News from: BBC, France24 & NYT
- Paraguay’s ‘Life and Death’ Covid Crisis Gives China Diplomatic Openingby Ernesto Londoño on 2021-04-16 at 08:13
Paraguay desperately needs Covid-19 vaccines, which China could supply. That has led the South American nation to reconsider its relationship with Taiwan, which precludes it from dealing with Beijing.
- A page turns in Cuba as Raul Castro makes way for next generationby Cyrielle CABOT on 2021-04-16 at 04:46
Raul Castro is due officially to step down from Cuban political life during the country’s Communist Party congress that begins Friday. He is expected to cede the post of party secretary-general, the country’s most powerful role, to Miguel Diaz-Canel, who took over from Castro as Cuba’s president in 2018. The move represents a new step in the transition of power from the Castro family to a new generation born after the 1959 revolution.
- Chicago releases video of police fatally shooting 13-year-old boyby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-15 at 23:52
A 13-year-old Chicago boy appears to have dropped a handgun and begun raising his hands less than a second before a police officer shot and killed him last month, footage released Thursday under community pressure shows.
- Chile sees Covid surge despite vaccination successon 2021-04-15 at 23:23
The country’s vaccination rollout is one of the fastest in the world, so why are Covid cases surging?
- Brazil’s supreme court upholds decision annulling Lula convictionby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-15 at 23:17
Brazil’s full Supreme Court upheld a ruling Thursday annulling former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s corruption convictions, which cleared the way for him to run for a new presidential term next year.
- Birds by the Billions: A Guide to Spring’s Avian Paradeon 2021-04-15 at 21:53
For birders across the United States, it’s a rite of spring: heading out to woodlands and waterways to track down a favorite warbler, vireo, tanager or other bird, many of them migratory.
- St Vincent volcano: ‘We don’t know if we can go home’on 2021-04-15 at 18:45
Volcanic eruptions force residents from their homes and leave much of the island blanketed in ash
- How Many Tyrannosaurus Rexes Ever Lived on Earth? Here’s a New Clue.by Kenneth Chang on 2021-04-15 at 18:30
An estimation of the iconic predator’s total population can teach us things about dinosaurs that fossils cannot.
- Picture of coronavirus hug named World Press Photo of the Yearby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-15 at 16:43
A photo symbolizing “love and compassion” of an 85-year-old Brazilian woman getting her first embrace in five months from a nurse through a transparent “hug curtain” was named the World Press Photo of the Year on Thursday.
- Asian Americans facing an onslaught of hateby Valérie DEFERT on 2021-04-15 at 15:39
Last month’s deadly shooting in the US city of Atlanta has put the spotlight on anti-Asian hate crimes across the country. Six Asian American women were among the eight victims. Since the start of the pandemic, these incidents have been on the rise and in some cases, their frequency has increased by as much as 100 percent. The anti-China rhetoric of former US president Donald Trump has played a part. Amid an indifferent response from authorities, some activists are taking matters into their own hands. Our California correspondents Valérie Defert, Pierrick Leurent and Ryan Thompson report.
- Derek Chauvin chooses not to testify at George Floyd murder trialby FRANCE 24 on 2021-04-15 at 15:28
Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin waived his right to testify to the jury on Thursday at his murder trial for the deadly arrest last May of George Floyd.
- US expels Russian diplomats, imposes new sanctions over election meddlingby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-15 at 13:47
The Biden administration on Thursday announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and sanctions against nearly three dozen people and companies as it moved to hold the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year’s presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies.
- Bolivian minister ‘took bag stuffed with $20,000’on 2021-04-15 at 12:48
Police say they caught Minister for Rural Development Edwin Characayo receiving a bribe outside a café.
- US troops in Afghanistan: A look back at the longest war in American historyby Genie GODULA on 2021-04-15 at 10:59
The 9/11 era could finally be drawing to a close. This week, US President Joe Biden said the US would fully pull out of Afghanistan by this coming September 11, a highly symbolic date for America. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks that were coordinated from Afghanistan.
- Why are so many babies dying of Covid-19 in Brazil?on 2021-04-14 at 23:15
As the pandemic rages in Brazil, hundreds of babies and young children are dying of Covid.
- Chauvin defence expert testifies that Floyd died of heart problemsby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-14 at 22:53
George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance as a result of his heart disease, a forensic pathologist testified for the defense Wednesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradicting prosecution experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down.
- Officer who shot Black motorist Daunte Wright charged with manslaughterby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-14 at 18:23
The white suburban police officer who fatally shot a young Black motorist during a traffic stop in Minnesota, igniting several nights of civil unrest, was charged with manslaughter on Wednesday, a day after the officer turned in her badge.
- Coronavirus: The babies and children in Brazil’s Covid ICUon 2021-04-14 at 16:15
Since the start of the pandemic in Brazil, hundreds of babies have died from Covid-19
- Canada: Quebec’s ambitions for energy transitionby Gloria Henriquez on 2021-04-14 at 13:52
With its extensive network of hydroelectric dams, the Canadian province of Quebec has long been the country’s leading energy producer. It’s now on a steady path to become North America’s main supplier of renewable energy and related technologies. However – and perhaps not surprisingly – the people of Quebec rank among the biggest energy consumers on the planet, with a heavy carbon footprint. Our correspondents François Rihouay and Gloria Henriquez report on this contradiction.
- Haiti’s government resigns, president appoints new PMby FRANCE 24 on 2021-04-14 at 11:46
Haiti’s government has resigned and a new prime minister has been appointed, President Jovenel Moise announced on Wednesday, saying the change was aimed at tackling insecurity in the country.
- Mayan urn returned to Mexico by Albion Collegeon 2021-04-14 at 10:32
The urn, made between 900 and 1600 AD, has been housed at Albion College, Michigan, since 1969.
- St Vincent volcano: Island covered in layer of grey as La Soufriere eruptson 2021-04-14 at 09:53
La Soufriere, on the island of St Vincent, has been erupting for the past five days.
- Peru’s presidential runoff pits far-left teacher against rightwing populistby NEWS WIRES on 2021-04-14 at 08:17
Far-left labor unionist Pedro Castillo and rightwing populist Keiko Fujimori will square off in a second round of presidential elections that analysts say threatens to further polarize crisis-weary Peru.