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Worldwide current events
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Topics in the news

The aircraft that crashed, pictured in 2011

Shoplifters wins the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the United Kingdom, Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle.
A passenger aircraft (pictured) crashes shortly after takeoff from Havana, Cuba, killing 110 people.
Israeli troops kill more than 60 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, on the day the United States moves its embassy to Jerusalem.
In association football, the English Premier League concludes with Manchester City winning the title.

May 21, 2018 (Monday)

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May 20, 2018 (Sunday)

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Disasters and accidents

2018 lower Puna eruption
- Lava continues spewing from fissures, reaching the Pacific Ocean and critically injuring one person. (CNN) (TVNZ)

Law and crime

The mayor of Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris 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 PSOE and C's, decides to maintain the Direct rule over Catalonia after the announcement of Quim Torra appointed government. (Huffington Post)
- The Spanish government blocks the appointment of the new councilors. (El País)

May 19, 2018 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Russian military intervention in Ukraine
- Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation says Russian-led militants have mounted 43 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the past 24 hours, using artillery systems and 120mm and 82mm mortars 10 times, with no casualties among the Ukrainian servicemen. According to intelligence data, two militants are killed and three others wounded. (UNIAN)

Arts and culture

Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
- The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. They are given the titles the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (BBC)

International relations

China–United States relations
- China says it will "significantly increase" purchases of U.S. goods and services to help reduce the trade tensions between the two countries, with increased purchases mainly in agriculture and energy. (CNN)

Law and crime

Human rights in Saudi Arabia
- Women's rights in Saudi Arabia
  - The state security of Saudi Arabia arrests seven women's rights activists, whom the pro-government media presented as "traitors to the fatherland," for allegedly working with foreign entities. These arrests take place a little more than a month before the driving ban for women is lifted. (The Independent)

Politics and elections

Iraqi parliamentary election, 2018
- The electoral commission announces the results of the May 12 elections. Muqtada al-Sadr's list wins most seats, followed by Hadi al-Amiri and Haider al-Abadi's groups. (Reuters)
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- New President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Quim Torra, forms a new regional government, including the dismissed and imprisoned members Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, and "self-exiled" dismissed members Lluís Puig and Toni Comín. (El Periódico)

Sports

2018 DFB-Pokal Final
- Eintracht Frankfurt beat Bayern Munich 3–1 at Olympiastadion to win the 75th edition of the DFB-Pokal. (ESPN)
2018 FA Cup Final
- Chelsea beat Manchester United 1–0 at Wembley to win the 137th edition of the FA Cup. (BBC Sport)

May 18, 2018 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Santa Fe High School shooting
- A school shooting takes place at Santa Fe High School in Texas, United States. Eight students and two teachers are killed and thirteen others are injured. (KTRK-TV), (BBC)
A gunman opens fire on the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in Doral, Florida, before being shot and wounded by police. No other victims were reported. (The Washington Post), (USA Today)
A shooting takes place outside of a high school graduation at Mt. Zion High School in Jonesboro, Georgia. One person is killed and another wounded. (Los Angeles Times)

Business and economy

Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal
- Cambridge Analytica files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

Cubana de Aviación Flight 972
- A Boeing 737 crashes shortly after taking off from Havana, Cuba, with 104 passengers and nine crew on board. Only three people are reported to have survived the crash. (CNN), (BBC)
Over 30 people are injured, seven seriously, in a bus collision at Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and New York, United States. (Business Insider)

Health and environment

2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola virus outbreak
- Two more cases of ebola reported in the city of Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 25 people have died this year in the country from the disease, with a wider outbreak feared. (The Guardian)
Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- Sergei Skripal is discharged from hospital after two months. (BBC)

Law and crime

All 34 Roman Catholic bishops in Chile offer to resign after Pope Francis accused them of destroying evidence of sexual crimes. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
- The government of Myanmar agrees to repatriate 1,101 Rohingya refugees out of a list of over 8,000 submitted by their Bangladeshi counterparts. There are currently over 700,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. (The Daily Star)

