World News

Delta variant in China spreads from Nanjing

China reported on Saturday 55 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 30, compared with 64 cases a day earlier, the health authority said. The National Health Commission said…

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Asian nations impose stricter COVID-19 restrictions due to Delta outbreaks

Asian countries from Australia to Japan and the Philippines announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, as they battle worsening coronavirus outbreaks, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. Detected in…

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North Korea’s economy shrank most in 23 years amid COVID-19, sanctions – S.Korea c.bank

North Korea's economy suffered its biggest contraction in 23 years in 2020 as it was battered by continued U.N. sanctions, COVID-19 lockdown measures and bad weather, South Korea's central bank…

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Japanese PM Suga calls on citizens to watch Olympics at home

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday called on the citizens to watch the Olympics at home at a news conference announcing the expansion of coronavirus restrictions in several areas…

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China reports 64 new COVID-19 cases as Delta resurgence continues in Nanjing

China reported on Friday 64 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 29, compared with 49 cases a day earlier, the health authority said. The National Health Commission said…

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India reports 44,230 new COVID-19 cases, overall tally at 31.57 mln

India reported on Friday 44,230 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, government data showed. The nationwide tally of infections reached 31.57 million, according to the health ministry. The…

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Philippines to place Manila area in lockdown to curb Delta spread

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday approved the imposition of lockdown measures in the capital region, in a bid to contain the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant and to…

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Thailand warns COVID-19 surge pushing hospitals to the brink

Hospitals in Thailand's capital Bangkok and surrounding province are running out of beds due to a jump in COVID-19 patients, a health official said on Thursday, as the country reported…

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Pakistan to ban public sector, education, malls, air travel for unvaccinated

Pakistan will ban air travel for anyone without a COVID-19 vaccine certificate from Aug.1 and will require all public sector workers to get vaccinated by Aug. 31, the government announced…

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Delta variant drives virus spread to three China provinces

China Thursday reported small coronavirus outbreaks driven by the Delta variant in three provinces as a cluster linked to an eastern airport spreads despite mass testing and a vaccination drive.…

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CanSinoBIO’s inhaled COVID vaccine candidate triggers immune response-early trial

An inhaled version of CanSino Biologics' (CanSinoBIO) COVID-19 vaccine triggered immune responses without serious side effects, an early-stage clinical trial showed. The two-dose candidate requires lower dosages than the…

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Thailand puts Covid patients on sleeper trains home to ease crisis in Bangkok

Thailand has begun using sleeper trains to transport Covid patients out of Bangkok, where hospitals have been overwhelmed by a recent surge in cases. The first train left the capital…

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India reports 43,654 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

India reported 43,654 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the federal government said on Wednesday. The country's total case load now stands at 31.44 million infections, according to…

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North, South Korea in talks over summit

North and South Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, three…

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U.S. Defense Secretary says committed to stable, constructive relationship with China

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday he was committed to having a constructive relationship with China and working on common challenges as he laid out his vision for…

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India reports 29,689 new COVID-19 cases, lowest since March 17

India reported 29,689 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday, for the lowest daily rise since March 17, according to a Reuters tally.…

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Koreas re-establish hotline communication after yearlong vacuum

South and North Korea reopened their hotlines on Tuesday after a yearlong communications vacuum that had flared tensions and soured relations. At least 49 hotlines have been set up between the two Koreas…

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First person charged under HK security law found guilty of terrorism, inciting secession

The first person charged under Hong Kong's national security law was found guilty on Tuesday of terrorism and inciting secession in a landmark case with long-term implications for how the legislation reshapes…

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Olympic host Tokyo asks for more hospital beds as COVID-19 infections rise

Olympic host city Tokyo has asked hospitals to prepare more beds for COVID-19 patients as the Japanese capital grapples with a rise in infections, broadcaster TBS said on Tuesday. Daily infections in…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Tengger Desert, China

Tourists ride camels in the Tengger Desert, near Zhongwei city, at the borders of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia autonomous regions. Tengger Desert is an arid natural region that lies on…

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South Korea to toughen rules to collect cryptocurrencies from tax dodgers

South Korea will look to tighten a crackdown on tax evasion by cryptocurrency investors and high-income earners as it seeks fresh revenue to cover rising welfare costs, its finance ministry…

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South Korea says Moderna reports ‘production issue’

South Korea said on Monday it has been informed by Moderna of an unspecified production issue involving its COVID-19 vaccine, as the country expands its inoculation campaign for people aged…

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Singapore aims to start quarantine-free travel by September

Singapore is looking to allow quarantine-free travel for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from September, when 80% of the city-state's population should be inoculated, the government said on…

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UPDATED: Quake of magnitude 6.3 strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia – EMSC

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck off Sulawesi island, Indonesia on Monday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 30 km (18.64 miles),…

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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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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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China says EU’s planned carbon border tax violates trade principles

China said on Monday the European Union's plan to impose the world's first carbon border tax will expand climate issues into trade in violation of international principles and hurt prospects…

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India reports 39,361 new covid-19 cases in last 24 hours

India reported 39,361 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours the health ministry said on Monday. India's total cases now stand at 31.4 million, according to a Reuters tally,…

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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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Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes off Sulawesi, Indonesia – EMSC

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck about 88 km (55 miles) west of Luwuk, Indonesia, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on Monday. The quake was at a depth of…

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Two activists killed in tightly fought vote in Pakistan’s Kashmir

Two political activists were killed in an exchange of fire between supporters of two major Pakistani parties on Sunday during a tight race to elect the regional assembly in Pakistan-administered…

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From China to Germany, floods expose climate vulnerability

Deadly floods that have upended life in both China and Germany have sent a stark reminder that climate change is making weather more extreme across the globe. At least 25…

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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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Philippines bans children from going out

The Philippines will suspend travel from Malaysia and Thailand, as well as tighten restrictions in the Manila area, in a bid to prevent the spread of the contagious Delta variant…

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Myanmar junta replaces envoy to Britain who broke ranks

Myanmar has appointed a new temporary head of its embassy in London, Britain's foreign ministry said, replacing the previous ambassador who was ousted after breaking ranks with the military government…

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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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India reports 39,742 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

India reported 39,742 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, a government statement said on Sunday. The COVID-19 death toll rose by 535 deaths in the last 24 hours,…

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Heavy rain in India triggers floods, landslides; at least 125 dead

Rescue teams in India struggled through thick sludge and debris on Saturday to reach dozens of submerged homes as the death toll from landslides and accidents caused by torrential monsoon…

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Philippines evacuates thousands as monsoon rains flood cities, provinces

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine authorities moved thousands of residents of the capital, Manila, out of their low-lying communities on Saturday as heavy monsoon rain, compounded by a tropical storm, flooded…

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Vaccinated people make up 75% of recent COVID-19 cases in Singapore, but few fall ill

Vaccinated individuals accounted for three-quarters of Singapore's COVID-19 infections in the last four weeks, but they were not falling seriously ill, government data showed, as a rapid ramp-up in inoculations…

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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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Photo Story: Buddhist religious activities on the day of a full moon in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Buddhist devotees pray during a religious observance on a full moon day at a temple in the Kelaniya suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 23 July 2021. Buddhism is…

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Philippines to bar travel from Malaysia, Thailand to curb Delta’s spread

The Philippines will ban travellers coming from Malaysia and Thailand, as well as tighten restrictions in the Manila area, in a bid to prevent the spread of the contagious Delta…

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Microsoft in talks with Indian state for setting up $2 bln data centre

Global tech giant Microsoft is in discussions with the Telangana government on a proposal for setting up one of its largest data centres with an investment outlay of about USD…

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China’s Nanjing city starts mass testing, suspends subway line amid new COVID-19 cluster

China's Nanjing city has started mass COVID-19 testing of its 9.3 million population and suspended a subway line as the city faces the latest local coronavirus cluster in the country.…

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Tens of thousands evacuated as China storms spread northwards

Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from flood-hit regions of central China on Thursday as officials raised the death toll from heavy rains that have deluged Henan province…

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China rejects WHO plan for study of COVID-19 origin

China rejected on Thursday a World Health Organization (WHO) plan for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, which includes the hypothesis it could have…

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Indonesia reports record high 1,383 COVID-19 deaths

Indonesia reported a record high 1,383 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to data from the Southeast Asian country's coronavirus taskforce. The country also reported 33,772 new cases, taking Indonesia's…

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Samsung’s 2021 The Wall Is Now Available Worldwide

Samsung Electronics this week launched the 2021 model of its boundary-pushing modular display The Wall (Model Name: IWA) globally. With the new AI processing technology, upgraded 120Hz frame rates, and…

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Suzuki and Daihatsu join Toyota electric vehicle venture

Suzuki Motor Corp and Daihatsu are joining a commercial electric vehicle coalition led by Toyota Motor Corp, the carmakers announced on Wednesday, helping the Japanese alliance expand its focus from…

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UPDATED: Central China’s Henan province swamped after heaviest rain in 1,000 years

At least 25 people have died in China's flood-stricken central province of Henan, a dozen of them in a subway line in its capital Zhengzhou, and more rains are forecast…

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India’s 3,998 new COVID-19 deaths are its highest in a month

India reported on Wednesday 42,015 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, while daily deaths jumped to 3,998, their highest since June 12, health ministry data showed. India's tally…

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U.S. and allies accuse China of global hacking spree

The United States and its allies accused China on Monday of a global cyberespionage campaign, mustering an unusually broad coalition of countries to publicly call out Beijing for hacking. The…

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Britain to permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters

Britain said on Tuesday it would permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters after its Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and escort ships sail to Japan in September through seas where China…

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Caught between China and the U.S., Asian countries stockpile powerful new missiles

Asia is sliding into a dangerous arms race as smaller nations that once stayed on the sidelines build arsenals of advanced long-range missiles, following in the footsteps of powerhouses China and the…

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Nintendo says has no plans for further Switch model

Japan's Nintendo has "no plans" to launch a new model of its Switch gaming device beyond the screen upgrade announced this month, the company said on Monday in an unusual…

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Foreign missions in Afghanistan call for Taliban ceasefire

KABUL, July 19 (Reuters) - Fifteen diplomatic missions and the NATO representative in Afghanistan urged the Taliban on Monday to halt their military offensives, just hours after the insurgents and…

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