• On a cumulative basis, remittances rose to an unprecedented $18.7bn during Jul-Feb FY21, up 24.1pc compared to the same period last year.

• Headline earnings from continuing operations increased for the half-year increased by 11% to 571.0 cents, from 515.7 cents for the year ago period.
• HEPS is the main profit measure for South African companies.

• The Federal Housing Finance Agency said in a statement that it would allow alternative appraisals on certain refinance loans, alternative methods for documenting income and verifying employment, and expanded use of power of attorney for loan closings.

• In March last year the regulator fined TIM 116 million euros for abusing its position in the broadband market in an attempt to obstruct the entrance of rivals.
• In its 2020 annual financial report the former Italian phone monopolist said it would dispute the claims in court "with solid arguments".

• The sources said policymakers set on a monthly target for the its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme with a small tolerance band around it but agreed not to reveal it.
• One of the sources said the ECB aimed to push down yields to where they were in December while another said improved economic prospects meant part of the recent increase in yields was justified.

• There were only a limited number of infections in Israel caused by the so-called South African variant - known as B.1.351 - so they were not able to evaluate effectiveness against this variant.
• In terms of population covered, Israel is leading the world in its vaccination programme, thanks in part to an agreement to share data with Pfizer and BioNTech.

• The fund and the South American country are engaged in conversations to replace a failed program for which Argentina currently owes the IMF over $45 billion.
• Guzman will travel to Washington and will meet with IMF staff on March 23 and 24, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said, adding that there is currently no timeline for these negotiations.

• Frank Witter, who retires from VW in June, has banking experience as the head of the carmaker's banking unit. Shareholders will vote on the nomination in May.
• Theodor Weimer, currently the chief executive of the stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse, has been touted as a possible successor, people familiar with the matter have said.

• Rand was 1.23% firmer at 14.9000 per dollar, a touch softer than the session-high 14.8700, the unit's firmest level since March. 3.
• Risk appetite has been driven by offshore events, with investors eyeing the speed of the global economic recovery and the pace of US lending rates.

• "It's probably right to think more about trajectories of debt levels, building resilience for future shocks and the affordability of that debt," Sunak told parliament's Treasury Committee.
• Sunak's budget plan included no new budget rules which previous governments have set to show investors how they plan to bring down debt.

• Risk appetite got a boost after tepid underlying consumer prices data from the United States on Wednesday eased concerns about a likely surge in inflation from large stimulus packages, which had hammered markets in recent days.
• Brazil's central bank said it would sell up to $1 billion in currency swaps on Thursday, extending its recent intervention in the foreign exchange market to support the depreciating currency.

• Canadian dollar strengthens 0.3% against the greenback.
• Loonie touches a two-week high at 1.2569.
• Price of US oil increases 1.6%.
• Canada's 10-year yield rises half a basis point to 1.416%.

• US Treasury yields fell as concerns over a strong pick up in inflation eased on a tepid rise in US consumer prices in February.
• Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 122.5 points, or 0.66%, at 18,812.5.

*The California-based company's stock was up 12% in premarket trade, after rising more than 20% earlier in the day, also boosting the value of the shares held by founder David Baszucki - known to Roblox users as his avatar "builderman" - to $4.6 billion. * "Roblox's blockbuster debut mirrors other gaming and broader tech IPOs that have gone live in the last six months, with high levels of demand on the secondary market after the company lists," John Patrick Lee.

• Weekly jobless claims fall in the latest week.
• Oracle falls as revenue misses estimates.
• Bumble jumps after revenue beat.
• Indexes up: Dow 0.7%, S&P 0.9%, Nasdaq 1.8%.

• The world's largest online retailer employs 8,500 people in Italy and this will be the first strike by its Italian workforce as a whole.
• National unions Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl and Uiltrasporti e Assoespressi said talks over contracts for Amazon staff in Italy "came to an abrupt halt because of the company's unwillingness to positively address the issues raised".

• The company, which has administered nearly 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses so far through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, said appointments for the newly added states will be available from March 13.
• We're increasing the number of active stores and expanding to additional states as fast as supply allows, with the capacity to administer 20-25 million shots per month.

• Dollar index at one-week low.
• ECB expected to signal faster money printing.

• May arabica coffee rose by 1.45 cents, or 1.1%, to $1.3230 per lb.
• May raw sugar rose by 0.16 cents, or 1.0%, to 16.12 cents per lb.
• May New York cocoa rose by $26, or 1.0%, to $2,599 a tonne.

