4% to a rate of 1.881 million units in January. Permits typically lead starts by one to two months.

• Over 2,000 employees of the PIA opted for the VSS scheme, initiated by the federal government, said the spokesperson.
• A special account has been established in the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Karachi branch to release pending dues of PIA employees, he added.

• Egypt has welcomed the announcement of a new interim government - the latest UN-brokered effort to unite rival camps in east and west Libya - and is planning to reopen its embassy in the capital Tripoli.
• After the meeting, Dbeibeh tweeted: "We look forward to a strategic relationship between the two brotherly countries."

• He also served as the bank's vice president for Africa for six years, where he oversaw a record-breaking $70 billion in commitments.
• "Makhtar's skills at IFC will help the World Bank Group continue our rapid response to the global crisis and help build a green, resilient, inclusive recovery," Malpass said.

• The Labor Department said on Thursday import prices jumped 1.4% last month, the biggest gain since March 2012, after increasing 1.0% in December.
• Imported fuel prices increased 7.4% last month after soaring 8.1% in December. Imported food prices surged 2.1%.

• He said the three hundred and sixty km motorway project will be completed at an estimated cost of two hundred and seventy-six billion rupees.

• The Prime Minister proposed a five-point agenda to end poverty and saying farmers should not be left to the mercy of the corporations and international agricultural trade must be rationalized.

• Laboratory study published on Pfizer vaccine.
• Suggests reduced protection vs local virus variant.
• South Africa expecting 7 mln Pfizer doses by June.
• AstraZeneca jabs already on hold over trial data.
• Country worst-affected by pandemic on continent.

• He said Pakistan's assistance for Afghanistan's development efforts and human resource capacity-building will continue apace.

• He said the present tree plantation drive had started under the Prime Minister Ten Billion Tree project as the season was favourable for tree plantation.

• Ireland's sovereign wealth fund said earlier this month that it had provided a 150 million euro ($181.2 million) three-year loan to the airline that is also a recipient of the state's wage subsidy scheme for firms hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To say very clearly, Aer Lingus will not be allowed to fail. It is already receiving substantial financial support from government.

• He said that the recent decisions had resulted in a benefit of Rs 179 million per annum for Pakistan Railways.

• He maintained that opposing open balloting was tantamount to encouraging horse-trading, corruption and sale and purchase of votes as witnessed in the past.

• "We cannot reply on one single fuel for power generation," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a news conference.
• It was not immediately clear if the gap between alternative supply and demand would be covered by gas imports from the United States and other sources, or would lead to shortages.

• The country exported cutlery worth US $70.307 million during July-January (2020-21) against the exports of US $54.653 million during July-January (2019-20).

• Strength in Paris milling wheat, weakness in US dollar underpin wheat futures as well as ongoing concerns about potential crop damage from cold snap in US Plains.
• Choppy trading expected. Corn market underpinned by technical buying but profit-taking expected to limit gains.

• The Chairman said his political and parliamentary services would always be remembered for ever.

• In last five months, the overseas Pakistanis from 97 countries have opened over 80,000 Roshan Digital accounts and sent $500 million to the country.

• The gold miner has been in discussions with Democratic Republic of Congo over how to get the money out for more than a year.
• With the new government now we're pretty sure that that blockage will be unblocked and we'll be able to go back to normal activities.

China, aiming to cultivate goodwill through so-called vaccine diplomacy, has already donated vaccines to a number of African nations as they struggle to obtain doses. * "This fully reflects the high-level bilateral relations between our two countries," he said, adding that the two countries were coordinating closely to deliver the vaccine to Namibia as early as possible.

• Myanmar's military has arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a year-long state of emergency, alleging that November's election was beset by fraud.
• The electoral commission dismissed the army's complaints.

• Karatsev became the first man in the open era to reach the semi-finals on his Grand Slam debut and the lowest-ranked player to reach the last four of a major for two decades.
• "It gives me more experience, more confidence," Karatsev told reporters after his 6-3 6-4 6-2 defeat. "Now I will be playing all big tournaments without playing the qualifiers.

