VOA News for Friday, April 2nd, 2021

VOA News for Friday, April 2nd, 2021
This is VOA news. Reporting via remote Michael Brown.
Police say hit a truck along Taiwan's East Coast Friday killing at least 34 people and injuring dozens more.
Survivors were climbing out windows and onto roofs to reach safety in the island’s worst railway disaster in decades.
Meanwhile reports say 350 passengers were on board.
Reports said a truck fell from a cliff above and landed on the tracks where a train was emerging from a tunnel and smashed into it.
We will keep you abreast the very latest as we continue to get more information.
The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to convince Americans who are skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccines to get their shots.
Surveys show those skeptical are most likely to be swayed by local community and medical encouragement by people they know and trust.
The President and Vice President urged community and religious leaders to keep encouraging vaccinations.
They're part of a coalition of public health, faith and other groups.
The Administration hopes will help overcome vaccine hesitancy as the nation prepares for all adults to be eligible for shots by next month.
A more contagious Brazilian variant of the Coronavirus has appeared in the US state of Michigan, which has had the nation's highest infection rate in the past week.
It was found in a resident of Bay County where health officials are investigating the person's exposure history.
State Department of Health says the Brazilian variant is considered more contagious than others strains.
Variants first identified in Britain and South Africa have also shown up there.
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Peruvians are preparing to spend Easter amidst a strict quarantine after a spike in COVID-19 infections.
The Peruvian capital Lima began a third quarantine ordered by central government to help prevent an uptick in infections as happened in previous festivities.
The restrictions will be in place until April 4th.
Citizens will only be able to leave their homes to go shopping for basic necessity and private vehicles will be prohibited. Despite quarantine restrictions and vaccinations, Peru was experiencing the worst of its second wave of COVID 19.
According to official figures as of Thursday, Peru has reported more than 1,500,000 Coronavirus cases and 52,000 deaths.
National security advisors from the United States, South Korea, Japan meeting later today to discuss every aspect of North Korea policy according to a senior administration official in Washington.
It is the first 3-way meeting of the countrys since Joe Biden became US president.
The meeting at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, comes after North Korea test fired into waters a cruise missile and then a pair of short-range ballistic missiles.
The senior administration official said Friday's talks would also touch on other regional issues of mutual concern, including the tragic situation of Myanmar and Beijing's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Analysts expect Pyongyang in response to the trilateral huddle would have an attention-seeking reaction.
Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was charged Thursday with breaking a secrets law that dates back to the country's colonial days according to her lawyer.
It is the most serious of the charges leveled against her by the military since the February 1st coup when Suu Kyi and leading officials of her National League for Democracy party were detained.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s chances of forming a new government were dealt a serious blow on Friday, as Parliament passed a formal motion of disapproval saying he had not told the truth about remarks he made during the government formation talks.
The crisis arose on Thursday after Rutte acknowledged having privately discussed what jobs should go to a prominent member of parliament, who had been critical of his previous cabinet. Rutte had previously said he did not do so.
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I'm Michael Brown reporting via remote. VOA news.