• New Delhi is wary about awarding new technology business to Chinese firms both because of security fears and a desire to get Indian manufacturers to produce more telecoms equipment.
• "We cannot prioritise economic gains if an investment poses national security risk," one of the officials said.

• Those found guilty face a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit ($24,360), up to three years in jail, or both.
• Those found guilty face a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit ($24,360), up to three years in jail, or both.

• When the sides met at Tottenham's stadium in December goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane gave Spurs a 2-0 win which put them on top of the Premier League table and left Arsenal 15th.
• With both sides in the last 16 of the Europa League their more likely routes to European qualification, particularly in Arsenal's case, could be by winning that competition.

• Bank says African recovery likely to stretch into 2022.
• But sets sights on continental growth, investment.
• S.African recovery likely to be multi-year, bumpy.
• Declares dividend down 76% vs 2019.

• Inter Pipeline on Tuesday asked its shareholders to reject the offer, saying it "significantly undervalues" the oil and gas transportation company.
• Brookfield last month launched a hostile bid with the same C$16.50 per share offer that Inter Pipeline had previously rejected as inadequate.

• Signals faster bond buys in coming quarter.
• Overall policy package unchanged.
• Reaffirms commitment to keep borrowing costs down.

• She spoke shortly after Danish health authorities announced that they had suspended using the vaccine produced by Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca after several cases of blood clots, including one death.
• "There's been a slow but constant rhythm of decrease," Catalonia's chief health officer Alba Verges told a press briefing.

• Soybeans down after USDA report fails to add bullish momentum.
• Wheat extends fall on ample supply, improved US weather.

• The ministry said in a statement that travellers to or from Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Britain and Singapore would no longer have to need a compelling reason to travel.

• US crude stocks surge, fuel inventories fall – EIA.
• Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill wins final approval in House.
• Global oil stocks rise as market recovery hits speed bump.

• The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 23 new deaths, taking the total to 13,111. The deaths registered have occurred over several days and sometimes weeks.
• Sweden's death rate per capita is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours' but lower than in several European countries that opted for lockdowns.

• That lack of price movement came despite forecasts for slightly cooler weather over the next two weeks than previously expected.
• Front-month gas futures remained unchanged at $2.689 per million British thermal units.

• The jury is still out on rookie coach Andrea Pirlo, with Juve also 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan in the Serie A title race ahead of Sunday's trip to Cagliari.
• They do have a game in hand on Inter, which is against Napoli next Wednesday, and nothing other than two victories in those matches will do following Tuesday's disappointing showing against 10-man Porto.

• Health ministry reports renewed spike in COVID-19.
• Authorities warn public against complacency.

• Lionel Messi scored a stunning equaliser to make it 1-1 on the night in Paris, but his penalty was saved on the stroke of halftime with the scores level, meaning what could have been a blockbuster second half turned into a non-event.
• More than the number of misses, it is perhaps the size of the games that they occur in that sets alarm bells ringing.

• "By ordering vaccines also from the East, we have been able to vaccinate about half a million more people (than relying only on shipments from the West)," Gergely Gulyas.
• A delivery of 450,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines on Thursday took shipments from China to 1 million doses.

• Aifa said that the move was "precautionary" as no link between the inoculation of the vaccine and these events had been established to date.
• The agency is carrying out all required checks and the batch will be analysed by Italy's Superior Health Institute ISS, it added.

• The Kenyan shilling is expected to edge up against the dollar next week, driven by dollar inflows from offshore investors into local government bonds.
• The kwacha will likely continue trading under pressure against the dollar next week due to sustained demand for hard currency and scanty inflows.

• Parties to establish Centre of Excellence in Canada.
• BAT unit to become largest shareholder in Organigram.
• Companies to grant each other licence to some IP rights.

• The central bank was already expected to deliver the first increase in Brazilian interest rates since 2015 at its March 16-17 meeting.
• "While we've penciled in a 50bp rate hike to 2.50%, these data make a larger rise of 75bp increasingly likely," he said.

• Suu Kyi accepted payments of $600,000 and gold –military.
• Six killed in central town, one each in Yangon, Mandalay.
• Army commanders using murderous methods -rights group Amnesty.
  • UN Security Council fails to reach consensus on denouncing coup.
• US Treasury puts sanctions on military leader's son, daughter.

