Portal:Current events/May 2016

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May 2016 was the fifth month of that leap year. The month, which began on a Sunday, ended on a Tuesday after 31 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from May 2016.

Current events of May 1, 2016 (2016-05-01) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks Turkey–ISIL conflict, Spillover of the Syrian Civil War 2016 Gaziantep bombing A blast hits a police station in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep leaving one officer dead and 13 injured. (BBC) (CNN) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is suspected to be behind attack. (Reuters) Kurdish–Turkish conflict Three Turkish soldiers are killed and 14 others wounded in an armed attack by Kurdish militants during a military operation in the town of Nusaybin, Turkey. (Reuters) Yemeni Civil War Houthi rebels capture the Umaliqa military base in 'Amran Governorate, endangering a shaky ceasefire. (Reuters) Iraqi Civil War Two car bombs kill at least 32 people and wounded 75 others in Samawa, Iraq. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the attack. (Reuters) Moro conflict Abu Sayyaf militants release 10 Indonesians the group had kidnapped from their tugboat and barge on March 28. (Jakarta Globe) Business and economics Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc., the second- and third-largest oilfield service firms, announce the cancellation of their $28 billion merger which has faced opposition from U.S. and European antitrust regulators. Halliburton will reportedly have to pay Baker Hughes a $3.5 billion termination fee if the deal is called off. (Bloomberg) (Reuters), (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) Disasters and accidents The historic Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in New York City is almost completely destroyed in a massive four-alarm fire. (ABC) In the United States, 14 of 175 cars of a CSX freight train derail in northeastern Washington, D.C., near a city subway station. There were three leaks; one, sodium hydroxide, is a hazardous material. All leaks, and a nearby gas line that was ruptured, are contained. Officials are unable to say when cleanup will be completed nor when train service will be restored. There were no injuries reported, and there was no residential evacuation. Amtrak and a Baltimore-Washington commuter rail service also use the line. (WRC-TV) (Daily Mail) (The Washington Post) Kenya flooding Kenyan authorities say the death toll from Friday's collapsed eight-story residential building in Nairobi has risen to 20, with 73 people missing. Rescuers continue searching for survivors. The building had been declared unfit for human habitation by the country's National Construction Authority, but remained standing. Note: the building was originally reported as six stories; flooding had sunk the ground and first floors. (AP) In Punjab, Pakistan, the death toll has risen from 13 to 33 for people who have eaten sweets accidentally tainted with insecticide. The mass poisoning occurred in April. (Daily Times) International relations Libyan Civil War An oil tanker, sent from Eastern Libya by a rival to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, returns with its cargo to the refinery at Zawiya in western Libya. The United Nations blacklisted the shipment on Wednesday. (Bloomberg) Cuba-United States relations, United States–Cuban thaw The first cruise ship in more than a half-century bound for Havana from the United States leaves Miami, Florida, at about 4:24 p.m. EDT. Carnival Cruise Line's 704-passenger Adonia was able to set sail for the northern Caribbean country after Cuba, April 22, loosened its policy banning Cuban-born people from traveling to the country by sea. (AP) Law and crime Two missionaries from the United States are found slain in separate areas of rural St. Mary parish in Jamaica. Randy Hentzel and Harold Nichols both worked for a Pennsylvania-based Christian charity called Teams for Medical Missions. (CBS News with AP) (CNN) (The Jamaica Observer) Politics and elections Philippine general election, 2016 CPP–NPA–NDF rebellion Jose Maria Sison, who is the leader of the guerrilla Communist Party of the Philippines, says that the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte is "good for national unity." (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Thousands are set for May Day demonstrations across the United States for immigrant and worker rights, and for civility in presidential campaign rhetoric. Organizers and authorities in California are urging participants to remain calm, given the violence this week connected with Presidential campaign protests. (AP via The Washington Post) (KPCC) 2015–16 Iraqi protests Protesters demanding political reform leave Baghdad's Green Zone after camping for 24 hours in the heavily fortified government district. These activists, followers of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Muqtadā al-Ṣadr, support Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's anti-corruption proposals to replace party-affiliated ministers with technocrats. A grid-locked parliament has been unable to act on these changes. (Reuters) Puerto Rican government-debt crisis Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla says the Commonwealth will default on a $422 million bond payment due Monday. García Padilla says debt payments have been suspended in order to pay for essential services for the 3.5 million American citizens. Congress has been unable to pass a debt restructuring bill for Puerto Rico. (AP via CBS News) (Bloomberg) Freedom of the press Egyptian police raid the headquarters of the journalists' association in Cairo, and arrest two journalists with the opposition website Bawabet Yanayer, editor Amr Badr and reporter Mahmud el-Sakka, for alleged incitement to protest in violation of the law. (Daily Mail) (Reuters) Sports 2015–16 A-League Adelaide United win their first A-League championship beating the Western Sydney Wanderers 3–1 in the Grand Final at the Adelaide Oval. (Daily Telegraph) Current events of May 2, 2016 (2016-05-02) (Monday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) Three bombings in and around Baghdad kill at least 14, including Shiite pilgrims, and injure more than 30. (Reuters via Trust) (Washington Post) (Reuters) War in Somalia, War on Terror The first of seventy British military personnel arrive in Somalia to help combat the threat of Islamist militants. The remaining troops will join the United Nations peacekeepers and AMISOM soldiers in countering Al-Shabaab later on this year. This deployment is part of a greater effort by the United Kingdom to target terrorism. (The Guardian) Syrian Civil War Syrian Army troops surround the central prison in Hama after inmates revolted, seizing several guards. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says inmates were protesting against a planned transfer of prisoners from Hama to Sednaya Prison near Damascus. (Reuters) American-led intervention in Syria, Military intervention against ISIL Artillery shelling and drone attacks by the U.S.-led coalition strike Islamic State positions in Syria, according to Turkish authorities, killing 63 militants and destroying multiple rocket launcher and gun positions. (AP) Business and economy The Philippines stock market suffers the biggest drop since February amid uncertainty about the upcoming elections. (Bloomberg) Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Steven Wright claims he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of the Bitcoin currency. There are about 15.5 million bitcoins in circulation. However, questions have been raised as to authenticity of his assertion. (The Economist) (BBC) (The Economist²) (AP via The Charlotte Observer) Puerto Rican government-debt crisis Puerto Rico defaults on a $422 million debt payment. The Governor of Puerto Rico Alejandro García Padilla calls the situation a "humanitarian crisis". This is the third time Puerto Rico has defaulted on bond payments. (CNN) Disasters and accidents The bodies of mountaineer Alex Lowe and photographer David Bridges are found on the Himalayan mountain Shishapangma after being buried in an avalanche in 1999. (The Guardian) International relations Moldova–United States relations About 200 U.S. troops arrive in Moldova from Romania for planned military exercises with the Moldovan military which will last until May 20. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Russia–United States relations United States Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John M. Richardson says Russian jets in the Baltics buzzing a U.S. military ship and planes are escalating tension between the two nations. Richardson added he doesn't think the Russians are trying to provoke an incident but these actions increase the chance of a "tactical miscalculation." (AP via CBS News) European migrant crisis, EU-Turkey relations On Wednesday, the European Union will propose relaxing visa requirements for Turks as a reward for having reduced the flood of refugees and migrants into Europe. (Reuters) (BBC) Law and crime Papua conflict Police in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua arrest scores of protesters as planned demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the incorporation of the region with Indonesia were to take place today. (Radio New Zealand) Honduran authorities arrest four men in the March 3 home invasion killing of Goldman Environmental Prize-winning environmental activist Berta Cáceres. One of the suspects was an active duty army officer while the others worked for Desarrollos Energeticos SA, whose hydroelectric project Cáceres had opposed since 2006. The four also face charges on the attempted murder of Mexican environmental activist Gustavo Castro Soto, who was injured in the attack. (AP) (The Guardian) A United Nations arbitration court rules India must allow an Italian marine, facing charges of murdering two fishermen during an anti-piracy mission in 2012, to return home pending the Permanent Court of Arbitration's decision over jurisdiction. The suspect, who will remain under the authority of the Supreme Court of India, has been staying in the Italian embassy in New Delhi; his co-defendant returned to Italy with health problems in 2014. (Reuters) (The Times of India) (Firstpost) Politics and elections Philippine presidential election, 2016 The Catholic Church in the Philippines urges voters to reject Rodrigo Duterte. (Manila Standard) A Somali asylum seeker sets herself alight in Nauru to protest her detention on the island by Australia, one week after an Iranian asylum seeker did the same thing. (BBC) President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro orders clocks in the country to move forward by a half hour from UTC−04:30 to UTC−04:00 in order to save electricity as Venezuela faces an increasing electricity shortage. While gaining a half hour of sunlight, this means Venezuelans will now lose a half hour of sleep. (The Guardian) Spanish general election, 2016 Spanish politicians fail to meet a deadline to form a government after last year's election so Felipe VI of Spain must dissolve the parliament and call a new election for June 26. (AP via ABC News America) Science and technology Discoveries of exoplanets Researchers report in the journal Nature the discovery of three potentially habitable, Earth-like exoplanets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, an ultracool dwarf star 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. (CNN) (The Atlantic) (Nature) Sport 2015–16 Premier League Following a 2-2 draw between Chelsea F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. at Stamford Bridge, Leicester City F.C. are confirmed as champions of the Premier League for the first time in their history. Leicester City were 5000-1 outsiders at the beginning of the season. (Sky Sports), (BBC) 2016 World Snooker Championship Mark Selby wins the 2016 World Snooker Championship. (BBC) Current events of May 3, 2016 (2016-05-03) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian Civil War A rocket attack hits a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo, killing three civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was part of a bigger shelling that killed 19 more people. (Al Jazeera) Iraqi Civil War, American-led intervention in Iraq According to the United States Department of Defense, ISIL fighters killed a Navy SEAL near Erbil. The sailor was assisting Kurdish Peshmerga forces in repelling an attack on the area. The SEAL was later identified as Arizona native Charles Keating IV, the son of Charles Keating III, and the grandson of the convicted noted late financier Charles Keating Jr., who was embroiled in the 1980s savings and loan scandal. (The Guardian) Arts and culture The Rhode Island Marine Architecture Project claims to have found the wreckage of HMS Endeavour used by Royal Navy Lieutenant James Cook on his voyage to Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti between 1768 and 1771. The ship was scuttled in 1778 in Newport Harbor ahead of the Battle of Rhode Island in the American War of Independence. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova is announced as the winner of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for 2016 for "her outstanding contribution to press freedom in difficult circumstances." (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Business and economy Philippine presidential election, 2016 The Philippine financial market continues to suffer amid speculation that Rodrigo Duterte may win the upcoming election. (Bloomberg) Disasters and accidents May 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire A mandatory evacuation order for more than 29,000 people remains in place for the Canadian town of Fort McMurray, Alberta, which is threatened by an out of control wildfire. (The Globe and Mail) By 7 pm local time, the entire town of population 80,000 is placed under a mandatory evacuation. The neighbourhood of Beacon Hill, home to about 2,200 people, is 80% destroyed by fire. (Weather Underground) An airplane crashes on Long Island, New York, killing three people onboard. (The New York Times) Law and crime The sect Iglesia ni Cristo is suing supporters of Rodrigo Duterte for spreading a fake endorsement by the denomination. