Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita breaks down the top stories around the world.

Video Transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: In our worldview today, China is blaming the US for tensions over Taiwan, accusing American ships of engaging in provocations. The comments from the Chinese foreign ministry follows weeks of increased military activity above the island nation. Chinese planes have flown into Taiwan's air defense zone daily, while its aircraft carrier group exercised drills near the island.

Meantime, a US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, prompting a strong rebuke from Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the US ships threaten peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China has accused the US of colluding with Taiwan to challenge Beijing while Washington has raised concerns about what it sees as intimidation efforts.

COVID-19 infections hit another record in India as the country reported 126,000 new cases on Thursday. Deaths rose by more than 680, the highest surge since November last year. The western state of Maharashtra has been hit the hardest, accounting for nearly half of all new infections. So far, though, the government has refused to impose another nationwide lockdown because of economic concerns. The recent surge prompted New Zealand to halt entry of all travelers from India for two weeks. India now has one of the highest number of infections in the world after the US and Brazil.

And Beijing is now home to the most billionaires in the world, according to Forbes's annual rich list. The Chinese capital added 33 people this year, bringing the grand total to 100. That narrowly beat New York City's 99. Beijing's richest resident? The founder of TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. Zhang Yiming saw his net worth double to nearly $37 billion. You see the richest man in New York City, Michael Bloomberg there. The combined net worth of New York City's billionaires, though, still remains the highest in the world.