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This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm Joe Ramsey. The U.S. on Sunday warned Russia of consequences if the hunger striking Kremlin critical Alexi Navalny dies in prison. The opposition politician's team is calling for protests across Russia to help save his life a day after Navalny's doctor said the Putin critic could die any minute. U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser tells CNN the Kremlin has been warned it will be held accountable by the international community if Navalny dies. European Union foreign ministers are set to discuss the situation on Monday. Navalny was arrested in January returning to Russia after recovering from a near fatal poisoning attack he says was orchestrated by the Kremlin. Russia denies the allegation. Navalny began a hunger strike on March 31st to demand proper medical treatment.
Hundreds of passengers are crowding Australian airports on Monday as an open border travel system begins with New Zealand. The pandemic milestone allows Australian residents to fly for the first time and over a year without having to quarantine for two weeks. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says in a statement it'll help drive economic recovery for both countries and reunite thousands with families and friends. Both Australia and New Zealand largely closed their borders more than a year ago, helping to keep their COVID-19 numbers relatively low. Both leaders also raised the possibility of extending quarantine-free travel to other countries in the Pacific region when it's safe to do so.
The U.S.'s top health official predicts Sunday that health regulators will soon end the temporary pause on distributing Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci expects the decision could come as soon as Friday. U.S. health agencies recommended last week that the use of J&J vaccine be paused after reports of about six cases of rare brain blood clots in women out of some 7 million people who have received a shot in the United States. Reporting remotely, I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News.