• China has become Germany's most important trading partner and exports of "Made in Germany" goods to the country have helped Europe's largest economy cushion the domestic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• "A successful partnership will only work on the principles of reciprocity and establishing a level playing field in competition," Lang said.

• Rolls already had a formal exclusive agreement to provide Trent XWB-family engines on the larger A350-1000 wide-body jet, and held what industry sources have described as "de facto" exclusivity on the stronger-selling A350-900 until 2025.
• The decision effectively postpones any re-engining of the A350 to next decade while giving Rolls more clarity as it tackles the costly UltraFan development, industry sources said.

• The IMF will update its forecasts on the US and global economy early next month at the start of its spring meeting.

• "The purpose of his return is to attend to a family matter," Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement without giving details.

• Denmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday went further, suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine.

• Frankfurt's DAX hit a fresh record high, while Paris's CAC 40 also set a fresh one-year high.

• About 30 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.7 percent at 32,523.41, adding to Wednesday's record close.

• Denmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine over concerns about patients developing post-jab blood clots.

• Guterres said more than 30 million people in more than three dozen countries are "just one step away from a declaration of famine."

• He noted that the present government is taking all possible steps for the promotion of forests.

• He said India under a planned conspiracy dividing the Kashmiri but Kashmiri are determined to continue their struggle for the achievement of their fundamental right to self determination.

• Establishment of 48 MW Jagran Hydropower Station (Phase-II) at District Neelum, AJK was also approved by ECNEC at (a 2nd revised cost) of Rs.11, 372.135 million.

• The nature of disability might vary, but their mental capacity could not be denied, he added.

• The CM invited the Chinese companies to invest in SEZs assuring that every facility would be provided to them.

• Pervez Elahi re-affirmed to continue working jointly for providing relief to the masses and said that the alliance was stronger than ever.

• Shoaib Shaheen Advocate pleaded that a campaign had been launched on social and electronic media to defame legal fraternity.

• He proposed the need to strengthen the existing federal coordination mechanisms under CCI.

• Soomro said the commission board actively pursuing the timelines for each and every transaction.

• The court observed that it wanted to decide the matter as early and sought arguments on the matter on March 24.

• He also visited counters and beds set up for coronavirus virus patients.

• “It [the vaccine] has to come from India so they have delayed the release of the [export exemption] certificate,” says the health secretary.
• The vaccine was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on March 2.

• The price of per tola silver increased by Rs50.

• On March 05, the foreign currency reserves held by the SBP were recorded at $13,016.1 million compared with $12,978.4 million in the previous week.

• The meeting agreed to submit monthly progress reports to all concerned agencies to the Governor's Secretariat and to submit them to the Prime Minister's House every three months.

• As many as 408 companies’ transacted shares in the stock market, 47 of them recorded gain and 351 sustained losses.

• The court adjourned hearing till March 29.

• The public notice for the bye-polls will be issued by the Returning Officer on March 12.

• He expressed the hope that Sadiq Sanjrani will win the chairman Senate election with the support of PIT and other coalition partners.

• He said that the process of kidney transplantation and treatment has also been included in Sehat Card Plus keeping in view the miseries and problems of poor patients.

• KU Vice Chancellor and the Chief Executive Officer of the Safer Technology Solutions Private Limited signed the MoU documents.

• He informed that the number of active patients in the district is 50 and in which 48 are home isolated while two others are hospitalized.

• At least 117,982,000 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

• Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Japan has decided to stage the Games without spectators from abroad due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

• Starting from Monday, the Mazowieckie region in central Poland and Lubuskie in the west will have to close hotels, cinemas, swimming pools and shopping malls while children in the first three school grades will partly switch to online learning.

• Mitsubishi Motors will invest an additional 11.2 trillion rupiah ($778 million) in Indonesia by the end of 2025 and develop two electric vehicles in the country, Agus said in a statement released late on Wednesday.
• The offices of Mitsubishi and Suzuki in Indonesia did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation late on Thursday, which was an Indonesian national holiday.

• $1.9 trillion US COVID-19 bill wins final approval.
• ECB signals faster bond buys in coming quarter.
• Greater upside in other assets than in gold – analyst.

• The prosecutor presented three witnesses in the court who confirmed the phone numbers of Rao Anwar, Shoaib Shooter, and Amanullah Marwat.
• The court has adjourned further hearing of the case till March 17, 2021.