• Brazil, the world's largest soy producer and exporter, had harvested 9.1% of the soy area since this year's harvest began around January, less than half of the 21.4% harvested at the same point in 2020 and compared to a historical average of 19.7%, Datagro said.
• The situation may force farmers to plant their second corn crop, which is sown after soybeans are reaped, outside the ideal window this season, analysts said.

• Brent crude was up 35 cents, or 0.5%, at $64.69 a barrel.
• US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 48 cents, or 0.8%, to $61.62 a barrel, after earlier rising to $62.26, the highest since Jan. 8, 2020.

• Buying and selling rates of dollar were recorded at Rs158.8 and Rs159.5 respectively.

• “Such guided tours are a smokescreen, aimed at diverting international attention from India’s egregious human rights violations in IOK and creating a false impression of normalcy.”
• He said the visit means nothing in the absence of access to all the areas and free interaction with the Kashmiri people and the civil society in an atmosphere free of intimidation.

• The textile exports were recorded at $8765.739 million in July-January (2020-21) against the exports of $8099.095 million in July-January (2019-20).

• Mazari highlighted that the beauty of Pakistan lied in the diversity of people from various religious and social backgrounds which also enriched the society.

• During the meeting, a number of issues of regional and global importance, besides matters of mutual interest, were discussed.

• Walmart, which employs 1.5 million people in the United States, also said it was raising wages for its workers in the country to more than $15 per hour on average.
• Online sales rose 69% in the quarter, blowing past a 35% increase in the year-earlier period, but slower than a 79% surge in the third quarter.

• The meeting asked NBF to publish a single National Curriculum book.

• The chief minister urged people of the province to follow SOPs.

• He also directed the all concerns that issues with other related ministries should be resolved immediately to expedite transactions.

• He also directed the all concerns that issues with other related ministries should be resolved immediately to expedite transactions.

• During the period from July December 2020-21, about 217,441 tons of cooking oil manufactured as compared the manufacturing of 214,989 tons of same period of last year.

• The outcome compared with a third quarter increase of 2.7 %.
• The buyers completed the purchase of a majority holding in Asda from Walmart on Tuesday in a deal giving it an enterprise value of 6.8 billion pounds ($9.5 billion).

• The government has already canceled prize bonds of Rs 40,000 and CDNS repaid to the investors the en-cashment worth Rs 158 billion in previous FY 2019-20, he said.

• He said the late was a good friend, fearless politician and dynamic leader and his political struggle for restoration of democracy would be remembered.

• "The Aussie crowd is so amazing, so it was nice to see," Williams, sporting a "Queen" necklace, told reporters.
• "The difference today was errors," Williams said earlier in her news conference. "Honestly, it was opportunities where I could have won. I could have been up 5-Love. I just made so many errors.

• He said the late was a good friend, fearless politician and dynamic leader and his political struggle for restoration of democracy would be remembered.

• March raw sugar rose 0.8% to 17.10 cents per lb.
• May New York cocoa rose 0.5% to $2,386 a tonne, having hit its lowest since mid-November on Wednesday.
• May arabica coffee rose 0.5% to $1.2800 per lb as the market continues to recover from Friday's one-month low.

• As many as 412 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 140 of them recorded gain and 250 sustained losses.

• He said that education was a basic right of every citizen and government was utilizing all available resources for providing this facility to the people.

• He also stressed the need to check practice of illegal hunting that caused disturbance of bio-diversity.

• Along with other planned shutdowns, Nippon Steel's domestic production capacity will fall by about 20% when the Kashima furnace is shut, the Nikkei said.
• The world's third-largest steelmaker said in February last year that it would permanently shut nearly 10% of its production capacity because of falling demand at home and competition from China.

• The price of per tola and ten gram silver remained constant.

• The initiative was taken on the direction of Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque.

• The Foreign Minister highlighted the importance attached by Pakistan to the member states of the Arab League.

• The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended 0.6% lower at 18,374.78 on Wednesday.
• Dow e-minis were down 77 points, or 0.24% at 7:00 a.m. ET, while S&P 500 e-minis were down 15.5 points, or 0.39% and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 102.5 points, or 0.75%.

