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Thai police arrest student leader over anti-government protest

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai police arrested a student leader on Tuesday as part of a continued crackdown against political activists who helped organize an anti-government protest in July, a police officer told Reuters. Jutatip Sirikhan, 21, the president of the ... More »

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Facebook improving hate speech detection ahead of Myanmar election

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Tuesday that it was preparing for Myanmar’s general election in November by improving the detection and removal of hate speech and content that incites violence and preventing the spread of misinformation. The company said in a... More »

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Federal agencies to investigate ‘left-wing civil unrest’: Trump

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security are setting up a joint operations center to investigate “left-wing civil unrest,” President Donald Trump said on Monday, as he accused Democrat Joe Biden of giving moral aid to vandal... More »

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Algeria approves more measures to ease coronavirus lockdown

ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerian authorities said on Monday they will carry out further measures to ease a coronavirus lockdown from Sept. 1, including lifting a ban on some cultural activities such as reopening museums and libraries. Nurseries would also be reope... More »

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U.S. Attorney General Barr says the left wants to tear down system

(Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General William Barr mounted a partisan attack on the Democratic Party in an interview that aired Sunday, claiming the left believes in “tearing down the system” and pursues absolute victory as “a substitute for religion.” Barr also t... More »

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Republican Senator Tom Cotton calls slavery ‘necessary evil’

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton described slavery as “a necessary evil” in a published attack on a New York Times initiative to make slavery the focal point of American history for U.S. schools. “As the Founding Fathers said, it was t... More »

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TikTok under scrutiny in Australia over security, data concerns

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia is scrutinising the popular Chinese-owned social media TikTok platform for any risks it may pose to users from around potential foreign interference and data privacy issues, government sources told Reuters. Owned by Bytedance, TikT... More »

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China urges UK to avoid taking wrong path in Hong Kong affairs

BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Monday urged Britain to avoid making further steps down wrong path after reports that it was poised to suspend an extradition treaty for Chinese-ruled Hong Kong. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the remark during a daily... More »

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Trump says Confederate flag proud symbol of U.S. South

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump declined to say the Confederate flag was an offensive symbol in an interview broadcast on Sunday, saying it is a source of pride for people who love the South. The Republican president was asked on “Fox News S... More »

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Factbox: Activists and politicians mourn John Lewis’ death

(Reuters) – U.S. flags were flown at half-staff on Saturday at the White House, federal properties and several states as politicians and activists voiced an outpouring of grief and appreciation for civil rights career of U.S. Representative John Lewis, who die... More »

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Trump expected to exclude undocumented migrants from U.S. census

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump is expected to soon issue an executive order that would ban undocumented immigrants from being included in the 2020 census count of every person living in the United States, a source familiar with the matter said o... More »

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EU top court to rule in landmark Facebook, Schrems privacy case

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s top court will on Thursday rule on the legality of tools companies use to transfer Europeans’ data around the world, in the latest clash between Facebook and Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems. If the court finds the mechanisms... More »

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China passes national security law in turning point for Hong Kong

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s parliament passed national security legislation for Hong Kong on Tuesday, setting the stage for the most radical changes to the former British colony’s way of life since it returned to Chinese rule 23 years ago. Details of... More »

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Writing on the wall: Congolese murals counter COVID-19 denial

KINSHASA (Reuters) – In central Kinshasa, freshly painted murals show traditional idols wearing medical masks or applying hand sanitiser, part of an art initiative to counter public disbelief in the face of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping Democratic Republic... More »

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Sudan finds mass grave of conscripts killed during Bashir’s rule

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s public prosecutor on Monday announced the discovery of a mass grave east of Khartoum suspected to contain the remains of students killed in 1998 as they tried escaping military service at a training camp. An investigation had been ... More »

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What do new U.S. sanctions mean for Syria?

AMMAN (Reuters) – The toughest U.S. sanctions yet on Syria take effect this week, increasing the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad as he grapples with a deepening economic crisis after a decade of war. Washington says sanctions will help hold Assad and his... More »

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U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear gun rights cases

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a series of new cases seeking to expand gun rights. The court rejected a total of 10 different cases that had piled up at the court in recent months. Two justices, conservatives Claren... More »

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Anti-racism protest signs, murals destined for U.S. Smithsonian

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Days into nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, demonstrators began to fill a tall fence in front of the White House with posters, flowers, paintings and photos in honor of black men, women and children who have lost thei... More »

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Trump economic adviser urges wearing of masks at Tulsa rally

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People attending U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Oklahoma this week should wear masks, a White House adviser said on Sunday, as health experts cautioned against large gatherings such as political rallies during the corona... More »

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U.S. health agency reverses Obamacare transgender protections

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule on Friday that would lift anti-discrimination protections under Obamacare for transgender people and women seeking abortions, drawing condemnation from Democratic lawmakers. ... More »

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Afghan artists paint mural on blast wall in tribute to George Floyd

KABUL (Reuters) – A group of artists climbed ladders up one of the many blast walls snaking through the Afghan capital Kabul this week to paint a mural of George Floyd in solidarity with the anti-racism protests kindled by his death in police custody. Floyd, a... More »

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U.S. Democrats pledge transformative change with police reform bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. congressional Democrats unveiled sweeping legislation on Monday to combat police violence and racial injustice through transformative change, two weeks after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody led to nationwide prote... More »

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Trump insists no police defunding amid U.S.-wide clamor for reforms

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Monday pledged to maintain funding for police departments in the United States amid growing calls for sweeping cuts to law enforcement budgets as protesters clamored for an end to police brutality following the ... More »

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Senate to reconsider expired surveillance tools