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Russia–Spain relations A Spanish judge issues an arrest warrant for various individuals with links to organized crime from Russia. The list also includes former and current officials of the Russian government with close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prominent officials include former Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov and former Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. The charges range from money laundering to assassination. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Papua conflict According to reports, the Indonesian police arrest close to 1,700 people in Papua and West Papua who were involved in attempted protests yesterday. (Radio New Zealand) Bento Rodrigues dam disaster The Government of Brazil sues iron miner Samarco and parent companies Vale and BHP Billiton for 155 billion Brazilian reals ($43.5 billion US) for the collapse of a tailings dam that resulted in 19 deaths and caused major pollution to the Doce River. (The Guardian) El Salvador arrests former congressman Raúl Mijango for allegedly attempting to smuggle banned items into prison and allegedly associating with gang members. (Reuters via Trust) Politics and elections European migrant crisis The government of Hungary announces it will hold a referendum regarding future European Union quotas for resettling refugees. The vote is expected to be held either in September or October of this year where a turnout of over 50 percent will render it to be valid. (Al Jazeera) Papua conflict A meeting is held in London on the issue of West Papuan independence. Independence leader Benny Wenda joined various humanitarians, parliamentarians and lawyers in urging the United Nations to secure a vote on the future status of the region, which is occupied by Indonesia. (The Guardian) 2016 United States presidential election, United States presidential election in Indiana, 2016 Voters in the U.S. state of Indiana head to the polls to vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. (NPR) Donald Trump wins the Indiana Republican Primary. (New York Post) (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Ted Cruz announces that he is withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination, leaving Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee. (CNN) Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wins the Indiana Democratic primary. (NBC News) Sport 2018 Winter Olympics, 2018 Winter Paralympics Cho Yang-ho resigns as President of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games due to growing financial problems with the Hanjin Group he is chairman of. (AP) Association football The Football Federation of Kosovo becomes the 55th member of UEFA following a secret ballot at the 40th Ordinary UEFA Congress in Budapest.(AP via The Republic) Current events of May 4, 2016 (2016-05-04) (Wednesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Moro conflict The Abu Sayyaf militant group threatens to behead a Canadian hostage, a Filipina hostage, and a Norwegian hostage. (The Guardian) Syrian Civil War Dozens of people have died in heavy fighting between Syrian government and opposition forces in the western Aleppo Governorate. (Reuters) Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) Suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants launch a car bomb attack on a military installation in Turkey, killing one soldier; Turkey's army destroyes PKK targets in air strikes and kills more than 20. (Reuters) Allied Democratic Forces insurgency Assailants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed with machetes hacked at least 16 civilians to death in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. (FOX News) (Leadership) Israeli–Palestinian conflict Hamas says it has reached a truce with the Israeli military following hostilities today along the Gaza-Israel border. There were no casualties. (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters) Business and economy Philippine presidential election, 2016 The Philippine stock market continues to fall for the fifth straight day due to fears about the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. He continues to lead in opinion polls. (The Philippine Star), (Rappler) British publisher Trinity Mirror announces that its daily newspaper, The New Day, will close after just two months since its launch, after sales fell to around 30,000 copies per day. The last edition will be printed on May 6. (The Guardian) Disasters and accidents 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the wildfire has destroyed about 1,600 structures in Fort McMurray, which is in Canada's oil sands region. No major oil sands facilities are in the fire's path, though two Royal Dutch Shell mines are closing, and a Suncor Energy facility is reducing crude production. The fire is threatening the Alberta Highway 63 bridge across the Athabasca River, the sole route south. The Canadian Red Cross is encouraging people to donate funds rather than clothing. (Reuters) (USA Today) (Métro) At least 13 people are killed and 53 injured after a bus skids off a bridge while travelling between India's Jharkhand state to Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh state. (AFP via Daily Mail) International relations European migrant crisis, EU-Turkey relations The European Union proposes visa-free travel for Turkish citizens within Europe's Schengen Area and invites member states and EU lawmakers to endorse the move by June 30. The EU says Turkey has met all but five of the 72 criteria included in the agreement in exchange for its efforts to stop asylum seekers from reaching Europe. This visa deal also needs approval from the European Parliament. (AP) (UPI) Law and crime North Carolina Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act The U.S. Justice Department notifies North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory that the state's new law which limits restroom access for transgender people violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act, and asks for a response by May 9 whether the state will correct "these violations of Title VII." The Governor's statement in response does not specifically say what the state will do. (Reuters) (CNN) Politics and elections The Nepalese Maoist Party says that they will withdraw support from Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and form a new government. (Reuters) 2016 United States presidential election Ohio Governor John Kasich suspends his campaign. He was the last Republican Party challenger to Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination. (VICE)(CNN) Science and technology IBM allows the public to access a five-qubit quantum computer its researchers have developed in Yorktown Heights, New York. (Wired) Sport 2015–16 UEFA Champions League Real Madrid beat Manchester City 1–0 to set-up a UEFA Champions League Final against city rivals Atlético Madrid on May 28, in Milan, Italy. It will be a repeat of the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final. (UEFA Champions League) Current events of May 5, 2016 (2016-05-05) (Thursday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian Civil War At least 12 people are killed and many are wounded in twin blasts in central Syria. (USA Today) Airstrikes on a camp for war refugees in Syria near the Syria–Turkey border kills 28 people, including women and children. (Reuters) (BBC) Terrorism in Saudi Arabia Saudi security forces shoot dead two alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants while two others blew themselves up near Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters) Gaza–Israel conflict A Palestinian woman is killed and another person is injured in the Gaza Strip by tank fire from Israel. Israel said it responded to mortar rounds and the discovery of another tunnel by Hamas. (BBC) (The Times of Israel) Business and economy 2016 Philippine presidential election The Philippine peso fell 0.3% continuing its drop three weeks in a row. (Bloomberg) The stock exchange in Manila slid 1.2%, set for its lowest close in two months, before Monday's presidential elections. (Bloomberg) (Reuters) Disasters and accidents 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire The western Canadian province of Alberta declares a state of emergency as devastating wildfires, fed by unseasonably hot temperatures and dry conditions, grow to five times their initial size. The mandatory evacuation order expands to include the communities of Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, and Fort McMurray First Nation, forcing thousands who had just resettled to move again. (CTV) (USA Today) (Reuters) Since the fire has intermittently blocked the only route south toward Alberta's major cities, evacuees have had to go north toward oil camps and a few small settlements. The province has airlifted 4,000 people to Edmonton and Calgary as of late Thursday. Roughly 20 percent of Canada's crude oil production, around 680,000 barrels per day, is offline and is expected to increase. There are no known casualties from the fire, which today has grown to 210,000 acres (85,000 hectares), but fatalities are reported in at least one vehicle crash along the evacuation route. (Daily Mail) Reuters reports that Alberta Province, which projects a C$10 billion deficit this fiscal year as the prolonged slump in oil prices has reduced tax revenue, last month cut funding for wildfire prevention, including millions for programs created in response to the province's Slave Lake wildfire in 2011, which destroyed more than 300 homes. (Reuters via Voice of America) At least 12 people are killed and 30 others injured after a bus plunges into a ravine in Bolivia's eastern Santa Cruz province. (Agencia EFE) International relations Spain–United Kingdom relations, Disputed status of Gibraltar The Royal Navy's HMS Sabre fires warning shots at a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel after it twice attempted to cut across the path of United States Navy submarine USS Florida during an incursion into Gibraltar's territorial waters. Gibraltar officials say Spanish vessels regularly stray deep into its territorial waters and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has attacked the incursions as provocative. (The Telegraph) Law and crime Operation Car Wash, Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff Acting on a request from Brazil's top prosecutor, Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki suspends President of the Deputies Chamber Eduardo Cunha for obstructing the Petrobras corruption investigation. The full court confirms this action, Cunha is eliminated from the line of succession to President Dilma Rousseff, who may be suspended from office next week. (Reuters) (Globo) Colorado Springs, Colorado, agrees to pay people who were sent to jail because they couldn't afford to pay fines for minor offenses like panhandling and jaywalking. The city will pay $125 for each day the person spent behind bars, an estimated total of $103,000 for the 66 people identified. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people cannot be jailed if they do not have the money to pay. (AP via The Washington Post) (The Colorado Independent) California court finds "Grim Sleeper" serial killer guilty. (The Los Angeles Times) Hackers attack millions of users of Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo Mail, forcing users to make password changes. (Forbes) Politics and elections 2016 Justice and Development Party leadership election Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announces his resignation effective May 22 amid conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Turkey's increasingly authoritarian rule. Davutoğlu said he would step down following an extraordinary meeting of AKP party leaders scheduled for May 22. (The New York Times) (The Guardian) 2016 Philippine general election Philippine candidate Grace Poe denies she will give way in favor of administration bet Mar Roxas (Rappler) Philippine senator and former coup plotter Antonio Trillanes warns that a coup d'etat may occur if Rodrigo Duterte wins the presidential elections. (ABC Online), (Philippine Daily Inquirer) The sect Iglesia ni Cristo conducts a "silent war" against the senatorial candidacy of justice secretary Leila de Lima. (Rappler) Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe releases her full statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. (GMA News) 2016 United Kingdom local elections Members of the British public head to local polling stations to cast their vote for various governmental positions, including the Mayor of London. Members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish public head to the polls for the regional devolved elections; the Scottish general election, the Welsh general election and the Northern Irish general election.