1. Early election would be seen as 'political opportunism' according to poll

61% of those surveyed as part of a Guardian Essential poll said an election in the later half of this year would be "political opportunism". On the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, 25% said they were confident the government has a clear plan and a further 42% said they thought a plan was in place but that it was being poorly communicated.

2. Australia close to closing Kabul embassy

The Australian reported that Australia is preparing to close its embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan in less than six weeks after announcing last month that the last 80 Australian troops would leave the country by September. It is currently unclear what diplomatic presence Australia would maintain after the closure.

3. WHO chief criticises "scandalous inequity" of vaccine rollout

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organisation, said that vaccine distribution around the world was being affected by "scandalous inequity" which has seen 75% of vaccines being administered in only 10 countries. "There is no diplomatic way to say it – a small group of countries that make and buy the majority of the world's vaccines control the fate of the rest of the world," Ghebreyesus said. WHO is targeting 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated by September.

4. A nice day for a plane wedding?

A couple from Madurai, India has avoided restrictions on the number of attendees allowed at weddings by getting married on a flight. While the local government limits the number of guests at a wedding to 50, 161 people joined the mid-air wedding. India's aviation authority is reportedly investigating the incident.

5. Nasdaq rises more than 1.4% on Monday

Tech stocks have helped push the Nasdaq 190.18 points or 1.41% higher to 13,661.17 on Monday, while there were also gains for the S&P 500, which rose 41.19 points or 0.99% to 4,197.05, and the Dow Jones, which added on 186.14 points or 0.54% to 34,393.98.