Kerala enters a nine-day complete lockdown, closing shops, suspending public transport, and severely restricting the on-road movement of people amidst an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (The Economic Times)
Madagascar receives its first shipment of 50,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. (Africanews)
More than 200 BIFF militants storm the town of Datu Paglas, Philippines, forcing many residents to evacuate. The town's market is occupied by the fighters, before being reclaimed by the army. (Al Jazeera)
Moro conflict Datu Paglas market occupation More than 200 BIFF militants storm the town of Datu Paglas, Philippines, forcing many residents to evacuate. The town's market is occupied by the fighters, before being reclaimed by the army. (Al Jazeera)
Pakistan declares an eight-day partial lockdown until May 16 ahead of the celebration of Eid al-Fitr next week. (BBC News)
South Africa reports its first four cases of the Lineage B.1.617.2 variant in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, where all of these had a travel history to India. (SABC News)
Sri Lanka approves the emergency use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the country faces its third wave of the pandemic and the highest number of active cases since the pandemic began. The minister overseeing the situation says that Sri Lanka will try to secure five million doses of the vaccine as India has restricted the supply of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. (Reuters)
The European Commission signs a new deal with Pfizer and BioNTech to purchase 900 million doses of its vaccine with an additional option to purchase another 900 million doses for delivery from 2021 to 2023 which they intend to use as booster shots against the illness and to allow for the vaccination of children and teenagers. (The Irish Times)
Colonial Pipeline cyberattack U.S. President Joe Biden declares a state of emergency following Friday's ransomware cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S., which transports 2.5 million barrels a day – 45 percent of the U.S. East Coast's supply of diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. (BBC News)
War in Afghanistan 2021 Afghanistan attacks 2021 Kabul school bombing The death toll from yesterday's school bombing in Kabul increases to 68 people. (Reuters) With multiple electricity pylons near Kabul being destroyed by bomb blasts, electricity supplier Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) is reporting a shortage of 530 megawatts of power and announced that it will take 20 days to repair the destroyed pylons. Residents are accusing DABS of discrimination during these outages, as the capital's elite had 24-hour electricity. (TOLO News)
2021 Afghanistan attacks 2021 Kabul school bombing The death toll from yesterday's school bombing in Kabul increases to 68 people. (Reuters) With multiple electricity pylons near Kabul being destroyed by bomb blasts, electricity supplier Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) is reporting a shortage of 530 megawatts of power and announced that it will take 20 days to repair the destroyed pylons. Residents are accusing DABS of discrimination during these outages, as the capital's elite had 24-hour electricity. (TOLO News)
2021 Colombian protests Claudia Blum, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, resigns from her post amidst the ongoing anti-government protests that have killed at least 26 people. (Semana)
Claudia Blum, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, resigns from her post amidst the ongoing anti-government protests that have killed at least 26 people. (Semana)
Yemeni Civil War The United States Navy announces that it has seized a shipment of thousands of weapons in a stateless dhow on the Arabian Sea believed to be en-route to Yemen. (Politico)
2021 Colorado Springs shooting Six people are killed by a gunman in a mass shooting during a birthday party at a residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The gunman, who committed suicide at the scene, is believed to have been a boyfriend of one of the victims. (BBC News)
2021 Kabul school bombing The death toll from yesterday's school bombing in Kabul increases to 68 people. (Reuters)
A court in Kyrgyzstan fines a company owned by Centerra Gold 261.7 billion soms for environmental pollution at the Kumtor Gold Mine. (Business Recorder)
A day after appearing on Saturday Night Live and causing Dogecoin's value to drop by a third by calling the digital currency a "hustle", SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announces that his company will accept the cryptocurrency as payment for a DOGE-1 mission to the Moon. (Reuters) (CNBC)
A landslide at a clandestine gold mine in Siguiri, Guinea, kills at least fifteen miners. (BBC News)
Capital punishment in Egypt Coptic monk Wael Saad Tawadros, better known as Brother Isaiah, is executed over the killing of bishop Anba Epiphanius, the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in Wadi El Natrun, in 2018. (Macau Business)
Coptic monk Wael Saad Tawadros, better known as Brother Isaiah, is executed over the killing of bishop Anba Epiphanius, the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in Wadi El Natrun, in 2018. (Macau Business)
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Laos Laos reports its first death from COVID-19. The patient is a 53-year-old woman who had been receiving treatment at a designated hospital in Vientiane since April 30. (Big News Network) COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia reports a record 26 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,683. (New Straits Times) COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka reports a record 2,672 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the cumulative number of patients to 125,906. (Newsfirst)
COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Florida has reported more than 10,000 cases of the Lineage B.1.1.7, Lineage P.1, and Lineage B.1.351 variants since spring break. (ABC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany Germany lifts its curfew and some social restrictions, such as requiring a negative test result to enter certain venues, for those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19. These people are also no longer required to enter quarantine unless they have travelled to a high-risk country. (MedicalXpress)
