Kathmandu, Aug 20 :

South Korea’s new outbreak mixes religion and politics The Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul has been a magnet for thousands of conservative Christians who fear South Korea is turning communist under President Moon Jae-in.

But the church’s political crusade is now colliding with the pandemic, as a large outbreak centered on the church spreads through the capital, Seoul, and beyond. Church members have participated in some of the largest antigovernment protests the country has seen in years, and many have contracted the virus. In the past week, the church has had to shut down because of the outbreak, and the congregants have had to isolate themselves. Details: The church outbreak pushed the country to 288 new cases on Thursday, the seventh straight day of triple-digit jumps. Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic. In other developments:

Alibaba beat quarterly revenue and profit estimates on Thursday, as the pandemic fueled e-commerce and cloud computing demand.

Chinese health officials issued new guidelines requiring residents of Beijing to wear masks outdoors only if they come into close contact with strangers. The country has reported fewer than 300 infections over the past week.

Southern India emerged as a hotbed for new virus infections in the country. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu now account for nearly a third of new cases. A priest, seated in a chair, consoled relatives of Ponraj Jeyaraj and his son, Beniks Jeyaraj, in Sathankulam, India, in June.