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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a virtual meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Monday, the U.S. State Department said.

Leaders of the three nations are due to meet on Aug. 18 at the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, according to Japanese media. (Reuters)

New Zealand's government will lift all remaining COVID-19 requirements from midnight Tuesday, bringing an end to some of the toughest COVID-19 pandemic rules in the world more than three years after they were put in place.

Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said in a statement on Monday that from Tuesday people will no longer have to wear a face mask in health care facilities or isolate for seven days after contracting the virus.

“While our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterised COVID-19 rates last year. This, paired with the population’s immunity levels, means Cabinet and I am advised we’re positioned to safely remove the remaining COVID-19 requirements,” Verrall said.

Most of the restrictions were removed last year as vaccination rates reached high levels and the country’s hospitals successfully navigated a winter without being overwhelmed.

The decision to remove the requirements comes just two months out from a closely contested election.

While the New Zealand government’s handling of the pandemic was globally recognised for keeping infection and death rates at low levels, domestically it faced criticism for the extended lockdowns, school closures and closed borders.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the formal end of restrictions was a “significant milestone.”

“I believe that New Zealanders can be enormously proud of what we achieved together. We stayed home, we made sacrifices, we got vaccinated and there is absolutely no question that we saved lives,” he told his weekly press conference.

While no longer mandatory, the Minister of Health still recommends that people stay home for five days if you’re unwell or have tested positive. (Reuters)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for an increase in missile production to help secure "overwhelming military power" and be ready for war, state media KCNA said on Monday, as South Korea and the United States gear up for annual military drills.

Kim gave the order as he visited key munitions factories that produce tactical missiles, missile launch platforms, armoured vehicles and artillery shells on Friday and Saturday.

His field inspection was the latest in a string of visits to arms factories, where he ordered mass production of weapons, and came days before South Korea and the U.S. are to begin annual military drills, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for war.

Kim noted an "important goal to dramatically increase" missile production capacity to meet the needs of the expanded and strengthened frontline military units, KCNA said.

"The qualitative levels of war preparations depend on the development of the munitions industry, and the factory has a tremendous responsibility in accelerating our military's war preparations," he was quoted as saying.

At other plants, Kim inspected and drove a new utility combat armoured vehicle, and praised recent progress in modernising production lines for large-caliber multiple rocket launcher rounds, KCNA said.

There was a "very urgent need" to "exponentially increase" the production of such rockets to strengthen frontline artillery units, he said.

"Our army must thoroughly secure overwhelming military power and solid readiness to handle any war at any time, so that the enemy does not dare to use force, and would be annihilated if it does," Kim said.

South Korea and the United States said on Monday that they would stage the Ulchi Freedom Guardian summer exercises on Aug. 21-31 to improve their ability to respond to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

North Korea has denounced the allies' military drills as a rehearsal for nuclear war.

This year's drills will be held on the "largest scale ever", mobilising tens of thousands of troops from both sides, as well as some member states of the U.N. Command, for about 30 field training programmes, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

"The exercises are an essential element in maintaining robust combined defence posture in case of emergency - absolutely necessary to respond to the growing military threat from North Korea," JCS spokesman Col. Lee Sung-jun told a briefing.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles.

North Korea and Russia have denied any arms transactions.

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan are also set to discuss security cooperation over North Korea, Ukraine and other issues when they gather for a trilateral summit on Aug. 18 at Camp David.

KCNA separately said on Monday that Kim visited "typhoon-hit areas" after tropical storm Khanun swept over the Korean peninsula last week, flooding farmlands. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) organizes familiarization visit to India for foreign journalists ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit that will be held in New Delhi in September 2023.

The familiarization visit of journalists from G20 countries in India will take place on August 12-23, 2023.

According to the ministry, the familiarization visit for journalists from G20 countries and permanent invitees will enable the development of first-hand understanding of India's G20 priorities and progress in various fields before the G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi in September 2023.

"It gives us great pleasure to have you (the journalists) with us as guests of the Government of India for a familiarization visit," Deputy Secretary of Press Relations of the Ministry Vasudev Ravi noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here Monday.

The familiarization visit program includes engagements with Indian senior government officials in MEA and some other ministries as well as field visits to places of commercial, scientific, educational, research, defense, and historical importance, as well as tourist attraction.

The program is also intended to enhance the journalists' awareness and understanding of contemporary India.

"During your stay in India, it will be our endeavor to not only expose you to the rich, vibrant, and diverse culture of India but also familiarize you with the important developments and initiatives that are shaping our country in the 21st century," Ravi said, as noted in the statement.

India assumed the G20 Presidency from Indonesia in December 2022. India’s year-long Presidency will culminate with the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled to take place on September 9-10, 2023, in New Delhi.

During the course of the Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 of the G20 meetings across the country to deliberate on themes earmarked under the three workstreams: the Sherpa Track, the Finance Track, and the Engagement Groups.

The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries -- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- and the European Union.

The G20 members represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and it plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

During India's presidency, members of the G20 troika are Indonesia, India, and Brazil.  (Antaranews)