A general view shows police buses blocking access to public areas in Seoul on October 3 (YONHAP / AFP)
South Korean police mobilised hundreds of buses to head off any political rallies in Seoul on Saturday with authorities determined to prevent another cluster of COVID-19 cases from emerging.
South Korea has been held up as a coronavirus mitigation success story but it saw a flare-up of more than 1,800 infections linked to a church and a big anti-government rally in August.
The spread of the virus has slowed in recent weeks but the government has banned more than 100 demonstrations planned for Saturday's National Foundation Day, warning of strict punishment for any illegal protest.
Police parked buses along main avenues and around a central Seoul square to seal them off. They also set up some 90 checkpoints to prevent vehicles bringing protesters while the subway did not stop at several stations at protest venues.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 75 new infections by midnight on Friday, a third day of double-digit increases, taking the national tally to 24,027 cases, with 420 deaths.
The government had eased some social-distancing rules after new cases edged lower but imposed special measures for the Korean harvest festival holiday of Chuseok, which began on Wednesday.
The rules include banning dining at motorway rest areas and nursing home visits and requiring temperature checks at all stations.
Members of the World Health Organisation (WHO) adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the US cast doubt on the treaty's effectiveness.
The United Nations has received permission from Israel for about 100 more emergency aid trucks to enter Gaza, though the first supplies to have entered in weeks remained under Israeli control, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The leaders of Britain, Canada and France threatened sanctions against Israel on Monday if it does not stop a renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift aid restrictions, piling further pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The New Zealand government on Tuesday deferred a vote over the rare suspension of three Indigenous lawmakers from parliament for performing a haka, the Maori ceremonial dance, during the reading of a contentious bill last year.
Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius scorched parts of northern and central China on Tuesday with authorities issuing heat warnings and offering aid to farmers to protect food production.
The UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation is urging private sector companies with 50 or more employees to meet their Emiratisation targets for the first half of 2025.
The Central Bank of the UAE has imposed a financial penalty of AED 200 million on an exchange house for serious violations of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations.