The Algerian government announced Sunday that it would ban any protests that do not have prior approval, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The move is intended to limit the weekly mass protests of Algeria's Hirak movement, which resumed in February after a nearly year-long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. Navy announced Saturday that it seized a cargo of illegal weapons from a stateless ship in the North Arabian Sea a few days earlier.
Why it matters: The press release noted that the source and destination of the weapons is being investigated. The weapons were apparently bound for Yemen to support the country's Houthi rebels, AP reported.
Remnants of the Long March-5B Y2 rocket re-entered Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean near the Maldives, officials in China announced Sunday morning Beijing time.
Details: Most of the rocket's debris burned up during the uncontrolled re-entry, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said in a social media post. NASA administrator Bill Nelson accused China's government in a statement Saturday of "failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris."
Officials in Afghanistan said Sunday the death toll from a vehicle bombing outside a school in the capital, Kabul, has risen to 58, and hospitals were treating "at least 150" wounded people, per Reuters.
Why it matters: Saturday's blast that killed multiple high school girls is at least the second to strike students in Afghanistan in a little over a week.
Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters erupted for a second night in Jerusalem Saturday.
The big picture: Tensions have escalated on the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem over the threatened eviction of Palestinians from their homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers. At least 80 Palestinians and one Israeli police officer were wounded in the latest clashes, per Reuters. Over 170 Palestinians were injured Friday.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans Saturday for a second independence referendum once the pandemic has abated following the country's parliamentary elections.
The big picture: Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) won 64 seats, one seat short of an outright majority in the 129-seat Parliament. But most seats went to pro-independence parties.
India saw its deadliest day of the pandemic yet with more than 4,180 confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported Saturday.
Why it matters: The country has recorded more than 21.8 million coronavirus cases and 238,270 deaths since the pandemic began. The true numbers, however, are likely much higher, experts say, as the country battles a continued surge in cases that has left hospitals and health workers overwhelmed.
A massive booster rocket from a Chinese Long March 5B launch vehicle is expected to fall back to Earth in an "uncontrolled reentry" this weekend, though experts don't really know where debris from the rocket will land.
The state of play: China's space agency has said it expects most of the rocket to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The chance of debris from the rocket actually landing in a populated area is low — but there is still a chance.
European leaders ramped up their criticism of the United States' support for a proposal to waive certain patent protections for coronavirus vaccines, with European Council President Charles Michel saying Saturday that a waiver is not "the magic bullet,” AP reports.
Why it matters: The leaders instead pressed President Biden to lift U.S. export restrictions on vaccines, arguing it would have a greater impact on vaccine production and distribution.
State Department officials spoke to their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts on Friday night and asked them to de-escalate the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
Why it matters: This is the first crisis between Israel and the Palestinians the Biden administration faces as it reengages with the Palestinians after a long freeze in the relations during the Trump presidency.
Several Asian countries are facing new coronavirus waves, with some struggling to keep up with some of the worst outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic.
The big picture: While India accounted for half of the global infections this past week, per the World Health Organization, cases are surging in countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia, CNN reports.
At least 178 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli police in Jerusalem, Reuters reported late Friday.
The big picture: The clashes come amid growing anger over the threatened eviction of Palestinians from their homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem. Tensions have also escalated in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks.