• People should wash their hands with soap several times a day to protect themselves from COVID-19.

• 19 major stock exchanges in Asia had a cumulative turnover of $5.5 trillion in January, the highest in six months.
• They have raised earnings estimates for exchange operators Bursa Malaysia Bhd and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd by 10.4% and 6.5% respectively.

• He said the GI registration of products from various regions of Pakistan was discussed.

• Pakistan’s assistance for Afghanistan’s development efforts and human resource capacity-building would continue apace, he added.

• "Once the vaccines are here in Guinea on Sunday, the vaccination campaign can start from Monday," said Mohamed Lamine Yansane.
• "We think it's not likely at all that we will have a similar situation in Guinea and the neighbouring West African countries as happened in the past because capacities have been built up," Moeti said.

• The court adjourned hearing on the case till next date.

• Lodhi said that development schemes including infrastructure development, health, education and employment opportunities related projects would be completed soon in the region.

• Rigel will receive an upfront cash payment of $125 million, with the potential for an additional up to $835 million in milestone payments.
• Lilly will also lead all clinical development and commercialization of the treatment in central nervous system diseases.

• The court also adjourned hearing on bail petitions of three lawyers due to lawyers' strike.

• KP Governor prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to bereaved family members to bear the irreparable loss.

• He said some powers are underwriting India’s crimes by not calling out the regime or by empowering India by making it their preferred destination for investments and trade.

• They pleaded before the court that the lawyers were being targeted deliberately, adding that it was attempted to arrest them on gate.

• Shahbaz said interestingly the PML-N was supporting a former prime minister in the upcoming Senate election from the Federal Capital, who was earlier 'not eligible' for them in the past.

• Political matters and Senate elections were discussed in the meeting.

• Sarwar said that Sahiwal was being made an ideal city of the country with a development package of Rs 18 billion where all basic facilities would be available to the citizens.

• Javed Afridi shared a teaser for 'Morris Garages (MG) in Pakistan', featuring MG3, which is the smallest car in the MG lineup.

• The court sought a report from the parties on March 22 and adjourned the hearing.

• Imran Khan said the present government has made record repayments of twenty billion dollars in foreign loans over the last two and a half years.

• The Minister said he apprised the Egyptian leadership about Pakistan's "Engage Africa" policy and the rising remittances.

• She said women and minorities are amongst the most vulnerable section of the society and thus require special safeguards to protect them.

• Foreign Minister said Pakistan has strong political and trade relations with the Arab League countries.

• He said PTI is upholding the narrative of transparent elections while the opposition parties are stepping back from the same.

• Three Nigerians were abducted, after the recovery, the three foreigners were handed over to Dilbar Milano, the case said.

• Sibanye's FY profit soars, completes debt reduction strategy.
• Approves 6.8 bln rand investment in S.African PGM, gold projects.
• Looks to enter battery metals this year via acquisitions.

• He said Prime Minister undertook 26 foreign visits so far, spending Rs 176 million only on them.

• He advised to formulate a coordinated policy for restoration of jungles in the province.

• The 'Sooper Hai Pakistan Cup' includes two teams Showbiz Sharks vs Gwadar Dolphins.
• Showbiz Sharks will be captained by Waseem Khan CEO PCB and will include Fakhr Alam, Faysal Qureishi, Ali Zafar, Saleem Sheikh, Aijaz Aslam, Shezad Roy, Sami Khan, Kamran Jeelani, Salman Saeed, Ali Safina and Noman Habib.

• Huawei's teaser for its Mate X2 folding phone hints at a new folding screen design on Weibo.

• She will play Osaka in Saturday's final after the world number three earlier ended Serena Williams' bid for a record-equalling 24th major title 6-3, 6-4.

• Futures down: Dow 0.24%, S&P 0.41%, Nasdaq 0.78%.
• Wall Street's main indexes hit record highs at the beginning of the week but gradually retreated following a rise in treasury bond yields, which led to fears of higher inflation.

