AMONG the headlines for Monday, 3 May, 2021, the government will continue with the distribution of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on a voluntary basis in the future given the success of its first opt-in application rollout yesterday, National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

Also, the rebels of the Kachin Independence Army shot down a Myanmar military helicopter gunship when it was attacking their base on Monday morning, a day after a renewed junta crackdown on anti-coup protests left at least five civilians dead. This is the first time a rebel group in the country has brought down a military helicopter after the Tatmadaw military started offensives against the country's multiple ethnic rebel armies in late April.

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