Russia has expelled 20 Czech diplomats in a retaliatory move, a day after Prague sent home 18 Russian embassy staff suspected of involvement in an explosion at an arms depot in 2014 which killed two people.

Queen Elizabeth II marks her 95th birthday, an occasion tinged with sadness as it falls less than two weeks after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, her husband of 73 years. As usual, official birthday celebrations will be observed in June.

While Queen Elizabeth II marks her 95th birthday on April 21. The celebration is usually a private family affair, marked by a midday gun salutes in Hyde Park in London, Windsor Great Park in Windsor, and at the Tower of London.

Bitcoin, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency, soared to near $65,000, recording a gain of almost 900 per cent in the past year, as the Coinbase digital currency exchange went public on the Nasdaq.

NASA engineers have successfully flown a miniature helicopter on Mars. The drone, called Ingenuity was airborne for less than a minute, the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another world.

NASA engineers plan to send a miniature helicopter whirring just above the surface of Mars in an experiment that, if successful, would mark the first ever powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another planet.

The Biden administration has launched long-awaited measures against Russia -- including far-reaching financial sanctions -- for disrupting the 2020 election and the hacking of U.S. networks.

Nearly 1,800 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first three months of 2021, a 29% rise compared with the same period last year. The spike comes as the U.S. is to pull out all its troops by September.

Germany’s governing conservative CDU/CSU bloc is heading for a showdown between Bavaria Premier Markus Söder and new CDU chairman Armin Laschet as the candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor.

After reports of rare blood clotting, the U.S., EU and South Africa have paused the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. The move follows similar cases after doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

Japan’s government decided Tuesday to start releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean in two years – an option fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbours.

The war in eastern Ukraine has escalated sharply with fighting across the so-called Line of Contact in the Donetsk region, amid a Russian military build-up along Ukraine’s border.

Iran on Monday blamed Israel for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged the centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium there, warning that it would take revenge for the assault.

The fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Black man by a Minneapolis police officer during a traffic stop on Sunday is the latest killing in a country where three civilians are shot dead by police every day.

Voters in Chad go to the polls for an election in which President Idriss Deby is running for a sixth term to extend his three-decade rule. Deby, 68, pushed through a new constitution in 2018 that could allow him to stay in power until 2033.

Fifty-five of America’s largest corporations – including Nike and FedEx – paid no federal income tax on more than $40 billion in profits last year, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

President Joe Biden unveils his administration’s first steps to curb U.S. gun violence after a slew of mass shootings have put pressure on him to act.

The number of billionaires worldwide grew to a record 2,755 in 2021, according to Forbes’ annual ranking – a roughly 30 percent jump from a year ago – despite the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Europe’s drug regulator has reported 222 cases of rare blood clotting among 34 million adults vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s Covid shot -- but says the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

NASA is to explore a giant asteroid which, unlike most other asteroids that are rocky or icy bodies, appears to be the exposed metal core of a planet from the early days of our solar system.

G20 finance ministers will discuss a global minimum tax to stop companies from evading taxes by establishing headquarters in countries with low corporation tax rates -- a practice prevalent among tech companies which drains receipts from governments.

Sixty years ago, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, completing a single orbit of Earth in 108 minutes. The feat – which made Gagarin a national hero – was used by the Soviet Union as a major Cold War propaganda coup.

South Korea’s LG Electronics is to close its loss-making smartphone division after losses of nearly $4.5 billion over the past five years. LG’s smartphone business, the smallest of its five divisions, is expected to be wound down by the end of July.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s extreme right Rassemblement National party, is neck-and-neck in the polls with incumbent Emmanuel Macron ahead of the presidential vote in April 2022.

France is to open its archives on its role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide to the public. The timing coincides with the 27th anniversary of the start of the massacres, in which ethnic Hutu extremists killed around 800,000 people in 100 days.

