The Federal Government has reintroduced COVID-19 restrictions across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.A member of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Mukhtar Mohammed, declared that the new directive is to take effect by midnight of Tuesday.Mohammed says the government has directed that bars and nightclubs should remain closed and the nationwide curfew will be in force until further notice.He added that only essential international travels would be encouraged, and all existing protocols must strictly adhere to.

The US Navy seized a huge cache of illicit Russian and Chinese weapons from a stateless vessel sailing in international waters of the northern Arabian Sea.The US Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain says the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey intercepted the boat and discovered the cargo during a routine boarding in a two-day operation on May 6-7.It says the arms are in US custody and their source and intended destination is under investigation.The Fifth Fleet says the Monterey was in operation for 36 hours, providing security for boarding teams.

The U.K government says England will move ahead with plans to ease further COVID-19 restrictions on May 17, including allowing people to hug and meet indoors, thanks to favourable data on infections and vaccines.Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon to announce the details of the third step in the United Kingdom’s roadmap out of the crisis, following discussions with colleagues and advisers in the morning.The country is in the process of gradually lifting its latest lockdown across a period of months, in line with a four-step plan unveiled in February.

Eli Lilly and Co said it had signed licensing agreements with three Indian generic drugmakers to expand the availability of its arthritis drug baricitinib in the country for treating COVID-19 patients.The three Indian drugmakers - Cipla Ltd, Lupin Ltd and Sun Pharma - will collaborate with U.S.-based Lilly to help make and sell baricitinib in India.Eli Lilly in an emailed statement says Baricitinib has been given restricted emergency use approval by India's drug regulator for use in combination with remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 adult patients requiring supplemental oxygen.

Top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci says the United States, which has reported the world’s worst overall Covid-19 death toll, has no doubt been undercounting fatal cases.The United States has reported over 32.6 million cases since the virus was first identified at the end of 2019 in China.White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients told CNN’s State of the Union that they are turning the corner. He says there is 58 per cent of adult Americans with at least one shot, over 110 million Americans fully vaccinated.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dissolved parliament, paving the way for the appointment of MPs from opposing sides in the country's five-year civil war.Activists and civil society groups say the move is long overdue.A peace deal signed three years ago determined that almost a quarter of the MPs would come from the party of Mr Kiir's former foe, Riek Machar.South Sudan's MPs will not be elected but will instead be nominated by different political parties.

The UN says more than 100 former peacekeepers from Ethiopia have sought international protection and have applied for asylum in Sudan.The UN says instead of returning home when their mission ended in the Darfur region, around 120 Ethiopian peacekeepers applied for asylum in Sudan.The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church says the atrocities amount to genocide.

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions has described the decision of the federal government to reduce salaries of civil servants as insensitive, provocative and inciting.The General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters A. Adeyemi, pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to rethink his government's policy direction.NASU says the recent pronouncement by the federal government to reduce salaries of federal civil servants is an act of insensitivity, provocative and inciting.

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the forthcoming Eid celebrations in the country should be limited.He explained that the directive became necessary due to the coronavirus pandemic.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, revealed that the President would stay behind at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to celebrate the end of this year’s Ramadan.Shehu, however, stated that the celebration would be held low-key and President Buhari would not welcome any Sallah homage as it was the usual practice.

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on local leaders to advise the youths in their various domains against acts that can harm the country in any way.He asked the leaders to warn the young Nigerians against being used to incite violence.He also condoled with all those who have lost family members due to what he described as the madness going on in parts of the country.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that the President would not be travelling to his country home in Daura, Katsina State for Eid-el-Fitr – a day that is celebrated to mark the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.