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Wow! NASA's Mars helicopter succeeds in historic first flight

Issam Ahmed, Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 11:06 AM

NASA successfully flew its mini helicopter Ingenuity on Mars early Tuesday, the first powered flight on another planet and a feat the agency likened to "our Wright brothers moment."   Read more »

More than 150,000 Russian troops deployed on Ukraine border: EU

Reuters
Apr 20 09:12 AM

BRUSSELS - Russia has concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine's border and in annexed Crimea, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine's foreign minister. Read more »

US plans to boost ‘do not travel’ advisories to 80% of world

David Shepardson, Reuters
Apr 20 07:04 AM | Updated Apr 20 09:26 AM

At the time this story was posted, the Philippines was classified under "Level 3: Reconsider travel," a status updated on February 1. Read more »

Russia moves Navalny to prison hospital under Western pressure

Jonathan Brown with Max Delany in Brussels, Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 05:53 AM

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny launched a hunger strike three weeks ago and his private doctors warned over the weekend he could pass away at "any minute".    Read more »

EU agrees to new plan for bolstering Indo-Pacific ties

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 04:57 AM

The European Union's new strategy included potentially increasing its naval presence in an area of global rivalry. Read more »

UN’s Guterres, Ban Ki-moon call for ASEAN to act on Myanmar

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 03:41 AM

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that "ASEAN's role is more crucial than ever as the region faces an urgent crisis in Myanmar.   Read more »

Fast-jabbing Israel buys millions more Pfizer COVID shots

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 03:36 AM | Updated Apr 20 09:26 AM

Israel has since late December undertaken the most rapid per capita vaccination campaign in the world.  Read more »

Singapore makes biggest cannabis seizure in 25 years

Reuters
Apr 19 06:21 PM

Singapore's anti-narcotics agency said on Monday it made its biggest seizure of cannabis in 25 years in a bust last week in the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest narcotics laws including capital punishment. Read more »

Face masks no longer mandatory in Israel

Jacj Guez, AFP
Apr 19 05:23 PM

People exercise on a street in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on Sunday, after authorities announced that face masks for COVID-19 prevention were no longer needed outside.  Read more »

Taiwan says seeking long-range cruise missiles from US

ABS-CBN News
Apr 19 05:07 PM

Taiwan is seeking to acquire long-range, air-launched cruise missiles from the United States, a defense official said on Monday, as the Chinese-claimed island bolsters its forces in the face of increasing pressure from Beijing. Read more »

Growing calls for more oxygen, beds as India virus crisis deepens

Agence France-Presse
Apr 19 02:51 PM

More government hospital beds will be freed for Covid-19 patients, India's health ministry said Sunday, as the vast nation grappled with a worsening virus crisis and states appealed for additional supplies of oxygen and treatment drugs. Read more »

5 critically injured in drive-by shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana - report

Reuters
Apr 19 02:07 PM

Five people were hospitalized after being shot and critically injured in a drive-by shooting at a liquor store in Shreveport, Louisiana, CBS-affiliated television station KSLA reported late Sunday. Read more »

Japan mulls letting dentists administer COVID-19 vaccines

Kyodo News
Apr 19 01:59 PM

The Japanese government will consider allowing dentists to administer COVID-19 vaccines, its top spokesman said Monday, amid concerns there will be a dearth of doctors and nurses once the rollout hits full tilt.   Read more »

Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar moved to prison: embassy

Kyodo News
Apr 19 12:28 PM

A Japanese freelance journalist detained by security forces in Myanmar's largest city Yangon on Sunday has been transferred to prison, the Japanese Embassy in Myanmar said Monday. Read more »

NASA aims for historic helicopter flight on Mars

Agence France-Presse
Apr 19 11:29 AM

NASA is hoping to make history early Monday when the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attempts the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.   Read more »

Families reunite as Australia-New Zealand 'travel bubble' begins

Renju Jose, Reuters
Apr 19 10:42 AM

Hundreds of passengers from Australia began arriving in New Zealand airports on Monday after authorities reopened borders, a pandemic milestone that allows quarantine-free travel between the countries for the first time in over a year.   Read more »

Hong Kong bans flights from Philippines, India, and Pakistan for 2 weeks

Reuters
Apr 19 09:32 AM

Hong Kong will suspend flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines from April 20 for two weeks after the N501Y mutant COVID-19 strain was detected in the Asian financial hub for the first time, authorities said in a statement late on Sunday. Read more »

11 dead in Egypt railway accident

Ayman Aref, AFP
Apr 19 08:26 AM

People climb an overturned train carriage as they gather at the scene of a railway accident in the city of Toukh in Egypt's central Nile Delta province of Qalyubiya on Sunday. Read more »

Malawi president fires minister over COVID-19 funds

Agence France-Presse
Apr 19 08:03 AM | Updated Apr 19 08:46 AM

LILONGWE, Malawi - Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera on Sunday fired Labor Minister Ken Kandodo for diverting $800 worth of Covid-19 funds to pay for a government trip, part of a wider embezzlement scandal. Read more »

Canada's Ontario to expand use of AstraZeneca COVID jab as epidemic rages

Allison Martell, Reuters
Apr 19 07:30 AM | Updated Apr 19 07:31 AM

The Canadian province of Ontario will begin offering AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday to people turning 40 or older this year, according to a government source. Read more »

Pope voices ‘deep concern’ over Ukraine military buildup

Agence France-Presse
Apr 19 04:29 AM | Updated Apr 19 04:30 AM

Clashes along the border, which had nearly ceased after a ceasefire reached last summer, have recently resumed. Read more »

Myanmar ‘unity government’ demands seat at ASEAN crisis talks

Agence France-Presse
Apr 19 03:05 AM

"It's important that this military council is not recognized," says Moe Zaw Oo, deputy minister of foreign affairs for the parallel "national unity government." Read more »

Protests planned across Russia to ‘save Navalny's life’, as West warns Putin

Andrew Osborn and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Reuters
Apr 19 02:44 AM

In light of Navalny's poor health, organizers said they were calling the protest on Wednesday anyway despite being around 40,000 people short of their target.   Read more »

Britain is investigating variant originating in India

Reuters
Apr 19 02:02 AM

"We have not got enough data about this variant yet to be able to clarify whether it's a variant of concern," says on Public Health England official. Read more »

Cambodia uses wedding halls for COVID patients as cases surge

Reuters
Apr 19 12:32 AM

Cambodia reported a daily record 618 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, its health ministry said, in a spike in infections following an outbreak first detected in late February. Read more »