India braces for Cyclone Tauktae

INTRO:

India is bracing for Cyclone Tauktae which is expected to hit the county's west coast later today.

The cyclone has already brought strong rains and winds as it moves towards land, destroying houses and uprooting trees, causing at least 6 deaths.

This comes as India continues to grapple with a huge second wave of Covid-19, posing an added challenge for authorities.

Rebecca Bundhun reports from Mumbai, which is experiencing heavy rainfall as the cyclone passes by its coast.

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Russian court to consider 'extremism' charges against Navalny groups

Prosecutors in Moscow will argue in court on Monday that groups linked to opposition figure Alexey Navalny should be labelled as 'extremist'. The designation would shut down Navalny's political, human rights and anti-corruption organisations. Julia Chapman has more.

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India reports lowest tally of new COVID-19 infections in more than three weeks

Intro:

India's reported its lowest daily tally of infections in more than three weeks.

More than 280,000 new cases were recorded…

Significantly lower than the record tally of 414,000 infections in a day...

Fuelling hopes that local lockdowns and vaccination could hold the key to containing the pandemic.

Ishan Garg reports from New Delhi.

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Hong Kong halts trading in Jimmy Lai's company shares

The Hong Kong stock exchange has halted the trading of Next Digital shares, after the city's Security Bureau froze assets belonging to its controlling shareholder, the democracy activist Jimmy Lai. Taiwan says the move is a sign that doing business in Hong Kong is increasingly risky. Richard Kimber reports.

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Japan opens reservations for mass vaccination sites

Japan's Defense Ministry began accepting online bookings for coronavirus vaccines for a large-scale vaccination center scheduled to open in Tokyo next week. The government is aiming to speed up vaccinations as infections continue to surge nationwide.

Phoebe Amoroso reports in Tokyo.

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Israel Gaza Conflict enters second week despite de-escalation calls.

The deadly conflict between Israel and Gaza is entering its second week despite international calls to end the violence.

It comes as the UN Security Council held its first public meeting since the recent escalation in fighting.

Jagruti Dave reports from Washington

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CDC Director defends new US mask guidance

The Director of the US's Centres for Disease Control has defended the agency's new guidelines allowing fully vaccinated Americans to be mask-less.

The shift has caused some confusion, especially as some states still have local mask mandates in place.

Jagruti Dave reports from Washington

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Calls for deescalation grow at UN as death toll soars in Israel Gaza conflict

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the cycle
of bloodshed in Israel and Gaza must stop immediately.

The comments came as the Security Council held its first public
meeting since the recent escalation in violence.

At least 188 people have died in the Palestinian territory of Gaza and
at least 10 have died in Israel.

William Denselow reports from UN headquarters in New York.

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Tanzania monitoring new Malaria vaccine

The Tanzania government says that it is closely monitoring the recently developed malaria vaccine that has proved to be 'highly effective' in clinical trials.

Isaac Lukando reports.

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US markets look to retail and real estate in week ahead

After a turbulent week of trading that saw inflation fears, a stall in retail sales and rising consumer prices, the week ahead will offer more clues on how Americans are spending their money. 

Major retailers due to report earnings include Target and Walmart, while markets may move on homebuilder confidence, housing starts and existing homes sales. 

Here's Liling Tan with the lookahead.  

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Record-breaking day for German vaccine rollout

Europe's vaccine rollout continues to pick up speed, with Germany achieving a new record for daily vaccine doses. 

The achievement comes as health authorities express fresh optimism over Covid-19 infection levels and more businesses prepare to reopen following a six-month lockdown. 

Trent Murray reports from Berlin

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US masks-off guidelines met with relief and confusion

The US decision to relax mask-wearing guidelines has been met with
relief but also some confusion.

Despite saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks
the CDC also says some people may feel more comfortable continuing to
do so.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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France and New Zealand hold talks in new push against online extremism

The French president and the prime minister of New Zealand will host/are hosting/this evening talks to advance their two-year-old campaign to curb online extremism.

Emmanuel Macron and Jacinda Ardern will host the Christchurch Call summit aimed at eliminating extremist content.

Ross Cullen reports.

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Russia coronavirus cases spike after holidays

COVID-19 cases in Russia have spiked after the country returned from a
ten-day holiday period designed to have the opposite effect. As the
country recorded 9,462 infections on Friday, officials confirmed the
country's first case of the strain first identified in India. Julia
Chapman has more.

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SURGE TESTING IN ENGLAND AS COVID VARIANT SPREADS

The spread of the Covid-19 variant first detected in India is being closely monitored by the UK government. More than 1300 cases have been confirmed in England this week. Surge testing has been deployed in a number of areas to try to break chains of infection. Laura Makin-Isherwood has more.

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SAN MARINO OFFERS VACCINATION VACATIONS

The European city-state of San Marino is offering 'vaccination vacations'.

Tourists who arrange to stay for at least three days can book a first dose of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for 30 US dollars, returning 21 days later for the second dose.

Stuart Smith reports from Brussels.

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Police step up patrols around German synagogues following attacks

Several synagogues in Germany have been attacked in reaction to escalating violence in Israel.

The attacks come as demonstrations take place across several German cities in response to unrest in the region. 

Trent Murray reports from Berlin 

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ENGLAND LOCKDOWN TO EASE DESPITE VARIANT CASES

A major easing of covid-19 restrictions will go ahead in England as planned on Monday, despite rising cases of an India-discovered variant.

The government is looking at bringing forward second vaccine doses for some patients, or introducing local restrictions in hotspots of the variant.

Data shows cases of the India variant have doubled in England in a week.

But vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi says the UK roll-out of jabs means much of the population is protected even if cases rise.

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India's COVID infections dip but experts worried about underreporting in villages

Intro:

India reported 343,000 new infections on Friday – a marked decrease from its record tally of 414,000 infections last week.

But experts warn the official numbers may not be accurate…

As most new cases could be occurring in villages where testing and data management systems are poor.

Ishan Garg has more from New Delhi.

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Australia – Repatriation flights from India to begin.

Australians stuck in India since the Australian governments ban on flights from the covid ravaged country, will begin flying out overnight.

People that have registered with Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been offered spots on the first of three flights, with two more planes to leave on the 17^th and the 22^nd of May.

Shaun Bindley has more

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COURTESY AIR NEWS MEDIA - AUSTRALIA