<p>Clashes between pro-government and separatist forces in the Zinjibar and Abyan province in Yemen, have led to the deaths of 14 including 10 pro-government soldiers.</p> <p>The conflict has been described by Al Jazeera as the first major confrontation since separatists declared self-rule on 26 April in southern Yemen. According to Al Jazeera, both sides exchanged missile and artillery shelling on these two fronts.</p> <p>Separatists have claimed that they captured 40 pro-government soldiers as well as their military equipment.</p>

<p>Yemen’s government vows to continue their fight against the Southern Transitional Council (STC) as both sides clash on the outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan.</p> <p>The clash led to the deaths of 2 government soldiers and 2 separatists; 13 government soldiers were also wounded, and 11 separatists were wounded. The conflict was sparked by the offensive military manoeuvre in the region by pro-government troops.</p> <p>Al Jazeera notes that on 25 April, the STC declared self-rule in the port city of Aden and nearby areas.</p>

<p>In the city of Villavicencio, over 700 inmates and guards, 30% of the prison population, were reported to have contracted the coronavirus.</p> <p>In April the Colombian government announced that they would release 4,000 low-risk inmates under house arrest to help curb the spread of the virus however three weeks later only 320 were released.</p> <p>According to Nelson Barrera, a representative of the prison’s staff, little can be done due to limited space and overcrowding. This has made it “impossible to establish isolation zones required by the Secretary of Health”.</p>

<p>There was a brief skirmish between Indian and Chinese forces in Sikkim, a northeastern Indian state bordering China.</p> <p>The conflict was able to reach resolution with only minor injuries to soldiers as both sides engaged in dialogue. 4 Indian soldiers were said to be injured and 7 Chinese soldiers during the conflict which involved around 150 soldiers.</p> <p>Both sides have accused each other of intruding on their territory but the major conflict has not arisen since the 1962 war.</p>

Responding to an enquiry from the Muslim Council of Britain over statements made on Kashmir, Labour leader, Keir Starmer, issued a statement clarifying that a lasting settlement may only be reached “with the people of Kashmir”.

Starmer, who has taken over as Labour leader, following the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, had previously statement maintaining that it “bilateral issue for India and Pakistan”. He further stated that such “issues of the subcontinent” should not “divide communities here” and that they were “constitutional issues in India and a matter for the Indian parliament”.

<p>In India, 16 migrant workers were killed during a train accident as they journeyed home and had fallen asleep on their tracks.&nbsp;</p> <p>Reuters&nbsp;notes that the driver attempted to stop the train but was unable to. Small bundles of food, footwear and other belongings were seen scattered along the tracks after the accident.</p> <p>Reuters further notes that under India’s lockdown, all public transport has been suspended making it far more difficult for migrants to travel back home. 47 Roots notes that lockdown is hitting the poorest the hardest.</p>

<p>At least 6 people have been killed by Afghan police during protests in the western Ghor province over the distribution of food.</p> <p>The protests were over the allegations that food was being distributed in a manner that favoured those with political connections. The police were reported to have opened fire on around 300 protesters who had thrown stones on them. Human Rights organisations such as Amnesty International called for an independent investigation into the Afghan police’s conduct.</p>

<p>Riyaz Naikoo, a senior commander of the Kashmiri separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed by Indian troops alongside three others in the Indian-administrated region of Kashmir.</p> <p>The attack occurred as Indian troops received intelligence confirming that Riyaz Naikoo was hiding in south Kashmiri Pulwama district. Al Jazeera notes that during the attack two civilian homes were also blasted.</p>

<p>In the western state of Gujarat, India’s police crackdown on migrant workers using tear gas after authorities had relaxed the coronavirus lockdown.</p> <p>India imposed a nationwide lockdown on the 25 March but will continue till the 17 May. In India, 42,500 have been identified with coronavirus and 1,300 have been identified to have died from the virus.</p> <p>Officials reported that the approximate 1,000 workers who were stranded in Gujarat threw stones at the police.</p> <p>47 Roots have noted that those most vulnerable to the virus are India’s poor.</p>

47 Roots have released a video detailing how India's 800 million poor will be the hardest hit by the state-imposed lockdown.

India’s lockdown which was originally introduced on 24 March, for a 3 week period, was imposed with only 4 hours notice and has a dramatic impact on workers in the informal sector. 47 Roots notes that the informal sector accounts for 81% of employment and includes roles such as drivers, milkmen and construction workers. These workers are only paid for their daily labour can earn as little as two dollars a day. With the lock-down still in place, these workers find themselves without these meagre wages. India’s unemployment rate has risen from 6 - 23%.