(The Daily Telegraph) 2016 United States presidential election Former Governor of Texas and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry endorses Donald Trump for president and says he is open to being Trump's vice-presidential running mate. (CNN) Sport Zika virus outbreak Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the decision whether the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates two-game series scheduled for later this month will be moved from Puerto Rico because of concerns about the Zika virus, will be announced Monday "at the latest." (AP) Current events of May 6, 2016 (2016-05-06) (Friday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian Civil War Aleppo offensive (May 2016) More than 72 are killed in clashes between Al-Nusra Front and Syrian government forces in Khan Tuman south of Aleppo, Syria. (i24 News) (VOA News) Law and crime A man is killed, and two others are injured (a man in critical condition and a woman with non-life-threatening injuries), in the parking lot of Westfield Montgomery Mall in Potomac in Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Soon after, a woman is killed at a grocery store some miles away. Police suspect that the same shooter may be behind both crime scene incidents. Police in both Montgomery County and neighboring Prince George's County are also examining whether this person is the same as the male involved in the fatal shooting the previous day of a woman, Gladys Tordil, who was allegedly shot (a bystander who tried to help was also wounded) by her estranged abusive husband, tentatively identified as Eulalio Tordil, 62, a former Federal Protective Service officer. (MSN) (CNN) Politics and elections 2016 Philippine presidential election The supporters of presidential candidates Grace Poe and Mar Roxas post petitions and counter-petitions on Change.org urging either candidate to drop-out and give way for the other. (The Manila Standard) Vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo thanks supporters for the "Poe-Robredo tandem" pairing her with presidential candidate Grace Poe but insists she is loyal to her running-mate Mar Roxas. (Philippine Daily Inquirer), (GMA News) Mar Roxas and current President Benigno Aquino III call on political rivals Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, and Grace Poe to unite and form a unity coalition in the upcoming elections. (CNN Philippines), (Channel News Asia) Grace Poe rejects Mar Roxas' offer saying she is not willing to withdraw. Jejomar Binay also rejects calls for him to withdraw. (Rappler), (The Philippine Star), (ABC News Go) Leni Robredo thanks a group of activist-farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon, for their support promising to continue their reforms. (Rappler) Head of Australia's Department of Immigration Mike Pezzullo denies that the detention centre for asylum seekers on Manus Island must be closed. He said there was no crisis that required any closure of the centre despite Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruling it to be unconstitutional and ordering the release of the detainees. (Radio New Zealand) The Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party of North Korea, holds its first party congress in nearly 40 years. The meeting comes as the country is facing tougher sanctions for its recent missile launches. (BBC) 2016 United Kingdom local elections London votes Sadiq Khan to succeed Boris Johnson as Mayor of London; Khan is the first Muslim to be elected London's Mayor. (BBC) In Scotland, the Scottish National Party win a historic third term in government with Nicola Sturgeon re-elected First Minister, but fall two seats short of an overall majority. (BBC) Science and technology SpaceX successfully lands another Falcon 9 First stage onto a floating barge for the second time. It was carrying a Japanese communications satellite JCSAT-14, which was successfully put into geostationary orbit. (Wired) Sports Cameroonian footballer Patrick Ekeng of Romanian club FC Dinamo București dies after collapsing during a match. (Guardian) Current events of May 7, 2016 (2016-05-07) (Saturday) Armed conflicts and attacks War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Resolute Support Mission Two Romanian soldiers are killed along with assailants in an insider attack in Afghanistan. (Washington Post) Syrian Civil War Aleppo offensive (May 2016) At least 13 Iranian soldiers are killed in a battle with Islamist militants in a village near Aleppo, Syria. This is the largest single day loss for the Iranians since the start of the conflict. (Retuers) (Business Insider) (NDTV) Law and crime Indonesia-Philippines relations Filipina convict Mary Jane Veloso gets a reprieve from Indonesian executions. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Politics and elections Polish Constitutional Court crisis, 2015, Law and Justice government About 240,000 Poles have taken to the streets in Warsaw to protest against the Polish government. (BBC) Sarawak state election, 2016 In Malaysia, Sarawak voters go to the polls for a state election. (Channel NewsAsia) Bukit Batok by-election, 2016 Singapore's Bukit Batok by-elections conclude with more than 24,000 voters casting ballots. Murali Pillai of the People's Action Party emerged as the winner with 61.21% of the valid votes cast. This was the first Singaporean by-election following the 2015 general elections. (Channel NewsAsia) (The Straits Times) 2016 United States presidential election, United States presidential election in Guam, 2016 Voters in Guam head to the polls to vote in the Democratic presidential caucus. (Guam Daily Post) Iran's elected Parliament member from Maragheh and Ajabshir district, Mohammad-Ali Hosseinzadeh, dies in a car crash in Zanjan. He was set to take office on 28 May. (yjc.ir) Sports Nyquist wins the 2016 Kentucky Derby, extending his race record to eight wins in eight races.(The Blood-Horse) Current events of May 8, 2016 (2016-05-08) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks Sinai insurgency Gunmen kill eight policemen in an ambush outside Cairo. The attack is claimed by Islamic State. (CNN) (Reuters) (BBC) Terrorism in Saudi Arabia A policeman is killed in a shootout with militants in Taif, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters) (FOX News) Syrian Civil War Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, Turkey–ISIL conflict Turkish shelling kills 55 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria insurgents in northern Syria in retaliation for rocket attacks on Kilis, a Turkish border town. (Reuters) (Daily Progress) Three Spanish journalists were released after being abducted around Aleppo, Syria, and held hostage by the Al-Nusra Front since 13 July 2015. (The Telegraph (UK)) Disasters and accidents At least 73 people are killed in a collision between two buses and a fuel tanker in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. (BBC) (USA Today) At least 41 people are missing in Taining County of China's Fujian province after a landslide hits a construction workers dormitory. (BBC) International relations North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rules out a nuclear first strike unless North Korea's sovereignty is violated. (NPR) Law and crime War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Afghan officials hang six Taliban prisoners. (Washington Post) Unidentified gunmen shoot dead Khurram Zaki, a Pakistani rights activist known for speaking out against the Taliban. (VOA News) Politics and elections Australian federal election, 2016 Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull has called a historic double dissolution election with both houses of Parliament being dissolved and an election to be held on July 2. (ABC News) Gou Zhongwen replaces the disgraced Lu Xiwen as the Deputy Party Secretary of Beijing. (Wen Wei Po) Current events of May 9, 2016 (2016-05-09) (Monday) Armed conflicts and attacks Somali Civil War (2009–present) A suicide car bomb targeting Mogadishu's traffic police headquarters kills at least four. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility. (NY Times) (Reuters) Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition kill at least 10 in Yemen. (NY Times) Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) The Pentagon announces the death of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL) leader Abu Waheeb and three other militants in an airstrike near the town of Rutba, Iraq. (FOX News) (Reuters) An ISIL car bomb kills at least 50 and injures 54 people in the eastern Iraq city of Baquba. (AAP via News Limited) Business and economy Panama Papers The Panama Papers go online at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists website. (BBC) Disasters and accidents At least seven people are killed and 30 injured in a bus accident in Ranchi, the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. (NDTV) The death toll from yesterday's landslide in Taining County in China's Fujian province rises to 14 with 25 still missing, (AP via Daily Mail) International relations North Korea–United Kingdom relations Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, the BBC's Tokyo correspondent, was detained in North Korea before being expelled by the government for "speaking very ill of the system". (BBC) Politics and elections Philippine general election, 2016 Filipino voters head to the polls for a presidential election with unofficial counts showing Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte with a commanding lead. (CNN), (AP) Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigns after seven and a half years in office; says he lost the backing of his Social Democrats party. (USA Today) Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff Waldir Maranhão, the acting President of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies, says that the impeachment vote in that chamber should be annulled due to procedural irregularities and the voting process be held again. The Federal Senate is due to start voting on whether to impeach President Rousseff later this week. (Al-Jazeera) Later Monday, Maranhão reverses his earlier decision to annul the Chamber of Deputies April 17 vote for impeachment. (AP) Science A transit of Mercury occurs, visible from Africa, the Americas, Europe and most of Asia. (BBC), (Daily Mail), (New York Times) Sport 2015 FIFA corruption case UEFA President Michel Platini, who had been suspended by the FIFA Ethics Committee last fall, announces his resignation following the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision that let stand his ban, shortened to four years which corresponds to the duration of his remaining time in office. The court ruled that Platini was guilty of conflict of interest for taking a $2 million payment from FIFA approved by Sepp Blatter in 2011. (USA Today) Current events of May 10, 2016 (2016-05-10) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Ali Haider Gilani, the son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani, is rescued in a joint operation by U.S. and Afghan forces three years after he was kidnapped by suspected Taliban militants. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) At least three are killed in a car bomb targeting a Turkish police vehicle in Diyarbakır, Turkey. (FOX News) Business and economics U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan blocks the $6.3 billion merger of major office supply companies Staples and Office Depot, finding it would result in reduced competition and higher prices. The companies announce they are abandoning the deal. (The Washington Post) Disasters At least 50 are killed in flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ethiopia. (FOX News) 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire Alberta authorities update information about the fire. About 2,400 homes and buildings were destroyed, but firefighters saved 25,000 others in the city, including the hospital, municipal buildings, and every functioning school. They expect most of the 88,000 evacuees will return to their homes within two weeks. The fire, which has merged with another blaze, is about 884 square miles (2,090 square kilometers) in size. The majority of Canada's oil sands industry, and a third of the country's total oil output, is offline, though Shell Canada has restarted its Albian Sands mining operations. (AP) Law and crime Munich knife attack One person is killed and several others injured in a knife attack at the Grafing station, a station of the Munich S-Bahn system in Germany. (Sky News) An assailant stabs four people, killing two, at a home and a mall in Taunton, Massachusetts. A third victim is being treated for life-threatening injuries. The suspect was shot and killed by an off-duty deputy sheriff at the second scene. (CNN) (The Boston Globe) Death of Freddie Gray Officer Edward Nero waives his right to a jury trial on misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault, two counts of misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment. (Reuters) Politics and election Philippine presidential election, 2016 Rodrigo Duterte continues to lead in the presidential race, while Leni Robredo leads Bongbong Marcos by a small margin in the vice presidential race. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 2016 United States presidential election, United States presidential election in West Virginia, 2016, United States presidential election in Nebraska, 2016 Voters in the state of West Virginia head to the polls to vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. Voters in the state of Nebraska vote in the Republican presidential primary with Donald Trump just 169 delegates short of securing the nomination. (New York Daily News) (Lincoln Journal Star) Trump is projected as the winner in the Republican primary in West Virginia while Bernie Sanders is projected to win the Democratic Primary. (New York Times), (BBC) Trump is projected to win Nebraska. (Washington Examiner) Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff Brazil's Federal Senate unanimously votes to strip Delcídio do Amaral of his senate seat. Amaral, one of Rousseff's biggest foes, was arrested last November for allegedly taking kickbacks from Petrobras. (AP) The Supreme Federal Court rejects the government's request to rule on the merits of last month's Chamber of Deputies impeachment vote. (AP) Science NASA confirms that 1,284 objects discovered by its Kepler spacecraft are in fact exoplanets. (The Verge) Sports In basketball, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is named NBA MVP for the second straight season. Curry is the first player ever to receive all possible first-place votes. (ESPN) London football club West Ham United F.C. play the final match of their 112-year stay at the Boleyn Ground, before moving to the city's Olympic Stadium. (BBC) Current events of May 11, 2016 (2016-05-11) (Wednesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) 11 May 2016 Baghdad bombings At least 64 people are killed and 87 injured in a bomb attack on a market in Sadr City, Baghdad. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) claims responsibility. (CNN) (NY Times) ISIS bury alive 45 of their own fighters in Qayyarah for fleeing a battle. (Mirror) (Armen Press) Dissident Irish Republican campaign MI5 raises the threat level for dissident Northern Ireland militants from "moderate" to "substantial", meaning there is a strong possibility of an attack on the British mainland. (NY Times) (Reuters) (BBC) Arts and culture A fragment of the world's oldest ground-edge axe dated at between 45,000 and 49,000 years old is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. (ABC News Australia) International relations Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present) Israel seals off the West Bank and Gaza Strip for two days while Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel's remembrance day and independence day) is celebrated. (Haaretz) Law and crime The head of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Motiur Rahman Nizami, is executed for his alleged role in acts of genocide and war crimes 45 years ago during the independence war against Pakistan in 1971. Nizami is the fifth senior opposition leader to be executed in connection with the war; a total of 17 people have received the death penalty. Authorities prepare for possibly violent protests. (AP via The Washington Post) (Vice News) (The New York Times) Amnesty International reports that this year at least 149 have died, including children, in a military detention center, Giwa barracks, in Maiduguri, Nigeria. (VOA News) (Amnesty) West Fertilizer Company explosion The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives finds that a 2013 fire at a fertilizer plant in the American town of West, Texas, that killed 15 people was arson and begins the search for suspects. (Fox News) German Justice Minister Heiko Maas says he will propose legislation to annul homosexuality convictions, and create a “right to compensation.” A 19th-century law outlawed sexual relations between men. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969, but the law itself was not rescinded until 1994. (AP via The Washington Post) (Deutsche Welle) Politics and elections Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff The Federal Senate of Brazil debates whether to suspend and impeach President Dilma Rousseff for allegedly breaching budget rules. The President's allies are not optimistic about the Senate vote. (New York Times) (India.Com) Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy The Italian Parliament gives final approval to legislation recognizing civil unions of same-sex couples. (The New York Times) Ugandan general election, 2016 Uganda arrests opposition leader Kizza Besigye as he addressed a crowd of supporters in the capital Kampala, and shuts down access to social media within the country prior to President Yoweri Museveni's inauguration tomorrow. (The New York Times) (Global Voices) Current events of May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12) (Thursday) Armed conflicts and attacks Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) Al Qaeda militants kill at least 13 Yemeni government troops near the city of Mukalla. (AFP via Daily Mail) Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) A twin suicide bombing attack at a police station in Baghdad kills five people. Yesterday 93 people had been killed and 165 injured in the deadliest day of attacks in Iraq this year. (AP via Fox News) Business and economy Nissan announces that it will buy 34% of fellow Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors for 237.4 billion yen ($2.2 billion). (The Independent) The Bank of England issues an unusually sharp warning about the possible economic consequences of an "Out" vote in the upcoming Brexit referendum. (Reuters) Disasters Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 The Government of Malaysia confirms that two more pieces of debris found in South Africa and Rodrigues Island off the coast of Mauritius are "almost certainly" from Malaysia Airlines 370 that disappeared two years ago. (AP via New York Times) International relations Syrian Civil War Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatens unilateral action against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria inside Syria. (Hurriyet Daily) (WSJ) Amid impeachment proceedings in Brazil against President Dilma Rousseff Pope Francis appeals for prayer and dialogue. (Vatican Radio) (BBC) Law and crime A criminal investigation is launched by the New Hampshire attorney general against law enforcement officials after news footage showed Massachusetts/New Hampshire police appear to beat a man who was surrendering at the end of a bi-state car chase. (Washington Post via MSN) Politics and elections Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff The Brazilian Senate votes (55-22) to begin the impeachment process against the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff and suspend her from office while the trial takes place. (BBC) Baltimore, Maryland, primary election, 2016 Maryland state elections officials decertify the results of Baltimore’s April 26, 2016, primary election because, for example, the number of ballots cast was hundreds more than the number of voters who checked in at polling places. (The Washington Post) Science Longevity claims A 120-year old woman is found living in the Astrakhan Oblast of Russia, which would make her the world's oldest living person. However, her birth year remains internationally unverified. Thus, 116-year old Italian Emma Morano is still listed as the oldest verified living person. (TASS) The world's oldest person, American Susannah Mushatt Jones, dies at the age of 116. (Wave 3) Researchers from Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary, reveal that (225088) 2007 OR10 is the third largest dwarf planet in the Solar System. (Gizmodo) Current events of May 13, 2016 (2016-05-13) (Friday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) An Australian security contractor is killed outside the Australian embassy in Baghdad. There are unconfirmed reports that he was shot. (ABC News Australia) Three gunmen open fire on a Real Madrid supporters club meeting in a cafe in Samarra northern Iraq, killing at least 14 and wounding 25. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claims responsibility for attack. (ABC News) (Reuters) (Irish Independent) Syrian Civil War Hezbollah says Mustafa Badreddine, one of Hezbollah's highest ranking officials believed responsible for military operations in Syria, has been killed by artillery fire from the Syrian rebels. (Al-Jazeera) Kurdish-Turkish conflict (2015–present) Eight Turkish soldiers and 21 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants are killed in clashes and in a subsequent helicopter crash near Turkey's border with Iraq. (VOA News) (Reuters) (Washington Post) Disasters A massive fire breaks out at a tire dump in Seseña, near Madrid in Spain. The illegal dump contains 100,000 tons of used vehicle tires. The smoke from the fire is visible for at least 30km. (ABC News) At least one person is dead as a shopping mall being built in the Nigerian city of Abeokuta collapses. Unconfirmed reports indicate that ten people may have died. (BBC) International relations Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to "neutralize" a new ballistic missile defense system which the United States has activated in Europe. (Reuters) (US News) (BBC) Law and crime Former President of Argentina Cristina Fernández is indicted on fraud charges in relation to alleged irregularities in the sale of United States dollars by the Central Bank during her term in office. (Reuters) Politics and elections The United States Education and Justice Departments advise U.S. public school districts across the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity, rather than their gender at birth. The new guidance comes as Justice and North Carolina battle in federal court over the state's new so-called bathroom bill. (AP) (Reuters) Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff Vice President of Brazil, Michel Temer, assumes the presidential powers and duties as Acting President of Brazil. (Huffington Post) (NBC News) 2016 state of emergency in Venezuela Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declares a sixty-day state of emergency. (BBC), (Guardian), (Reuters) Sport Association football Fatma Samoura, a Senegalese United Nations official, is appointed as the Secretary General of FIFA. She is the first woman and first person from outside Europe to be appointed to the position. (AP vi Daily Mail) Kosovo and Gibraltar are elected as new members of FIFA. (BBC) Current events of May 14, 2016 (2016-05-14) (Saturday) Armed conflicts and attacks War in Afghanistan (2001–present) At least two people are killed and 12 injured after a suicide bomb attack on a police training center in Helmand Province. (Stars and Stripes) Syrian Civil War Turkey's Anadolu Agency reports that 45 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants have been killed by a combination of Turkish Army shelling and a U.S. air strike north of Aleppo. (Reuters vs Trust) U.S. officials believe the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has declared a state of emergency in its self-declared capital, Al-Raqqah. (CNN) (FOX News) (CBS News) Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) At least 14 suicide bombers attack a complex, killing themselves and at least 6 people. (AP via FOX News) Arts and culture Eurovision Song Contest 2016, Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 Ukraine's Jamala, performing the song "1944", wins the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden. (BBC) Disasters and accidents More than 50 have been killed by lightning strikes in Bangladesh over the past two days. (BBC) A bus crashes on U.S. Route 83 in Texas about 46 miles north of the city of Laredo resulting in eight deaths and 44 injured. (AP) Law and crime A Buddhist monk is hacked to death in Bangladesh. (VOA News) (CNN) At least three people are killed and dozens are wounded after a mass brawl, involving around 200 people, mostly North Caucasusian migrants, breaks out in Khovanskoye Cemetery in southwest Moscow. The Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin said that none of those responsible would go unpunished. (Reuters) Politics and elections 2016 state of emergency in Venezuela Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro orders the seizure of factories that have stopped production and the jailing of their owners amid a nationwide state of emergency. During a speech to pro-government supporters in Caracas, he said the country had to recover the means of production, to counter its deep economic crisis. He also said military exercises would take place next weekend to counter "foreign threats". (BBC) Sport 2015–16 La Liga In football, FC Barcelona wins La Liga for the 24th time. It is FC Barcelona's second straight title and sixth in the last eight years. (Sports Illustrated) FA Women's Cup Arsenal LFC defeats Chelsea LFC 1-0 to win their 14th title before a record match for this fixture at Wembley Stadium. (Eurosport) Current events of May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi civil war (2014–present) Suicide bomb attacks in a state owned cooking gas plant in Taji, north of Baghdad, kill at least 18 people, while 11 others die in attacks across the country. (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters via Daily Mail) Yemeni civil war (2015–present) A suicide bombing kills at least 30 and injures 70 others in the southern city of Mukalla, Yemen. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for attack. (Xinhua) (Reuters) (Canadian Press via Chronicle-Herald) Disasters and accidents A truck collides with a motorised rickshaw in the Adilabad district of India's Telangana state resulting in 16 deaths. (AP via Washington Post) Law and crime Capital punishment in the Philippines President-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, vows to reintroduce capital punishment and give security forces permission to shoot to kill for organized crime figures and people resisting arrest. Duterte is due to take office on June 30, 2016. (BBC) A released report from an interview with former U.S. diplomat Donald Rickard reveals that he provided intelligence that led to the arrest of Nelson Mandela. (The Telegraph) Politics and elections Dominican Republic general election, 2016 Voters in the Dominican Republic go to the polls for a general election. (AP) Sports 2016 Formula One season 18-year old Max Verstappen becomes the youngest ever driver and the first Dutchman to win a Formula One race by winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. (The Guardian) 2015–16 Premier League, 2015–16 Manchester United F.C. season Tens of thousands of people are evacuated from Old Trafford shortly before kick-off between Manchester United F.C. and A.F.C. Bournemouth after a suspect package was found. A controlled explosion was then carried out within the stadium. The package is discovered to be an explosives training device left behind earlier in the week by a private company following a training exercise involving explosive search dogs. (BBC) Current events of May 16, 2016 (2016-05-16) (Monday) Arts and culture The Vegetarian, written by Han Kang and translated by Deborah Smith, wins the Man Booker International Prize. (BBC News), (The Independent), (The Telegraph) Business and economy Pfizer Inc. announces plans to buy Anacor for $5.2 billion. (Reuters) Disasters and accidents At least 15 students are killed and 6 are missing after heavy rains and flash flooding trigger a landslide at a popular tourist resort in Deli Serdang Regency, Indonesia. (The Star Online) Law and crime Colombian conflict (1964–present) Colombian police announce the seizure of about 8 tonnes (18,000 lb) of cocaine in an operation targeting the Clan Úsuga gang. This would make it the biggest seizure of drugs in the history of Colombia. (UPI) (BBC) (NBC News) Rwandan genocide A Swedish court sentences Claver Berinkindi, a 61-year-old Swedish citizen originally from Rwanda, to life in prison for participation in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. (Reuters) (THE LOCAL) Politics and elections The Afghan capital Kabul is locked down as members of the Hazara community protest the proposed route of a power line. (AP) Science and technology The first penis transplant in the United States is performed successfully at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts. Doctors call the operation "a surgical milestone". The patient, 64-year-old Thomas Manning from Halifax, Massachusetts, is the third man worldwide to have had the experimental surgery performed. (USA Today) (BBC) Current events of May 17, 2016 (2016-05-17) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi civil war (2014–present) 17 May 2016 Baghdad bombings At least 69 people are killed and 230 injured in a series of bomb attacks targeting Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, Iraq. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claims responsibility for some of the attacks. (NY Times) (Reuters) (Press TV) Disasters and accidents Heavy rainfall leads to threats of flooding in Sri Lanka and southern India. (AccuWeather) 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire A flare up of wildfires around Fort McMurray has caused the evacuation of 8,000 workers. (Reuters/AFP via ABC News Australia) International relations North Korea and weapons of mass destruction Amid growing concern about North Korea's ballistic missile capability, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. are to hold their first ever joint anti-missile exercise next month, according to South Korea's Ministry of National Defense. The three countries will practice "detecting and tracing a hypothetical North Korean missile," said a ministry official. (CNN) Nepal–United Kingdom relations British national Martin Travers is detained in Nepal for allegedly taking part in protests against the Nepalese government. (AP via The Telegraph) Politics and elections 2016 United States presidential election Voters in the American state of Oregon have their mail-in ballots counted for a Democratic Party and Republican Party primary. Donald Trump is the projected winner on the Republican winner while Bernie Sanders is projected to win the Democratic Party race. (ABC News America), (NBC News), (AP via Chicago Tribune) Voters in the American state of Kentucky go to the polls for a Democratic Party primary with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders winning an equal number of delegates and Clinton winning the popular vote narrowly. (AFP via Yahoo! 7) (Courier-Journal), (CNN) The U.S. Senate passes a legislation that would allow victims of the Sept. 11 attacks to file lawsuits seeking damages from Saudi Arabia despite Saudi threats to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy. (LA Times) (Reuters) (NY Times) Current events of May 18, 2016 (2016-05-18) (Wednesday) Armed conflicts and attacks War in North-West Pakistan Twin bombings kill a police officer and wound nine people in Peshawar, Pakistan. (FOX News) Iraqi civil war (2014–present) Use of chemical weapons in the Iraqi civil war Iraqi police claim ISIL militants fired chemical weapons, suspected to be mustard gas or chlorine, in the May 8 attacks on Bashir near Kirkuk, Iraq. (Time) Nine soldiers are killed and nine more wounded in a raid on suspected ISIL militants in Baghdad. (Swiss Info) Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping One of the girls kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram in Nigeria is found and reunited with her family. (BBC) (CNN) Business and economy Suzuki says it used improper fuel economy tests for Japan in a widening of a scandal that hit Mitsubishi Motors. (Reuters) Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, met with a group of prominent U.S. conservatives, over allegations that the company censors conservative content. (Reuters) Disasters and accidents Cyclone Roanu More than 150 people are feared dead by two landslides triggered by more than three days of heavy rain in central Sri Lanka. (Reuters) (The New York Times) A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake hits Ecuador near the town of Muisne, one person is killed. (Reuters) (AP) A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. All seven aircrew members escaped. No injuries have been reported. (Pacific Daily News) International relations Cross-Strait relations China stages joint war games featuring mock beach landing, helicopter assaults and tank battles along its east coast, just days before the inauguration of Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen. (AP via Daily Mail) Law and crime Michelle Lodzinski is convicted of murdering her five-year-old son Timothy Wiltsey 25 years ago in New Jersey. (AP via Chicago Tribune), (USA Today), (The New York Times) Politics and elections 2014–16 Venezuelan protests Amid a state of emergency, Venezuelan police clash and fire tear gas at protesters calling for the downfall of socialist president Nicolás Maduro in central Caracas. The protests come a day after Maduro warned that the opposition-controlled National Assembly may soon "disappear". (The Guardian) Sport 2016 UEFA Europa League Final Spanish side Sevilla FC beats English opponent Liverpool F.C., 3-1, at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, to win the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. It is their third straight UEFA Europa League title win. (Radio New Zealand) Current events of May 19, 2016 (2016-05-19) (Thursday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian civil war Syrian government forces and allies, including Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, retake a large area southeast of Damascus, including the key town of Deir al-Asafir. (BBC) (Al Arabiya) Fighting between Jaysh al-Islam and rival factions led by al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front in Ghouta, near Damascus, leaves more than 50 people dead. (Swiss Info) (Ara News) Taliban insurgency Eight policemen are killed in an insider attack in Zabul Province. (Hindustan Times) Iraqi civil war (2014–present) At least three civilians are killed and 10 others wounded in a bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq. (Rudaw) Arts and culture Oppenheimer Blue, a large and rare blue diamond, is sold for $57.6 million USD, the most expensive jewel ever sold at an auction. (Reuters) (Swiss Info) Business and economics German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer bids to merge with American agrochemical and agricultural firm Monsanto. (Forbes) (Bloomberg) Google honors Asian American civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama, who held controversial views about racial harmony, terrorism and American power, with a doodle. (Democracy Now) (The Washington Post) Disasters and accidents EgyptAir Flight 804 EgyptAir Flight 804 between Paris and Cairo disappears with 56 passengers and 10 crew onboard. The plane was at 37,000 feet when it disappeared ten minutes before entering Egyptian airspace over the Mediterranean Sea. It is later reported to have crashed off the Greek island of Karpathos. Locals reported seeing a fireball. (Reuters) (The Telegraph) (The Guardian) 2016 Silk Way Airlines Antonov An-12 crash An Azerbaijani cargo airplane crashes during landing in southern Afghanistan, killing seven out of its nine crew members. (Washington Post) (Daily Sabah) Law and Crime A unanimous opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court finds that the constitutional guarantee of a speedy trial does not guarantee a speedy sentencing hearing. (CNS) San Francisco Police Department Chief Greg Suhr resigns from his position several hours after a black woman is shot by police in San Francisco. (ABC News) International relations Accession of Montenegro to NATO Montenegro and NATO sign an accession agreement, paving the way for the country's future entry into the military alliance. All of NATO's members must now ratify the agreement, with Prime Minister Milo Đukanović expecting Montenegro to join by mid 2017. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Politics and election Decommunization in Ukraine: Ukraine's Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, decides that the country's third largest city, Dnipropetrovsk, be renamed Dnipro as part of the decommunization drive. (Kyiv Post), (Radio Free Europe) Philippine general election, 2016 In the Philippine general election, the Liberal Party emerges as the party with a plurality of seats in the Philippine Senate election, 2016 and Philippine House of Representatives elections, 2016. (Xinhua) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asks Yisrael Beiteinu party leader and former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to be Defense Minister. Current defense minister and former army chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon's role in the future government is unclear. Leiberman is known for his hawkish and uncompromising views. (The Guardian) (Israel Hayom) Science A new species of horned dinosaur, Machairoceratops cronusi, thought to have lived about 77 million years ago, is discovered in southern Utah. (Huffington Post) (FOX News) (PLOS One) Google receives a United States patent for an adhesive for its self-driving cars, so-called human flypaper, designed to minimize injuries in a pedestrian accident by holding the person to the car rather than being thrown after impact. (The Verge) (ABC News) Current events of May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20) (Friday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi civil war (2014–present) Ar-Rutbah offensive (2016) Iraqi Army forces helped by U.S. airstrikes recapture the southwestern city of Ar-Rutbah from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group. The victory will allow for the re-opening of the Baghdad-Amman highway. (Al Jazeera) Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses "shock and deep concern" after a Georgian citizen, 31-year-old Giga Otkhozoria, was shot dead by Russian Armed Forces troops patrolling areas near the administrative boundary with Abkhazia. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Business and economy Shortages in Venezuela Coca-Cola FEMSA suspends all production in Venezuela due to a sugar shortage. (Fortune) (Sputnik) Disasters and accidents 2016 Sri Lankan floods Two hundred thousand people flee the Sri Lankan capital Colombo as floods caused by several days of heavy rain worsen. (AFP via Yahoo) EgyptAir Flight 804 Egyptian Armed Forces claim that passenger luggage and part of the aircraft have been found in the Mediterranean Sea 290 kilometers north of Alexandria. (CNN) Temperatures soar to a record 51 °C (124 °F) in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The heatwave has claimed 300 lives since April 2016. (BBC) At least four National Gendarmerie officers are killed in a helicopter crash in Hautes-Pyrénées, in southwestern France. (THE LOCAL) List of earthquakes in Australia The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports a magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia. No damage or injuries are reported. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (RT) Health Zika virus outbreak (2015 - present) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports at that least 270 pregnant women in the United States are infected with the Zika virus. (NBC News) (NPR) International relations Accession of Montenegro to NATO The Kremlin condemns NATO's membership invitation to Montenegro, warning the step risks fueling geopolitical tensions in Europe. (Reuters) War in Afghanistan (2001–present) NATO foreign ministers, meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, agree to extend the alliance's Resolute Support Mission, that trains, advises and assists Afghanistan's military beyond 2016. (AP via Daily Mail) (NATO) Law and crime Efforts to impeach Barack Obama The Oklahoma Legislature files a measure asking for Congress to impeach Barack Obama over his decision to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity. (KOCO) The Mexican government approves the extradition of drug boss Joaquín Guzmán to the United States following assurances that he will not face the death penalty. (Reuters) A United States Secret Service officer shoots an armed man on a street near the White House after the man allegedly approached the officer and refused to drop his weapon. The White House is locked down. (AP via Yahoo! News) (CNN) A highly-reported execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing occurs at 3.30pm on 20 May 2016 amidst local and international pleas to the government of Singapore to revoke the scheduled execution. (The Straits Times) Politics and elections Tsai Ing-wen is sworn in as the first female President of Taiwan. (BBC) Israeli Defense minister Moshe Ya'alon announces his resignation. (NY Times) (BBC) (FOX News) The Oklahoma legislature passes a bill that would make it a felony for doctors to perform abortions and revokes the medical license of assisting physicians. The governor then vetoes the bill. (NY Times) (Washington Post)(CNN) 2015–16 Iraqi protests Iraqi security forces fire tear gas and water cannon on protesters attempting to storm the Green Zone in Baghdad, injuring at least 33. (Bloomberg) (WSJ) The Iraqi government imposes a curfew in Baghdad. (Reuters) Current events of May 21, 2016 (2016-05-21) (Saturday) Armed conflicts and attacks Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh A homeopathic doctor is hacked to death in Bangladesh. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claim responsibility. (Reuters) (CNN) War in Afghanistan Six police officers are killed in an insider attack in Uruzgan province. (NY Times) A suicide bomber attacks a NATO convoy in Parwan province, wounding two civilians. (Stripes) (VOA News) The United States kills Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour in an air strike along the Afghan Pakistan border near the town of Ahmad Wal. (Fox News) (CNN), (The Guardian) Disasters and accidents Cyclone Roanu At least 21 are killed and more than 500,000 are displaced by cyclone Roanu in Bangladesh. