Reuters Asia Top

By David Brunnstrom and Paul Grant WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law legislation that bans imports from China’s Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor, the White House said, provoking an angry Chinese condemnation. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is part of the U.S. pushback against Beijing’s treatment of …

Biden signs bill banning goods from China’s Xinjiang over forced labor Read More »

By James Macharia Chege and Josephine Mason JOHANNESBURG/LONDON (Reuters) -Omicron advanced across the world on Thursday, with health experts warning the battle against the COVID-19 variant was far from over despite two drugmakers saying their vaccines protected against it and signs it carries a lower risk of hospitalisation. Coronavirus infections have soared wherever the highly …

Vaccines, pills and data offer some Christmas cheer in face of Omicron advance Read More »

By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) -There is a lower risk of hospitalisation for people with the Omicron coronavirus variant compared to Delta, but the higher transmissibility of Omicron could still lead to significant numbers needing hospital treatment, the UK government said. Analysis of preliminary data by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed an individual …

Omicron cases at much lower risk of hospital admission, UK says Read More »

MAE SOT, Thailand (Reuters) – Myanmar’s oldest rebel force wants international help to establish a “no-fly zone” near the Thai border, after warning there was a danger of clashes with the army resulting in civilians being targeted by air strikes. There has been an escalation in fighting recently between the army and the Karen National …

Myanmar rebel group calls for no-fly zone to protect civilians Read More »

By Rikako Murayama and Rocky Swift TOKYO (Reuters) -A Japanese professor has developed a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate food flavours, another step towards creating a multi-sensory viewing experience. The device, called Taste the TV (TTTV), uses a carousel of 10 flavour canisters that spray in combination to create the taste of a …

Tasty TV: Japanese professor creates flavourful screen Read More »

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – Senior South Korean diplomats held talks with Chinese counterparts on Thursday after a diplomatic spat with Taiwan over Seoul’s cancellation of an invitation to a senior Taipei official to take part in a business forum last week. Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and aides conducted an online meeting on …

South Korea holds talks with China amid spat with Taiwan Read More »

BEIJING (Reuters) – Rising COVID-19 infections in China’s city of Xian have spurred a lockdown of its 13 million residents, with stretches of highway eerily bare on Thursday, as many people queued in the cold to get their noses swabbed at testing sites. The daily count of domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms in the …

China’s Xian locks down its 13 million residents as COVID-19 cases rise Read More »