• There was no immediate comment from the Saudi finance ministry or from the Saudi government communications office CIC.
• Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates promised $3 billion in aid to Sudan in April 2019, just after the military toppled former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir following months of street protests.

• The Chilean will have arthroscopic surgery at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano, just south of Milan, to cure meniscal pain in his left knee, Inter added in a brief statement on Thursday.
• Vidal, 33, has suffered several injury setbacks this season, with his game time also limited in recent months due the resurgence of Christian Eriksen.

• Hayward, 63, said the board had recommended to shareholders that he remain in the role while the senior management succession is concluded.
• He was appointed as chairman in 2013 and the UK corporate governance code limits his tenure to nine years.

• Revenues at the group, which also includes the Mini and Rolls Royce brands, fell five percent to 99 billion euros, it said in a statement.

• PPF's Tanemo subsidiary will acquire a 27.73% share through a just-completed tender, short of the maximum 29% it sought.
• Shares in MONETA eased on Thursday to 79 crowns - just below the 80 crown offer price - putting market capitalisation at 40.4 billion crowns ($1.84 billion).

• He is expected to make his return in the season's first Masters event in Miami from March 24.

• "Six men were shot dead while eight people were wounded -- with one man in a critical condition," a rescue worker told AFP.

• "Total oil demand is foreseen to reach 96.3 million bpd with most consumption appearing in the second half," OPEC said in the report.
• "This year's demand growth will not be able to compensate for the major shortfall from 2020 as mobility is forecast to remain impaired throughout 2021."

• Initial claims for state unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 712,000 for the week ended March 6, compared to 754,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
• That, together with nearly $900 billion in additional pandemic relief money advanced by the government in late December, fired up consumer spending and hiring in February after declining in December.

• Israel's inoculation campaign is the fastest in the world, with about 40 percent of the population already fully vaccinated against the virus.

• Russia's federal budget could get a boost of more than 2 trillion roubles ($27 billion) from additional revenues this year if oil prices and the rouble exchange rate remain at current levels, the finance ministry said earlier on Thursday.

• The prince's visit was called off following "a dispute over security and safety arrangements at the site," the Israeli statement said.

• "We want to get back to pre-crisis levels in 2021, or at least get close to it," Diess said in a podcast, when asked about sales and staff numbers.
• Profits are a different matter, Diess said: "The risks are high. We're facing the semiconductor shortage. We're not done with corona."

• Denmark has however suspended the use of all of its AstraZeneca supply.

• The measure had been adopted in large part to limit the spread of the more infectious variant of Covid-19 that first emerged in England.

• Although we recognise that many in the border industry and many businesses have been investing time and energy to be ready on time, and indeed we in Government were confident of being ready on time, we have listened to businesses who have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare.

• The Frankfurt institution meanwhile left key interest rates unchanged.

• Switzerland's second-biggest lender is facing questions from regulators and insurers as it contends with the insolvency of Greensill, for which it acted as a key source of funding.
• The funds held around $1.2-$1.3 billion as of Feb. 26, figures showed, and held between 2.24% and 9.59% of their assets in the defunct supply chain finance funds, amounting to just over $100 million of their assets.

• The report urged German lawmakers to "reduce and make transparent the risks of common debt and liability".

• The move comes after Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots while investigating a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a pulmonary embolism.
• "It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link. We are acting early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated," Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said on Twitter.

• India are due to host the T20 World Cup in October-November.

• With Chinese equities up around 2.5%, the US Dow Jones Index at record levels and European stocks reaching a one-year high, benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 2.1% at $9,048 a tonne in official trading.
• Copper, used in power and construction, reached $9,617 a tonne in February as analysts warned that demand from China, green energy and electrification will outstrip supply.

• On Wednesday, motorcycle-riding bandits stormed Damaga village in northwestern Zamfara state, killing residents and stealing livestock as villagers fled the shooting spree.

• Euro zone yields were already edging down, tracking moves in US Treasuries, which were affected by an auction of benchmark 10-year notes that was not as bad as feared.
• The ECB barely increased its emergency bond purchases in recent weeks, stoking doubts about the bank's resolve to calm market nerves and support indebted governments through the pandemic.

• Milan-based Azimut, which offers its financial and insurance products in Italy and abroad, reported a net profit of 381.7 million euro ($456.44 million) last year, in line with the company's guidance of between 375-415 million euros.

