MTPIX

Biden, South Korea’s Yoon vow to stop North Korea but offer COVID aid

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SEOUL, May 21 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and his new South Korean counterpart agreed on Saturday to hold bigger military drills and deploy more US weapons if necessary to deter North Korea, while offering to send COVID-19 vaccines and potentially meet Kim Jong Un. Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol said their countries’ decades-old alliance needed … Read more

Shanghai inches towards COVID lockdown exit, Beijing plays defense

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Shanghai cautiously works to restore transport services Shanghai reports mostly zero new community cases this week Beijing on edge as new infections keep appearing BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 21 (Reuters) – Shanghai cautiously pushed ahead on Saturday with plans to restore part of its transport network in a major step towards exiting a weeks-long COVID-19 lockdown, while … Read more

Russia advances in Ukraine’s Donbas as Mariupol steelworks siege ends

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Weeks-long siege ends at Azovstal, Russia says Russia intensifies offensive in Donbas Zelenskiy seeks deal to secure Russian compensation Russia stops Finland gas flows over payment dispute KYIV, May 21 (Reuters) – Russia pressed for control of Ukraine’s Donbas region, claiming victory in the months-long battle for Mariupol’s steel plant and launching a major offensive … Read more

US says Turkey’s approach to Sweden, Finland NATO bid not a bilateral topic

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) – Turkey’s approach to the NATO accession process of Sweden and Finland is not a bilateral issue between Washington and Ankara, the US State Department said on Friday, but added that Washington was speaking with Ankara and it remained confident that the dispute would be overcome. Finland and Sweden say they … Read more

WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases top 100 in Europe

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A section of skin tissue, harvested from a lesion on the skin of a monkey, that had been infected with monkeypox virus, is seen at 50X magnification on day four of rash development in 1968. CDC/Handout via REUTERS Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com register Cases in nine European countries, North America, Australia … Read more

Putin promises to bolster Russia’s IT security in the face of cyber attacks

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May 20 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the number of cyber attacks on Russia by foreign “state structures” had increased several times over and that Russia must bolster its cyber defenses by reducing the use of foreign software and hardware. The websites of many state-owned companies and news websites have suffered … Read more

Germany and Italy approved Russian gas payments after nod from Brussels – sources

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A model of the natural gas pipeline is seen in front of displayed word EU and Russia flag colors in this illustration taken March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com register Some EU states refuse to comply with Russian payment demands Others approve Russian payments after talks with EU … Read more

WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases cross 100 in Europe

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Rare outbreak of viral disease outside Africa Cases in 8 European countries, North America, Australia Cause still unclear WHO holds emergency meeting to discuss cases Germany says biggest outbreak ever in Europe LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) – The World Health Organization was due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak … Read more

Biden arrives in S.Korea with first stop at Samsung

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OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea, May 20 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday, the first stop on his first trip to Asia as president, where his attempts to counter China’s influence and build economic ties are likely to be overshadowed by North Korean threats. Biden landed at the US air … Read more

Shanghai finds cases after five days of ‘zero COVID’ but end of lockdown on track

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Family of three catch COVID outside Shanghai’s quarantined areas Plans to ease curbs in May and lift lockdown in June still on More and more cities in China bringing COVID under control SHANGHAI/BEIJING, May 20 (Reuters) – Shanghai announced its first new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas in five days on Friday, triggering stricter curbs … Read more