Статті

New research provides encouraging signs that COVID-19 vaccines may continue to provide protection even as the coronavirus mutates into variants.A less understood branch of the immune system, T cells, may step in when variants undermine the first line of defense, antibodies, according to a new study.Antibodies block viruses from entering cells, which prevents infection. Several variants have raised concerns because antibodies do not work as well against them.T cells do not prevent infection. Instead, “as soon as you are infected, they’re actually needed to clear the virus from your body,” said Erasmus University Medical Center virologist Rory de Vries, co-author of the new research.De Vries and colleagues studied blood samples from 121 Dutch health care workers who had received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Antibodies from those samples were two to four times less potent against the variant first spotted in South Africa than they were against the original virus.’Didn’t really seem to care’The T cells were a different story.”The T cells didn’t really seem to care” whether they were facing the original virus or a variant, de Vries said. “They were just as active against all viruses.”If a variant is able to evade antibodies, he said, “these T cells might swing into action” and stop them from spreading in the body. A person might get infected but not get sick.”It’s important to not blindly focus on antibody responses and assume that if an antibody response to a variant is four times lower that the vaccine works less,” de Vries said. Even if antibodies do not work as well, he added, “there are different components of the immune system that could very well protect us from disease.”Moderna Says COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Effective for 12 – 17 Year Olds Tests conducted on 3,700 adolescents produced same results as adults Other experts were cautious.There is a lot that scientists do not know about how important this side of the immune system is, noted New York University Grossman School of Medicine virologist Nathaniel Landau, who was not involved with the study.”I think the critical question is: Is the protection that’s provided by the vaccine caused by the antibodies, or is it caused by the T cells, or is it both?” he asked. “It’s pretty clear that antibodies are very important. What we don’t know yet is how important the T cell response is.”Based on animal studies, he added, “my guess is that it is very important.”Cancer patients with impaired antibody responses were more likely to survive COVID-19 if they had stronger T cell responses, according to another study.”The bottom line is, yes, there is immunological evidence that [vaccines] are priming more than just neutralizing antibodies and that these other parts of the immune response are important,” said University of Pennsylvania immunologist John Wherry.Relative roles unclearIt is not clear what the relative contributions of antibodies and T cells are, he added, “but it is likely that vaccines will provide some protection from severe disease, even if antibodies are suboptimal,” he said.The new study looked only at the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is very similar, and experts said the results likely would be, as well. It is less clear how they translate to the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which are a different type. Those studies are up next.Another important finding: One dose of vaccine may be enough for people who have recovered from COVID-19.One dose of the Pfizer vaccine produced the same level of immune response as two doses did in people who had not been infected before, noted study co-author and Erasmus University Medical Center virologist Corine Geurts van Kessel.Given the limited supply of vaccines, “you can imagine that in countries where a lot of people have encountered COVID that this can really make a difference,” she said.
…

The Taliban called on Afghanistan’s neighbors Wednesday not to allow the United States to use their territory or air space for any future military operations against the war-torn nation. 
  
The Islamist insurgent group issued the warning as Washington plans to reposition some U.S. troops in the region to carry out Afghan counterterrorism missions once U.S. and NATO militaries exit from the landlocked South Asia nation.   
The Taliban cautioned in their statement that facilitating U.S. military operations by neighboring countries in the future will be a “grave historical mistake and a disgrace.” It denounced the presence of foreign forces as “the root cause” of insecurity and war in the region. 
  
“The people of Afghanistan will not remain idle in the face of such heinous and provocative acts,” the group warned without elaborating further.  
  
President Joe Biden announced last month that the remaining an estimated 2,500 American troops, along with thousands of NATO partners, will leave Afghanistan by September 11 to end what he said was the “forever war.”  
  
The drawdown stemmed from a peace-building agreement the United States signed with the Taliban in February 2020. But the insurgents have not reduced violence nor have their U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Afghan government achieved any breakthroughs, raising concerns the country would descend into more chaos and bloodshed once the foreign troop drawdown is complete.  
  