• "You won't see Jack at Newcastle," Smith told reporters ahead of Friday's game. "He's a lot better but it didn't help that he's been ill this week too. Very hopeful that he will be available for selection against Tottenham.
• "He takes part in the meetings, he has a voice and an opinion. He's in the training ground. He's maturing an awful lot and takes on a lot of responsibility."

• The EU has so far approved three vaccines -- Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford.

• "It is expected to work on all known variants," CBG director Ton de Boer told a news conference following the vaccine's approval by the European Medicines Agency.

• Denmark however suspended the use of all of its AstraZeneca supply, as did Iceland and Norway in subsequent announcements on Thursday citing similar concerns.

• UAE, Israel in talks to establish quarantine-free travel.
• Dana Gas sees biggest daily gain in over 2 years.
• Saudi index registers fifth weekly gain.

• Oil-rich Libya descended into conflict after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

• Multiple lockdowns have heaped pressure on store-based groups already struggling with tight margins and intense competition from purely online players.
• "Hard as it is, there is no getting away from the fact that some areas can no longer profitably sustain a John Lewis store," Chairman Sharon White said.

& Today, countries are hoping vaccines will clear the path to a return to normal, but the rollout has been uneven globally, with demand far outstripping supply.

• The COVID-19 shot is the fourth to be endorsed for use in the EU after vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech , AstraZeneca-Oxford University and Moderna, and is recommended for those over 18 years of age.
• With this latest positive opinion, authorities across the European Union will have another option to combat the pandemic and protect the lives and health of their citizens.

• The state prosecutor has tasked a team with investigating the fire, the sources added.

• Total corn production in the 2020/2021 cycle is estimated at 113.5 million tonnes, up 6% from the previous year, with second corn production to reach a projected 84 million tonnes, Safras data showed.
• "If Brazil has a longer winter with lower temperatures, we'll only have large volumes of second corn in August and September," he said.

• He said Pakistan adopted outstanding way forward with regard to peace with India.

• During the meeting, political situation and strategy for the election of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate was discussed.

• He said present government wants to stop horse-trading in the elections, but the opposition is not ready to support.

• He said that so far 8,631 patients had recovered from the disease while total active cases in Faisalabad reached 1217.

• Arif Alvi emphasized the importance of morality along with quality professional trainings and education.

• Later, the court got a thumb impression of Hamza Shehbaz on a plain paper besides getting his signatures on bail documents.

• The Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) held a webinar on Diplomacy in the Twenty First Century on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of public diplomacy in the digital era.

• She said that many components of Ehsaas Program were dedicated to empower the women and uplift their living standards.

• Later, the session would resume in the evening the same day to elect the chairman and deputy chairman of the Upper House.

• For the Financial Year 2020-21, the overall fiscal deficit was projected at 7.0 percent of the GDP.

• The total imports from China during July-January (2020-21) were recorded at US $ 6807.488 million against the US $ 5794.114 million during July-January (2019-21).

• He asked the federal secretaries to pay the visit at least once a month and resolve issues related to their ministries, divisions and departments.

• He assured of all possible cooperation from the government to extend welfare activities of the trust to other parts of the country.

• Out of 11 offered bids of Rs 296.2 billion, 7 of Rs 202.2 billion were accepted. The rate of return accepted is 7.04 percent per annum.

• For the first eight months of this fiscal year, remittances reached $18.74 billion and have risen by 24.1 percent over last fiscal year.

• This was brought in after British-Swedish drugs giant AstraZeneca failed to meet promised delivery schedules to EU members while honouring its British contract.

• The administration informed that results of 774 people were awaited while 90,984 were tested negative.

• He said that best cleanliness arrangements were being ensured in the centre and coronavirus SoP was also being followed strictly.

• Rashakai is one of the around 37 zones have been proposed as SEZs in all provinces of Pakistan announced under CPEC.

• The meeting resolved to approach Federal Board of Revenue to consider grant of waiver of surcharge on overstayed consignments in order to alleviate the problems of the importers, he added.

• He said that Pakistan would receive 45 million ‘made in India’ doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

• The committee unanimously approved the minutes of the previous meeting.

• He said that Rs 250 being paid on the purchase of any sim had also been withdrawn and this will be beneficial for the public.

• He said Sanjrani was an unanimous candidate of BAP and allied parties.

• He appreciated the efforts of PAF leadership for professional grooming of the air force.

• In this regard, memorandum of understanding between two countries has already been inked in April 2019.

• The company added that the said cement production facility is a joint venture with the Al-Shamookh group of Iraq.