May 17, 2018 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

International military intervention against ISIL
- Denmark announces the partial withdrawal of its special forces from Iraq following the collapse of ISIL in the country. (Channel News Asia)

Disasters and accidents

2018 lower Puna eruption
- The summit at Kīlauea erupts and sends a plume of ash and smoke 30,000 feet (9.1 km) into the air. (CNN) (BBC)
A school bus and a dump truck collide on Interstate 80 in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey, U.S., killing two people and injuring 43. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Quim Torra is sworn in as the 131st President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, 200 days after the cessation of the government of Puigdemont and the direct rule. He does not swear on the Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy, but rather on "the will of the people of Catalonia". (El País)
Burundian constitutional referendum, 2018
- Voters in Burundi go to the polls for a referendum to amend the constitution to allow current President Pierre Nkurunziza to stay in office until 2034. (The Guardian)
Poland detains Yekaterina C., a Russian woman who was part of a pro-Russian group that sought to whip up tension between Poland and Ukraine, and expels her. (Kyiv Post)

May 16, 2018 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- Battle of Farah
  - Taliban forces claim to have taken control of the western city of Farah after two days of fighting. It is the second provincial capital to be temporarily taken over, after a similar assault on Kunduz in 2015. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Business and economy

Economy of the United Kingdom
- The British government renationalises the Virgin Trains East Coast-operated East Coast Main Line. The Department for Transport will run the rail service until 2020. (Reuters) (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Five people are confirmed dead as thunderstorms hit the Northeastern United States. (ABC News)
The Luxembourg Green Party politician and government secretary Camille Gira dies after he collapsed while delivering a speech to parliament. (Delano)

International relations

2017–18 North Korea crisis
- North Korea–South Korea relations
  - North Korea cancels high-level talks with South Korea in protest of United States–South Korea joint military exercises. (Bloomberg)
- 2018 North Korea–United States summit
  - North Korea warns that it might cancel talks with the United States if the U.S. keeps insisting that North Korea will "unilaterally" abandon its nuclear weapons program, similar to the disarmament of Libya. The White House says it is hopeful the planned summit will still happen. (The Washington Post) (Reuters)

Law and crime

USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal
- Michigan State University announces that it will settle with sexual assault victims of Larry Nassar for over $500 million. (AP via WKAR)
Five people are shot dead and another is injured in a shooting at a house in Ponder, Denton County, Texas. The Denton County Sheriff's Office believe the shooter is among the dead. (NBC)
A mass grave containing the bodies of 12 people is discovered in The Gambia. The victims were allegedly killed in 2005 by paramilitary forces controlled by former president Yahya Jammeh, according to human rights groups. (The Guardian)
Media of Kenya
- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta signs a law outlawing cyber-espionage, cyber-bullying, and the "publication of false information." (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Politics of Malaysia
- Malaysian longtime opposition figure and leader of incumbent government party Pakatan Harapan, Anwar Ibrahim is released from prison after obtaining a full royal pardon from King Muhammad V. Anwar was imprisoned in 2015 during the tenure of Najib Razak for charges widely considered to be politically motivated. (Reuters) (MalaysianDigest)
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- A Belgian judge withdraws the European Arrest Warrant against Toni Comín, Lluís Puig and Meritxell Serret amid procedural defects and irregularities. The Supreme Court of Spain criticizes the decision as a "lack of commitment to Spain" from the Belgian justice. (La Vanguardia) (La Vanguardia₂)
Trump campaign–Russian meetings
- The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee releases 2,500 pages of documents related to a June 9, 2016 meeting between Donald Trump campaign officials and Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya. (NPR)

May 15, 2018 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Gaza border protests
- The Israeli Army reports some 4,000 Palestinians hold violent protests in five locations along the Gaza border, throwing Molotov cocktails at troops and burning tires. The Israeli Army kills two protesters and injures more than 100 others using live fire and tear gas. (The Jerusalem Post)

International relations