Opponents of Myanmar’s junta announced a National Unity Government yesterday including ousted members of parliament and leaders of anti-coup protests and ethnic minorities, saying their aim was to end military rule and restore democracy.

India pledged yesterday to raise monthly production of its own Covid-19 vaccine about tenfold to nearly 100mn doses by September, as immunisations have slowed in the country despite a surge in new infections.

The Pakistan government imposed an hours-long shutdown of social media and instant messaging platforms yesterday, after days of violent anti-France protests.

A gunman killed at least eight people at a FedEx facility in the mid-western US city of Indianapolis before turning the gun on himself in the latest in a string of mass shootings in the country, authorities said yesterday.

The Biden administration said yesterday that it will invest $1.7bn to help states and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fight coronavirus (Covid-19) variants that are rapidly spreading across the United States.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga became yesterday the first foreign leader to be hosted at the White House since President Joe Biden took office, underscoring Tokyo’s central role in US efforts to counter China’s growing assertiveness.

British film, television and stage actress Helen McCrory has died aged 52 from cancer, her husband and fellow actor Damian Lewis said.

Denmark said yesterday it would reopen the economy sooner than expected as Covid-19 infections decrease, allowing indoor service at restaurants and cafes and football fans to cheer from the stands from April 21, weeks earlier than originally planned.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday pressed for four-way peace negotiations that included Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions following the build-up of Russian troops along their shared border.

People in their 30s showed up in their hundreds yesterday morning as Latvia offered the AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone who wanted it in order to clear a growing backlog of the shot often refused by the old.

Russia yesterday asked 10 US diplomats to leave the country in retaliation for Washington’s expulsion of the same number of Russian diplomats over alleged malign activity and suggested the US ambassador return home for consultations.

Undertakers protested on Friday against a massive backlog of coffins building up at Rome cemeteries, saying city authorities were failing to cope with a surge of coronavirus deaths.