The pact binds the Taliban not to allow Afghan soil for terrorist attacks against the United States and its allies.  
  
However, continuing and intensified hostilities between the Afghan parties to the conflict have raised concerns that transnational terrorist groups, including al-Qaida and Islamic State, could turn Afghanistan again into a sanctuary. 
  
“As we have repeatedly assured others that our soil will not be used against security of others, we are similarly urging others not to use their soil and airspace against our country,” the Taliban reiterated Wednesday. 
  
“If such a step is taken, then the responsibility for all the misfortunes and difficulties lies upon those who commit such mistakes.” 
  
There are no U.S. bases in any of the six countries that border Afghanistan.  
  
Pakistan, which shares a 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan, on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of hosting a U.S. Base, or of allowing “kinetic drone” operations in Afghanistan from Pakistani soil.   FILE – In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov attends the talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 7, 2021.On Monday, Russia’s presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have both assured Moscow that hosting military bases was “impossible” for them, narrowing options for Washington for its military posture once the withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete. 
  
Iran also shares a long border with Afghanistan, but Tehran’s persistent tensions and mistrust with Washington, experts say, leave that option out. 
…

A confrontation between two members of U.S. Congress is the latest flash point of political incivility in America. VOA’s Steve Redisch examines the issue.Producer: Kimberlyn Weeks 
…

…

Aung San Suu Kyi made her first in-person court appearance Monday since she was deposed as Myanmar’s de facto leader in the February 1 military takeover.
 
Her lawyers told journalists in the capital Naypyitaw they were allowed to meet with Suu Kyi for 30 minutes before the hearing to discuss the case. They said the 75-year-old Nobel Peace laureate sounded and looked healthy, and wished the people of Myanmar good health.
 
Suu Kyi also issued a defiant message about her National League for Democracy party, saying “the people grew out of the people so it will exist as long as people support it.”
 
The lawyers also briefly met with ousted President Win Myint, who served in the government Suu Kyi led as state counsellor.
 
Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup.  She is facing multiple criminal charges, the most serious an allegation that she accepted $600,000 in illegal payments.  She has also been charged with the possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies, violating COVID-19 restrictions, breaching telecommunication laws and incitement to cause public unrest.
 
The civilian government was overthrown nearly three months after the NLD won parliamentary elections in a landslide. The junta has cited widespread electoral fraud in the November 8 election as a reason for the coup, an allegation the civilian electoral commission denied.  The junta has threatened to dissolve the NLD over the allegations.
 
The coup triggered a crisis in the Southeast Asian country that led to deadly anti-junta demonstrations and clashes between several armed ethnic groups and the ruling junta.
In a campaign to quell the protests, the government has killed more than 800 protesters and bystanders since the takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks casualties and arrests.
…

Thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo fled their homes to escape lava flows from an erupting volcano near Goma. While most of the city was spared, those who returned to the outskirts Goma Sunday found their homes destroyed. At least 15 people have died.
…

The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas over Gaza continues as the conflict puts a spotlight on U.S. President Joe Biden’s approach to international challenges. Michelle Quinn reports.Produced by: Mary Cieslak    
…

The United States on Sunday announced visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials accused of fueling the 6-month-old war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, saying those involved had “taken no meaningful steps to end hostilities.”
 
“People in Tigray continue to suffer human rights violations, abuses, and atrocities, and urgently needed humanitarian relief is being blocked by the Ethiopian and Eritrean militaries as well as other armed actors,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
 
“Despite significant diplomatic engagement, the parties to the conflict in Tigray have taken no meaningful steps to end hostilities or pursue a peaceful resolution of the political crisis,” he added.
 
Blinken also announced wide-ranging restrictions on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia, adding that the U.S. would continue humanitarian aid in areas such as health, food and education.
 
He said the visa restrictions targeted “current or former Ethiopian or Eritrean government officials, members of the security forces, or other individuals — to include Amhara regional and irregular forces and members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).”
 