COVID-19 pandemic in Laos Laos reports its first death from COVID-19. The patient is a 53-year-old woman who had been receiving treatment at a designated hospital in Vientiane since April 30. (Big News Network)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia reports a record 26 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,683. (New Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Spain Spain lifts its state of emergency that had been imposed since October, allowing people to travel freely between regions for the first time in months. The country's curfew is also lifted. (France 24)
COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka reports a record 2,672 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the cumulative number of patients to 125,906. (Newsfirst)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland Taoiseach Micheál Martin receives his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (The Irish Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia Tunisia enters a seven-day strict lockdown during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which includes a curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (Al Jazeera)
Environmental issues in Kyrgyzstan A court in Kyrgyzstan fines a company owned by Centerra Gold 261.7 billion soms for environmental pollution at the Kumtor Gold Mine. (Business Recorder)
Germany lifts its curfew and some social restrictions, such as requiring a negative test result to enter certain venues, for those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19. These people are also no longer required to enter quarantine unless they have travelled to a high-risk country. (MedicalXpress)
Laos reports its first death from COVID-19. The patient is a 53-year-old woman who had been receiving treatment at a designated hospital in Vientiane since April 30. (Big News Network)
Malaysia reports a record 26 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 1,683. (New Straits Times)
Rescue operations are underway in southwest London to help a small whale, believed to be a Minke, stranded in the River Thames, apparently stuck on the Richmond Lock's boat rollers. (BBC News)
Six people are killed by a gunman in a mass shooting during a birthday party at a residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The gunman, who committed suicide at the scene, is believed to have been a boyfriend of one of the victims. (BBC News)
South Korea reports that it now holds the world's largest number of standard-essential patents followed by the United States, Finland, and Japan. Standard-essential patents refer to major technologies that are vital in producing standardized products and that must be verified by standards organizations. (Yonhap)
Spain lifts its state of emergency that had been imposed since October, allowing people to travel freely between regions for the first time in months. The country's curfew is also lifted. (France 24)
Sri Lanka reports a record 2,672 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the cumulative number of patients to 125,906. (Newsfirst)
Taoiseach Micheál Martin receives his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (The Irish Times)
The death toll from yesterday's school bombing in Kabul increases to 68 people. (Reuters)
Tunisia enters a seven-day strict lockdown during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which includes a curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (Al Jazeera)
With multiple electricity pylons near Kabul being destroyed by bomb blasts, electricity supplier Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) is reporting a shortage of 530 megawatts of power and announced that it will take 20 days to repair the destroyed pylons. Residents are accusing DABS of discrimination during these outages, as the capital's elite had 24-hour electricity. (TOLO News)
The Federal Parliament of Nepal votes 124–93 in a no confidence vote against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli over both his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his attempts to lead a minority government after his party, the Nepal Communist Party, split into the Communist Party of Nepal–UML and Communist Party of Nepal–Maoist earlier this year. President Bidya Devi Bhandari is expected to name Oli caretaker Prime Minister until the next election. (Al Jazeera)
A US Coast Guard vessel fires roughly 30 warning shots on Monday to drive away Iranian fast-attack boats in an "unsafe" encounter in the Strait of Hormuz. (MSN)
2021 Afghanistan attacks Eleven people are killed and 29 more are injured when a roadside bomb hits a bus in Zabul Province. (Al Jazeera) (TOLO News) Five members of the National Directorate of Security, the head of the economy directorate of the province, and a manager of the Central Bank branch in Logar Province are killed in three separate incidents, all of which involved attacks by unknown gunmen. In a fourth incident in the same province, two civilians are killed and six more are wounded after two mortar shells hit their house on Sunday evening. (TOLO News)
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip including Hamas fire barrages of rockets at Israeli cities and towns near the Gaza border, as well as seven toward Jerusalem, injuring one person. Israel retaliates with airstrikes in Gaza killing 24 people and wounding 103 others. Nine children and a Hamas leader are among the dead. (Al Jazeera)
A court in Paris dismisses the complaint of a French Vietnamese woman against several manufacturers of the Agent Orange chemical used by the United States military during the Vietnam War. The court rules it to be a sovereign case under the jurisdiction of the United States (VnExpress)