• The third such voyage since President Joe Biden took office "demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," it said in a statement.

• In a sign of Biden's strategy to rally allies as a bulwark to China, Blinken will first travel to Japan and South Korea with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who separately will head onward to India.

• On Friday, Biden will sign the bill, which although opposed by all Republican lawmakers in Congress has voter approval ratings of 60 percent and above.

• Faced with such "devastating" effects, Fore urged for children to be placed "at the heart of recovery efforts," particularly by "prioritizing schools in reopening plans."

• Maradona, who was 60, died of a heart attack just weeks after undergoing brain surgery on a blood clot.

• Authorities said they were probing the accident's cause.

• Beijing and Hong Kong authorities are also drawing up broad plans to ensure all politicians and public officials are "staunch patriots", including within the judiciary.

• Mari gave a different take on their matches, however.

• "Pakistan is on track to being the first South Asian country to formulate a National Action Plan on BHR," Shireen Mazari tweeted.

• London, Paris and Frankfurt all rose at the open.

• The car was displayed at Pakistan Autoshow 2019, but hasn’t got to hit the road yet.
• The SUV has a premium and elegant look. It has two-toned leather interior is also a pleasant surprise, generous amount of space, headroom and legroom in all three rows.

• The proposed system brings Kyrgyzstan's constitution closer to other authoritarian Central Asian neighbours and its key ally Russia.

• The loss after tax, equivalent to $4.4 billion or 3.7 billion euros, compared with a loss of £1.3 billion in 2019.

• "In Europe, we should be worried," Wieler told the journalists' association ACANU in Geneva on Wednesday.

• The system would require partnerships with testing facilities that would provide the digital proof.

• Cambodia's parliament last week passed a strict Covid-19 prevention bill that could see people who flout coronavirus rules jailed for up to 20 years.

• Report highlights unprecedented clean air as a result of short term COVID-19 lockdown measures, as well as extreme pollution episodes related to climate change, such as wildfires and sandstorms
• Only 24 countries out of 106 met World Health Organization (WHO) annual guidelines for PM2.5 in 2020

• They said the evidence of the drug's "profound efficacy" meant hospitalisation for early treatment of adults at high risk from Covid-19 could be stopped.

• Bachelet's office has no access to Syria but said the number of missing men, women and children was "estimated to be in the tens of thousands".

• Denmark has however suspended the use of all of its AstraZeneca supply.

• Thursday saw more hardline action against demonstrators, with six killed in central Myanmar's Myaing township.

• The country of more than 80 million has lost more than 61,000 lives out of over 1.7 million cases of Covid-19 infection, according to health ministry figures.

• Hadassah hospital confirmed to AFP that it had admitted Sarah Netanyahu, without providing further details.

• The FSB said later that month it foiled an attack planned by a Dagestan cell loyal to the Islamic State group.

• Johnson should consider sharing surplus jabs to close the gap, Foster said in an interview.

• The communications watchdog reiterated that the measures only affect posts with photo, video and graphics.

• Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Facebook: "We can't keep that EU legislation in force, which seriously infringes legal certainty."

• Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam was swift to applaud the plan to rewrite the electoral landscape of her city.

• The meeting of the ECB's 25-member governing council is not set to lead to any changes in the bank's ultra-loose monetary policy.

• The remains were found in woodland in Kent, southeast England, on Wednesday by detectives investigating Sarah Everard's disappearance.

• June emerged as the most preferred and practical window due to Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s international commitments in March/April and late August/September.
• The remaining 20 matches in June are now being planned following the men’s national cricket team’s return from Zimbabwe on 13 May and before their departure for England on 26 June.

• "The UK Parliamentarians have once again condemned human and civil rights abuses of Kashmiri people through military occupation of the region. They have also demanded the UK government to take action against the human rights violation in IIOJK," the FO spokesman said.

• Faraz says the premier nominated Afridi for Deputy Chairman post giving representation to Ex-FATA PTI member
• The PM had also nominated Sadiq Sanjrani for the slot of Senate Chairman after consultation with party lawmakers

• Akhtar said unfortunately Pakistan is moving in an opposite direction. “I think this will have a negative impact on Pakistan’s economy,” he said.

• The leaked car wears China market badges including a “240 Turbo” one, which is used to denote the 1.5L VTEC Turbo engine with 240 Nm of torque.
• The car also matches pearl red “Honda Civic Prototype” that was revealed in November 2020.

