Portal:Current events/2020 May 17: Difference between revisions

*[[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]]; [[May 2020 Afghanistan attacks]]

**[[Taliban]] militants attack a [[security checkpoint|checkpoint]] in [[Logar Province|Logar]], [[Afghanistan]], killing eight security personnel and wounding five others. [http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/17/c_139063942.htm (Xinhua)]

*[[Libyan Civil War (2014–present)|Libyan Civil War]]

**[[2019–20 Western Libya offensive]]

***The [[Government of National Accord]] reports that seven civilians are killed, including a child, after [[Khalifa Haftar]]'s forces fire heavy [[artillery]] on a shelter in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]. [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/gna-haftar-forces-shelling-kills-7-displaced-people-shelter-200517091308708.html (Al Jazeera)]

*[[Somali Civil War (2009–present)|Somali Civil War]]

**The Governor of [[Somalia]]'s [[Mudug]] region, [[Ahmed Muse Nur]], and three of his [[bodyguard]]s are killed in a [[suicide attack|suicide]] [[car bomb]]ing. [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]] claims responsibility for the [[assassination]]. [https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-somalia-security/suicide-bombing-in-somalia-kills-governor-three-others-in-puntland-police-idUKKBN22T0FB?il=0 (Reuters)]

*[[Ituri conflict]]

**A [[militia]] [[mass murder|kills]] 20 villagers in an overnight attack in [[Ituri Interim Administration|Ituri Province]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-congo-security/armed-group-kills-20-villagers-in-northeast-congo-idUSKBN22T0IR (Reuters)]

;Business and economy

*[[Coronavirus recession]], [[Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic]]

**[[Chair of the Federal Reserve]] [[Jerome Powell]] says [[Economy of the United States|U.S. economic]] recovery from the [[recession]] could take until the end of 2021. [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/17/business/economy/fed-powell-economic-recovery.html (''The New York Times'')] [https://www.ft.com/content/2ed602f1-ed11-4221-8d0b-ef85018c96ea (''Financial Times'')]

;Disasters and accidents

*A jet from the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]'s [[Snowbirds]] crashes into a house in [[Kamloops]], [[British Columbia]], killing one pilot and injuring another. [https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/1-dead-1-injured-after-snowbirds-plane-crashes-in-kamloops-b-c-1.4943375 (CTV News)]

*[[COVID-19 pandemic]]

**[[COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar]]

***[[Madagascar]] reports its first death from [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]]; that of a 57-year-old medical worker who suffered from diabetes and [[high blood pressure]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-madagascar/madagascar-records-its-first-covid-19-death-official-idUSKBN22T0FP?il=0 (Reuters)]

**[[COVID-19 pandemic in India]]

***[[India]] extends its lockdown, which was set to expire today, until May 31. [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/india-extends-coronavirus-lockdown-31-200517163717633.html (Al Jazeera)]

*[[China–United States relations]]

**[[Federal government of the United States|United States]] Secretary of State [[Mike Pompeo]] warns [[Government of China|China]] that the expulsion of 13 U.S. journalists could affect the U.S. assessment of [[Hong Kong]]’s [[Hong Kong independence|status]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-hongkong-autonomy/pompeo-warns-china-over-interference-with-us-journalists-in-hong-kong-idUSKBN22T0SB (Reuters)]

*[[China|Chinese]] [[List of ambassadors of China to Israel|ambassador]] to [[Israel]] [[Du Wei (diplomat)|Du Wei]] is found dead in his home in [[Tel Aviv]], aged 57. [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-chinese-ambassador-to-israel-found-dead-in-his-home-1.8851513 (''Haaretz'')]

;Law and crime

*Investigators launch a criminal probe into yesterday's fire and subsequent explosion at a [[hash oil]] manufacturing building in [[downtown Los Angeles]], which injured a dozen responding [[firefighter]]s. [https://apnews.com/48a29168caab09da237d3cc56e6c2aa4 (The Associated Press)]

*[[Thirty-fifth government of Israel]]

**Israel's new unity government is sworn in, after 18 months of rule by a [[caretaker government]]. [https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/netanyahu-presents-new-government-to-knesset-628318 (''The Jerusalem Post'')]

;Science and technology

*The [[United States Space Force]] successfully launches its [[Boeing X-37|X-37B]] [[robotic spacecraft]] on a [[classified information|classified]] mission from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station]] via an [[Atlas V]] rocket. Though little is known about the classified program, the spacecraft is expected to deploy a satellite into orbit, and test the "power-beaming technology". [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52698133 (BBC News)]

*[[2020 NASCAR Cup Series]]

**[[NASCAR]] becomes the first major American sports league to resume its season since the start of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]]. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/16/nascar-fires-up-its-engines-sunday-hoping-lead-sports-return-quarantine/ (''The Washington Post'')]

** [[Stewart-Haas Racing]]'s [[Kevin Harvick]] wins [[The Real Heroes 400]] at [[Darlington Raceway]], his 50th career Cup series victory. The race took place behind closed doors. [https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2020/05/17/kevin-harvick-alex-bowman-jimmie-johnson-chase-elliott-denny-hamlin-real-heroes-400-darlington-raceway/ (NBC Sports)]