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[Body] => The protocol allowing for a shortened quarantine period for fully vaccinated individuals who are close contacts of probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases will be temporarily suspended, the inter-agency task force on COVID-19 says.
The temporary suspension is part of the government's measures to slow down the surge in COVID-19 cases and to stop it from further spreading.
"Close contacts who remain asymptomatic for at least 14 days from the date of exposure can discontinue their quarantine," the task force says.
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-11 10:23:28
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[Body] => Seoul will face a "serious security crisis" for going ahead with its joint military drills with the United States, a senior Pyongyang official threatens, saying the South had missed its opportunity to improve inter-Korean ties.
The statement by Kim Yong Chol came just a day after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, demanded Washington withdraw its forces from the peninsula.
The US and South Korean militaries began their preliminary training Tuesday in the run-up to next week's yearly summertime exercise, which the nuclear-armed North has long considered a rehearsal for invasion. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-11 09:36:51
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[Body] => Canadians wanting to eat at a restaurant, go to a bar or gym, or attend a festival in Quebec will have to present a vaccine passport starting September 1, officials announce Tuesday.
The province will be the first in Canada to require such passes, which are increasingly being used across the world to limit entry to public places to those who have been vaccinated, recovered from Covid-19 or tested negative.
They are also hugely controversial in some jurisdictions leading to mass protests against mandatory inoculations.
"Our objective with the passport is not to go backwards to a lockdown and, at the same time, to avoid overloading our hospitals," Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube tells a news conference. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-11 08:27:32
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[Body] => US President Joe Biden hails the "historic" $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed by the Senate on Tuesday, saying it will "transform America."
The bill funds work on roads, bridges and ports, as well as clean water and high-speed internet that will create thousands of high-paying jobs, most of which do not require a college degree, Biden said.
The investments will make "infrastructure more resilient" and "allow us to outcompete the rest of the world," he adds. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-11 07:18:07
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[Body] => TikTok was the world's most downloaded app last year, overtaking Facebook and its messaging platforms, market tracker App Annie says Tuesday.
The Chinese-owned video app surged in popularity despite efforts by former president Donald Trump to ban it or force a sale to US-based investors, according to the research firm.
TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, is believed to have one billion users worldwide including more than 100 million in the United States, and its short-form videos are especially popular with young smartphone users. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-11 07:16:19
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[Body] => China's coronavirus cases hit a seven-month high on Tuesday, after a cluster at a test site helped drive up numbers as the Delta variant challenges Beijing's grip on the pandemic.
State media has described the current outbreak -- which has sparked local lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions -- as the most severe since the virus emerged in the central city of Wuhan.
Authorities had brought domestic infections down to virtually zero, allowing economic activity to rebound albeit with tight border restrictions. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-10 17:13:40
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[Body] => Dozens of small island states most vulnerable to the effects of climate change have called on the world to save "our very future" after a landmark UN report said accelerating global warming and rising sea levels threaten their existence.
The call to action comes after the climate report warned that catastrophic global warming is occurring far more quickly than previously forecast, an assessment met with horror and hopefulness by world leaders and green groups.
"We have to turn this around," Diann Black-Layne, lead climate negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda, said in a statement late Monday.
"The stark fact is that if we keep warming to 1.5C we are still facing half a metre of sea level rise. But if we stop warming from reaching 2°C, we can avoid a long term three metres of sea level rise. That is our very future, right there."
The group comprises 39 states including Cuba, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea and the Maldives, the world's lowest-lying country. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-10 15:16:05
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[Body] => China insists Tuesday it is implementing its climate commitments, while signalling no new policies following a UN report warning much more urgent action was needed to fight global warming.
Many world leaders responded to Monday's report, which said climate change was occurring faster than estimated, by calling for decisive and immediate moves to curtail fossil fuels.
When asked for a response to the report, China's foreign ministry emphasised the government's current policies and commitments.
"China has insisted on prioritising sustainable, green and low-carbon development," a spokesperson tells AFP in a statement. — AFP
[LastUpdate] => 2021-08-10 14:53:24
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