The United States has dipped under 50,000 new daily infections for the first time in four days, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, but experts fear celebrations for the country's Independence Day weekend may exacerbate its surging coronavirus outbreak.

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Flood death toll hits 20 in Japan

The death toll from floods and landslides unleashed by torrential rains on Japan's southern island of Kyushu has risen to 20, with 14 people missing.

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Gaza militants fire rockets: Israeli army

The Israeli military says three rockets have been fired toward southern Israel by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

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Air strikes hit Libya capital base: Turkey

Libyan officials in the capital of Tripoli says overnight air strikes have hit a key military base on the city's outskirts that was recently retaken by Turkey-backed forces.

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Ethiopia singer's murder protest kills 156

The number of people killed in protests in Ethiopia following the slaying of a popular singer has jumped to 156 from the initial tally of 80, a senior regional security official says.

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Spain locks down county of 71,000 people

Authorities in northwestern Spain have ordered the lockdown of a county with a population of 71,000 amid fears of a coronavirus outbreak.

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Nuclear site fire left major damage: Iran

A blaze in an industrial shed at an Iranian nuclear facility has left "considerable damage," the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says according to state news agency IRNA.

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Australian Associated Press