The E.U. is planning to allow fully vaccinated Americans to visit and travel within its borders this summer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times Sunday.
Why it matters: Von der Leyen didn't specify when the rules will officially be relaxed, but the prospect of opening up tourism to Americans displays a buoyed confidence in the both the American and E.U. vaccination campaigns.
Vice President Kamala Harris outlined the Biden administration's multi-pronged approach to stem the border crisis during an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Driving the news: The vice president noted that most people don't want to leave their homes and many who are fleeing dangerous circumstances or seeking to satisfy the "bare necessities" of life.
The American military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gen. Austin Miller, the head of the U.S.-led coalition there, said at a press conference Sunday, per the New York Times.
Why it matters: Miller's statement comes about two weeks after President Joe Biden formally announced that the U.S. would execute a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and effectively "end America’s longest war."
A Moscow court is expected to ban opposition leader Alexei Navalny's political and anti-corruption networks on Monday, effectively labeling them as extremist organizations, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Often described as "the man Putin fears most," Navalny has been a thorn in President Vladimir Putin's side for years. If all goes to plan, Monday's ruling at closed-door court hearing will be "he most sweeping attempt to crush the Kremlin's greatest political threat," per the Post.
Venezuela’s government and the United Nations’ food program have reached a deal for the international agency to directly provide meals for children in the South American country.
Why it matters: School children have been acutely affected by the food scarcity and high food prices in Venezuela. Some have fainted or even died from hunger or from eating poisonous tubers when they try to forage for meals.
Driving the news: Biden on Saturday said the systemic killing and deportation of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces in the early 20th century constituted an act of genocide, angering Turkey who rejected the declaration.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris on May 7 to discuss the surge of migration at the countries' shared border, Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard tweeted Saturday.
The big picture: The scheduled meeting comes as the Biden administration takes a multi-pronged approach to the increased number of migrants coming to the southern border, Axios' Stef Kight reports.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan praised President Biden on Saturday for formally recognizing the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces in 1915 as an act of genocide, saying the move "reaffirms the supremacy of human rights," according to AP.
Why it matters: The unprecedented designation — which has been largely avoided by previous administrations over fears of straining relations with Turkey — and Pashinyan's response come on Armenian Remembrance Day.
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday called for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar.
The big picture: ASEAN leaders, who met with Myanmar coup leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in an emergency summit in Jakarta, released a five-point consensus, which said "there shall be immediate cessation of violence" in Myanmar. Min Aung Hlaing did not immediately comment on the consensus.
Sri Lankan police on Saturday arrested prominent Muslim leader Rishad Bathiudeen over alleged connections to the suicide bombers who attacked churches and hotels on Easter Sunday 2019, Al Jazeera reports.
Why it matters: The bombings, which ISIS claimed responsibility for, killed more than 290 people and injured 500 others. Around 200 people have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the attack, but no one has officially been charged.
President Biden on Saturday formally recognized the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces as an act of genocide.
Why it matters: The unprecedented designation, which comes on Armenian Remembrance Day, will likely infuriate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has previously warned a genocide declaration would harm U.S.-Turkey relations.
Iran on Saturday banned all flights to and from India and Pakistan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Islamic Republic News Agency reports.
Details: Mohammad Hassan Zibakhsh, a spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization told IRNA that the ban will be effective starting at midnight. Zibakhsh said there are now flight restrictions to and from 41 countries.