• The court ordered to release 5,000 Morris Garages (MG) vehicles stuck at the Karachi port.

• The DIG CTD also showed an audiotape of Haider talking to a man, suspected to be a target killer, and offering him money
• Shahid says Haider is currently residing in the US and the matter will be taken to the Foreign Ministry and then to the US authorities

• Toyota is teasing a new electric car reveal on March 17th.
• The sneak picture shows a single headlight of the new car called X Prologue.

• Jordan is blocking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned flight to the United Arab Emirates from crossing its airspace.
• The delay "Is because of the cancellation of the Jordanian crown price’s visit to the Temple Mount yesterday, because of a dispute over security arrangements".

• Punjab reported 1,290 coronavirus cases, while Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir collectively reported 407 new cases.
• There are now 17,628 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

• Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Bajwa and the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelli­gence Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, attended a session on the Afghanistan peace process in Bahrain.

• The ban on the widely popular video-sharing app will be imposed from today.
• The app has been banned over immoral content.

• TikTok will now launch a pop-up to warn users before they post ‘inappropriate or unkind’ comments.

• 23 UCC freezers donated by UNICEF.
• These refrigerators will be used to store Pfizer vaccines which need ultra-low temperatures up to -80 degrees.

• The scheme was aimed at reducing the manpower of the company. The scheme would save about Rs 2.5 billion annually.

• The drop from $5.72 may have been driven by a wave 4, which will be reversed by a wave 5.

• The KDCA is in talks with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to import their vaccines in the second quarter.

• The won ended at 1,135.9 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.60% higher than its previous close at 1,142.7.

• "The pace of GDP growth (in 2021) may be 4-5%," Pawel Borys told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily.

• Domestic media said six people were killed.

• The by-elections in the NA-249 Karachi constituency will be held on April 29 while the nomination papers will be accepted from March 13 to 17
• Vawda had tendered his resignation from the National Assembly after casting his vote in the Senate election on March 3

• The median forecast of a Reuters poll of analysts put inflation at 3.1% year-on-year at the end of February.

• The KFA is also seeking separate offers for corn sourced only from South America and South Africa, traders said.

• It said Ukrainian-origin sunoil prices rose to a range of $1,710-$1,725 per tonne FOB Black Sea for delivery in March-May.

• Tesla, however, kept the price of its Performance Model Y at the same range, the website showed.

• Discussions are likely to focus on China's policies toward Hong Kong, its pressure on Taiwan, its treatment of Uighurs, and what Washington sees as economic coercion against Australia, she said.

• East Zone matches were due to take place from April 21 to May 7 but have been moved back until June/July, the AFC said. Thailand will host matches in three East Zone groups, while the venues for the other two groups are yet to be decided.

• Under the repeated attacks by bears, this support may be broken on Thursday.

• The contemplated transaction would further strengthen and widen the range of cash equity.

• That improvement depends on airlines flying 55% of 2019 levels during 2021. Rolls-Royce said its assumption is for travel to gradually improve this year, accelerating in the second-half as vaccine programmes progress.

• The lira stood at 7.44 against the US dollar at 0720 GMT, firming from Wednesday's close of 7.5120. It climbed as much as 7.7840 on Monday as yields on US bonds rose.

• The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to one of the largest economic stimulus measures in American history, a sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that gives President Joe Biden his first major victory in office.
• The measure provides $400 billion for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for vaccine distribution.

• The National People's Congress voted 2,895 in favour of the decision to empower.

• Onshore A-share market has shown more resilience historically both as yield was rising and stayed above trend, which supported their preference for A-shares, they said in a note.

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with top Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska, the White House said on Wednesday, the first high-level in-person contact between the two sparring countries under the Biden administration.
• President Joe Biden’s administration has committed to reviewing elements of U.S. policies toward China, as the world’s two largest economies navigate frosty relations that sank to their lowest depths in decades during Donald Trump’s presidency.

• Among major shares in Tokyo, shipping firm Nippon Yusen surged 7.30 percent to 3,380 yen and its rival Mitsui O.S.K. lines climbed 7.45 percent to 3,605 yen.

• The Policy is aimed at the utilization of coal reserves especially at Thar coalfield to generate alternative fuels from coal such as synthetic gas and diesel to reduce the heavy reliance on imported fuels.

• "There's simply no economic incentive for oil storage".

• HSBC will report on its progress annually, it said on Thursday, starting this year.

