Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- Incumbent Nicolás Maduro (pictured) is re-elected President of Venezuela.
- Shoplifters wins the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
- In the United Kingdom, Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle.
- A passenger aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Havana, Cuba, killing 112 people.
May 26, 2018 (Saturday)
May 25, 2018 (Friday)
Business and economy
- Economy of the European Union
- EU finance ministers reach an agreement on reforming bank capital rules. (Reuters)
- Economy of Italy
- The yield spread between the Italian and German 10-year government bonds rises to over 2% for the first time in a year, due to the political uncertainty. (El País)
International relations
Law and crime
- General Data Protection Regulation
- GDPR rules come into effect in the European Union. Several U.S. news sites are subsequently taken offline in the United Kingdom and Europe, including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Lee Enterprises newspapers. (The Independent)
- Austrian privacy organization NOYB files complaints to regulators in four EU countries alleging that Facebook, Google, Instagram, and WhatsApp are violating the GDPR. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations
- After surrendering to the NYPD, U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein is formally charged with rape and other sexual abuse offences involving two women. (BBC)
- Police in India state that mobs have killed three people after social media warned of roaming gangs of child kidnappers. They say that there is no evidence of such gangs. (Tampa Bay Times)
- At the border with Turkey, Bulgarian customs agents seize 191 kilograms (421 lb) of heroin in transit for Belgium and the Netherlands. The drugs, with a street value of €6 million, were hidden under tile glue and detected by a sniffer dog. (Het Laatste Nieuws) (The Washington Post)
Politics and elections
- Politics of Spain, Gürtel case
- The opposition Workers' Party presents a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy following the publication of the sentence in the Gürtel corruption scandal, which involved the ruling PP. (El Mundo) (The Guardian)
- The Citizens party gives an ultimatum to Rajoy to call snap elections or otherwise they'll support the motion of no confidence. (La Vanguardia) (The New York Times)
- Mariano Rajoy reaffirms that he will not resign, nor call elections and that the motion of no confidence is bad for the stability of the country. (El País)
- Barbadian general election, 2018
- The Barbados Labour Party, entering the election as the opposition party, wins all 30 seats in the House of Assembly. Mia Mottley becomes the first female Prime Minister of Barbados. (Reuters)
- Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Moïse Katumbi and Félix Tshisekedi, two major opposition figures in the DR Congo, issue a joint statement. They discuss choosing a single candidate to run in the presidential election now scheduled for 23 December 2018. (Bloomberg)
- Russian presidential election, 2024
- Vladimir Putin stated that he will respect the Russian Constitution and step down in 2024. (Reuters)
- Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018 (Ireland)
- Ireland holds a referendum on whether they'll repeal the constitutional prohibition of abortion. (The Irish Times)
Science and technology
- 2018 Atlantic hurricane season
- Subtropical Storm Alberto becomes the first named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed at the western Caribbean Sea and is expected to move north of the Gulf of Mexico later in the weekend. (The Weather Channel)
May 24, 2018 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Mississauga restaurant bombing
- Fifteen people are injured after two suspects detonate an improvised explosive device at a restaurant in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The suspects immediately fled the scene. (Reuters), (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
- A Dutch official from the international Joint Investigation Team tells reporters the Russian Armed Forces were responsible for the shootdown. The Russian Defence Ministry denies its units were involved. (BBC)
- Monsoon rains kill 12 people in Sri Lanka. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
- North Korea–United States relations
- 2018 North Korea–United States summit
- North Korea sets off a series of explosions to demolish the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site to build confidence before the scheduled summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. (NBC News)
- U.S. President Donald Trump cancels the scheduled summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement by North Korea. Trump states that a summit can still happen, but warns that the military is ready if needed. (CNN), (The Washington Examiner)