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera), (The Daily Star) The toll from landslides and heavy flooding in Sri Lanka rises to at least 73. (The Guardian) (bd24new.com) (Washington Post) (Press Trust of India via Business Standard) At least 37 people have been killed and 22 injured in a bus crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (ABC News) Health 2015-16 Zika virus epidemic The World Health Organization confirms that the Zika virus strain spreading in Cape Verde is the same as the one in the Americas. (Daily Mail) (CIDRAP) International relations Syrian Civil War, War on Terrorism The Pentagon rejects a Russian proposal to stage joint airstrikes against Al-Qaeda linked groups in Syria. (VOA News) (Reuters) (Huffington Post) War in Afghanistan Norway Foreign Minister Børge Brende says his government is doubling humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to around 200 million kroner (US$24 million). (AP) Politics and elections 2015–16 Iraqi protests At least four are killed and 90 injured among protesters who stormed the Green Zone in Baghdad. (Reuters) Kazakhstan police detain dozens of protesters during rallies against proposed land reforms in the former Central Asian Soviet Republic. (AP) (Al Jazeera) 2014–16 Venezuelan protests The Venezuelan Army holds the biggest military exercise in its history, citing threats to national security, amidst opposition demands of a recall referendum on President Nicolás Maduro. (Bloomberg) (Stratis Times) At least one person is dead in protests that have turned violent in Chile. (FOX News) Science Lake Mead in Mohave County, Arizona, the largest reservoir in the United States, drops to its lowest level in history, declining to its lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s. The reservoir serves water to the states of Arizona, Nevada and California. (WFAA) Sport 2016 Preakness Stakes Exaggerator wins the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. (Courier-Journal via USA Today), (CBS Sports) Two horses die during a rainy Preakness Day's early races. A 9-year-old gelding apparently suffered cardiovascular collapse. A 4-year-old filly broke her left front cannon bone during her race and was euthanized, while her jockey broke his right collarbone as he was thrown to the turf. (AP) 2016 FA Cup Final Manchester United F.C. beat Crystal Palace F.C. 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in London to win the 2015–16 FA Cup. (BBC) Current events of May 22, 2016 (2016-05-22) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian civil war The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that over 60,000 people have died in Syrian government jails during the five year civil war. (Reuters) Insurgency in Northeast India Insurgency in Manipur Rebels ambush and kill six Indian paramilitary soldiers in the state of Manipur, near the northeastern border with Myanmar. (The New York Times) (Hindustan Times) Iraqi civil war Operation Breaking Terrorism, Siege of Fallujah (2016) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announces the start of a military operation to recapture Falluja from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. (CBS News) (BBC) Arts and culture 2016 Cannes Film Festival British film I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach, wins the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. (The Guardian) The 12th Festival of Pacific Arts opens at Paseo Stadium in Guam. (Guam Daily Post)(Pacific Daily News) Disasters and accidents Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupts, killing at least six people in Sumatra. (AFP via ABC News Australia) International relations China-Taiwan Relations China threatens to cut off regular communication with Taiwan unless it acknowledges the "One China principle". (CNBC) (Business Insider) Law and crime 2016 Nenzing shooting A man kills two and wounds 11 in an attack on a concert in the Austrian town of Nenzing. (AP via 9News) At least six people are killed in shootings at two nightclubs in the Mexican state of Veracruz. (FOX News) Politics and elections Austrian presidential election, 2016 The second round of voting takes place to elect either Norbert Hofer or Alexander Van der Bellen as President of Austria. (USA Today), (BBC) Vietnamese legislative election, 2016 Voters in Vietnam go to the polls to choose legislators for its Parliament. The only legal party in the country is the Communist Party, which has already chosen its members. (AP) (Time) Tajikistani constitutional referendum, 2016 Voters in Tajikistan go to the polls for a referendum to make various amendments to the constitution which include, among other things, the elimination of term limits to allow President Emomali Rahmon and only him to run again for office and lowering the presidential age limit from 35 to 30, which observers believe will position Rahmon's son Rustam Emomali for future succession. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Science NASA projects that 2016 will have the warmest global temperature average on record. This year would be the third record-breaking year in a row. Per NOAA annals, April marked the 12th record warmest month in a row. (Scientific American) Current events of May 23, 2016 (2016-05-23) (Monday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian Civil War Reuters reports nearly 150 people are killed and at least 200 wounded in a series of car bomb and suicide attacks in the Syrian cities of Jableh and Tartus in government-controlled territory that hosts Russian military bases. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group claims responsibility. (Al Jazeera) (USA Today) (Reuters) Yemeni civil war (2015–present) At least 41 army recruits are killed and 60 others injured in a suicide car bomb attack in Aden, Yemen. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group claims responsibility. (Reuters) At least 13 suspected Al-Qaeda militants and two soldiers are killed in a raid in Aden, Yemen. (VOA News) (National Yemen) Iraqi civil war (2014–present) The Iraqi government begins Operation Breaking Terrorism, aimed at retaking the city of Fallujah, which has been under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group since early 2014. (Al Jazeera) Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Three policemen are killed in Srinagar, India. Hizbul Mujahideen claims responsibility. (News 18) (The New York Times) War in Afghanistan The Taliban leadership council reportedly meets to determine a successor to Mullah Akhtar Mansour, killed this weekend during an American drone strike in Pakistan. (Reuters) Business and economy Germany's Bayer AG makes an unsolicited bid valued at $62 billion cash to takeover American company Monsanto to create the world's largest agricultural chemical company. (Bloomberg) (The Wall Street Journal) Disasters and accidents An overnight fire at Pitakiatwittaya Christian elementary school's dormitory in the northern Chiang Rai Province in Thailand kills 18 girls between the ages of 5 and 12. The other 20 girls sleeping in the dorm are rescued, though five are injured. (CNN) (Facebook) Cyclone Roanu Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre reports 92 people are confirmed dead with 109 people still missing from landslides and floods resulting from Roanu. More than 500,000 have been driven from their homes. (EconomyNext) Bangladesh reports at least 26 deaths caused by drowning or homes collapsing with 500,000 evacuated during the storm. Maheshkhali Island officials are monitoring a badly damaged 17-mile stretch of mud embankment in danger of collapsing, allowing seawater to flood the communities. (The Weather Channel) (The Navhind Times) At least five people are killed after a Cessna 182 light-aircraft crashes near Port Allen Airport on Hawaii's Kauai island. (CBS News) Health and medicine 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic Health officials are concerned about the spread of the Zika virus in Haiti, which suffered the worst epidemic of cholera in recent history following the deadly 2010 Haiti earthquake. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there are 2,214 suspected cases as of April 23. But new research indicates the virus has been present since 2014. The actual infection rate remains unknown since the poor, densely populated nation lacks routine data systems that can track and document disease outbreaks. (AP) International relations United States–Vietnam relations United States President Barack Obama ends the American arms embargo with Vietnam during his visit in the country. (Washington Post) (USA Today) World Humanitarian Summit The first-ever United Nations humanitarian summit opens in Istanbul, Turkey, to address the 125-million people crisis, the worst since World War II. (AP via Deseret News) (Reuters) Pope Francis meets with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb in the Vatican. (Al Jazeera) (ABC News) (US News) Law and crime Death of Freddie Gray Judge Barry Williams finds Baltimore, Maryland, Police Officer Edward Nero not guilty of all charges. Nero was accused of second-degree intentional assault, two counts of misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment. Community leaders and elected officials appeal for calm. (CNN) The Baltimore Police Department says Nero remains on administrative duty while an internal investigation continues. (AP via Daily Mail) Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says the city is prepared to respond to any disturbance after today's acquittal. (AP via Salon) Threatening robocalls lead to mass evacuation of students in the United States and United Kingdom. None of the threats were found to be credible but disrupted General Certificate of Secondary Education tests in the UK. (NBC News) Democratic Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe is being investigated by federal prosecutors over campaign contributions, including a foreign contribution from a Chinese businessman, and what they consider to be "suspicious personal finances", as part of a public integrity probe that has lasted for more than a year, according to officials. The United States Department of Justice would not confirm or deny the investigation. (The Washington Post) Politics and elections Tajikistani constitutional referendum, 2016 The Tajikistani constitutional referendum results in the removal of term limits of incumbent President Emomali Rahmon. (TASS) (ABC News) Binali Yıldırım is appointed Prime Minister of Turkey after the resignation of Ahmet Davutoğlu amid disagreements with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (ABC New) (BBC) (VOA) Austrian presidential election, 2016 Independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen, a member of The Greens, is elected President of Austria in a tight contest that was decided by mail-in votes. (CNN) (USA Today) Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines presumptive president-elect, says he will allow the immediate burial of former kleptocratic dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes' Cemetery in metropolitan Manila. (AP) Cypriot legislative election, 2016 The Democratic Rally wins the legislative election. (Daily Sabah) (TASS) (EU Observer) Science ISRO successfully launched India's Reusable Launch Vehicle demonstrator mission (RLV-TD).(NASA Spaceflight) Current events of May 24, 2016 (2016-05-24) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Jaish-e-Mohammed operations chief is killed in a gun battle with police. (ABC News) Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) At least six Turkish soldiers are killed and four others are wounded in a PKK attack in Turkey's eastern Van Province. (Daily Sabah) Syrian civil war New satellite imagery from Stratfor appears to reveal the destruction of four Russian attack helicopters and 20 lorries at the Tiyas military airbase after a reported attack which was conducted last week by the ISIL. (BBC) Northern al-Raqqa offensive (2016) U.S. backed Syrian Democratic Forces, led by Kurdish forces, launch an operation to capture Al-Raqqah, the de facto capital of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The force is reported to be more than 50,000 strong. (Reuters) War in Donbass Seven Ukrainian servicemen are killed in suspected attacks by pro-Russian rebels. (Reuters) Business and economy American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto rejects an unsolicited $62 billion takeover bid by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer, saying the price was too low but adding that it remained “open to further talks.” (Reuters) Disasters and accidents Eleven people are dead and many are missing after a jade mine collapses in the Myanmar town of Hpakant. (AFP via New Straits Times) EgyptAir Flight 804 Reports claim that an Egyptian forensic official says that body parts recovered from EgyptAir flight 804 indicate that the crash was caused by an explosion. (Daily Mail) International relations European migrant crisis Greek authorities begin operations to clear the Idomeni refugee camp on the border with Macedonia. (AP via ABC News) Law and crime A court in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania finds that there is enough evidence to hold entertainer Bill Cosby on felony indecent assault charges in relation to the case of Andrea Constand v. William H. Cosby, Jr.. (CNN) Google's offices in central Paris are raided by French finance officials as part of a tax fraud investigation. Google is accused of owing €1.6bn ($1.8bn; £1.3bn) in unpaid taxes. (BBC) Loretta Lynch, the Attorney General of the United States, advises that the US government will seek the death penalty against Dylann Roof accused of conducting the 2015 Charleston massacre. (Post and Courier) Motorist Wahib Sadek Ahmed is arrested after he is accused of wielding a knife at a motorist. He is subdued after four taser shots. The FBI investigates after Sadek claim to be affiliated with a terrorist organization. His car is found to contain the knife and three guns, including an AK-47, and a loaded 45-caliber pistol.