The Tigray conflict erupted in early November when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to detain and disarm leaders of the regional ruling party, the TPLF.
 
Abiy said the move came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps.
Eritrean troops, who teamed up with the Ethiopian military, have been implicated in multiple massacres and other atrocities during the Tigray conflict, allegations Asmara denies.
 
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the killings, forced removals, systemic sexual violence, and other human rights violations and abuses,” Blinken said.
“We are equally appalled by the destruction of civilian property including water sources, hospitals, and medical facilities, taking place in Tigray.”
 
…

Members of George Floyd’s family, and others who lost loved ones to police encounters, joined activists and residents in Minneapolis on Sunday for a march that was one of several events planned nationwide to mark the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death.Hundreds of people gathered for the rally in front of the courthouse in downtown Minneapolis where the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin concluded a month ago, many carrying signs with pictures of Floyd, Philando Castile and other Black men who died while in police custody.  Amid chants of “no justice, no peace!” and “Say his name,” Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter watched alongside a dozen of Floyd’s family members as speakers called for justice for the families of the victims.”It has been a long year. It has been a painful year,” Floyd’s sister Bridgett told the crowd Sunday. “It has been very frustrating for me and my family for our lives to change in the blink of an eye — I still don’t know why.”Tuesday will mark one year since Floyd, who was Black, died after Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd pleaded for air. Chauvin, who is white, has since been convicted of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death, which sparked worldwide protests and calls for change in policing in the U.S.Speakers at the event included several local activists, Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, the Rev. Al Sharpton, who called on the U.S. Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The legislation, which would bring about the most significant changes to policing on the federal level, would ban the use of chokeholds and establish a national database of police misconduct.Family members of Daunte Wright march for the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 23, 2021.”We want something coming out of Washington. We want something that will change federal law,” Sharpton said. “There’s been an adjournment on justice for too long. It’s time for them to vote and make this the law.”The George Floyd Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Floyd was born, is hosting a series of events in Minneapolis this weekend and early next week to honor Floyd on the anniversary.  The nonprofit was launched by Floyd’s siblings in September 2020 to help combat racial inequities in Black and brown communities in their brother’s honor.  Other events in Minneapolis ahead of the anniversary include a virtual “day of action” that encourages people to organize remotely and two panels with the families and other activists on Monday, followed by a community festival and candlelight vigil on Tuesday.In New York on Sunday, Floyd’s brother, Terrence, attended a Brooklyn gathering in his brother’s memory organized by Sharpton and told supporters not to forget his brother or victims of racist violence.”If you keep my brother’s name ringing, you’re going to keep everybody else’s name ringing,” Terrence Floyd said. “Breonna Taylor, Sean Bell, Ahmaud Arbery, you could go through the whole list. There’s a lot of them.”Executive director Jacari Harris said the group has received donations from the Minneapolis Foundation, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and athletic shoe and apparel retailer Finish Line, among others. Despite large grants from corporations and other organizations, Harris the average donation to the nonprofit was $47.Harris said the group has also funded an initiative in Fayetteville to help reduce homelessness, a scholarship program for law school students and an internship program at Texas A&M University, where Floyd went to school.
 
