World News

France says Iran endangers compromising chance for nuclear deal

France's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran was endangering the chance of concluding an accord with world powers over reviving its 2015 nuclear deal if it did not return to the…

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U.S. will not lift travel restrictions, citing Delta variant -official

The United States will not lift any existing travel restrictions "at this point" due to concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant and the rising number of U.S. coronavirus…

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Tunisian president orders night curfew from Monday to Aug. 27 -statement

CAIRO, July 26 (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied prohibited the movement of people and vehicles from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., starting Monday and lasting until Aug. 27, with…

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Landmark Vatican fraud trial of 10 including a cardinal set to start

A landmark fraud trial of 10 people including a cardinal begins in the Vatican on Tuesday in what officials hope will be a turning point in its financial credibility and…

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Dutch ease EU COVID-19 travel restrictions, extend festival ban

The Netherlands on Monday said it would ease COVID-19 restrictions to allow travel to all European Union countries, including several that had been off limits to Dutch vacationers due to…

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EU calls on all Tunisian actors to respect constitution, rule of law

The European Union urged all political actors in Tunisia on Monday to respect the country's constitution and avoid violence after Tunisia's president ousted the government and froze parliament with help…

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Sardinia in state of emergency over forest fires

Sardinia has declared a state of emergency over the forest fires that have been raging on the island for two and a half days. A blaze in the province of…

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Torrential rains kill over 160 in India, dozens trapped in landslides

Rescue teams in India were digging through thick sludge and debris on Monday to find over 60 people trapped in landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains that have so far…

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UPDATED: Tunisian army deploys to govt building, stops workers entering, Tunisian democracy in crisis after president ousts government

Tunisian military deployed to the government palace in the Kasbah in Tunis on Monday and stopped government workers from entering the building after President Saied ousted the government on Sunday,…

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China blames U.S. for ‘stalemate’ in ties

A top Chinese diplomat took a confrontational tone on Monday in rare high-level talks with the United States, accusing it of creating an "imaginary enemy" to divert attention from domestic…

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University students in the UK could need to be fully vaccinated to attend lectures and stay in halls

University students could need to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus to attend lectures and stay in halls this coming academic year. "We aren't ruling it out," a senior government source…

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Mixed AstraZeneca-Pfizer shot boosts COVID antibody level – study

A mixed vaccination of first AstraZeneca and then a Pfizer COVID-19 shot boosted neutralizing antibody levels by six times compared with two AstraZeneca doses, a study from South Korea showed.…

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Heathrow Airport calls for UK to open up to vaccinated travellers

Britain's Heathrow Airport called on the government to open up the country to vaccinated travellers from the European Union and United States from the end of this month to help…

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Evacuations ordered after two California wildfires converge into one

Crews and officials battling a large fire that has incinerated more than 190,000 acres (77,000 hectares) in northern California braced for the possibility on Sunday that smoke columns could spawn…

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Australia sees COVID-19 cases climb, police warn against protest repeat

Australia's most populous state reported a rise in new COVID-19 cases on Monday despite a weeks-long stay-at-home order, while police vowed to crack down on any repeat of a wild…

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China reports most COVID-19 cases since end-January

China reported 76 new COVID-19 cases on July 25, the highest since the end of January amid a surge of local infections in the eastern city of Nanjing, as it…

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UPDATED: Lebanon’s Mikati secures majority to be nominated PM-desginate

Leading Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations on Monday to be designated the next prime minister, raising hopes for an urgently needed viable government to tackle…

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UK could end quarantine for travellers from France

Britain is expected to remove France from its "amber" category of coronavirus risk countries and could drop quarantine for travellers from France as soon as next week, The Times reported…

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EU sends four fire-fighting planes to tame Sardinia fires

The European Union is sending four forest firefighting planes to Sardinia in response to a request from Italy to help tame fires that have swept across parts of the island,…

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10 landings with 177 people in Lampedusa

Ten boats, with 177 migrants, arrived in Lampedusa on Saturday night. Nine landings arrived before midnight and brought the landings on Saturday to 30 in the space of 24 hours. The…

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Putin says Russian navy can carry out ‘unpreventable strike’ if needed

The Russian navy can detect any enemy and launch an "unpreventable strike" if needed, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, weeks after a UK warship angered Moscow by passing the…

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Protests across Tunisia

Police and protesters clashed in several Tunisian cities on Sunday as demonstrators demanding the government step down attacked offices of Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party that is the biggest in…

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Merkel aide warns of COVID-19 surge in Germany over coming weeks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff fears the number of new coronavirus cases will soar in the next few weeks and could hit 100,000 a day by the end…

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Asian COVID epicentre of Indonesia extends curbs by a week

Indonesia extended its COVID-19 restrictions by a week to Aug. 2 on Sunday to try to curb infections, after the government said it would add more intensive care units amid…

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East China braces for typhoon In-fa after flooding in country’s centre

Chinese commercial hub Shanghai and neighbouring coastal regions cancelled all flights, slowed or suspended subway trains and shuttered businesses as Typhoon In-fa made landfall on Sunday. The typhoon landed in…

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Libya steps up vaccination in Tripoli as virus caseload rises

Libyan authorities on Saturday stepped up their vaccination campaign around the capital Tripoli, as coronavirus cases rise across the country. The health ministry has set up temporary centres in six…

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Belgium hit with renewed flooding amid heavy rain

Belgium witnessed a new round of flooding on Saturday, as the country grappled with the impact of heavy rains and thunderstorms. The floods mostly impacted areas in the country's southern French-speaking region…

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Australians may face longer lockdown after mass protests

Australia's New South Wales logged its second-highest daily increase in locally acquired COVID-19 cases of the year on Sunday amid fears of a wave of new infections after thousands of…

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Russia reports nearly 24,000 new COVID cases, Moscow may have passed peak

Russia on Saturday reported nearly 24,000 new COVID-19 cases and a repeat all-time high in the number of daily deaths, at 799, but some officials suggested that infections, especially in…

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Tunisia reports a daily record of 317 COVID-19 deaths

Tunisia recorded 317 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, a daily record since the start of the pandemic, the health ministry said. The ministry also reported 5,624 new cases,…

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Appeal against vaccination an appeal to die says Draghi

Appeals against COVID vaccination are appeals to die, Premier Mario Draghi said Thursday night in an apparent dig at rightwing League leader Matteo Salvini who has been cautious about giving…

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Parts of Europe raise defences and push vaccines as Delta advances

Looking to counter the increasing menace of the coronavirus Delta variant, a growing number of European countries are raising their defences and trying to pressure more people to get vaccinated…

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Northern Ireland set to lose access to 2,000 medicines – FT

About 2,000 medicines currently offered to patients in Northern Ireland and made in Great Britain are set to be withdrawn as drugs manufacturers grapple with onerous post-Brexit red tape, the…

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New coronavirus variant under investigation in UK – reports

A new coronavirus variant is under investigation in the UK, Public Health England has said, The Independent reports. The variant, known as B.1.621, was designated a variant under investigation on Wednesday. There is no evidence…

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Turkey’s daily coronavirus cases jump to 11,094, highest since May

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's new coronavirus cases climbed above 10,000 for the first time since mid-May on Friday and hit a level of 11,094, according to health ministry data which…

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Dispute over Italian coronavirus study shows challenges of probing origins

MILAN, July 23 (Reuters) - A dispute over blood tests has raised questions about an Italian study that suggested the coronavirus was circulating outside China much earlier than expected, highlighting…

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Olympics-Naomi Osaka lights flame as Tokyo’s ‘games of hope’ open

TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters) - Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka on Friday lit the Olympic cauldron to mark the formal start of Tokyo 2020, in an opening ceremony shorn of…

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WHO urges collaboration on virus origin after China rejects inquiry plan

The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Friday for all countries to work together to investigate the origins of the coronavirus that caused COVID-19, a day after China rejected plans…

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Migrant boat carrying 45 people sinks south of Turkey

A migrant boat carrying 45 people has sunk to the south of Turkey, and Turkish naval ships and an aircraft are carrying out search and rescue operations, the defence ministry…

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Pope to skip Sunday Mass but will make regular noon address – Vatican

Pope Francis will skip a Mass on Sunday that he had been scheduled to say before his recent surgery, but the Vatican said there was no cause for alarm and…

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Croatia tightens controls on Adriatic coast to safeguard tourist season

Croatia has decided to tighten controls against the spread of COVID-19 along its Adriatic coast in an effort to safeguard its economically vital summer tourist season, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic…

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French scientist says return to normal life after COVID may not occur until 2023

A return to normal life following the COVID-19 virus outbreak may not occur until 2022 or even 2023, said professor Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who advises the French government. Delfraissy also told…

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Vaccinations slowing spread of COVID-19 cases in Spain

ain's vaccine rollout has begun to slow the spread of COVID-19 infections and the country is getting ready for a booster third dose, Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Friday.…

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U.S. seeks ‘reliable, predictable’ way forward with North Korea

The United States is seeking a "reliable, predictable and constructive" way to secure progress in stalled denuclearisation talks with North Korea, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on…

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France rejects UK Brexit renegotiation request

France's Europe minister Clement Beaune rejected Britain's request to renegotiate the Brexit deal governing trade with Northern Ireland, dismissing British accusations of European dogmatism as a "tall tale". Britain on…

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German pharmacies stop issuing COVID vaccine passes after security breach

German pharmacies have stopped issuing digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates after hackers created passes from fake outlets, the industry association announced, the latest blow to the inoculation drive. Germans who have…

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Australian states squabble as NSW seeks vaccine priority amid COVID ’emergency’

Australia's largest state of New South Wales on Friday urged the federal government to divert vaccine doses to Sydney, the epicentre of a flaring COVID-19 outbreak, raising objections from other…

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Spacing Pfizer COVID shots boosts antibody levels after initial drop -study

A longer gap between doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine leads to higher overall antibody levels than a shorter gap, a British study found on Friday, but there is a sharp…

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Belgium raises flood death toll to 37, further six missing

Belgian authorities raised the death toll from last week's burst rivers and flash floods to 37, with a further six people missing. Belgium's crisis centre, which is coordinating the rescue…

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Greece searches for missing migrants off Crete

Greece was searching for migrants who went missing after their sailing boat sank off the island of Crete, its shipping ministry announced. A nearby vessel spotted the boat after it…

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Sporting moments to look out for at Tokyo 2020

TOKYO (Reuters) - Superheroes the world over come head to toe in spandex. So too here in Tokyo, where the one person with the best shot at making – or…

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Italy introduces mandatory GreenPass vaccine passport for restaurants, gyms, shows , exams, fairs and other events

A COVID Green Pass vaccine passport will be needed to get into Italian eateries indoors, open-air shows, spas, swimming pools, gyms, fairs, congresses and competitive examinations, sources at the conference…

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UK’s Johnson urges EU to consider post-Brexit proposals seriously

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday to consider seriously Britain's proposals to change what he called the "unsustainable" way a Brexit deal…

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Merkel does not see Turkey joining EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday praised Turkey for hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees as part of an agreement with the European Union and said she wanted close relations…

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Pope’s September trip schedule shows no post-surgery slowdown

Pope Francis will deliver more than 10 addresses and visit five cities in four days during a September trip to Hungary and Slovakia - his first since major intestinal surgery…

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Merkel calls on EU to establish common asylum policy

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on European Union states to establish a common asylum policy that focused on taking in people who face persecution at home, preferably in collaboration with…

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UPDATED: Several arrested over plot to kill Madagascar president

Madagascan police this week arrested six people, including a foreign national, on suspicion of plotting to kill the president, after months of investigation, officials said. Andry Rajoelina was sworn in…

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