BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Some communities in Chinese cities where COVID-19 is still spreading are easing off on testing requirements and quarantine rules ahead of an expected shift in virus policies nationwide after widespread social unrest. The uneven relaxation of COVID restrictions is, however, fueling fear among some residents who suddenly feel more exposed … Read more
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Chinese newspapers turned their front pages black on Thursday and flags were put at half mast in mourning for the death of former president Jiang Zemin, while well-wishers ugly piles of bouquets outside his childhood home. Jiang died in his home city of Shanghai just after noon on Wednesday of … Read more
BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) – China is softening its tone on the severity of COVID-19 and easing some coronavirus restrictions even as its daily case toll hovers near record highs, after anger over the world’s toughest curbs fueled protests across the country. Several cities in the world’s second-largest economy, while still reporting new infections, are … Read more
WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) – The US Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would protect federal recognition of same-sex marriage, a measure taken up in response to worries the Supreme Court could overturn a 2015 decision that legalized it nationwide. The narrowly tailored bill, which would require the federal government to recognize a marriage … Read more
SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) – People in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police on Tuesday night, videos on social media showed, as frustration with stringent COVID-19 rules boiled over, three years into the pandemic. The clashes in the southern city marked an escalation from protests in the commercial hub … Read more
BEIJING, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have begun inquiries into some of the people who gathered at weekend protests against COVID-19 curbs, three people who were at the Beijing demonstrations told Reuters, as police remained out in numbers on the city’s streets . In one case, a caller identifying as a police officer in … Read more
Nov 28 (Reuters) – Elon Musk accused Apple Inc (AAPL.O) of threatening to block Twitter Inc from its app store without saying why in a series of tweets on Monday that also said the iPhone maker had stopped advertising on the social media platform . The billionaire CEO of Twitter and Tesla said Apple was … Read more
Shanghai, Beijing police make presence visible on streets No sign of new protests in Beijing, Shanghai on Monday Backlash is a setback for efforts to stamp out virus News of the protests roils global markets SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Police on Monday patrolled the scenes of weekend protests in Shanghai and Beijing after crowds … Read more
AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 27 (Reuters) – The United States Soccer Federation temporarily displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic as a show of solidarity with protesters in Iran ahead of the two teams’ World Cup clash on Tuesday. A now-deleted graphic of the Group B standings posted … Read more
Nov 27 (Reuters) – Twitter Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk says new user signups to the social media platform are at an “all-time high”, as he struggles with a mass exodus of advertisers and users fleeing to other platforms over concerns about verification and hate speech. Signups were averaging over two million per day in … Read more