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BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing reported one new domestically transmitted COVID-19 infection in community screening in the 15 hours to 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Friday, a disease control official said. The city also reported another new case among those who had already been quarantined, Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director at the Beijing Center for …

Beijing city reports one new community COVID case in 15 hours to 3pm Friday Read More »

By Soo-hyang Choi SEOUL (Reuters) -Officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan met in Seoul on Friday to prepare for “all contingencies” amid signs North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test for the first time since 2017. U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Kim Gunn …

U.S., S.Korea, Japan envoys meet as N.Korea appears to prepare nuclear test Read More »

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan recorded a record low number of births in 2021, prompting the biggest ever natural decline in the population, government data showed on Friday. There were 811,604 births last year, the fewest in health ministry data going back to 1899. Deaths climbed to 1,439,809, leading to an overall drop of 628,205 in …

Japan recorded record low births, biggest ever population drop in 2021 Read More »

SEOUL (Reuters) – China and Russia are clearly not interested in working with the United States to manage North Korea’s nuclear and missile arsenal, Washington’s nuclear envoy said on Friday, after Beijing and Moscow vetoed a U.S. proposal for new sanctions. In Seoul for meetings with South Korean and Japanese counterparts, U.S. Special Representative Sung …

Russia, China not interested in working with U.S. on N.Korea – U.S envoy Read More »

By Ebrahim Harris and Hasnoor Hussain HULU TERENGGANU, Malaysia (Reuters) – Alarmed by Malaysia’s loss of plant species to deforestation, photographer Suzairi Zakaria decided he needed to take direct action to conserve them in his home state of Terengganu. Swathed in rainforests rich in biodiversity, the southeast Asian nation has lost about 29 percent of …

As Malaysia’s forests disappear, photographer steps up to save orchids Read More »

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fossils unearthed in China of a forerunner of the modern giraffe are offering insight into the early evolution of this mammal’s trademark long neck, driven not only by the benefit of reaching high foliage but also by head-bashing competition between males for mates. Researchers on Thursday described skeletal remains …

Beast built for head-butting reveals early giraffe neck evolution Read More »

By Natalie Grover and Mrinalika Roy LONDON (Reuters) – As cases of monkeypox in wealthier Western nations spark a flurry of scientific research to combat the outbreak, scientists are urging the world to make sure lower-income nations benefit from the fruits of that labor as well. More than 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been …

Developing world should reap benefits of new monkeypox research, experts urge Read More »

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s prime minister threatened on Thursday to step down just three months before a general election is due, if the centre-right opposition succeeds in winning a vote of no-confidence against the interior minister over his handling of gang crime. The Moderates, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats parties said they would support …

Swedish PM threatens to resign if justice minister ousted in no-confidence vote Read More »