Myanmar security forces killed "numerous" protesters who participated in anti-coup demonstrations in multiple cities across the country, the United Nations announced Saturday.
Details: Security forces fired lethal ammunition into groups of demonstrators, killing at least 6 people based on reports from AP and Reuters.
Sri Lanka on Saturday announced plans to ban burqas and other face coverings in public, citing national security concerns, AP reports.
The big picture: This, along with the planned closure of over 1,000 Islamic schools that were allegedly defying national education policy, is the latest action against the country's minority Muslim population.
The U.S. will restore full humanitarian assistance funding to areas of rebel-held northern Yemen to help millions on the brink of famine, the State Department announced on Friday.
Why it matters: "Fighting and massive displacement of people, crippling fuel shortages and rising food prices have 50,000 Yemenis already caught up in famine and 5 million more a step away from it, the United Nations says," per AP.
Italy will be placed under lockdown from March 15 through at least Easter weekend as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country, Italian health officials announced on Friday.
Why it matters: This is the second year the country has needed to impose lockdown measures over the Easter holiday due to COVID-19. Italy was the first in the world to implement a nationwide lockdown last year, CBS News reports.
The U.S. government will grant temporary deportation relief and work permits to Myanmar citizens amid an increasingly violent crackdown by security forces in the Southeast Asian country, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday.
What he's saying: "Due to the military coup and security forces’ brutal violence against civilians, the people of Burma are suffering a complex and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in many parts of the country," Mayorkas said in a statement.
America first. That's the message being sent by the White House when it comes to vaccines.
Why it matters: Billions of people around the world are waiting impatiently for access to a COVID-19 vaccine. But 30 million doses of vaccine are sitting in Ohio, gathering dust, and press secretary Jen Psaki says she wants an extra 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine just in case.
A surge in coronavirus infections in Europemakes clear the stakes of the race in the U.S. between vaccines and new variants.
Why it matters: Europe and North America, two of the regions hit hardest by the pandemic, both saw sharp declines in cases and deaths beginning in January. Then, Europe's decline gave way to a new spike. America's already slowing decline could slip into reverse next.
Lawyers for jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Friday he has been removed from the detention center where he was quarantining before transfer to a penal colony, and that prison officials refuse to say where he is.
Why it matters: The U.S. and European Union have demanded Navalny's release and sanctioned Russian officials for his poisoning in August with the nerve agent Novichok, a calling card of the Russian security services.
The U.S. condemned China's treatment of Uighurs and other minorities at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday, citing "crimes against humanity and genocide" in the province of Xinjiang, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: China denies the charges against it and continues to receive support from dozens of U.N. member states. At the forum's meeting, Cuba presented a statement on behalf of 64 countries, urging states to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs by manipulating Xinjiang-related issues, (and) refrain from making unfounded allegations against China out of political motivations."
