* An upsurge in new coronavirus variants and poor access to vaccines in developing countries threaten the global economic recovery, finance ministers of the world's 20 largest economies warned on Saturday.
* Heavy rainstorm has lashed the Chinese capital Beijing since 6 p.m. Sunday with precipitation up to 116.4 mm, according to the municipal flood control department. Beijing municipality has issued yellow alerts for rainstorm, lightning, gale and rain-triggered geological hazards.
* As temperatures soared to record-breaking triple digits all over California and parts of the western United States, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued "Excessive Heat Warnings" for the affected areas this weekend, warning residents to stay indoors, seek air-conditioned shelters, and drink plenty of fluids.
* Tokyo begins its fourth state of emergency on Monday to contain a resurgence in COVID-19 infections, local media reported Monday.
* Republic of Korea reported 1,100 new coronavirus cases for July 11, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday, as the country's toughest anti-COVID curbs take effect in Seoul in an attempt to quell its worst-ever outbreak.
* Indonesian senior minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said on Monday that the country expects its COVID-19 cases to drop next week, citing reduced mobility after it imposed strict movement restrictions on July 3 on Java and Bali islands.
* Thailand implemented its toughest coronavirus restrictions in more than a year on Monday in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, with new curbs on movement and gatherings imposed and widespread suspensions by airlines and bus firms.
* COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer Inc will meet with federal health officials as soon as Monday to discuss the need for a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine as it prepares to seek authorization, the company said on Sunday.
* Overall card spending was up 0.9 percent in June, driven by spending on consumable goods, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Monday.
* Taliban fighters have surrounded the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan, taking over civilians' homes to fight security forces, officials said on Monday, the latest urban centre under threat from the insurgents.
* The confirmed death toll in the residential building collapse in Surfside, southeastern US state of Florida, rose to 90 with 31 people remaining potentially unaccounted for, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Sunday, the eighteenth day of the tragedy.
