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Welcome to Arirang News.

This is Key Kim

And we start with our top headlines at this hour

1.

The nation reported 574 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, possibly due to fewer tests over the Children's Day holiday.

Of Thursday's cases 562 were local, and 12 were from overseas.

Four more people died of the virus raising the death toll to 1,851.

Meanwhile, the nation's authorities are considering additional approval on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine... specifically for younger people in the nation. They will make a final decision after reviewing results from clinical trials soon.

As for the vaccination program, a total of more than 3 point 5 million people have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

And beginning today,... South Korea's health authorities will begin accepting reservations for COVID-19 vaccinations from people between 70 and 74 years old,... as well as those with chronic respiratory diseases.

People who are 65 to 69 can start reservations on May 10th,... and those 60 to 64,.. three days after that.

The 65 to 74 age group will get their first shots from May 27th through June 19th.

2.

Amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in India, ast week that country accounted for 46-percent of all new cases recorded throughout the world... and a quarter of all deaths.

The WHO said on Wednesday that out of a total of 5-point-7 million new cases worldwide last week, India reported nearly 2-point-6 million... a 20-percent increase compared to the previous week.

India also saw more than 23-thousand new deaths.

However, experts say that actual numbers may even be higher, as a lot of cases and deaths are not being recorded due to India's healthcare system becoming overwhelmed.

3.

The Biden administration has endorsed a broad waiver of all intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines,... in an effort to bring an end to the pandemic.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced Washington's stance on Wednesday,... saying that President Biden strongly believes in intellectual property protections,... but in order to end the global health crisis soon,... he supports the waiver of such protections for vaccines to fight the virus.

The remarks come amid calls for the World Trade Organization to ease global trade restrictions in relation to the vaccines,... enabling more countries to produce more supplies of the life-saving jabs.

4.

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven countries have expressed their concerns over the human rights violations in North Korea... and urge the North to refrain from provocative actions and to return to talks.

They've also called for a strengthening of cooperation to respond to the North's cyberattacks which fund its weapons programs.

The ministers also expressed concerns over some countries not enforcing international sanctions placed on the regime.

The joint statement, issued at the end of the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' meeting in London on Wednesday,... reads: "we call on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions and to engage in a diplomatic process with the explicit goal of denuclearization. We remain committed to the goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment of all of North Korea's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs... in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolution.”

Notably, the term "Complete Verifiable and Irreversible Abandonment" emerged... replacing the initial "CVID"... in which the last "D" stands for "dismantlement"... and interchangeably it also meant "denuclearization."

5.

Myanmar's shadow government, formed by ousted lawmakers, says it has set up a "people's defense force" to protect civilians from military attacks.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Unity Government stressed it has a "responsibility" to end the military regime's violence as well as the decades-old civil war.

It also says the new defense force is the first step toward building a Federal Union Army to counter the attacks by security forces.

Since the military coup seized power on February 1st, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically-elected leaders... there has been a deadly surge in violence.

According to the human rights group, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, so far more than seven-hundred people, including dozens of children, have been killed during violent crackdowns on anti-coup protests.

Moving to weather forecast,

Sprinkles and light showers will develop during the morning hours tomorrow. The showers will only last a couple of hours and bring just 5 to 10 millimeters of rain across the nation. But typhoon-like winds are set to briefly hit the Seoul metropolitan area. After the showers, it is likely that dust levels will rise as layers of yellow dust are currently situated behind the rain clouds. Make sure to wear a mask that can filter out the dust particles.

The weekend is looking warmer. Mild and pleasant conditions will return on Saturday. Most areas will see temperatures in the low to mid 20s, with mainly sunny skies.

Tomorrow morning will be about 3 degrees warmer than today. Readings will range from 10 to 17 degrees Celsius.

The current temperatures are:

_______ degrees in Seoul

_______ degrees in Pyeongchang

_______ degrees in Busan

And _______ degrees on Jejudo Island

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