VOA News for Sunday, April 11th, 2021

VOA News for Sunday, April 11th, 2021
Thanks to gandalf.ddo.jp/ for transcribing
This is VOA news. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.
Myanmar security forces killed more than 80 anti-junta demonstrators in the past few days, according to reporting Saturday, as activists demanding the restoration of the ousted civilian government again took to the streets in the southeast of the country.
Myanmar Now news, witnesses and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said the killings occurred when government troops fired grenades at protesters in the city of Bago, about 65 kilometers northeast of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city.
Demonstrators protesting the February coup returned to the streets on Saturday. Crowds marched in the township of Launglone, as well as nearby Dawei city.
At least eight people were killed by security forces in Dawei since protests began against the coup in February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday stressed the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the de-escalation of tensions in eastern Ukraine and peace in the Black Sea region following a bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul.
Speaking at a news conference alongside Zelensky, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey said he hoped the conflict would be resolved peacefully through dialogue based on diplomatic customs in line with international laws and Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Zelensky's visit to Turkey, a NATO member, comes amid renewed tensions in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since shortly after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Visit voanews.com for more. This is VOA news.
Britain's Prince Charles has expressed his family's deep gratitude for the outpouring of support following the death of his father, Prince Philip. AP's Karen Chammas reports.
As the nation mourns the loss of a much love member of the royal family, Buckingham Palace announced a royal ceremonial funeral will take place April 17th at Windsor Castle.
His son, Prince Charles, said he was touched by the number of people around the world who have shared the family's loss and sorrow.
"My dear Papa was a very special person who I think, above all else, would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him.”
The service will be slimmed down and entirely close to the public.
Philip's grandson, Prince Harry, will attend the service along with other members of the royal family. His wife, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant, has been advised by her doctor not to attend.
Karen Chammas, London.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday to demonstrate against restrictive measures implemented by authorities to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Various groups converged in Victory Square and University Square as they express frustration over restrictions such as curfews and business closures which came into force at the end of March.
Saturday's protest was one of a number of recent anti-restriction and anti-vaccination demonstrations that have taken place in Romania in recent weeks.
It was held on the same day that the country passed the bleak milestone of one million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its first recorded infection in February of last year.
Georgia health officials have halted vaccinations at a site administering the Johnson & Johnson shot after eight people experienced adverse reactions. However, experts say it doesn't seem to be an issue with the vaccine. AP's Julie Walker reports.
Three other states also temporarily shut sites down.
Dr. Amy Baxter at Georgia Medical College says it's not the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that's the issue here. It's that people taking it are more prone to fainting.
"There's no problem with the J&J vaccine. There's no problem with safety. It's just that we have made it easier for people who don't like needles to get vaccinated with only one shot.”
She says those people go for the J&J vaccine.
"The vaccine is very safe and tiny minor side effects are nothing compared to the risk of dying or prolonged illness," or Dr. Baxter says problems we don't even know COVID causes yet.
I'm Julie Walker.
You can find more on these stories and the rest of the day's at voanews.com. You can also follow us on the VOA mobile app. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news.