UK

People across Syria are voting in a presidential election in which few doubt Bashar al-Assad will extend his grip on power for a fourth term, in a war-battered country mired in economic crisis.

Douma (Syria) (AFP) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and first lady Asma al-Assad cast their votes at a polling station in the war-torn town of Douma just outside of Damascus. Voters flocked to polls across Syria for a presidential election in which few doubt Assad will extend his grip on power for a fourth term, in a war-battered country mired in economic crisis.

Thandeka Chauke, Head of the Statelessness Project at Lawyers for Human Rights spoke with CNBC Africa on inclusion of undocumented migrants in the vaccine rollout.

A new algorithm tool is helping social workers better detect kids who are in high-risk child abuse situations. Deana Mitchell reports

Last December, just hours before Brexit came into full force, the UK struck a deal with the European Union to keep Gibraltar in the bloc's borderless Schengen area. That agreement, however, was provisional and now, nearly six months later, it is set to expire by the end of June.

The deal gives Amazon an extensive library of film and TV shows that it can use to fill out its Prime Video content. CNN's Paul R. La Monica reports.

A leading newspaper in Japan that is sponsoring the Olympic Games in July has published an editorial calling for the event to be canceled as the country remains in the grip of the pandemic.

CNN's John Avlon goes through some potential alternatives that may take place as a result of Republicans rejecting the bipartisan commission Democrats are pushing for to investigate the Jan. 6 riot.

Minneapolis (AFP) – The one year anniversary of George Floyd's death is marked in Minneapolis with a candlelight vigil. Hundreds gathered on the street corner where Floyd was suffocated after being pinned under the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020.

A Singapore-registered container carrier is engulfed in flames near Sri Lanka's capital Colombo after a chemical explosion, according to the Sri Lankan navy. The 25-member crew of MV X-Press Pearl have been safely evacuated, with one member hospitalised with minor injuries.

Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden briefly speaks to the news media after meeting with the family of George Floyd on the anniversary of his killing by police. Biden says he is "hopeful" an agreement on police reform will be reached after Memorial Day on May 31.

Kenya is seeing deteriorating biodiversity as rapid urbanization and human activities are causing habitat loss for marine species along the country's coastlines. This year's International Day of Biodiversity was marked by growing concerns over rapid urbanization and its impact on biodiversity.