Five members of the National Directorate of Security, the head of the economy directorate of the province, and a manager of the Central Bank branch in Logar Province are killed in three separate incidents, all of which involved attacks by unknown gunmen. In a fourth incident in the same province, two civilians are killed and six more are wounded after two mortar shells hit their house on Sunday evening. (TOLO News)
Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina threatens to expel Juventus from Serie A, the highest tier of the Italian football league system, if the club does not withdraw from the proposed European Super League before the start of the next season. (BBC Sport)
Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip including Hamas fire barrages of rockets at Israeli cities and towns near the Gaza border, as well as seven toward Jerusalem, injuring one person. Israel retaliates with airstrikes in Gaza killing 24 people and wounding 103 others. Nine children and a Hamas leader are among the dead. (Al Jazeera)
President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez orders a mass deployment of troops to the city of Cali and its surrounding area after 12 days of protests. (MercoPress)
2021 Dunedin Countdown stabbing A man stabs and injures four people in a Countdown supermarket in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is also injured and has been hospitalised. (ABC News)
A man stabs and injures four people in a Countdown supermarket in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is also injured and has been hospitalised. (ABC News)
Afghan peace process In the early hours, the Taliban announces a three-day ceasefire to observe the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday. A Taliban spokesman says that it is for the mujahideen to provide a peaceful and secure atmosphere to their compatriots. (Reuters)
Alberta expands its vaccine eligibility to people over the age of 12 years. (Global News)
Argentina reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant in two people who travelled from Paris, as well as its first case of the Lineage B.1.351 variant in a person who travelled from Spain. (Reuters)
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates establish “a safe travel corridor” for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, which will be in effect by the end of this week. (Al-Arabiya English)
Chernobyl disaster Ukrainian scientists report that, for an unknown reason, the levels of nuclear radiation have increased in the remains of the Chernobyl power plant. Most areas of containment have shown decreasing radiation levels, however, in one particular room, radiation counts have doubled over the last four years. These radiation levels are high enough to preclude installing sensors. Additionally, fuel containing materials, which were initially the consistency of lava, are disintegrating into radioactive dust. (Popular Mechanics) (Nature)
COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta Alberta expands its vaccine eligibility to people over the age of 12 years. (Global News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, variants of SARS-CoV-2 Argentina reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant in two people who travelled from Paris, as well as its first case of the Lineage B.1.351 variant in a person who travelled from Spain. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain, COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates establish “a safe travel corridor” for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, which will be in effect by the end of this week. (Al-Arabiya English)
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta Alberta expands its vaccine eligibility to people over the age of 12 years. (Global News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Greece Greece reopens primary and junior high schools for in-person classes for the first time in months. The courts also restart many activities. (U.S. News and World Report)
COVID-19 pandemic in India COVID-19 pandemic in Tamil Nadu, COVID-19 lockdown in India Tamil Nadu enters a two-week complete lockdown until May 24 amidst an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Livemint)
COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan receives the second component of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (Kabar)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, Malaysian movement control order Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announces a new nationwide movement control order from May 12 until June 7, with additional restrictions due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Malay Mail)
COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal Nepal reports a record 9,127 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 403,794. (Kathmandu Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in Tamil Nadu, COVID-19 lockdown in India Tamil Nadu enters a two-week complete lockdown until May 24 amidst an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Livemint)
COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, Lineage B.1.617 Thailand reports its first two cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant in a woman and her four-year-old son who traveled from Pakistan and are currently in quarantine. (ABC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom lowers its COVID-19 Alert level to level 3 as vaccinations and lockdown restrictions ease pressure on the NHS, which means that the transmission of the virus is no longer rising exponentially. (The Independent)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States COVID-19 vaccination in the United States The Food and Drug Administration authorizes the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for use in children between the ages of 12 and 15 years. (MSN)
COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey Turkey surpasses 5 million cases of COVID-19, becoming the fifth country to do so after the United States, India, Brazil, and France. (Bianet)
Eleven people are killed and 29 more are injured when a roadside bomb hits a bus in Zabul Province. (Al Jazeera) (TOLO News)
Greece reopens primary and junior high schools for in-person classes for the first time in months. The courts also restart many activities. (U.S. News and World Report)
