VOA News for Sunday, April 25th, 2021

VOA News for Sunday, April 25th, 2021
Thanks to gandalf.ddo.jp/ for transcribing
This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.
President Joe Biden has formally recognized that the systematic killings and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces in the early 20th century were genocide, using a term for the atrocities that his White House predecessors have avoided for decades over concerns of alienating Turkey.
With the acknowledgment, Biden followed through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday- the annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day - to recognize that the events of 1915 to 1923 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.
Later Saturday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador David Satterfield to Ankara. The ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal told Satterfield that Ankara rejected Biden's comment and "found it unacceptable and condemned it in the strongest terms." The statement added that it would cause a "wound in ties that will be hard to repair.”
India continues to struggle with the largest surge in coronavirus cases around the world. AP's Ben Thomas reports.
For the third day in a row, India has set a global daily record, with more than 346,000 coronavirus cases. That's according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University. India's total of more than 16 million cases now ranks behind only the United States.
Hospitals are being overwhelmed and even some who managed to find a bed are suffocating with oxygen in short supply.
India's Health Ministry reports another 2,600 deaths in the past 24 hours. That's pushed India's confirmed toll to more 189,000 people.
I'm Ben Thomas.
Visit voanews.com for more. This is VOA News.
Southeast Asian leaders said Saturday they had agreed on a plan with Myanmar's junta chief to end the crisis there but he did not explicitly respond to demands to halt the killing of civilian protesters. Reuters Soraya Ali reports.
Myanmar's senior general attended the leaders meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.
ASEAN leaders wanted a commitment from the general to restrain his security forces. An activist monitoring group says they have killed at least 745 people since a mass civil disobedience movement erupted to challenge his February 1st coup.
According to a statement from the ASEAN chair Brunei, a consensus was reached on ending violence and having a constructive dialogue among all parties facilitated by a special ASEAN envoy. But there was no mention of releasing political prisoners in the statement.
That's Reuters Soraya Ali.
An Indonesian submarine that went missing off the coast of Bali has sunk, according to the country's navy, dashing hopes that its 53 crew would be saved. We get more from Reuters Olivia Chang.
Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said a scan had detected the 44-year-old vessel over 2,700 feet under sea.
The submarine lost contact on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill.
Rescuers have sent more than a dozen search helicopters and ships to the area where contact was lost.
Indonesia's Navy has said it is investigating whether the submarine lost power during a dive. It also said the vessel could not carry out emergency procedures because it descended to a depth well beyond its survivable limits.
That's Reuters Olivia Chang.
Fifteen people who spent 40 days in voluntary isolation in a dark, damp and vast cave in France emerged on Saturday. AP's Zaria Shaklee has more.
The group made of eight men and seven women took part in the experiment in the Pyrenees.
Speaking reporters outside the cave after they emerged, the group said they barely noticed any fatigue after being in isolation but they felt the cold.
Scientists at the Human Adaptation Institute leading the $1.5 million Deep Time project say the experiment will help them better understand how people adapt to drastic changes in living conditions and the environments.
I'm Zaria Shaklee.
You can find more on these stories and the rest of the day's news at voanews.com. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News.

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