• BHP is also looking to boost the number of permanent employees to around 60-80% of total staff in the next few years, Henry said, to increase safety and productivity.

• Policymakers have also expressed concern about strength in the euro, although a recent weakening of the currency has lowered expectations about major policy changes.

• It had given initial price guidance of between 5% and 5.125% for the bonds, another document also from one of the banks on the deal showed.

• Sino-US relations re-emerged as another key market focus as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with top Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska, the White House said on Wednesday, the first high-level in-person contact between the two sparring countries under the Biden administration.

• Both MPAs have been expelled from the party over their accusations against the PTI leadership
• The two members of the Sindh Assembly had cast their votes against the party’s candidates for Senate seats from Sindh in the recent election

• Hong Kong's Department of Justice has said no one should interfere with independent prosecutorial decisions, as it would undermine the rule of law.

• Both exceed by a wide margin Washington's criteria for labelling a country a currency manipulator.

• Globally, stocks also remain ample with crude oil in storage at major land and sea hubs rising last week, according to analysts and ship trackers.

• "Don't think that was wilful at all. I wouldn't appeal..." tweeted the 37-year-old.

• Markets in India and Indonesia were closed for holidays.

• Japan has therefore decided to stage the Games without overseas spectators, sources have told Reuters.

• The global dollar index fell to 91.784 from the previous close of 91.814.

• The reported death toll rose by 321 to 72,810, the tally showed.

• The contraction was less steep than the 4.5% drop seen in January, he told a government meeting.

• He also re-committed to the three-year yield target.

• The company's shares will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday under the symbol "CPNG."

• Only nine of Japan's 33 remaining commercial reactors have been approved for restarts under post-Fukushima safety standards and only four are operating, compared with 54 before the disaster.

• However, the USDA raised its forecast of global ending stocks of both corn and soybeans, bucking trade expectations for a reduction.

• The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 90,018, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.

• West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, ranking Republican on the Senate energy panel, said she is concerned that Biden's National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy will have more control over policy than the EPA.

• With the COVID-19 aid bill now completed, attention turns to Biden's next round of major legislation, including massive infrastructure investments, immigration reforms and climate change initiatives.

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series will be New Zealand's first one-day international competition since a defeat to Australia in Sydney in March 13, 2020.

• "It's still a bit too early to say ... so we're going to take this one step at a time," Morrison told Seven Network News.

• Sunak said the economy would have recovered by mid-2022, six months earlier than previously forecast.

• The European Central Bank is likely to signal faster money printing on Thursday to keep a lid on borrowing costs but it will stop short of adding firepower to its already aggressive pandemic-fighting package.

• Myanmar's imports of gasoline and diesel fell to about 287,000 tonnes in February, the lowest since August 2017, industry data showed, however.

• Soymeal futures last fell 4.6% to 3,162 yuan ($486.51) per tonne, while rapeseed meal futures were last down 5% at 2,698 yuan per tonne.

• Copper is often used as a gauge of global economic health.

• KOSPI's trading volume was 506.92 million shares, with 634 stocks rising out of total 909.

• Antibody treatments are designed to decrease the severity of COVID-19 among patients diagnosed with the infection.

• GB's focal person for coronavirus Dr Shah Zaman confirmed there are no active cases in the region's 10 districts and all existing patients have recovered

• But simultaneous discovery happens fairly often, in part because researchers use the same or similar tools to hunt for serious flaws, and many eyes are looking at the same high-value targets.

• The dollar index slipped to 91.776, following a 0.2% drop overnight.

• According to the notification, the tariff for electric consumers has been increased for six months and reduced for five months.

• Oil prices rose on Wednesday after an upbeat forecast for global economic recovery and lower US gasoline inventories.

• New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.3% by 2120 GMT.

• The dovish outlook helped three-year bond futures rally further to 99.770, and away from a 12-month trough of 99.615 hit late last month.

• On Monday, it touched its highest level since January 2020 at 1.545%.

• "The central bank's recent proactive stance with its interventions ... seems to be here to stay in the near term," they wrote in a note, citing increased nervousness over inflation. "This adds another layer of support for the real."

• The Bank of Canada on Wednesday left its key overnight interest rate unchanged at 0.25%, as expected, and said the Canadian economy was proving to be more resilient than anticipated to the second COVID wave and containment measures.

• Based on the depth of the drop to 3,160 ringgit, the contract may surge to 4,576 ringgit.