British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said that England will lift mask requirements and social distancing rules later this month amid rising coronavirus cases, AP reports.
Driving the news: Individuals in England will no longer be required by law to wear face masks in indoor public spaces. Businesses can still require masks and remove distancing restrictions, but Johnson said fighting the pandemic would now be a matter of "personal responsibility," and Britain would have to “learn to live with this virus," per the AP.
Dozens of people are missing and at least four are dead after a mudslide crashed through several buildings in the city of Atami on Saturday, just west of Tokyo, Japan, AP reports.
Details: In addition to the four confirmed dead, 25 people have been rescued, including three who are injured, per AP.
Health authorities in Italy are attempting to vaccinate "people on the margins of society, the most fragile," by holding overnight vaccine drives in the Lazio region, which includes Rome, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Italy's National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty has estimated there are at least 700,000 people in the country who are not registered with the national health service and may lack access to the country’s coronavirus vaccination campaign.
Russia-linked hackers suspected in this weekend's mass attack on software provider Kaseya, which could affect thousands of companies worldwide, demanded $70 million to restore data they are holding for ransom, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The hack is the latest and most dramatic in a series of high-profile ransomware attacks this year, exposing the pandemic-style threat that this type of cybercrime poses to companies and governments around the world.
Rescue workers in Japan were stepping up efforts to find 113 people still missing from a weekend deadly mudslide in Atami, west of Tokyo, the city's mayor told NHK Monday.
The big picture: Shizuoka Prefecture officials confirmed the deaths of three people following Saturday's disaster. Officials said some of those unaccounted for could've been away at the time, CNN reports. Crews were still finding survivors Monday, including a mother and baby who escaped injury despite their building being "buried in mud," per NHK.
Pope Francis is "doing well" after undergoing scheduled intestinal surgery, the Vatican announced Sunday night.
Details: The Pope left the Casa Santa Marta, his official residence, for the surgery concerning the symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon at a Rome hospital on Sunday afternoon local time.
One of Serbia’s five-member rowing team tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan, an official said Sunday. This is the third visiting Olympian to test positive for the virus ahead of the games, which are set to begin later this month.
Why it matters: Japan's government has faced heavy criticism for deciding to host the Olympic Games in spite of rising cases.
A Philippine plane carrying military troops crashed while landing on Sunday in the Sulu province, killing at least 45 people. Another 49 people have been rescued from the wreckage, AP reports.
State of play: Eyewitnesses saw people jump off the plane before it crashed near the Jolo airport, per AP. 42 army soldiers on board died and three villagers died after being hit by the plane on the ground. The military said five soldiers remain unaccounted for.
Two Chinese astronauts on Sunday made the first spacewalk outside China's new space station core module Tianhe to set up equipment on a 15-meter robotic arm.
State of play: Astronauts Liu Boming's and Tang Hongbo's spacewalk was streamed on local media. They were supported by a third crew member, Nie Haisheng, who stayed inside the cabin.
At least 17 people have been killed and 40 others rescued after a military plane carrying 92 people crashed and erupted into flames in the southern Philippines Sunday, officials said.
Of note: The C-130 Philippine Air Force aircraft crash on the island of Jolo marks the country's worst military air disaster since 1993, per Reuters. 30 people were killed in that crash and there were concerns the death toll could rise in the latest incident, the New York Times notes.
Thousands of protesters across Brazil called for President Jair Bolsonaro's removal Saturday, one day after a judge authorized opening an investigation into him over an alleged COVID-19 vaccine procurement scheme, per the Guardian.
Why it matters: The pandemic has killed almost 524,000 people in Brazil amid a slow vaccine rollout. This investigation, along with a Senate probe, may hurt Bolsonaro's re-election chances next year and could hamper his "ability to serve out the remainder of his term," the New York Times notes.