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate will make a renewed attempt this week to extend parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday, two months after the divisive government surveillance tools... More »

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Swiss soldiers pick up smartphones to fight COVID-19

CHAMBLON, Switzerland (Reuters) – In the battle against coronavirus, Swiss soldiers are using smartphones to test a new contact tracing application that could prevent infections while also protecting users’ privacy. Switzerland hopes to launch the app on May 1... More »

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Rift opens over European coronavirus contact tracing apps

BERLIN (Reuters) – A rift has opened up over the design of smartphone apps to trace people in Europe at risk of coronavirus infection, potentially hindering efforts to curb the pandemic and ease crippling travel restrictions. Scientists and researchers from mo... More »

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China says there is no discrimination against ‘African brothers’

BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Monday there was no discrimination against “African brothers” in the country and rejected U.S. accusations of mistreatment of Africans in Guangzhou as an attempt to harm Beijing’s relations with African nations. Foreign minist... More »

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Dutch telecommunications towers damaged by 5G protestors: Telegraaf

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Several Dutch cellular broadcasting towers have been damaged by arson or sabotage in the past week by opponents of a rollout of a new 5G telecommunications network, newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Saturday. The paper said there have be... More »

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Europe’s north-south lockdown divide revealed by Google data

BERLIN (Reuters) – Italy and Spain, the two European countries hardest hit by the new coronavirus, have enforced the most drastic lockdowns to curb the pandemic but one country, Sweden, stands out for allowing life to go on much as before, Google data show. An... More »

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Google exploring using location info to slow coronavirus spread

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google is exploring ways to use location information to slow the spread of the coronavirus by, for example, determining the effectiveness of social distancing. U.S. Senator Ed Markey, who has long championed consumer priva... More »

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Imprisonment of Cuban ‘art-ivist’ sparks charges of censorship

HAVANA (Reuters) – Dozens of renowned Cuban artists from across the political spectrum are calling for the release of dissident artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara who was arrested 10 days ago, decrying this as an outdated act of censorship. The 32... More »

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Iraqi nurse spends her weekends stitching wounds at protest site

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Hannaa Jassem bends over a patient in a makeshift clinic on the edge of Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, one of a handful of women in an overwhelmingly male world of demonstrations and political confrontation. The 24-year-old works as a nurse in a ... More »

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Berlinale study of slavery unearths the roots of modern Brazil

BERLIN (Reuters) – Making films in a bitterly divided Brazil that is increasingly hostile to artistic freedom is an act of resistance in itself, the maker of a new drama about race relations in the years after the country abolished slavery said. Speaking ahead... More »

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South Korean film injects diversity back into Oscars

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – At an Oscars ceremony nearly devoid of acting nominees of color and lacking any women among the contenders for best director, it fell to an Asian filmmaker and his cast to bring diversity to the American film industry’s highest honors. ... More »

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Supreme Court to hear Trump appeal in Obamacare contraception fight

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday took up an appeal by President Donald Trump’s administration seeking to enforce new federal rules allowing employers to obtain religious exemptions from an Obamacare requirement that health insurance that... More »

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Hong Kong applauds its financial prowess amid protests

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam and top finance officials praised the Chinese-ruled city’s resilience as a global financial hub on Monday amid more than six months of often violent pro-democracy unrest. Protests escalated in June o... More »

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U.S. lawmakers predict passage of bill backing China’s Uighurs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Congress predicted on Wednesday that the House of Representatives and Senate would agree on a compromise version of legislation requiring a tougher Trump administration response to China’s cr... More »

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Trump administration casts doubt on women’s rights amendment push

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Wednesday said it was too late to renew the effort to push through a decades-old proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ensure American women have equal rights to men. The U.S. Justice Departme... More »

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Bollywood A-lister backs protesting students, faces boycott calls

MUMBAI (Reuters) – A top Indian actress who joined students protesting against the government drew calls on social media on Wednesday for a boycott of her upcoming film, as well as praise for being a rare Bollywood A-lister to stand up against a crackdown on d... More »

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Unmarried Chinese woman sues hospital over refusal to freeze eggs

BEIJING (Reuters) – An unmarried Chinese woman filed a suit against a hospital on Monday for rejecting her request to undergo a medical procedure to freeze her eggs due to her marital status, in China’s first legal challenge of a woman fighting for her reprodu... More »

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India’s protesters cheered on by actors, artists and singers

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – With a voice known to millions of Indian movie goers, Zubeen Garg crooned one of his old songs with patriotic fervor, but he is protesting against the government, not singing its praises. Like many people from India’s northeastern s... More »

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Clashes rock Beirut as security forces fire tear gas at protest

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Tear gas engulfed central Beirut as security forces chased protesters near Lebanon’s parliament on Sunday in a second night of street clashes that wounded dozens of people. Protesters had returned despite a fierce crackdown by security force... More »

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Hong Kong protests flare ahead of Xi meeting with city leader

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police fired tear gas in late night street clashes with anti-government protesters, ahead of a potentially pivotal meeting between Hong Kong’s leader and China’s president in Beijing on Monday. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie L... More »

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Colombia peace court exhumes bodies in extrajudicial killings case

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s special justice tribunal has begun to exhume bodies from a grave in the country’s northwest as part of an investigation into as many as 50 possible extrajudicial killings allegedly committed by the army. The Special Jurisdiction f... More »

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Facebook, privacy activist Schrems battle nears end on Dec. 19

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems’ seven-year battle against Facebook reaches a crucial point on Dec. 17 when an adviser to Europe’s top court will issue his view on whether tools used by companies to transfer data abroad are legal or ... More »