MADRID (AP) — Madrid’s conservative leader, a champion of relaxed measures against the coronavirus and a scourge of the left-wing central government’s handling of the pandemic, scored a solid win in a regional election Tuesday.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who had campaigned under the slogan of “Freedom,” was backed by 44% of voters, up from 22% in the last election two years ago, with 99% of the ballot counted. Three rival left-wing parties together had 41%.

ROME, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Ministers of Tourism from the Group of 20, or the G20, on Tuesday pledged support for "safe international mobility initiatives" as a way to help relaunch the world's tourism sector.

The ministers agreed that a normalized global tourism industry was "crucial" to the world's economic recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Italian Minister of Tourism Massimo Garavaglia told reporters after the day-long virtual meeting of ministers from the G20, which groups 19 countries and the European Union (EU).

BERLIN, May 5. /TASS/: The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is among matters having no common assessment in the Trans-Atlantic aspect, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at an online conference on Wednesday.

(Reuters) --- Bulgaria will hold a snap parliamentary election on July 11, after a third and final attempt to form a government following April 4 polls that led to a fragmented parliament failed, President Rumen Radev said on Wednesday.

Long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's centre-right GERB again emerged as the largest party after last month's election but it lost seats amid widespread public anger over entrenched corruption in the political elite.

BERLIN, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The German government on Wednesday banned a Muslim organisation that it accused of supporting “terrorism globally with its donations”.

Police raided buildings associated with Ansaar International in 10 German states, the German Interior Ministry said in a statement. 

The ministry alleged the money the organisation collected ostensibly went into welfare projects as a ruse to help finance groups such as the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate known as the Nusra Front, the Palestinian group Hamas and al-Shabaab in Somalia.

NEW DELHI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- As far as it goes, China provides most oxygen concentrators to India, and keeps producing oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment for India, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said Tuesday in a tweet.

"Chinese companies carry forward the spirit of humanitarianism, focus on saving lives, respond to wants and needs of the Indian people," Sun said in another tweet.

"That reveals their social responsibilities as well as the goodwill in helping India fight COVID-19," said the tweet.

(Reuters) --- Nepal is being overwhelmed by a COVID-19 surge as India's outbreak spreads across South Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday.

“We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe. This virus has no respect for borders and these variants are running rampant across Asia," said Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacific director for the Geneva-based agency representing the global humanitarian network.

(Reuters) --- An Iranian diplomat sentenced to 20 years in prison for planning a bomb attack in France has dropped an appeal in Belgium and will serve his sentence, lawyers said on Wednesday.

Belgian authorities have said they will oppose any potential swap deal with Western prisoners, prosecution lawyers said.

Allahabad; 05 May 2021 (UMMN): While hearing a PIL, judges of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday made the observations that Covid-19 patients dying due to oxygen shortage is “is a criminal act and not less than a genocide”.

The court observed that “death of Covid patients just for non-supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide” by those responsible for ensuring the continuous procurement and supply of medical oxygen.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s hospitals were packed with coronavirus patients, relatives of the sick scrambled to find supplies of oxygen, and crematoriums were running near full capacity to handle the dead.

Yet despite those clear signs of an overwhelming health crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed ahead with a densely packed campaign rally.

“I have never seen such a huge crowd before!” he roared to his supporters in West Bengal state on April 17, before key local elections. “Wherever I can see, I can only see people. I can see nothing else.”

NEW YORK, May 05 (APP): Pakistani-Americans Wednesday enthusiastically welcomed Pakistan government’s move to award voting rights to overseas Pakistanis in the next general elections, saying it was a “momentous moment.”

The news about the grant to Pakistani expatriates of the right to franchise spread fast among the community members soon after Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain announced it in Islamabad. The decision was taken at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, which was presided over by the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The defense attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd has requested a new trial, saying the court abused its discretion, and he wants a hearing to have the verdict impeached because of what he says is jury misconduct, according to a court document filed Tuesday.