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Economic Times | 27 Jul, 2020 | 08.44AM IST
US-China Latest News: American flag lowered at US consulate in Chengdu
The American flag was lowered at the United States consulate in Chengdu on Monday, days after Beijing ordered it to close in retaliation for the shuttering of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
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China pressurises Vietnam to cancel, compensate offshore firms operating in South China Sea
- Amid the growing Chinese movement in the South China Sea, Vietnam has agreed to pay around a billion dollars to two international companies after cancelling their drill operations following pressure from Beijing, The Diplomat reported.
- To maintain its presence in the South China Sea region, China, for several years, continued its efforts to prevent the Vietnam-based companies developing oil and gas resources in the area.
- Citing a well-placed oil industry source, Bill Hayton, author of the article, said, "Vietnam's state-owned energy company PetroVietnam will pay the money to Repsol of Spain and Mubadala of the United Arab Emirates in 'termination' and 'compensation' arrangements."
In another setback to China, Russia suspends deliveries of S-400 missiles
- Russia has announced suspension of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to China and said the resumption of further deliveries is yet to be ascertained.
- Citing Chinese newspaper Sohu, UAWire reported, "This time, Russia announced the postponement of the delivery of missiles for the Chinese S-400 system. To a certain extent, we can say that it is for the sake of China. Getting a gun is not as easy as signing an invoice after receiving a weapon."
- "They say that the work on delivering these weapons is quite complicated. While China has to send personnel for training, Russia also needs to send a lot of technical personnel to put the weapons into service," Sohu said.
Amid virus, uncertainty, parents decide how to school kids
- About 70% of Americans think schools should open in the fall, though most of those think it should happen with restrictions, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. Only 8% say say K-12 schools should operate normally.
- Mask wearing has been a particular sticking point in many places. In Springfield, Illinois, scores of people rallied against a requirement that schoolchildren wear face coverings while attending class.
Mainland China reports 61 new cases
- China reported 61 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 26, up from 46 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Monday.
- As of Sunday, mainland China had 83,891 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 4,634.
US doubles spending on potential virus vaccine to nearly $1 billion
- The government now plans to spend up to $472 million on top of the previously announced $483 million, the Moderna biotechnology company announced Sunday.
- Moderna said the added investment was justified by its decision, in conjunction with the government, to "significantly" expand a Phase Three clinical trial of a candidate vaccine to include 30,000 participants.
- In a small, initial trial, Moderna's experimental vaccine produced coronavirus antibodies -- which should help fend off the disease -- in the bodies of all 45 participants.
Brazil confirms over 24,000 fresh cases
- More than 24,000 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Brazil in the past 24 hours, while the death toll increased by over 500 in that period, according to the latest data from the country's health ministry.
- Brazil now has a total of 2,419,091 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 24,578 new cases having been registered in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday.
- Over the same period, 555 new deaths were confirmed, bringing the country's total toll to 87,004.
PM Modi to launch testing facilities today
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday launch 'high-throughput' COVID-19 testing facilities in three cities -- Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata -- via video conferencing.
- According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), these facilities will ramp up testing capacity in the country and help in strengthening early detection and treatment, thus assisting in controlling the spread of the pandemic.
Assam: NDRF team evacuate villagers from Barpeta
- A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Sunday evacuated villagers and livestock to safer places from flood-affected areas of Dighirpam Bazar in Assam's Barpeta district.
- The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said that the death toll has reached 96. Floods have wreaked havoc in Assam's various districts for the fourth time this year.
Mexico reports 5,480 new cases, 306 deaths
- Mexico's Health Ministry on Sunday reported 5,480 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 306 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 390,516 cases and 43,680 deaths.
- The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
American flag lowered at US consulate in Chengdu: China state media
- The American flag was lowered at the United States consulate in Chengdu on Monday, days after Beijing ordered it to close in retaliation for the shuttering of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
- Footage on state broadcaster CCTV from outside the consulate showed the flag being slowly brought down in the early morning, as diplomatic tensions soar between the two powers with both alleging the other has endangered national security.
