US health secretary's Taiwan visit angers China

Beijing warns US President Trump that the visit threatens peace and stability in the region.

Covid update: China allows Indians to return; Bill Gates on vaccine

From China allowing Indians to return to another Uttar Pradesh minister reportedly testing positive - here are the top news updates on the Covid-19 pandemic. Around 150 Indians including diplomats' kin, bank staff, etc will return to China on August 6. Beijing hadn't allowed Indians into China on a June 29 flight following which hectic talks took place. China will allow those who get tested within five days of journey and get health form endorsed. Bill Gates said that the US must have global approach on vaccine and not just 'take care of ourselves'. Meanwhile, China, which claims Taiwan as a part of its territory, has said that US must end Taiwan ties to avoid damage to Washington-Beijing ties. As per Reuters calculations, one person is dying every 15 seconds due to Covid. As per the past two weeks' data, nearly 5,900 Covid-related deaths happening every 24 hours. In UP, minister Brajesh Pathak has reportedly found infected on August 5, while another state minister Kamal Rani Varun had recently died due to Covid infection.

Top U.S. official's visit to Taiwan may anger China

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar will visit Taiwan in the coming days, his office said on Tuesday, marking the highest-level visit by a U.S. official in four decades -- a move likely to anger China, which claims the island as its own. Gloria Tso reports.

Demonstrators chant ‘Modi, Modi’, praise India in Toronto’s anti-China protests

Anti-China protests were held in Canada’s Toronto on August 01. It was organized by Canada Hong Kong Link & Bangladesh Minority Rights Alliance. Indian, Tibetan, Vietnamese & Taiwanese diaspora joined the protest. Amid the protests, demonstrators praised India and chanted slogans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A woman representing the Hong Kong Canadian community said that it is of utmost importance for the people of the world to be united against China. She said, “I’m representing the Hong Kong Canadian community in joining force with our brothers and sisters from different ethnic communities to oppose to the brutal suppression of the Chinese authoritarian regime. We would like to show solidarity for our brothers and sisters that are under suppression in Tibet, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and other parts of the world. It is of utmost importance for all people over the world to be united in saying no to this suppressive regime. We also need to urge the Canadian government to come up with a strong foreign policy.” Watch the full video for more details.

Beijing's top office in Hong Kong slams 'ridiculous' US sanctions

Officials subject to US sanctions include Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and head of China's Liaison Office, Luo Huining.

HK vows it won't be intimidated by U.S. sanctions

Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong said on Saturday that sanctions imposed by Washington on senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials were “clowning actions” that would not frighten or intimidate Chinese people. Olivia Chan reports.

Trump orders bans on China's TikTok, WeChat

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled sweeping bans on Chinese-owned apps TikTok and WeChat in a major escalation of tensions with Beijing. Gloria Tso reports.N

Taiwan kickstarts domestic tourism after containing coronavirus spread

Taiwan's transportation and health ministers removed a face mask from a sand sculpture at a ceremony in Taipei to kickstart a domestic tourism initiative. View on euronews

Taiwan drives Chinese warplanes from its airspace

Chinese Su-30 fighter jets briefly entered Taiwanese airspace hours after the country's defense ministry announced the dates of annual military exercises that test its capabilities to ward off a Chinese invasion.

Taiwan opposition protests 'tyranny' in parliament

A group of over 20 opposition lawmakers occupied the Taiwanese legislature overnight on Monday, protesting "government tyranny" and Democratic Progressive Party President Tsai Ing-Wen. Gloria Tso reports.

Trump Administration Refuses to Fully Reinstate DACA

The administration announced on Tuesday that it will try to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program once again.

SCOTUS Guts Obamacare Contraception Mandate

The Supreme Court sided with employers who refuse to provide no-cost birth control to women as part of their health insurance. Business Insider said this is a historic victory for the Trump Administration. The 7-2 decision is a crushing blow to President Obama's Affordable Care Act, which included the "contraceptive mandate." The Trump Administration has worked to roll back the requirement since 2017.