THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
I. As Biden waits in wings, Pakistan takes a preemptive swipe at India
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2020/1216/As-Biden-waits-in-wings-Pakistan-takes-a-preemptive-swipe-at-India
II. Turkey insists that US sanctions will not affect helicopter deal with Pakistan
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201216-turkey-insists-that-us-sanctions-will-not-affect-helicopter-deal-with-pakistan/
III. Taliban team in Pakistan as calls grow for Afghan cease-fire
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-team-in-pakistan-as-calls-grow-for-afghan-cease-fire/2020/12/16/72b116dc-3f71-11eb-b58b-1623f6267960_story.html
IV. Israel helped the US track Bin Laden in Pakistan, former CIA chief
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/israel-helped-the-us-track-bin-laden-in-pakistan-former-cia-chief-42207
V. America can’t stay in Afghanistan forever, but it matters how we leave
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/16/opinions/afghanistan-withdrawal-gayle-lemmon/index.html
VI. Report: Huge Data Leak ‘Exposes’ Chinese Communist Party Members ‘Embedded’ In Western Companies And Governments
https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-huge-data-leak-exposes-chinese-communist-party-members-embedded-in-western-companies-and-governments
VII. Finding Strength in Decline
https://www.hudson.org/research/16559-finding-strength-in-decline
VIII. U.S. Nuclear Weapons Agency Hacked as Part of Massive Cyber-Attack
https://time.com/5922897/us-nuclear-weapons-energy-hacked/
RUSSIA & EUROPE
I. Viacheslav Volodin held talks with Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
http://duma.gov.ru/en/news/50286/
II. Statement by head of Delegation of the Russian Federationto the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control
hhttps://m.facebook.com/RusArmscontrol/posts/113820783896683?__tn__=K-R
III. U.S. Accuses Russia of Sowing ‘Chaos’ in Mediterranean
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/12/15/us-accuses-russia-of-sowing-chaos-in-mediterranean-a72368
IV. US sanctions Nato ally Turkey over purchase of Russian defence system
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595898/us-sanctions-nato-ally-turkey-over-purchase-of-russian-defence-system
V. Bosnia’s Muslim, Croat leaders snub Russia’s Sergey Lavrov
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/15/bosnias-muslim-croat-leaders-snub-russias-sergey-lavrov
VI. With Base in Sudan, Russia Expands Its Military Reach in Africa
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/12/14/russia-expands-military-reach-africa-navy-base-sudan/
VII. A Look at the Military Lessons of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/look-military-lessons-nagorno-karabakh-conflict
VIII. Biden to Face a Confrontational Russia in a World Changed From His Time in Office
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/politics/biden-russia-trump-putin.html
IX. Pakistan To Host Historic Naval Drills Between Russia & NATO Countries As Part Of AMAN-2021 Anti Piracy Exercise
https://eurasiantimes.com/pakistan-to-host-the-historic-naval-drills-between-russian-nato-countries/
X. Italy sees promising trade potential in Pakistan
https://nation.com.pk/14-Dec-2020/italy-sees-promising-trade-potential-in-pakistan
XI. Italy establishing cultural center in Islamabad
https://www.app.com.pk/national/italy-establishing-cultural-center-in-islamabad/
XII. First Virgin Atlantic flight arrives in Pakistan
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/first-virgin-atlantic-flight-arrives-in-pakistan-1.75841468
XIII. India and Pakistan are clashing again. This time it’s about rice
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-11-27/india-and-pakistan-fight-over-ownership-of-basmati-rice
MULTILATERALISM
I. Water, hygiene woes at health facilities putting lives at risk: UN report
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079952
II. ILO study finds migrants earn much less than locals, and the gap is widening
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079962
III. 60pc of Pakistan’s energy will be ‘clean’ by 2030: PM Imran (Climate Ambition Summit 2020)
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595373/60pc-of-pakistans-energy-will-be-clean-by-2030-pm-imran
IV. Five years on from the Paris Agreement, we are at a turning point
