Portal:Current events

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

United States presidential election, 2016
- Voters in the American state of Oregon have their mail-in ballots counted for a Democratic Party and Republican Party primary. (ABC News America)
- 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)

May 16, 2016 (Monday)

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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)

May 15, 2016 (Sunday)

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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)

May 14, 2016 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–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–present)
- 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)

May 13, 2016 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- 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)

May 12, 2016 (Thursday)

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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–present)
- 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)

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)

More May 2016 events...

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Ongoing events
Business 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist Panama Papers Health Flint water crisis Zika virus outbreak Political Anti-establishment wave War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Brazil protests Burundian unrest Commission on Elections data breach Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL American-led Iranian Israeli–Palestinian conflict Lebanese political deadlock Macedonia protests Moldova protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenian–Azeri border conflict Nepal blockade PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention Russian military intervention Venezuelan protests War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports 2016 Formula One season 2015–16 La Liga season 2016 NBA Playoffs 2016 NHL Playoffs 2015–16 Premier League season 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2016 ATP World Tour 2016 Major League Baseball season 2016 WTA Tour edit sidebar

Recent deaths
May 17: Guy Clark 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 April 30: Daniel Berrigan 30: Harry Kroto 30: Vasily Zvyagintsev 29: Renato Corona 29: Erediauwa 28: Conrad Burns 28: Jenny Diski 28: Joe Durham 27: Willie Williams 26: Winston Hill 26: Lucy Kibaki 26: Ozzie Silna 26: Harry Wu 25: Mei Baojiu 24: Zafar Ishaq Ansari 24: Ron Brace 24: Martin Gray 24: Inge King 24: Tommy Kono 24: Benjamin Manglona 24: Billy Paul 24: Papa Wemba 24: George Alexis Weymouth 23: Bill Sevesi 23: Madeleine Sherwood 23: Banharn Silpa-archa 22: Phife Dawg 22: Ariffin Mohammed 22: Dene Smuts 21: Lonnie Mack 21: Ferenc Paragi 21: Prince 20: Chyna 20: Velda González 20: Guy Hamilton 20: Leonie Kramer 20: Attila Özdemiroğlu 20: Qi Benyu 20: Giannis Voglis 20: Dwayne Washington 20: Victoria Wood 19: Ken Aldred (death announced on this date) 19: Patricio Aylwin 19: Estelle Balet 19: Ronit Elkabetz 19: Walter Kohn 19: Mehrdad Oladi 19: Milt Pappas 18: Brian Asawa 18: William Campbell 17: Bruce Mansfield 17: Doris Roberts edit sidebar

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 Moro conflict 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 Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent April 17: Italy, Oil drilling referendum 24: Austria, President (1st round) 24: Equatorial Guinea, President 24: Serbia, National Assembly May 9: Philippines, President, Senate, House of Representatives Upcoming May 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 June 5: Macedonia, Assembly of the Republic 5: Peru, President (2nd round) 5: Switzerland, Referendums edit sidebar

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: 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, Janet Lim-Napoles, 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 United Kingdom: Rolf Harris United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Max Clifford 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 International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar