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By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – People infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant are nearly 75% less likely to develop serious illness or die than those who contract the Delta variant, real world data released on Monday by South Korea’s health authorities showed. A study by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) of …

South Korea says Omicron COVID variant 75% less likely to kill than Delta strain Read More »

By Ju-min Park and Daewoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) – Doy, one of South Korea’s most famous tattoo artists having inked the likes of Brad Pitt, just wants to practice his craft without fear of going to jail or hefty fines. South Korea is the sole developed country in the world where tattooing is considered a …

Will a presidential election mark the end of S. Korea’s tattoo taboos? Read More »

BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese capital Beijing detected four locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the city, according to a local health official on Tuesday, after reporting zero new community infections for more than two weeks. China is due to hold its annual parliamentary meeting in Beijing on March 5. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by …

Beijing reports 4 new local COVID-19 cases in Chinese capital Read More »

By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will watch how rising interest rates in Western nations could affect its economy, the finance minister said on Tuesday, as higher bond yields would boost borrowing costs for the industrial world’s heaviest public debt burden. Shunichi Suzuki made the remark as the parliament’s powerful lower house is set to …

Japan watching impact of rate rises by the West on its economy Read More »

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen cooperation with China and together “crush” threats and hostile policies from the United States and its allies, state media reported on Tuesday. Kim made the remarks in a verbal message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, congratulating him on the successful completion of the Beijing …

N.Korea’s Kim congratulates China on Olympics, says together they will crush U.S. threats Read More »

By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin told the French and German leaders on Monday that he planned to sign a decree recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. Here’s a look at the implications for the wider crisis, in which the United States says Russia may be poised to invade …

Explainer-What will Russian recognition of breakaway Ukraine regions mean? Read More »

By Stephanie van den Berg and Toby Sterling THE HAGUE (Reuters) -The World Court started to hear preliminary arguments on Monday in a case brought against Myanmar demanding that it halt alleged acts of genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority, with representatives of the junta appearing for Myanmar. Presiding Judge Joan Donoghue briefly addressed the …

World Court Myanmar genocide case clouded by representation dispute Read More »

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will fly to Moscow this week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Islamabad confirmed on Monday – the first such trip by a Pakistani leader in two decades. The two-day visit, starting on Wednesday, was planned before the current crisis over Ukraine. “During the Summit meeting, the …

Pakistani prime minister to fly to Moscow to meet Putin this week Read More »