VOA常速英语:亚特兰大举行反亚裔仇恨集会

Opponents of Myanmar's coup fled gunfire in Naypyidaw on Saturday as international pressure on the military junta increased. Video obtained by the Reuters news agency showed crowds of protesters running down a street in the country's capital while tear gas and live rounds were fired in the background. News reports say at least one person was killed. Meanwhile, dozens of protesters on motorbikes took to the street in the southeastern city of Dawei on Saturday to protest the military coup. Authorities have tightened restrictions on Internet services, making information increasingly difficult to verify. They have also clamped down on private media. Demonstrations against the coup have continued since February 1 in several cities and towns across the country, including Mandalay and Yangon. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned what he called the military's continual brutal violence. U.N. special rapporteur Tom Andrews called for sanctions in response to the generals' "ruthless" attacks on the people.

Hundreds of people gathered in a park across from the Georgia state capital in Atlanta Saturday to demand justice for the victims of shootings at massage parlors earlier in the week. The diverse crowd gathered called for an end to racism, xenophobia and misogyny. A 21-year-old white man Robert Aaron Long is accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta area massage businesses on Tuesday. Six of the victims were Asian American women.

Ahead of World Water Day Monday, the World Meteorological Organization is warning that climate change is intensifying water-related disasters. We get more from Lisa Schlein in Geneva. The World Meteorological Organization says increased flooding threatens to destroy water points and sanitation facilities and contaminate water sources. As a consequence, WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis says billions of people have limited or no access to clean water and sanitation. "We expect this problem to be exacerbated because of socioeconomic changes, the population growth and obviously changes in sources of water, such as glaciers." The WMO says more than half of counties worldwide have no quality management systems for water. The agency is calling for more concerted action on safeguarding the world's diminishing water sources and on mitigating climate change. Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news.