SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Researchers in Singapore have discovered a new variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus that causes milder infections, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal this week.

The study showed that COVID-19 patients infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Facebook is a non-partisan platform which denounces hate and bigotry, the company’s India head said on Friday, amid a controversy over how the U.S. social media giant regulates political content in its biggest market by number of users.

Facebook and its top

PARIS (Reuters) - French junior European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said on Friday that he shared the concerns and fears of others regarding the fate of stricken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and reiterated that France was ready to help him.

Allies of Navalny accused the

(Corrects paragraph 16 to show latest OBR borrowing estimate of 322 billion pounds, not 298 billion pounds)

* UK retail sales beat forecasts in July, above year-ago levels

* Public debt rises past 2 trillion pounds but borrowing slows

* Economists warn rebound in consumer demand may fade

By David Milliken and William Schomberg

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - British retail sales surged past their pre-coronavirus level in July, the first full month that shops selling non-essential goods were open

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s economic recovery from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has gathered pace, data showed on Friday, but government borrowing rose past the 2 trillion pound mark and fears of future job losses are mounting.

LONDON (Reuters) - British retail sales surged past their pre-coronavirus level in July, the first full month that shops selling non-essential goods were open since the country went into lockdown in March.

Separate government borrowing data showed public debt rose above 2 trillion pounds in July for the first time and reached 100.5% of gross domestic product - its highest as a share of GDP since 1961.

The unexpectedly robust retail sales figures showed the strength of consumer demand even as other parts

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday called on her supporters to step up their strikes at factories across the country to try to force new presidential elections.

“I ask you - continue and expand strikes,” she said in a video address. “Don’t

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates could reintroduce a de-facto overnight curfew in some areas of the country if there are a high number of COVID-19 infections there, a government official said.

The Gulf Arab state

BEIJING (Reuters) - Health authorities in China’s capital Beijing have removed a requirement for people to wear masks outdoors, further relaxing rules aimed at preventing the spread the novel coronavirus after the city reported 13 consecutive days without new cases.

Despite the relaxed guidelines, a large proportion of people continued to wear masks in Beijing on Friday.

Some said the mask made them feel safe, while others said social pressures to wear the masks were also a factor.

“I think I can take off my mask anytime,