…

Martin Bashir, the BBC journalist who tricked princess Diana into giving an explosive interview, on Sunday apologized to Princes William and Harry, but said claims linking his actions to her death were “unreasonable.” A report by retired senior judge John Dyson published on Thursday found that Bashir commissioned faked bank statements that falsely suggested some of Diana’s closest aides were being paid by the security services to keep tabs on her. FILE – Princess Diana arrives at the Royal Geographical Society in London for a speech on the dangers of landmines throughout the world, June 12, 1997.Bashir, 58, then showed them to Diana’s brother Charles Spencer in a successful bid to convince him to arrange a meeting between himself and Diana and earn her trust. Bashir told the Sunday Times he was “deeply sorry” to Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry. “I never wanted to harm Diana in any way, and I don’t believe we did,” he told the paper. But William said Bashir’s actions and the interview had made “a major contribution” to the demise of his parents’ relationship and “contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation” in her final years. In this image made from video on May 20, 2021, provided by ITN, Britain’s Prince William makes a statement following the publication of Lord Dyson’s investigation into former BBC News religion editor Martin Bashir.In his own release, Harry said that the deceptive practices had played a part in his mother’s death. “The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life,” he said. Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997, aged 36. Bashir disputed the accusations, saying “I don’t feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and the complex issues surrounding those decisions. “The suggestion I am singularly responsible I think is unreasonable and unfair,” he told the paper. ‘I loved her’ He argued that the 1995 interview had been conducted on Diana’s terms, and that they remained firm friends after it aired to an audience of 22.8 million people. “My family and I loved her,” he said, revealing that Diana had visited Bashir’s wife and newborn child in hospital and that the princess threw a birthday party for his eldest child at Kensington Palace. Bashir has said that he regretted showing Diana’s brother forged documents, but that it had “no bearing” on the revelations aired during the interview. In it, Diana famously said “there were three people” in her marriage — her, Charles and his long-time mistress and now wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles — and also admitted adultery. Bashir was little-known at the time but went on to have a high-profile career on U.S. television networks and interviewed stars such as Michael Jackson. The pop singer’s family also blame Bashir for his death, saying the fallout from the interview led to him to increasingly depend on drugs. Bashir worked for the BBC as religion editor until he stepped down just last week, citing ill health, hours before Dyson’s report was submitted to BBC bosses. Former BBC chief Tony Hall, whom Dyson criticized for his “woefully ineffective” 1996 probe into Bashir’s deception, resigned as chair of Britain’s National Gallery on Saturday. A government review of the BBC’s funding and governance is due next year, which Home Secretary Priti Patel on Sunday called a “very, very important moment.” “There’s no question about that trust and confidence has been undermined, and now it’s a time for the BBC to absolutely reflect upon the findings of this report and rebuild that trust and confidence,” she told Sky News.  
…

Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca are about as effective against the coronavirus variant first found in India as they are against the variant first found in England, according to a study by Public Health England announced Saturday.The study found that Pfizer’s vaccine is 88% effective against B.1.617.2, or the Indian variant, and 93% effective against B.1.1.7, now known as the Kent variant. AstraZeneca’s vaccine is 60% effective against the Indian variant and 66% effective against the English variant.FILE – A nurse picks a syringe containing a dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Barcelona, Apr. 26, 2021.In both cases, the effectiveness was measured two weeks after the second shot and against symptomatic disease. The Kent variant is the dominant strain in England, but health officials fear the Indian strain may outpace it.In England, health authorities have stretched the time between the two doses to as much as three months in order to get more shots in more arms and stop the coronavirus in its tracks. But against the variants, two shots are better than one, so for clinically vulnerable people or those older than 50, the period between the two shots will be cut to eight weeks.”I’m increasingly confident that we’re on track for the road map [to reopening], because this data shows that the vaccine, after two doses, works just as effectively [against the Indian variant],” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told broadcasters.A man reacts as a health worker in protective suit takes his nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19 in New Delhi, India, May 22, 2021.The Indian government said Saturday that COVID-19 infections remained high as they spread to overburdened rural areas but added that infections were stabilizing in some parts of the country.India’s health ministry reported more than 250,000 new COVID-19 cases and nearly 4,200 deaths in the previous 24-hour period, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.Health ministry official Lav Agarwal told reporters during a virtual briefing that infections were rising in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.But Agarwal also said infections had dropped in the last two weeks in the southwestern Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka and the coastal state of Kerala.’Appropriate behavior’“To break the chain of transmission, it is very important to follow COVID-appropriate behavior,” Agarwal said.As India struggles with a faltering health care system and vaccine shortages, experts have warned of a third wave of infections in the coming months.As of Saturday evening EDT, India was second only to the U.S. in infections, with nearly 26.3 million, and in COVID-19 deaths, with more than 295,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.FILE – People line up at a coronavirus testing center after the COVID-19 alert rose to Level 3 in Taipei, Taiwan, May 18, 2021.In other developments, Taiwan’s health minister urged the island’s residents to stay calm following a report of a crop of new coronavirus cases. Chen Shih-chung said Saturday that there were 321 new infections. The minister also said there were 400 more new cases over a six-day period whose positive results had not been included in previous reports.”There’s no explosion in the pandemic development,” he said. The new infections were reported to be concentrated in the northern part of the island in and around Taipei. The government urged people to stay home.’Cognitive warfare’Meanwhile, Taiwan’s deputy interior minister warned Saturday that China, which claims the island, was spreading misinformation about Taiwan’s COVID-19 outbreak. Chen Tsung-yen said, “The reason we are continuing to explain the contents of the fake information to everyone is to call attention to it. We must immediately intercept this and not let cognitive warfare affect Taiwan’s society.”As of late Saturday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University, there were more than 166.4 million global COVID-19 infections. The U.S. had more than 33.1 million, while Brazil ranked third with just over 16 million.
…

