World News: 24 May 2023

China hit by new Covid wave, cases likely to surge to 65 million in a week
Since late April, coronavirus variant XBB has been fueling an increase in cases across the country and is likely to result in 40 million infections per week by May-end before it is expected to peak at 65 million a month later, reported local media outlet The Paper on Monday, as it cited a presentation given by respiratory disease specialist Zhong Nanshan during a biotech conference held in the southern city of Guangzhou.

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French ban on short-haul flights comes into effect in push for climate-friendly train travel
The change will mostly rule out air trips between Paris and regional hubs such as Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux, with connecting flights unaffected.
Critics have noted that the cutoff point for comparable train journeys is shy of the roughly three hours it takes to travel from Paris to Mediterranean port city Marseille by high-speed rail.
The law does specify that train services on the same route must be frequent, timely and well-connected enough to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise travel by air -- and able to absorb the increase in passenger numbers.

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Ron DeSantis to launch 2024 presidential bid on Twitter
Separate from his Twitter event Wednesday, DeSantis' team has also been planning for him to hold an official kickoff in his hometown of Dunedin, outside Tampa, according to sources. That event is tentatively planned to take place the week of Memorial Day, but sources have cautioned that the details could still change.

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Modi in Australia: Albanese announces migration deal with India
The deal aims to "promote the two-way mobility of students, graduates, academic researchers and business people". They also discussed regional security amid rising tensions in the region. India and Australia are part of the four-member Quad group, which also includes Japan and the US. A scheduled meeting of the group in Sydney was cancelled last week after US President Joe Biden had to return to Washington for debt ceiling talks.

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Poison and sabotage - Why South Africa's lights go out
If you are looking to understand South Africa's current struggles - its soaring crime and unemployment rates, its stubborn inequality and stagnant economy, its relentless corruption and crippling power cuts, and its broader drift towards what some fear could become "gangster state" or even "failed state" territory - then this one act of industrial sabotage, at a coal-fired power station on the high plains east of Johannesburg, is a good place to start.

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Pupil started school fire over 'confiscated phone' in Guyana
David Adams, the mayor of Mahdia, the town where the school is located, earlier confirmed the pupil’s alleged involvement to Reuters and said she was not injured in the fire.
He added he could not confirm whether the pupil was in government custody. The police statement did not mention an arrest.

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