• Monetary policy, which is currently soft with the key rate at a historic low of 4.25%, would become neutral as soon as the economy returns to its potential.
• He added that inflationary expectations had not anchored yet. The central bank has said it expects inflation to peak at around 5.5% in February-March, above the 4% target.

• he miner said averaged realized gold price jumped 25% to $1,852 per ounce in the quarter, while attributable gold production fell about 11% to 1.6 million ounces.
• The company cited the sale of Red Lake and Kalgoorlie, and lower production at Cerro Negro for the drop in production.

• Dollar trades below 10-day high.
• Euro consolidates above $1.20.
• Sterling trades above $1.39.

• Governor Naci Agbal hiked the one-week repo rate by 675 basis points in November and December to pull the lira up from a record low, prompting a jump in foreign investment inflows.
• In the last two months the bank has held rates steady at 17% - the highest in any advanced or emerging economy.

• Airbus said in a statement that it booked a net loss of 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in 2020.

• Diego Simeone's side drew 1-1 at Levante on Wednesday in a match that been postponed earlier in the season.
• "I don't think (this result) means we're more nervous than you would usually be," Simeone said.

• The pair two men first met on court at Miami in 2018 and have played six times, with Medvedev leading their series with five wins.

• The authority has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) from well-reputed firms and individuals having experience in wildlife management preferably at airports to work out a feasibility report in this regard.
• The system will be installed at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi and Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore.

• "I hit a lot of unforced errors in the first few games, I was just really nervous and scared," said Osaka.

• Williams broke early for a 2-0 lead before Osaka reeled off five straight games to leave her shellshocked.

• London, Paris and Frankfurt were steady at the open.

• Nestle said its net profit fell 3.0 percent to 12.2 billion Swiss francs while sales dropped 8.9 percent to 84.3 billion Swiss francs.

• Fund management fell 8.0 percent to 13.6 billion Swiss francs as a drop in commission charges undercut an increase in business.

• According to a preliminary survey, "78 villages suffered serious damage with some houses completely destroyed", it said.

• The move was in response to a planned Australian law that would require internet companies like Facebook and Google to reach commercial deals with news outlets.
• Facebook has underlined to investors in recent years that it faces risks from moderation, copyright and commercial claims around the content users publish on the social network.

• Officially, South Africa has recorded close to 1.5 million coronavirus cases, of which just under 48,500 have been fatal.

• The bank said that group income edged up 1.0 percent last year to £21.8 billion, as a hefty drop in consumer payments offset a strong performance by its investment bank division.

• BioNTech has struck a deal with the Shanghai-based Fosun Pharmaceutical Group to bring the vaccine to China, including Taiwan.

• Andreescu led 4-2 in the final set before world number 50 Bouzkova broke back in the seventh game.

• A court in Tbilisi on Wednesday ordered Melia placed in pre-trial detention after he refused to pay an increased bail fee ahead of hearings.

• For 2020, Daimler booked 4.0 billion euros in net profit, a 48 percent increase on the previous year when it was hit by one-off expenses.

• That was "down to the lowest levels since 2013, largely as a result of emergency travel restrictions" imposed by governments to slow the spread of the coronavirus across borders, it said.

• The 25-year-old Olympic champion clocked 1min 13.22sec down the Olympia delle Tofane course in beautiful sunny conditions.

• Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya praised the two journalists for their defiance following the verdict.

• "The practice is detrimental to public safety and incites confusion, fear and distress in difficult times," NetBlocks tweeted.

• The bill aims to create a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants who can prove they were in the United States on January 1, 2021.

• In a high-spending auction before the IPL season starts, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell went to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.95mn.

• In all, 218 companies had moved to the Netherlands from Britain since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, the agency said.

• Djokovic remains on course for his 18th Grand Slam trophy, nipping at the heels of rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are on 20.

• The premier was of the view that unless the rupee strengthens, the economy will not strengthen because when the currency falls, so does investment.

• At least 109,857,920 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 67,422,400 are now considered recovered.

• London stocks shed 0.8 percent and Paris dipped 0.4 percent, while Frankfurt drifted 0.1 percent lower.

