Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked African nations not to get rid of Covid-19 vaccines that may have passed their expiry date
- AMERICAS: Canada announced a 30-day ban on all flights from India and Pakistan effective as Covid-19 cases continue increasing in the two nations
- ASIA: Japan is set to declare another state of emergency in Tokyo and three other prefectures, as the regions face another surge of Covid-19 infections.
- EUROPE: Alexei Navalny has been examined at a hospital outside of prison.
- MIDDLE EAST: Dozens of people have been injured in clashes in East Jerusalem between far-right Jewish activists, Palestinians, and Israeli police.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: NASA and commercial rocket company SpaceX are going to launch a new four-astronaut team to the International Space Station in what would be the first crew propelled into orbit by a rocket booster recycled from a previous spaceflight.
Top Story
- India: India sets virus record as the pandemic worsens in the nation.
- The nation’s health system is tattering as the world’s worst COVID-19 infection devastates the nation, which set another global record in daily cases for a second straight day with 332,730.
- At least 13 patients have died after a fire broke out in the intensive care unit of an Indian hospital treating Covid patients near Mumbai.
- Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said this week people had largely given up COVID precautions and “became very careless” before the surge.
- Delhi is the worst-affected among India cities, where several hospitals have reported a growing shortage of oxygen, beds, and medicines amid a rise in cases.
- Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister and member of the Trinamool Congress Party, called for Modi’s resignation saying, “The prime minister is responsible,” she said, adding that he “has not done anything to stop Covid nor let anyone else do anything to stop it.”
- Reporting: AP, BBC, Reuters, DPA, CNN
Africa
- Region: The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked African nations not to get rid of Covid-19 vaccines that may have passed their expiry date. (BBC)
- Chad: The nation will bury veteran ruler Idriss Déby Itno as fears mount over the loss of a leader in the fight against jihadism in the Sahel and uncertainty over the country’s democratic future. (AFP)
- Libya: The United Nations Support Mission in the nation (UNSMIL) expressed concern over the recent shutdown of a major oil port by the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). (Xinhua)
Americas
- Canada: The nation announced a 30-day ban on all flights from India and Pakistan as COVID-19 cases continue increasing in the two nations. (Xinhua)
- United States: Ghislaine Maxwell is set to appear in person for the first time since her arrest last year in a New York court, where she is planning on pleading not guilty to new sex trafficking charges. (Telegraph)
- United States: President Joe Biden’s climate summit will turn to the issue of technology, featuring speeches from entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, after Thursday’s Earth Day kickoff sought to rally world ambition to reduce carbon emissions. (Reuters)
- Venezuela: The opposition agreed to use $100 million in funds frozen in the United States to pay for COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX program, as the South American nation remains one of the slowest in inoculating against the disease. (Reuters)
Asia
- China: The nation said that Britain should “immediately right its wrong moves” in response to the UK parliament’s move calling on its government to take action to end what lawmakers described as genocide in Xinjiang. (Reuters)
- Japan: The nation is set to declare another state of emergency in Tokyo and three other prefectures, as the regions face another surge of Covid-19 infections. (DPA)
- Philippines: The daughter of current president Rodrigo Duterte has topped the latest opinion poll on preferred presidential candidates for next year’s election. (Reuters)
- South Korea: The nation’s daily new COVID-19 cases neared 800; growing with untraceable cases, coupled with cluster infections. (YNA)
Europe
- Poland: A judge has been saved from detention after a controversial disciplinary body denied a request to bring him before prosecutors to face charges that he exceeded his mandate. (AFP)
- Russia: Alexei Navalny has been examined at a hospital outside of prison. (DPA)
- Ukraine: The nation has recorded 14,277 additional cases of COVID-19, 18,964 recoveries, and 434 deaths in the past 24 hours. (Interfax)
- United Kingdom: The nation’s retail sales increased by 5.4% in March from February ahead of the reopening of non-essential shops this month. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Egypt: Mining companies awarded blocks in the Eastern Desert are going to start exploring gold under a legislative overhaul that seeks to unlock vast untapped mineral resources. (Reuters)
- Israel: Dozens of people have been injured in clashes in East Jerusalem between far-right Jewish activists, Palestinians, and national police. (BBC)
- Yemen: The Houthi movement launched a drone attack on an Aramco oil facility in the Saudi city of Jizan, as well as the southern city of Khamis Mushait. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Space: NASA and commercial rocket company SpaceX are going to launch a new four-astronaut team to the International Space Station in what would be the first crew propelled into orbit by a rocket booster recycled from a previous spaceflight. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 23APR21)
- Confirmed cases: 144,771,350
- Total recovered cases: 83,213,843
- Deaths: 3,073,851
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 11APR21)
- Confirmed cases: 16
- Deaths: 12
- Sourcing: WHO
- Ebola Virus Disease: DR Congo (as of 11APR21)
- Confirmed cases: 11
- Deaths: 6
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 23APR21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (24APR21)
- Global: U.N. Security Council report due on Lebanon.
- Turkey: The government is planning to host an Afghanistan peace conference.
- United States: President Biden hosts Leaders’ Climate Summit for second day (virtual).
END