- 2018 North Korea–United States summit
- Burkina Faso–Taiwan relations
- Burkina Faso breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (The Washington Post), (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Gürtel case
- The National Audience of Spain issues a ruling in the Gürtel case, ending a 10-year trial that sentences 29 people to prison terms of up to 51 years. (El País) (BBC)
- The People's Party, the ruling party in the Government, is condemned as participant in a lucrative way directly. (El Mundo) (The Washington Post)
- The Court does not believe the statements as a witness that Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made on 26 July 2017, which could imply the fulfillment of a crime of false testimony. (El País)
- Around 30 people are arrested in an operation against corruption in the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona. (El Periódico)
- Eduardo Zaplana, former Minister of Labour and ex-President of the Generalitat Valenciana is sent to prison without bail after being arrested on May 22. (El País)
- Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations
- American film producer Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to the NYPD on sexual misconduct charges. (BBC)
- A gunman opens fire in a restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. Two people are injured and the gunman is killed at the scene after exchanging fire with an armed bystander. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Human rights in Pakistan
- The National Assembly of Pakistan votes a constitutional amendment merging the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This will abolish colonial-era rules and provide the five million people from the tribal areas with equal rights as the other people of Pakistan. The measure is expected to pass the next stages without fuss. (Al Jazeera)
- Presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump posthumously pardons boxer Jack Johnson who was convicted for "taking his white girlfriend across state lines for 'immoral' purposes" in 1912. (CNN)
- President Trump awards the Medal of Honor to Navy Seal Britt K. Slabinski for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar. (Tampa Bay Times)
Science and technology
- 2018 Atlantic hurricane season
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States predicts a near- or above-average hurricane season for 2018. (NOAA)
May 23, 2018 (Wednesday)
Business and economy
- Transport in Iran
- Iranian truck owners and drivers start striking in seven provinces to protest poor working conditions. (VOA) (The Washington Post)
- Budget of France
- The European Commission recommends to remove France from the excessive deficit procedure which it entered in 2009. (Deutsche Welle)
- Economy of Turkey
- The Turkish Central Bank raises its "late liquidity window" rate from 13.5% to 16.5% in a move to counter the slide of the Turkish lira over the last three weeks. Other rates are left unchanged. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
Health and environment
- The United States issues a health alert in China, following a government employee reporting "abnormal sensations of sound and pressure", one in a range of physical symptoms, from late 2017 through to April 2018. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the State Department is moving medical teams into place in Guangzhou, adding that the incident was "entirely consistent" with reported "sonic attacks" in Cuba in 2016 and 2017. (CNN)
International relations
- Iran–European Union relations
- Iran sets seven conditions to stay in the JCPOA Iran deal after the U.S. withdrew. One of these conditions is that European banks should safeguard trade with Iran. (Al-Arabiya)
- China–United States relations
- The Pentagon announces that it has "disinvited" China from this year's biennial Rim of the Pacific naval exercise, after China announced in January that it had accepted the United States' invitation. (Politico)
Law and crime
- Corruption in Belgium
- Belgian prosecutors admit that a 2-year-old child was killed by police during a high-speed chase with a van last week, after initially denying it. (The Guardian)
- Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump
- U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald rules that public officials on social media should not block other users for differing political views. (Fortune)
Politics and elections
- Politics of Italy
- Italian President Sergio Mattarella accepts Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. Conte is now going to form his government, supported by the Five Star Movement and League. (BBC)
Sports
- 2018 NFL season, U.S. national anthem protests (2016–present)
- The NFL announces a new policy regarding kneeling for the anthem, requiring any players on the sidelines to stand. Thus, players will now be allowed to remain in the locker room while the Star-Spangled Banner is played, fining players who refuse to stand on the sidelines. (The Baltimore Sun)
- 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
- The Washington Capitals will play the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals after a game 7 victory. It is the first Stanley Cup Finals appearance for the Capitals since 1998. (NHL)
May 22, 2018 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- Southern Damascus offensive (April–May 2018)
- Syrian government forces declare Damascus and its surroundings "completely safe" for the first time since 2011, after taking Yarmouk Camp and Hajar al-Aswad from ISIL. (CBS News)
- Southern Damascus offensive (April–May 2018)
- Kha Maung Seik massacre
- Amnesty International releases a report claiming it has evidence that ARSA insurgents massacred nearly 100 Hindus in the village of Kha Maung Seik on August 25, 2017, the same day ARSA attacked security forces in Myanmar's Rakhine State. (BBC News)
- Israel announces it is the first country to use the new F-35 Lightning II fighter jet in combat operations. (BBC News)(Business Insider)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 16 people are killed and 38 wounded in Kandahar, Afghanistan, by the accidental detonation of a container of explosives while security forces were attempting to dispose of it. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
- 2018 North Korea–United States summit, North Korea–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump states there is a "very substantial chance" that the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month may not occur. (BBC News)
- China–United States relations, Economy of China
- The Chinese Finance Ministry announces it will cut import duties on passenger vehicles from 25% to 15% starting on July 1, just days after China and the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire in their recent trade hostilities. (CNN)
- Zimbabwe applies to rejoin the Commonwealth of Nations. Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth in 2003 following a disputed election the previous year and subsequent suspension from the organization. According to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, the application was made on May 15. (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
- Environmental issues in India
- Police in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India, kill nine people who protested against Vedanta Resources' copper smelter operation, alleging that it is a major source of pollution and a risk to fisheries. State Minister D. Jayakumar says that it was "unavoidable" that the people were shot. National Congress opposition leader Rahul Gandhi calls the killings "state sponsored terrorism". (Reuters) (Indian Express)
Sports
- 2018 Indian Premier League
- Chennai Super Kings defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 2 wickets in Qualifier-1 and progress to the final of the Indian Premier League. (Cricinfo) (Times of India)
May 21, 2018 (Monday)
Business and economy
- Economy of Japan
- Sony agrees to a $2.3 billion deal where they will buy a controlling interest in EMI Music Publishing. The deal will mean that Sony would indirectly own 90% of the music publisher and its two million songs. (BBC)
International relations
- Israel–Paraguay relations, Status of Jerusalem
- Paraguay opens its embassy in Jerusalem, making Paraguay the third country, after the United States and Guatemala, to transfer its diplomatic mission in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. (AP via Politico)
- Iran–United States relations
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. will impose the "the strongest sanctions in history" on Iran if it does not meet various demands, including ending its nuclear program and leaving the Syrian Civil War. (Reuters)
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejects Pompeo's demands, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif accuses the U.S. of "repeating past mistakes." (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
- Catholic sexual abuse cases in Australia
- Philip Wilson, the Catholic archbishop of Adelaide, Australia, is convicted of concealing sexual abuse of children from authorities. (BBC)
- Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis
- The U.S. Supreme Court votes 5–4 to allow companies to enforce contracts which bar employees from entering class action lawsuits. (The Washington Post via Concord Monitor)
May 20, 2018 (Sunday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 lower Puna eruption
- Lava continues spewing from fissures on Kilauea, Hawaii, reaching the Pacific Ocean and critically injuring one person. (CNN) (1 News Now)