(CBSDFW local) Politics and elections Iran's Assembly of Experts new session is opened which elects Ahmad Jannati as its chairman. (Mehr) The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan formally approves his ally Binali Yıldırım as the Prime Minister. (AP via ABC News America) Overwatch was released Current events of May 25, 2016 (2016-05-25) (Wednesday) Armed conflicts and attacks War in Afghanistan (2001–present) The Afghan Taliban announces that Haibatullah Akhundzada will be its new leader replacing Akhtar Mansour who died recently in a drone strike. Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqoob are named as deputy leaders. (Al-Jazeera) A suicide bomb attack kills at least 10 people and injures four people travelling on a bus for appeals court staff travelling west of Kabul. (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Business and economy Greek financial crisis The Eurozone agrees to a €10.3 billion ($11.48 billion) bailout package for Greece. (The Guardian) Disasters and accidents European migrant crisis At least five die after their overcrowded, repurposed trawler capsized in the southern Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya. The Italian navy rescued 562 people. (Al Jazeera) International relations Russia–Ukraine relations, War in Donbass Ukrainian pilot and parliamentarian Nadiya Savchenko, who has been detained in Russia since 2014, arrives home following a dramatic prisoner swap with Russia. (Reuters) Politics and elections In the United States, Hillary Clinton is criticized by the State Department’s inspector general for her usage of a private email server while she was secretary of state. The finding also concluded though that former secretary of state Colin Powell also had a private email server, as did former ambassador to Kenya Scott Gration. The inspector referred to the email server usage as "longstanding systemic weaknesses". (New York Times) Sports 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs: The San Jose Sharks defeat the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final in six games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. (NHL) Current events of May 26, 2016 (2016-05-26) (Thursday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi civil war Operation Breaking Terrorism Iraqi security forces and Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces recapture Al-Karmah, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of Fallujah. (CNN) Arts and culture Archaeologists announce the discovery of a 2,400-year-old tomb which they believe to be that of Aristotle based on its grandiosity, and its location atop a hill in Stagira, the city of his birth. (UPI) (The New York Times) 89th Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee in the United States finishes with a tie between Jairam Hathwar and Nihar Janga. This is the third successive year the event has finished in a tie. (The Guardian) Disasters and accidents Two United States Navy FA-18's crash in the Atlantic Ocean near the Outer Banks off the coast of the US state of North Carolina. The four pilots safely ejected from the planes and are being examined in Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia. (Virginian Pilot) (UPI) European migrant crisis At least 20 people drown in the southern Mediterranean Sea when a repurposed fishing boat sinks 35 nautical miles north of Zuwara, Libya. (The Guardian) Health and medicine Researchers at the United States Department of Defense report, in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, the discovery in the United States of a strain of E. coli that includes the new gene MCR-1, which is resistant to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic. (National Geographic) (The Washington Post) (Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy) International relations Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency criticizes Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen as politically extreme and lacking emotional balance because she is unmarried and does not have children. (BBC) (The New York Times) South Korea plans to import arms worth about 3.5 trillion won (US$3 billion) this year to enhance its defense capabilities. (UPI) (Yonhap) Ethiopia-South Korea relations South Korean President Park Geun-hye, during her state visit to Ethiopia to work toward full-scale defense cooperation, pledges $1 million in aid for drought recovery. Park is expected to continue to Uganda and Kenya after this visit. (UPI) Law and crime Indonesian President Joko Widodo issues an executive order (Perppu) making child sexual abuse punishable by chemical castration and extends the maximum penalty to death. (UPI) (Time) Ken Starr, the president of Baylor University, is stripped of his title after an investigation revealed the university mishandled accusations of sexual assault against its football players. The university's football coach, Art Briles, is also fired. (The New York Times) A lawsuit brought against Google by Oracle Corporation accusing Google of using copyrighted code for the Android operating system is decided in Google's favor. (The New York Times) (The Guardian) A bill that punishes hate crimes against law enforcement is signed by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. It is the first state to pass such a law. (The New York Times) A Muslim mob is found to have attacked Coptic homes and stripped a woman in public in Minya Governorate, Egypt, on 20 May 2016. (U.S. News & World Report) Politics and elections French labor unions, led by the CGT, implement a strike in protest of proposed reforms to labor laws. (BBC) 2016 United States presidential election The Associated Press reports that Donald Trump has secured enough delegates to secure the Republican Party nomination for President. (AP) Sports 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs: The Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final to advance to the Stanley Cup Final; they will face the San Jose Sharks. (ESPN) Current events of May 27, 2016 (2016-05-27) (Friday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi civil war, Operation Breaking Terrorism The United States reports 70 militants were killed, including ISIL commander Maher al-Bilawi, in a Fallujah airstrike on Wednesday. (UPI) Disasters and accidents Record rainfall and severe flooding in southeast Texas has killed at least two people with three others missing. On Thursday, a record 16.6 inches (42 cm) of rain fell in Brenham, west of Houston. (Reuters) Health and medicine Zika virus epidemic More than 150 prominent scientists worldwide send a letter to World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan calling for the postponement or relocation of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics because of the widening Zika virus outbreak in Brazil, despite U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden's statement yesterday that "there is no public health reason to cancel or delay the Olympics." (CNN) (Rio Olympics Later) (Reuters) A preliminary study by the National Toxicology Program finds that cellphone radiation has the potential to increase the risk of tumor growth in male rats. (The New York Times) (biorXiv) International relations 42nd G7 summit The 42nd G7 summit held at Ise-Shima in Japan's Mie Prefecture concludes with a declaration that the United Kingdom leaving the European Union would pose a "serious threat to world growth". (BBC) Following the summit, Barack Obama becomes the first sitting President of the United States to visit Hiroshima, the site of the first use of an atomic bomb by the U.S. during World War II. Obama calls for nations to reconsider the development of nuclear weapons and eventually eliminate them. (CNN) (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) North Korea–South Korea relations South Korea fires warning shots after a North Korean patrol boat and a fishing boat cross the disputed west coast Northern Limit Line. The two vessels retreated. (Reuters) Law and crime Human rights in Argentina Reynaldo Bignone, the last military President of Argentina, is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for his role in the forced disappearance of more than 100 people in Operation Condor. (AP) In the U.S., the Iowa Supreme Court rules juveniles, even those convicted of first-degree murder, can not be sentenced to life without parole, becoming the 19th state to ban such sentences. As of January, about 2,300 American juveniles were serving life-without-parole sentences. (The Des Moines Register) (The New York Times) (The Christian Science Monitor) Over 30 college students in Iran were arrested and punished with 99 lashes each for attending a co-ed graduation party. (The New York Times) The legal team of Joaquín Guzmán (El Chapo), the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has challenged the foreign ministry of Mexico's decision to extradite him to the United States. (The New York Times) Politics and elections Philippine presidential election, 2016 Rodrigo Duterte is officially elected as President and Leni Robredo as Vice President. (Al Jazeera) United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 As of this day, local and central government are prohibited from making announcements in a way that could affect the outcome of the referendum. (Guardian) Republican candidate for U.S. President Donald Trump urges U.S. senator Marco Rubio to run for re-election after Rubio stated he would speak on Trump's behalf at the Republican Convention, if asked. (Business Insider) Sports 2016 NBA Playoffs In basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Toronto Raptors 113–87 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to win the series 4–2 and advance to the NBA Finals for the second straight season. The Cavaliers await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. Barring misfortune, the Cavs' LeBron James will become the eighth player to appear in six consecutive Finals and the first to do so without playing for the Boston Celtics. (ESPN)) Current events of May 28, 2016 (2016-05-28) (Saturday) Armed conflicts and attacks Spillover of the Syrian Civil War Turkey claims that its artillery fire together with U.S. air strikes killed more than 104 ISIL militants after rockets fired from northern Syria killed several people in the Turkish town of Kilis. (AP via The Olympian) (The New York Times) Conflict in the Niger Delta The Niger Delta Avengers militant group destroy gas and oil pipelines belonging to Shell and Agip in Nigeria. (The New York Times) Disasters and accidents Lightning strikes across Europe kill one person and injure at least 14 more. (BBC) (CNN) 2016 Atlantic hurricane season The United States National Hurricane Center issues a tropical storm warning for parts of South Carolina as the newly upgraded Tropical Storm Bonnie, at 5 p.m. EDT about 125 miles from Charleston, South Carolina, moves northwest toward the Atlantic Coast. (NBC News) (National Hurricane Center) (AP via The Washington Post) A Rutan VariEze experimental aircraft crashes north of Ventura, California, killing the two people aboard. (UPI) Harambe is killed. International relations The U.S. military restricts off-base alcohol consumption in Okinawa until July 24 after the arrest of a former Marine suspected of murder. (The New York Times) The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, warns Romania and Poland against hosting parts of the U.S. missile defense shield. (FOX News) (CNN) Law and crime Bryce Dejean-Jones, a National Basketball Association player with the New Orleans Pelicans, is shot dead in Dallas, Texas, after breaking down an apartment bedroom door. (Bleacher Report) (ESPN) Brazilian Police say they have identified and are searching for four of the more than 30 men suspected in last Saturday's gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in Rio de Janeiro. The assault came to light after several men posted about the attack online. (AP via New York Daily News) The Chilean government says President Michelle Bachelet voluntarily testified this week as part of a probe into alleged tax crimes by her daughter-in-law Natalia Compagnon. (Reuters) Politics and elections Iran's newly elected parliament, officially called the Islamic Consultative Assembly, is opened and new members will be sworn-in during the first session. (ibtimes) (PressTV) Former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen is named an advisor for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, a move described by a Russian deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee as a "hostile gesture". (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Anti-government protests erupt across Papua New Guinea against Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, calling on him to resign. Papua New Guinea has been in a state of political turmoil since 2014 when the Prime Minister was accused of fraud and corruption. (Radio New Zealand) 2016 United States presidential election Federal District Judge Gonzalo Curiel unseals documents requested by The Washington Post that had been filed with the court in connection with pending civil cases against Trump University, a former business of the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump. The judge noted that Trump's candidacy has increased interest in these cases, and that Trump's comments "... (have) placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue." (The Washington Post) (Politico) (UPI) (Court Order) Sports Eight Russian Olympic athletes from three different sports have tested positive for banned substances during a re-examination of blood samples taken during the 2012 London Olympics, according to the Russian Olympic Committee. (The New York Times) 2015–16 UEFA Champions League In association football, Real Madrid C.F. defeats Atlético Madrid in a penalty shoot-out to win the final. (The Guardian) (Eurosport) Current events of May 29, 2016 (2016-05-29) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks Northern Mali conflict Five United