Virus caused ‘mystery’ mass deaths in north Nigeria: investigators

A vicious Covid surge in Nepal risks devastating the impoverished country and its ill-equipped healthcare system.

The National Gallery in London reopens to visitors as Covid-19 restrictions are eased across the country. From pints indoors to cinema screenings and hugs with loved ones, most of Britain has seen a significant easing of coronavirus restrictions, despite new fears over a more transmissible Indian variant.

Healthcare workers walk from village to village in Western Kenya's Siaya country in a mobile vaccination drive to reach people who live far from health facilities.

A "Stay Safe" sign lights up Taiwan's landmark Grand Hotel in Taipei to pray for good wishes and remind residents to be vigilant amid widening virus outbreak. The island has recorded more than 1,200 local infections in 5 days.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is heading towards a third virus wave as the nation looks to re-impose stricter measures against Covid-19. South Africa is officially the worst-hit country on the continent with more than 1.65 million cases and 56,363 deaths.

Families visit deceased loved ones in the Santiago General Cemetery, Chile's oldest and one of the largest in Latin America with an estimated two million graves over 85 hectares. Chile has surpassed a total of 30,000 coronavirus deaths and announced the extension of border closures until the end of June.

Londoners give their opinion after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to the full lifting of coronavirus restrictions in England due to a surge in infections caused by the Delta variant. The delay comes as a blow to Johnson's plans to fully reopen the UK economy on June 21 after months of gradually easing restrictions since March. In England, most current rules, including limits on the number of people who can meet in pubs and restaurants, will remain in place until July 19, although restrictions on the number of guests allowed at weddings will be lifted.

Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company returns to the stage after an enforced 18-month absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, at a specially built open-air theatre in the bard's home town. The cast rehearses Phillip Breen's production of The Comedy of Errors.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces a snap lockdown in Australia's second-largest city, bringing the total number of Australians under stay-at-home orders to around 12 million. Melbourne and surrounding Victoria will join Sydney in a 'hard and fast' lockdown, Andrews says, as Australia battles an outbreak of the Delta variant.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣ ⁣

Managers in Germany are not feeling overly optimistic about the coming months, a major business confidence barometer shows. Two major concerns are clouding their outlook.

One of America's largest events -- Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago -- is underway this weekend, to the delight of fans and to the despair of others. The four day music festival is expected to draw more than 100,000 people to downtown Chicago each day, at a moment when coronavirus cases are on the rise and vaccinations have plateaued. Lollapalooza has said their policy is for unvaccinated people to wear masks and show a recent negative Covid test.