India’s health ministry reported Saturday more than 250,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 4,100 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.   
 
An Associated Press report Saturday said “India always was expected to play a pivotal role in global efforts to immunize against COVID-19. But a mixture of overconfidence, poor planning and bad luck has prevented that from happening.”
 
In January, India seemed to “bask” in its early success when it initiated its domestic inoculation program, while reassuring the country that its vaccine exports “were calibrated according to the needs of the domestic immunization program,” according to AP.  
 
The South Asian nation, however, was caught off guard by “the speed at which vaccines were approved for use around the world, as well as the massive “eventual demand” for the vaccines at home and abroad, according to AP.
 
In addition, India’s two main vaccine manufacturers – the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, had trouble scaling up production of the vaccines.  
 
The Serum Institute had a fire in its facility earlier this year and a U.S. embargo on exporting raw materials needed for the shots forced the company to look elsewhere for supplies.  
 
In addition, Bharat Biotech had initially said its goal was to make 700 million doses of the vaccine this year, but Indian officials said recently that Bharat Biotech was making just 10 million shots a month.  
 
Taiwan’s health minister is urging the island’s residents to stay calm, following a report of a crop of new coronavirus cases.  Chen Shih-chung said Saturday there were 321 new infections.  In addition, the minister said there were another 400 new cases over a six-day period whose positive results had not been included in previous reports.
 
“There’s no explosion in the pandemic development,” he said.  The new infections are reported to be concentrated in the northern part of the island in and around Taipei. The government has urged people to stay home.  
 
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s deputy interior minister warned Saturday that China, which claims the island, is spreading misinformation about Taiwan’s COVID-19 outbreak.  Chen Tsung-yen said, ““The reason we are continuing to explain the contents of the fake information to everyone is to call attention to it. We must immediately intercept this, and not let cognitive warfare affect Taiwan’s society.”
 
U.S. and German vaccine partners Pfizer and BioNTech on Friday pledged to deliver 2 billion doses of their vaccine to low- and middle-income nations as part of a global effort to close the vaccine gap between rich and poor nations.  
 
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, speaking in Rome at the Global Health Summit, said the first billion doses of their vaccine will be delivered this year, and the second in 2022.  
 
U.S. pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Johnson & Johnson also pledged donations of 200,000 and 100,000 doses respectively.
 
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said early Saturday there are 166.1 million global COVID-19 infections.  The U.S. had 33 million, while India has 26 million.  Brazil is in third place with 15 million. 
 
