World News in Brief: September 13

Authorities in Shanghai and neighbouring coastal regions cancelled flights, and suspended schools, subways and trains as Typhoon Chanthu approached China after drenching Taiwan territory though causing little damage there.

Indonesia reported its lowest daily COVID-19 cases since mid-May. (Source: Antara Foto via Reuters).
Indonesia reported its lowest daily COVID-19 cases since mid-May. (Source: Antara Foto via Reuters).

* UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will attempt to patch up Britain’s frayed relationship with US President Joe Biden's administration at a White House meeting between the two leaders this month, The Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources on both sides.

* The United Nations is convening an aid conference in Geneva on Monday in an effort to raise more than US$600 million for Afghanistan, warning of a humanitarian crisis there following the Taliban takeover.

* Asian shares made a sluggish start on Monday to a week packed with major US and Chinese economic data and the launch of Apple's latest iPhones, while the Nikkei was tantalisingly near heights last visited in 1990.

* Japan's wholesale inflation hovered near a 13-year high in August as raw material imports continued to rise on solid global demand, data showed, putting pressure on companies to pass on higher costs to households.

* The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) carried out successful tests of a new long-range cruise missile over the weekend, state media said on Monday, seen by analysts as possibly the country's first such weapon with a nuclear capability.

* Russia is planning to send food and medicine to Afghanistan soon as humanitarian aid, the RIA news agency cited Russia's foreign ministry as saying on Monday.

* US President Joe Biden will announce new steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 before the UN General Assembly meets, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said.

* India reported 27,254 new coronavirus infections and 219 deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Monday. Total cases have now climbed to 33.26 million while deaths have risen to 442,874.

* Brazil recorded 10,615 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 293 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

* Mexico's Health Ministry on Sunday reported 5,139 new, confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 224 more deaths, bringing the overall number of infections since the pandemic began to 3,511,882 and the death toll to 267,748.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plans to manage the pandemic in the winter months, announcing a decision to scrap the introduction of vaccine passports and steps to end some emergency powers.

* Chancellor Angela Merkel implored Germans to make use of a week-long COVID-19 vaccination campaign in which people can get a free jab at mosques, shops and football pitches.

* The government of the Australian state of New South Wales said the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations had slowed as first-dose coverage neared 80% and urged the unvaccinated to get shots soon or risk missing out on freedoms when curbs ease.

* New Zealand's largest city Auckland will remain in lockdown to beat the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

* South Africa will ease restrictions and shorten its nationwide curfew from Monday after a decline in infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised address.

* Qatar's foreign minister held talks with the prime minister of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan on Sunday, in the highest-level foreign visit to Kabul since the militant group seized the capital last month.

* Lebanon's finance ministry said on Monday the central bank would receive US$1.135 billion on Sept. 16 in International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), much needed funds as the country struggles with one of the deepest depressions in modern history.

* Four people were killed when a small Russian passenger plane with 14 passengers and two crew on board made an emergency landing in a forest in southeastern Siberia on Sunday, the emergency ministry said.

* A Somali asylum-seeker was arrested by Italian police after he allegedly stabbed four women and a six-year-old child in the tourist town of Rimini on Saturday night, ANSA news agency reported on Sunday. Investigators were for the moment ruling out terrorism as the motive.

* An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck Salta, Argentina on Monday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 200 km (124.27 miles), EMSC said.

Reuters