Armed conflicts and attacks
The United States embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia close for Sunday and Monday due to heightened security concerns. (Fox News)
Two suicide bombers belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar blow themselves up in twin bomb attacks on two churches in the Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least fourteen people with 70 more injured. (The News Pakistan) (Al Jazeera)
Second Libyan Civil War
Fighting rages near the western Libyan city of Sirte between Islamic State affiliated militants and a local militia alliance. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
A car crash kills South African Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane. (News 24)
Rainstorms hit northern India, resulting in fourteen deaths and widespread damage to crops. (Times of India)
A fire breaks out in the bell tower of Moscow's Novodevichy Convent, established in 1524 and added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. (The Guardian)
Cyclone Pam
The government of the island nation of Vanuatu declares a state of emergency for Shefa Province containing the capital Port Vila as authorities struggle to assess the full impact of the category 5 storm. Once assessments of the damage have been done in other provinces, authorities are likely to widen the declared area in a state of emergency. (The Guardian) (ABC via Weatherzone)
Enele Sopoaga, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, estimates that 45% of the population has been displaced by the cyclone. (Radio New Zealand)