President Joe Biden has unveiled his plan to plough $2.3 trillion in government spending into U.S. infrastructure -- to reshape the world’s largest economy -- paid for by higher corporate taxes.

Jailed Fatah party activist Marwan Barghouti is to field his own list of candidates in a direct challenge to Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas in forthcoming elections to the Palestinian parliament.

Germany’s vaccine regulator has recommended using the AstraZeneca vaccine only for people aged over 60, following reports of 31 suspected cases of blood clots in the brain after vaccination.

Over 80% of the world’s semiconductors originate in Taiwan or South Korea and in the wake of the pandemic this dependence has led to a global shortage and rising tensions between the world’s biggest economies to obtain the valuable microchips.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on two of Myanmar’s military cartels, Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). Britain has also targeted MEHL.

Devastating fires that swept through the Kutupalong mega camp in southern Bangladesh gutted at least 10,000 shanty homes. Fifteen people have died, and more than 400 people remain missing.

Co-ordinated attacks have killed hundreds of civilians in southwest Niger amid increasing violence between rival ethnic groups and jihadist militants spilling over from Mali and Nigeria.

Public confidence in AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is falling sharply in many European countries, according to a survey conducted by YouGov UK. The data follows reports of the shot being linked to blood clots.

More than 2 billion people live in countries experiencing water stress while around 4 billion live in areas that suffer from severe water scarcity for at least one month per year, according to the UN.

The U.S. Air Force is preparing to test its first hypersonic missile. The AGM-183A can fly at 20 times the speed of sound, making it impossible for enemy defences to shoot down.

The U.S. is planning a network of long-range, land-based missiles along the First Island Chain – the string of islands enclosing China’s coastal seas – to boost its deterrence against Beijing.

A tech startup is tackling climate change by turning carbon dioxide into salt crystals and storing the greenhouse gas permanently, up to 2 kilometres deep underground in basalt rock.

The U.S. has deployed long range bombers to Norway for the first time, increasing ties with Nordic states in response to expanding Russian military and economic activities in the Arctic.

Chinese companies are building a 12,000km undersea cable – known as Peace – which will travel over land from China to Pakistan, before snaking along the sea floor via the Horn of Africa and terminating in France later this year.

“Loyal Wingman”, a joint project between Boeing and Australia’s military, is a combat drone capable of flying alongside manned aircraft, offering fighter jet-like performance at a much lower cost.

As the Eden Project celebrates its 20th anniversary, it has set its sights on a global expansion reaching every continent bar Antarctica.

China’s aviation regulator said on Monday that it is studying a plan with Boeing Co for recertification of the Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded for nearly two years following two fatal crashes.

Melting ice in the Arctic allowed a Russian gas tanker to sail through the Northern Sea Route in the middle of winter for the first time. Stretching 3,000 nautical miles (5,556km), the route is the shortest passage between Europe and Asia.

With recorded cases of Covid-19 around the world now exceeding over 100 million, and over two million deaths, the U.S. has more confirmed cases than any other country according to Johns Hopkins University.

Graphic shows anniversaries and events on this day in history for 2021. The graphic is “auto-updating”, automatically changing each day to show a different picture and selection of events. Come back tomorrow to see anniversaries and events for that date.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna deliver genetic instructions which enable a recipient’s cells to make viral proteins that prime the immune system to produce protective antibodies.

Twelve of Europe’s top football clubs have agreed to join a new midweek competition, the European Super League – plotting a collision course with UEFA and its planned revamp of the Champions League by 2023-24.

The Copa Libertadores, South America’s premier club competition, kicks off, featuring 32 teams from all 10 CONMEBOL member associations battling to be crowned continental champions.

This is the second time that Tokyo has hosted the Summer Olympic Games – the first being in 1964. Athens, Paris and Los Angeles have also hosted two Olympics while only London has been a host city three times.

Cycling’s first Grand Tour of the year starts with a time trial in the former royal capital Turin, for the third time in the history of the race, and finishes in Milan after a gruelling 21 days and 3,471km, taking in an altitude gain of 47,000m.

The countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is on with the Torch Relay setting off from Fukushima, visiting all 47 of Japan's prefectures. The Olympic torch design is inspired by traditional cherry blossoms.

Swimming has been a part of every modern Olympic Games and is one of its most popular sports. Tokyo brings a new event – 4 x 100m mixed medley relay, where men and women can race against each other.

The world's top surfers will compete on Japan's spectacular Pacific coastline. Men and women will take part in Shortboard tournaments, striving to perform the most impressive aerials and tube rides.

Sport Climbing is making its Olympic debut, with athletes scaling devious wall courses, often times holding on by just their finger tips. Climbers will participate in three disciplines – Speed, Bouldering and Lead.

With its humble roots in the youthful energy of 1940s America, skateboarding has finally reached the heady heights of the Olympic Games. Two disciplines will be contested by men and women – Park and Street.

Karate is making its first appearance at an Olympic Games, in Tokyo this year. Men and women will compete in Kata (an artistic display of offensive and defensive moves) and Kumite (an explosively combative sport).

Basketball returns to Tokyo, this time with a new spin-off tournament – 3x3 Basketball. This new streamlined game has its roots in 1980s American street sports and features only one hoop.

Baseball and Softball are two of six new events debuting at the Tokyo Olympics, although strictly speaking they are returning after a 13 year hiatus – last appearing at the Beijing Games in 2008.

Eleven teams will challenge for the MotoGP 2021 World Championship, with 2020 winner Joan Mir of Suzuki ECSTAR the man to beat, and six-time champion Marc Marquez expected to return firing on all cylinders.

The Indian Premier League season begins, with the Mumbai Indians, the defending champions, taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore. A total of 60 matches will be played, with the final staged at the Narendra Modi Stadium – the world’s largest cricket stadium – in Ahmedabad on May 30.

Due to ongoing international travel restrictions, the Super Rugby season kicks off with two domestic tournaments – Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa – as five teams from Australia and New Zealand compete to be crowned national champions.

The opening race of the Formula 1 World Championship signals the starting lights on a season of thrilling manoeuvres, breathtaking drama and unrivalled precision over more than 20 Grands Prix that span the globe.

The Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme founded the Road Racing World Championship in 1949, staging just six Grands Prix in Europe. Now a global brand with multiple races each year, MotoGP is firmly established as the premier class of motorcycle racing.

The partial WTA schedule – reflecting the ongoing uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic – features 31 tournaments, including the first three Grand Slam showpieces of the year and four WTA 1000 events in Dubai, Miami, Madrid and Rome.

The new ATP Tour season continues to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with the first major showpiece of the year -- the Australian Open -- delayed until February.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) season continues. The NBA has been dominated by a fierce rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, each winning 17 titles.

The 72nd Formula One World Championship, comprising 22 races around the world, commences with the Australian Grand Prix and concludes in Abu Dhabi in December.

The European Rugby Heineken Champions Cup, the northern hemisphere’s premier club rugby union tournament kicks off, with 24 teams battling to lift the trophy -- English Premiership’s Exeter Chiefs are aiming to defend their title.

The new Heineken Champions Cup season kicks off with an expanded 24 teams from England’s Aviva Premiership, France’s Top 14 and the Pro14 -- contested by Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy -- competing in an adapted tournament, enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic

European Champions Bayern Munich open the defence of their title against Atletico Madrid, as the new Champions League season opens, culminating with the final at Turkey’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on May 29, 2021.

Starting in in the north-west city of Brest, Brittany, the defining characteristic of the 2021 Tour de France is the inclusion of a double ascent of the iconic Mont Ventoux and a visit to Andorra.

The 2020-21 football season gets underway just weeks after the late finish of the previous season due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Premier League champions Liverpool hosting Championship winners Leeds Utd.