HONG KONG -- Ant Group, the parent company of China's leading mobile-payment business Alipay, announced its initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX) starting Tuesday, and plans to list its shares on Nov. 5.

The company will offer over 1.67 billion shares at a price of 80 Hong Kong dollars apiece, and is set to raise around 132 billion Hong Kong dollars, according to its prospectus submitted to the HKEX.

The company will also be listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's sci-tech innovation board, commonly known as the STAR market, on the same day as well, raising up to 132.2 billion yuan. The "dual listing" in Hong Kong and Shanghai is expected to become the world's biggest IPO. (HK-Ant Group-IPO)

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TOKYO -- The government's top spokesperson said here Monday that Japan will not join a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, voicing the country's difference in approach to the issue.

"Japan shares the goal of this treaty, the abolition of nuclear weapons...but as we differ in how to approach the issue, we will not become a signatory," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference regarding the treaty. (Japan-Nuclear weapon-Treaty)

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NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 fatality rate has reached its lowest since March 22 at 1.5 percent, as 480 deaths were registered across the country between Sunday and Monday mornings, according to the federal health ministry.

In the meantime, the number of COVID-19 recoveries has also been on the rise, which is standing at 90.23 percent in the country. (India-COVID-19-Fatality rate)

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TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday made a number of pledges during the delivery of his first policy speech in parliament since taking office last month, with one of his priorities being to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Japan to net zero by 2050.

Suga, in his address at the start of the 41-day extraordinary Diet session through Dec. 5, said that his immediate focus, however, was the COVID-19 pandemic which has severely impacted the nation's now recession-hit economy which has worsened to levels not seen since before the war. (Japan-PM-Policy Speech)

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KABUL -- Five Taliban militants were killed in an airstrike conducting by the U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Sunday night, the coalition forces confirmed on Monday.

The U.S.-Forces Afghanistan conducted a targeted strike in Nerkh district, Wardak province last night in defense of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and in accordance with the U.S.-Taliban agreement, killing five Taliban fighters, the U.S.-Forces Afghanistan, which is part of the NATO-led coalition said on social media. (Afghanistan-Airstrike) Enditem

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