…

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is pulling aid from El Salvador’s national police and a public information institute and will instead redirect the funding to civil society groups, the agency’s head said in a statement Friday.The statement cited concerns over votes earlier this month by legislative allies of President Nayib Bukele to oust the attorney general and top judges.USAID Administrator Samantha Power expressed “deep concerns” with the dismissals as well as “larger concerns about transparency and accountability” in the Central American country.The earmarked funds will now go to “promoting transparency, combating corruption and monitoring human rights” in concert with local civil society groups, the statement said, without specifying the amount of money in question.In an apparent response to Power, Bukele heaped scorn on the civil society groups that were poised to benefit from the shift in U.S. funding in a post on Twitter minutes after the announcement.”It’s good they receive foreign financing, because they will not receive a cent from the Salvadoran people,” Bukele wrote.USAID, the international development arm of the U.S. government, provides funding to a wide variety of programs in mostly poor countries across the globe.”Respect for an independent judiciary, a commitment to the separation of powers and a strong civil society are essential components of any democracy,” it said in its statement.Growing disputeIt is the latest salvo in an intensifying spat between the two countries. On Tuesday, the U.S. government released a list of allegedly corrupt Central American politicians, including a couple with close ties to Bukele. That prompted the Salvadoran leader to praise China, in an apparent swipe at Washington.Bukele, 39, who is popular at home, has argued that the high-profile dismissals were justified and legal.Bukele’s party accused the five ousted judges of impeding the government’s health strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the attorney general of lacking independence.The abrupt votes to remove them were criticized as a dangerous power grab by the tiny opposition to Bukele in El Salvador, as well as the U.S. government and international rights groups like Amnesty International.Bukele’s critics also accuse him of misusing the national police and the public information institute for political ends.El Salvador, which has an economy closely tied to the United States by trade and a large migrant population, is negotiating a more than $1 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where Washington wields significant influence.The IMF earlier this week cited progress in the ongoing talks.
…

Apple’s online marketplace would become a “toxic” mess if the iPhone maker were forced to allow third-party apps without reviewing them, chief executive Tim Cook said in testimony at a high-stakes trial challenging the company’s tight control of its platform.Cook, the last scheduled witness in the case brought by Fortnite maker Epic Games, delivered a strong defense of Apple’s procedures for reviewing and approving all the apps it offers for iPhone and iPad users.”We could no longer make the promise … of privacy, safety and security,” Cook said under questioning from Apple attorney Veronica Moye in federal court in California.Cook said Apple’s review process helps keep out malicious software and other problematic apps, helping create a safe place for consumers.Without this review, the online marketplace “would become a toxic kind of mess,” he said.”It would also be terrible for the developer, because the developer depends on the store being a safe and trusted place.”Cook’s testimony caps a high-profile trial which opened earlier this month in which Apple is accused of abusing a monopoly on its marketplace by creating a “walled garden” that squeezes app makers.’Not about money’Under cross-examination, Cook sparred with Epic lawyer Gary Bornstein about the profitability of the App Store.Cook disputed Epic’s contention that its profit margin on apps was some 80%, but the exact figure was not disclosed in court due to confidentiality.The Apple executive said the proprietary payments system challenged by Epic was about convenience for consumers, more than about profits.”We always put the user at the center of everything we do,” Cook said. “It has nothing to do with money.”During his testimony, Cook defended Apple’s policy of barring apps directing consumers to other platforms to purchase subscriptions or credits for games and other services.”It would be akin to Best Buy advertising that you can go across the street to the Apple Store to buy an iPhone,” he said.Epic, maker of the popular Fortnite video game, is seeking to force Apple to open up the marketplace to third parties seeking to circumvent Apple’s procedures and commissions of up to 30%.Apple booted Fortnite from its App Store last year after Epic dodged revenue sharing with the iPhone maker.Apple does not allow users of its popular devices to download apps from anywhere but its App Store, and developers have to use Apple’s payment system, which takes its cut.The Epic lawyer also questioned Cook about Apple’s arrangement with Google to be the default search engine for the iPhone maker’s Safari browser, another area scrutinized by antitrust officials.Cook acknowledged that Google pays for this position but added that Apple made the arrangement “in the best interest of the user.”The case before District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland comes with Apple feeling pressure from a wide range of app makers over its control of the App Store, which critics say represents monopolistic behavior.The European Union has formally accused Apple of unfairly squeezing out music streaming rivals based on a complaint brought by Sweden-based Spotify and others, which claim the California group sets rules that favor its own Apple Music.A recently formed Coalition for App Fairness, which includes both Spotify and Epic, have called for Apple to open up its marketplace, claiming its commission is a “tax” on rivals.Closing arguments in the bench trial in California were expected early next week, with the judge expected to rule within several weeks.
…

The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched another barrage of rockets at Israeli neighborhoods Thursday, and Israel responded with more airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, as efforts to halt the escalating violence moved forward.
…

Israeli ground troops joined its air force in the attack on the Gaza Strip early Friday, the military said in a statement.Israel Defense Forces had tweeted that its troops were “currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” But later, citing an internal miscommunication, it clarified that the troops were firing artillery from inside the Israeli border.”I said we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a videotaped statement. “We are doing that, and we will continue to do that with heavy force.”An explosion lights the sky following an Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, May 14, 2021.Gaza residents near the border with Israel confirmed to Reuters that they had seen no sign of Israeli ground forces inside the enclave, but they reported heavy artillery fire and dozens of airstrikes.As the violence entered its fifth day, the U.N. Security Council announced it agreed to convene Sunday to discuss the situation, after plans to secure a meeting had been delayed by concerns from the United States.The American ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, wrote on Twitter:The UN Security Council will meet to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza on Sunday. The U.S. will continue to actively engage in diplomacy at the highest levels to try to de-escalate tensions.— Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) Palestinians inspect the rubble of their destroyed homes after being hit by Israeli airstrikes in town of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, May 13, 2021.The deadly exchange of rocket fire and airstrikes, the biggest battle between the Palestinian militant group and Israeli forces since the 2014 war in Gaza, was sparked by growing unrest over control of Jerusalem and attempts by Jewish settlers to take over Arab-controlled communities.The tensions have spilled over into the West Bank, where bloody street fights have broken out in several Arab-Jewish cities. Authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew in the central city of Lod, where at least one person was shot this week, while several hundred people in Lod and other cities have been arrested. A mob of right-wing Jewish residents in the town of Bat Yam brutally attacked an Arab motorist, beating him unconscious.Global mediation efforts to end the fighting took a significant step forward Thursday when Egyptian security officials met with Hamas leaders in Gaza and with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv, according to two Egyptian intelligence officials.Palestinians carry the body of a child found in the rubble of a house belonging to the Al-Tanani family, that was destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in town of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, May 13, 2021.As word of the officials’ arrival spread, Hamas fired about 100 rockets toward south and central Israel.U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday expressed his support for Israel’s right to defend itself, while saying he hoped the fighting would end “sooner than later.”After U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke Wednesday with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Gantz, the Pentagon released a statement saying Austin informed Gantz of the Pentagon’s “ironclad support for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people.”The statement said Austin “strongly condemned the launching of rockets by Hamas and other terrorist groups that targeted Israeli civilians” and “reiterated the importance of all involved parties to take steps to restore calm.”U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken similarly condemned the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians in a conversation with Netanyahu, declaring “Israel has the right to defend itself,” while the Palestinians must be afforded the right “to live in safety and security.” Blinken also called for de-escalation.I spoke with @IsraeliPM today about the ongoing situation in Israel including rocket fire emanating from the Gaza Strip targeting Israeli civilians. Israel has the right to defend itself. Palestinians need to be able to live in safety and security. It’s vital now to deescalate.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 12, 2021Blinken also said he instructed Hady Amr, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestinian affairs, to leave immediately for the Middle East to urge Israeli and Palestinian officials to de-escalate.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday denounced the “indiscriminate” rocket launches from Gaza toward Israeli population centers while urging Israel to exercise “maximum restraint.”German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said Wednesday that Germany is “strongly on the side of Israel” and added it “has the right to defend itself.”Lambrecht also criticized recent antisemitic acts such as Israeli flag burnings near synagogues in Germany, saying they show “nothing but horrible disrespect for human dignity.”During a conversation Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced support for the Palestinians.Erdogan said the global community should “give Israel a strong and deterrent lesson” over its attacks on Palestinians, according to Turkey’s Presidential Communications Directorate.The directorate said Erdogan suggested to Putin that the establishment of an international force to protect the Palestinians should be considered.
…

