Portal:Current events/2017 May 17

May 17, 2017 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Bundu dia Kongo followers free their leader and 50 other inmates with an attack on the Makala jail of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera) (Pulse Nigeria)
Central African Republic Civil War
- According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, at least 115 human bodies are discovered in the border town of Bangassou, more than previously thought. A few days prior, militias attacked the town, with the United Nations reporting that at least 26 people were killed. (Al Jazeera)
War in Afghanistan
- Four militants attack a state television building in Jalalabad, killing at least six people. The militants are also killed after engaging with Afghan police. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack. (BBC)

International relations

Ukraine–European Union relations
- Representatives of the European Parliament and European Council sign a document formally granting Ukrainians visa-free travel to the European Union. The visa-free regime is due to enter into force on June 11. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Two Chinese aircraft intercept a US WC-135 aircraft over the East China Sea. (BBC)

Law and crime

United States Army soldier Chelsea Manning is released from prison after serving seven years. Manning was sentenced by a U.S. military court to 35 years in prison, but her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections