World

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s state media and the government of Hong Kong lashed out on Sunday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to end Hong Kong’s special status if Beijing imposes new national security laws on the city, which is bracing for fresh protests. FILE PHOTO: A pro-democracy demonstrator raises his hand up as

TAIPEI (Reuters) – A recall vote for a high-profile mayor is stirring political acrimony in Taiwan, with accusations of voter intimidation and official interference, and could bring new problems for the main opposition party, already reeling from losing January elections. FILE PHOTO: Kuomintang party’s presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu admits defeat in presidential election in Kaohsiung,

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s three decades of uninterrupted prosperity are coming to an abrupt end as the global coronavirus pandemic crashes one of its most lucrative sources of income – immigration. Gurmeet Tuli, who owns a jewellery shop speaks with fellow small business owners at an Indian restaurant, where a business has substantially slowed since

ROME (Reuters) – The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said on Sunday. A lifeguard wearing a protective face mask takes the temperature of a woman at a newly reopened beach after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said on Sunday that people are more important than the economy, as countries decide how quickly to reopen their countries from coronavirus lockdowns. Pope Francis leads the Regina Coeli prayer from his window in the newly reopened St. Peter’s Square after months of closure due to an outbreak of

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would postpone a Group of Seven summit he had hoped to hold next month until September or later and expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India. U.S. President Donald Trump, with U.S. House Minority Leader

Worshippers pray inside al-Aqsa mosque as it reopened after a two-and-a-half month coronavirus closure, on the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound reopened to Muslim worshippers and visitors on Sunday

Protesters hold banners in front of the Capitol Hill during a rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd in Washington, U.S., May 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran, always keen to score points against its longtime foe the United States, took Washington to task on Saturday over

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – As a nurse on the front lines of Mexico’s coronavirus battle, Gisela Hernandez has stayed away from her children for nearly two months, sleeping in a hotel and even her car to avoid infecting them because she feels inadequately protected at work. Nurse Gisela Hernandez, who has stayed away from her

SOFIA (Reuters) – An Australian ex-soldier, released on parole after being convicted of a street murder in Bulgaria in 2009, fears he will be rearrested if he tries to leave the country and is now seeking a new trial to try to clear his name. Australian citizen Jock Palfreeman speaks during an interview with Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union urged the United States on Saturday to reconsider its decision to cut ties with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO: Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), walks past the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) after the

FILE PHOTO: A father plays with his children on a street, as the country relaxes lockdown measures during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on the island of La Graciosa, Spain, May 4, 2020. REUTERS/Borja Suarez MADRID (Reuters) – Four small Spanish islands will be able to open the outside terraces of bars and

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks line up at a safe social distance outside the grocery store amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tashkent, Uzbekistan April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Mukhammadsharif Mamatkulov TASHKENT (Reuters) – Uzbekistan has extended measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus until June 15, but relaxed some restrictions, allowing the

HONG KONG (Reuters) – The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said on Saturday it was “a sad day” for the global financial centre, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump moved toward stripping the city of its special treatment in a bid to punish China. In some of his toughest rhetoric yet, Trump said

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday tried to walk back a Twitter threat to respond with deadly force to three days of violent protests in Minneapolis over the police killing of an unarmed black man. After his online comment that “looting leads to shooting” drew a warning from Twitter and widespread condemnation

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong told the United States to keep out of the debate over national security legislation being imposed by China, and warned that withdrawal of the financial hub’s special status under U.S. law could backfire on the U.S. economy. FILE PHOTO: Anti-government demonstrators sit as they were detained during a lunch

FILE PHOTO: People walk outside Dubai mall after the UAE government eased a curfew and allowed stores to open, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 3, 2020. REUTERS/Abdel Hadi Ramahi/File Photo DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates will shorten from Saturday by two hours a nightly

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump about the south Asian nation’s military standoff with China, a government source said on Friday, after Trump suggested Modi was upset about border tension. FILE PHOTO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to U.S. President Donald Trump during

FILE PHOTO: Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike speaks to the media after a telephone conference with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (not in picture) in Tokyo, Japan March 24, 2020, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS TOKYO (Reuters) – Curbs in Japan’s capital of Tokyo to contain the coronavirus are

FILE PHOTO: The Twitter logo and binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Twitter has flagged a tweet written in March by a Chinese government spokesman that suggested the U.S. military brought the novel coronavirus to China, as the social media platform ramps up

LONDON (Reuters) – Britons took to their doorsteps and balconies on Thursday to show their appreciation for health workers on the front line of the coronavirus crisis, in what could be the last such celebration. The ‘Clap for Carers’ initiative has for the last 10 weeks been an emotional moment of solidarity among citizens enduring

FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Istanbul, Turkey, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey will lift restrictions on intercity travel and allow restaurants, cafes, parks and sports facilities to reopen from June 1 as it eases restrictions imposed to curb

FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto attends a news conference at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil October 8, 2019. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary and Slovenia eased coronavirus border restrictions on Thursday to allow travel by their citizens between the two countries, their foreign ministers told a joint press conference at

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s parliament approved a decision on Thursday to go forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists in the city and Western countries fear could endanger its special autonomy and freedoms. China says the legislation will be aimed at tackling secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the

FILE PHOTO: General view of the almost empty Khaosan Road, which is usually crowded with tourists, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha -/File Photo BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand on Thursday reported 11 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, bringing its total to 3,065 confirmed

FILE PHOTO: Colombia’s President Ivan Duque addresses the nation in a televised speech, in which he declared a state of emergency, as preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bogota, Colombia March 17, 2020. Courtesy of Colombian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia will begin easing restrictions put in place

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian seamstress Nazly Penagos got an unusual offer from her boss: come live inside the Bogota factory to reduce the chance of getting sick with the novel coronavirus. An employee of the Colombian company Hechizoo wearing a face mask is seen inside a room where the employees who live at the company’s

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had offered to mediate a standoff between India and China at the Himalayan border, where soldiers camped out in a high-altitude region have accused each other of trespassing over the disputed border. U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions after speaking about the coronavirus

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Police in Hong Kong fired pepper pellets and made 300 arrests as thousands of people took to the streets on Wednesday to voice anger over national security legislation proposed by China, that has raised international alarm over freedoms in the city. In the heart of the financial district, riot police fired

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus cases in 49 days on Wednesday, as one of the country’s largest e-commerce companies battled an outbreak linked to a now-shuttered logistics facility. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 40 new cases as of midnight Tuesday, bringing the