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/12/12/paris-climate-agreement-five-years-on
V. UN chief calls for immediate release of abducted children in Nigeria
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079942
POLITICAL ECONOMY & NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS
I. SBP Weekly Data Report
http://www.sbp.org.pk/ecodata/index2.asp
II. Textile industry bounces back stronger
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595514/textile-industry-bounces-back-stronger
III. Large-scale manufacturing expands 6.66pc
https://www.dawn.com/news/1596038
IV. November sees negative FDI
https://www.sbp.org.pk/ecodata/NetinflowSummary.pdf
V. World Bank Announces $300 Million for Pakistan to Build Resilience to Natural Disasters and Health Emergencies
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/12/08/world-bank-announces-300-million-for-pakistan-to-build-resilience-to-natural-disasters-and-health-emergencies
VI. Low earnings and agricultural neglect push Pakistan into food insecurity
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595706/low-earnings-and-agricultural-neglect-push-pakistan-into-food-insecurity
VII. Pakistan set to pay back $1 bn to Saudi Arabia this week
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/758252-pakistan-set-to-pay-back-1-bn-to-saudi-arabia-this-week
VIII. Fibre optic cable laid in Gwadar
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276384/fibre-optic-cable-laid-in-gwadar
IX. Foreign exchange: SBP reserves remain stable at $13.29b
https://www.sbp.org.pk/ecodata/forex.pdf
X. Pakistan’s positives
https://www.dawn.com/news/1596400/pakistans-positives
XI. “Pakistan Outlook 2021 – Based on Topline Poll”
https://app.researchpool.com/provider/topline-securities-limited/pakistan-market-outlook-2021-a-year-of-economic-stabilization-index-li-CcETJME6Xi
XII. Pakistan gets $1.1 b expensive foreign commercial loans
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276383/pakistan-gets-11-b-expensive-foreign-commercial-loans
XIII. ‘Pakistan, IMF on same page regarding power sector reforms, circular debt’: Dr Reza Baqir at SDPI Conference Sustainable Development in the Times of COVID-19
https://sdpi.org/sdconference/Sustainable-Development-in-the-Times-of-COVID-19
XIV. Pakistan, UAE agree to enhance cooperation in agriculture sector
https://www.radio.gov.pk/17-12-2020/pakistan-uae-agree-to-enhance-cooperation-in-agriculture-sector
XV. ‘There is hardly any gas’: LNG price rally exacerbates gas crunch in Asia
https://in.reuters.com/article/global-lng-prices/there-is-hardly-any-gas-lng-price-rally-exacerbates-gas-crunch-in-asia-idUSL4N2IW21S
XVI. Pakistan’s first city metro: Another ‘huge white elephant’?
https://www.thethirdpole.net/2020/12/15/pakistans-first-city-metro-another-huge-white-elephant/
XVII. With Americans Stuck at Home, Trade With China Roars Back
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/14/business/economy/us-china-trade-covid.html
XVIII. ADB to Help Prevent and Control COVID-19 by Strengthening WASH+H Approach in Projects
https://www.adb.org/news/adb-help-prevent-and-control-covid-19-strengthening-wash-approach-projects
XIX. Oil prices rise, hit 9-month high on U.S. stimulus progress
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil/oil-prices-hit-nine-month-high-after-inventory-draw-idUSKBN28R052
XX. Pakistan signals coal power exit, in potential model for China’s belt and road
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/12/16/pakistan-signals-coal-power-exit-potential-model-chinas-belt-road/
XXI. Defense Experts Call on Biden to Ready Military for Climate Change
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/defense-experts-call-on-biden-to-ready-military-for-climate-change/
XXII. Global rich must cut their carbon footprint 97% to stave off climate change, UN says
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carbon-footprint-wealthy-people-97-percent-cut-un/
XXIII. UK plans climate donor summit to address ‘dismal’ support for poorer nations
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/12/14/uk-plans-climate-donor-conference-address-dismal-support-poorer-nations/
XXIV. Climate Ambition Summit 2020
https://www.climateambitionsummit2020.org/
XXV. People, planet on ‘collision course’, warns UN Development Programme
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080042
