Apr 30 Belarus Olympian to go on hunger strike as political protest By Associated Press An Olympic silver medalist who is one of Belarus’ most lauded athletes says he is going on a 10-day hunger strike to support victims of political repression in the country. Continue reading
Apr 30 Canada to start to get Pfizer vaccines from the U.S. next week By Rob Gillies, Associated Press It's the first time the U.S. has allowed that company's vaccine exported north. Canada has tightly woven commercial ties with the U.S., but it has been getting from Pfizer's vaccines from Belgium until now because U.S. authorities had kept supplies… Continue reading
Apr 30 U.N. envoy says Myanmar military faces strong demands for democracy By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press The top U.N. envoy for Myanmar says the strong united demand for democracy by its people has created "unexpected difficulties" for the military in consolidating power after the February coup and risks bringing the administration of the nation to a… Continue reading
Apr 30 EU accuses Apple of antitrust breach after Spotify complaint By Kelvin Chan, Associated Press European Union regulators accused Apple on Friday of violating the bloc's antitrust laws, alleging the iPhone maker distorts competition for music streaming by imposing unfair rules for rival services in its App Store. Continue reading
Apr 30 Europe's economy shrinks in first quarter as U.S. rolls ahead By David McHugh, Associated Press Europe's economy shrank 0.6% in the first three months of the year as slow vaccine rollouts and extended lockdowns delayed a hoped-for recovery - and underlined how the region is lagging other major economies in rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Apr 30 Religious festival stampede in Israel kills 45, hurts dozens By Josef Federman, Associated Press A stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel killed at least 45 people and injured about 150 early Friday, medical officials said. It was one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters. Continue reading
Apr 29 Watch 5:12 News Wrap: De Blasio says NYC will 'fully reopen' by July 1 as vaccination rates improve In our news wrap Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city aims to fully reopen on July 1. India continued to set global COVID-19 case records. China launched the main module of its first permanent space… Continue watching
Apr 29 Brazil tops 400,000 virus deaths amid fears of renewed surge By Mauricio Savarese, Associated Press Brazil on Thursday became the second country to officially top 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, losing another 100,000 lives in just one month, as some health experts warn there may be gruesome days ahead when the Southern Hemisphere enters winter. Continue reading
Apr 29 Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan trade blame for cross-border shelling By Associated Press Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have traded blame for cross-border shelling and clashes that killed at least four and injured dozens in a conflict over water supply. It was the latest outburst of tensions between the two ex-Soviet Central Asian neighbors. Continue reading
Apr 29 Top ally announces closing Navalny's offices amid crackdown By Daria Litvinova, Associated Press The Moscow prosecutor's office has petitioned a court to declare both the regional offices and Navalny's anti-corruption organization as extremist groups. The designation would outlaw their activities, expose members and supporters to lengthy prison terms. Continue reading