• KIA Lucky Motors has revealed prices for all three variants of its new SUV KIA Sorento.
• The 2.4 Front Wheel Drive variant will be priced at Rs. 6,999,000, while the price of 2.4 All Wheel Drive and 3.5 Front Wheel Drive variants will be Rs. 7,999,000 and Rs. 8,399,000, respectively.

• The SBP said that it has been decided to withdraw holding limits specified in the above circular on existing as well as new issues.
• Accordingly, PDs and Non-PDs may hold a particular issue of a long term paper without any holding limit restriction.

• The tweet, which was posted in Urdu, read: “Malala to return home ‘because we have a score to settle with you and your father’, adding that ‘there would be no mistake’ next time.
• “This is the ex-spokesperson of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan who claims the attack on me and many innocent people. He is now threatening people on social media. How did he escape?” she tweeted.

• The tweet, which was posted in Urdu, read: “Malala to return home ‘because we have a score to settle with you and your father’, adding that ‘there would be no mistake’ next time.
• “This is the ex-spokesperson of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan who claims the attack on me and many innocent people. He is now threatening people on social media. How did he escape?” Malala tweeted.

• Sajid says despite hectic efforts by the government and Pakistan Army, we were unable to locate the climbers
• The three missing K2 climbers, who went missing two weeks ago, could not be traced due to harsh weather conditions

• Under the instructions, the member FIs should develop well documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the eCIB data feeding, compilation, validation, and its reporting.

• The tournament is all set to commence from February 20 in Karachi.
• Defending Champions Karachi Kings will face Quetta Gladiators in the opening fixture at the National Stadium.

• A study released on Wednesday, showed reduced neutralization of the South Africa-like virus by blood from people who had been immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

• A confidence level below 100 reflects a pessimistic outlook, while a reading above 100 indicates optimism.

• According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, sugar imports from July to January increased by more than 7,000 percent and a total of Rs. 20.60 billion worth of sugar was imported during the period.

• The 40-year JGB yield fell 0.5 basis point to 0.720%.

• Revenue fell 20% to 2 trillion roubles while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 42% to 415.4 billion roubles, the company said.

• Government stimulus cheques helped US retail sales rebound sharply in January, while industrial output and producer prices data also provided robust upside surprises.

• Thousands of vehicles were registered via bogus auctions in name of a government department, said ACE.
• Some employees of the provincial excise and taxation department registered these vehicles, inflicting losses to the tune of billions of rupees on the provincial exchequer.

• Analysts also said that the recent technical event of gold's 50-day moving average price dipping below the 200-day moving average, known as death cross, could lead to more selling.

• Barclays' European rival Credit Suisse meanwhile reported a comparatively weaker performance from its investment bank on Thursday.

• The group expects core operating profit to be stable or slightly lower this year and its organic free cash flow from telecoms activities to top 2.2 billion euros.

• This wave has a complex structure, consisting of three smaller waves.

• The relaxation of downpayment rules for vehicle loans should be implemented by banks while still maintaining prudential standards.

• Tin gained 2% to $25,050 a tonne, after earlier hitting $25,125, its loftiest since February 2013, due to tight supply and limited availability of ships to transport the material.

• Researchers made the finding by analyzing 99 percent of all US deaths, as well as provisional birth records, between January and June 2020
• Evidence suggests that not all US COVID-19 deaths in 2020 were correctly tied to their cause

• Despite the government’s desire to showcase normalcy, several roads were deserted and markets were partially shut because of a security clampdown
• Tens of thousands of people have been killed in an uprising against Indian rule in Muslim-majority Kashmir that started in 1989, but violence has slowed in recent months.

• PML-N leader's nomination papers were rejected after his name featured in defaulter list of Punjab House.
• A total of six objections were raised on his nomination for a Senate seat.

• Repsol lost almost 40% of its market value in the course of 2020, but its shares have enjoyed a 14% boost so far this year.

• Nestle proposed hiking its dividend 5 cents to 2.75 francs per share for 2020, its 26th consecutive increase. It also has a share buyback programme under way.

• "Premiums were adjusted down since the benchmark prices in London rose," the trader said. "Even so, it is hard to export since the stockpile is too low and mini harvest hasn't come yet."

• Offers are still being considered and no purchase has been reported.

• The Commission will also propose on Thursday that the 2015 Paris climate change agreement be an essential part of future trade deals and seek commitments from G20 partners on climate neutrality targets, the Financial Times reported him as saying.

• Foxconn will invest up to $1 billion to expand a factory in southern India where the Taiwanese contract manufacturer assembles iPhones, Reuters reported previously.

• Russian stock indexes edged up after a sharp drop in the previous session.

• The company added it would resume production once the gas supply returned to an adequate level.

• Manav Bharti University in the state of Himachal Pradesh, had sold over 36,000 fake degrees over the span of almost a decade.
• It was revealed that out of a total of 41,000 degrees issued by the Manav Bharti University, a mere 5000 were found to be verified and legitimate.

• The same amount of such MLF loans were due on Thursday.

• Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals was another Indian refiner looking to boost contract volumes, seeking a 14% uplift to 40,000 bpd while raising optional purchase volumes to 15,000 bpd from 10,000 bpd in 2020/21.

• The world's second-largest palm exporter calculated a reference price of 3,977.36 ringgit per tonne for March.

• The government will work with suppliers to manage a phased roll-out of the scheme, she said.

• "However, the number of employed people who worked zero hours in early January in the capital cities also reflects some ongoing effects of recent lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne," Jarvis noted.

• The election commission will conduct scrutiny of the nomination papers of further 22 candidates submitted for 11 senate seats for general as well as the seats for technocrats and women categories
• The PPP has issued tickets to Taj Haider, Shahadat Awan, Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, Salim Mandviwalla and Sherry Rehman, for Sindh’s general seats

• “It is a great day for us as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Roshan Digital Accounts have achieved the milestone of $500 million,” said Baqir in a ceremony on Thursday, while thanking the Prime Minister for the premier’s vision alongside lauding the Overseas Pakistanis as well.

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

• The Mexican government has agreed to purchase 24 million doses of the vaccine, he added.

• Spot gold edged up 0.14% to $1,778.72 per ounce. US gold futures rose 0.28% to $1,777.60 per ounce.

• US President Joe Biden has promised to undo many of former President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies.

• Heru Kristiyana, chief banking supervisor at OJK, said the agency still expected a base case scenario with loan growth at around 6.5% to 8.5% this year.

• The cargoes are for loading on March 27 and April 1 and the tender closes on Feb. 18 and is valid for a day, they added.

• Qureshi also informed Shoukry about India’s Hindutva regime against Pakistan and termed it a danger for the peace and stability of the region.
• Both sides agreed to further strengthen trade and economic relations between two countries through enhanced cooperation in diverse fields.

• Data showed Australian jobs rose 29,100 in January, under forecasts of 40,000 but with a strong 59,000 increase in full-time positions.

• Palm had risen 2.7% in the previous session.

• The Melbourne-based bank and peers look well-placed to deal with pain in the pipeline too.

• However Chief Executive Peter Coleman said on Thursday there was no concern with Lukoil becoming a partner through a takeover of FAR, as FAR's stake in the Senegal project was below the 33% equity threshold for US sanctions.

• The underperformers among the top 30 core Topix were Hitachi , which fell 2.39%, followed by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group losing 1.87%.

• The German automaker said in a statement it will halt production of its Jetta model on Thursday and Friday.

• The virus outbreak emerged in the middle of December, when car sales rose for a second month, up 11.3% year-on-year.

• Strong demand continues to drive soybean prices higher.

Social media users and politicians said her post was "derogatory", accusing her of disrespecting Hindu gods and hurting local sentiment.

• Kuroda said Suga did not have any particular comment on the BOJ's March review and the two did not discuss the Tokyo Olympic Games.

• Private-sector lenders ICICI and Kotak Mahindra were the top drags on the Nifty 50, falling more than 1% each, having added 15%-20% this month.

