India reports a record 4,205 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 254,197. (The Times of India)
Malaysia reports a record 39 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,761. (Malay Mail)
Sri Lanka imposes a night travel ban from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. until May 31 in order to combat the rise of COVID-19 cases. (The Hindu)
Taiwan reports a record 16 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,231. (CNA)
Tesla announces they will no longer accept Bitcoin as payment. (AP)
Thailand reports a record 34 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 486. (Bangkok Post)
The Israel Defense Forces says that it has conducted a "complex and first-of-its-kind operation" in the Gaza Strip, killing several senior members of Hamas. (AP) (Reuters)
Twenty-nine men are charged with the sexual exploitation and rape of a teenage girl over a seven-year period in Calderdale and Bradford, West Yorkshire, between 2003 and 2010. (BBC News)
Eid al-Fitr, the "Feast of Breaking the Fast" that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan, is celebrated in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia for the first time in 87 years. (Anadolu Agency)
Four people are killed in a firecracker explosion in Kebumen Regency, Indonesia. (Tribun News)
Nine people are wounded, three of them critically, in a shootout between groups at a residence in Providence, Rhode Island. It is believed to be the largest shooting in Providence's memory. (AP)
Thailand reports a record 4,887 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours due to the emergence of jail clusters that have infected 2,835 prisoners. This subsequently brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 93,794. (Bloomberg)
The last Spanish soldiers in Afghanistan arrive in Spain, ending the mission after 19 years. (El Periódico)
The United Arab Emirates approves the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15. (The National)
Saskatchewan reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. (CKCK-DT)
Venezuelan authorities seize the headquarters of oppositional newspaper El Nacional for failing to pay a US$13 million fine for allegedly defaming United Socialist Party of Venezuela assemblyman Diosdado Cabello. (DW)
2021 FA Cup Final Leicester City beats Chelsea 1–0 at Wembley Stadium to win the 2020–21 FA Cup with Youri Tielemans scoring the winning goal. It is Leicester City's first ever FA Cup title. (BBC Sport)
At least 6 people are killed, 3 are missing after a tourist boat capsized in Boyolali Regency, Indonesia. (Detik)
Leicester City beats Chelsea 1–0 at Wembley Stadium to win the 2020–21 FA Cup with Youri Tielemans scoring the winning goal. It is Leicester City's first ever FA Cup title. (BBC Sport)
Malaysia reports a record 44 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including one foreign citizen. This subsequently brings the nationwide death toll to 1,866. (Malay Mail)
Poland reopens bars, restaurants, and other establishments for outdoor usage for the first time in seven months and relaxes its mask requirement as the number of COVID-19 cases declines and the number of vaccinations increases. (Daily Sabah)
Slovakia lifts its national state of emergency that has been in force since October as the number of COVID-19 cases declines, ending the curfew and all nationwide restrictions on gatherings. (The Slovak Spectator)
The General Administration of Sport of China announces that the summits of Mount Everest used by climbers in China will remain closed through the spring, citing COVID-19 concerns in both mainland China and neighboring Nepal. (Reuters via Yahoo!)
Venezuela approves the use of the single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine. (Azeri Press Agency)
2020–21 UEFA Women's Champions League Barcelona wins the team's first Champions League after beating Chelsea in the final match at Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg, Sweden. (BBC Sport)
Afghan peace process After discussions in Qatar and Pakistan, Taliban representatives have reportedly agreed to substantive talks with the Afghan Republic team in Doha, and to attend a summit in Istanbul that they initially refused to attend. (TOLO News)
After discussions in Qatar and Pakistan, Taliban representatives have reportedly agreed to substantive talks with the Afghan Republic team in Doha, and to attend a summit in Istanbul that they initially refused to attend. (TOLO News)
Barcelona wins the team's first Champions League after beating Chelsea in the final match at Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg, Sweden. (BBC Sport)
Maine reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 variant that originated in India. (Bangor Daily News)
Taiwan reports a record 207 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, 206 of which are locally transmitted cases. This subsequently brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,682. (The Guardian)
The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United Kingdom surpasses 20 million. (Sky News)
Darwin's Arch collapses in the Galapagos Islands. (CNN)
Hong Kong and Singapore postpone the start date of their air travel bubble agreement, which was initially scheduled to begin on May 26, due to an increase in the number of unlinked community cases of COVID-19 in Singapore. (CNBC)
Lockdown restrictions are eased in England, Wales, and Scotland with museums, cinemas, children's play areas, and hotels reopening. Pubs, bars, and restaurants can now serve customers indoors again with social distancing rules in place. In England, people can now gather in groups of 30 outdoors and meet indoors in groups of up to six. A ban on international travel is also lifted. (BBC News)
Malaysia reports a record 45 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,947. (The Star)
Saudi Arabia eases an international travel ban for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. However, citizens from 20 countries remain banned from entering the country and Saudi citizens are banned from travelling to 13 high-risk countries, either directly or indirectly. (The Independent)
Taiwan reports a record 335 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, 333 of which are locally transmitted cases. This subsequently brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,017. (Taiwan News)
Thailand reports a record 9,635 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which includes 6,853 cases among prisoners from jail clusters. This subsequently brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 111,082. (The Straits Times)
Turkey begins to gradually lift its COVID-19 restrictions, including the 17-day full lockdown, which will end at 5:00 a.m. as the number of infections has declined. This gradual normalization will last until June 1. (Anadolu Agency)