Thailand recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections Thursday since the pandemic began after Bangkok prisons were found riddled with COVID-19, threatening an extension of a partial lockdown of the country that is hammering the economy.The latest wave of the virus emerged in April, dynamized by clusters at nightspots popular with Bangkok’s rich.It has forced the government of Prayuth Chan-ocha to order restaurants and bars to close and urge people to stay at home, leaving Thailand’s tourist and services economy on the brink. The country reported 4,887 infections Thursday, a record daily high after 2,835 prisoners tested positive at two jails in Bangkok.The current outbreak has left more than 400 dead so far, with hospital beds full and the government scrambling to roll out vaccines to a public that is increasingly anxious about the double hit of a health and economic crisis just as the country was preparing to reopen to foreign tourists. This handout from the Royal Thai Government taken and released on March 16, 2021, shows Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha receiving the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine in Bangkok.Prayuth this week promised to vaccinate everyone, insisting “herd immunity” through inoculation was the only way through the pandemic.But health authorities say just 640,000 people out of a population of nearly 70 million have received two vaccine jabs.Thailand has approved vaccines from Moderna, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. The kingdom will produce the AstraZeneca vaccine under a long-term license.But for now, it is racing to secure tens of millions of emergency doses to begin mass vaccinations in June, after going slow at the start of the year in its procurement when the virus appeared to be beaten back.Airport worker Sarayut Jumpa said he is one of the lucky ones to have received a second dose — in his case, the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine — administered at Bangkok’s main airport, Suvarnabhumi, where check-ins have been adapted to process inoculations.”The vaccine might not protect us 100%, but studies show the sickness will now be less severe if I contract the virus,” Sarayut said, adding that his next task was to convince his parents the vaccine is safe. The slow rollout in the kingdom has been matched by internet misinformation about the efficacy of vaccines.With upward of 4,000 airport workers vaccinated and travelers few and far between, the airport is now ready to be used by the public as soon as the government gives the order.”Before the pandemic, we used to receive 200,000 international travelers a day, now only about a thousand a day,” said Kittipong Kittikachorn, the airport’s deputy general manager.”The airport already has all the necessary amenities ready to turn into a vaccination station.”Muslim worshippers perform the morning Eid al-Fitr prayers on the street after authorities closed mosques in Thailand to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, May 13, 2021.Thailand thought it had escaped the worst of the public health crisis posed by the coronavirus through border closures and strict 14-day quarantines.Those measures instead crippled an economy that counts between a fifth and a quarter of its revenue from tourism.Thailand’s GDP withered by more than 6% last year. Hopes of a third-quarter rebound this year appear to be in jeopardy after the latest outbreak.Thai authorities are insisting on an October reopening date to vaccinated tourists, with Phuket Island aiming to reopen July 1 after a privately driven vaccination campaign. But the new wave has cast that into doubt. Hotels that have staggered on through a year of lost income have been forced to close again, while bars, restaurants and nightclubs in a country renowned for its wild nightlife have had to let staff go. The crisis is now fast becoming a serious political problem for Prayuth, an unpopular ex-army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup and has since been reinvented as an elected premier.  ”Whether or not the economy can recover will depend on the number of people vaccinated,” Krid Kanjanakit, 36, a hotel owner in the resort town of Pattaya, told VOA News. ”But the problem is, this government moves slowly with everything.”Opposition MPs Thursday urged the Office of National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Prayuth for allegedly failing to procure vaccines on time, resulting in unnecessary fatalities.
…