Tuesday, April 20, 2021

TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, April 20th: *) Jury in Derek Chauvin's murder trial begin deliberations A verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former cop who's accused of killing George Floyd, is expected soon. The jury will now deliberate over Chauvin's innocence or guilt after attorneys from both sides rested their cases. Floyd's death sparked mass demonstrations in and outside the US against police racism and brutality. *) ASEAN bloc under pressure to end crisis in Myanmar UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his predecessor Ban Ki-moon have urged the ASEAN bloc to help find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Myanmar. Pressure is on the bloc, which is hosting Myanmar's junta leader at its annual summit this weekend. The junta is ramping up its efforts to quell mass anti-coup protests against its ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with at least 737 civilians killed and the press increasingly under attack. *) US: Military build-up near Ukraine larger than 2014 The US has called on Moscow to reverse its build-up of forces along its border with Ukraine. The Pentagon says the stationing of 100,000 troops there is larger than what Russia sent to annex the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Tensions between Moscow and Kiev have been rising amid the military build-up and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists. *) Victims file a case in Sweden over Syrian chemical attacks Lawyers representing victims of chemical weapons attacks in Syria have filed a criminal complaint with Swedish police. According to the complaint, the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in attacks on the opposition-held towns of Ghouta in 2013, and Khan Sheikhoun in 2017. Swedish authorities could join France and Germany to jointly investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria. And finally … *) NASA's Mars helicopter takes its historic first flight NASA successfully flew its Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, the first powered flight on another planet. The triumph, hailed