• US retail sales rebounded sharply in January, while US producer prices increased by the most since 2009, suggesting inflation was starting to creep up.

• "For now investors tended to rebalance their allocations and shift towards sectors with low valuations, like banking and securities firms," Hu said.

• At least one LNG cargo bound for Mexico's Altamira port was setting sail on Wednesday from the Freeport terminal in Texas. Mexico also regularly imports US natural gas from other states, including California, and LNG from other countries.

• Dalian coke gained as much as 5.7% to 2,751.50 yuan a tonne, the strongest since Jan. 25.

• By midday, the global dollar index rose to 90.958, while the offshore yuan was trading at 6.4388 per dollar.

• "Rising US yields have stopped the dollar from declining for now," said Osamu Takashima, the Tokyo-based head of G10 FX strategy at Citigroup Global Markets Japan.

• The new infections took the overall total to 25,111 cases while fatalities remained at 82.

• In a Jan. 19 letter to Deese first reported by Reuters, the United Auto Workers union and auto trade groups asked the Biden administration to consider "urging major silicon wafer foundries to ramp up production of automotive grade wafers."

• The agency said 78 "Brexit" companies moved to the Netherlands last year, the same number as in 2019 lifting the total since the 2016 Brexit referendum to 218.

• Turkey's annual inflation rate climbed more than expected to some 15% last month and central bank governor Agbal said a possible interest rate cut will not be on agenda for a long time this year.

• South Korea stocks slid 1.2% to a one-week low as daily coronavirus cases rose by another 621, unchanged from a day earlier when it marked the highest level in 39 days.

• In its response, Pfizer said that alternative dosing regimens of its vaccine had not yet been evaluated and that the decision to do that resides with the health authorities.

• Elsewhere in Asia, Chinese shares rose but other markets were hit by profit-taking after a recent run-up.

Lovato, 28, was promoting a new documentary on Wednesday that she said would give full details of the widely-publicized overdose that almost killed her.

• Conditional permission has been granted to the Chinese vaccine for its emergency use in Nepal.

• "We believe the shortage should ease or even be resolved in the second half of 2021 as suppliers boost production for automotive clients," Fitch said.

• Visibility near the airport was recorded less than 50 meters after which an Airblue flight from Dubai to Lahore landed in Islamabad
• Motorways M-3 from Lahore to Abdul Hakeem and M-4 from Pindi Bhattian to Shamkot were closed for traffic

• Airbus, which has overtaken US rival Boeing to become the world's largest jetmaker following a 20-month safety grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX, predicted flat 2021 deliveries and a core operating profit of 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion).

• Fortescue's first-half profit after tax was $4.08 billion, up from $2.45 billion a year earlier. This was in line with a consensus of $4.09 billion from 10 analysts compiled by research firm Vuma Financial.

• Dwarfs the $76 million Google will split between 121 publishers in France over three years, which averages $209,000 a year per publisher
• The Australian deals come days before the government plans to pass laws that would allow it to appoint an arbitrator to set Google’s content fees if it can’t strike a deal privately

• US Energy Information Administration (EIA) oil inventory data will be released later on Thursday, delayed by a day after a Monday holiday.

• The standard range of the Model Y was launched in January, bringing its SUV's price closer to that of the Model 3 sedan, the electric-car maker's least expensive car.

• When the equity risk premium historically has been at the level it was on Tuesday, the S&P 500 has beaten the one-year return for the 10-year Treasury note by an average of 3.5%, according to Lerner.

• The companies will develop a subscription platform, share advertising revenue through Google’s ad technology services, build out audio journalism and develop video journalism by YouTube
• The deal comes after years of public feuding between Murdoch and Google, most recently in Australia, where Google has threatened to shut down its search engine to avoid “unworkable” content laws

• CSL shares jumped 5% after the company reported a rise in half-year profit as demand for vaccines and blood plasma products increased.

• The benchmark fell 0.5% on Wednesday.

• On the daily chart, there is a similar resistance at $13.97. The sideways move over the past two days could be due to an accumulation of the bullish momentum.