By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) – Pacific island nations that are some of the last places in the world to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic are recording a growing number of COVID-19 cases, prompting a rush to provide vaccines, medical teams and food aid. Concern about the detection of the coronavirus in tsunami-hit Tonga, …
Race to send vaccines, medical aid as COVID-19 reaches Pacific islands Read More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – From natural carbon dioxide refrigeration at ice rinks to 100% renewables-powered venues, China is striving to run a “green” Olympics to showcase its leadership in climate-friendly tech and counter concerns about the lack of natural snow at its venues. President Xi Jinping has pledged China, the world’s biggest polluter, will reduce its …
Olympics-China showcases low-carbon tech for ‘green’ Games Read More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan serious COVID-19 cases crossed 1,000 for the first time in four months, data showed on Friday, as the Omicron variant fuelled record infections and burdened the medical system. Seriously ill patients climbed by 131 to 1,042 cases from the day before, the health ministry said, the highest since September when the …
Japan’s serious COVID cases climb to 4-month high; record infections Read More »
By Jonathan Landay and Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A lack of flights and the search for a new U.S. reception center are among the hurdles facing the White House as it races to speed up the evacuation of at-risk Afghans from their homeland, according to a senior U.S. official and others familiar with the …
U.S. faces snags in bid to speed up at-risk Afghan evacuations Read More »
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Nandita Bose AMMAN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The leader of Islamic State died when he blew himself and family members up during a U.S. military raid in Syria, President Joe Biden said on Thursday, dealing a blow to the jihadist group’s efforts to reorganize as a guerrilla force after losing large swathes of …
ISIS leader Quraishi kills himself during Syria raid, U.S. says Read More »
By Steve Holland, Dmitry Antonov and Pavel Polityuk WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) – Russia has formulated several options as an excuse to invade Ukraine, including the potential use of a propaganda video showing a staged attack, the United States said on Thursday, as the Kremlin condemned American troop deployments in the region. Russia, which seized Crimea from …
U.S. warns Russia may stage video as pretext to invade Ukraine Read More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – A raid by U.S. special forces in northwest Syria that led to the death of the leader of Islamic State was an important step for peace and stability in the Middle East, Japan’s top government spokesperson said on Friday. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi died when …
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has been in touch with all its partners in the counter-ISIS coalition since Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi blew himself up during a U.S. raid, a senior White House official said on Thursday. “It’s a milestone for Haji Abdullah no longer to be walking the face of …
By Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers proposed matching bills in the Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday that would require the United States to negotiate the renaming of Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington as the “Taiwan Representative Office,” a move certain to rankle China. It is currently …
U.S. lawmakers push to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington Read More »
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations has about $135 million in the bank in Afghanistan but is unable to use it because the Taliban-run central bank cannot convert it to the afghani currency, a senior U.N. official said on Thursday. Abdallah al Dardari, head of the U.N. Development Programme in Afghanistan, …
U.N. has millions in Afghanistan bank, but cannot use it Read More »