- Cyclone Sagar
- Cyclone Sagar makes landfall in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, killing at least 16 people. (The Weather Channel)
Law and crime
- Mayor Yiannis Boutaris of Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, is hospitalized after being assaulted by a group of nationalists at a Greek genocide remembrance event. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, with the support of the Workers' Party and Citizens Party, decides to maintain direct rule over Catalonia after the announcement of Quim Torra appointed government. (HuffPost)
- The Spanish government blocks the appointment of the new councilors. (El País)
- Crisis in Venezuela (2012–present)
- Venezuelan presidential election, 2018
- Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro wins the presidential election amidst allegations of massive irregularities by his main rivals. (Reuters)
- Venezuelan presidential election, 2018
Sports
- 2017–18 NHL season
- 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
- The Vegas Golden Knights become the first expansion team to make the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season since 1968, a season in which one of the six teams that entered the league was guaranteed to reach the final. (CBS Sports)
- 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
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Ongoing events
Business
Culture
Disasters
- Australian bushfire season
- Cape Town water crisis
- Oklahoma earthquake swarms
- Pacific typhoon season
- European windstorm season
- 2018 East Africa floods
Politics
- Brexit negotiations
- Cyprus gas dispute
- European migrant crisis (timeline)
- Nicaraguan protests
- North Korean crisis
- Philippine protests (timeline)
- Qatar diplomatic crisis
- Rohingya persecution in Myanmar
- Spanish constitutional crisis
- Turkish purges
- U.S. political sex scandals
- U.S. Special Counsel investigation (timeline)
Sports
More details – ongoing conflicts
Elections and referendums
Recent
- May
- 12: East Timor, Parliament
- 12: Iraq, Council of Representatives
- 17: Burundi, Referendum
- 20: Venezuela, President
- 24: Barbados, House of Assembly
- 25: Ireland, Referendum
Upcoming
Trials
Recently concluded
- Australia: Philip Wilson
- Denmark: Peter Madsen
- Germany: Hussein Khavari
- Indonesia: Setya Novanto
- Philippines: Maria Lourdes Sereno
- South Korea: Park Geun-hye
- Spain: La Manada
- United Kingdom: Paul Golding, Jayda Fransen, Ahmed Hassan
- United States: Ed Pawlowski, Bill Cosby, Sheldon Silver
Ongoing
- Cambodia: Kem Sokha, Mu Sochua
- Estonia: Edgar Savisaar
- Germany: Beate Zschäpe
- Guatemala: Otto Pérez Molina, Roxana Baldetti, Juan Carlos Monzón and others
- Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum
- Malaysia: Siti Aisyah and Đoàn Thị Hương
- Philippines: Leila de Lima
- Spain: Bárcenas affair, Gürtel case
- United States: Fat Leonard scandal
- International
Upcoming
- Australia: George Pell
- Canada: Alek Minassian
- Egypt: Mohamed Morsi
- Guatemala: Alvaro Colom, Manuel Baldizón, Juan Alberto Fuentes
- Iran: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
- Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr., Jovito Palparan
- Romania: Liviu Dragnea
- South Africa: Jacob Zuma
- Spain: Jordi Pujol
- Ukraine: Roman Nasirov
- United Kingdom: Football sex abuse scandal
- United States: Patrick Ho, Paul Manafort, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Sayfullo Saipov, Turpin case
- Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
Sport
- Association football
- Women's association football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Golf
- Ice hockey
- Motorsport
- Rugby league
- Rugby union
- Tennis
- Other sports seasons
More details – current sports events
Recent deaths
May 2018
- 25: Bill Mallory
- 24: TotalBiscuit
- 23: Luis Posada Carriles
- 23: Richard Peck
- 23: László Tábori
- 22: Dave Garcia
- 22: Philip Roth
- 21: Dovey Johnson Roundtree
- 21: Clint Walker
- 21: Faith Whittlesey
- 20: Bill Gold
- 20: Richard N. Goodwin
- 20: Patricia Morison
- 19: Robert Indiana
- 19: Bernard Lewis
- 19: Reggie Lucas
- 18: John Carrick
- 17: Richard Pipes
- 16: Joseph Campanella
- 15: Jlloyd Samuel
- 14: William Vance
- 14: Tom Wolfe
- 13: Margot Kidder
- 12: Will Alsop
- 12: Tessa Jowell
- 12: Dennis Nilsen
- 11: Peter Mayer
- 10: David Goodall
- 10: Scott Hutchison
Ongoing conflicts
Africa
- Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
- Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Libya
- Mali
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
Americas
- Mexico
- Peru
Asia
- Afghanistan
- China
- India
- India and Pakistan
- Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
- Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Thailand
Europe
- Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Russia
- Ukraine