Nations peacekeepers are killed in an attack in central Mali. (NY Times) (Reuters) Boko Haram insurgency Niger security forces kill 12 Boko Haram militants in Bosso. (Reuters) An improvised explosive device kills four civilians and one soldier in Biu, Nigeria. (U.S. News) Yemeni civil war (2015–present) At least 69 people are killed and 25 injured in fighting between the Houthis and government forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. (ABC News) (FOX News) (Daily Mail) Disasters and accidents At least three people are missing after heavy rains caused flooding in the U.S. states of Texas and Kansas. So far, four people have died in the flooding. (AP) A fire at a home for elderly people near the Ukrainian capital Kiev kills at least 16 people. (BBC) European migrant crisis The United Nations fears that approximately 700 migrants have drowned in three Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks over the past few days. (AP) Tropical Storm Bonnie makes landfall on the East Coast of the United States, affecting mainly the city of Charleston, South Carolina. (AccuWeather) International relations Foreign relations of North Korea In compliance with recent UN Security Council resolutons, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda announces an end to security and military cooperation with North Korea. (Reuters) Law and crime Mexican international football player Alan Pulido, who plays for Olympiacos F.C., is kidnapped by masked men near his home in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas. He is later rescued. (BBC), (AP via Sun MV) Politics and elections 2016 United States presidential election, Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016 Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, secures the nomination for the Libertarian Party in the U.S. presidential election. Johnson picks former Massachusetts governor, and former Republican, William Weld as his running mate. (Washington Post) Sports Sunrisers Hyderabad win the 2016 Indian Premier League defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore. 2016 Indianapolis 500 In motor sport, rookie Alexander Rossi wins the 100th Indianapolis 500. (USA Today) Current events of May 30, 2016 (2016-05-30) (Monday) Armed conflicts and attacks Iraqi civil war (2014–present) At least 24 people are killed in a series of attacks in and around Baghdad. ISIL has claimed responsibility. (ABC News), (AP) Operation Breaking Terrorism Iraqi forces reportedly enter the city of Fallujah. Tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the city. (USA Today), (The Guardian) War in Afghanistan (2001–present) At least 11 Afghan policemen are killed in a suspected Taliban attack on security checkpoints in Helmand province. (The Statesman) Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) Two Turkish police officers are killed in a suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bomb attack in the eastern province of Van. (Hurriyet Daily) War in Donbass Three Ukrainian Army soldiers are killed and eight more are injured around separatist-controlled Donetsk and government-controlled Mariupol by Russian-backed separatists. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Arts and culture The Bible Emoji, a new digital translation of all 66 books of the King James Version of the Bible which replaces some words with emojis, is announced by its anonymous creator. (UPI) (The Guardian) (New York Daily News) Disasters and accidents Floods in Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany following heavy rain that started Sunday night kill at least four people. (Sky News) Law and crime Hissene Habre, ex president of Chad, is sentenced to life in prison for ordering rape, sexual slavery and killings during his rule from 1982 to 1990. (BBC) More details emerge on the rescue of Olympiacos and Mexico international footballer Alan Pulido, kidnapped in Ciudad Victoria on May 28. He escaped by overpowering a captor left alone with him. (ESPN) Politics and elections Philippine presidential election, 2016 The Congress of the Philippines proclaims Rodrigo Duterte and Leni Robredo as President-elect and Vice President-elect of the Philippines, respectively. (CNN Philippines), (AP via The Olympian) Syrian peace process Chief Syrian opposition negotiator of the High Negotiations Committee Mohammed Allush resigns over the failure of the UN-backed peace talks. Allush said that without any of the opposition demands met, peace talks were a "waste of time". In April, the HNC suspended talks with the Syrian government's delegation in Vienna. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Impeachment process against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Fabiano Silveira, Minister for Transparency, Supervision and Control, resigns after leaked recordings suggested he tried to derail the Petrobras corruption investigation. This anti-corruption ministry was created on May 12, 2016, when Vice President Michel Temer was sworn in as acting president. The same tapes led to the resignation of Planning Minister Romero Jucá last week. (BBC) (Reuters) Haitian presidential election, 2015–16 A special verification panel recommends throwing out the results of the Haiti presidential election on October 25, 2015, because it appeared to be tainted by significant voter fraud. (AP via US News and World Report) Jordanian King Abdullah II dissolves the parliament and appoints a new prime minister, Hani Al-Mulki. (Business Standard) (Washington Post) Science and technology A new study by University of Colorado Boulder researchers, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds opioid medicines can paradoxically cause an increase in chronic pain in lab rats. (EurekAlert!) Sports 2016 NBA Playoffs In basketball, the Golden State Warriors defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 96–88 in the deciding Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, winning the series 4–3. The defending NBA champion Warriors advance to the NBA Finals, where they will face the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season. (ESPN) Current events of May 31, 2016 (2016-05-31) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian Civil War At least 23 people are killed in overnight air strikes in Idlib, Syria. (CNN) (BBC) War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Suspect Taliban militants kill nine and kidnap 170 in an attack on three passenger buses in Kunduz, Afghanistan. (Reuters) (CNN) Business and economics In the United States, a Delaware court rules Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners underpriced their 2013 $24.9 billion buyout of Dell Inc. by about 22 percent, and may have to pay tens of millions to investors who opposed the deal. (Financial Times) [1] The Wall Street Journal reports that administrative mistakes by asset manager T. Rowe Price led it to vote in favor of the deal, even though it had vocally opposed it in the runup to the vote. (Wall Street Journal) (Fortune) Disasters and accidents At least 17 army personnel are killed in a fire in an ammunitions depot in the Indian town of Pulgaon, Maharashtra. (The New York Times) (NDTV) (AFP via ABC News Australia) A five-storey apartment block collapses in Russian city of Mezhdurechensk, killing one man and injuring three. (RT) Law and crime The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rules (12-3) a warrant is not required for police to obtain a person's cellphone location data from wireless carriers. (Reuters) International relations In an interview with the German broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama says that Germany has taken too many refugees and "from a moral standpoint" refugees should "only be accommodated temporarily" — with the goal of them returning home to rebuild their countries. (NBC News) North Korea and weapons of mass destruction North Korea attempts again to launch a BM25 Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of striking South Korea or Japan but is unsuccessful. (The Guardian) A recent Global Slavery Index report estimates the number of people born into servitude, trafficked for sex work, in debt bondage, or forced labour to be 45.8 million. India is reported to have the highest number at an estimated 18.4 million slaves, and North Korea the highest ratio, 4.4 percent of its population. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) Politics and elections Iranian legislative election, 2016 Ali Larijani is reelected chairman of the Iranian Parliament for a one year term while Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Motahari are elected deputy chairpersons. All three elected members were supported by List of Hope in the recent election. (Yahoo! news) (Xinhau net) (The New York Times) Papua conflict Thousands of people take to the streets of Jayapura and other towns in Papua, Indonesia, in support of the Free Papua Movement and its effort to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group. Indonesia responded with a large police and military presence, with reports of police firing on demonstrators in Wamena and arresting dozens across the province. (Radio New Zealand) Mohamed Abdelaziz, the leader of the Polisario Front which fought for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco, dies after leading the group since 1976. (Al Jazeera) 2016 United States presidential election Conservative leaders seeking an alternative to the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump are urging Tennessee attorney and National Review writer David French to enter the 2016 presidential race as an independent candidate. (The Washington Post) Sports Association football icon Pelé announces that he will sell 1,500 lots of his possessions via Julien's Auctions, which will include his medals, trophies, jerseys, and diplomatic gifts. (BBC)

May 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31  Ongoing events Business 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist Panama Papers Disasters 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire Health Flint water crisis Zika virus outbreak Political War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Brazil protests Burundian unrest Commission on Elections data breach European migrant crisis (timeline) Iraqi and Syrian Civil War Military intervention against ISIL Israeli–Palestinian conflict Lebanese political deadlock Macedonia protests Moldova protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenian–Azeri border conflict Nepal blockade PKK rebellion Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Venezuelan protests State of emergency in Venezuela War in Donbass Yemeni Civil War More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup 2016 Formula One season 2016 NBA Playoffs 2016 NHL Playoffs 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2016 ATP World Tour 2016 Major League Baseball season 2016 WTA Tour  Recent deaths May 31: Jan Crouch 31: Carla Lane 30: Javare Gowda 30: Tom Lysiak 29: Don McNay 28: Bryce Dejean-Jones 28: Edward O'Hara 27: Kai G. Henriksen 27: Leroidesanimaux 27: Petro Herkulan Malchuk 26: Loris Francesco Capovilla 26: Ted Dumitru 26: Hedy Epstein 26: Angela Paton 26: Arturo Pomar 25: Ian Gibson 24: Burt Kwouk 24: Mell Lazarus 23: John Brophy 23: Vera Henriksen 22: Adolf Born 22: Leonorilda Ochoa 21: Gaston Berghmans 21: Akhtar Mansour 21: Nick Menza 20: Patricia M. Derian 20: Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo 20: Kang Sok-ju 19: Marco Pannella 19: Morley Safer 19: Alan Young 18: Eduardo Castrillo 18: Kornél Pajor 18: Fritz Stern 17: Seán Ardagh 17: Guy Clark 17: Huguette Dreyfus 16: Romaldo Giurgola 16: Emilio Navaira 16: Deepak Shodhan 15: André Brahic 15: Cauby Peixoto 14: Tony Barrow 14: Darwyn Cooke 14: Christy O'Connor Snr 13: Sammy Ellis 13: Rabbit Kekai 12: Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia 12: Julius La Rosa 12: Del Latta 12: Susannah Mushatt Jones 12: Yukio Ninagawa 11: Bobby Carroll 11: Tony Cozier 11: Katherine Dunn 11: François Morellet 11: Motiur Rahman Nizami 11: Michael Ratner 10: Mustafa Badreddine 10: Cheng Chieh 10: Louis van Gasteren 10: Gene Gutowski 10: Ilkka Hanski 10: Mark Lane 10: Kang Young-hoon 9: Louisa Chase 9: Chuck Curtis 9: Walther Leisler Kiep 9: John Warr 8: John Bradshaw 8: Reg Grundy 8: William Schallert 8: John Young 7: Mohammad-Ali Hosseinzadeh 7: Bernardo Ribeiro 6: Patrick Ekeng 6: Margot Honecker 6: Chris Mitchell 5: Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad 5: Isao Tomita 4: Bob Bennett 4: Jordan Parsons 3: Ian Deans 3: Kaname Harada 3: Thomas W. Libous 3: Roger Millward 2: Basil Blackshaw 2: Jonathan Cainer 2: John Kaye 2: Balraj Madhok 2: Karel Pečko 2: Afeni Shakur  Ongoing conflicts Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Cross border attacks in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe European Migrant Crisis Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni Crisis Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency  Elections and Referendums Recent May 9: Philippines, President, Senate, House of Representatives 15: Dominican Republic, President, Senate, Chamber of Deputies 22: Austria, President (2nd round) 22: Cyprus, House of Representatives 22: Tajikistan, Constitutional referendum 22: Vietnam, National Assembly Upcoming June 5: Macedonia, Assembly of the Republic 5: Peru, President (2nd round) 5: Switzerland, Referendums 23: United Kingdom, Referendum 26: Spain, Congress of Deputies, Senate  Trials Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Philippines: Janet Lim-Napoles, Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot, Adam Johnson United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Sheldon Silver International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir, Radovan Karadžić Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members Spain: Lionel Messi United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United Kingdom: Max Clifford, Rolf Harris, Ched Evans United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry, Bill Cosby International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo