U.S. FDA says 5 people in U.S. had allergic reactions after Pfizer shot

Associated Press
The Latest | Blasts, gunfire heard near Rafah crossing as it remains closed under Israeli control
Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing remained closed early Wednesday after an Israeli tank brigade seized it the day before. Rafah has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and exit. Israel now controls all of Gaza’s border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago.
Reuters
Factbox-Parties vying for power in South Africa's 2024 election
South Africa's election on May 29 could bring momentous change, with polls suggesting the ruling African National Congress is likely to lose its majority after 30 years in power. The following are key facts about the ANC and rival parties, including smaller ones that could play a pivotal role in forming a coalition government, should the opportunity arise. The ANC enjoys rock-solid loyalty from many Black South Africans, especially older voters, due to its heroic past as a liberation movement that helped end apartheid and usher in multi-racial democracy under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.
AFP
Rubbish, climate change help boost Portugal's white stork numbers
Above a flowering meadow in southern Portugal, three white stork nestlings click their beaks, adding to the chorus of a thriving stork population that has settled year-round in the country.Around 80 percent of Portugal's white storks stay permanently in the country, avoiding the dangers associated with migration, said Catry.
AFP
Kim Jong Un mourns death of North Korea's former propaganda chief
North Korea's former propaganda chief, credited with masterminding the personality cult surrounding the ruling Kim dynasty, has died, state media said Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong Un photographed bowing at his funeral bier.He is credited with masterminding the cult of the Kim family dynasty, and Pyongyang's state media on Wednesday described him as "a veteran of our Party and the revolution, a prestigious theoretician and a prominent political activist".
AFP
Mongolia's wildlife at risk from overgrazing
The icy peaks of Jargalant Mountain are supposed to belong to snow leopards, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in Mongolia, but hard-pressed herders are increasingly pushing into the vulnerable animals' traditional habitat."Herders always complain about snow leopards and their lost animals," he told AFP. "But we tell them that they must leave Jargalant Mountain -- it is a national park reserved area for snow leopards and they are not allowed to pasture their livestock."
AFP
Toyota posts record yearly net income, revenue
Toyota said Wednesday that it enjoyed a record net profit of 4.94 trillion yen ($31.9 billion) in the year to March on revenues of 45.1 trillion yen, which was also an all-time high.Toyota's previous record annual net profit was 2.85 trillion yen in 2021-22.
Associated Press
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change. Now, the organization is leaning into a more inclusive message as girls have been joining throughout its ranks. “It sends this really strong message to everyone in America that they can come to this program, they can bring their authentic self, they can be who they are and they will be welcomed here,” said Roger Krone, who took over last fall as president and chief executive officer.
Reuters
US weighs upgrade for Vietnam to 'market economy' status
U.S. President Joe Biden's bid to draw Vietnam closer as a strategic ally will clash head-on with his desire for union workers' votes on Wednesday as the Commerce Department hears testimony on whether to designate Vietnam as a "market economy". The move, opposed by U.S. steelmakers and Gulf Coast shrimpers but backed by retailers and other business groups, would reduce the punitive anti-dumping duties set on Vietnamese imports because of its current status as a non-market economy with heavy state influence. "Vietnam is already a market economy," said Ted Osius, head of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, which backs the upgrade.
Associated Press
North Macedonia holds elections dominated by the country's path to EU membership and corruption
Voters in North Macedonia were casting ballots on Wednesday in a parliamentary election and a presidential runoff dominated by issues including the country's path toward European Union membership, corruption and the economy. Pendarovski is supported by the ruling center-left coalition, while Siljanovska-Davkova is backed by the center-right opposition.
NBC News
Michigan tornadoes trap workers in FedEx building, wipe out mobile home park
Severe weather that has been uprooting Plains states for weeks turned its attention to Michigan on Tuesday, trapping workers and wiping out a mobile home park, officials said.
Associated Press
Storms battering the Midwest bring tornadoes, hail and strong winds
Severe storms continued to barrel through the Midwest early Wednesday, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes that forecasters warned could spill out of the region. The tornadoes were first spotted after dark Tuesday in parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, while portions of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri were also under a tornado watch, according to the National Weather Service. As the storms raged on in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh warned that a tornado in northeastern Ohio could cross into Pennsylvania.
AFP
Milking venom from Australia's deadly marine animals
Imagine feeling like an elephant is sitting on your chest, you can't breathe, there's a sense of impending doom and the pain is so intense you want to die.If its spines pierce your skin, the pain will cause you to lose consciousness and the area around the wound will turn black and die.
CNN
Several tornadoes hit Michigan, where 12 people were hurt in one mobile home park in southern part of the state
Several tornadoes hit Michigan on Tuesday, with one twister pummeling a mobile home park in the southern part of the state, leaving a dozen people hurt and rescuers looking for more possible victims.
Associated Press
Western Hemisphere nations pledge to continue coordinating response to historic regional migration
Representatives from 22 Western Hemisphere countries gathered in Guatemala renewed their commitment Tuesday to continue offering legal pathways to enter their countries, to provide aid to communities most affected by migration and to coordinate their response to manage immigration flows. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that progress had been made in all of those areas during the past two years. Two years ago, leaders from across the hemisphere signed the “Los Angeles Declaration,” a U.S.-led attempt to coordinate a regional response to historic levels of migration.
CNN
US paused shipment of bombs to Israel amid concerns over potential use in Rafah incursion, US official says
The United States paused a shipment of bombs to Israel amid concerns over their potential use in a Rafah incursion, according to a US official.
Associated Press
Grit, humor, grief and gloom mix as Ukrainians face a dangerous new phase in the war
Paintbrush in hand, Anastasiya Sereda is working on a painting of a chubby-faced panda in the uniform of a Ukrainian soldier. Propped on her easel is the reason why – a photo of her boyfriend Bohdan, a burly serviceman with a gentle smile. “He looks like a panda,” Sereda said in explanation, alternately laughing and choking with tears as she talked about her partner, who was killed almost a year ago on the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Associated Press
House Republicans will turn to K-12 schools in latest antisemitism probe
The leaders of three large public school systems will appear before Congress on Wednesday to answer questions about how they have handled incidents of antisemitism on their school campuses. The witnesses scheduled to testify before a House Education and Workforce subcommittee represent New York City Public Schools, the Berkeley Unified School District in California and the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.
Associated Press
Albanese rejects China's argument that Australia was at fault for dangerous aircraft encounter
China's account blaming Australia for a dangerous clash between their military aircraft in international airspace over the Yellow Sea failed to undermine Australian objections, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday. The Chinese and Australians lodged official protests and blamed each other for a Chinese warplane’s extraordinary use of flares against an Australian navy helicopter Saturday. Australia publicly accused China of unprofessional and unacceptable behavior, while China retorted that the Seahawk deliberately flew close to China’s airspace in a “provocative move.”
Associated Press
Trump in no hurry as he leans into the pageantry of vice presidential tryouts
As former President Donald Trump remains stuck in the courtroom listening to salacious details of an affair he denies, another spectacle is playing out in the background as his vice presidential tryouts get underway. Trump, at one point, invited many of the contenders on stage like contestants in one of his old beauty pageants. The next day several of them, including South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, South Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. Marco Rubio and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, fanned out across Sunday news shows to sing his praises.
Associated Press
Future of MLB's Tampa Bay Rays to come into focus with key meetings on $1.3B stadium project
The future of the Tampa Bay Rays is about to come into clearer focus as local officials begin public discussions over a planned $1.3 billion ballpark that would be the anchor of a much larger project to transform downtown St. Petersburg with affordable housing, a Black history museum, a hotel and office and retail space. The St. Petersburg City Council will begin a detailed look Thursday at the plans by the Rays and the Hines development company for what the city calls the Historic Gas Plant Project. The name is a nod to the 86-acre (34-hectare) tract's history as a once-thriving Black community demolished for the Rays' current domed Tropicana Field and earlier for an interstate highway spur.

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