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China says Wuhan institute was not involved in creating COVID-19 virus

12 Feb 2025

BEIJING (Reuters) – The Wuhan Institute of Virology was not involved in the creation or leakage of the COVID-19 virus, a spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry said during a regular press conference on Wednesday. The institute also never carried out any gain-of-function research on coronaviruses, the spokesperson said. (Reporting by Ethan Wang, Xiuhao Chen and …

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Philippines military eyes more upgrades, including ‘dream’ submarines

12 Feb 2025

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines is looking to buy more military hardware to modernise its arsenal, including additional BrahMos missiles from India and at least two submarines, the chief of the armed forces said on Wednesday. The Philippines is on the third phase of its modernisation programme called “Horizons”. It has earmarked $35 billion for …

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First US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait since Trump inauguration

12 Feb 2025

By Liz Lee and Ben Blanchard BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Two U.S. Navy ships sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait this week in the first such mission since President Donald Trump took office last month, drawing an angry reaction from China, which said the mission increased security risks. The U.S. Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied …

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Philippines law agency recommends filing criminal charges against VP Duterte over threat

12 Feb 2025

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation has recommended filing criminal charges against Vice President Sara Duterte over an alleged threat to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and others, the agency’s head said on Wednesday.  “We have finally recommended the filing of inciting to sedition and grave threats against the vice president,” NBI …

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US Navy confirms ‘routine’ Taiwan Strait transit

12 Feb 2025

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy confirmed on Tuesday two of its ships carried out a Taiwan Strait transit, calling it routine despite an angry reaction from Beijing. The Navy said the vessels were the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit …

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China launches new rocket designed to carry more satellites

11 Feb 2025

BEIJING (Reuters) – A new Chinese carrier rocket designed to send up bigger batches of satellites in one launch made its first flight on Tuesday, boosting Beijing’s strategy of countering U.S. billionaire Elon Musk’s oversized presence in Earth’s lower orbits via SpaceX. The heavy-lift Long March 8A blasted off for its maiden flight at 5:30 …

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South Korea election official rejects impeached president’s fraud claims

11 Feb 2025

By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) – The secretary general of South Korea’s National Election Commission defended the integrity of the country’s elections on Tuesday amid claims by impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol that votes may have been compromised. Kim Yong-bin made his remarks while testifying at a hearing in Yoon’s impeachment trial over the president’s …

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Singapore detains teenager radicalised by far-right extremism

11 Feb 2025

By Bing Hong Lok SINGAPORE (Reuters) – An 18-year-old Singapore student who was radicalised by violent far-right extremism online and who idolised the gunman behind deadly attacks on two mosques in New Zealand has been detained under the Internal Security Act, the government said. Nick Lee Xing Qiu identified as an “East Asian supremacist” and …

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Five killed in suicide bomb blast in northeastern Afghanistan, police say

11 Feb 2025

(Reuters) -At least five people were killed when a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body detonated outside a bank in northeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, police said. The blast took place at 8:35 a.m. (0405 GMT) near the Kabul Bank branch in Kunduz province, killing the bank’s security guard and four others including civilians …

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South Korean court clears HSBC of violating short-selling rules

11 Feb 2025

SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean court on Tuesday acquitted HSBC on charges of violating the country’s short-selling rules, a court official said. The Hong Kong unit of the bank was charged with illegal short-selling worth nearly 16 billion won ($11.01 million) by the prosecution, the Yonhap news agency reported. The Seoul Southern District Court …

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