News from around the world

China data hints at declining spread: WHO

The number of new coronavirus infections appears to be declining in China, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, citing a new Chinese medical report that analyses more than 44,000 Covid-19 cases.

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China patients get virus 'plasma therapy'

Doctors in Shanghai are using infusions of blood plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus to treat those still battling the infection, reporting some encouraging preliminary results, a Chinese professor says.

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Gunmen kill 24 at Burkina Faso church

Gunmen have killed 24 people including a pastor in an attack on a church during Sunday mass in northwestern Burkina Faso, four security sources say.

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Scientists develop cloudy days solar tech

Australian scientists say they have developed solar power technology that can produce about 20 per cent more energy in cloudy weather compared to conventional solar cells.

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Taliban, US to sign deal 'end of February'

An agreement between the Taliban and the United States will be signed by the end of February, the Afghan militant group's political spokesman Suhail Shaheen says.

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Russian woman ordered back into quarantine

A Russian court has ordered a woman to be returned to a quarantine facility as a precaution against coronavirus after she staged an elaborate escape and said she was being kept against her will.

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Rio Tinto cuts Pilbara shipment outlook

Miner Rio Tinto has lowered its forecast for the volume of iron ore it expects to ship from the Pilbara region after tropical cyclone Damien hit Australia's west coast.

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