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Drought-Stricken California Imposes New Round of Water Cuts

California's urban water users and farmers who rely on supplies from state reservoirs will get less than planned this year as fears of a third consecutive dry year become reality, state officials said.

Water agencies that serve 27 million people and 750,000 acres (303,514 hectares) of farmland, will get just 5% of what they've requested this year from state supplies beyond what's needed for critical activities such as drinking and bathing.

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Shanghai Disneyland Closes as Virus Rises, Shenzhen Reopens

Shanghai Disneyland closed Monday as China's most populous city tried to contain its biggest coronavirus flareup in two years, while the southern business center of Shenzhen allowed shops and offices to reopen after a weeklong closure.

Meanwhile, the cities of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast began another round of citywide virus testing following a surge in infections. Jilin tightened anti-disease curbs, ordering its 2 million residents to stay home.

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Russia's Central Bank Reopens Bond Trading

Russia’s central bank has cautiously reopened bond trading on the Moscow exchange for the first time since the country invaded Ukraine.

The price of Russia’s ruble-denominated government debt fell Monday, sending borrowing costs higher. Stock trading has remained closed, with no word on when it might reopen.

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Kuwait, among World's Hottest Places, Lags on Climate Action

It was so hot in Kuwait last summer that birds dropped dead from the sky.

Sea horses boiled to death in the bay. Dead clams coated the rocks, their shells popped open like they'd been steamed.

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Egypt's Central Bank Raises Interest Rates, Cites Ukraine

Egypt's Central Bank raised its key interest rate Monday for the first time since 2017, citing inflationary pressures triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine, which hiked oil prices to new records.

The move saw the Egyptian pound slip, trading at over 18 to the dollar by midday — from an average of 15.6 pounds for $1 — after the bank's decision. That is likely to have a heavy toll on poor and middle-class Egyptians.

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KSA Says Not Responsible for High Oil Prices after Huthi Attacks

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it "won't bear any responsibility" for a shortage in global oil supplies after a fierce barrage of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels affected production in the kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter.

The unusually stark warning marked a departure from the giant oil producer's typically cautious statements, as Saudi officials remain aware that even their smallest comments can swing the price of oil and rattle global markets.

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Judge Aoun Files Charges against Salameh Brothers and Ukrainian Citizen

Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Monday filed charges against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, accusing him of illicit enrichment and money laundering, TV networks said.

She also filed charges against Salameh’s brother Raja, who is in custody, and against Ukrainian national Anna Kosakova for interfering in the alleged offenses.

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Chinese Airliner Crashes with 132 Aboard in Country's South

A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in the southern province of Guangxi on Monday, officials said.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement the crash occurred near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county. The flight was traveling from Kunming in the western province of Yunnan to the industrial center of Guangzhou along the east coast, it added.

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U.S. Official Says Biden Fortified Saudi's Patriot Missile Supply

The U.S. has transferred a significant number of Patriot antimissile interceptors to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks as the Biden administration looks to ease what has been a point of tension in the increasingly complicated U.S.-Saudi relationship.

A senior administration official confirmed Sunday night that the interceptors have been sent to Saudi Arabia. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been formally announced, said the decision was in line with President Joe Biden's promise that "America will have the backs of our friends in the region."

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Yemen Rebels Launch Wide Strikes on Saudi Sites; No One Hurt

Yemen's Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia that targeted key facilities including natural gas and desalination plants early Sunday, Saudi state-run media reported, temporarily reducing oil production at one site in the latest escalation as peace talks stall and the war in Yemen rages into its eighth year.

The attacks did not cause casualties, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said, but damaged civilian vehicles and homes in the area. A Saudi energy official later acknowledged that a drone strike targeting the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company on the Red Sea coast caused "a temporary reduction in the refinery's production."

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