China says 4 soldiers were killed in deadly border clash with India last year

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China has said that four Chinese soldiers were killed in the violent Himalayan border clash with Indian troops last June.

This is the first time China has stated the number of deaths. India after the clash said that 20 of its soldiers died in the incident.

Our correspondent Rebecca Bundhun reports from Mumbai.

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US ready to meet with Iran to discuss Nuclear Deal

The United States has said it is prepared to meet with Iran to negotiate a pathway back to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, in 2018.

Our Washington Correspondent Jagruti Dave reports.

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Australia – Media guidelines criticized as Facebook standoff continues

Facebook's ban on news being shared or posted in Australia could continue for another week.

The social media company will launch an appeals process for organisations taken off the network, after calls for it to restore access to vital public safety information.

Shaun Bindley reports.

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COURTESY AIR NEWS MEDIA - AUSTRALIA

China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Hong Kong

China is delivering a million doses of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine to Hong Kong, as the city prepares to launch a mass vaccination programme. 

The jab will be the first to be administered in the city, after winning government approval this week. Health officials are facing criticism for approving the jab, despite it not yet having backing from the World Health Organisation.

Richard Kimber reports from Hong Kong.

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Biden to give $4 billion to WHO Covid-19 Vaccination effort.

US President Joe Biden will pledge $4 billion dollars for the World Health Organisation's COVAX programme to support vaccine distribution to poor and middle income countries, according to US officials.

He's expected to make the announcement at his first meeting with G7 leaders on Friday

Our Washington Correspondent Jagruti Dave reports.

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NASA rover 'Perseverance' successfully lands on Mars

NASA has successfully landed the robotic rover Perseverance on the planet Mars, where it will now search for signs of past life.

The 2 year mission is the agency's most ambitious effort to study whether there has ever been life on the planet.

US correspondent Ira Spitzer has more

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NASA's "Perseverance" rover lands successfully on Mars ahead of exploration for evidence of extinct life

NASA's Perseverance Rover has made a successful landing on the surface of Mars after a 7 month journey to the red planet.

It will soon start exploring the site of an ancient lakebed in a bid to find fossils or other evidence of extinct life.

Our US Correspondent Simon Marks reports.

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Weak jobs data and earnings blunt Wall St. momentum

The U.S. markets lost momentum Thursday a day after the Dow Jones
notched another record close.

This follows the release of some weaker-than-expected labor market
data and a disappointing earnings report from Walmart.

William Denselow reports from New York.

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NASA's "Perserverance" makes textbook landing on surface of Mars

NASA's Perseverance Rover has made a successful landing on the surface of Mars.

The rover, the size of a car, completed a 7 month journey to the red planet….and there were nail-biting moments for the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab as the craft came in for its landing.

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It was a textbook moment…one of the most hazardous complex missions the space agency has ever undertaken as Perseverance completed a 300 million mile journey.

Its cameras are already taking images of Mars space expert Dr. David Whitehouse says soon it will start collecting soil samples in a bid to determine whether there was previously life on the planet.

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US indicates willingness to re-engage diplomatically with Iran

The Biden administration says it's ready to re-engage diplomatically with Iran in a bid to salvage the Iran nuclear deal.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement, but after meetings with European foreign ministers America's new Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, is signalling a possible resumption of talks with Tehran.

Our US Correspondent Simon Marks reports.

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New US jobless claims jump to 861K, signaling continued pressure on labor market

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the past week rose unexpectedly, singling continued headwinds in the labor market. 

The rise in jobless claims weighed on Wall Street, with major indices trading in negative territory. 

Liling Tan reports from New York. 

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Former US Senator Bob Dole Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Former US Senator Bob Dole has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. 

Dole ran for US president against then incumbent Bill Clinton in 1996, but he lost in an Electoral College landslide. 

Rachel Silverman has details. 

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Life expectancy falls by a year in the United States

The life expectancy for the U.S. population dropped by a full year in
the first half of 2020.

It's the largest drop since World War Two and the Covid-19 pandemic is
largely to blame.

U.S. correspondent William Denselow reports.

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Prince Philip spends second night in hospital

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, has spent a second night in hospital.

The 99-year-old was said to be in 'good spirits' and his condition is not believed to be coronavirus-related.

Chris Jones has more from London

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Winter storm cuts off clean water and power to millions of Texans

Millions of people in Texas have been warned to boil their water after a winter storm disrupted treatment plants.

The coldest temperatures seen in the state for decades have also caused widespread power outages.

Our US correspondent Giles Gibson reports.

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EU unveils new 'assertive' global trading strategy

The European Union says it wants to be a more "assertive" player in global trade, in a move that could have ramifications for the US and China. 

Unveiling its new trade strategy for the next ten years, the bloc said it wanted to work alongside the US on reform of the World Trade Organisation.

Lucy Hough has more from Brussels. 

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NORD STREAM 2 LIFE OR DEATH FOR UKRAINIANS - HEAD OF UKRAINE NATIONAL GAS CO.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is "without exaggeration, a matter of life or death for our citizens", says the head of Ukraine's national energy provider, Naftogaz Ukraine.

On Facebook he said that the country's gas transportation system is also part of the defence system of Ukraine.

He believes that would be jeopardised if the Russia backed pipeline is successfully completed, allowing Russia to export gas to the rest of Europe without going through Ukraine.

Stuart Smith reports from Moscow.

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LABOUR LEADER SETS OUT VISION FOR UK POST COVID19

The Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, has delivered a keynote speech setting out his vision for the future of the United Kingdom. 

Sir Keir said the Covid19 pandemic offers a time to think again about the kind of society the UK wants to be.

Laura Makin-Isherwood has more.

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COVID-19 infection rate plummets in England, says new study

One of the UK's largest coronavirus surveys has found that infections are decreasing in England.

Imperial College London's REACT study found that infections had fallen by more than two-thirds since a month ago. 

From London, Benji Hyer reports. 

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COVID-19 CASES FALLING RAPIDLY IN ENGLAND

Covid-19 infections are falling rapidly in England according to a major study which tracks the epidemic in the country.

The React study from Imperial College London suggests cases have fallen by two-thirds since mid-January, and are 80% lower in London.

It estimates around one in 200 people had Covid-19 by the 13th February - a similar level to late September.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to set out on Monday a 'roadmap' out of lockdown restrictions.

Virologist Chris Smith says there's still a long way to go.

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