Woolly flying squirrel Australian and Chinese researchers announce the discovery of two new, distinct species of woolly flying squirrel in the Himalayas: the Tibetan woolly flying squirrel ("Eupetaurus tibetensis") and the Yunnan woolly flying squirrel ("Eupetaurus nivamons").
LGBT rights in Chile Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announces his government's support for a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Chile.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics Norbert Hofer, chairman of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, resigns following weeks of infighting with former Interior Minister Herbert Kickl over their conflicting approaches to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Hofer says that he will remain as one of the deputy presidents for the National Council until the next parliamentary elections.
The Vanuatuan opposition files a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Bob Loughman over allegations of excessive spending for self-interest in times of national crisis. The country's economy has been severely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Cyclone Harold last year. This motion is the first attempt to oust Loughman since he formed a government last year.
Belarus Belarusian prisoner Stepan Latypov, detained in a crackdown on protests, attempted to cut his own throat with a pen during a court hearing on Tuesday after telling his family that he had been held in a torture cell for 51 days and being informed by police that his relatives and neighbors would be prosecuted under criminal law if he did not confess.
Mexico–United States relations The U.S. Department of Homeland Security officially terminates the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, which mandated that all asylum seekers from Central America were to wait in Mexico pending their court cases. However, a health order from March 2020 allowing for border authorities to send migrants back for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic remains in place.
China China reports its first human case of a rare strain of bird flu known as H10N3 in a 41-year-old man from Jiangsu province.
Arctic Refuge drilling controversy U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland suspends all oil and gas drilling leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, pending further review of their environmental impacts. U.S. President Joe Biden previously on January 20 issued an executive order freezing oil and gas exploration activities at the Refuge for similar reasons.
COVID-19 pandemic The World Health Organization issues an emergency use authorization for Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine, becoming the second Chinese-made vaccine to be approved on an emergency basis after BBIBP-CorV and thereby making it eligible for use as part of the COVAX initiative.
Algeria partially reopens its borders for international flights for the first time in 14 months. Travellers who arrive in Algiers must present a negative PCR test from within the past 36 hours before boarding and must also undergo a five-day quarantine in a hotel requisitioned by the government.
Moderna says that it has requested full approval for its vaccine from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Currently, it has only been approved for emergency use.
Michigan lifts several face mask restrictions at outdoor gatherings and loosens restrictions at indoor gatherings and businesses. Fully vaccinated people are allowed to not wear masks in public, but unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people are still required to do so.
The United Kingdom records no daily deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test for the first time since March 2020.
Turkey partially reopens restaurants, gyms and cafés as well as shortens its nightly curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. as part of a gradual normalization plan, although a full lockdown remains imposed on Sundays. Primary school students also return to classrooms and movie theatres are allowed to reopen at 50% capacity.
Germany lowers its COVID-19 alert level from "very high" to "high" as the number of new infections continues to decline.
In Guangzhou, hundreds of flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport are canceled and the Liwan District is placed under lockdown following an outbreak of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, believed to be the first community outbreak of this variant in the country.
Vietnam suspends all inbound international flights to Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport until June 7 following an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Singapore begins a vaccination rollout for more than 400,000 students over the age of 12 in schools and institutes of higher learning amid concerns about COVID-19 infections in children.
Malaysia begins phase one of its 14-day total lockdown that only allows essential economic sectors and manufacturing services to operate in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 following a sharp increase in the number of cases since April.
EBay eBay prohibits sellers from using PayPal, now mandating that all funds will be transferred directly to and from their bank accounts.
Food processing American food processing company JBS USA is hit by a massive ransomware attack, temporarily shutting down its operations in the United States, Canada, and Australia. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre claims the attack is Russian in origin, and the FBI is currently investigating.
Amazon Amazon quietly changes its terms of service to allow customers to file lawsuits after plaintiffs that were barred from filing a class action lawsuit filed 75,000 individual arbitration demands on behalf of Echo users. This resulted in a bill for tens of millions of dollars in filing fees, according to lawyers involved, which would be payable by Amazon under its own policies.
Lebanese liquidity crisis A report released by the World Bank warns that the current economic crisis in Lebanon risks becoming one of the three most severe since the mid-19th century if its "bankrupt economic system, which benefited a few for so long" isn't reformed.
Attempted assassination of Katumba Wamala Four gunmen on a car open fire against a convoy carrying Ugandan Minister of Transport Katumba Wamala, injuring him and killing his daughter and driver.
War in Afghanistan Two bombs explode in a Hazara district in western Kabul, killing ten people and injuring twelve others.