May 20, Thursday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1. A Japanese government panel of experts has given the green light for the health minister to approve the use of two more coronavirus vaccines, one developed by U.S. drug maker Moderna, the other by British-based AstraZeneca.
2. Fierce fighting continues between the Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group Hamas as negotiations for a ceasefire are underway behind the scenes.
3. U.S. customs authorities have blocked a shipment of Uniqlo shirts, saying the Japanese clothing giant violated an import ban on cotton products from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.