Argentina reports records of 35,543 new cases of COVID-19 and 745 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the total number of cases to 3.37 million and the death toll to 71,771. (Minuto Uno)
At least 26 people are dead and 53 more are missing after an ONGC barge P305 sailing off the coast of Mumbai, India sank during severe weather. (BBC News)
Cyclone Tauktae At least 26 people are dead and 53 more are missing after an ONGC barge P305 sailing off the coast of Mumbai, India sank during severe weather. (BBC News)
India reports a record 4,329 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 278,719. (The Times of India)
Malaysia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 47 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,994. (Free Malaysia Today)
Thailand reports a record 35 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 649. (CNA)
The first semifinal round of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 takes place in Rotterdam. (Eurovision.tv)
The French Rugby Federation allows trans women players to feature in top-level women's rugby union in the country starting next season, overturning World Rugby's advice against this. (CNN)
The IDF reports the death of 160 Hamas and Islamic Jihad members. However, the deaths are not confirmed by either the groups or Palestinian authorities, who reported a lower number of militants killed. (Jerusalem Post)
Three Chinese industry associations announce in a joint statement that financial institutions and payment firms are banned from offering services related to cryptocurrency transactions, highlighting their high volatility. China had previously banned or restricted access to cryptocurrency exchanges, and blocked websites that had initial coin offerings. (Reuters)
Transgender people in sports The French Rugby Federation allows trans women players to feature in top-level women's rugby union in the country starting next season, overturning World Rugby's advice against this. (CNN)
An anti-fungal drug, Amphotericin B, used in the treatment of a rare infection called mucormycosis, or "black fungus", is in short supply across states in India. Immunity to this infection can be reduced by the use of steroids in severely ill COVID-19 patients. (BBC News)
Argentina reports 39,652 new cases of COVID-19, a record for the second consecutive day. This subsequently brings the national total to 3.4 million. (Big News Network)
Cyprus reports its first four cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. (Cyprus Mail)
India reports a new world record of 4,529 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 283,248. (The Straits Times)
Malaysia reports a record 6,075 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 485,496. (Free Malaysia Today)
Taiwan raises its COVID-19 alert level to level 3 nationwide, which is the same level as Taipei and New Taipei City, where masks are required to be worn at all times and gatherings of more than five people indoors and ten people outdoors are banned amid an increase in the number of locally transmitted cases. (The Guardian)
Zimbabwe reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant. The variant had been detected among a group of people in the central town of Kwekwe after a student returned from India on April 29. (Reuters)
A fight between rival gangs erupts in a jail in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, resulting in the deaths of seven people. (BBC News)
Brazil reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. The variant had been detected among a group of six crew members of a ship travelling from South Africa to deliver iron ore in São Luís, Maranhão. (Geo News) (Al Arabiya English)
ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, whose company owns TikTok, announces that he will step down as CEO and that human resources chief Rubo Liang will succeed him. (Reuters)
COVID-19 vaccine The European Commission signs a third contract with Pfizer and BioNTech to secure 1.8 billion doses of its vaccine. (Deutsche Welle)
Ethiopia announces that it will proceed with plans to start generating power from the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the coming rainy season between June and August. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also says that it will not tolerate "any move that's aimed at disrupting the water filling process, its operation and water releasing scheme". (AP)
Laos extends its nationwide lockdown for another 15 days until June 4 as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase. (Big News Network)
Malaysia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 6,806 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 492,302. The country also reports a record 59 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 2,099. (Malay Mail)
Microsoft announces that it will discontinue support for Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Nicaragua approves the emergency use of the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine. (PharmiWeb)
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (CBS News) (BBC News)
The European Commission signs a third contract with Pfizer and BioNTech to secure 1.8 billion doses of its vaccine. (Deutsche Welle)
The FDA announces its approval for measures allowing the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be stored at regular refrigerator temperatures for up to 30 days before administration. Previously, the agency had only allowed such storage for five days. (Time)
Two separate roadside bombings kill 13 civilians in Helmand and Ghor Provinces. Meanwhile, militants stop a bus in western Afghanistan, targeting Hazara passengers and killing three of them. (ABC News)
2021 Chaman bombing Seven people are killed and 14 others are wounded in a bombing at a Palestine solidarity rally in Chaman, Balochistan, Pakistan. (Dawn)
A symbolic re-trial for medieval Italian writer Dante Alighieri, who was sentenced to exile in absentia in 1302, is held virtually in Florence. (DW)
An accident, believed to have been caused by an emission of methane, kills ten people, injures four others, and causes several more people to remain missing inside a water treatment plant outside the city of Taganrog, in Russia's Rostov Region. (TASS) (Pravda.ru)
Egypt receives its first shipment of raw materials used to manufacture the Sinovac Coronavac vaccine, as well as a shipment of 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. (Ahram Online)
Germany declares the United Kingdom a "virus variant area" due to the spread of the Indian Lineage B.1.617 variant. It means that anyone from the UK will be required quarantine for two weeks on arrival, even if they have tested negative. (DW)
