Emma Flacard

Welcome to Monday, where India reels from COVID surge, at least 82 die in Iraq hospital fire, and the Academy Awards go to … We also have Le Monde reporting from Azerbaijan about allegations that the government is using a new, more intrusive form of scare tactics.

• India's coronavirus situation worsens: Several nations have pledged to send urgent medical aid to India, where COVID-19 appears to be spiraling out of control. The country hit another record for the fifth day in a row, rising to 352,991. Political tensions are also growing as the Indian government has asked social media platform Twitter to remove tweets that denounced the government's handling of the crisis.

• Fire kills 82 in Iraqi COVID-19 hospital: At least 82 people were killed by a fire in the coronavirus intensive care unit of a hospital in the Iraqi capital of Bagdad. The health minister has been suspended by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi and three days of national mourning has been declared.

• Myanmar activists call for non-cooperation campaign: Pro-democracy activists have called on people to stop paying electricity bills and agricultural loans and to keep their children away from school, in another move to oppose Myanmar's military junta. On Saturday, leaders from nine Southeast Asian countries called for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar.

• EU to allow U.S. vaccinated tourists this summer: U.S. tourists vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to visit European countries next summer, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with The New York Times.

• Indonesian navy submarine found, no survivors: The KRI Nanggala navy submarine that disappeared last Wednesday has been found split into three pieces on the sea bed and none of the 53 passengers survived.

• Academy Awards 2021: The 93rd Academy Awards was held virtually and in-person due to the ongoing pandemic. Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color and second woman to win best director while her film Nomadland also won best picture. The movie's star Frances McDormand won best actress, while Anthony Hopkins claimed best actor for his role in The Father.

• A dog's day: The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has a new national holiday dedicated to a breed of dog, the Alabay. The native variety of shepherd dog was honored Sunday and will be so annually in the former Soviet Republic, as a source of national pride and the best friend of a certain breed of mammal always looking for a reason for a party and a day off from work.