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The net profit of China's centrally-administered State-owned enterprises grew by 2.1 percent year-on-year to 1.4 trillion yuan in 2020.
But the total operating revenue fell 2.2 percent to 30 trillion yuan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, nearly 80 percent of central SOEs saw increasing net profit.
In December, they gained 176 billion yuan in net profit, the highest for that period in history.
The Chinese mainland reported 106 local COVID-19 infections yesterday.
They include 43 in Jilin, 35 in Hebei, 27 in Heilongjiang, and one in Beijing.
Pakistan has approved emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines developed by China's Sinopharm and British-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca.
Authorities say the authorization will be reviewed every quarter keeping in view further data regarding safety, efficacy and quality.
The country has so far reported over 520 thousand cases with 11 thousand deaths.
The World Economic Forum says its Davos Agenda 2021 will be held virtually next week.
More than 1,500 business, government and civil society leaders from over 70 countries and regions will attend the event and discuss global challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 cases in the United States have topped 24 million with close to 400 thousand deaths.
The US makes up more than 25 percent of the global caseload and over 19 percent of the global deaths.
An updated model is projecting over 560 thousand COVID-19 deaths in the country by May 1, based on the current scenario.
UN humanitarians say the effects of COVID-19 worsened the plight of more than 31 million people in the Sahel last year, with 14 million acutely food insecure.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says peace, good governance and development are needed to make changes in the lives of millions of people in the southern fringes of the Sahara.
Insecurity has increased in countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, and western Niger.
The number of internally displaced people in the Central Sahel has risen 20-fold since 2018.
The humanitarian office says violent incursions in the Lake Chad Basin region continue to increase internal displacements and the need for humanitarian assistance.
Last year, a 6.3-billion-U.S. dollar appeal was made to respond to needs in the Sahel.
Less than half of the amount was raised.
At least 129 people are dead and nearly 200 others injured as tribal violence continues in Sudan.
Reports say the victims include "children and new-born infants."
The clashes were started last week by a fight between people of two tribes in the capital city of West Darfur State.
The government has sent military reinforcements to the region.
A committee will be formed to investigate the incident.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is ready for a quick deal with the incoming US administration to extend the last remaining arms control pact.
"The most important priority is the absolutely abnormal situation in the sphere of arms control. We have heard about the Biden administration's intention to resume a dialogue on this issue and try to agree on the New START treaty's extension before it expires on February 5th. We are waiting for specific proposals, our stance is well-known and it remains valid."
His comment comes after failed talks between Russia and President Donald Trump's administration on the possible extension of the New START treaty which expires next month.
President-elect Joe Biden has spoken in favor of the preservation of the New START treaty.
New START was signed in 2010 by US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
It limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.
Canada is allowing Boeing's 737 Max to fly again in the country's airspace starting today.
The Transport Ministry says it has completed its nearly two-year review of the aircraft and has issued an "airworthiness directive" detailing a series of changes that must be made before the plane can return to Canadian airspace.
It will complete the final step of the process to clear the aircraft today by lifting a notice to airmen banning commercial flights of the Max in Canada.
