Portal:Current events/2018 May 12

May 12, 2018 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Burundian unrest (2015–2018)
- 26 people are killed in Cibitoke Province, Burundi. The country's security minister attributes the attack on civilians in their houses to an unnamed "terrorist group". (AP via The Los Angeles Times)
2018 Gaza border protests
- Israel closes the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza after it is heavily damaged by a Palestinian arson attack, saying that humanitarian cases will still be allowed through while the damage is being repaired. Kerem Shalom is the border crossing where most goods transit into the blockaded territory. (Voice of America)
- The Israeli Air Force destroys a Hamas tunnel more than a kilometer long that headed from Beit Hanun, Gaza towards Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
2018 Paris knife attack
- One person is killed and four wounded in a knife attack in Paris, France. The attacker is killed by police. (BBC) (CNN)
Internal conflict in Myanmar § Shan State
- 19 people are killed in clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army in Shan State. (Agence France-Presse)

Arts and culture

Eurovision Song Contest 2018
- Israeli singer Netta Barzilai wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal, with her song Toy. This is Israel's first Eurovision win in the 21st century and fourth overall. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

EgyptAir Flight 804
- Relatives of the 66 people killed in the crash sue Apple alleging that an overheating iPad caused the disaster. (Patently Apple)

International relations

Japan–North Korea relations
- After Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe insisted North Korea settle the issue of Japanese citizens adbucted by North Korea, North Korean state media KCNA accuses Japan of disrupting peace efforts before the planned North Korea–U.S. summit. (The Japan Times)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea stated that it would dismantle the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site between May 23–25 ahead of the Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un summit meeting. Furthermore, North Korea invited journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom to cover the process. (USA Today)

Law and crime

Politics of Malaysia
- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is banned from leaving the country due to the ongoing investigation into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. He subsequently resigns as president of UMNO and as head of the BN coalition. (BBC) (Malaysiakini)
- Former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, jailed during Najib's term, is due to be released next Tuesday after receiving a royal pardon. Anwar is the leader of the Pakatan Harapan coalition that won the May 9 general election. The pardon will enable Anwar to immediately run for public office again. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Iraqi parliamentary election, 2018
- Voters in Iraq go to the polls. One quarter of the 329 seats in the Council of Representatives must go to women. (CNN)
- A low turnout is reported, but no bombings at polling stations. (AP via The Spokesman Review)
Politics of Italy
- A court in Milan lifts the consequences of Silvio Berlusconi's 2013 tax evasion sentence. He is now allowed to participate in elections again. (Corriere della Sera) (La Stampa)
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Writer and radical independentist Quim Torra faces his first investiture debate after being nominated yesterday for President of the Generalitat of Catalonia. In his speech, he reaffirms to continue with the republican project, to undertake a constituent process and to be under Carles Puigdemont's directions. (El País) (The Guardian)
- Quim Torra gets 66 votes, 2 short of the 68 votes needed to be elected by an absolute majority of the 135-seat Parliament of Catalonia. A second round is to be held on Monday, in which he would need a simple majority to be elected. (Reuters)