Reuters Asia Top

By Laurie Chen, Martin Quin Pollard and Kate Lamb BEIJING/JAKARTA (Reuters) – Days before a conference of foreign ministers this month, China told host Indonesia it was switching its representative due to “unexpected circumstances”, prompting a scramble in Jakarta to resize the traditional gift of a shirt for attendees. The planned recipient of the colorful …

Analysis-Suspicion deepens as absence of China’s foreign minister persists Read More »

By Sakura Murakami TOKYO (Reuters) -The United States is actively engaged in ensuring the return of an American soldier who had crossed into North Korea, a U.S. official said on Thursday, ahead of a trilateral meeting with Japan and South Korea on countering North Korean threats. The U.S. is working hard to ascertain information on …

US seeks soldier’s return as trilateral talks over North Korea start Read More »

(Reuters) – The U.S. has suspended federal funding to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) for failing to provide documentation related to concerns over biosafety protocol violations at the facility that has faced questions for years over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also said it …

US suspends federal funding to Wuhan lab over non-compliance Read More »

By Crispian Balmer and Ryan Woo ROME/BEIJING (Reuters) – Italy put 23 cities on red alert as it reckoned with another day of scorching temperatures on Wednesday, with no sign of relief from the wave of extreme heat, wildfires and flooding that has wreaked havoc from the United States to China. The heat wave has …

Europe battles heat and fires; sweltering temperatures scorch China, US Read More »

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Stemirna Therapeutics said on Wednesday it had suspended work at a factory it had planned to use to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine candidate that uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, citing a lack of demand. Stemirna, whose backers include private equity firm HongShan, previously known as Sequoia Capital China, said in a …

China’s Stemirna halts work at planned mRNA vaccine factory, cites lack of demand Read More »

(Reuters) – The World Health Organization on Wednesday urged governments and local authorities to set up a strong surveillance system for people who are most at risk of severe symptoms from a heatwave that is baking the northern hemisphere. People with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and diabetes, as well as pregnant women, children and homeless …

WHO urges govts to set up surveillance for people at risk from heatwaves Read More »

By Do Gyun Kim and Soo-hyang Choi PAJU, South Korea (Reuters) – Only hours after U.S. Private Travis T. King fled into North Korea while taking part in an organised tour on the heavily fortified border, groups of tourists coming from the South Korean side were still visiting the area on Wednesday. Going to the …

Heavily fortified North Korea border area a magnet for tourists Read More »

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines has said its investigation into killings during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs will be “impartial”, a day after its attempt to block a similar probe by the International Criminal Court (ICC) was rejected. Amid criticism from victims’ families and rights groups over a lack of accountability, the Department …

Philippines’ investigation into drugs war will be “fair” – Dept of Justice Read More »